I couldn't grok the outbursts of rage in this tale. I'm not sure whether they were intended by the author or added in by the narrator as it was reallyI couldn't grok the outbursts of rage in this tale. I'm not sure whether they were intended by the author or added in by the narrator as it was really just a matter of emphasis but it seemed in the audio-book like both Wade's mom & grandpa and even Ben got too overwrought about what was happening at various points.
While this tale is appealing enough, it's a bit awkward in its delivery. And while the plot covers the basics there are no epiphany evoking moments. It wasn't a hardship to get through but not one I'm likely to revisit. ...more
A great tale of a hearing man falling for a semi-militant "deafie" I've met and know a few deaf people and it's actually a pretty accurate depiction oA great tale of a hearing man falling for a semi-militant "deafie" I've met and know a few deaf people and it's actually a pretty accurate depiction of these types of relationships. Quinn's family here is almost storybook accepting but some folks still found this book "too preachy"
It's probably odd to criticize the way that the narration of am audiobook is done when that book is about two guys who communicate primarily in ASL but... the solo narrator here, Gary Furlong could have differentiated the voices used for the two MC's POVs a bit more. It tended to be very confusing as to whose POV we were hearing.
GODA, not commonly used term, is deaf and hearing grandchildren of one or two Deaf grandparents. It may not be in common usage but it's certainly common in THIS book.
It's unclear whether Tadhg speaks or only signs. I know that speaking is often looked upon as "accommodating the auditory" among some deaf people (and there's a fear of sounding impaired)...more
At just under 7 hours this was a great tale of a guy with dating dysfunction hooking up with a guy that has had a traumatic upbringing. The chemistry At just under 7 hours this was a great tale of a guy with dating dysfunction hooking up with a guy that has had a traumatic upbringing. The chemistry here is amazing and their need for each other is obvious from chapter 1. The supporting characters are great as well and this one just has me anxious to read another in this or the related series. ...more
farming the impossible on the knife edge of failure
The New Zealand Kea, the world's only alpine parrot is known as the 'Clown of the Alps' to South Isfarming the impossible on the knife edge of failure
The New Zealand Kea, the world's only alpine parrot is known as the 'Clown of the Alps' to South Islanders; and has recently been heralded as the world's smartest bird. Didn't know they could fatally injure sheep....more
Just stumbled across this one whilst packing my Kindle with audiobooks for a long train ride. The bumbling nerd and the quietly confident jock tropes Just stumbled across this one whilst packing my Kindle with audiobooks for a long train ride. The bumbling nerd and the quietly confident jock tropes are both favorite tropes of mine and this satisfies both those tastes - while also being a better-than-average Cyrano tale.
Andy's neurotic inner monologue is laugh-out-loud funny. His frequent verbal oversharing is just as amusing as it is endearing, Add to that the over-earnest athlete with a heart of gold and this is a charming romance.
Paradoxically, the writing here is almost too good for a great audiobook. Andy's mile-a-minute overthinking makes one wish that narrators ( Joel Leslie, and Kirt Graves could match that frenetic pace. The skill of the narrators here pulled it off though. The book is great on all levels.
A sweet take on the nerdy college guy falls for the clueless but cute jock room-mate trope. This is NOT a short story collection though it is episodicA sweet take on the nerdy college guy falls for the clueless but cute jock room-mate trope. This is NOT a short story collection though it is episodic.
The drama here like so many MM romances comes from the unspoken attraction between the two MCs (This time with a Christmas theme thrown in as well)
It's a light hearted romp with all the angst of a Hallmark Family movie and just that amount of graphic sexual content.
Probably closer to three and a half stars than four but 'tis the season.
One of the most frequently liked reviews for this book somewhat put me off listening to this for a while. Fact is... they were wrong. I'm guessing thaOne of the most frequently liked reviews for this book somewhat put me off listening to this for a while. Fact is... they were wrong. I'm guessing that they either misinterpreted something they read or were completely affected by biases in their own life that made them miss the point of this.
Personally, I thought "This was Ace-some." It really explored what an ACE relationship might feel like.
Boyhood friends who grew apart when one realized that his unrequited gay love wasn't returned by his chum. That the chum has felt trapped in a conventional relationship for a decade is clear and both guys were presented fairly and I had empathy for both.
This book is just another example of how much more interesting the world can be when we stop having to just "accept" others and can learn to celebrate them.
I enjoyed this and can see myself listening to it again someday, though I don't feel the pull to do so immediately like I do with the things I rate as 5 stars.
Boston High School Gym Teacher Payne Walker has discovered his husband Kyle has been cheating doing MyFans and more. On the wrong side of 40 he's now Boston High School Gym Teacher Payne Walker has discovered his husband Kyle has been cheating doing MyFans and more. On the wrong side of 40 he's now moved back to his hometown and is soon a bit of a charity case/roommate with his younger brother's best friend. The set up is great and this book is all about the feels and enjoying seeing these two come together.
It's also the first in a new series so we meet a whole cast of characters Marty Walker, Payne's bro, spacey Beau Rickshaw, Marty's best friend and a group of men who call themselves the divorced Men's Club. There's Orson (a widower), Art (Payne's boyhood chum) & first gay divorcee in Massachusetts who has taken over running his family brewery Killer Brews. There's Ford who runs a garage and Griffon (soon to be divorced from Poppy)
I actually tried this AFTER book 5 in the series and both are fun quick reads. The sex is pretty hot but is secondary to the story.
I listened to both as narrated by Nick J. Russo and he's generally good, though he does slip out of character from time to time making for some briefly confusing moments, but its not enough to ruin the experience. ...more
Dating your son's best friend? It can be tricky despite how perfect they are for each other these two are almost too sweet to be believed. This is theDating your son's best friend? It can be tricky despite how perfect they are for each other these two are almost too sweet to be believed. This is the best kind of fantasy fulfillment for those looking for an MM age-gap romance.
The characters are genuinely enjoyable to spend time with and I can easily see myself listening to this one again.
This book builds the anticipation but the "slips" are about as graphic as it can get. Only an idiot thinks that these two won't end up together, and seeing them fight the inevitable is part of the fun. Nick Russo does the narration here and it's generally great. When it's important, the voices of the two main characters are distinct enough to easily tell apart and the voices of the minor characters are distinct enough to add a few embellishments as well.
Oddly, there is some slippage here where the narrator seems to forget just who's speaking in a particular chapter and it added a few minor moments of confusion but it was generally not an issue....more
Jayden scholarship student. Caleb Ellison fuckboy actor richie rich Alex & Franklin
Author is confused uniforms on college students? A men Lost interest
Jayden scholarship student. Caleb Ellison fuckboy actor richie rich Alex & Franklin
Author is confused uniforms on college students? A men only college? Yet part of frat series.
Chapter 1 Cuddles on the beach. Chapter 3 The Lost Neckerchief - no play names? Chapter 4 Empty Head
Too Self assured to really be either. Felt like an AI author. Odd similes. Odd details (amber & pine cologne?) Very sex centric (casual sex in chapter 1 with nameless MC ). Cold ocean in Santa Barbara in September? Oddly introspective inner monologue during casual sex. Strange pacing auto-porn?
Reader doesn't make it clear which character's POV....more
Bishop is an illiterate ex-con ex-gang leader trying to go straight Bishop's dad, Mike, was a young single father. Royce is Bishop's ex-boyfriend Trent Bishop is an illiterate ex-con ex-gang leader trying to go straight Bishop's dad, Mike, was a young single father. Royce is Bishop's ex-boyfriend Trent is Bishop's best buddy and a fellow ex-gang member
Edison is the husky executive manager at an attorney's office. Once past the orientation bits, this tale becomes a sweet mating dance of mutually unrequited attraction. Both men have trouble seeing past their self-acknowledged weaknesses, Bishop's illiteracy, and Edison's plus-sized body image.
This tale teases us for 20+ chapters before we get our first real kiss.
It does tend to drag a bit once the two get together. The sex scenes are almost anti-climactic. ...more
I came to this book in an unusual way. It was on a recommendation of sorts. I'd posted that I was looking for a story with elements of the Cyrano plotI came to this book in an unusual way. It was on a recommendation of sorts. I'd posted that I was looking for a story with elements of the Cyrano plot. This was suggested as it involves a younger guy getting romantic/courting advice from an older, more experienced player. Plus the mentor would actually prefer to be the one doing the romancing rather than helping his young protege with their stated goal.
This tale DOES somewhat have some congruencies with what I was looking for and the characters did seem like folks I would enjoy spending some time with. Given what I was looking for, I was predisposed to like this but the book does have some flaws that annoyed the proofreader in me.
The first, that kept repeatedly bothering me was a missed opportunity. One romantic lead (our Cyrano) is best friends with the older brother of our other romantic lead. That point is quickly and ably established when our Cyrano character refers to the younger guy as "Mini-Walsh" and the kid bristles at the teasing nickname. My problem with this is that that term is never used again in that form. For some reason, the teasing nickname is changed to little Walsh which doesn't work as elegantly and given that that nickname is used a dozen times or so it's a semi-constant reminder that it might have been better.
The mix-up with the nicknames Mini-Walsh vs little Walsh seemed kind of careless given the prominence that it's given.
A similar problem was noted by another reviewer who mentions the many overdone descriptions of lips. It's part of an author's job to create scenes that the reader can envision. Generally, I believe that it's the author's prerogative as to how they do that. It felt like the author here was somewhat clumsy in that regard. Another facet of that problem was there were so many unnecessary and ineptly placed descriptions. Using an unnecessary adjective can often disrupt the story more than add to it. e.g. When describing a two-man dorm room mentioning that Vaughn is "lounging on the room's uncomfortable bed" might interrupt the flow of what's going on, causing the reader to wonder "Why is only one bed uncomfortable? How does Owen know that that bed is uncomfortable? Is there ONLY one bed?" Example two... Why does it matter that our protagonist chooses light blue underwear when heading to the shower? Particularly when he's in the midst of obsessing over the other protagonist's reactions to a comment on social media? And finally, when the character is kvetching about the heater in his crappy old car not working, why does the reader need to know that the car is ruby red? Illuminating the RIGHT details adds to a story; drizzling random details into the story in a Jackson Pollock-like manner doesn't.
Other than the petty "authorial annoyances", the characters are likable, the story is sweet, and is generally well-told. I always enjoy stories where "straight" guys realize that they may be more bent than they previously thought.
This is my first exposure to this author and I enjoyed the tale well enough to add another of her books to my TBR list. I'll be curious to see if the flaws that annoyed me in this book are repeated and whether the author can once again overcome the minor imperfections and still craft an enjoyable story.
I listened to this in audiobook form rather than reading it. Narrated by Iggy Toma, the story moves along well and is ably served by a single narrator. Toma is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. Iggy has a bit of an Adam Brody kind of thing going with his narrative voice style - which I find generally works quite well. That style does seem more pronounced here than in other things I've heard him read.
This book is very suitable for a solo narration. The story is told in MM Romances' now standard "he said / he said" chapter-swapping style. The two main characters are distinctive enough that their voices are never confused. And since the tale focuses so heavily on the two main characters, there's not much dialogue provided by the supporting cast, but what is there, is acted in a workman-like way as well.
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