A new career, a new place, and a new man—you’d think after the rough year she’s had, Isla has finally found her stride. Of course it’s never that simple. Some dreams she is building, some dreams are taken away before they have a chance to form. But she never imagined that the one thing she’s worked so hard to realize, could be the cause it all breaks apart.Ben doesn’t miss his assignments, his … assignments, his life of deceit, or his unsavory associations—but they appear to miss him. Just as he’s beginning to think perhaps there’s redemption for him after all, his dark past casts a long shadow.—and not just on him, but on the woman who made him believe.
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This was an audible for me. First, Freya Barker is a one click author for me. I know I can always count on her for an incredible ride and Isla and Ben do not disappoint. I absolutely love that she starts us with the couple already have gone through the start of their relationship, which was not traditional, but glad I didn’t have to read 10 chapters on it. The reader is taken along their relationship journey and you find yourself truly rooting for their HEA and totally vested in what might happen next. Ms. Barker delivers on all fronts! Great characters – check. Original plot – check. Steamy moments – check. The only take away from audible is that the female was a bit off reading guy parts and they male could not do a girl voice very well. Overall great story. I received an ARC for my honest review.
Freeze Frame by Freya Baker
This is book one in the author’s Snapshot series and I highly recommend reading Shutter Speed before reading this book as it picks up right after the previous book. I love anything that Ms. Barker rights and Freeze Frame is an exceptional 5 Star book.
Isla has a new career displaying her photographs even garnering a exhibition at a gallery. She and Ben are now owners of the campground and are building their home plus restoring 2 vintage trailers for their guests to stay in. With the holidays approaching Isla will be meeting his sister Stacie and niece Mak. But when someone from Ben’s past life with the DEA starts to make threats and hurts a family member it will take everyone to find the person in time before they kill again.
I can’t wait to read Stacie, Nicholas and Makenna’s book next.
I loved this book. Ben is retired from undercover work and law enforcement after his last assignment and falling for Isla during the assignme t. they are now living in the mountains of Colorado at a campground running it. Isla is a photographer and takes a picture of Ben among others that are displayed at an art show. Her picture of Ben is bought and she starts getting strange threatening emails. Unsure of what to do, Ben gets his buddy Damian to help him trace who is sending the emails to Isla. There is much drama and suspense as they try to figure out who is plotting against them. Will theu find out in time before something happens? Great story with Great Characters and a HEA. I received this audio book for free and am voluntarily leaving Ia review.
Audiobook: Narrators – Marnye Young & Rock Engle
This is my first time listening to either of these narrators. They both did a great job of pulling me into the story. Each character, male and female as well as secondary characters had their own distinctive voice. I enjoyed every minute of this audio.
I loved this full novel of Isla and Ben as they move forward in their relationship. There is a lot of establishing their ideas of what they each want, not only as a couple together, but for the future. As they begin to work towards a happy ever after, Ben’s past comes back to torment them. From that point on, things really picked up as far as drama and I couldn’t stop listening. It was so good.
This can be read alone, although I do recommend Shutter Speed to learn how they came to be. This also sets us up for the next book in the series.
I love, love reading about an already established couple. I like to see how they handle things together and just being happy with each other.
In Freeze Frame, Ben and Isla are a brand new couple so we still get to see them learn and grow as a couple, and see them fall more in love.
If you want to read about their beginning, and I highly recommend it, you can read the novella that shows how they met in Shutter Speed.
What I loved best about Ben and Isla was the maturity they displayed. Isla has a tendancy to react first before she thinks, but she also recognizes it immediately and works to fix it. Ben was so up front an honest with her that there was no miscommunication with these two.
This book just made me very happy. I liked this couple. I liked how they were with each other, and I liked how they handled everything that was thrown at them. It’s starts out low angst but then builds to some drama that shows how well these two worked together to handle that conflict. Awesome couple!
Are you ready for a fast paced adventure that will you on the edge of your seat?
I am a fan of Freya’s strong independent heroines, Isla fits that bill perfectly. Not just any woman would pack everything up to go help look after a campground on the side of a mountain. But when her Uncle Al needs her help she doesn’t think twice. This giving her the perfect backdrop and subjects to further grow her photography and pursue her dreams. Over the crest of 40 she had all but given up the hopes of finding love.
Ben finds himself at a turning point of his life. After many years undercover for DEA he is now retired and ready for normalcy. He was not willing to look for love and companionship while undercover but a certain Pixie has given him a direction and a place to start. Once he starts to settle in he is quickly realizing what he has missed out on and doesn’t want to waste any time. Bringing what little family he has to Delores to spend time with them.
When Ben’s past sneaks into Delores things get anything but boring. Can Ben keep his past from touching Ilsa and his family?
I often worry when two authors join forces on one book, can the writing style truly mesh. I think Freya and KT are either pretty well matched or maybe a ying/yang. The writing is seamless and I couldn’t tell who was writing when. Ben and Isla are both in an adjustment faze and the growth of these character individually and as a couple was very touching.
I am excited to see where Freya and KT take us next with The Snapshot series.
Favorite Quotes:
I’m taking note of everything she dumps in the basket, including the bag of mini Reese’s Pieces. Mainly because she holds it up before dropping it in, saying; ‘Chocolate is an imperative part of the cure.’ I take that to mean, don’t ever come home without it.
Lying here, feeling your heat, hearing the steady beat of your heart— knowing I’ll get to wake up tomorrow morning to the same thing— it means everything. I want to freeze the moment, frame it, so whenever I get lost I can use it to find my way home.
F*ing Ikea, on Black Friday. If man invented hell, it would look like this.
‘Give the pooch a break.’ Ben climbs in behind the wheel. ‘He just had his balls removed,’ he whispers dramatically, and I snicker at the expression of horror on his face.
You gave me this… A place on top of the world. A beautiful view that goes on forever. A future I can hold in my hands. And a life I want to grow old in.
My Review:
I absolutely adore Freya Barker’s books as I can always rely on her special blend of word-craft for an entertaining and engaging read. Her books consistently provide a relevant and interesting storyline with appealing and true to life characters, scorching sensuality, levity, and wry humor. Freeze Frame continues on in the same tradition despite the addition of a new co-writer, K.T. Dove, who seems to have blended seamlessly with Ms. Barker’s unique style. I had enjoyed Isla and Ben in Shutter Speed and reveled in their new tale pulling in my old friends from Cedar Tree, who arrived like the cavalry to aid in their adventure. I am hoping to see them again in subsequent volumes as their inclusion felt like a tasty treat.
4.5 stars
OK, confession time: when I finished Shutter Speed, I liked it but I didn’t love it as much as some of Ms. Barker’s other books. The heroine Isla was a particular challenge for me, so when it came time for me to crack open Freeze Frame, I did it with no small amount of trepidation especially since a new author was being added to the mix and my last few reads in general had been a bit of a mixed bag. I am happy to say those fears melted away from the very first chapter! The story flowed easily and the integration of two writing styles was fairly seamless.
Before starting Freeze Frame, I do definitely recommend reading the prequel novella so that you have an understanding of how Ben and Isla arrived at the place they are in at the start of this story. Ben has left his old job behind and is looking forward to settling into a different life with Isla, but the reality is that although he is certain where he wants the future to lead, they have only actually known each other for a short time and there is still a lot of unknowns between them.
They find a comfortable routine and enjoy a honeymoon phase for a while, and Isla is startled but thrilled to see her photography turn from a hobby to a fledgling business. She never expects one of her photos to dredge up a ghost from Ben’s past while bringing danger to their newly constructed doorstep though.
Freeze Frame has all of the suspense and action moments I have come to expect from Ms. Barker’s stories, and there is no shortage of steamy times complete with sexy alpha male attitude and sassy female responses either. I am still not a complete Isla fan but she worked her way into my good graces a bit more in this story. She still tends to overthink and overreact but I could live with it. As a fan of the Cedar Tree series, I loved the subtle nods to landmarks and people from those books throughout the story, and crossover appearances from some of my favorite guys like Caleb, Gus and Neil brought a smile to my face. Have no fear though, you don’t have to be familiar with the other books to enjoy this one. FBI agent Damian Gomez is another familiar face who is slowly growing on me and I am looking forward to his eventual HEA when the time comes. Isla’s Uncle Al returns, and a few of Ben’s family members are introduced who I am hoping to see more of in the future.
While there was one particular aspect of the story late in the book that I raised an eyebrow at in terms of real world practicality and a smidgen of predictability, it was written in the spirit of providing the characters with the HEA they needed to have so I rolled with it. All in all, Freeze Frame is a great story and I am looking forward to more from this writing duo.
The amazing couple that Freya Barker introduced in Shutter Speed is back with a full length novel and I couldn’t be happier. I adored their interplay in the novella and it is back and better than before. Ben and Isla are in a new relationship and taking on new life challenges, including a person from Ben’s past who is determined to destroy their relationship. As if there weren’t other issues that blindsided the couple before the crazy person shows up. Just when Isla’s photography seems to be taking off and new opportunities arise, the unexpected happens.
Ms. Barker’s characters become like old friends in a matter of a few pages. Uncle Al returns and he is a hoot and a half. As is Ben’s sister’s child and the dog they acquire. The banter between characters is natural and when you add Ben’s sister in the mix, it only gets better. I love the cameos by some of my favorite Cedar Tree residents, especially the way Neil riles up Ben.
Being in a new relationship, the couple still struggles with a few things but they seem very well suited to each other between the sheets. The sensual side of their relationship is HOT and the emotions they feel are realistic and true. Then Ms. Barker adds to her recipe her special ingredient, suspense. That cranks the entire story up several notches. The surprises Ms. Barker has in store for the reader will shock them. I love these characters and can only hope that there is more stories coming from this series.