Author: Lainey Cameron

Narrator: Susan Marlowe

Length: 11 hours 42 minutes

Publisher: Lainey Cameron

Released: January 23, 2021

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Winner of 2020 Readers’ Favorite Award for women’s fiction.

“A provocative, edgy page-turner. With whip-sharp prose, the characters are ingeniously crafted.” (Wall Street Journal best-selling author Kerry Lonsdale)

Tech executive Carly can’t wait to marry the man of her dreams. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers her fiancé is already wed to Ryn — her company’s top investor! Can the two women overcome heartbreak together?

Silicon Valley investor Ryn Brennan is on the verge of achieving everything she dreamed. She’s succeeded in the sexist venture capital world, has a supportive husband, and is about to close the deal of her career. Everything is going exactly as planned, until she meets her husband’s mistress, across the negotiating table.

Carly clawed her way back from being a teenage runaway to become an accomplished scientist, caring single mom, and co-founder of her startup. Once she marries her loving fiancé, she’ll secure the complete family she craves. But she’s blindsided to discover her not so perfect fiancé is already married.

In an industry full of not-so-subtle sexism, can the two women rise above, and work together to overcome heartbreak, and ensure their success?

Critic Reviews

“Strong women faced with timely struggles. Friendship, forgiveness, and moments of heartfelt laughter. You won’t forget these courageous characters.” Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author

“SO MUCH FUN. Incredibly fast paced and satisfying, with two believable protagonists and one guy so bad you’ll be dying to see if he get what he deserves.” (K J Dell’Antonia, New York Times bestselling author)

“5 Stars! Secrets, betrayals and vulture like venture capitalists will keep you on the edge of your seat.” (Miss W Book Reviews)

Buy Links

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Lainey Cameron is an author of women’s fiction and a recovering tech industry executive. Her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, a #1 Amazon Best Seller, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. It’s been called a “rallying call for women to believe in themselves and join together”.

A digital nomad–meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time–Lainey is an avid instagrammer, and loves to share her insights. She loves to connect with readers and audio listeners at www.laineycameron.com

She’s a proud member and volunteer with Women’s Fiction Writers Association, hosts an Instagram TV show called The Best of Women’s Fiction, and believes community makes the author’s life worthwhile. Originally from Scotland, Lainey has a soft spot for kilts, good malt whisky, and anything equine.

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Narrator Bio

Susan Marlowe loves a great story and loves acting. She has found her perfect profession through audiobook narration. Susan has narrated numerous titles and has enjoyed producing every single one. When not in her studio, Susan can be found performing in community theater, belting out showtunes while driving in her car, and hanging out with her husband, two sons, and two female cats (the cats are there to balance the testerone heavy home).

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Dream Cast

Music Playlist

Each song picks up Ryn, the main character’s mood through the book, starting with Megan Trainor Your Lips are Movin (about how the husband is lying), then Sociopath, and goes downhill with Adele as she realizes her married life, as she experienced it, is over.

From there she wallows a while (Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri), then decides to kick him out and move on (No More Drama by Mary J Blige, Take a Bow by Rihanna)

By later in the playlist she is finding her strength; Brave by Sara Bareilles, Survivor/ I will Survive mixup by the Glee Cast, Fight Song by Rachel Platten.

By the end, she is moving on and has reclaimed power over her own life: Falling out of Love can be Fun , Light to the Universe remix by Liah Alonso, and finally Blow Me (One Last Kiss) by P!nk.

Q&A with Protagonist Ryn Brennan
  • Can you tell us a bit about yourself, Ryn?
    • I’m married, I live in Tiburon, just north of San Francisco, and I’m a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, meaning I invest in startup companies for a living.
    • Normally I’m razor sharp, but right now, in the opening pages, I’m in the office and cannot focus. Yesterday I found out, after ten years, that my husband is cheating on me, and I haven’t even confronted him, yet. I don’t know if my marriage is over.
  • What made you choose venture capital for a profession?
    • I’ve always been great with numbers. After I left Montana and earned my finance degree, I wanted to be part of where the real power brokers of the future reside, in Silicon Valley.
    • Unfortunately, I’ve discovered the climate is a lot more sexist than I anticipated, and although I worked my ass off to get this far, it’s taken me twice as long to achieve a senior level than if I were a man.
  • Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with being a venture capitalist or do something different?
    • I’d stick with it, because although it’s been tough, this week I’m about to close the deal that will make my career and catapult me into senior partnership. I’m expecting to become one of the top VCs in the Valley and finally prove to everyone how a woman VC can be just as valuable as any member of the “old boy’s club”.
  • What is your biggest fear?
    • I’ve bet my career on this one deal, so I can’t afford to blow it. I had no idea, when I entered the room to sign the papers, that I’d be facing my husband Todd’s mistress Carly Santos, across the negotiating table.
    • How the heck are we supposed to work together? But neither of us can just walk away when our success now depends on each other…
  • Who is your favorite fictional character and why?
    • I’m rather partial to Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, because somehow she manages to dress crazy instead of conservatively, act feminine, say what she thinks, and still be taken seriously and win out in the end. I cannot imagine that in my world.
  • What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
    • My first venture boss told me don’t ever volunteer to make coffee and never let your personal and professional lives overlap at the office.
    • I have no idea how I’m going to abide by that last advice now that I’ve invested in Carly’s company and she’s sleeping with my husband.

This is an audiobook that caught my attention quickly and didn’t let go until the last sentence. I was breathless to finish it, yet I didn’t want it to end.  

If you read other reviews, you will see that people are thrilled that this story is tackling tough subjects such as  infidelity, sexual harassment, inequality in the workplace and more. What made this book stand out for me? It never once screamed out those topics. They were weaved neatly into a captivating story. I didn’t feel those things were the story. Never once did women’s rights, or equal opportunity, or anything else jump out at me. Maybe I’m naïve or maybe that is the sign of a good author?

I’m going to assume you’ve read the synopsis, so I’m not going to retell the story. I’ll just finish by saying, For sure pick this audio book up. The narrator’s voice brings a beautiful story of suspense and surprises to life. Trust me, you’ll find it nearly impossible to hit the stop button. 

This author has definitely made it to the top of my watch list.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Lainey Cameron. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

AUTHOR

Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.

This has been surprisingly fun! Susan Marlowe a superb narrator and performer. As an author, by the time your book arrives in the world you have read it hundreds of times.

But during all of that, you hear the words a certain way, with your intonation as a writer. When Susan read it end to end for the first time it was revelatory, because she approached it as a reader would. She didn’t say every sentence in the exact same way as I did in my author head — and honestly my reaction was pride—this is better than I realized!

Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing? 

Truly, not so much. I had decided that only if the paperback and ebook did well would I invest in an audio version.

After the book hit that #1 bestseller slot on Amazon (for feminist books), and won its second award (it’s now in the running for its fourth), I realized there were enough people who prefer audio versions and I should make it happen!

How did you select your narrator?

From within a lot of choices! I put the project out for audition and received over 50 different narrators who recorded an audition tape.

Susan was among my top 3 choices after those short 5-10 minute auditions, so then I listened to samples of her audiobooks, which I enjoyed. The clincher was when a fellow writer (Leanne Treese, author of Their Last Chance) shared she had chosen Susan, and how easy she was to work with.

How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters? 

After deciding to work together, Susan recorded a fifteen-minute segment where she demonstrated the main voices in the book. On a couple of voices, we went back and forth until we both felt comfortable. I also created a voice memo for the place names that weren’t obvious. As some of these are real locations in Silicon Valley, it was important to me to avoid mis-pronouncing them.

Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing? 

Absolutely! I’m a recovering tech industry executive, meaning I worked for twenty years immersed in the not-so-subtle sexism of Silicon Valley. This book was inspired by my personal experience of being the only woman in the boardroom.

Ryn, my main character, is an investor who has bet everything on the deal of her career. What she didn’t imagine is facing her husband’s mistress across the negotiating table.

The stereotypes would say women are their own worst enemies in this mistress-wife situation, fighting over the guy who dumped them there. But I wanted to break with that tired and ridiculous cliché, because the women I know and love are better and smarter than that. Ultimately, this is a book about female power and friendship.

How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?

I’m one of the few writers who is also an extrovert. I get a kick out of talking with and supporting other authors and members of the women’s fiction community. In fact, there’s a line in my bio that says I believe community is what makes the author’s life worthwhile. One of the big areas where I spend my time on is a podcast called The Best of Women’s Fiction (www.bestofwomensfiction.com) where I interview authors I admire.

I try to hold my mornings for writing, and in the afternoon I allow myself time for these interviews or coaching other writers. I also co-host a weekly writer support group on Thursday evenings. All of these things keep me rejuvenated. They help me feel like I am part of a bigger success than just my own.

Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you? 

I am an audiobook listener, but I’ll admit that until recently I listened to more memoir and nonfiction on audiobook and prefer ebooks or paper for fiction. I think I’m impatient and I read very fast. So, I will consume an ebook in a much shorter time than the audio (or I’d have to listen at like 4x speed!). But saying that, when a book has a great narrator, the audio can be an absolute delight!

Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format? 

In the ebook version, one of the things I worried about was when we spend time inside the main character’s heads, absorbed in what they are thinking. There’s a “writing rule” that says to avoid doing this too much. However, in the audio, to me it felt seamless and immersive. I appreciated how Susan, with just a slight change in intonation, made it clear we were hearing thoughts, not dialog. To me, it works really well!

What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?

I have zero patience for literary snobbery like this. Or of any kind. (For example those who look down on romance or “chick lit” as genres). No matter what format, what genre, to me, reading is about escape, and finding empathy by feeling and experiencing a life different to one’s own.

How did you celebrate after finishing this novel? 

Funnily, the celebration was less when I finished it (which I thought I’d done many times only to revise again!), but when I knew the book had found its path to publication. Many agents and one publisher told me they didn’t see a readership for women’s fiction set in the workplace, about the transformative power of female friendship.

I dealt with over 130 rejections before The Wild Rose press (and several other smaller presses) made an offer on this book. The day I signed that contract was when I celebrate –with friends at a writing conference in Salem Massachusssets (and there was Karaoke–this was in 2019 pre-Covid!).

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1 Comment

  1. I remember you telling me about this one! It’s on my reading list! It sounds really intriguing.

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