Wide Eyes, Big Ears!

Moving and spicy grumpy-sunshine romance!

Revisado: 05-06-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Nursing guilt and shame from past actions, River Darcourt either pushes people away or runs. While most of his friends are away celebrating a wedding for the week, River is left alone with their newest housemate, the bubbly Morgan Hayes. Morgan is nursing his own fears, having been sexually assaulted a few months ago—something he’s never shared with his highly critical father. When both men team up to evaluate which charity to donate an insurance payout to, sparks fly. Both men have feelings for each other but Morgan has to really push River to act on them. Once they do, the walls of secrecy start to tumble.

There’s something about Skylar M Cates’ writing style that I just adore. It’s the combination of the depth of feeling, the well-crafted characters, and the extra spice in the romance. She’s not afraid to let us sit with strong emotions, and while this series finale isn’t as harrowing as some of the earlier books, it felt just right for these characters. Although the books in this series all focus on a different couple in the friendship group, I’ve also loved how interwoven all the characters are throughout the series. US voice-actor extraordinaire Michael Stellman is ALWAYS excellent and he does a wonderful job in this audio.

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Won me over in the end!

Revisado: 08-20-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Tech whiz kid Nick Jorgensen is great with numbers and code but struggles with people and his moral compass. When Nick tries to return an expensive order of wine specially labelled for his aborted wedding to a Napa Valley vineyard, it ends in disaster. On the plus side, his mutually growing affection for Wes Conrad, the vineyard owner, might just set him on the right course. While this had a playful, pleasant tone, I struggled to like Nick for most of the story, which made it hard going since the narrative is told solely from his POV. Nick is hugely self-absorbed, often rude or inappropriate, and his morals dubious. I can be patient with a poorly behaved main character if they repent and redeem themselves at some point during the novel, but Nick can’t and doesn’t actually change much. Because he is self-aware, his actions come across is wilful rather than unintentional. What kept me going is that I learnt why Nick is the way he is and I could then forgive and focus on his positives and understand why Wes and Nick’s friends stand by him - so really I was the one who changed! I didn’t mind the other characters so I’ll probably explore other books in this series. Audio narrator Nick J Russo’s cute-puppy tones really suited the story and the characters.

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A beautiful novel about two hurt people!

Revisado: 05-14-22

When Tristan steps in to help a guy involved in an argument, he doesn’t realise it’s the start of a reawakening for both of them. Tristan lost his partner to cancer and has been surviving, rather than living, ever since. West has been in a stifling relationship and desperately wants to live his own life. Once again, Christina Lee has crafted a beautiful novel about two hurt people you want to spend time with: Tristan is gentle and caring; West is tentative and wary - they are a perfect match. Lee takes time to flesh out the characters, their backstories, and their careful steps towards trust and love. Nothing feels rushed or forced as you are enveloped in this feel-good romance. 🎧 Iggy Toma voices the characters gently and sensitively, matching the mood and pace of the story perfectly.

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This is such a standout series!

Revisado: 04-19-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Ever since PI Nick Nowak’s lover, Det. Bert Harker, has been on sick leave battling AIDS, he’s kept himself occupied by maintaining a murder book (case file) about the Bughouse Slasher, a serial killer who targets gay men. When Bert becomes the killer’s latest victim, Nick sets out take the man down once and for all. This excellent series has become more complex and emotional with each book and this one is extra tough as Nick deals with his feelings of anger, revenge, and loss. These rich stories are set in 1980s Chicago as the AIDS epidemic starts to take hold. Professionally, Nick’s cases are fascinating, and his personal life is sobering as more acquaintances sicken. Just a reminder that these are gay fiction stories, not m/m romances - despite having a long-term partner, Nick is not monogamous. Audio narrator Brad Langer has the perfect voice for this series, I love his performances of these great stories!

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A juicy historical case!

Revisado: 04-18-22

Nick: “Everything about my life, everything about my work told me that secrets were like knives. But they didn’t just cut both ways, they cut anyway they could”.

Gay PI Nick Nowak is caught up in an involved case with three murders when he is asked to find someone for a client. Nick encounters high-level corruption, intimidation, and entrapment as he seeks justice for those killed. At home, Nick’s boyfriend, Bert Harker, continues to fight AIDS-related illnesses - it’s sobering and sad. I love every book in this series but I’ve really enjoyed the move from short stories to longer more complex novels. I like that there is no easy fix to this case, it feels more real. I also appreciated the historical change in politics noted in this story where the ‘gay vote’ is courted for the first time. Just a reminder that these are gay fiction, not m/m romance: Nick has a long-term partner but is not monogamous. Audio narrator Brad Langer does an excellent job of these books, I thoroughly enjoy his performances.

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Fun ghostly romcom, great narration!

Revisado: 04-12-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining ghostly romcom. Like Marshall Thornton’s Femme, I found it smart, funny, and knowingly insightful. Cal Parsons’ acting career has been slowly declining; he’s technically homeless if you don’t count sleeping in his car. It seems like all his prayers have been answered when he receives a call from Dewitt (Dewey) Morgan, a cute country lawyer who informs Cal his ex-boyfriend McCormack Williams has named him sole beneficiary of his multimillion dollar estate, including the house in sleepy Marlboro Township. Unfortunately, when Cal arrives to liquidate the assets and run, Mac’s self-centred ghost and the scheming local theatre group, The Barnyard Players, have other ideas. Both Cal and Dewey were thoroughly decent guys and I loved spending time with them; Mac’s ghost was harder to like, being selfish and dangerous at times, but that just made the plot funnier and more suspenseful. A huge shoutout to audio narrator Jason Frazier, his voicings and performance were wonderfully entertaining - I now want to listen to everything he’s narrated.

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I tried but this author is just not for me

Revisado: 04-04-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I really struggle with simplistic instalove stories when a MC starts using ‘my love’ and ‘my mate’ the first time they address the other MC. The storytelling is too childlike and overly dramatic - I miss the richness and thoughtfulness of good character and relationship development. This is my second and definitely my last Jayda Marx story, her writing is just not for me. Audio narrator Denver Stevens two accents suited the story, but were a little cartoonish for my taste.

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Loved this teacher-student romance!

Revisado: 04-04-22

Literary agent Donovan (Van) Brody takes on a part-time job teaching creative writing to adults. Still smarting from his divorce, Van decides to explore his bisexuality for the first time, unwittingly developing an online relationship with 24 yo military veteran Parker Mills, who is one of his students. There was a lot to love about this, especially the combination of tropes: age-gap / secret online relationship / bisexual awakening / teacher-student. The writing was great. I really liked the characters and the humour between Parker and his flatmate / fellow student, Marcos. I wasn’t convinced by Van’s daughter, Anne. She was sweet, but wise well beyond her 10 years; however, it didn’t detract from the story. I haven’t listened to the previous books in the series (this is book 3), but based on the writing and the wonderful combination of audio narrators here, Tim Paige as Van and Kirt Graves as Parker, I’ll definitely listen to the rest!

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Funny and sweet odd-couple romance!

Revisado: 04-21-21

Fussy antiques dealer, Prescott J. Henderson, is horrified to find himself sharing shop space with retro collectible-kitsch dealer, Danny Roman. This lovely odd-couple / enemies-to-lovers romance is low on angst and high on sweetness. There are some delightful small-town characters, a villainous snob, and plenty of petty and serious squabbles to keep things interesting. Ultimately this is a feel-good character study of two very different people from very different backgrounds - no spoilers but I loved how both weren’t exactly what they seemed to be. Consummate narrators, Michael Dean and Kale Williams, provide a great contrasting voices for the characters!

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Good-natured characters and story!

Revisado: 05-22-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Naval cadet, Cody, is attracted to his college professor, Dr Sebastian Vale. Whereas Cody is awkward, friendly, and a good leader, Sebastian is closed off and unemotional - a loner. Together, they could bring out the best in each other, but can they whether Cody’s upcoming posting and deployment? This was good-natured, low angst, and focussed heavily on the two main characters, despite Cody’s student and military friends. I probably would have preferred more angst, any complications seemed to resolve fairly quickly. 🎧 Christian Gilliland gave Sebastian a cultured drawl and Cody an excited puppy voice - I didn’t particularly warm to either voice but the narration was well-performed.

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