Title: Layla
Author(s): Colleen Hoover
Narrator(s): Brian Pallino
Published by Brilliance Audio on December 8, 2020
Length: 8 hours and 10 minutes
Source: Kindle Unlimited, Netgalley, Publisher
Format: Audiobook, ebook, Arc
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Length: 8 hours 10 minutes
From number one New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.
When Leeds meets Layla, he's convinced he'll spend the rest of his life with her - until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla's behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that's just one of many inexplicable occurrences.
Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow - another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla's well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can't help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
When I learnt about Colleen Hoover’s latest book, Layla, I was eager to get my hands on a copy and was lucky enough to receive both the e-book and audiobook directly from the publishers.
I knew from experience with Verity that Colleen Hoover knows how to shock her readers to the core, so I expected nothing less from her latest release. Once again, her brilliance shined through with this engaging story.
The story introduced the reader to Layla and Leeds. They met at a wedding where they had an instant connection. They had amazing chemistry, which no one could deny. Then calamity struck, and their lives would never be the same.
What a ride. I am still trying to wrap my mind around the events which occurred in imaginative and well-written tale. It had me on the edge of my seat and I had a hard time putting it down. I had moments while listening where chills ran down my spine. It didn’t help that I listened to it at night with the lights off.
The characters enthralled me. Their actions, their thoughts and decisions made for an interesting read. I found Leeds to be the most complex of all the characters. He elicited a wide range of emotions. However, the deeper the reader went into the story it would reveal things are not always as they appear, which altered my opinion regarding Leeds.
The story took some unexpected turns, which contributed to my altered opinion of Leeds. I would never have guessed that was the turn the story would take. I am happy with how the events unfolded, although there were moments when I feared disaster would strike.
Narration
Brian Pallino narrated, and this was my second experience with him. I enjoyed his range of voices. He captured the substance of the story and I loved the way he reflected the emotions of the characters. His character voices were distinct and added to the enjoyment of the story. I was sad to learn of his passing.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Colleen Hoover created an intriguing page turner which kept the reader entertained from start to finish. I would recommend this to readers looking for a unique and enthralling paranormal story.
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Colleen Hoover Introduces a Scene from her New Paranormal Romance Layla!
This month bestselling author Colleen Hoover released her very first paranormal romance, Layla. Today Colleen shares one of her very favorite parts of the book and introduces the scene. Colleen, take it away!
“Leeds and Layla have just met about an hour before this scene takes place. I wouldn’t say they experienced insta-love, but it was definitely an immediate attraction. Leeds is lonely and withdrawn from life, while Layla is the opposite. She’s over the top and fun and everything Leeds isn’t. He’s a musician who has never released any of his own music due to insecurities and doubt. But Layla lights a fire in him and uncovers the confidence about his music that he keeps buried.”
Layla leans in and I expect her to kiss me, but instead she whispers, “Play me something,” against my mouth. Then she moves to the couch and lies down. “Play something worthy of that piano,” she says.
She crosses her legs at her ankles and lets one of her arms dangle off the couch. She runs her finger against the hardwood floor while she waits for me to start playing, but I can’t stop staring at her. I’m not sure there’s another woman on this planet who could make me want to stare at her without blinking until my eyes dry up, but she’s looking at me expectantly.
“What if you don’t like my music?” I ask. “Will you still let me kiss you?”
She smiles gently. “Does the song mean something to you?”
“I wrote it using pieces of my soul.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” she says quietly.
I spin around on the bench and place my fingers on the keys. I hesitate for a moment before playing the song. I’ve never performed it for anyone before. The only person I’ve ever wanted to sing it for is my father, and he’s no longer alive. His death is the reason I wrote this in the first place.
I’ve never been nervous while playing Garrett’s songs onstage, but this feels different. This is personal, and despite the fact that there’s only one person in the audience right now, it feels like the most intense audience I’ve ever performed for.
I fill my lungs with air and slowly release it as I begin to play.
That night I stopped believing in heaven
I can’t believe in a god that cruel
Can you?
That night I stopped praying on my knees
But I don’t pray standing either
Do you?
That night I closed the door and closed the
window
I’ve been sitting in the dark
Are you?
That night I learned happiness is a fairy tale
A thousand pages read aloud
By you
That night I stopped believing in God
You were ours, he didn’t care, he
Took you
So that night I stopped . . .
I stopped . . .
I just
Stopped.
That night I stopped.
I stopped.
I just stopped.
That night I stopped.
I . . .
When I’m finished playing the song, I fold my hands in my lap. I’m a little hesitant to turn around and look at her. The whole room got quiet after I played the last note. So quiet—it feels like all the sound was sucked out of the house. I can’t even hear her breathing.
I close the cover to the piano and then slowly spin around on the bench. She’s wiping her eyes, staring up at the ceiling.
“Wow,” she whispers. “I wasn’t expecting that. I feel like you just stomped on my chest.”
That’s how I’ve felt since I first laid eyes on her tonight.
“I like how it ends,” she says. She sits up on the couch and tucks her legs beneath her. “You just stop in the middle of the sentence. It’s so perfect. So powerful.”
I wasn’t sure if she’d realize the intentional ending, but the fact that she does makes me all the more enamored of her.
[bctt tweet=”Layla by Colleen Hoover delivered a gripping page turner which will appeal to both fans of the author and paranormal stories. #romance #paranormal #audiobook” username=”TtlyAdd2Reading”]
About Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including the bestselling women’s fiction novel It Ends with Us and the bestselling psychological thriller Verity. She has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance three years in a row—for Confess (2015), It Ends with Us (2016), and Without Merit (2017). Confess was adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Hoover and her family founded the Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly subscription service that offers signed novels donated by authors. All profits go to various charities each month to help those in need. Hoover lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys.
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Glad you really enjoyed it and got to carry on the story. Great review.
Glad you really enjoyed it and got to carry on the story. Great review.
I keep meaning to read CoHo, entered the giveaway.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
I keep meaning to read CoHo, entered the giveaway.
Note to self- no nighttime listening of this one or I’ll never sleep. I love that it seems to have so much going on and mysteriousness.
Note to self- no nighttime listening of this one or I’ll never sleep. I love that it seems to have so much going on and mysteriousness.
Entered the giveaway! I want to read more from this author after I was absorbed by It Ends With Us earlier this year.
Good luck. I nee to catch up with her other books too.
Entered the giveaway! I want to read more from this author after I was absorbed by It Ends With Us earlier this year.
I am glad you enjoyed this one, I know many readers have found this one so different and intriguing from her typical work.
Yes, it is quite different, but it still had the emotional element one would expect from her stories.
I am glad you enjoyed this one, I know many readers have found this one so different and intriguing from her typical work.
OOh! Another one for my TBR pile! This sounds good!
It was and I hope you get the chance to read it.
It was and I hope you get the chance to read it.
OOh! Another one for my TBR pile! This sounds good!
I love when we find a page turner and I’m glad to know you loved this one, it sure sounds like an intriguing read!
I love when we find a page turner and I’m glad to know you loved this one, it sure sounds like an intriguing read!
I had a good time with this one as well. I wasn’t sure where things were going for a bit but in the end, I was pleased. I bet the audio added a lot to the experience.