slow to start

this was a hard book to get until for me. the narration was wonderful though. new to me author I will be with more of their books. it was nice to listen to a story. It wasn't monotone or boring. The narrator catch a very interesting

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A Fairy-Tale Romance for Griff and Raphael

Loosely based on the fairy tale Rapunzel and set in modern day, 'Hair out of Place' tells the romantic suspense story of private security agent Griff and wealthy shut-in Raphael. (who is also secretly a prince). When assassins arrive to keep Raphie from ascending to the throne, he and Griff make a mad dash across Europe to prove his birthright.

There are a couple of parallels to the Rapunzel tale. Raphie has been exiled to a London penthouse for most of his life. And, he has long, white blond hair that serves as part of his identity as non-birnary. My favorite scenes involve Raphie discovering the world and Griff and Raphie discovering each other. When Griff stops angst-ing about the inappropriateness of their relationship, their scenes together are sweet, loving and adorable.

Griff and Raphie continue to face the assassins at intervals, which adds some action, suspense and hurt/comfort to the story. The assassins seem to be added as a comedic element. I found those characters to be stereotypical, which might be the point, and not terribly funny. The action is not plausible and, again, may be written specifically for comedic effect. Even though I wasn't keen on this subplot, I found the overall story to be interesting and well-written.

I really enjoy any narration by Kieran Flitton, this one included. He uses character voices to good effect, infusing them with personality. He delivers an A+ job, as always.

This audiobook was given to me for free, at my request, and I have voluntarily written this review.

Recommended.

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Raffi and Griff

Fantastic! This reimagined Rapunzel is elevated by a wonderful, caring mother, a team of security and tutors that see themselves as 'family', and a new hot bodyguard who proves his mettle the first day on the job. The whole thing starts with a literal bang and is full of action, bungling assassins (I loved the 'ninja'), and a quest to reach the kingdom in time. This comes off as a spy movie from the '60s or '70s. The ballroom scene was fabulous. Raffi is a wonderfully kind and sunny non-bi man and Griff spends most of the book trying to keep him at arm's length. I kinda wanted to smack him for not only running hot and cold with poor Raffi but his self-deprecating inner monologue. I have to give him kudos for his immediate acceptance and appreciation of all facets of Raffi though. Sparrow is just the cherry on top.

Audiobook: If you can get your hands on an audio copy do it! This narrator deserves a round of applause for his take on each of the voices. Griff's 'Sean Connery' voice gave me shivers and I could picture Raffi from the voice alone. Each of the assassins was not only distinctive but hilarious. Bravo, Kieran Flitton!

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Love this Repunzal Retelling!

I love Helen Juliet's retelling of classic fairytales and this is no different. I absolutely love Rapael and Griff's story. Such an amazing modern twist on Rapunzel. I just couldn't stop listening to this story. Kieran Flitton does an amazing job bring this story to life. I love all the voices and he made me love this story even more. Absolutely amazing listen!

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Enjoyed!

I loved this retelling of the fairy tale Rapunzel. It is impossible to not fall in love with Raphie and Griff. As they race to Raphie's homeland, avoiding assassins along the way, you will love going along on their adventure.
There's suspense, intrigue, danger and so much more to be found in this story.
I loved getting caught up in their journey towards their HEA!
Kieran Flitton does a great job of bringing these characters to life!

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A Wonderful Retelling of Repunzal!

Raphael has spent his entire life hidden in a penthouse apartment in London. He is the heir to the throne of a small European country.

On the day Griff is hired as a bodyguard to Raphie, all hell breaks loose. He must get Ralphie to the throne avoiding a host of inept assassins. Sparrow, a Scottish curl cat, travels with them.

The narrator is talwnted and did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. Well done and well written.

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1 person found this helpful

Bodyguard/age gap

Griff is a bodyguard who has been giving a new assignment. Rhapie is next in line to be king of a European country. But someone wants Raptor dead. Griff doesn’t know he will be protecting a prince until he shows up for the job. Griff is instantly taken with Raphie. His first night one the job someone tries to take a shot at Raphie. They escape and start heading to the country Raphie where he will be king. One of the best parts of the story for me was Raphie’s cat Sparrow. He was a cute side character. So much happens to Griff and Raphie. The assassins are kind of stupid. They have so many chances to get them and it never happens. So, there is an age gap between these two, Griff is 37 and Raphie is 21. Griff thinks he’s too old... but they do work together. This book was ok for me. It was a little too long and I felt they repeated themselves. Like when talking about their feelings. I liked that Raphie was non binary. And Griff just accepted him. Loved him for who he was. Kieran Flitton did a good job. Although at times his voice for Griff bugged me a little.

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Action, unlikely lovers, intrigue, and love!    

Delightful retelling of Rapunzel!  Terrific narration!  

I loved Rapael as the heir hidden away in a London penthouse and Griff, a bodyguard with humble beginnings  Rapael's life has been filled with love and an amazing education, but he has been hidden away for his protection from an evil father.  This story brings him his first out in the world experiences, being in a crowd, interacting with strangers and being free for the first time.  Griff is a wonderful contrast in that he is jaded, still food insecure and has lost touch with his warm and caring heart.

There is tons of action from the first day as the assassins try to get to Rapael.  I found the interactions with the many assassins creative and the escapes hard won.  Rapael and Griff learn to work together and trust each other.  They find the love they both so need.  

i really love the amazing voice of Kieran Flitton and how he gives voice to each character and really brings the story to life. 

Well performed and well written. 

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Royal Rapunzel Retelling with Lots of Heart & Hair

I already loved this modern fairytale retelling of Rapunzel as an e-book, and listening to it was a delight. Narrator Kieran Flitton so wonderfully captured Griff's gruffness and tenderness and Raphie's youthful exuberance and sweetness in his terrific performance (and his British accents are divine).

With a great deal of humor, some (admittedly bumbling) assassin action and on-the-run suspense, some forced proximity situations, a fair bit of hair washing and braiding, and one delightfully feisty cat, this sweet opposites attract/age gap love story is a fun read. Just as bodyguard Griff is kind and caring under an initially tough and gruff exterior, his client Raphie has an infectious optimism and enthusiasm for life despite having lived an extremely sheltered one. Both are lonely individuals starved for connection who in each other find what neither was looking for but needed, and the literal journey toward their HEA is a satisfying one.

The way author Helen Juliet incorporates elements of the Rapunzel fairytale into this story is inventive and outright amusing at times. There is also some character crossover here with characters from the author's earlier "A Right Royal Affair," which I now plan to read. I received this free review copy audio book by request and have left this honest review voluntarily.

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A prince in hiding

I’m always a sucker for fairytale novels. I mean princes in hiding waiting to reclaim their birthright and a shining white knight in armor, who wouldn’t love them?

Raphie is a prince in exile who’s trapped in a high London tower. And Griff the grump is his bodyguard who has no idea he’s protecting a prince. Raphie likes Griff but he’s almost double his age and they are on different paths in life. However, they may be walking the different paths but the destination might be same for our Prince Charming and his white knight.

It’s a bit long but I think it was amusing at times and enjoyable. What really stood out for me in this book was Kieran Flitton’s narration. It was so smooth and sexy. All in all, an enjoyable book.

4 A prince in hiding stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Audio rating

Story - 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Narration - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Performance - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Overall - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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