Category: LGBTQ Audio Books

An Alisa Audiobook Review: Infamous (Famous #2) by Jenny Holiday and Michael Fell (Narrator)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

All that up-and-coming musician Jesse Jamison has ever wanted is to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. When a gossip website nearly catches him kissing someone who isn’t his famous girlfriend—and also isn’t a girl—he considers the near miss a wake-up call. There’s a lot riding on his image as the super-straight rocker, and if he wants to realize his dreams, he’ll need to toe the line. Luckily, he’s into women too. Problem solved.

After a decade pretending to be his ex’s roommate, pediatrician Hunter Wyatt is done hiding. He might not know how to date in the Grindr world, how to make friends in a strange city, or whether his new job in Toronto is a mistake. But he does know that no one is worth the closet. Not even the world’s sexiest rock star.

As Jesse’s charity work at Hunter’s hospital brings the two closer together, a bromance develops. Soon, Hunter is all Jesse can think about. But when it comes down to a choice between Hunter and his career, he’s not sure he’s brave enough to follow his heart.

I tried this book on a whim and it ended up being one of the best things I’ve read in a long time. Jesse is an up and coming rock star who gets caught by the tabloids kissing a guy. His agent tells him that if he plans to make it big he needs to push his bisexuality aside and only date women. Jesse decides success is totally worth the sacrifice.

What Jesse doesn’t count on is Hunter. The two had met a few years before and Hunter works with critically ill children and has asked Jesse to visit one of them. From there the two men become good friends. At some point Jesse realizes he loves Hunter but he’s not sure he can give up his career. Hunter loves Jesse too but he’s not willing to go back in the closet for anyone.

I absolutely loved these two and their relationship. It was such a well written friends to lovers story that I was able to put my dislike of that aside. The slow burn here was great. I loved that the author had them take the time to really build a solid friendship and relationship.  They’re not an official couple until the end of the book but you don’t really notice that because even their time as “just friends” is so loving and sweet.  There are a few really romantic scenes that made me all swooney.

This was narrated by Michael Fell and he did a fantastic job.  His narration really added to the story and made it more emotional in places.  I particularly enjoyed the way he did Jesse.  There were a couple scenes where Jesse’s pain comes across so well it made my eyes tear up.
This is a totally new author for me and I’m really glad I tried this. It was one of the better written stories in this genre and I can’t wait for more from this author. I’m also going to go back and read the first book in this series which is a m/f romance. The narrator is excellent and really added to the overall vibe of the story.  I highly recommend this story. It’s a gem.
Cover:  I think the cover is fantastic.  It’s a great representation of Jesse and matches exactly how he is described in the book.  I think it’s a very eye catching cover.
Audiobook Details:
Audiobook.
Listening Length: 8 hours and 35 minutes
Published April 9th 2018 by Riptide Publishing (first published November 27th 2017)
ASINB07BZ196KM
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesFamous #2

A Barb the Zany Old Lady audiobook Review: Changing Plans Trilogy by L.A. Witt and Charlie David (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

This audiobook release contains all three books in the Changing Plans series: Getting Off the Ground, Infinity Pools, and On the List.   Charlie David does a nice job on the narration, however, he did not make the two MCs voices very distinctive so one has to listen to the content to be able to determine who is speaking when there are no dialogue tags.  This makes for a bit of confusion, though the stories are each short and not terribly complex, so they are easy to follow. 

In Getting Off the Ground, Elliot Chandler meets a sexy fellow traveler as they await their flight in what seems as if it’s going to be a snowed-in airport.  Elliot is heading to Hawaii to go on his honeymoon—alone.  Having been stood up at the altar, he decides to follow-through on his vacation plans—plans being the operative word.  Elliot is a compulsive over-planner, always planning everything in his life out to the nth degree.  So when his fiancé decides not to show at the altar, Elliot is going to take advantage of all the planning he did.  Unfortunately, he didn’t plan for the snowstorm. 

When the cute guy across the aisle, clad only in a Hawaiian-print shirt and no coat, engages him in conversation, the two hit it off immediately.  By the time the flight is canceled, Elliot offers to share his hotel room with the stranger, Derek.  Of course, Elliot has a room booked. As soon as he realized the flight might be canceled, he planned ahead and booked a room.  The two fall into bed, literally and frequently, and Derek eventually convinces Elliot he should change his plans to tour Oahu and come with Derek to Maui instead.  What looked to be an impossible feat happens and we end book one and begin book two, Infinity Pools—something Derek has at his home.  Derek made his money in the dot com days and he and his partners are still involved in buying and selling IT businesses, app development, etc.   

Book two is pretty much all sex with a bit of sightseeing thrown in.  Honestly, it’s original LA Witt at her finest, but I’m pretty much past the point where sex is interesting for 75% of the book, so I was happy to see book two end, with the two lovebirds committed to each other, even though they’ve only known one another for a few weeks.   So as book three opens, we find out that their long-distance relationship is still strong, and in fact, they have plans to get married. 

The last book, On the List, involves some family-of-origin issues, mostly on Derek’s part, and the two men committing to each other no matter what life brings.  Bottom line, this is an eight-hour audiobook that has a sweet romance, a lot of sex, and some nice Hawaiian scenery.  It would be a great book to listen to while lying on a beach or passing time on any vacation, including a flight to Hawaii. 

~~~

The cover features a beach scene in the lower panel with two men holding hands, and the upper panel features an airliner in a bright blue sky.  The cover is bright and colorful and attention-getting.

Sales Links:

Universal Buy Link
 
Audio Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audiobook
Listening Length: 8 hours and 2 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Lori Witt
Audible.com Release Date: November 24, 2016
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B01N981306

Retro Review Tour and Giveaway – Audiobook and Ebook – Changing Plans Collection by LA Witt

 

Universal Buy Link
 
Audio Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK
 
Length: 8hrs 2mins/77,500 words approx.
 
Narrated By: Charlie David
 
Blurb
 

From EPIC Award winning author and multiple Lambda Finalist L.A. Witt comes the re-release of three hot contemporary novellas — Getting off the Ground, Infinity Pools, and On The List.


After being stood up at the altar, compulsive over-planner Elliott Chandler decides to turn his honeymoon on Oahu into a vacation for one. Fate puts a hitch in his plans, however, when the airport is snowed in and his flight is delayed.


In the terminal, the jilted groom catches the eye of another stranded traveler: the laidback and very sexy Derek Windsor. Derek breaks the ice and strikes up a conversation, and as the temperature drops outside, the heat between them rises. Pity they’re both going to different islands, but if their flight doesn’t get off the ground fast, Mr. Calm-and-Cool may just tempt Mr. Play-It-Safe into doing something reckless.


And that plane isn’t going anywhere any time soon…

April 26 – Queerly Reads, OMG Reads

About The Author


L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…



Website: http://www.gallagherwitt.com
E-mail: gallagherwitt@gmail.com
Twitter: @GallagherWitt
Blog: http://gallagherwitt.blogspot.com

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