For the Win
Author: Brenna Aubrey
Original Publication Date: May 31, 2015
Full disclosure: I received this audiobook from the author's Book Blogging team, Readers Together, in exchange for an honest review. I mainly wanted to review this because of Jason Clarke's involvement (his narration of Pippa Grant's Real Fake Love had me both in stitches and also falling in love with the male main character, Luca Rossi).
For The Win is book 4 in the Gaming The System series by Brenna Aubrey, and not having read any of the previous books, the start to this story felt a little slow for me. I am not a fan of the female narrator as her voice for some reason set me on edge from the first chapter. I forced myself through her chapters to get to Jason's chapters.
Ultimately, I wasn't a fan of the audiobook, but a huge fan of the story. I went and purchased the Kindle version so I could read it instead of listen. Once I started reading, I enjoyed the journey of Jordan and April so much more (although I felt like I was betraying Jason by skipping the audio after chapter 3 - Sorry, Jason! I still love you, so, so much!!! 💋). You can sample the audiobook here.
So let's skip talk about the audiobook, because everyone has a different opinion about what kind of audio ear porn appeals to them, and let's talk about the story itself.
First, I know I'm going to have to read For The Win again, but AFTER I read the first 3 books. Characters that were introduced and events that happened in those books are mentioned in this story, so I felt out of the loop. If you are like me, and need to read a series in order, reading a book and not realizing until halfway through that it's part of a series is maddening.
Secondly, the characters are so well written! April Weiss is a beautifully flawed character, and the way she is written helps the reader fall in love with her slowly throughout the book. The same can be said for Jordan Fawkes. When we finally see the cracks in Jordan's carefully constructed walls, it's a revelation! The two of them together, especially as Jordan allows himself to pull that wall down and April begins to stand on her own two feet and take control of her life...it's almost as if the reader has a front row seat to a real life couple finding their soul mate and making the decision to not let their pasts determine their future.
While I wouldn't necessarily recommend the audiobook (again, this is MY ear porn preference), I would encourage you to visit the platforms where the audiobook is available and sample it to see if it appeals to you, because honestly, the story itself and the arc of the characters is so fulfilling! I would, as previously mentioned, recommend starting with the first book in the Gaming The System series before you tackle Jordan and April's story.
You can follow Brenna Aubrey on a number of social media sites so you can stay up to date with new releases, and I've posted the links below.
Follow Brenna Aubrey:
FB: http://bit.ly/
Twitter: http://bit.ly/
IG: http://bit.ly/
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/
Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2E6t8ym
BookBub: http://bit.ly/
Website: http://bit.ly/
Newsletter: http://brenna.news
Where to purchase For The Win and other books in the series (Kindle editions):
Prequel: Girl Geek
Book 1: At Any Price (Adam and Mia, Pt. 1)
Book 2: At Any Turn (Adam and Mia, Pt. 2)
Book 3: At Any Moment (Adam and Mia, Pt. 3)
Book 4: For The Win (April and Jordan)
Book 5: For The One (William and Jenna)
Book 6: Worth Any Cost (Adam and Mia, Pt. 4)
Book 7: It Was Always You (Jeremy and Michaela - Stand alone Novella)
Book 8: For The Taking (Katya and Lucas)
Thank you to Kelly from Readers Together for providing the audiobook review copy of For The Win - I'm now a Brenna Aubrey fan and have a whole new series to dive into!
