King's Country

I listened to the audiobook and I'm certain that Chloe Ryan and Tyler Darby's performance allowed me to enjoy the story more. The narration kept me engaged and I especially liked Chloe Ryan's accent.

The story itself does stand alone in the series. I've personally listened to book 1 and book 4 and was able to follow the story easily. I'm interested in listening to the other books in the series. I don't feel like there were any big spoilers in this book beyond the usual expected outcome of stand alone contemporary romance. Even though one of the characters was wealthy, it didn't have the feel of a billionaire romance. Many issues faced by the characters were very relatable to an average life (less than perfect family members, being challenged to look at things from another person's perspective, general self confidence challenges, etc.). I would recommend this audiobook to listeners who like contemporary romance stories with some substance to the content and relatively little relationship drama.

Narration: 5 stars
Story: 4.5 stars

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request, and the opinions here are my own.

Marie Johnston wows me with another amazing novel, it is the fourth set in her “Oil Kings” series and I jumped in without having read the first three and had no problem following everything that was going on in the world she created. The author included everything you need to know in the descriptive details so you never feel lost or like you missed something. I will definitely check out the first three books because I loved this book and want to spend more time in this intriguing world the author created. A feud over property, oil rights and money has turned the King and Cartwright family into enemies. The feud has been going on for years, handed down from the grandparents to the parents and now the children. The King family, the clear winners, have done well for themselves over the years and are sitting pretty. But the Cartwrights have not and now the only one left is Bristol, her father passed away leaving her a mess to clean up, financially and on the ranch and home front. He was the town drunk and always looked down upon by those in the town, so Bristol never stood a chance, they treated her the same way, causing Bristol to be a loner most of her life. Bristol is a hard worker and not afraid to get her hands dirty and she will do everything she can to prevent from going under and losing the property to the Kings. Searching for one of her lost cattle during the storm is almost her undoing, but Daisy, her rescue dog, went and got help from her neighbor, Daisy did not know he was the enemy. Dawson King was just warming up when he heard the barking, he followed her and found Bristol, who was in a bad way, and brought her to the hospital. It was an eye-opening experience to see she was treated differently, and it did not stop there, it was just the first of many incidents and he will see after, something he never realized. Because she had no one to help her, Dawson convinced her to stay with him. It was great to watch these two navigate around each other, Dawson showing her kindness, her not wanting it but he gets to her after a while and there is something special between them. But Dawson is not being up front with her about everything and he does not know how to tell her. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a beautifully plotted story with plenty of drama, heartfelt emotions, a touch of angst, and a slow burn romance. Marie Johnston, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Chloe Ryan and Tyler Darby are talented narrators and versatile voice artists. They have a complete understanding of the characters they are portraying, giving each a voice that fits that character’s persona, sounding believable and just as I picture the characters to sound. Chloe Ryan played Bristol with perfection, grasping her strength and determination and her caring side, Tyler Darby plays the perfect Dawson too. Both are great performing the roles of the secondary characters as well. They set the perfect tone for the story, capture all the character’s emotions and project them into their performance and have you feeling every single one. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to, and their narration enhances an already amazing story to another level. Thank you for another exceptional listen.

This book is my first book by Marie Johnston. It is book 4 in her Oil Kings series, and I have every intention of reading/listening to the rest. And if you’re wondering, I could tell that I had missed out on some back story, like when it came to Dawson’s siblings being introduced, but overall, I feel like this book has good standalone qualities.

Dawson & Bristol have history. Not necessarily a sordid romantic history, but the sweet innocence of childhood friends kind of history. A history that has been sullied. Dawson is a King in more than one sense of the word. Not only in name, but he is treated like a king everywhere he goes in town & surrounding areas. Bristol on the other hand…she’s treated worse than the cow manure that her horse, Bucket, dodges when they’re working cattle in the pasture. One chance accident leads to one chance rescue, and those sweet feelings of friendship that have long ago been stifled come back and ignite into so much more.

But, there’s this nasty family feud between these two, and there’s an imaginary wall that needs to be broken. Dawson knows what needs to be done, but he also knows that it will break more than that wall.
This journey of their friendship being rekindled and their love growing is full of swoony moments as well as saddening moments. Watching how this town treats Bristol just because of who her father was is heartbreaking. But seeing how Dawson, his dad, & his siblings treat her gives you joy that there are good people out there.

As for the narration, Chloe Ryan embodies Bristol in a way that pulls you in. You feel her pain and suffering and you feel her love throughout Chloe’s narration. Tyler Darby’s portrayal of Dawson makes you fall in love. He wears Dawson’s heart in every voice inflection and makes you immerse yourself in the life of Dawson & his entire family.

I was sent a free audiobook by Home Cooked Books and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.