Given

I’ll admit, I approached *Given* skeptical of yet another ‘possessive alpha’ trope, but Stone subverts expectations by making the power imbalance feel *earned*—not just declared. The first half moves at a glacial, deliberate pace, and that’s intentional: Locklear’s narration drags out the silences between commands, letting the weight of each interaction sink in. His performance is masterful in its restraint; when he snarls, ‘*You will learn*,’ it’s not just dominance—it’s exhaustion, like he’s tired of fighting the inevitability of her surrender as much as she is. That said, the middle act sags slightly under repetitive cycles of defiance-punishment-reconciliation. I found myself fasting-forwarding through a few scenes where the emotional beats mirrored each other a little too closely. Where the audiobook *shines* is in its production choices. The lack of background music or sound effects keeps the focus razor-sharp on the vocal performance, and Locklear’s ability to modulate between icy detachment and smoldering frustration is phenomenal. The real standout, though, is how Stone writes Stephanie’s internal monologue—her resentment isn’t just performative; it’s layered with moments of quiet terror and reluctant curiosity. The final act pays off beautifully, but I wish the buildup had trimmed some fat. Still, for listeners who crave erotica with psychological depth and a narrator who *understands* the assignment, *Given* delivers. Just be prepared to sit with the discomfort—it’s half the point.