Free Falling

I’ll admit, I groaned when I saw the ‘opposites attract’ setup—until Sebastian York’s voice rumbled *‘This isn’t a negotiation, Sumner’* in the first chapter, and I immediately sat up straighter. *Free Falling* works because it commits fully to its characters’ flaws. Caleb isn’t just a ‘grumpy himbo’; he’s a man whose identity was stripped away post-hockey, and York’s performance sells that vulnerability beneath the swagger. Meanwhile, Winters’ Emma is a revelation—her voice tightens with barely contained frustration when Caleb dismisses her plans, but softens into something almost shy during their late-night text exchanges. The production quality is impeccable, with seamless transitions between perspectives and ambient sounds (like rain during a pivotal rooftop scene) that never feel gimmicky. That said, the middle act drags slightly with repetitive misunderstandings—yes, we get it, Caleb’s terrible at communicating—but the payoff is worth it. The sex scenes sizzle without being gratuitous (a rarity in romance audiobooks), and the emotional climax—where Emma calls Caleb out for using humor to deflect—had me rewinding to hear York’s voice crack. My only real critique? The secondary characters (especially Caleb’s brothers) sometimes feel like caricatures, their dialogue leaning too hard into ‘quirky family’ tropes. But when the leads are this well-developed, it’s easy to overlook. If you love enemies-to-lovers with *bite*, narration that makes your skin tingle, and a slow burn that actually earns its heat, this is your next listen. Just maybe don’t start it during a work meeting—trust me on that.