4.5 "Second Chance Friends to Lovers" Stars for the story and 5 "Rock Star Performer" Stars for the narration!
I just can't seem to get enough of the Dannika Dark's and Nicole Poole's fabulous author/narrator team! Having now listened to the first 3 titles, over just a few short weeks, I am officially hooked on the Seven Series!
Five Weeks is a second chance romance between best friends turned lovers with the added twist that it involves two wolf shifters. Those of you who have read the first two books of the Seven Series have already been introduced to the hero, Jericho. If you haven't yet read Seven Years or Six Months, however, don't fret, as the guts of this story, both the romance and the immediate danger that drives the action and suspense, is fully contained within this book.
Jericho, one of the Cole brothers in the Weston Pack, is a somewhat rebellious, former famous rock star, now more of a local musician. This change in status is not necessarily something he wanted, but something he was required to implement in order to potentially deflect any suspicion arising from his slower aging due to his shifter genetics. This along with certain other factors of his past, which are explored in Five Weeks, have led to his addiction issues with drugs and sex. Of all the Cole brothers in the Weston Pack, given this history, it will not be much of a surprise, that Jericho is the one that is the most estranged from his family, preferring to keep himself, his music and the flock of groupies that are constantly seeking his attention. Then the reentry into his life of the one woman that he believed he would never see again, forces Jericho to reevaluate everything he thought he knew from the past and wanted from his future.
Isabelle "Izzy" Monroe has always been an independent woman. Having never belonged to a pack, preferring to enjoy life as a "rogue" wolf, she has always found a way to care for herself and get by. At one time, she had achieved that with the help of her best friend, Jericho, but one night of passion and betrayal changed everything. Today, she has a new boyfriend. One who though she could never feel the same for, claims he wants to provide for her, but has secrets of his own. It's been decades, and she has decided she has to try to give settling down a shot. So imagine her surprise, when shortly after moving into her new life, she finds out that none other than Jericho, and his band "Izzy Monroe", are the main act that play at the bar that she has just gotten her new job at.
Slowly, little by little, revelations from the past start coming to light causing Jericho and Izzy to question just what happened so long ago. Meanwhile, concurrently, factors appear to arise putting in question just where her future is headed. The one thing that is clear, however, is that the passion that consumed Jericho and Izzy once, is still ever present. However, when Izzy finds herself in the cross-hairs of a dangerous situation, will they even get the shot to explore what they thought had died so long ago?
Nicole Poole renders another thoroughly enjoyable performance in Five Weeks. An essential hallmark of a great series is continuity of characters. Not only their personalities in the written form, but also their voices when it comes to an audiobook. Sometimes even the smallest roles in prior books can become the central players in later ones. Ms. Poole's ability to maintain consistent voices for this large cast really made me feel like I was settling back into listening to a favorite long-running TV series or the like; allowing me to completely enjoy the story.
Ms. Dark's ability to render different, character appropriate voices for each member of this plentiful cast is magnificent. Not only do the male characters sound genuinely like men, a factor which is not always achieved by female narrators, but each one also has its own unique intonation allowing for easy differentiation.
Jericho, for example, easily passes as the rock star he is supposed to be. His rebellious nature and nonchalance, key characteristics of his persona early in the story and in the prior books, are also evident from just Ms. Poole's characterization. When the time calls for it, however, Ms. Poole is also able to imbue Jericho's character with a distinct tenderness and somewhat vulnerability as it relates to his special relationship with Izzy, while at the same time bringing out a noticeable fierceness when it's time for his protective alpha wolf to make an appearance.
Izzy, in turn, can be easily distinguished from the prior heroines, and sounds like the free-spirit, independent woman she is supposed to be. I love how, Ms. Poole even varies Izzy's voice to sound more purposefully sexy when she is waitressing, convincingly portraying the sex appeal card that Dannika Dark writes into Izzy's role as being an essential characteristic towards generating higher tips. This huskier sounding Izzy also comes in handy in later scenes when Izzy and Jericho are rediscovering their chemistry.
From the youngest character, Maize, the child sister of Lexi (the Book 1 heroine), to the more mature ones, like Lexi's mother, Ms. Poole knows just how to bring to life the characters that Dannika Dark has created in this vastly creative and diverse world!
All in all, I really enjoyed both the storyline and the narration in Five Weeks. I have to admit that Jericho was not my favorite character going in, but as I am determined to read this entire series--and with Lorenzo's story coming up next (an ultra sexy rival pack leader who we first meet in Seven Years and whose story I have been salivating for since reading Seven)--I decided to listen to Five Weeks with an open mind. Well I have to say that, Dannika Dark once again has impressed me with her great writing skills as she was able to craft so much more depth to Jericho's story than what I was expecting. He is by no means, just your stereotypical rock star, and I loved his protective instincts when it came to Izzy. Izzy likewise was a very interesting, and different type of character, from the prior heroines, proving that Ms. Dark has a limitless supply of creative wit! I can't wait to hear what adventure Ms. Dark takes us on next in Four Days, book 4 of the Seven Series!
Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.