Any Time, Any Place in Audiobook Junkies

Feb 09, 2017 ☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) rated it really liked it

The Billionaire Builders series by Jennifer Probst is such a fun series. Each book features one of the Pierce brothers who own their family construction company. They may be billionaires but these boys are down to earth, and each has their own skill set. Did you see I mentioned brothers? Y'all know how I love my brothers! ANYTIME, ANY PLACE the second novel shares the youngest brothers romance, and you'll want to meet Dalton Pierce.

Narrated by Sebastian York and Madeleine Maby I once again chose The Billionaire Builders series by Jennifer Probst is such a fun series. Each book features one of the Pierce brothers who own their family construction company. They may be billionaires but these boys are down to earth, and each has their own skill set. Did you see I mentioned brothers? Y'all know how I love my brothers! ANYTIME, ANY PLACE the second novel shares the youngest brothers romance, and you'll want to meet Dalton Pierce.

Narrated by Sebastian York and Madeleine Maby I once again chose to listen to the audio. Maby has a pleasant voice and captured our heroine Raven wonderfully, but her male voices were lacking for me. Narrators like York and Petkoff have spoiled me with their amazing ability to capture both the male and female voices.

If you listened or read book one, EVERY WHERE, EVERY WAY, then you will remember Raven is the new owner of the bar, My Place. She didn't like the Pierce brothers from the onset but was immediately attracted to Dalton. It is something she desperately tries to deny. Dalton is a player, but Raven has gotten under his skin and so has her antique bar. We learn he has been visiting My Place daily and soon become privy to the banter between these two. Dalton tries desperately to get his hands on the bar and the girl, and when an upscale magazine shows an interesting in interviewing Raven, a mixology expert and her bar he soon may get the chance.

The tale that unfolds shares a passionate romance, between reluctant lovers who find something more. But there are secrets to be revealed, past scars to address and growth needed before they have any hopes of happily ever after. While there were are a couple of slow spots in the story, I spent a good portion of it, feeling for these characters, wanting to shake them and demanding a happy ending. This story wasn't as heavy on the HGTV factor that I loved in the first, but Dalton got me hot talking about wood.

Secondary characters and his brothers are present for interventions, and I was delighted to see them. We get hints about the next book, share laughs when the ladies learn poker and feel a sense of community. Raven's cook has me curious, and I wonder if Probst will delight us with his story. Maybe a novella? (hint-hint)

ANY TIME, ANY PLACE delivered allowing me to become attached to this couple. The mix of snark, swoons, and feels made their story feel genuine and gave the heat sizzle.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer ...more

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Jan 01, 2017 Sunny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: a-contemporary, arc

ARC Review

Dalton Pierce loves women and they love him back. He is a woodwork artist and free spirit. The youngest Pierce sibling, he is a partner in the hugely successful Pierce Brother Construction company. His mother, Diane Pierce, dies in a car accident while running away with her lover. After the funeral, all the brothers go their separate ways, living their new lives as if they no longer have family. Their father’s will brings them all back together after years of estrangement. Due to a sti ARC Review

Dalton Pierce loves women and they love him back. He is a woodwork artist and free spirit. The youngest Pierce sibling, he is a partner in the hugely successful Pierce Brother Construction company. His mother, Diane Pierce, dies in a car accident while running away with her lover. After the funeral, all the brothers go their separate ways, living their new lives as if they no longer have family. Their father’s will brings them all back together after years of estrangement. Due to a stipulation in said will, all the brothers have to work together to keep the company profitable for one year. Their father’s demand reunites them, but they have to work hard to mend their relationship. Their reconciliation is inhibited by how each of them is dealing their mother’s tragic death. Despite his reservations, Dalton stays the year and then decides to remain in Harrington, Connecticut.

As the youngest brother, Dalton feels like is not taken seriously. Each brother brings a different strength to the company, but Dalton feels like they leave him out of the big business decisions. Moreover, he is the artist in the family, and although he makes unique and custom contributions, his perspective is not always respected. His brothers, Cal and Tristan, think of him as a playboy and temperamental artist. He gets frustrated that they do not treat him as an equal partner. Luckily, Dalton’s has his art: “Building pieces from scratch into treasured and beautiful objects soothed something within his soul. His hands were an extension of creativity and nurturing, and each piece was unique and special, as if he’d just stepped away from the wood to allow it to reveal the heart.”

After sowing her wild oats, Raven Bella Stratton comes to Harrington as the new owner of My Place restaurant and resident mixologist. Her entire focus is on her business. She has no interest in dividing her attention with any man in her life. She hires Dalton to help her renovated her antique bar before a big magazine interview.

On the surface, they seem like opposites. She is the business woman. She is level headed and practical. When she is ready for marriage, she wants a stable partner. He is the open minded, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants artist, who doesn’t believe in love. He loves to take care of women, but he learns to never fully commit his heart. He understands his emotional limitations, and fully accepts it. As he puts it:

He’d always known his emotions were a bit fragile — like he was born with a vulnerable part he needed to protect at all costs. That was the primary reason he avoided love. His gut screamed that he wasn’t the type to handle it and would eventually either screw it up or blow it up. Why invest everything in an ideal that didn’t last?

Dalton attitude towards love is an outgrowth of mother’s perceived abandonment. For Dalton, his mother is the one who understood him. Of all his family members, he was the closest to his mother. She understood him like no other. While others wanted to put him in a box or direct him towards the family business, his mom understood his need to pursue his art. She encouraged him to learn his craft. His mom was his greatest champion. Her death hits Dalton especially hard: “Learning she’d run away with a strange man, leaving her family behind, crippled them all….[All the answers] died with her as had everything good and gentle and pure in his life.”

I really related to Dalton’s relationship with his mother. I also have a child who often acts outside of expectations and it grieves me when people keep trying to make him conform. I see him struggle to belong. The way Dalton needs his mother reminds me of how important it is for me to balance encouragement with support. Sometimes the things I want for my son is not what he needs. It reminds me to always keep my son at the center of the story, not myself.

Jennifer Probst always does an outstanding job of getting her characters to tap into their deepest emotions. I like Dalton for being forthright with his intent and limitations. I love Raven for her strong personality and her ability to stand up and walk away. She is well aware of her boundaries and is willing to pay consequences for tough decisions. The last five percent of the book brings out the best in both characters with a magnificent, extended grovel.

I am now eagerly awaiting Tristan’s story. Second chance? Secret baby? I am just speculating, but I cannot wait to see what is next! ...more

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Feb 01, 2017 Kathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coyer-winter-2016-2017, 2017, new-release-2017

Any Time, Any Place is the second book in Jennifer Probst’s Billionaire Builders series and I’ve fallen in love with this series. I loved Dalton and Raven’s story!

5 words for Any Time, Any Place: funny, romance, family, justice, healing

What did I like?
• I really liked Raven. She is a beautiful, intelligent and strong businesswoman. After the death of her father she made some mistakes but she now has a bright future with her bar, My Place. She has a sassy and tough attitude but she cares about th ...more

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Jan 31, 2017 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, romance, contemporary, billionaire-builders-series, 2017-audiobook-challenge

When Raven's only parent, her loving father, was killed with his mistress in a car accident as they fled to Paris, she was left confused and alone. While Diane Pierce died a martyr of sorts, Raven's dad was cast as the villain, and Raven vowed revenge on the Pierce family for muddying her father’s good name. It wasn’t until eight months ago that Raven realized the handsome trio of brothers that came into her bar were those dreadful Pierce brothers.

Dalton Pierce was devastated upon finding out th When Raven's only parent, her loving father, was killed with his mistress in a car accident as they fled to Paris, she was left confused and alone. While Diane Pierce died a martyr of sorts, Raven's dad was cast as the villain, and Raven vowed revenge on the Pierce family for muddying her father’s good name. It wasn’t until eight months ago that Raven realized the handsome trio of brothers that came into her bar were those dreadful Pierce brothers.

Dalton Pierce was devastated upon finding out that his mother was leaving the family when she died suddenly in a horrific car wreck. Years later, he still feels a huge emptiness in his life. He's glad to be reunited with his brothers and helping to run Pierce Construction, but he feels like something of his own is missing. And the more time he spends with Raven, the more he thinks she may be what is missing.

Any Time, Any Place picks up the story of the three Pierce brothers reuniting and taking over the family construction business after the death of their father. As the youngest, he was most impacted by the loss of their mother years ago. He rebelled in his own ways, swearing never to settle down, but now finds something he wants in Raven. He senses a deeper connection and he wants to explore it, but she keeps him at arm’s length because of the secret she holds. However, Raven has let go of her need for revenge, instead moving on with her life and looking for someone special to share it with. I love how she denies herself the pleasure of Dalton, not letting her guard down because she views it as a betrayal to her father.

Both Dalton and Raven are fantastic characters. Each is strong and independent, yet sensitive and willing to anything for friends and family. Their strong wills make for excellent banter and even better sexual tension. I’ll admit that as much as I loved Dalton’s sly grin and mischievous flirting, I had a major girl-crush on Raven. She’s the owner of her own bar/restaurant, skilled boxer, talented mixologist, and she teaches the local women how to count cards so they can beat the guys in poker!

Ms. Probst does a fantastic job balancing romance and realism with her characters’ behaviors and reactions to some tumultuous situations. Raven and Dalton share a horrendous accident that marred their youth and tainted their ability to find happiness as adults. Having the story shared from both POVs helped me connect to both characters while diving into some messy emotions. I liked how the author let their story unwind and play out; not giving either an easy road.

This second title in the Billionaire Builders series is once again jointly narrated by Ms. Maby and Mr. York, and like the previous title, I enjoyed Mr. York’s performance more than Ms. Maby’s. Ms. Maby reads the story when the book is shared from Raven’s POV, likewise, Mr. York shares it when it is Dalton’s POV, and both narrators read all parts during their respective POVs. While both male and female performances work for well for the character they represent, I didn’t care much for Ms. Maby’s version of Dalton. I felt it was flat and underrepresented the magnitude of Dalton’s personality. However, Mr. York made up for it, with his deep voice echoing both Dalton’s charisma and fragile heart.

In the end, I truly enjoyed listening to Any Time, Any Place. After listening to the first title, I knew going in that Raven and Dalton wouldn’t have an easy romance, and Ms. Probst doesn’t disappoint. I felt real emotions in play as the pair worked through their difficult pasts to face a promising future. Their story made me laugh and cry, and was just what I needed. Although I wasn’t a fan of Ms. Maby’s male voices, she ran true for the female characters and Mr. York did a great job overall. I’ve come to enjoy the Pierce brothers and their group of close knit friends, and I look forward to hearing Sydney and Tristan’s story next.

Rating: A-
Male Narration: B
Female Narration: C+

Review copy provided by Simon & Schuster Audio ...more

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Jan 07, 2017 Anne - Books of My Heart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, 7arcs, coyer-previous

Better than I expected. Review at The Book Nympho:

http://thebooknympho.com/2017/01/any-...

This was better than I expected, better than the first one, Everywhere and Every Way. In spite of the fact it is the Billionaire Builders series , even though the brothers have money, they work hard for it and with integrity. I generally don't like the billionaire troupe, especially with the penniless virgin he rescues. Thankfully, this author features strong women who are smart and capable ...more

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Jan 25, 2017 Heather Pollock rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

#Review @jenniferprobst

QueenZany 5 Star Review
Everywhere and Every Way
Jennifer Probst

Can this woman write a bad book? The answer is hell no!!
Everywhere and Every Way is a brilliantly sweet heartfelt book! One that claimed me with every word. With those sexy words, with that witty charm, and that chemistry. Which was like bolt of lighting. The kind that kills you with that electrifying intensity.

Dalton and Raven were a seriously a dynamic couple. A hard headed Mixologist and the oh so Alpha Wood ...more

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