Finding Ashlyn by Susan Stoker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Friends with benefits. That’s all Ashlyn wanted with Slate. They were certainly combustible in the bedroom, and that was sufficient…wasn’t it? Yes, definitely. He was too bossy. Too protective. She didn’t want someone hovering, wanting to know her every move and telling her she was too reckless. But then again, knowing someone cared enough to worry about her felt kind of nice. Not to mention the more she was around Slate, and the more she learned about him, the harder it was to ignore her feelings.

Duncan “Slate” Stone had never been with a woman like Ashlyn. She was impulsive, spontaneous, argumentative, and way too nonchalant about her safety. She drove him completely crazy…and he couldn’t stay away from her. The sex was out-of-this-world amazing, but just being near her, even if they did nothing but talk, made him just as happy. Clearly their laid-back arrangement worked. No need to rock the boat…right?

When she unexpectedly finds herself in the middle of a deadly situation, Ashlyn realizes that having an overprotective boyfriend isn’t such a bad thing. And Slate discovers his feelings for Ashlyn are anything but casual. But both those discoveries could be too little, too late.

Finding Ashlyn

From Bickering to Burning Hot

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚🖤
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 😋🙂😁😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary

I had been curious about Ashlyn and Duncan “Slate” Stone since their constant bickering in the earlier books, so I was ready to see what would happen when all that friction finally turned physical. Ashlyn is independent, outgoing, spontaneous, and deeply committed to the people she helps through her work delivering meals for Food for All. Slate is practically her opposite. He is brooding, impatient, protective, and constantly frustrated by the risks Ashlyn seems perfectly willing to take. Their attraction has been obvious for months, but neither wants a traditional relationship, so they decide that a friends-with-benefits arrangement is the perfect solution. Of course, anyone who has read a romance knows how well that plan is going to work.

What I enjoyed most was watching the supposedly casual relationship become less casual through small moments rather than one huge declaration. Slate starts caring about where Ashlyn is and whether she gets home safely, while Ashlyn slowly realizes that his protectiveness is not simply controlling behavior. Their relationship really starts shifting when Ashlyn experiences a serious headache and Slate’s concern becomes much more personal. Later, when Slate is injured during a mission, the emotional stakes become impossible for either of them to ignore.

Highlights and Limitations

The chemistry between these two was easily my favorite part. I liked that Ashlyn didn’t immediately become a completely different person just because Slate was interested in her. She remains fiercely independent and continues doing the work she believes in, while Slate has to learn that protecting someone does not mean making every decision for them. Their arguments are particularly entertaining because there is so much attraction underneath the irritation.

The suspense also delivers when Ashlyn unexpectedly becomes the target of a dangerous situation. I liked seeing Slate’s reaction because the threat forces him to confront just how deeply attached he has become. There is also a genuinely satisfying emotional payoff after Slate is injured, when the team helps him recognize why his actions could have damaged his relationship with Ashlyn and he immediately goes to her to explain himself.

My biggest limitation was the pacing. I understood the intention behind spending so much time letting Ashlyn and Slate settle into their arrangement, but I did find myself waiting for the suspense plot to take center stage. Several readers have mentioned that the action feels relatively light until the final portion, and I had a similar reaction. I personally would have liked a little more tension earlier in the story instead of having so much of the conflict revolve around two people insisting they don’t have feelings when it was painfully obvious they did.

Narration

Emma Wilder and Ryan West were a really good combination for this audiobook. Wilder captured Ashlyn’s independence and warmth without making her sound overly sweet, which was important because Ashlyn can be stubborn and impulsive. West worked especially well for Slate’s gruff personality, and I enjoyed hearing the gradual softening in his reactions as his feelings for Ashlyn became harder to deny. Other listeners have specifically praised both narrators for bringing Slate and Ashlyn to life, and I completely understand why.

The narration also helped during the more emotional scenes. Slate’s reaction to Ashlyn being in danger carried considerably more weight in audio, and the shift from their sarcastic back-and-forth to genuine vulnerability made their relationship feel more believable.

Final Opinion

I enjoyed Finding Ashlyn, especially because I cared about seeing two people who had spent months antagonizing each other finally admit that their attraction was about much more than physical chemistry. Ashlyn and Slate’s journey from enemies, to friends with benefits, to something neither of them can walk away from worked for me because their feelings developed through everyday interactions as well as the danger surrounding them.

This was not my favorite book in the series from a suspense standpoint, and I did wish the action had arrived sooner. Still, the final stretch pulled me in completely, and I loved seeing Slate finally stop pretending that Ashlyn was just someone he could keep at arm’s length. The ending also sets up interest in Baker’s story, which is a nice bonus for anyone continuing through the series.

Overall, I would recommend the audiobook to readers who enjoy protective military heroes, independent heroines, plenty of chemistry, and a romance where the characters spend far too long insisting they are not falling in love when absolutely everyone else can see it happening.

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