Finding Home (Unabridged‪)‬

I love a good redemption story, and Caleb's was great from start to finish. Amid court-ordered rehab, the bad boy drummer of Red Card Riot is suddenly thrust into being a single father when his daughter's mother (who was a fan he had a one-night stand with) suddenly passes away. Caleb hires Raine's "aunt" Aubrey to be both his sobriety coach and nanny, and our forced-proximity, opposites attract romance begins....

I felt like a part was missing where Aubrey decided to cross the line with Caleb; I thought he was dreaming it until I went back to relisten. I wanted more of a recognition of feelings or something, I guess. Despite me wanting more of a build-up, I thought it was a great progression of their romance. I loved how his feelings for Aubrey just kind of hit Caleb all of a sudden, and then the guy who never wanted a relationship couldn't imagine his life without Aubrey in it.

And oh my heart. The way Caleb took to Daddy Mode was so cute. He really went all out in making sure that Raine felt protected and secure. There are some twists and turns along the way with the custody fight, which kept me further invested in wanting Caleb to keep his found family unit together.

I've read several Lauren Rowe books now, including Smitten, one of the 22 Goats books. Finding Home is a standalone, but there are many camoes from the other characters in LR's rockstar world, which I'm sure longtime readers will love and appreciate.

The duet narration by Andi Arndt and Sean Masters was great! I thought Sean nailed the growliness and cockiness of Caleb, and Andi perfectly played the sweetness of Audrey.

I received and advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Lauren Rowe never ceases to amaze me with her brilliant mind and ability to create stories that mesmerize your every moment, stories and a world that you love to get lost in, where nothing else matters except what is going to happen next with her characters, characters that are interesting and relatable. There is nothing like a troubled rock star, and Caleb Baumgarten, aka C-Bomb, the drummer of Red Card Riot, is a character and a half, a swoon worthy one, especially after you get past all his angst and really get to know him, a perfectly broken man with a heart of gold. One of his groupies was pregnant with his child, but he was not father material and not wanting to be a deadbeat dad like his own, so he arranged financial support for both the mother and child, though he had second thoughts about that decision. Caleb was in rehab when his lawyer contacted him about the death of the mother of his child, Claudia, and that her father, who is evil, was trying to gain custody for financial reasons, he knew he needed to do the right thing and sprung into action. Learning he had a daughter was moving, and now he needed to get all his ducks in the row to make things right. His daughter was with Claudia’s best friend who had helped raise her since she was born, so taking her away was not an option, but hiring her as a nanny was, and since he needed a sobriety coach, he would hire her as that too. Convincing her to go along was another thing, but her love for Raine won out, and she agreed to do both because they were on the same side, making sure Claudia’s father did not get custody. OMG, these two were great together and for each other, especially after seeing how authentic he was in wanting to do what was best for his daughter. Aubrey kept him grounded and going in the right direction with Raine, his sobriety and in life. I loved all the layers of this story and how it all played out with the perfect balance of drama, angst, charming and heartwarming moments, heartfelt emotions, and a slow burn, but so worth the wait romance. As with all of Rowe’s books, the writing, plot and world building are great, as are the character growth and development. Cameo appearances of crossover characters was a spectacular bonus, too. Lauren Rowe, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride, you rock!

🎧📚🎧 Andi Arndt and Sean Masters deliver an outstanding performance with character voices that were fitting and a spot on portrayal of each. I loved how they owned each role, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters to should sound, from the lead characters to the secondary/side characters. Masters was a rock star and absolutely amazing in C-Bomb’s role, playing the troubled and perfectly broken rocker, and Arndt was just as amazing as Aubrey, and just as fierce, and her kid voice was fantastic too. They set the right tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling each one. These two entertaining storytellers made a great team, with voices and talent that complemented each other and a performance that takes the already exceptional story to another level.