Stranded

Desert Island Duet, Book 1

By: Shona Knight

Narrated by: Bridget Bordeaux, Jake Bordeaux

For fifteen years, Darla has been stranded alone on a deserted island. When three strange men crash-land there, she watches from the trees, terrified they'll be just as cruel as the last men who came.

But these men are different. They laugh, they share, they're kind to the wildlife. And despite every instinct telling her to stay hidden, Darla finds herself drawn to them. She begins helping in secret, leaving food and small gifts, until the line between fear and curiosity begins to blur.

When she must choose between staying hidden and saving their lives, the answer is clear. And soon, they awaken something inside her she thought had died long ago… hope.

But Darla knows all too well that paradise can turn deadly in an instant.

She's survived alone this long… but can she survive letting them in?

Stranded is the first part of a duet and ends in a cliffhanger. It's a hurt/comfort, why-choose, MFMM+, romance novel with dark themes. No mm/ff/cheating/owd. The FMC will not have to choose between her love interests. Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

©2025 Shona Knight (P)2025 Podium Audio

Fabulous

Great story and original. The characters have immense depth and there are turns you never expect in the storyline. Fantastic read and I highly recommend.

incredible

5/5
spice 🌶️🌶️
slow burn
why choose
1 fmc
3 MMCs... possibly 4
plane crashes
deserted Island
wild and crazy FMC
fun and loving and protective MMCs
malfunction/haywire planes
murder, rape, shooting, fighting, trauma, panic attacks
FMC been alone for 15 years on this island
MMCs plane crashes on same island 15 years later...

FMC is Darla or Zee...she was 13 when she crashed on this island with her father, she had him the 1st 4 months till one day pirates came...raped her, killed her dad and so she killed them
so for 15 years all she had was the wildlife to talk to
she had to do all the dangerous, reckless, life risking stuff in order to survive
being away from the world she gets scared of thunderstorms and blood and men...they set her off into panic attacks...where she is constantly haunted by that day that ruined her life...those men ...

15 years later a plane crashes into the ocean near her island and she sees a raft floating her way and starts to freak out
not seeing life, people in 15 years she is scared, especially of men...
when they get to the island she watches them from afar...
these are the MMCs

MMCs
Kingsley
Bower
West
and possibly Reece...

Kingsley and Bower took this plane out with West as the pilot...Reece is their best friend from home but didn't take the trip with them because he hated to fly...
he lost the lost of his life in a plane crash so he hates to fly
Kingsley and Bower with Reece own a tech business company...they are rich...
West was a Marine in the army...now a pilot

Zee watches the MMCs, stalking them from a far and helping them from a far ...leaving them food, supplies all the time...
there are friendly lemurs on the island so King and

Slowburn emotional recovery

Stranded is the first book of the Desert Island Duet, a contemporary why choose romance. The best way I can describe this book is a genderbent Tarzan x Castaway. While the story does not include dark romance, it does contain dark themes.

Tropes and themes include:
✨Why choose (mfmm)
✨Stranded & island/jungle survival
✨Forced proximity
✨Prior abuse & trauma (not by MMCs)
✨She’s the provider
✨Hurt/comfort
✨Lemur and rock sidekicks
✨Protective MMCs
✨Slowburn
✨Mental health rep (anxiety/panic attacks)
✨Multi, first person POV

Rating: 5/5 Stars 2/5 Flames
Nicknames: Tink(erbell), Sweetheart, Baby

Audiobook Thoughts: This dual narration audiobook is voiced by Bridget and Jake Bordeaux. I loved Bridget’s portrayal of Darla as it felt natural and matched the situation (i.e. her pace sped up when Darla was panicking). I thought Jake did a nice job differentiating the voices of the MMCs. However, with both narrators, I struggled in being able to distinguish between actual dialogue and inner thoughts.

The Lovely: I mean, I knew this would be great because I love this author, but this story was the absolute complete package - fun to read, a bit of mystery, and all the emotional feels I crave. Th,e FMC was a bit naive but fearless and caring too. And, sometimes (unintentionally) funny. I loved that she had the survival skills and the MMCs… not so much. I loved how in turn the MMCs tried to find other ways to show they care about her.

Recommendation: While I’ve been trying to pace myself when it comes to inhaling this author’s books, I was excited to read this in audio format and hear it brought to life. If you’re in the mood for a beachy why choose romance full of all the hurt/comfort vibes, I think you would love this book.

Great story, decent narration

The story was beautiful and heartwrenching. Darla is so much fun. A great mix between strong, vulnerable and fun.

The male narrator was very good. The female one a bit over the top sometimes, but still good for Darla's voice. However, the audiobook would have been a lot better if it had had duet narration.

The male characters sounded like caricatures when voiced by the female narrator. I remember an old interview by Stephen Fry who said that as a man voicing female characters he made sure not to do a high pitched voice as people often do to imitate girls, since that makes it sound like he's mocking women and makes them sound like caricatures. The female narrator does the male equivalent here, she tries to make her voice really low, but it only makes the characters sound silly. I did get used to it eventually.

Hidden gem!

Amazing story. Incredible narration. Really didn’t expect much & was blown away. One of my new favorite reads of the year.