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An interesting yet spooky tale

Reviewed: 10-21-21 Listener received this title free

The story begins and ends in the present. In between, we get the interesting yet puzzling story and the reason for the reunion. I'm not sure I totally understand what happened, but I enjoyed hearing about Teddy's return to his home town and the reaction from the various townsfolk.

Brilliant narration and character portrayal by Steve Connor.

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An enjoyable novella

Reviewed: 11-25-19

It was lovely to listen to this older NR Walker story, one that I read and enjoyed over six years ago. It’s a low angst and steamy May/December workplace romance between sexy architect and hot young intern, who happens to be friends with his son.

Nick’s narration—the character voices, pacing, and emotions—make listening a pleasure.

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One of my favourite NR Walker stories

Reviewed: 11-17-19

I first read this story over seven years ago. I loved it then and l loved the audio version.

Matthew and Kira’s super-hot romance is brought to life by the talented Sean Crisden. It’s a fast-moving story but with plenty of time for their budding romance to develop and for the guys to fall in love. Kira’s parents were great and accepted Matt from the start. I loved the way Matthew’s colleague’s reacted when they found out that he wasn’t actually dating a Keira Knightly lookalike after all.

The tension at the end of the story was built up well and the dramatic climax was exciting.

Sean’s narration was spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story.

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Charlie and Ky's story.

Reviewed: 11-16-19 Listener received this title free

Gah! This one gave me whiplash and raised lots of questions as I listened.

I liked Charlie’s OTT personality in book 1. He was outgoing yet quite sweet and made for an interesting secondary character. I wanted to hear more about him.

In the first couple of chapters of Starting From Scratch I thought Charlie was quite nasty to Ky at times for no apparent reason other than to fulfil the enemies to lovers criteria. Sometimes it was meant to be taken as a joke but didn’t come across as such. It felt rather forced for the sake of dissent, but Charlie thought Ky wouldn’t be sticking around so wanted to nudge him out of the band sooner rather than later. Having said that, you could feel the attraction burning between these two guys. Ky had found his home and family and wasn’t going anywhere.

Ky… Mmm... I liked this skateboarding musician and sympathised with him because of his backstory. I’m still a little confused by his father’s character and motives.

I enjoyed the story more once the guys became connected and more civil towards each other. Even then, there was some friction between them. On the whole, I liked how Ky dealt with Charlie, especially during his various rants. Although bi, Ky hadn’t even looked at a man for five years. He sure made up for lost time! The steamy scenes between them were hot and Michael Pauley did a great job of narrating them.

For much of the story, I couldn’t understand why or how Charlie had become the band’s manager. He was relatively young and had little experience apart from being a successful ‘social media influencer’. He seemed to be out of his depth at times, although his main task in the story was trying to sort out which record label they should sign with. He’s sassy and cute, but his mouth runs away with itself many times and he conveniently lets slip several ‘secrets’ when he’s under pressure or intimidated. I’m not sure how he knew the rival band was going to be any good as they had only just got together.

Oliver, Charlie’s brother, helped bring them together and showed a positive side to Ky and Charlie’s characters. I did wonder where the boy’s ‘home’ was as he didn’t spend much time with his father, Sebastian. Another issue I pondered (and perhaps missed the explanation) was if Charlie had been dumped on Sebastian’s doorstep as an infant by his mother, she presumably was no longer around and couldn’t be the mother of Oliver—so were Charlie and Oliver half/step-brothers? Not entirely crucial to the plot but still...

The plot came across as disjointed a couple of times, almost as if the author started writing a scene and when she came back to it later took it in another direction. Certain things start to happen then they stop and something else happens instead.

Despite these rather negative points I’ve mentioned, I did actually enjoy the overall story. I always like Lane’s writing and the chemistry she builds between her main characters. The obligatory ‘break up’ scene was lovely as was their reunion. The guys are left in a good place and can certainly start to build their relationship from scratch…

Lovely narration throughout by Michael Pauley. I like how he varies the volume and speed of his voice to match the emotions of a scene. His voices for Charlie and Oliver were distinctive. Ky, Sebastian and Gray sounded similar to me but that didn’t cause an issue.

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An enjoyable sports-based romance series

Reviewed: 08-05-19 Listener received this title free

This has been an enjoyable sports-based series with each main closeted character facing the challenge of coming out to his team-mates and family. The characters are often connected via a previous relationship or a friend at college. Although each story could be read as a standalone, I think it is worth reading/listening to the books in order to gain an insight into the various situations and relationships that have gone before. In this case, I would definitely recommend listening to book 3 as there are quite a few plot and character links with this story. Overall book 3 has been my favourite so far, with this one, Out in the Field, running a close second.

Lane Hayes always does a great job of writing the main characters getting to know each other and showing how they gradually fall in love. There’s plenty of conversation here and several steamy scenes that move from being friends with benefits to meaning much more. I love how she blends the journey of falling in love with the main character deciding to come out because of that love. Sky, Max’s spiteful ex, again provides some additional angst to the plot. I hope Sky gets his happy ever after in a future story.

Max and Phoenix are opposites in many ways, yet they gel as a couple. Max is the sporty one and Phoenix’s total lack of knowledge of anything sporty leads to some humorous moments. It’s great how Max moves out of his comfort zone to spend time with Phoenix. I especially loved the ‘break up’ scene and onwards to the end of the story. The coming out scenes were great as were the make-up and epilogue. I had a few issues with some points in the story, but nothing major.

I liked that Christian and Rory (the couple from book 3) were involved throughout this story. I just wished the narrator had been consistent with his voices for these characters as they were different in books 3 and 4. Also Phoenix sounded very much like Mitch from book 2. Having said that, Michael Pauley narrates the story well and makes it easy to follow. He creates a range of emotions and varies his voice and intonation accordingly. A recommended series of audiobooks.

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A wonderful emotion-filled story

Reviewed: 06-08-19

At first, I didn’t think I was going to like Tyler. He came across as moody, although to be fair, he seemed to be put upon by his boss. I soon warmed to him as the story quickly progresses to a steamy sexual encounter in the office. This is a sort of enemies-to-lovers story, in that the guys are at each other’s throats until they make out. I liked that Tyler takes control and tells his boss what to do. Tylers turns out to be a very considerate person and just perfect for Joel. Joel is reluctant to come out of the closet to all but a few people and publicly hides his attraction to Tyler for much of the story.

This is a sex-heavy story, although it definitely has a structured plot and the romantic relationship development of the main characters is tied closely to it. The steamy scenes are beautifully written and also include a couple of polyamory scenes with Tyler’s friends, Adam and Christoffer. Again, these scenes are there for a reason. I particularly enjoyed the threesome.

Much of the second half of the story focuses on Joel’s relationship with his homophobic father, the effect the nasty man's words has on him, and Joel's deepening connection with Tyler.

I always like Roe Horvat’s writing style and the Scandinavian touches that are included in his stories. I enjoyed the intensity of this story—and not just because of the sizzling scenes. There are plenty of emotions and feelings created between Joel and Tyler, both in and out of the bedroom, shower, or office.

This is the first book I’ve heard narrated by Vance Bastian. Overall, I liked his voice and narration of this story. At times, I felt he spoke a little too quickly, but not so fast that I missed any words or meaning. His voice distinctions for each character were clear enough, and his intonation and expressions matched the various emotions throughout. Recommended.

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Enjoyable May/December romance

Reviewed: 06-02-19

Starting from Zero is a May/December rockstar romance. Its two main characters are brought together to collaborate on a love song for an upcoming movie. Justin is a talented songwriter and struggling musician who wants to make it to the big time. Gray is the older songwriter already with a successful career behind him. Their first encounter is a sizzling hook-up, which follows a romantic ‘date’ overlooking the city from a rooftop bar. They click from the start, but neither of them is looking for a long-term relationship. They meet again because of outside help and Justin is offered the chance of a lifetime. Or not.

A fair proportion of the story deals with the rock music industry and Justin figuring out how to involve his band in this amazing chance. He’s not entirely confident with the idea of writing a love song, but as he falls more and more for Gray, the song (and his life) slowly comes together. There’s good chemistry between these guys, with plenty of conversation and banter alongside the steamy moments. The relationship is relatively angst-free. The main conflict and angst in the story happens because of the producer and also Justin’s ex-girlfriend and previous band, who are also in with a chance of a deal with the production company. Can any of them be trusted?

I liked many of the secondary characters, including OTT Seb, who acts as the band's manager, and that we get to meet Rory and Christian from the Out in College series again. They're still together and very much in love!

Michael Pauley’s narration is enjoyable. He created distinct voices for the various characters. I wasn’t too keen on Gray’s voice at times, but overall the production is good with the right emotions being portrayed well in the various scenes. It’s not my favourite Lane Hayes story, but I definitely will listen again.

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A sweet romance and two cute dogs

Reviewed: 05-26-19 Listener received this title free

Blind Faith is one of N.R. Walker’s early stories. It’s a first person narrative from one character’s perspective and has all the fluffy elements the author has come to be known for in her stories.

The two main characters are ideally matched. Carter comes across as the vet who’s kind and caring to both people and animals. Isaac is the blind teacher who has suffered several tragic losses in his past, and as a result can be arrogant and uncooperative. He is, in fact, a nice guy too, and Carter soon falls for him, despite Isaac’s initial stubbornness and awkward temperament. Carter deals with him admirably at times. Both men suffer from their moody moments in this story, with several pouting scenes and giving the other the ‘silent treatment’. I couldn’t quite understand the logic behind Isaac not showing affection to his guide dog (Brady) and not sure why Carter didn’t discuss this issue with him. Surely as a vet that would have been an important matter.

Mark, Carter’s best friend, lightens the story, providing some humour and someone for Carter to share his thoughts and feelings with.

Overall this is a sweet romance, with a little angst with regard to Brady and also a misunderstanding between the two new lovers. Dog-lovers will probably enjoy it as Carter has a dog too and there are plenty of 'doggy' moments.

Michael Pauley’s narration of the story was enjoyable and easy to follow. He created voices consistent with the characters’ personalities and portrayed their emotions well.

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Seriously good...

Reviewed: 05-22-19

Nothing Serious is an early Jay Northcote novella. I read it a few years ago and enjoyed it. I was interested to hear how Michael Pauley narrated a story set in the UK.

This sweet tale is easy to follow and an entertaining listen. There’s no real angst or heavy drama. Mark’s ex-girlfriend is supportive, as is the hunky Jamie, who selflessly offers himself up for Mark to explore his ‘newfound’ sexuality. They both declare the experiment would be ‘nothing serious’ and the problem only arises when it does become more serious for both guys. Neither of them is willing to express their developing feelings in case they run the risk of scaring the other off.

I liked the characters—both the main ones and the secondary ones, the UK setting, the low-angst and the fact that this is a sweet romance with two guys falling in love and no major drama. The sizzling bedroom scenes sprinkled throughout are an additional bonus. Mark and Jamie are considerate, nice guys. Both are mature and sensible. They have some good times together.

I’m from the UK, but I’m very picky when it comes to choosing audiobooks set there. Or rather, the narrators who have been chosen to perform the stories. Many come across as too old or too ‘BBC’ for the story and if narrated by a US narrator, the accents can be either too cockney or too posh. I often can’t get passed the sample on Audible, let alone the whole story.

I was eager to hear how Michael narrated this story. If I didn’t know it was Michael, I would never have guessed it was him. We don’t get his usual ‘rasping/growly’ voice, which I think worked for this story and the characters. He did a very good job at creating a neutral British accent. It occasionally has an Irish lilt, but then one of the characters has Irish blood. Michael made the story entertaining and easy to listen to. Well done!

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Roar! for Rory!

Reviewed: 03-06-19

4.5*

This is my favourite story in Lane’s latest series featuring college sportsmen, which also deals with coming out to teammates and family. I thought the chemistry between the two main characters this time around was hot and there were lots of lovely ‘feels’.

If you’ve followed the previous two stories, you will already be familiar with Christian and Rory as they featured before, albeit rather briefly. Rory came across as negative before, but in this story he shines. He’s such a great guy. He’s patient, caring, smart, and smoking hot. And Michael Pauley’s voice made him even hotter! Roar! No wonder Christian fell for him. He’s bi and out of the closet and the sexiest tutor ever. His sense of humour and their banter had me smiling.

I loved how Rory and Christian fall for each other and how the story builds to Christian gaining the courage to come out to his sports friends and family. There’s some conflict along the way that comes via Christian’s ex-boyfriend’s new beau and also Christian’s overbearing father. I’m glad there were no ‘interfering’ female characters this time around. The inevitable ‘break-up’ scene near the end was moving and the public coming out was uplifting. I’d love to read a story set in the future to see how their relationship has developed over the subsequent years!

Although the story could be read as a standalone, I suggest reading/listening to the other two first to gain an insight into the characters and the general background to this series.

Michael Pauley certainly brought the characters to life, matching the various voices to personalities, and making it easy to determine who was speaking. Spot-on pacing and some lovely emotional moments. I love his growly voice and the enthusiasm he puts into his narrative work.

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