Category: Audio Books

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Treasure by Kim Fielding ~ Narrated by Joel Leslie

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Treasure AudiobookI first read this fantasy tale in 2014, and I was so impressed I shelved it on my “to reread someday” bookshelf. Well, the time has come, and this time, I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook version and found it even more amazing than the first time I read it.

Julien is a sweet, self-effacing, unpretentious young man who has always been considered sickly by his family so is sent to Urchin Cove for the healing properties of the fresh air along the coast. When the handsome man who washes up on shore turns out to be in need of help, Julien steps in to care for him. After all, he knows all about doctoring, having been a patient for most of his life.

What Julien finds out about himself during the time he cares for Kit Archer is that he’s stronger and more loveable than he ever expected he could be. He and Kit fall in love, and despite the intervention of kidnapping and pirate attacks, they ultimately find a way to be together for a happily ever after that rivals my favorite fairy tales.

The main characters are well sketched and endearing, and the townsfolk are an amazing group of wonderful and varied secondary characters. And the voices? Oh, my! Joel Leslie constantly made me forget that I wasn’t listening to a variety of different people, and the personality he infused into each of them was outstanding.

Take one part amazing author who provides detailed characterizations and one part outstanding voice actor who truly does much more than simply narrate a story, and you have the most excellent audiobook to come along in quite a while.

Audiobook Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
Published July 6th 2016 by Self-Published (first published June 12th 2013)
ASINB01HZLFBNW
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesDon’t Read in the Closet Events

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Sorting Out (Fitting In #2) by Silvia Violet and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Sorting Out AudioI enjoyed this sequel to Fitting In much more than the first book. In this one, Jack, Gray, and Mason are living together and have a great dynamic, but they haven’t come out to others yet, and Jack and Gray are very afraid that coming out will affect their jobs as cops. And to top that off, Gray is up for a promotion to detective, so they all decide to just wait until they feel the time is right.

But Gray takes the detective exam without first consulting Jack, and he’s furious not only with that but with the fact that Gray told Mason in advance—just not him. And of course, Gray aces it and is promoted, but meanwhile Jack is questioning whether he even wants to be a cop anymore, especially now that Gray isn’t his partner. Everything comes to a head when Jack interferes in a police investigation and nearly loses his life. His recuperation is tough, not only physically, but because he falls into a funk about his job and even starts to think his men don’t love him as much as he loves them.

I think part of the reason I enjoyed this story more than the previous one is that the writing seemed more polished this time. The addition of a few secondary characters like Bryce, the fireman bartender, added to my enjoyment as well. Add to that the outstanding narration of Greg Boudreaux, who made all the sexy times in this story so much hotter than they would be if I was only reading an e-book, and I would definitely recommend this one in audio format. I also think the previous story should be read first since the trio has a dynamic that they built during the first book and the story wouldn’t be as clear if read as a standalone.

The very sexy cover art depicts the threesome in bed. That’s totally perfect for this story since they spent much of their time there… and in the hall… and in the kitchen… and in the bathroom. Get the picture? This one has a high heat rating and the cover reflects that well.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook
Published July 6th 2016 by Silvia Violet (first published December 26th 2013)
ASIN B01HZIQYC2
Series Fitting In #2

In Our Audiobook Review Spotlight: Sorting Out (Fitting In #2) by Silvia Violet and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator) ( giveaway)

Title: Sorting Out (Fitting In #2)
Author: Silvia Violet
Genre:  M/M Contemporary Romance
Audio Release Date:  August 4, 2016

Jack, Gray, and Mason have accepted that loves comes in many flavors and settled into a three-way relationship. Things haven’t been easy, and now that Mason has gone back to school and Gray is interested in a detective position, Jack is feeling lonely. His lovers aren’t around very often, and he misses lying around in bed, enjoying the benefits of living with two hot men. But Jack has secrets. He’s uncomfortable every time he puts his uniform on. He’s never recovered from seeing Mason held hostage, and he’s no longer sure he was meant to be a cop.

While stressing over his own future and facing pressure from Gray and Mason to bring their relationship out of the closet, Jack is severely wounded in the line of duty. His recovery, both physical and emotional might be more than their unconventional relationship can bear. Jack is going to need all the courage and support his lovers can give him if he’s going to bring himself back from the dead and create the life he wants to live.

Jack heard the door open as he pulled a pan of hot caramel popcorn from the oven. Perfect timing. Mason was home and hopefully Gray had been able to get most of his paperwork finished, so the three of them could curl up together and continue their third run through the fourteen brilliant episodes of Firefly. Why oh why had it been cancelled and how had he not known about its awesomeness until Mason came into his life?

 

Their schedules had kept them apart for the last few nights and Jack had been looking forward to this all day, the three of them snuggled on the couch, watching TV until they started to doze off like an old married threesome. Who would need to go out with two amazing men at home? He could happily hole up for weeks just cuddling, fucking, and cooking for them.

 

Mason dropped his bag on the table and came up behind him. He kissed Jack’s neck as he grabbed a handful of popcorn that he immediately threw back into the pan, yelling, “Hot!”

 

“Of course it’s hot. It just came out of the oven.” Laughing, Jack grabbed Mason’s hand and kissed his palm. “Is that better?”

 

“No, but this will fix it.” Mason kissed him, sliding his tongue along the seam of Jack’s lips until he opened for his lover, letting him get a taste. Desire rose swiftly, and he clutched at Mason’s hips, pulling him in tight, letting him feel his cock, which was now hard and needy. Maybe Captain Mal would have to wait after all.

 

The sound of Gray clearing his throat brought them up for air. Mason stepped back, grinning at Jack. “That was a delicious hello.” He turned toward Gray, but when Jack saw the expression on their lover’s face, he knew they weren’t getting the same kind of greeting from him. He looked serious and…scared? Jack’s stomach knotted.

 

 

“What is it?”

 

 

“I need to talk to you. I waited until Mason was home, but I… Maybe you should sit down.”

 

 

“Gray, what’s wrong?” Jack asked, the caramel he’d tasted as he coated the popcorn lying heavy in his stomach.

 

 

Mason laid a hand on his arm. “Are you okay? You’re really pale.”

 

 

Jack ignored the question. “Don’t make us wait.”

 

 

“Thornton, the lieutenant from Major Crimes that I told you about—”

 

 

He glanced at Mason. “He’s been encouraging me to take the detective exam. He wants me in his unit.”

 

 

“But—”

 

 

Gray held up a hand. “Yes, it would mean we wouldn’t be partners anymore, but it would also mean we could be out if we wanted to. We’ve been talking about making a change, and you’ve known I was thinking about going for a promotion.”

 

 

“Yeah, but, I…” Nausea tightened Jack’s throat.

 

 

Mason reached for Jack’s hand and squeezed. “This could be good for all of us. Let’s think about it.”

 

 

Jack looked at Mason. He had known this would happen sooner or later. Gray was right about it being for the best, but Jack had continually pushed it to the back of his mind.

 

 

“I just want us to—” he started, but Gray interrupted him.

 

 

“I told him I’d take the exam.” Gray looked at the floor as he spoke.

 

 

“What?” Jack roared, fear replaced by anger that threatened to scorch him. “How dare you do that without talking to us!”

 

 

“I shouldn’t have, but he’d already asked me before, and I’d put him off. He told me I had to let him know today, and you said you’d support whatever I wanted so—”

 

 

“I didn’t mean for you not to even tell me. Couldn’t you have mentioned this when he asked you the first time?”

 

 

“I—” Gray ran a hand over his ruthlessly short hair. “I should have. I’m sorry, but—”

 

 

“But what?” Mason asked after Gray was silent for several seconds. Jack was glad he’d spoken up, because he wasn’t capable of saying anything nice.

 

 

Gray sighed. “I knew Jack would react just like this.”

 

 

Fuck you. “When it was still something to actually discuss instead of something dictated to me, I would have talked to you. Now that you’ve kept it from me and decided to just walk away—”

 

 

“I’m not walking away.”

 

 

Jack snarled at him. “We’re partners, Gray, and now we won’t be.”

 

 

“We’ll still be partners in the way that really counts.”

 

 

Would they? “What about Mason? Didn’t you think maybe he wanted a say in this?”

 

 

Mason glanced at Gray, and suddenly, Jack knew. “You told him, didn’t you? When Thornton first asked you, you fucking told Mason and not me.”

 

 

Gray closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. “He told me to tell you, told me I shouldn’t wait, but I wanted to think about it. I didn’t want to upset you if I was just going to turn it down.”

 

 

“Newsflash. I’m upset.”

 

 

“Jack—”

 

 

Mason started to interject, but Jack held up his hand. “There’s no point in talking anymore. Gray’s made his decision. Thank you for actually trying to bring me into it.”

 

 

“I made up my mind to take the exam. That doesn’t mean I’ll take the position. That’s why I wanted to talk.”

 

 

Jack shook his head. “You’ve made up your mind. I can tell. If you get the job, you’ll take it.”

 

 

“I want to stop hiding,” Gray said. “But I want this to be a decision we all three make.”

 

 

“No, you just want me and Mason to agree with you,” Jack said, venom in his tone.

 

 

“That’s not true. I…fuck, Jack. I love you.”

 

 

Jack’s anger deflated, leaving him feeling wrung out and hurt. “I can’t imagine being a cop without you.”

 

 

Gray took a step toward Jack. “I’ll still be here.”

 

 

“We’ll all be together.” Mason spoke at almost the same time. He sounded scared, desperate. Fuck Gray for putting Mason in the middle like this, for going to him when they’d sworn they’d keep everything out in the open.

 

 

Like the time you talked to Mason about Gray seeming depressed, and he encouraged you to talk to Gray, but you didn’t. Is that what you mean by out in the open?

 

 

God, Jack hated that sanctimonious voice in his head.

 

 

He held up his hand, knowing he’d cave if Gray touched him. He’d let Gray have his way and forget how angry and hurt he was until it simmered long enough to explode again. “If you really wanted to discuss it, you would have talked with me the minute you started seriously considering taking the exam.”

 

 

“Would you have listened? Really listened?”

 

 

Jack wanted to scream that he would always listen to Gray, always consider what was best for his lover without being selfish. He wanted to stop being scared he couldn’t hold it together as a cop if Gray weren’t by his side, but he couldn’t make the words come.

 

 

Instead, he grabbed the pan of caramel popcorn and flung it across the kitchen, enjoying the ear-splitting clatter as the pan bounced on the tile. Then he stomped to their bedroom and slammed the door.

 

 

Seconds later, he heard the front door bang shut.

 

Silvia Violet writes fun, sexy stories that will leave you smiling and satisfied. She has a thing for characters who are in need of comfort and enjoys helping them surrender to love even when they doubt it exists. Silvia’s stories include sizzling contemporaries, paranormals, and historicals. When she needs a break from listening to the voices in her head, she spends time baking, taking long walks, and curling up with her favorite books. Read excerpts from Silvia’s stories at http://silviaviolet.com and keep up with her latest ventures by signing up for her newsletter: http://silviaviolet.com/newsletter.



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An Ali Audiobook Review: For Real (Spires Universe) by Alexis Hall and John Hartley (Narrator), Paul Berton (Narrator)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

For Real AudiobookLaurence Dalziel is worn down and washed up, and for him, the BDSM scene is all played out. Six years on from his last relationship, he’s pushing forty and tired of going through the motions of submission.

Then he meets Toby Finch. Nineteen years old. Fearless, fierce, and vulnerable. Everything Laurie can’t remember being.

Toby doesn’t know who he wants to be or what he wants to do. But he knows, with all the certainty of youth, that he wants Laurie. He wants him on his knees. He wants to make him hurt, he wants to make him beg, he wants to make him fall in love.

The problem is, while Laurie will surrender his body, he won’t surrender his heart. Because Toby is too young, too intense, too easy to hurt. And what they have—no matter how right it feels—can’t last. It can’t mean anything.

It can’t be real.

My heart is so zing I can’t even….. Seriously. Not enough words to express how much I loved this story. I had a bunch of friends who had read this and loved it but although I like this author’s work I was still a little dubious about the age gap. It wasn’t the amount of years as much as the fact that Toby was only 19. I went into this feeling a lot like Laurie did. I thought Toby was too young for this story to feel real to me.

This story looks at two very different men at two very different stages of their lives. Toby is working and still living at home with his mother. He knows he has dominate tendencies but really all he has are fantasies. He’s not had any real experience or opportunity to learn how to be a Dom. Laurie is on the opposite spectrum. He’s in his late 30’s and is a doctor. He has an established career and is financially stable. He’s had both short and long term sexual and bdsm relationships. While Laurie should be the one with the most self-confidence he really isn’t. He’s jaded and a tad bitter and he really doesn’t believe love will happen for him again. Toby also has a lack of self-confidence in some ways but his is more an age thing. He’s not sure what he has to offer Laurie. Watching these two try to work through their respective issues was just beautiful. While Toby struggles with not knowing what he wants to do with his future and how to have the sexual relationship he wants, he’s filled with enthusiasm and maybe most importantly, hope. And after awhile with him, those thing start to spread to Laurie.

I felt the author did a great job with both characters. The magic in the storytelling for me was that we got the story told from each characters point of view. I felt like this really helped me to understand what each of them were going through. I found myself identifying with both of them at one point or the other. I understood the doubts Laurie had in regards to Toby’s age. I’m not sure I could date someone that much younger than me. On the other hand I’ve been 19 and I though Toby was a great representation of what it’s like to be at that stage of life.

I also really enjoyed the kink aspect of the story. So often in BDSM books there is a type of formula that seems to be used. This book contained none of that. Toby has the desire to dominate but no real idea how to do it and it stands to reason a young Dom would need to be taught by someone. I loved how Laurie does that in this story and how he gently helps Toby to figure out who he is and what he wants in that regard.

An added bonus to this story was listening to it on audio. I highly recommend you give the audiobook a try. There are two narrators and they both do an excellent job. I think a great narrator can add to and enhance a story and in this case I feel like these narrators did just that.

I read a lot, like 300+ books a year, and there are usually only a handful that really stand out as something unique. Something that makes me think about it for days after I’m done. This book is one of those stand outs and I really can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Cover art by Simoné. I liked the cover and I feel like it does a good job representing the characters and the plot.

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 13 pages
Published November 30th 2015 by Audible Studios (first published June 1st 2015)
Original TitleFor Real
ASINB018IJCQWY
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesSpires Universe
Literary AwardsRITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Best Erotic Romance (2016)

Get Up Close With Author and Narrator Brad Vance on ‘Given The Circumstances’ Audiobook Release (author interview and excerpt)

Given the Circumstances - Cover

Title:  Given the Circumstances by Brad Vance
Narrator: Brad Vance
Publisher:  AuthorsRepublic
Release Date: July 13, 2016

Length: 03 Hours 30 Minutes
Add to Goodreads

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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words was lucky to have Brad Vance here today to share his thoughts about his latest novel now out as an audiobook and his part as its narrator and author.  Welcome, Brad. So, lets get into it.

  •  As an author, how does it feel to not only be your own narrator but hear your book when the audio version is released?  Are you surprised? Are there any differences in the way you imagined it would sound?

It’s always weird at first to hear a recorded version of your own voice. I was originally horrified when the first audiobook, A Little Too Broken, came out, and I listened to the Audible/Amazon samples. “Oh my God that sounds terrible! I put out a terrible audiobook!” Only after I listened to the sample on iTunes, which was much higher quality, and bought the official product, did I realize that Amazon skimps on the web page sample quality, so that’s why it sounded so terrible. Definitely put a scare in me, though!

  •  When writing a story that covers so many subjects, a man questioning his sexuality, coming out of the closet, substance abuse, and combine that with a burgeoning romance and professional sports…well, how do you keep it from getting out of balance?  Not one or the other overwhelming your main storyline?

It’s tough. I always start with an outline. I’m totally dependent on the Seven Point Story Structure format to start – I get the bones of the whole book out there first. But, as most writers learn, your story and your characters change on you as you write, so the outline has to be rewritten on the fly, to include the arc changes you find yourself making.

The pro sports part is a big balance issue. I do a lot of research for my books, and I want my readers to feel like they’re really living the lives of my characters. And I just don’t see the point of giving someone a job like quarterback or outfielder, and then not painting that part of their lives. Playing pro sports are these guys’ lifelong dreams, and you’re cheating the reader out of some part of their identity if you just say, “he’s a football player, isn’t that hot, now let’s never discuss football again.”

On the other hand, there’s the risk of turning off readers who don’t understand the sports or aren’t interested. I don’t get great international sales on Given the Circumstances because American football and baseball are mysteries to most readers outside the US. So if I have a color commentary on an entire football game, it’s necessary as a plot point, but it’s a risk because it can push readers out of the story who know nothing about I formations, roll outs, pockets etc.

  •  When writing such stories, are you pulled emotionally into your storyline?

Oh yeah. Pretty much everything my characters feel is something I’ve felt. If I hadn’t, then there’d be no emotional impact – it would just be schmaltz, a Lifetime movie. Even more so when I narrate them – I found myself bursting into tears more than a couple times during both books. I always knew when I was writing, for instance, the parts about Brian and his quest for a father figure, that I was expressing my own needs there, but…when you’re writing it’s a different headspace than when you’re vocalizing it. Really saying those things out loud had me in torrents sometimes. At first I would try and stop myself, Boys Don’t Cry and all that, but eventually I just gave in, got it out, let the tape roll, and fixed it later in editing and production. When Tom’s dad is crying in the big finish to A Little Too Broken? That’s not acting! That’s me crying like a baby.

  • What comes first?  Your characters or your plot?

I’d say concept comes first. Given the Circumstances came about when pro baseball player Ryan Braun was caught using performance enhancing drugs, and there was a bunch of stuff in the news about how it had maybe destroyed his deep friendship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’s Mr. Straight Arrow and had no idea. And some Beavis and Butthead part of me said, “Heh. What if they were gay lovers. Heh.” And it’s crazy shit like that sometimes that makes the gong ring in your head, and this gate opens up, and all the rest comes rushing out. What if they were! And I was off to the races.

At first it was just going to be a thinly disguised erotica story. I had no plans to make it a novel. But then I wrote the first scene and…there they were! Real people! And all the stuff in the book starting coming to me, the father figure stuff, the search for an escape and an edge in life vs. the dogged determination and self reliance (the whole “Marshmallow Test” theme), homophobia in such homoerotic sports, etc. That’s when I set up the outline and started designing it as a novel.

  • How much of yourself, if any, crops up in your characters? 

A lot, depending on the book. Jamie in A Little Too Broken has a lot of me, and Dane in Apollo’s Curse basically is me (minus 20 years!). But every character has reactions and emotions that I’ve had. Dex in Have a Little Faith in Me is closeted, which I’ve never been, but I’ve had his moments of rage and frustration, the sense of being locked out of some wonderful fun that everyone else is having but you, and I work all that into my people.

  •  Some of Given the Circumstances occurs when the characters are in school, looking back, what advice would you give yourself at an earlier age?

I wrote about that in Would I Lie to You, where Jesse asks Marc, if you could go back in time, what would you do differently? And Marc says, it’s Catch-22. If I went back and changed something, then the person I became instead would have a different regret, and he’d be sitting here wishing he could go back and change something else. I don’t know that with my biology, my upbringing, my temperament, that there’s anything I could have said to Mini-Me that he would have listened to a word of it.

  •  What’s your favorite genre (s) to read?  As a child, as a teenager and now as an adult?

As a kid it was science fiction. I still read it sometimes, but not as ravenously. Now it’s mostly history. I love to read about places and people I know nothing about, and a really good narrative history writer is better than most novelists these days.

  •   What’s next for Brad Vance?

More audiobooks! Apollo’s Curse is in production now, and I’ve listed myself on ACX as a professional narrator, so we’ll see how that goes. I plan on turning my whole backlist into audio eventually.

I’m also doing professional editing work now for other selfpub authors. Can I plug that here? https://bradvanceauthor.com/brad-vance-editorial-services/

It’s harder and harder every day for authors to make a living just writing, so I’m expanding into these directions as well. If I can’t be a full time writer, then the goal is to stay employed as a “creative” in other capacities, and never have to go back to Cubicle City!

Thank you, Brad.  I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this interview.  Now more about Brad’s latest audiobook, Given the Circumstances.…

Given the Circumstances Square

Synopsis

Two promising college athletes meet, each needing something only the other can give him…

When Roger and Brian lock eyes on the first day of school, a friendship is born. Both men are hungry for connection – Brian needs the acceptance, encouragement and support he never had growing up, and when he finds out his new best friend is gay, it brings his own sexual identity into question. Roger needs a big brother, a best friend, but that will never be enough, especially not when he’s this close to big, strong, handsome Brian.

And both men want something more – careers as professional athletes. For Roger, the demands of the closet, the need to reject the love of a man to fulfill his love of the game, will be a crushing burden. For Brian, his downfall will be the substances he uses to get an edge over the competition, and to suppress his gnawing self-doubt and guilt.

One set of desires will bring them together, the other will force them apart…

Genre: Romance
Sub-Genre: Sports Romance, New Adult
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male

 

Excerpt

Just give me another minute, Brian appealed. But his feet didn’t listen, they kept propelling him forward, and his hand went to the door handle. I’m not ready.

It didn’t matter, he knew. He was here, the die was cast, as Caesar had said. He opened the door and walked in.

Look at them, he told himself. Brainiacs. What are you doing here? It was Cal State Berkeley, man. Not Party Hearty State College, where he maybe, probably, should have gone. It wasn’t Lessing College, where he’d at least been able to keep his scholastic head above water.

He had a year of sitting out ahead of him, a year in academia alone for the first time in his life. Fucking insane stupid NCAA transfer rules that deny an athlete a whole year in his prime, for what? To keep you chained to the wheel, for the benefit of the schools and the coaches and the boosters, never the student, no matter what claptrap they spouted about academic excellence, stay the course, blah blah blah.

There was nobody with a hand on his shoulder, nobody to whisper, “You belong here.” He was on a baseball scholarship, or would be next year. This year he was here on a boatload of student loans. And like anyone else in his situation, who’d made a huge change and realized it couldn’t be unchanged, his blood had gone ice cold and he’d thought, What have I done?

Everyone in the classroom was in their own little world, not even looking up at the new guy. Nobody looks at anybody, he thought, anywhere ever. Trying to make eye contact with people on campus was like a contact sport where the goal was to avoid contact. Some people were oblivious, in their own world. Some people were shy, some people were assholes. But almost nobody wanted to look at you, just nod, and smile, and say “Hey.” To just be…civilized. They acted like you were going to ask them for spare change, or beg them to join your cult. It was the first time in his life he’d been somewhere he didn’t know anyone. And it sucked.

But one guy in the classroom looked at him right away. A fellow jock, no doubt – another guy always watching patterns, movements, making sure no detail of the action escaped his attention.

The guy nodded, Brian nodded back. The desk on his left was empty, and Brian took it. Something tense unknotted inside him, now that he’d finally had his first friendly moment of the day, of his new life. It was something he’d needed like a glass of water.

“Hey, I’m Roger,” the dude said, offering his hand. He looked familiar to Brian, with his dark hair and big blue eyes, the ultra-white sclera of a clean-living man, and the pale skin of someone who either spent this last summer indoors or had sensitive skin. He looked to be just short of Brian’s own height of six foot four, but not as beefy as Brian. He had a firm grip, and a big hand. A really big hand. Meaty and work-toughened, like his own. Football, Brian thought. Was he a wide receiver? I feel like I should know who he is…

“I’m Brian.” Roger looked at Brian, at his serious handsome face, tanned from the summer he’d spent outdoors without any of the sunscreen Roger applied rigorously. He took in Brian’s dark hair and dark eyes, and felt his grip match Roger’s own.

Put it back, Roger told himself. But “it” was out – he was young and horny and this guy was…hot. He’s a big bastard, he’s got to be 240 at least. All muscle, heroic shoulders and chest. Rolling on top of you, wrestling with you, pinning you down, one of the one tenth of one percent of guys in the world who are bigger than you, who can do that, who can win that fight, the fight you’d put up to make him prove his worth, all the while wanting to lose, refusing to lose, thrilled to lose…

And then what? he said, discipline kicking in like it did every time now, every time he met a hot guy. Walk it forward. Let’s say he’s gay, and you fall in love, and then you’re a couple, and then everyone knows you’re gay, and that’s it for your NFL dreams, buddy.

No. He’d put too much into it for too long, to lose it in exchange for a couple quick spurts. Nobody knows who you’re thinking about when you jerk off, he thought. That’s all you get for the next ten years. Just…remember him. And use this tonight.

Dude is intense, Brian thought, feeling the force of Roger’s gaze.

Then there was no more time for conversation, as the professor dashed in the door, hair and papers flying behind him. “Good morning. As they say on the plane, our destination today is the Italian Renaissance. If that is not your destination, you’re on the wrong flight.”

That broke the first class tension, the tension when you didn’t know if the professor was going to be a flake, or an asshole, or an idiot, or a bore.

Purchase

Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Given the Circumstances Banner

Meet the Author

Brad Vance writes gay romance, erotica and paranormal stories and novels, including the breakout hits “A Little Too Broken” and “Given the Circumstances.”

Email: BradVanceErotica@gmail.com
Website: http://www.BradVanceErotica.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brad.vance.10

Tour Schedule

Aug 1 – Erotica For All
Aug 2 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Minds
Aug 3 – Diverse Reader
Aug 4 – Blog of Andrew Grey
Aug 5 – BFD Book Blog

Aug 8 – Cryselle’s Bookshelf
Aug 9 – Dean Frech
Aug 9 – Gay Book Reviews
Aug 10 – Dog-eared Daydreams
Aug 10 – Alpha Book Club
Aug 11 – Bayou Book Junkie
Aug 12 – Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

 

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: The Law of Attraction by Jay Northcote ~ Audiobook narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davis

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

The Law of Attraction audioWhen a professional relationship turns personal, it’s impossible to resist the law of attraction.

Alec Rowland is a high-flying lawyer in a London firm whose career is his life. He doesn’t have time for relationships and his sexuality is a closely guarded secret. After picking up a cute guy on a Friday night, Alec’s world is rocked to its foundations when his one night stand shows up in the office on Monday morning—as the new temp on his team.

Ed Piper is desperate to prove himself in his new job. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by a crush on his boss. It’s hard to ignore the attraction he feels, even though Alec’s a difficult bastard to work for.

Both men strive to maintain a professional relationship, but tempers fray, passions ignite, and soon they’re both falling hard and fast. If they’re ever going to find a way to be together, Alec needs to be honest about who he really is because Ed won’t go back in the closet for anyone.

This audiobook was outstanding. Jay Northcote created wonderfully endearing characters. Both men were sweet, and each had his issues. Ed was a new temp with the law firm, so he couldn’t afford to jeopardize his position when he realized the great one-night stand he had over the weekend is his new boss. And Alec, not knowing why he can’t seem to forget the beautiful young man he took home over the weekend, is shocked when he’s confronted with that man early Monday morning.

Alec’s family was stuffy and formal, and he desperately feared coming out to them. Caught with a young man when he was a teen, his father had beat him so badly he still has scars on his back, so it’s unlikely he’ll ever broach the subject again. On the flipside of that, Ed loves his family and is loved and supported in return. Later in the book when readers get to meet them, it feels like coming home to a place where people surround us in love.

I also enjoyed the slowly developing relationship between Alec and Ed, and the revelations Alec experiences as he’s finally enjoying his time with a man and starting to think of a future with him. I was happy to see that, when faced with the decision, Ed took the stance of staying out and proud even though it was difficult knowing he was turning from Alec. And finally, when he was ready, readers can experience and enjoy Alec coming out to his family.

The only things I would change, or at least would wish for, are to have witnessed the conversation at his law firm with his boss, and to have overheard his conversation with his “girlfriend” Belinda when he revealed what had happened and why.

The sex between the two men was hot but not overdone, i.e., there was not too much, but just like for Goldilocks, it was just right.

And last, but definitely not least, the narration was superb—from the pace of the story and narrative segments to the voices given to each character. It was a highly enjoyable experience to listen to a talented British voice actor as opposed to a narrator with a pseudo-Brit accent. Kudos to Matthew Lloyd Davis for a 5 star narration.

The cover art by Garrett Leigh features a black-and-white photo close-up of Alec in a suit. Very handsome and attractive!

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Audiobook Details:

Audiobook
Published July 11th 2016 by Jaybird Press (first published February 5th 2016)
Original TitleThe Law of Attraction
ASINB01I5OKJPS
Edition LanguageEnglish