Category: LGBTQ Audio Books

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives #1) by Alexis Hall and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Fun! Fun! Fun! I thoroughly enjoyed this story from the beginning. Between the author’s sense of humor and Joel Leslie’s delivery of the one-liners and humorous remarks, I was floating along on a sea of happiness and finding it difficult to stop listening when pesky things like real life kept me from continuing. 

I also wondered why the ratings for this story weren’t higher, and that’s when I found out many people were comparing this to <i>Fifty Shades of Gray</i> or citing that the author seemed to be simulating that story.  Thankfully, I not only never read it, I therefore never jumped on the bandwagon to praise it or to castigate it.  It was of no interest to me, and I’m thankful about that now because it didn’t influence my opinion on this story one little iota. 

As I’ve learned from other audiobooks, when Joel narrates, my enjoyment is not so much about the story, it’s about the performance.  And what a performance!  With a capital P.  I felt as if I was watching a movie or TV show.  And as I said, I couldn’t put this down. 

Arden was a sweetheart, a very self-effacing soon-to-be Oxford graduate, and only helping out a friend when he made the call on behalf of the alumni fundraiser and connected with Caspian Hart.  They engaged in a bit of Arden-like banter, and wonder of wonder, at the actual event, Caspian himself sought out Arden!   

Without giving away the plot, I can say that this was not the heavy BDSM that I anticipated from the blurb.  In fact, there was some light bondage, but I wouldn’t personally classify it as a BDSM story.  It’s a love story, pure and simple—but with all the complications one would expect from an emotionally aloof billionaire and an inexperienced young man with self-esteem issues. 

My heart broke for Arden, and though he was responsible for Arden’s heartache and self-flagellation, Caspian was a wounded soul in his own way, so my heart broke for him as well. 

I loved the voices Joel Leslie gave them—they felt spot-on—perfect in every way. 

Needless to say, I very highly recommend this story to lovers of MM romance—a very definite  must-buy in audio format. 

Cover art:  Rich and dark in tone.  Love it.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 11 hours
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Audible.com Release Date: January 16, 2018
Whispersync for Voice: Ready
Language: English
ASIN: B078WZLVX4

An Alisa Audiobook Review: Permanent Ink (Art & Soul #1) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn /Kirt Graves (Narrator)

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

At twenty-three, Poe Montgomery is going nowhere. He still lives in his father’s basement and spends most of his time tagging with his friends. When an arrest lands him in debt, Poe accepts the front desk job at Permanent Ink, the tattoo shop owned by his father’s best friend, Jericho McAslan. Jericho is nearly twice Poe’s age, but with his ink and prematurely graying hair, he quickly takes the starring role in Poe’s hottest fantasies.

Jericho is known for his ability to transform poorly designed tattoos into works of art, but he was once as aimless and misdirected as Poe. Wanting to pay it forward the way someone once did for him, Jericho makes Poe his apprentice and is determined to keep things strictly professional. Easier said than done when Poe makes his interest—and his daddy kink—abundantly clear.

Jericho can’t resist Poe or their intense chemistry for long. But between the age gap, tension with Poe’s father, and Poe’s best friend calling him a sellout, they’ll need to ensure they’re both on the same page before they can rewrite their rocky start into something permanent.

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while and was excited to get the chance to review it.  For the most part there wasn’t a big amount of drama in this story but that was fine with me.  Poe hasn’t found any real direction for his life but Jericho gives him the chance to find one or at least clean up his life.

Poe is a bit resistant to finding another outlet for his art but soon finds how much he can really do with tattooing.  Jericho was rescued by someone when he was in trouble when he was younger and thinks that’s what he’s doing with Poe.  I loved seeing these two work through their feelings while trying to navigate their current friendships.  It was great to be able to see how both of these characters felt about each other and how they are willing to compromise.  I look forward to reading more in this series.

This is the first story I have listened to by Kirt Graves and he did a great job narrating this story.  He did a wonderful job of portraying the characters’ emotions and feelings.  The different voices he used for the characters helped me to keep track of what was going on and the characters’ personality.

Cover art by Natasha Snow is great and I love the visual of Jericho.

Sales Links:  Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 7hrs 7min
Published February 20, 2018 (ebook first published August 7, 2017) by Riptide Publishing
Edition Language: English

 

Audiobook Blitz and Giveaway for Leaning Into the Fall (Leaning Into Stories #2 ) by Lane Hayes and Nick J. Russo (Narrator)

Title:  Leaning Into the Fall

Series: Leaning Into Stories, #2

Author: Lane Hayes

Publisher:  Self-Published

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Bisexual, humor, San Francisco, May to December romance

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Synopsis

Nick Jorgensen is a quirky genius. He’s made a fortune in the competitive high tech field with his quick mind and attention to detail. He believes in hard work and trusting his gut. And he believes in karma. It’s the only thing that makes sense. People are difficult, but numbers never lie. In the disastrous wake of a broken engagement to an investor’s daughter, Nick is more certain than ever he isn’t relationship material.

Wes Conrad owns a thriving winery in Napa Valley. The relaxed atmosphere is a welcome departure from his former career as a high-rolling businessman. Wes’s laid-back nature is laced with a fierceness that appeals to Nick. In spite of his best intention to steer clear of complications, Nick can’t fight his growing attraction to the sexy older man who seems to understand him. Even the broken parts he doesn’t get himself. However, when Wes’s past collides with Nick’s present, both men will have to have to decide if they’re ready to lean into the ultimate fall.

Listen to an audio excerpt & purchase at Audible

 Meet the Author

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in an almost empty nest.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Meet the Narrator

Nick is an award winning narrator with a fan following for his work in fiction, specifically in the romance genre. His performances in two of Amy Lane’s books, Beneath the Stain and Christmas Kitsch, made him the recipient of Sinfully M/M Book Review’s Narrator of the Year – 2015. When he’s not in the booth, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife, Jessica, and kids, (aka their beagle Frank and cat Stella), drumming in his cover band, exploring rural back roads with his wife on his motorcycle, or being enthralled in a tabletop role playing game with his friends. 

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An Alisa Audiobook Review: Chief’s Mess (Anchor Point #3) by L.A. Witt and (Narrated by Nick J. Russo)

Rating:  4.5 stars out of 5

Anthony Talbot is in Anchor Point to visit family, but after two days of strife, he needs a break. A local gay bar is calling his name.

When Chief Noah Jackson sees that red head stroll into the club, he immediately wants him. They’re perfectly matched, and before long, they’re burning up the sheets. Noah can’t get enough. Anthony can’t stay in Oregon for long, but as soon as he leaves, he’s counting down the days until he can fly back for more. And between his increasingly frequent visits, there’s always phone sex, sexting, webcams . . . anything they can get.

But Noah’s got a carefully crafted façade, and Anthony can’t help noticing the slowly forming cracks. The scent of alcohol in the middle of the day. The extra drinks at dinner. The hint of red in his eyes. Anthony knows what it means. He doesn’t want to believe it, but he’s seen this before, and there’s no denying it. If Noah doesn’t get his downward spiral under control, he’s going to lose both his career and the first man he’s ever really loved.

I enjoyed this story just as much as I have the others in this series.  Anthony is stressed and visiting his sister’s ex-husband is not helping.  Noah has never had a lasting relationship and as they connect more and more Anthony is beginning to see why that may be.

At first I wasn’t sure about Anthony, mostly because I loved Clint from the last book and didn’t like his attitude towards him.  I know he was still angry about his sister being hurt but that didn’t make me feel better.  It was heartbreaking to see him hurting when he had to push Noah away but the support he got from Clint was the biggest surprise.  Noah always seems to have a drink in his hand when not at work and it’s his break from reality.  I hated seeing him not own up to his problem but as unfortunately is the case, it took hitting the ultimate low for him to make changes in his life and even Anthony can see that.

Nick Russo once again did a wonderful job narrating this story.  He always portrays the characters’ emotions makes it easy to connect with them.  The different voices he used for the characters helped me keep up with what was going on and get an idea of the characters personality some more.

I like the cover art by LC Chase and it continues follow the pattern for the series.

Sales Links:  Audible | Amazon | iTunes

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 7 hrs 45 min
Published: January 30, 2018 (ebook first published June 19, 2017) by Riptide
Edition Language: English

Series: Anchor Point #3