Social: The Social Media Series, Books 1-3

By: JA Huss

Narrated by: Mark Kamish, Autumn Clark

Grace Kinsella is social. But she likes the anonymity of being a blue bird on Twitter, where she can shoot arrows of pithy filth at her favorite movie star. Virtual love is right up her alley.

Vaughn Asher is dominant. But only in private. A former child actor turned mega-movie action hero, Vaughn knows how to navigate a world filled with paparazzi, avoid the tabloids, and have his fun, too.

Worlds collide on Saint Thomas when Grace comes face to face with the muse who has propelled her into dirty-tweeting stardom online. And he's got an offer she can't refuse. After all, how many people get a chance to live out their sexual fantasies with the man of their dreams? Too bad the man of her dreams turns out to be a #dick.

Social is a three-book bundle consisting of Follow, Like, and Block from the best-selling Social Media series.

©2015 Julie A Huss (P)2016 Julie A Huss

Narration is painful and a distraction from hearing the story.

Narration is painful and a distraction from hearing the story.
Male voice portraying a female character sounds like someone with an overbite with a lisp.

Exactly what I expect out of JA Huss

JA Huss is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors to grab Audiobooks from. They translate so well and always have fantastic narrators.

This is true with Social as well. The story line is something so current and relevant while keeping that taboo sexiness that JA is known for.

#SexyHilarious #BrutalCliffhanger

This is my second JA Huss book. I began with her most recent release, 3, 2, 1. I have the same gripe with this book about the main characters engaging in unprotected sex. Am I seriously to believe that a rich and powerful movie star would attempt a "no strings attached" two day fling with a girl he met at a bar sans protection? Let's go with the reasoning Huss provides - Vaughn Asher has hacked Grace's medical records to see her most recent STD tests and confirm she is on birth control. Maybe Grace had sex since her last STD screen. And what of the birth control? Girlfriend forgot to pack her panties for the trip so it's not a stretch to imagine she may have forgotten to bring her pills to the resort where she meets Vaughn. And what of Grace? Why doesn't she have objections to unprotected sex? She is fully aware of Vaughn's manwhore status that screams condom required.

That aside, I liked Vaughn. And I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by his character. I assumed him to be like other dominants - distant, detached, and cold. However, Vaughn had a gentle kindness hidden behind his public persona and dominant mask. It was nice to see.

I was fully engaged in the banter between Vaughn and Grace. Some of the tweets were downright hilarious. For example: @VaughnAsher-This blue bird can sing #withYourCockInMyBeak. Also, the scene involving a vibrator with a remote control and an awkward dinner with Vaughn's family had me laughing out loud.

My favourite chapter by far though was the intense high-stakes game of punto banco baccarat played in a private game room at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Wow, I have never read a book that had me on the edge of my seat over a card game. Bravo, JA Huss!

As for the narration, I rate a weak 3 stars. I just didn't like Mark Kamish's voice. He seemed too old for the part and had a lisp. I cringe thinking about his attempt to intone Grace's voice: epic fail. The performance itself is what made the listen okay. At least Mark and Autumn put their acting skills to work. No monotone reading here. Autumn's voice was annoying but I suppose that is the kind of voice you'd expect from a serial tweeter who is apparently so busy that the word ridiculous must be shortened to ridic in conversation. She sounded like a valley girl but her performance of Vaughn was good.

Readers beware, however. This book ends with one hell of a cliffhanger and Audible doesn't yet have the second series available for download. I am positively vibrating with the need to find out all the secrets and how it will end. Worth my credit.

**Bonus Sound Effects W/ Narration!!**

Love, Love, LOVE JA Huss, so I was surprised to find that the sex scenes all seemed to be lacking in someway. I’m not quite sure what though. It was almost as if the two characters were taking too many breaks during the foreplay, and then the actual sex lasted mere seconds. Lol
Definitely glad I purchased as an audible listen as opposed to a kindle read, because I found myself distracted/multitasking at the end of part 1 and most of part 2, a majority of all the awkward sexual interaction occurring. Maybe, that is the intent, but it couldn’t hold my attention for whatever reason.
However... as the story progressed, my interest re-peaked, and I shall proceed to the final series set.
On an added note, I loved the addition of the ‘sound effects’ (text pings, key clicks, etc.) They were a definite bonus to the narration of this book, especially given the name of the series.

The best audiobook that I've heard

Would you consider the audio edition of Social: The Social Media Series, Books 1-3 to be better than the print version?

I'm not sure. I never read the book. But, I will be waiting for the second part on audio rather than reading it despite the cliffhanger, because the audio version was THAT good.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the banter between Grace and Vaughn. She threw his world upside down and it was funny to watch him adjust. And as usual for JA Huss, there are twists thrown in throughout the way.

What does Mark Kamish and Autumn Clark bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

These two were some of the best narrators that I've ever listened to. The way they portrayed all of the other secondary characters was outstanding and I imagine that must be hard to do. You could tell that they really understood the story and weren't just reading it. They left pauses in just the right places, etc.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely yes. Unfortunately I was unable to do that but I would have if I could.

Any additional comments?

I loved this audio version. It even had little touches like the social media sounds (tweet sound) and the tapping on the keyboard. This story was so captivating that I can't wait to find out what happens in the next part!