Trapped with the Mountain Man

An OTT Instalove Short Romance (Willowbrook Ridge Lodge, Book 2)

De: Julia Stone

Narrado por: CB Parkes

Tammy: Returning to Shady Pines Lodge feels like a fresh start—until I’m met with the head cook’s intense, unreadable stares. I don’t know what I did to get on Daniel’s bad side, but every time I catch him looking at me, I can’t tell if it’s hatred or something else entirely. I should have known my streak of bad luck with this mountain wasn’t over yet—especially now that I’m trapped here by the storm.

Daniel: I’m not looking forward to dealing with the health inspector again. One mistake from her last year made cleaning up my kitchen’s reputation something I never want to be put through again. Now she’s back and trapped here, making me see a side of her that’s throwing me off-balance. The last thing I need is a distraction like her. With every moment we’re stuck together, I’m starting to wonder if letting my guard down might be worth the risk.

©2024 Julia Stone (P)2025 Julia Stone

Wasn’t feeling the narrator.

This was written in dual POV, but only had one narrator—and unfortunately, she did not have a good “man voice.” That was my biggest issue. I get that hiring two narrators can be expensive, but if you’re going to write a dual POV book, at least make sure the single narrator can convincingly voice both characters.

As for the story itself, it was fine. It’s insta-love, nothing too out there or over the top. But there were a few weird inconsistencies—like the FMC claiming she wasn’t inexperienced, then mentioning she was married, and then a few minutes later saying she was inexperienced. She also came off as a little ditzy: Oops, I didn’t notice the storm. Oops, I didn’t notice I wrote the wrong temperature. Oops, I didn’t notice this man wanted to sleep with me. Oh, and let’s not forget—after knowing him for 24 hours, she’s ready to let this man knock her up and keep her forever. But she is a bit more apprehensive about getting married. Girl.

The timeline also felt off—were they in modern times or the early 2000s? They were debating between DVDs and cable for movie night, with no mention of streaming. And for someone who’s supposed to be so obsessed with how hot the MMC is, she gets distracted by the TV screen while they’re together? Make it make sense. And then, the next morning, he wants to confess his love, cuddle, and has this ‘interesting’ inner monologue that was just… something. Okay, my dude.

Trapped with the Mountain Man – Tammy and Daniel

It is one hour and twenty minutes. I had to speed up the narration speed to 1.5x.

One narrator, CB Parkes, for the voices of Tammy and Daniel. In my opinion, her voice is nice and stays the same for both characters.

Tammy is a Health Inspector with the Montana Health Department. She is back in Willowbrook Ridge to do the annual report for Shady Pines Lodge. Daniel is the Head Cook. One year ago, Tammy made an error on the report and it made him angry. At the time, she was going through a lot and he learns more about it. There is a bad storm and she had to stay at Shady Pines Lodge. Tammy and Daniel have chemistry, come together and apologize.

Daniel and Tammy

Story: When a storm traps health inspector Tammy (h) at a remote mountain lodge, the last thing she expects is to face the sharp-tongued but ruggedly charming head cook, Daniel (H). Carrying baggage from a recent divorce and unaware of their shared history, Tammy is focused on her job, while Daniel struggles to keep his simmering grudge and undeniable attraction under control. As the storm forces them into close quarters, their clashes give way to unexpected attraction. Amid crackling tension and stolen moments, Tammy begins to see beyond Daniel’s tough exterior, and he realizes there’s more to the woman who’s haunted his thoughts than a professional mishap. When the weather clears, both have to confront what their time together means and if it could it be more than a fleeting connection. Hot and steamy mountain man romance, exploring love, connection, trust, and home. (4 stars)

Audio: Narrator CB Parkes does a good job with Tammy/female voices, and an okay job with Daniel/male voices. Tammy is voiced at a somewhat faster rate than Daniel to differentiate between the two - Daniel's voice felt way too slow most of the time, though at times Tammy was too slow when I would have expected some excitement . It felt somewhat wooden and is pretty much a straight read with minimal inflection - no passion to the heat. The audio quality is good and there were no issues. (3 stars)

Trapped With the Mountain Man - Tammy and Daniel

This is my first book by Ms. Stone and it was just OK for me. I just could not connect with either main character. CB Parkes did an OK job with the narration, although she sounded very monotone. I received this free copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.