One reviewer here liked almost everything about this audiobook except the audio itself. Flory's account of a single narrator voicing both the vampire heroine and the fae hero, rather than splitting the couple across two voices working in tandem, is specific enough to shape how any prospective listener should approach A Game of Love and Betrayal.
The Review
Brynleigh has spent years planning revenge against Ryker Waterborn, the fae who orphaned her and is now searching for a wife, and the plan is simple on paper: enter the competition, make him fall in love with her, and kill him once they marry. The catch is a blind selection process, dozens of contestants competing without seeing each other until a choice is made, which multiple reviewers immediately connect to the reality dating show Love is Blind, right down to two review titles borrowing the comparison directly. Layering a vampire-versus-fae revenge plot on top of that structure gives an already familiar competition format a genuinely new engine. Brits | TheLiterarySiren's review widens the cast even further, describing a world stacked with vampires, fae, dragon shifters, werewolves, and elves competing for the same prize, and nicknaming Brynleigh a Shadow Mommy on top of morally grey vampire, which suggests the found-family and creature-hierarchy elements run deeper than the central love triangle alone.
Reception splits along familiar romantasy lines. Brits | TheLiterarySiren opens a review by telling other readers to run, not walk, toward this book, and Loren O. answers the premise with an enthusiastic sign me up, both clearly won over by the concept execution. alicia kearns pushes back hard on the craft itself, finding the book very repetitive and specifically noting that Brynleigh and Ryker fall into the same thoughts over and over, repetitive enough to skim ahead rather than read every page. That kind of specific complaint, not a vague low rating but a named structural issue, is worth weighing against the enthusiasm elsewhere.
Why A Game of Love and Betrayal Works as an Audiobook
Flory's review is the single most useful piece of information on this entire listing for anyone deciding how to experience the story. Flory liked the story but found the audio something else entirely, preferring the male narration over the female sections and specifically disliking that the same narrator voiced full chapters written from the opposite perspective rather than alternating between two dedicated voices. That preference for a tandem, dual-narrator setup over a single reader covering both leads is a legitimate craft judgment, not a minor nitpick, and it is different enough from ordinary praise or complaint that it deserves to be read in full before committing to the audio edition specifically over the text.
The blind-marriage-competition structure gives this entry something a lot of enemies-to-lovers romantasy skips past: real narrative tension about who else is in the running, not just whether the two leads will overcome their own obstacles. Loren O.'s enthusiasm centers specifically on that structural novelty, describing genuine nervousness going into the story before getting pulled all the way in once the actual mechanics of the competition became clear.
Podium Audio releases this one, and the choice to open a brand-new series with a single narrator rather than a duet arrangement is a real production decision worth naming on its own terms. Whether that choice was made for budget reasons, creative preference, or something else entirely is not something the available data can answer, but it clearly shaped at least one listener's experience enough to change a future purchasing decision.
The Caveats
Take alicia kearns's repetition complaint seriously given the runtime involved. Twelve hours and forty-two minutes is a substantial commitment, and a specific, named craft issue, the two leads circling the same internal thoughts repeatedly, is a different and more concerning kind of criticism than simple genre fatigue or personal taste. Weigh it directly against Marissa's account of a twisty ending that earned genuine investment in a sequel, since the two reviews describe meaningfully different experiences of the same middle stretch.
Flory's plan to buy the Kindle edition rather than the audiobook for the sequel is worth taking as a direct signal, not just a passing comment. Listeners who share a strong preference for either format, or who specifically want two distinct voices carrying a dual-perspective romance, should sample the audio before committing, since this is exactly the kind of production choice that divides listeners more than the underlying story does.
Who Should Listen to A Game of Love and Betrayal
Paranormal romance fans drawn to vampire and fae dynamics, morally driven revenge plots, and a genuinely fresh competition structure layered onto enemies-to-lovers stakes will find plenty to like here, especially as the opening entry in a new series rather than a middle installment assuming prior investment. Loren O.'s and Brits | TheLiterarySiren's enthusiasm both point toward a concept strong enough to carry real momentum through the full runtime, and readers who enjoy a large, mixed-species supporting cast rather than a tightly closed two-person world will find plenty of texture in the wider competition alone.
Not the right choice if a single narrator reading across both a female and male perspective is a dealbreaker for you, since that is exactly the setup Flory found least satisfying here. Readers who need consistently tight, non-repetitive prose throughout a twelve-hour commitment should also weigh alicia kearns's specific complaint before starting, rather than assuming the strongest reviews speak for the whole experience.
Common Questions
Why did one listener regret choosing the audiobook over the print or ebook edition?
One reviewer preferred the male narration but disliked that the same narrator read the female lead's chapters too, rather than splitting the couple across two dedicated voices. That reviewer plans to buy the next book in ebook form instead, a strong enough signal that anyone with the same preference should sample this audio edition first.
Is this audiobook connected to the reality show Love is Blind?
Not officially, but multiple reviewers draw the comparison directly, since the plot centers on a blind marriage-selection competition where contestants do not see each other until a choice is made. Two review titles reference the show by name, suggesting the connection is an intentional selling point rather than a coincidence.
Do I need to read anything before starting this audiobook?
No. This is the first book in The Choosing Chronicles, introducing Brynleigh, Ryker, and the blind selection competition from the beginning. Neither the synopsis nor any of the five reviews assumes prior series knowledge, so a new reader has everything needed to follow the setup from the first chapter.
Does this audiobook feel repetitive at over twelve hours long?
At least one reviewer thinks so, specifically describing the two leads returning to the same internal thoughts repeatedly and admitting to skimming ahead. Other reviewers do not raise this complaint and describe being fully absorbed instead, so pacing tolerance may vary more than usual for this particular title.
