Just couldn’t get into this one.

Narrator was good and kept me interested but I found the story boring and I had to force myself to listen. DNF at 37%

Did I grab this audio from @netgalley because of the cute cover? Yes, yes I did. And no regrets! I was pleasantly surprised at what a fantastic adventure-romance this novella was! I was kinda excited to learn it was a novella because my May reading didn’t start out too great. I loved how I was able to easily listen to it in one day. I’m typically hesitant with novellas because they always seem rushed and insta-lovey to me. With this book, having the second chance trope helped alleviate any insta-love feeling for me. Was the adventure part a little dramatic and over the top? Yeah, I think it was. But was it an easy, enjoyable quick read? Yep! It was the perfect length, and some laughable moments with twists & turns along the way.

The Attraction Distraction comes out 6/7! Thank you @dreamscapemedia and @netgalley for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review

This was my first read from Jenn McKinlay and I really enjoyed it - solid 3.5/5. It was a quick read/listen and you could definitely complete in a single sitting.

The main character Sarah was likeable and her nemesis/ex-Liam was swoon-worthy. There were no loose holes/unresolved plot points when it ended. That said, it did feel like there could have been a bit more meat in the middle of the story. The adventure Sarah and Liam were on to find the ancient artifact was so exciting, I would have enjoyed more real-life history/mythology included. Also more build-up of their relationship and maybe a bit more banter/steam along the way.

Read if you like:
💎 Enemy exes with a touch of second chance romance
💎 Archaeological scavenger hunts (National Treasure, Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone vibes)
💎 Greek myths
💎 Nefarious villains
💎 Spice-free romance

Thank you to #netgalley, #dreamscapemedia and #JennMcKinlay for an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

The story was fun and very entertaining. I did not like the reader and if the novella hadn't been by Jenn McKinlay, one of my favorites, I would have turned it off early on. The adventure and characters saved it. I enjoyed the story in spite of the reader. The story was 4 1/2 stars, the reader not so much!

This was a very quick and intense read, packed with romance, conflict, danger and personal revelation. The plot can best be summarized as Survivor meets Hunger Games, or at least that's what I had going through my mind the entire time. Sarah is sent on a quest for ancient relics, which she excitedly pursues. She is not on the journey alone, however. Along with her is and ex who previously broke her heart, with whom she never really had closure, and several others on a mission to uncover the artifacts first. It all gets very cut-throat and Sarah is thrown into many situations of uncertainty, not knowing who or if anyone else can be trusted. #Theattractiondistraction #netgalley

The story was too short. I really liked what was there and it could have been easily expanded. The narrator was good and I liked the main characters. They needed to be fleshed out more.

I was looking forward to this short novella, but unfortunately I didn't end up liking it. I think it tried to do way too much. It was hard to keep up with the plot because it was just big event after big event after big event with no development in between. I wish the author would have taken out some of these plot developments and focused more on developing the story and making the reader connect to the characters. I didn't buy the romance at all either. The main character got over the fact that her ex-boyfriend randomly ghosted her seven years ago way too quickly. I get that he "did it for her" but also her anger at him for making choices for her is completely valid and she expressed that for 0.2 seconds and then suddenly she was fine with it all. I actually wish there had been no "explanation" for his leaving and instead he just made a mistake and grew up since then. I didn't really enjoy the narration of this. Part of that could have just been the writing itself. I felt like most of the conversations didn't sound very realistic (i.e., "Let's go mix and mingle!"). Overall, I just feel like this novella tried to do way too much and didn't execute it very well.

This audiobook was cute and entertaining. Some of the dialogue wasn’t the most natural sounding, but the premise was original. I feel like With could have also made a good full-length novel. I will keep an eye out for her other work in the future.

***I received an advanced listener's copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I really enjoy McKinlay's various cozy mystery series, and this is my first foray into her non-mystery stories. There is a bit of a mystery element in this novella, which worked well. The history bits were also fun to read. However, I found myself not really connecting with the characters. For a novella, the story felt rushed at times. I greatly enjoyed the narration..

I listened to the audio book while exercising. The book kept me intrigued and made the minutes fly by. I was initially annoyed with Sarah being so mean to Liam. But I did roll my eyes with Sarah when Liam was being annoying. I really enjoyed the mystery, the adventure of trying to find the hidden shrine on the island and second chance romance. I'm a big fan of Jenn Mckinlay.

Quick Summary: The Attraction Distraction was totally Romancing the Stone 2.0!

My Review: The Attraction Distraction by Jenn McKinlay gave this reader the feels. I genuinely adored this second chance love story. It made me think of two movies of old that I absolutely loved - Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. All I know is that this rekindled love story was right up my alley. Any time Ms.McKinlay wants to write another romance like this one, I'll be waiting on the sidelines ready to read it.

Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA/A

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley who provided an audio copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have happily expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way by the aforementioned parties.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I received an advanced copy of "the attraction distraction " it was a fast paced quick book..I feel like this would be a great adaptation for hallmark or type of tv show. Fun book.
3.5 ☆

Cute, quick book that would be an excellent beach read! Very likable characters with a fun plot. Reccomend!

Sarah Novak is sent to an uninhabited private Greek island by her museum. The owner of the island gathers together nine other scholars with the challenge to find a rare historical artifact he believes to be there. Who ever finds it will get the artifact for their museum. It is a career making search of a lifetime. One of the other hunters is Liam Maguire. He and Sarah lived together seven years ago until he left her after she got the museum position they both sought. Someone isn’t playing fair and is taking out the competition as they race for the artifact.

I think this is a really good set up for a full length book but it is too much for a novella. The other players are almost nondescript. When the first few leave the competition I didn’t know enough about them to care. I think it would have increased the tension if Sarah didn’t know if she could trust Liam but he is with her early when an “accident” happens so she knows he isn’t behind it. The set up seems too implausible. The man who owns the island is going to share in ownership with the museum and he is the only way off the island. It doesn’t seem likely that eliminating all the competition and making it look like accidents without raising suspicion is probable. I did like the back story for Sarah and Liam.

The author writes cozy mystery books which fits this closed door, second chance romance. There isn’t time to develop side characters or a sense of mystery. I listened to the audio book and Sara Young performs the material well. I guess the novella would be under 150 pages to read but I couldn’t verify but the audio book is just over three hours. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review. (2.5 stars)

It's the chance of a lifetime. Sarah is one of a handful of scholars called to help unravel a mystery that's thousands of years old. On the trip to an island in the Aegean, she discovers that her ex, Liam, is also in the party. He suggests that they pair up and work together to find the lost artifact. She refuses, until a series of "accidents" has them worrying their lives are in danger. After all that's happened, can she learn to trust him again?

This novella is full of humor and witty banter. I loved the setting and the concept (I'm not a Greek scholar, but it seemed well researched). Sarah and Liam were adorable together. The mystery subplot was campy but fun. The only issue I had with the book is the same one I had with ROYAL VALENTINE, the first book in the series. There's just no way to justify a man ghosting the woman he claims to love. No matter how good his reasons for leaving, he couldn't send a text? Offer some sort of explanation? If this is the premise of the series, it just doesn't work for me. Putting that aside, though, this is an entertaining read. The audiobook added to the enjoyment of the story.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Short, sweet and just what I was looking for. This audiobook is about 4 hours and I wished it had been a little longer. It's a second chance romance in an unusual setting. On a workplace challenge trip our main character reunites with her lost love who ghosted her out of the blue and moved back to his own country.

With a break up like that you might be wondering how can you want them to rekindle their flame? Listen to this story and trust me you will be wanting it too. Great story and quick paced.

Thanks Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book!

The Attraction Distraction by Jenn McKinlay is the second book is the A Museum of Literature Romance series. In this book, Sarah is sent on a quest to help uncover some rare artifacts along with nine other scholars. On the quest, she reconnects with someone from her past, fellow scholar, Liam, who also happens to be her ex. On the crazy search for the artifacts, Sarah and Liam reconnect and realize the reasons they ended things in the past weren’t what they seemed.

I really enjoyed The Attraction Distraction. I loved the element of the quest and the drama that brought on, tied in with the rekindling of former romance. I really liked the characters of Sarah and Liam and enjoyed seeing them find their way back to each other. I haven’t read the first book in this series, but look forward to going back and reading it. If you are looking for a fun romance with a little bit of thrill, this book is worth checking out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio version of this book!

This book fell short for me. It was a novella, and I think maybe it shouldn’t have been. There was little character development. We never got to know supporting characters so when the reveal of the villain happened I was like “who’s that?” The plot had such potential but an adventure such as this needed so much more time to develop, I felt no tension, no excitement, none of that what’s going to happen feeling. A lot happened that the reader found out second hand which was frustrating, for example, the escape of the villain. That could’ve been an exciting moment but it’s literally a call, “hey so and so has escaped”. As far as the second chance love story, it was ridiculous. I didn’t buy it so I was not invested in their story. I was super excited by the blurb for this and was disappointed in the story.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Dreamscape media for a free audio copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time with this one. It’s marketed as a romance but it was HEAVY in ancient history, specifically Greek history/mythology as these specially selected individuals searched for ancient artifacts during a top secret mission. I did not feel like this was a second chance romance or even a love story at all until the conversations that happened 75% in. At that point I kind of grew to like the male main character once he actually had a chance to talk and explain what the heck was going on. The other 99% of the book felt like a badly scripted school play/ The Hunger Games/ Survivor and way to far fetched to ever be realistic. The conversations were very awkward and jumbled and the characters were all only surface level with no debt.

The narrator’s adaptation of the Irish accent for the male main character was also hard to listen to and understand.

This was a cute short story about an adventure to hunt for a rare artifact in Greece. The race to find the artifact is intense, especially as the old romance between Sarah and Liam is starting to spark up again. While searching for this artifact, other explorers are having “accidents” left and right. The stress of who is trying to sabotage the mission for others is driving Sarah and Liam closer.
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I wish this story had been longer, so that there could be more character build up. I felt like it took a while for me to become connected to Sarah, and by the time I did, the story had come to an end. Although I really enjoyed this cute story, the plot felt rushed.