Honesty up-front, I have yet to finish a Sierra Simone book that did not work for me and this book was no exception. I love the way that Simone writes stories that are so deeply compelling as well as being incredibly spicy. Her books just seem to be catnip for me.

I was lucky enough to receive an early listening copy of the audiobook edition of this book via NetGalley and let me just say, Zara Hampton-Brown does an incredible job of narrating this audiobook. There is real skill shown in the breathless tension of the spicier scenes.

The length of this book took me by surprise as I was pretty accustomed to Simone’s books being around the 300 page mark and the shortest book that I had read from her previously was Salt in the Wound which I believe still clocks in at around the 200-page mark. The Awakening of Ivy Leavold is a pretty svelte book at only a little over 4 hours on audio. Despite the short length, this book combines the mystery of the truth behind the death of Ivy’s cousin with the growing affections between Ivy and the love interest. I didn’t feel under-served by the fact that this book was so short. I do, however, desperately want to move onto the next books in the series to find out what happens next!

Overall, this book was another really solid romance from Sierra Simone and I am glad that I was able to pick it up.