Member Reviews
This is the third book in the Showmen series. Weston and Annie's story is sweet and emotional, filled with drama and secrets. Annie is beautiful, feisty, strong, and smart. Weston is handsome, caring, and protective. I liked this slow burn romance. The storyline is original and interesting. The supporting characters are great. Kimberly M. Wetherell did a great job with the narration. I enjoyed it! I love this series. Looking forward to listening to The Knockout Rule, the next book in the series.
This was my first book by Kelly Siskind and it was a great listen! The Beat Match is a sweet, fun, slightly angsty romance. This brother’s-best-friend story explores embracing your true passions, sloughing off stifling obligations, and forgiving your past self for things outside your control. Kelly’s writing is full of vivid imagery and wild adventure that will make your heart race.
Annie and Wes are childhood friends. Wes takes his protective older brother’s best friend role to the annoying extreme at times. Once he gets to know the woman Annie has become, his alphahole personality begins to soften and his world opens to new possibilities. Annie and Wes each have their own secrets and hidden lives. I loved the instant chemistry between these two and how it evolved as their relationship changed throughout the book.
The Beat Match is heartbreaking, sweet, funny and a great adventure with a bit of subterfuge. DJ nightlife has never seemed so fun. Heartbreaking shared pasts, business-based arranged relationships, hidden identities…this wonderful friends-to-lovers romance has it all!
Kimberly M. Wetherell is a new-to-me narrator. I really enjoyed the distinct voices she gave to each character. The depth of emotion she gave to the performance for such a complex story was truly impressive. Kimberly brought the book to life with lightheartedness and fervor. I haven’t listened to many solo narrations recently. Her narration was dynamic and riveting.
I thought this was a more realistic description on how a sibling-like relationship between the brother's best friend and brother's little sister slowly turns into a romantic one. The degree of Wes's overprotective nature was really sweet at first, though toward the end was borderline controlling. Turns out there was some reason for the paranoia though, so I guess it ends up being okay. The chemistry between Wes and Annie was pretty hot! My favorite scene was the DJ performance at the end. It was so descriptive in the best kind of way. Not only could I envision the scene, but I could see myself being in the crowd at that club having the exact same emotional reaction to a powerful performance that covered the impact of gun violence while empowering the crowd that they could make a difference. It was beautiful.
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I think you'll especially love this book if the above mentioned tropes are your jam and if you're a big music lover. Swipe for the full synopsis!
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⚠️TW: Brother's death and gun violence; loss of parents at a young age
Having feelings for Annie, his best friend little sister, is wrong for so many reason. Starting with the truth about Leo’s death, his secret job as D.J., the important merger approaching in his family pharmaceutical company, and his fear to lose his heart if he ever fall in love with her. But fighting his feeling near Annie is getting harder and their attraction is stronger. Annie has real feelings for Weston too but will she be able to make him open his heart? L istening to Wes and Annie’s struggles with their emotions, their shared past and the future they can have together has been an absolute treasure. Kelley Siskind’s story are great and her audiobooks are even better. Great narrator.
In true Kelly Siskind fashion, I was treated to this amazingly funny, and loving story! This series is so good, and I was truly looking forward to getting the chance to listen to this! We meet Weston. A man with ambition at his job, a thirst to make his father happy and a passion of being a DJ. His best friend has died, and he made the promise to watch out for his little sister. Another of his passions, but he knows he can't act on that! He does keep a watchful, overprotective eye on Annie, and she hates it. But she loves him. This love story builds on so many things, from childhood crushes, to finding your path. Annie is a great example, mostly calm, taking her feelings out scrapbooking! LOVE THIS! Their pasts just lead to their future as this friends to lovers story grows. It's absolutely on top of my romcom list!
And Kimberly M Wetherell, a new to me narrator brings it all to life. Fantastic voices, great emotions and a wildly, wonderful comedic timing make this a listen you are sure to enjoy. She is definitely a narrator I will be watching more for, as her voices are pleasant to the ear, and she understands her characters, making a very enjoyable listen.
Third in series but completely stands alone. This was my entry point to the series and there wasn't any time that I felt like I was missing something.
This story has so many elements all woven together and it made me super happy to listen to it:
- Best Friend's little sister/Brother's best friend, they're "just friends" (yeah right...)
- Recapturing joy and embracing talent after the passing of a loved one
- Hidden Identity (he's a DJ on the down low, he wears a mask and everything)
- Corporate Espionage (his day job is at a pharmaceutical company trying to close a merger)
- Fake Dating (someone that isn't the heroine... *gasp*)
Wes and Annie have known each other for years. Wes and Annie's brother were best friends. Wes what there when Annie's brother died way too young. Wes then took over watching out for Annie and making sure she had whatever she needed.
Annie is trying to find herself and has been for as long as she could remember. Years after her brother's death, she's finally opening the part of herself that was closest to him, bringing back her love of piano and her brother's love of DJs, clubs and music in general. She goes out dancing one night and sees an amazing masked DJ that makes her feel fully alive for the first time in years. Now she wants to learn to do that too, and she wants this mystery man to teach her... only she doesn't know that it's Wes behind the mask.
The audiobook was performed beautifully by Kimberly M. Wetherell. She brought life to the whole story, to the angst of Wes' feelings of guilt, to Annie's turmoil over feeling the pain of losing her brother vs. honouring his inspiration in her life, the pure joy of music and that perfect moment when the beat drops.
I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this ALC of Beat Match. The story is bittersweet with a thread of loss woven through. Weston and Annie have been through thick and thin together, all the while family deeply and madly in love. The world continues to throw these 2 curveballs until one say the dam breaks. I hope everyone can find love like Annie and Weston find.
What an intriguing story, with twists, turns and great narration. I really enjoyed Weston and Annie's story. This had so much heart and humor, and a really emotional backstory. I loved that Annie and Weston were able to truly connect after so many years of misunderstanding and turmoil. Kelly Siskind wrote a story that really keeps your attention, and the narration lures you in and keeps you engrossed. Weston really needed Annie to help release him from the guilt that he holds, and Annie needed Weston for that boost of confidence and growth.
Looking forward to more from Kelly Siskind in the future.
I listened to the audiobook and Kimberly M. Wetherell did a great job with the narration - 5 stars for the audiobook! I appreciate when narrators perform the story and include chuckles or coughs. She also did well with different accents.
The Beat Match is a stand alone friends to lovers/brother's best friend story. I had no idea it wasn't the first book in the series, though I am interested in listening to more. The story was a little more complex than a typical rom com, and it held my attention through the extended storyline.
I received a copy of the audiobook at my request, and the opinions here are my own.
📖Kelly always brings her characters to life in entertaining, fun and adventurous stories. The Beat Match is just that with a little suspense and drama added in. Anthea (Annie) is somewhat of a hot mess and is trying to get her finances, career and life on track. She’s looking for something to be passionate about…and she is drawn to music. Weston (Wes) is an executive with a secret hobby that includes a secret identity. He loves his hobby but has to keep it a secret due to his professional career. Annie and Wes are friends but there are some feelings that begin to secretly blossom between them. Annie is fixated and obsessed with the Falcon who is a a local musician that puts in shoes. She wants to learn from him and her emotions/feelings are a bit torn between Wes and the Falcon. The interactions between these two are quite funny and turn into some angsty, heated moments. 🎧Kimberly M Wetherell does an amazing job with the narration. She keeps you engaged, entertained and you won’t want to stop listening. Num fascinated how narrators can change their voices for the different characters…she makes it seem as there are multiple people telling the story. Be listened to Kimberly narrate other books and they are just as good! Congratulations Kelly and Kimberly on a great book/audio!
The Beat Match by Kelly Siskind is a delightful listen. I love how the author wrote the characters with their quirks and charm. Weston and Annie have an incredible relationship based on friendship that has grown over years. I loved the imagery the author wrote and Kimberly M. Wetherell was wonderful performing the book. She brought the characters to life. Thank you #NetGalley and #OrangeSky Audio for allowing me to listen to this book.
Fabulous Story & Narration! Delightful & Heartfelt!
The Beat Match
Showmen, Book 3
By: Kelly Siskind
Narrated by: Kimberly M. Wetherell
This fabulously delightful friends to lovers romance novel has the perfect balance of drama, humor, heartfelt and emotional moments and just a touch of angst. Kelly Siskind is a gifted author with an impressive writing style and the story she created is original, with witty dialogue and interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, they are likable and easy to care about too. I loved that the two lead characters were unique in their own ways, opposites in some ways, but they definitely had one passion in common and it was for the same reason, Leo. Anthea “Annie” Ward is full of personality and is carefree when it comes to making life choices. She has not had the easiest of lives, but she always had her brother, Leo, who looked out for her, until his tragic death while he was out with his friend, Weston “Wes” Aldrich. Wes comes from an affluent family and works for the family business, Aldrich Pharma, a business he will run one day. He and Leo were good friends, and it was Leo’s last wish for him to take care of his sister, which he did, helping her in every way he can, supporting her whims as she work on finding her dream job. Her latest passion is becoming a great DJ, like her brother, and she is training to be just that and has her eyes on one of the best in the business, Falcon, but she can never get close to him to ask him. The elusive Falcon had his reasons to hide his real identity from the world and he also had reasons for doing what he does. There is never a dull moment in this book, the story is both beautifully and cleverly plotted and there is a lot going on, relationship drama, family and work drama for Wes, where he plays a puppet for his father while trying to work out a merger deal and then there are the twists and turns. The chemistry between Wes and Annie is electric and they can only deny each other for so long. There are some fabulous secondary characters in this book as well. This book is the third book of the series but it stands on its own, it is my first written by Kelly Siskind and it will definitely not be my last, I already wish listed the first two books of the series and hope to get to them soon. Besides the great lead characters in this book, there are some fabulous secondary characters as well. Thank you for this wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride.
🎧📚🎧 And for the wonderful narration, Kelly Siskind cast the perfect narrator to bring her characters and story to life. Kimberly M. Wetherell is a fabulously talented narrator and versatile voice artist. She is amazing at covering both the male and female roles, giving each their own distinct voice, making it easy to follow along and tell who is who. She has a complete understanding of the characters she portrays, sounding believable in every role she plays. And she sets the perfect tone for the story, handles the banter and witty dialogue with ease, switching roles effortlessly and landing the humor flawlessly. You could hear how much heart she puts into her work as she captures the characters’ emotions and projects them into her performance. Ms. Wetherell is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for fabulous listen.
This is my first time experiencing Siskind’s work. While it’s the 3rd book in the series, I don’t feel like you have to read/listen to the others to enjoy this.
Some of my favorite tropes: Brother’s Best Friend/Best Friend’s Sister, opposites attract, friends to lovers, slow burn, secret identity, corporate espionage, grieving friends, fake relationships, and even more. For me, there were a few too many things happening and it impacted the pacing a bit.
That said, I enjoyed most of it. While Annie may have seemed a bit scattered and flighty to Wes, she’s really just enjoying the chance to live her life on her terms. Wes is dealing with the weight of the world on his shoulders including protecting his late best friend’s sister. Protecting the family company and launching a career as a DJ in secret.
The banter between Wes & Annie was hilarious. Annie, in general, was adorable. It’s a long and winding road for these two to get their HEA. I enjoyed that Wes & Annie came in to their own, healed, and found much of that with each other.
Epilogue! I love, love epilogues and this one was terrific. A full half hour of catching up on their life as a couple and celebrating their HEA. Perfect.
Narration:
Kimberly M. Wetherell was a great choice for Siskind’s characters. She did a great job of giving everyone a unique voice and personality. I especially enjoyed her portrayal of Annie’s antics. Lots of laughs.
This is an interesting story. It is filled with fun, sexiness and suspense. I was shocked and surprised a time or two. The characters have some sassiness which made me love them and added to the thrill of the story. That Annie sure is a wonderful character. Her look at life and her desire to be better really make this story. Wes is stuffier but he has that secret side. When they blend together all heck breaks loose!
I did listen to this on audio. The narration is well done. I look forward to more in this series.
This was quite a unique and fun storyline from a new-to-me author that I’ve been intending to read for ages now! I’ve been eyeing a lot of her books and especially this entire series. I’m really glad that I started here with this one - it’s book 3 but if there are overlapping characters or plot points, I had no idea and never felt like any information was missing as it was a complete standalone.
4.5-stars … too bad half-star rating options aren’t available.
I had a last second opportunity (via Home Cooked Books ALC team) to listen to an advance copy a couple of days before the audio release, and I’m extremely grateful. Kimberly M. Wetherell is a new narrator to me as well (I’m always surprised to come across new narrators after 14 years avidly listening), and she was absolutely fantastic! Her voice was great and suited the character of Annie so well, and her male voice wasn’t so bad (could have gone a touch lower) for West. New fan!
This storyline dealt with characters who both had a lot of personal family baggage and tragedy and had always leaned on each other, but one hid a whole lot of secrets from the other. As they got older, attraction built but the secrets weighed heavily, along with a lot of work and more family drama.
I really enjoyed the dynamics between all of the characters, the music/DJ background, a character with my name (lol! Who doesn’t think it’s funny hearing the narrator saying that during the steamy scenes!), and the friends to forbidden lovers trope. Kelly Siskind was able to bring some humour and lightness into the story with a few heavier topics being brought up, and wrote the heck out of it. I can’t wait for the next book!