A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Poppy’s Secret by Andrew Grey and John Solo (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Pat Corrigan loves his daughter, Poppy, with all his heart. It’s too bad he has to raise her alone. Nine years ago, just as she was conceived with his partner’s sperm, his partner, Edge Winters, walked out on him and hasn’t looked back—until he just now showed up on Pat’s doorstep. The thing is that Pat never told Edge that the surrogate was pregnant already when he left. Pat had just found out and was unable to tell Edge before he came home one day to find Edge packed and ready to relocate for a new job—without Pat.

So now he’s in a quandary—tell him or not. The thing is that Pat is starting to fall for Edge again, and his little girl seems to be in love with “Mr. Edge” as well. Add to his troubles and worries about this, the fact that his mother is diagnosed with cancer and Pat doesn’t know which way to turn.

This is a sweet story, along the lines of the old-time romances being retold as Dreamspun Desires books. Add to that, Andrew Grey’s inherent goodness and sweetness and you get the picture. Yes, there’s trauma, and yes there was a cover-up, but it’s highly likely all will work out by the end. The warm and fuzzy feeling I get when I read or listen to a story like this is exactly what I need for a pick-me-up when I’m a little down. John Solo did a great job narrating, and the story is only five hours long so pick this one up for a car trip or trail hike. I hope it makes everyone feel as good as it made me feel. And, yes—there’s a very definite and sweet HEA.

~~~

Cover by Bree Archer is a great picture of a little girl with her arms flung around the neck of her (handsome) daddy’s shoulders. Colorful and cute, it’s attention-getting.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio
Published March 24th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published February 15th 2017)
Original TitlePoppy’s Secret
ASINB06XRVLQL2
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: You Are the Reason (The Tav #2) by Renae Kaye and Dave Gillies (Narrator)

Rating 4.5 stars out of 5

Davo’s a pretty average guy. He has a decent job, owns his own home, and spends his weekends at the pub. He fully accepts that he’s gay, but doesn’t want to be one of those gays, who are femme and girly. He likes football and other masculine pursuits, and firmly avoids anything that could be seen as femme—including relationships that last beyond fifteen minutes.

Then Davo’s friend and gay idol not only gets a boyfriend, but also adopts a baby girl. Davo is seriously spooked and scuttles down to the pub in fright. That’s where he meets Lee, who is cute from her cherry-red hair, to her pretty little dress and pointy red shoes. Davo is charmed—but how is that possible? He’s gay. Isn’t he? Then Lee tells him he’s actually a guy—he just likes to wear women’s dresses occasionally. Thoroughly confused about an attraction that’s out of character for him, Davo begins the long journey to where he can accept himself without caring what everyone else thinks.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even though there were many moments in this 8 hour audiobook that caused me to rethink why I was listening to this. Those moments all centered around Davo and his attitudes toward effeminate gay men and his opinions on how men should act—gay or straight, real men don’t wear pink. There were times when his attitude was downright hurtful and unreal. And yet, I kept listening. Why? Because the author wove so much humor into the story, it was easy to believe that his character was somewhat of a spoof of men with that attitude.

The author also gave us the perfect MC to balance Davo’s macho act, and two great characters—Patrick and Jake from The Blinding Light—to make this a heartwarming and lighthearted story with many WTF and equally oh-so-sweet moments along the way.

What saved Davo from being a total jerk was the reveal of how he was raised. The poor guy was literally persecuted from grade school up for having any opinions that weren’t macho. In fact, the worst memory of his young life was of having to throw away his My Little Pony collection. Now, staunch in his opinion of what a real man should and should not do, he’s shocked to see the change in his best mate, Jake, who married a blind man (The Blinding Light) and now has a baby girl. Jake’s whole world now revolves around the baby, and Davo can’t figure out why his macho friend has changed so much.

At the tav, when he meets Lee, a cutie with cherry red hair, he’s freaked by how much she lights his fire. She is attractive and fun and has a good sense of humor, but it’s not until days later, when he finally finds out she’s a he who likes to dress in women’s clothing occasionally, that he feels reassured in his masculinity again.

The author takes us through Davo’s painful journey of self-discovery as he comes to learn more about his perceptions of others, his preconceived notions, and finally, his awakening to his own softer side. Accompanying him on this journey is Lee, the cross-dressing man who, at first, shook up Davo’s world and now is everything he ever wanted. It’s obvious from Davo being my focus in this review that the story is really all about him—more so than many other romances that equally balance perspectives of both characters. Maybe it’s that his attitudes and feelings are larger than life, but it resonates well in the telling of this story.

Along the way, as we share that journey to change with him, we laugh and we cry and sometimes want to kick him in the rear, or slap his face, but by the end, all I wanted to do was wrap him and Lee up in my arms and wish them the best.

Dave Gillies did a terrific job in narrating this audiobook and bringing the characters to life. And I must add kudos for his voice for Lee, which was totally different from the other males—higher-pitched, yet soft and feminine.

This was a really great, heartwarming MM romance. Not to be missed in either e-book or audiobook format.

~~~~~

Cover art by Bree Archer features a back view of a male with naked torso against a light blue scenic background. The cover is attractive but not one I would have chosen for this story.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 8 pages
Published March 1st 2017 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published August 7th 2015)
ASINB06XC8CP86
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Tav #2
CharactersDave Pederson, Lee Brennan

An Ali Audiobook Review: The Winter Dark by J.S. Cook and K.C. Kelly (Narrator)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The horrific murder of a local woman rocks Morristown, Mississipi. With her death, veteran police chief Eli Gallagher feels he’s failed his small town, despite trying his best to serve and protect everyone in his jurisdiction. Sometimes that’s harder than it looks, given that rich and poor don’t always get along, and life on the other side of the tracks can turn deadly.

By his side is conscientious young Deputy Stan Leach. Together they work to discover the killer. But as they uncover evidence, their personal lives begin to unravel. Eli’s long-distance boyfriend telephones saying he’s getting married to a woman. Stan learns that the man he helped shelter wants to move on. When the clues unveil a history of abuse, the two men pull together to bring the murdered woman justice and maybe find the answers to theother questions in their lives.

This is a novella by a new to me author. The story was just ok for me. The majority of the story is about the two main characters in relationships with other people. We see those relationships and eventually why those don’t work out. They end up working a horrible murder case together and take comfort in each other. All of a sudden they are a couple and it is the end of the book. We get an epilogue which shows their happily ever after but I felt cheated. I felt like the book was about the other relationships and we didn’t get to see any of this relationship develop. The ending was very abrupt in my opinion and honestly I wasn’t too happy with the way it all played out.

The book was narrated by K.C Kelly and I felt like he did a nice job. He had a nice voice and I was always able to tell which character was talking.

Although the narration was solid and I liked that aspect, I didn’t really enjoy the story as a whole.

Cover: I like the cover and felt it was well done. It’s an attractive cover that catches your eye. It’s also a nice representation of the story.

Sales Links Kindle and Audible : Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio
Published February 17th 2017 (first published September 10th 2014)
ASINB06WD4YF9F
Edition LanguageEnglishsettingMississippi (United States)

Free Dreamer’s Leipzip Adventures End, May Begins and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Today Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words welcomes the last of Free Dreamer’s Book Adventures at the Leipzig Book Fair. Next week she answers your questions and we announce the winners of the Free Dreamer Contest! Take it away, F.D.!

Oh, and welcome the Merry Month of May, more on that too!

Free Dreamer’s Leipzig Adventures End and May Begins

Welcome back to the final instalment of my book fair adventures in Leipzig.

Back at our bungalow on Saturday night, I was awaited not only by my two temporary roommates but also by two other classmates. We only had two uncomfortable chairs, so the five of us ended up sharing two single beds. We chatted and gossiped till way too late. It was around 1.30am when we finally threw them out.

Since none of us wanted to get up earlier to pack their stuff, we took care of that in the night. While picking up my clothes and throwing them into my suitcase, I found a bra that most definitely wasn’t mine. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be my classmate’s binder, who’d needed it for her cosplay. Obviously, the best way not to forget it the following morning would be to hang it on the door knob of our front door. We speculated on the meaning of a bra on a door latch as opposed to the traditional sock. We never did find an answer to that question…

It was about 3am till our stuff was packed and we were all showered. One of my roommates said she’d take care of the alarm and everything. Said she’d probably go for a walk in the surrounding woods before waking us the following morning. Well. What woke us was a knock at the door, about half an hour after we’d planned to get up. Luckily it was a classmate at our door, who was slightly confused why we’d hang a bra on the door. It might have been a little weird to explain that to our teacher… XD

So the three of us dressed in a hurry, neither of us really all that awake. At the bus stop where we’d agreed to meet my teacher told me she didn’t have a train ticket for me. Suddenly I was worried I’d have to find my own way back home! A few tense minutes at the train station talking to a friendly employee there and I parted with 105€ so I could catch the same train as everybody else. That was the cheapest option available to us and I was just glad I had a safe way to get home.

Once on the train, we started writing our postcards. And once we’d finished writing them we realized we only had 5 minutes to change trains at the last German train station. Since we’d bought stamps, we ended up giving our postcards to the conductor, who was kind enugh to post them for us.

The train ride was looooong. We had all slept very little the last three nights and were all exhausted. Some took a nap but I’ve never been able to sleep on a train in broad daylight. On the first train, we read lots of crappy teenie magazines. We learned that it’s no fun to have a baby when you’re only 14. We also learned that boyfriends don’t like it when we post sexy pictures on our Instagram accounts and that you should talk about stuff like that in a relationship. We also tested our coolness and I turned out to be coolest of them all. All in all, it was a very educating train ride. That left me feeling kind of old and wise. XD

The next part was worse, somehow. It was a faster, more modern train. The people there weren’t as loud and we were more spread out. The time for education had passed and me and the four classmates from the night before played cards. We were in this weird state when you’re beyond exhausted and have passed into that hyperactive phase. We even played the card game my friend had gotten for her 4-year-old son and started imitating the sounds of the animals we saw on the cards. We ended up talking about all sorts of random things and laughing way too loudly. I think our poor fellow travellers were slightly annoyed by us.

And then we were finally back home, after 3 nights of way too little sleep and 8 hours on the train. I was glad to be home again, tbh. All in all, the book fair weekend was great. Way too short, though. I’m planning on going again next year, but not as part of a school trip. If you ever get the chance to go to a book fair like this one, you should absolutely take it. It’s totally worth the experience.

I’ll be back a final time next week to answer all the wonderful comments my reports have gotten.

📚Some Questions for F.D.:

✍🏼From Jen: Which books did you take photos of and end up getting free copies when you got home?

✍🏼From Purple Reader: For your fair, as a dreamer, what did you anticipate or expect the most from going, and how did that go? Were your expectations met or exceeded? (I hope they were). I know what you’re saying about Sanderson. I read his concluding 3 vols. in the Wheel of Time series, and thought they picked the quality back up to what I saw in the first 3 vols. But I’ve since gravitated to gay fiction, so haven’t read anything of his since. Do any of his stories involve a gay protagonist?

✍🏼From Didi: I always want to go and see an int’l book fair! How much plan did you do prior to going (you’re not take “we’ll just see what’s interesting there” tactic and go with it, surely? What’s your most favorite “souvenir” from the event (books purchased incl.)? 🙂

✍🏼From H.B.: Did you get to attend many discussions and if you did which ones were your favorite(s)? It’s great you got to meet Brandon Sanderson. I haven’t read one of his books yet although I have my eye on a few of his stories. In general what book of his would you suggest I start with?

Stay Tuned for Winner Announcements Next Week Along with Answers to Your Questions…Yes we are picking more than one! So leave more questions for F.D. at the end of today’s blog!

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, April 30:

Free Dreamer’s Leipzig Adventures End and May Begins
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, May 1:

Release Blitz – The Perils Of Intimacy by Rick R Reed
Release Blitz- Bryan T Clark’s Come To The Oaks
Release Day Blitz: Nate and the New Yorker by Kevin Klehr
RIPTIDE TOUR and Giveaway: Risky Behavior by LA Witt and Cari Z
A Lila Review: Perils of Intimacy by Rick Reed
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Stage Two (Series: Lexington Lovers Book Three) by Ariel Tachna
A Stella Review: Catch A Falling Star by Matt Burlingame
An Alisa Review: Sand Trap (The Wyverns #4) by L.M. Somerton

Tuesday, May 2:

Release Blitz & Review Tour – Brigham Vaughn & K. Evan Coles
Release Blitz Positive Reinforcement by Tamryn Eradani
Review Tour – Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) – Avylinn Winter + Volatile
A VVivacious Review: Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) by Avylinn Winter
A VVivacious Review: Volatile (Treacherous Chemistry #1) by Avylinn Winter
An Ali Audiobook Review: The Winter Dark by J.S. Cook and K.C. Kelly (Narrator)

Wednesday, May 3:

Release Blitz & Review Tour While You See A Chance by Alexa Milne
Release Day Blitz I Do, or Dye Trying by Aimee Nicole Walker
RIPTIDE TOUR Concourse by Santino Hassell
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: For a Good Time, Call (Bluewater Bay) by Anne Tenino and EJ Russell
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Somewhere on Mackinac by Jeff Adams
A Stella Release Day Review: By the Numbers: Adding it Up (By the Numbers #2) by Tory Temple and Chris Owen
A Alisa Release Day Review: The Dusk Parlor (World of Love) by S.A. Stovall

Thursday, May 4:

Release Blitz: Urgent Care (Hearts & Health #3) DJ Jamison
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: You Are the Reason (The Tav #2) by Renae Kaye and Dave Gillies (Narrator)
A Julia Review: The Rest is Illusion by Eric Arvin
A Stella Release Review: The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
An Alisa Review: Hot Wednesday by Taylor Kinney
A MelanieM Pre-Release Review: Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford

Friday, May 5:

Book Blitz Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
INTERLUDE PRESS The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Poppy’s Secret by Andrew Grey and John Solo (Narrator)
A Caryn Release Day Review: Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
A Kai Review:Anything For You (A Middleton Romance #1) by Ethan Day
A VVivacious Review: The Art of Mutual Pleasure by K.A. Merikan

Saturday, May 6:

Readers & Writers for LGBT Chechens Blog Tour
A MelanieM Review: Wolf in King’s Clothing by Parker Foye

A Kai Audiobook Review: Add Love and Mix by Sean Michael and Steve Balderson (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Jason and Scott were living a dream. They were together for six years and were crazy in love for each other.

They worked at the firefighter station, Jason as a firefighter and Scott as an EMT. They lived together and had the same schedules, allowing to see each other the max time possible, on and off work.

Everything was perfect. Until, on Christmas Eve, Jason’s ex-girlfriend, Elsa, showed up with a six-years-old girl, called Kerry. Elsa just claimed the girl was Jason’s daughter and walked away, leaving the kid with him and Scott.

Jason was shocked to find out he was a father to a beautiful and traumatized girl. And after knowing about her and seeing how terrified she was [blame Elsa for it. She was an awful mother] he promised to himself he wouldn’t let Kerry down. He would accept the responsibility and take care of her. And he would pray to Scott doesn’t run away from him.
Scott had no intention to run away, he loved Jason so much and assured he would be there for him, doing whatever was necessary.

Of course, it was not easy. They had big challenges and adjustment to do. They had to change they schedule to take care of Kerry and their time together and alone was reduced drastically. Things got hard on then, but they needed to be strong for Kerry and fight for not let their relationship broke apart.

I liked so much this audiobook. It’s was great male-male-with-kid’s story and I really recommend it.

I loved the development of the book and how the story was written. I was so connected with the narrative and the characters while listening to it, that just couldn’t stop until I finished.

Scott and Jason had problems and even though things get hard, I could feel their love for each other and how they fought for being together. Kerry had adjustments to do as well, after all, she came from a mother who treated her like crap to a father she didn’t know and was terrified of.

I loved the way the author developed the characters during the story and their evolution as an individual and also as part of a new family.

It was a fluid and light story, yet. It had a little bit angst, but it didn’t darken the book.

Steve Balderson did a great job with this narration. I loved how he featured the characters and brought life to each of them.

His interpretation may be one of the reasons I liked so much this book. He has a good voice and could differentiate each character with his intonation.

I specially loved the sweetness in Karry’s voice and Scott’s father thick voice.

The cover art by L.C. Chase is like an assembly with three different pictures. Each picture representing one of main character. It’s not a bad cover, but don’t represent the story the way it could. It would be better if it was an only picture with all the three character together as a family.

Sales Links

Audible | Dreamspinner Press

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 1st edition, 206 pages
Published March 20th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published December 26th 2016)
ASINB06XKPZV4Z
Edition Language English
Narrated by: Steve Balderson

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Release Date: March 22, 2017(Audio Edition) by Dreamspinner Press

Main Characters

Jason Weller, Scott Bronson, Karrisa Weller

An Alisa Audiobook Review: The Necromancer’s Dance (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1) by S.J. Himes and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

In a world where magic is real and evil walks amongst humanity, a young sorcerer is beset upon by enemies, both old and new. Angelus Salvatore is the only necromancer in all of Boston, and his name is whispered warily by the undead and fellow sorcerers alike. He and his brother Isaac are the lone survivors of an attack by an army of the undead, in which Angel used a spell so powerful it forever marked his place in history. Now, years later, Angel struggles to balance his career as a teacher of the higher magical arts, his role as big brother, and a tenuous relationship with an Elder vampire from the local clan. When his brother’s boyfriend is used as a pawn in a mysterious plot to draw Angel out, Angel is once again pulled back into the old hostilities that fueled the Blood Wars and led to his family’s death.

Leaning on others for help is something Angel cannot do, and while he searches for clues into who may be targeting him and his brother, Angel finds his heart steadily growing occupied with Simeon, Elder and vampire. Dealing with death magic and vampires on a daily basis may leave Angel jaded when it comes to life and staying that way, but the more time he spends fending off the ancient vampire’s attention and affections, the more he realizes he wants to give in.

Can Angel find out who wants him dead, and keep his heart safe in the process? How can he fall for a vampire, when his whole family was torn apart by an army of the undead?

Death stalks the streets of Boston’s historic Beacon Hill….and there is no one more suited to battle against death than a necromancer.

This was a new author for me and I was pleased with this. It is a urban fantasy type story with an interesting world. I felt the author did a nice job setting the stage of this world without overwhelming the reader with too many details. The story revolves around someone trying to kill Angel and his search for who the bad guy is. A portion of the story is about the romance between Angel and Simeon, one of the local vampire leaders.

At first the romance seemed a bit abrupt because while they’d known each other for a few years prior to the start of the story. It almost felt like the romance just happens out of the blue. As the story goes on we’re given an explanation as to why that happened the way it did. That is probably my only complaint with the story. I would have liked to have seen the romance build and grow on page, not just be told about their prior feelings.

The overall plot was fast paced and entertaining and I enjoyed all the various supernaturals that we saw. I liked both of the MC’s and Angel in particular was entertaining for me. I love grumpy MC’s that are totally opposed to falling in love but do so anyways. Angel was especially grumpy which made the tender scenes even more touching. I was happy for them in the end when they got their hea.

This audiobook was narrated by Joel Leslie and I felt he did a very good job. He did a Boston accent (where the story was set) for Angel and an Irish one for Simeon. Both were distinct and I always knew who was talking. There were a number of side characters in this story and they were all also done quite well.

Overall I enjoyed this story. I felt it was a solid start for a new paranormal series and as soon as I finished this one I downloaded book two. I thought the narration was well done, also making this a good audiobook option.

The cover was done by Book Cover by Design. I liked this and felt it was a good representation of the story. My only thought is that it’s very dark and you have to really look at it to take in all the details.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 8 hours and 8 minutes

Audible Audio, 9 pages
Published March 21st 2017 by SJ Himes (first published February 25th 2016)
ASINB06XPNZSWS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1

An Ali Audiobook Review: Signs of Life (Resilient Love #2) by Melanie Hansen and Robert Nieman (Narrator)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

I really enjoyed this second book in the Resilient Love series. The beginning focuses on Jeremy and how he goes from happy and content in his life to overcome with grief and depression. The first few chapters are incredibly sad and my heart just broke for him. This part of the story takes place in San Diego and you see some of Jase from book one.

The story then jumps in time a few years down the road. Jeremy has put his life back together but just barely. He’s just existing, not really living. A series of dramatic events bring school teacher, Kai, into Jeremy’s life. At first Jeremy pushes Kai away but over time he starts to let his guard down and what follows is a tender and beautiful romance.

I loved both of the main characters. I think it was wise for the author to take the reader through the horror Jeremy goes through, as he goes through it, because it makes you more sympathetic for him when he meets Kai. There are a few scenes were he’s unnecessarily hard on Kai and I might have been more angry if I didn’t understand his pain. Kai was perfect. I really loved his character. He was kind and caring and while he was open to helping Jeremy work through his issues, Kai was never a pushover or a door mat.

The story unfolded in a belieavable manner and by the time the book ended I was super happy to see these two get their happily ever after.

While this is the second book in the series it can be read as a standalone. There are a few scenes with Jase from book one in the beginning and then some with he and Carey together towards the end which was nice.

This book was narrated by Robert Nieman and I felt like he did a really good job. He has a nice voice and he did each character’s voice differently so I always knew who was speaking. He did an equally good job on the side characters as the main characters.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I felt like the story was excellent and the narration was good. It is something that I would definitely recommend.

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow Designs: I like the cover but it is not one that I think stands out as unique.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio
Published March 21st 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 28th 2015)
Original TitleResilient Love
ASINB06XPMSDZK
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesResilient Love #2

An Ali Audiobook Review: The Imperfection of the Swans by Brandon Witt and Kirt Graves (Narrator)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Kevin Bivanti’s dream is to open a wedding dress shop, a place with the stunning gowns to make every bride-to-be feel adored. At thirty-eight, he quits a successful advertising career to buy an old brownstone in a trendy Boston neighborhood and to make his dream a reality. When one of his cosigners drops out, fate intervenes, ushering in Casper James, who hopes to open his own bakery. With Casper willing to take the risk, their ambitions meld into a wedding dress and wedding cake boutique.

Extensive renovations to the brownstone, an affair with his ex-husband, family drama with his mothers, and the anxiety of significant life changes push Kevin to the brink of a nervous breakdown. In the midst of stress and uncertainty, Casper becomes more than a business partner, a mutual attraction that adds another layer of intensity and risk.

With their dreams on the verge of reality, Kevin and Casper must find the courage to face the stress of managing their attraction, the gamble of a new business venture, and the resurgence of Kevin’s personal demons.

This was a well written story about two men trying to build a business from the rubble and finding love in the process. It’s also about how we don’t always see ourselves as others see us. The strength in this story, in my opinion, is the great character developing that this author did. Both of the MC’s are well done, but Kevin in particular was multifaceted and complex. He struggles with anxiety and an eating disorder and his struggles were looked at in a honest, heart felt manner. We get a detailed picture of the hardships he struggles with.

The pacing is slow and the relationship is a slow burn. The two men are just business partners at first but as they get to know each other better they realize they are falling in love. I appreciated that the author didn’t magically heal Kevin with Casper’s love. It is clear both MC’s know Kevin will have struggles and possible setbacks but it is something they will work through together.

The author notes that this story is based on a real life friend and the struggles he has gone through with an eating disorder. I think it’s an important story to tell. It is not just females who struggle with these issues every day.

I felt that this a was a slow and quiet story, but an important one.

This audiobook was narrated by Kirt Graves and I thought he did a great job. I really enjoyed his voice and I though he did a good job on both Kevin and Casper as well as the many side characters. I find this narrator to be consistently good.

Cover art by Paul Richmond: I love the cover. The guy on it is gorgeous, but more importantly, he’s the friend the author wrote the story for/about and I think it’s just a wonderful thing he has done by honoring him on the cover of this important book.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook
Published March 14th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published January 18th 2016)
ASINB06XK7C5R2
Edition LanguageEnglish

A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Rough Edges by Cardeno C. and Kevin Chandler (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Kyle has an unwelcome crush on his nemesis Brent. Brent has a welcome crush on his friend Kyle. As it turns out, the line between a friend and an enemy doesn’t have to be a line at all.

Born on the wrong side of the tracks to the wrong family, Kyle Potter has spent his life clawing his way toward a better future. When he gets the perfect job at the perfect firm in perfect Los Angeles, Kyle is sure there are only blue skies ahead. And then he meets perfect Brent Haralson.

Born with a silver spoon to a well-established family, Brent Haralson has never been interested in leveraging his connections. Friends, success, and dates come easily to Brent and rejection isn’t something he has to deal with in life. And then he meets perfect Kyle Potter.

Kyle despises his unwelcome crush on his lazy, arrogant nemesis. Brent welcomes his feelings for his stubborn, brilliant friend. As it turns out, the line between a friend and an enemy doesn’t have to be a line at all.

Rough Edges is a terrific contemporary romance and it works especially well in audiobook format. One of the shorter in time audiobooks, just as the story in shorter in length, the author does a wonderful job of bringing well rounded characters to life on the page and handling those same characters over to Kevin Chandler who’s narrating their story.

The time flew by as I listened to Kyle and Brent navigate Kyle’s desperate situation and Brent’s generosity in helping Kyle with it. Tricky when Kyle is determined to dislike Brent at all costs. The enemy to lover trope is done well here, and we watch as gently and believably Brent wins Kyle over, eventually getting to the heart of Kyle’s animosity.

Kevin Chandler switches between voices effortlessly, the story flowing smoothly, making it so easy to listen to. There’s even a double switch in voices for one character and that was handled just as realistically and straightforward for the person involved, so I believed it completely. It was a poignant moment in the story made all the more perfect.

When the story closed, I was ready for more, both the author and narrator having pulled me so completely into the lives of Brent and Kyle.

If you love contemporary romance and audiobooks, grab this one up. If you’re thinking of trying one out, again grab this one up. At just under 2 hours, its a perfect way to start.

Cover art is lovely and perfect for this story.

Sales Links

Amazon | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | PayHip

Audio

Amazon UK | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Listening Length: 1 hour and 52 minutes

Audible Audio

Published March 21st 2017 by The Romance Authors, LLC (first published 2016)

ASIN B06XPTFS26

Edition LanguageEnglish

Characters Kyle Potter, Brent Haralson

setting Los Angeles, California (United States)

Category: Audio Books

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