One Night with a Millionaire by Shannyn Schroeder @SSchroeder_ @tantoraudio

the setup…
Tess Howland doesn’t have time for a relationship. She’s a divorced mother of three children and has a thriving career as a nurse. So when she goes to a formal gala on a precious free night to help raise money for her hospital, she has every intention of spending it with someone interesting but walking away in the morning. Miles Prescott is the youngest in his wealthy family and hasn’t yet found his calling. He’s attending the gala in his deceased father’s stead at his mother’s request. When he meets Tess and they both cozy up to the attraction, he’s got the same idea in mind as her…until the next morning and he wants more and she doesn’t!

the heart of the story…
I loved the idea of flipping the gender stereotypes where it’s the guy wanting more from a one night stand. It can be tricky to pull off as it’s hard to believe someone like Miles…handsome and wealthy…would suddenly shift in his thinking. But Miles was already at a crossroads, especially following the death of his father. He was tired of living aimlessly so him wanting to pursue someone like Tess was quite believable. Both of them were extremely well developed characters, which made them appealing individually and as a couple. Their issues felt real and gnarly and it took a lot for them to work through. Nothing felt contrived.

the narration…
*sigh* Here was my challenge. For some reason, the narrator chose to use an affected form of speech, sort of like a bad Boston accent (the story is based in Chicago) that elongated second syllables. It was beyond annoying and took some time to adjust. That was unfortunate because she’s got a great tone but this was not good.

the bottom line…
This is a really good story, one I enjoyed despite my issues with the narrator. Tess’s role as a divorced working mother felt authentic, nothing extraordinary but the real life challenges that brings, which made her extraordinary. Miles, fortunately, wasn’t the spoiled rich kid, but someone who was raised with strong values so the foundation for a more substantive life was there. Tess’s support system are her friends she met from a divorce support group and I’m looking forward to learning more about them in future stories. This was a wonderful romance between two mature adults coping with real life issues.

Book Info

• Release Date: October 18, 2022
• Series: Daring Divorcees #1
• Narrator: Marie Hawkins
• Audio Length: 6 hours, 21 minutes
• Publisher: Tantor Audio

Listen to a Sample!

Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Amazon

(Thanks to Tantor Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)