forbidden rumspringa audio coverStory Rating: 4.75 stars
Audio Rating: 4 stars

Narrator: John Solo
Length: 8 hours, 41 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Amazon/Audible | iBooks
Book Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks


A Forbidden Rumspringa was one of my first Keira Andrews novels and kicked off my love of the author’s work. The story is sweet and sexy, and a lovely coming of age tale as we see David and Isaac come to realize what it is they truly want from their lives and have the courage to reach for it.

I originally read this one back in 2014 and so I was excited to revisit in again in audio format. What struck me upon listening to the story is the way Andrews explores the journey Isaac and David take in not only building their relationship, but also in finding their way forward to be the people they are meant to be. Isaac is our POV character and the one really opening his eyes to new possibilities for the first time. David is further along his personal journey, having already taken steps to be part of the outside world and push the rules that govern his life in Zebulon. So there is a nice dynamic between them as David helps Isaac see his world in a new way. These guys are sweet and sexy and romantic together, and I loved the way they form this bond between them, even as it is challenged by the requirements of the life they are expected to live. For more details about the story, as well as to see more of my thoughts on the book when I first read it, check out my review here.

John Solo narrated the audiobook and I think he does an overall nice job with the book. Solo tends to have kind of a dramatic style to his narration that I think it suited this story as there is so much new and overwhelming about Isaac’s experiences and Solo captures that feeling well. There are a lot of characters here, including many women, and I think Solo does well portraying a variety of voices and making them work in the story. I did find that while Isaac and David sound distinct most of the time, often in conversation their voices sort of slipped into sounding similar, and so I sometimes had trouble telling who was speaking. Overall, I think Solo has a specific style that works better for some books (and some readers) than others, but for me, this one was a good fit and made for an enjoyable audio experience.

I really enjoyed listening to this book and it reminded me how much I loved this series. It is one of Andrew’s best known works and this book (and the whole Gay Amish series) is definitely worth reading if you haven’t yet had the chance.