On the Rocks: A Grumpy Sunshine Second Chance Billionaire Boss Romance (Manhattan Bossholes, Book 2) (Unabridged‪)‬

🎧Audio/📖Ebook Review
Narrated by P. J. Morgan & Denver Adams

Cora is known as The Masked Mixer, a mask-wearing mixologist influencer who is the new hot ticket. And Aiden needs her talent for his company. But when they meet at a mixology competition, Cora is surprised that Aiden has no clue they used to know each other, even dated in highs school. Cora never found out why he broke it off and years later it still stings a bit. Now, she’s working for his spirits company designing a new line of mocktails. Their close proximity brings up all the attraction and feelings they had back in high school so things are heating up fast. With an ex-boyfriend who just won’t leave her alone and Aiden running hot and cold, it leaves Cora in a state of confusion. And some groveling at the end always adds great tension.

I had a few “huh?” moments with this one. I had trouble believing he didn’t know who she was with her mask on in the beginning, unless her mask is a full faced one. But I didn’t get that impression. And at one point, Cora mentioned that she was over what happened in High school, yet from the very beginning when she sees him at the competition, she had a LOT of animosity towards him. Despite those minor things really liked this second-chance, workplace romance with spice and some great tension.

Both narrators are new to me. And I love discovering new voices. Denver Adams narrates Aiden and he is perfect for him. He has a slight New York accent which came through in certain parts and I loved that touch. With a wide range of voices for the variety of characters Denver made it an entertaining listen. He is matched well with P. J. Morgan as Cora. She has a fresh sound and I really loved her emotional range. Cora’s character had a lot going on and P.J.’s performance was spot on.

Overall, I really liked this book and the audio pairing is impressive.

Leslie North pens another fabulous novel, a grumpy sunshine second chance romance that grabs your attention right from the start and holds it captive straight to the end. This second book of her “Manhattan Bossholes” series is Aiden Calihan and Cora Newport’s story and is just as fabulous as the first book. Aiden, dubbed as the “cocktail king” is the owner of Elixir, a company that produces top-shelf liquor and Cora is a mixologist, who has gained notoriety on social media for her drink creations and competitions. The two have history, having dated in high school until he broke things off with no explanation and then ghosted her. Aiden approaches her in a club where she is competing in a contest and he wants her to use his liquor. She wears a mask for the competition, part of her gimmick, but she can not believe he did not recognize her, despite not revealing herself, and he is clueless because she refuses to him the time of day, which was hilarious. That isn’t the last she will see of him, but the next time he saw her, he realized who she was. He wants to her for his new product line and presents a business proposition, one she wants to refuse, but he sweetens the offer and it will help her get closer to her dream goal. These two were like oil and vinegar, but once she works for him, she lightens her animosity and is more civil. They reacquaint themselves and soon realize the chemistry between them never fizzled out. There is never a dull moment in this multilayered story, a story that has the perfect balance of drama, angst, humor via witty dialogue, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn but so worth the wait romance. The characters are relatable and there are a lot of great side and secondary characters too. Leslie North, thank you for another fabulously entertaining story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Denver Adams and PJ Morgan did a fabulous job voicing these characters and delivering a perfect portrayal of each. Adams nailed it as Aiden, grasping every aspect of his personality and demeanor, grump-a-tude and all. Morgan was just as amazing as Cora, also showcasing all sides of her personality and handled her witty dialogue effortlessly. They set the right tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These two are entertaining storytellers and their performance takes the already great story to another level.