slow heat audio coverStory Rating: 4.5 stars
Audio Rating: 4 stars

Narrator: Michael Ferraiuolo
Length: 14 hours, 8 minutes

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


I have had Leta Blake’s Slow Heat sitting in my Audible account for far too long, so TBR Pile Week in our Reading Challenge Month seemed like the perfect time to give it a listen. I am a big fan of Blake’s Heat of Love series, and Slow Heat is one of my all-time favorite omegaverse stories, so it was great to revisit it in audio.

Challenge Month 2021After re-reading my original review, I found I still agree with everything I said there, so check that out for an overview of the story, as well as my thoughts upon reading this book back in 2017. A few additional things struck me upon listening, including how much I really enjoyed the dynamic between Vale and Jason and seeing them each struggle to adjust to their new roles and partnership. This is a fated mates story with a very mismatched pair (at least according to their society’s traditional standards), so both men are dealing with reconciling expectations for their life versus reality. In Vale’s case, he also has to adapt to the fact that he assumed he would never find a mate and had been living a life of independence, only to suddenly be connected to an alpha barely out of his teens who now has control over his life and finances. I think Blake does a great job exploring the dynamics between them and showing how they both put in the work to build this relationship beyond just their fated mates connection.

I also realized I should have addressed the issues of fertility and miscarriage that are prevalent in the story in my original review with a little more depth, as I know that is a trigger for many readers. Both Vale and Jason’s father, Miner, have fertility issues and there is a lot of discussion focused on it during the book, as well as a fairly graphic scene involving a miscarriage. So please be advised if this is a sensitive area for you. I think Blake handles this all well, both from an emotional standpoint, as well as highlighting the way that the government interference with rules regarding birth control and childbirth has put so many at risk.

I really enjoy Michael Ferraiuolo as a narrator and he does a great job with this audio. Ferraiuolo is so skilled with his voice work and these characters all sounded distinct and well defined. It is amazing to hear him narrate so many characters and have them all sound so different, but so natural. Ferraiuolo has a languid, smooth delivery that is a nice match for this story. There is a lush, sexy tone to this book that his narration really captures so well. I think at times, however, it was just a bit too soft and low key, as there were moments of intense emotion indicated by the text that didn’t fully come through the narration. Characters would be angry or sad or shouting and the audio didn’t really reflect those emotions. It pulled me out of the story at times because it was a noticeable disconnect. Despite that, this is still an excellent audiobook and I definitely enjoyed the narration.

Overall, listening to this in audio reminded me just how much I like this book and this series. If you enjoy omegaverse/mpreg stories and haven’t tried Slow Heat, I definitely encourage you to pick this one up, as it is a standout in the genre. Either format is certainly worth checking out.

This review is part of our 2021 Reading Challenge Month for TBR Pile Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win one of two fabulous audiobook bundles from Tantor Audio (you can see the details on the bundles in our Prize Preview post)! Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing Grand {rize sponsored by NineStar Press: a Kindle Paperwhite loaded with 50 NineStar Press books! And don’t forget if you read along with your own challenge book this week, you can earn ten contest entries for writing a mini-review on our wrap up post on Friday! You can get more information on our Challenge Month here (including all the contest rules) and more details on TBR Pile Week here