The Next Life

By: Lise Gold, Madeleine Taylor

Narrated by: Abby Craden, Tessa Stavers

After the painful divorce from her husband, Reina Amari, wealthy mother of two, has lost her sense of self. No longer wife and homemaker, she feels low, lonely, and purposeless in her huge mansion in the Hamptons.

Her life suddenly changes when she meets Belle, her new pool technician, who brings back feelings long forgotten. Her emotions conflicted, Belle roars into Reina’s life like a storm; the calm waters now a thing of the past, and Reina has no idea how to deal with the situation.

Single mom Belle Rodgers services pools during the day and works for Hamptons’ Escorts a few nights a week. She loves giving her female clients the only thing their rich husbands can’t provide: an unforgettable night between the sheets. Belle’s number one rule is to not get emotionally invested, but when her secret crush Reina books her, that proves to be a tough challenge.

Between their differences in lifestyle and Belle having a less than conventional job, nothing is simple and they struggle to fight their undeniable chemistry. Can Reina come to terms with her sexuality? And can Belle find the trust to open herself up? Storms are beautiful, but they can also be destructive....

The Next Life: a sizzling collaboration from best-selling romance author, Lise Gold and erotica author, Madeleine Taylor.

©2021 Lise Gold Books (P)2021 Lise Gold Books

Swap Narrators

This was such a great story about self discovery later in life. The conflicts were not as bad as I had expected being that one was an escort and the other one a wealthy heiress. There love story was great and very steamy. The only thing that I would have wanted was to have Abby Craden read read the part of Belle instead of Reina. This is not to say that Tessa Stavers was bad since she did a great job narrating but all steamy scenes should really be reserved for Abby since no one can do them quite like her. All in all, I recommend this one.

AKA The Socialite and the Escort

There were many things I loved about this book. As a divorced person I totally related to Reina's feelings of betrayal and sense of disconnection. I also related to Belle's status as a single mom doing everything she could for her child. I loved the connection between the main characters and their individual vulnerabilities.

Most people would never make either Reina's or Belle's choices. We live in such a judgmental society and this scenario would be untenable for most. But I love fiction because it can immerse you in a world where anything is possible. The story does "jump the shark" in many ways. But I found myself rooting for Belle and Reina all the same. Don't take it too seriously and enjoy the ride.

All that being said, I'm not familiar with Tessa Stavers. I generally don't mind the 2 person narration. However I noticed towards the end that I had more difficulty distinguishing the characters on Tessa's turns. I love, love, love Abby Craden and have no complaints where she's concerned.

By the way --- VERY HOT SEX! I was afraid others might hear it through my ear buds!

Beautiful story!

This story stole my heart. It is a sweet story with great amount of steam. Don’t want to for tonight away but I highly recommend.

Good story!

This was a sweet and sensual story. The two MCs were well developed characters. The chapters being switched back and forth with Reina and Belle was different, and showed the attraction and chemistry developing from different points of view. Using two narrators was also interesting as well. Overall, a very good story!

Love the book!

I’d read this before the audiobook came out and was uber excited Abby was one of the narrators. I ABSOLUTELY assumed she was Belle before listening because Abby’s voice is made for that type of character and was surprised when she was not! 🤦🏽‍♀️ It’s still a good performance by both narrators, I really just wish the roles were reversed. Still a great book and worth a listen!