Engaging Characters

Seth was an extremely sympathetic character, I was rooting for him to get his happy ending from the first page. The relationship between him and Marshall developed believably. I liked that his traumatic past was addressed and not just swept away by true love. Religious issues were handled with grace. The kink aspects were hot. Entertaining audio book.

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Nice!

I enjoyed how healing the relationship was to both of them, and also how natural it felt to Seth to enter into a Daddy/Boy relationship. However, getting used to calling Malcolm Daddy was weirdly effortless considering he had never heard of the concept before. I feel like there should have been a period of adjustment there, and also some need for a clarification on Daddy/Boy dynamics as opposed to actual parents and children.

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If loving you is my greatest sin so be it

Malcom has just lost his boy and he thought he never wanted to be a daddy again. And Seth is a very confused man who’s caught up in lies he himself made to shield himself and to hide his truth. And Seth texted Malcom’s resolve of not being a daddy again.

This is a very heartfelt and poignant story with a powerful message. Seth has a terrible past and it breaks my heart to see these kinds of horrible things still happen in this world. But he was very strong and brave and he never gave up on life and himself. And Malcom, he’s a really great daddy. He knows how to take care of Seth and he also wanted to start a new chapter with Seth in his life. I loved how everything proceeded. And as always NJR rocked the narration for this story. This is a HFN and there will be more to come. And I can’t wait for the continuing journey of these two.


4 If loving you is my greatest sin so be it stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




Audio rating

Story - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This foray into Daddy Boy kink delivers much more

I've loved audio-books since the early 60s when I first listened with my neighbors grandparents to a 16 RPM book for the blind on a cold rainy day at their cabin in Petosky Michigan. Since that time, I've discovered that certain genres tend to work better in audio format while others work better in print. Early on, I listened to several M/M audio-books that were centered on sex scenes and found them to be a bit silly or clinical sounding, and not really “my cuppa tea.”

However, after re-listening to the incredibly hot encounter in the first chapter of Aaron by J.P. Barnaby, I decided that it was time to try another sampling of sexier audio-books. I asked for a copy of this title for review. “Daddy” play has always felt a bit silly to me but I decided that it might be time to try listening again.

What I got from this book was completely unexpected. Yes, there are some hot sex scenes, and yes, there is some dialogue that (to my ear) sounded a bit silly, but there was also a tale of the rescue of a shattered runaway boy, and a somewhat older man who'd once been a daddy, but who'd kind of given up on those aspects of his life following the cancer death of his beloved “boy” 10 years earlier. I was immediately smitten with the lad, and also felt for the older man, both, expertly voiced by narrator Nick J. Russo.

Seth, the young runaway here, had a religious monster as a father, and only vague memories of his mother who succumbed to cancer when he was still young. Twice subjected to “Conversion therapy” and with zero self esteem, his “fawn on a freeway” vulnerability is so clear to Malcolm that he has to at least befriend the kid while resolving to keep it short term and to “not get involved.” Malcolm's resolutions stand about as much chance of success as the kid's chances of survival without him. I was in tears several times while listening, but they were tears of compassion, and overall, this book left me with the warm fuzzies.

There some scenes (like a bathroom scene where Malcolm washes Seth's hair) that I found incredibly erotic, particularly in that they are the kinds of low-key, everyday, eroticism that comes from affection, and wanting a bit more, while trying to “behave” that I completely identified with. Seth's need to “surrender control” and to satisfy Malcolm based on his innocent, almost virginal, concepts of love had an appeal that I've not seen in other print or audio m/m titles. There are also discussions between the two main characters that could easily be an outline for a BDSM 101 course, which while not sexy per se, help bridge the gap between “kink” and more vanilla M/M fiction. The book does feature several more conventional “sex scenes” as well and the audio-book is nothing I'd let my straight housemate overhear, no matter how open minded he is.

For me, this book was the most pleasant surprise in my 2021 reading/listening so far. If you want to listen to a hot book where the heat comes from affection between people who are actually coming to love each other, you could do far worse than to check out this book. Those worried about “triggers” should know that most of the past abusive behavior is described pretty vaguely and should not be problematic.

Nick J. Russo does an amazing job here as narrator. The pacing and the voices of both Malcom, Seth, and the 3rd person narrator are all distinctive enough to avoid confusion. The “authoritative” voice of Malcolm and the eager, puppy-doggish voice of Seth add a level of charm to the audio version of this. So much so, that I'd probably feel something was missing in the print version.


*** Note I was given a copy of this audio-book in exchange for an honest and fair review ***

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Beautiful story

I know this is just a romantic fantasy but wouldn't it be great if real life were more like this story. Malcolm's compassion and Seth's earnestness were so encompassing. How can one not fall in love with these two? The narration was emotionally spot on. I only wish that Nick Russo could have made Seth sound a bit older. After all, he is 23. But that didn't spoil anything really.

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DESERVING of a 5-Star!!

Wow...I am new to leaving reviews and don't intend on leaving BOOK-LONG reviews either.. because novels such as "In The Name Of The Father", ..only need certain words to help others understand.

*Nick J. Russo..ALWAYS, beautifully and perfectly done!💯%.
*Storyline/Topic.. PERFECTLY written..PERFECTLY explains backgrounds of both Seth and Malcolm so it's easy to see how/why they are where they are today...I've had 💞💞(heart emojis) fluttering around my head all day!!..lol.

Thank you for this book...on to Book #2!!!!

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Love and Acceptance

In the Name of the Father is book 1 in the Father series. This book is about finding love after loss, self discovery and acceptance, and healing from abuse. Malcolm had lost his boy to cancer and wasn't looking for another when Seth entered his life. Seth had escaped the clutches of his father and the church as they were trying to 'fix' him. Malcolm was the best person Seth could've met as he ventured into a new life away from his abusive home. Seth was out of his element and Malcolm took Seth under his wing and protected him. I love Malcolm and Seth together. I love how gentle Malcolm is, as a good Daddy should be, with Seth. This is a beautifully written story and I can't wait for more.
Narrator Nick J. Russo does an absolutely fantastic job.

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so beautiful

A very beautiful hurt/comfort love story. Seth's backstory broke my heart and some of the topics that were covered in the book were very sensitive and hard but I thought that the author handled them really well. I loved that Malcom was patient and careful with Seth. He paid attention and took care of all his needs in a respectful and wonderful way. The chemistry between them was amazing and I can't wait to read the rest of their story. The narrator was truly amazing. Really brought the characters to life. I loved the voices.

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Amazing First Book

I really enjoyed this book, it had a nice build to it and didn't taper off or slow down too much. This book follows Sam & Malcolm. Sam who comes from a rough background and Malcolm who is there to help him in any way he can. You get to the background stories from both men. & the growing love between the two, I can't wait to listen to book 2.

The narrator is Nick J Russo, who did a great job! I could hear what he was feeling and made the story more enjoyable.

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Incredibly emotional

The story and narration were beautiful. I’m already looking forward to book 2.
Very emotional to hear Nick’s narration of Seth and Malcom. The love and care was just what Seth needed and it was perfectly conveyed in the way the story unfolded. I’m still emotional thinking about it. Tbh. This book will stick with me for awhile.

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