A Lila Audiobook Review – Page 2 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Our first glimpse of Eric Allen is during his grandmother’s funeral. We get some background information about their relationship, as well as the situation between him and his remaining family members. If you’re reading the book without looking at the blurb first, you can misinterpret Nathan’s and Eric’s relationship during the opening scene.

Jewell, Eric’s grandmother, left him his estate, but his mother and brother are after their share. After taking care of all the legalities, with the help of Jewell’s best friend, Nathan invited Eric for a small vacation. During which, he takes him to an abandoned hotel on an isolated stretch of the Central Oregon Coast. Since Eric is a line cook and his friend Nathan, a waiter, they pooled together all their money, plus the inheritance to buy the hotel.

Naming the hotel after the only bachelor president with a male friend, sounded like a good way to start their business. They had several months to get the hotel ready for its grand opening on the Fourth of July weekend. With the help of Tim, a local handyman, some friends, and a pair of new part-time employees, they set to work to receive their first guests. All their relationships get tangled with every passing week, and what started as a kid’s dream between Eric and Nathan turned into a small family.

Tim’s and Eric’s relationship blossoms with time, but their separate growth is as important as their romance. In the beginning, we don’t get a clear path to their future, but after a turn of events, their love goes from zero to one-hundred on a handful of pages. By the end of the story, we are cheering for the MCs and looking forward to learning more about the hotel’s future.

Buchanan House is more than a romance. It’s a story of healing, friendship, and self-discovery. Yes, Tim and Eric are the main characters, and they get more than their HEA, but how they got there is more important than the end result. As well as all the events that surrounded them.

We don’t get into their romance until later in the book. Eric’s and Nathan’s friendship takes the first part of the book, and Eric’s self-discovery unfolds with every chapter. His insecurities shaped him, leaving him second-guessing all his decisions and relationships. Nathan’s friendship and Tim’s love are the catalysts that get him to be the man he always dreamed.

All the characters in the story had a purpose, and the author incorporated not only gay characters, but bisexual, lesbians, and trans*, too. Also, the characters discussed their differences, sexualities, and genders. Everyone gets a small backstory, even those interacting with the MCs for a short amount of time.

Tim’s family is great, and the way they interacted with Eric, even the ones that aren’t completely comfortable with their sexuality do it with respect. Eric’s family, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than Jewell’s money. They didn’t care for Eric or his dreams and did everything they could to interfere.

The setting and the atmosphere played an important part in this story— Eric’s recipes too. It’s easy to identify the smells, colors, and shaped introduced by the author. Even the way each character dresses is part of their dossier. And the house, from its flowers to its moldings is another character in the story.

This is my first story narrated by Alexander Johns. I enjoyed his cadence and the distinction between the characters. My only complaint would be with the quality of the audio. For some reason, parts of the file had static in the background and others sounded as if the story was recorded in an empty room, creating an echo.

L.C. Chase did an excellent job finding a house that matched the book’s description. Perhaps, I’d have left the two figures out of the cover since they look like an afterthought.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Alexander Johns
Length: 5 hours and 4 minutes

Published: January 27, 2016 (Audio Edition) by Dreamspinner Press
ASIN: B01B3GCEUS
Edition Language: English

Series: Buchanan House
Book #1: Buchanan House
Book #2: Pride Weekend
Book #3: Tiny House

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Clayton Potter has been in love with his straight friend, Ronnie, for years, but he knew he didn’t have a chance, or that’s what he though. The book starts with Clay taking care of a business party for Ronnie and making it a success. We get to see Ronnie’s way with women and the relationship Clay and Ronnie share with their gym partners.

From the moment Clay gets the call about his father, Ronnie takes charge, helping him get to the hospital. He’s the support Clay needed and always craved, which confuses Clay. Ronnie booked a hotel for them to spend the night and that’s when their friendship starts to change.

The next morning, they deal with the consequences of their time together as best as they could. Clay felt Ronnie’s distance but understood his reactions. With Clay staying behind to take care of his father, they have the opportunity to think about their next move.

For the rest of the story, we get to see how they struggled to save their friendship and to be what the other needs. Their pasts and current situations take a toll on their new relationship, and they had to make the decision to give up on each other or fight through.

Eyes Only for Me wasn’t what I expected. The blurb sounded interesting, and I was ready for a nice friends-to-lovers story, instead, I got to read about two men that happened to be in the right bed at the right moment. I can say that this story didn’t work for me.

In my opinion, the MCs have two personalities each. One when they are having sex and another when they are not. There’s nothing wrong with having or giving control to your partner during sex, but the way Clay treated Ronnie felt uncomfortable. From their very first time, Clay is cornering Ronnie and acting as if Ronnie had been involved with men before.

Yes, some descriptions let the reader know that Ronnie wasn’t getting what he wanted with women, but Clay’s magically transformed him. For me, Ronnie went with the flow just because he could. I didn’t felt a connection between them other than in Clay’s musings. According to him, Ronnie was the type of partner he wanted, but that knowledge didn’t translate into the relationship.

Also, Ronnie’s memories about an event in his childhood felt unnecessary, and it’s a topic I don’t consider should be used to create tension between the characters or to be perhaps a reason Ronnie had never considered a relationship with a man.

The description of the settings and the characters were interesting and relatable. The writing is up to par. One thing the author was able to show very well was the friendship between the men, their gym trips, dinners, and breakfast meetings. We get to see all the personalities and how they interact. What they meant to each other and how far they would, or not, go for each other. And the way the author described how Ronnie’s mind works was credible.

Tristan James is one of my favorite MM narrators, and he definitely saved this book for me. If I had read the ebook, I’d probably had rate it a lot lower than three stars. As always, Tristan delivered an excellent performance. I enjoyed the way he made a distinction between Clay’s words and his narration. The female voices weren’t as perfect as the others, but that’s to be expected.

I loved the cover by L.C. Chase and the intensity of the characters. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see Clay and Ronnie in them.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Tristan James
Length: 6 hours and 19 minutes

Published: January 25, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ASIN: B01AYJEIC2
Edition Language: English

Tag: A Lila Audiobook Review

A Lila Audiobook Review: Buchanan House by Charley Descoteaux and Narrator Alexander Johns

A Lila Audiobook Review: Eyes Only for Me by Andrew Grey and Tristan James (Narrator)

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