In the Zone

Book five in Catherine Gayle's Portland Storm series follows Keith Burns, a Portland Storm defenseman whose NHL success masks a deep personal isolation, and Brianna Hayden, a woman rebuilding her sense of self after a health crisis upends her life. What begins as a deliberate, no-strings encounter between two people hiding behind anonymity slowly unravels into something neither anticipated. When circumstance pulls them back into each other's orbit, the boundaries they set collapse, and both must decide whether the truth they've been guarding is worth the cost of keeping it.

Angel Clark brings a grounded warmth to the narration that suits the story's emotional rhythm. Her pacing through the quieter, more vulnerable moments feels earned rather than rushed, and she handles the tension between Keith and Brianna with a naturalness that keeps the push-and-pull compelling throughout the nearly ten-hour runtime. The audio format lets the internal conflict breathe in ways that strengthen the romance rather than sentimentalize it.