Reading*Renee

This Friends-to-Lovers Story Needed Better Friends

Revisado: 04-18-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

The premise - finding love on a reality show that is really a friends-to-lovers story - sounded promising. But I didn't find the love connection between Matt and Cody all that convincing, mostly because of Cody. (And this may be spoiler-ish, but if MCs hooking up with others on-page prior to their coupling up isn't your cup of tea, fair warning.)

Sweetheart Matt is secretly in love with Cody, his longtime best friend, and I struggled the whole story to see why. Cody isn't even that great of a friend, he's selfish and immature, and his rebuff of Matt after the man finally admits his feelings was heartbreaking.

It certainly didn't leave a good taste for setting up their eventual pairing, when Matt is on the verge of finding happiness with another and a jealous Cody finally gets his head out of his bum. I kept thinking, "You snooze, you lose." Truly, I was rooting for Matt and cameraman Tre to sail off into the Seattle sunset together.

The narration didn't really help reel me in to the story either. This was my first time hearing this narrator, and their delivery was alright... not unpleasant, but there also wasn't much variation between character voices or emotion put into the performance. It fell a little flat overall.

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Narrator's Performance a Mixed Bag for Me

Revisado: 02-22-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Well, unlike the two previous books in this series, the audio didn't do much to enhance my enjoyment of the story (I'd already read the e-book). This one has a different narrator, and while most of the character voices were ok (Angel's was very good), the voice for Taylor pulled me out of the story multiple times. It just didn't seem fitting at all, and I had a harder time connecting to the character because of it.

As for the story itself, Foxxxy Gentlemen's Club dancers Angel/Adrian (23) and Taylor (19) keep their painful pasts and challenging presents close to the vest. Both survivors of difficult (to say the least) childhoods and intolerant families, which Angel isn't entirely free of, they form a trusting friendship that slowly and sweetly grows into more.

The author handles Angel's and Taylor's past traumas and the lingering effects with sensitivity and care but doesn't sugarcoat (so mind the trigger warnings). For a relatively short book, both MCs have real depth and complexity, and I appreciated their refreshingly unique perspectives and distinct personalities.

This is a love story at its core, though there is a larger focus on Angel's and Taylor's individual struggles, trust issues, and their becoming friends than being a couple. Their conversations around Taylor being intersex and demi did border more on educational than organic discussion at times, but it didn't lessen the impact or intimacy of those scenes.

This is a much angstier story than the prequel and first book. While it works as a standalone, I'd suggest reading Book 1 (Christian's story, which occurs in parallel time) beforehand since many recurring secondary characters from Foxxxy's were introduced there.

I plan to continue on with this series and am hoping for Foxxxy Boy Pie's story in particular. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily. [Story: 3.5 Stars]

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Cheers for Coach Asa Getting His Own HEA

Revisado: 02-17-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I loved this friends-to-lovers second chance sports romance between 40-something football coaches. There's visceral longing, worth-the-wait steamy times, sweet moments, lots of (on-page!) football, and some Christmassy times (though this isn't what I'd call a "holiday" book).

The story begins with Asa winning a college national championship alongside Scott, and having an epiphany about being attracted to his best friend of more than 20 years. Their would-be romance hits the skids before it even begins, though, and their long friendship strained until they're reunited on the Piranhas coaching staff years later.

This is an emotion-fueled story but not as angsty a journey as it sounds. It's an all-the-feels ride from bone-chilling loneliness to passionate discovery, and seeing a couple of "older" MCs find happiness together is lovely.

I was already a fan of Coach Asa from the first couple of books, and how he so fully supported his son and fellow coach Beau (MC in "Playing for Keeps"). He's all the more endearing here, and I was rooting for the man to get his deserved HEA. I do recommend reading that book before jumping in here, if nothing else than for a wonderful intro to Coach Asa.

Darcy Stark gives a stellar performance full of Southern twang in voicing Asa, Scott, and Beau. I'd happily listen to this one again. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily.

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A Footballer and a Reporter's Hurt/Comfort Romance

Revisado: 02-16-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Playing Deep begins with a short-lived enemies-to-lovers vibe and quickly morphs into a forbidden-ish no-strings romance (until it sprouts feels) between a pro football player and a sports reporter.

Kenyon and Julian make a fiery couple and their relationship is not without some angst. I'd only read the first two books in this series beforehand, and this story felt a little more emotion-heavy than those. It's far from an angst-fest, though, just two guys trying to sort through deepening feelings they hadn't expected to develop for each other.

Julian is rather prickly, arrogant, and closed off (or at least tries to be, for reasons), and Kenyon is understanding and loving without being a pushover. I was actually a little surprised how this book is very much a hurt/comfort romance (one of my favorite tropes).

I'm glad the author elected to stick with the same narrator throughout the series. I'm a fan of Darcy Stark (his delivery style in particular is unique, in a good way) and I enjoyed his performance here.

This story was easy to follow as a standalone, but it being the series finale, I think I would've benefited from having read/listened to all the books to more fully appreciate the nuances. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily.

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An Intriguing But Far Too Short Story

Revisado: 12-18-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Intriguing premise, stellar narration, interesting characters, and a story that should've been a full-length novel to do it justice.

Some stories lend themselves to being shorts or novellas. Others need additional pages to marinate and provide more depth regarding the MCs, their backstory, their relationship, the setting, and their HEA future together.

Honestly, I would've enjoyed this far more if it'd ended as a HFN prequel, perhaps just after the MCs arrived at the estate. A new life in front of them, freer in some ways but full of uncertainty in others, and then watch it all play out over an entire series of books.

Missed opportunities for compelling storytelling always feel the worst. I'd much rather have disliked it entirely than be left feeling like there was so much more story left to tell.

Narrator Michael Ferraiuolo bumped this up from 3.5 to a 4-star overall for me. He's fabulous, as always.

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Age-Gap Sports Romance Builds On Series

Revisado: 09-09-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This age-gap romance between hockey teammates Kelly and Anders has a sort of friends-to-lovers meets brother's friend vibe with a delicious dose of longing and first times. I enjoyed that there's also some on-page hockey scenes.

There is some heaviness to this story as well, particularly involving Anders's backstory, which enhances the love story more than makes it angsty. (I wouldn't call this an angsty book.) It added depth to the characters, and made me root harder for Anders and Kelly as a couple.

Even though this is Book 5 in the series, it does stand on its own. That said, I've listened to most of the audio books in this series - narrator James Edward Jones is fantastic, love his voice - and would suggest giving them a go first. This story builds on an ongoing secondary storyline with a h0m0ph0bic teammate, and I think his getting some comeuppance here is more satisfying having seen that play out in full.

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The Fun Sci-Fi Love Continues with Some Suspense

Revisado: 08-13-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

All things alien enthusiast River and his tentacled agent boyfriend Kai are back in another amusing out of this world love letter to sci-fi pop culture and worlds beyond. There's a bit more suspense this time around, with both of their lives in danger in different ways, and plenty of interspecies steamy times.

Narrator Greg Boudreaux returns with another charismatic performance that fully captures each character with gusto. That goes double for embodying the energetic and effervescent River. His considerable talents really shine in this series, and he makes listening along to an already fun story all the more engaging.

This story definitely builds on the first book, featuring the same MCs, and their ongoing HFN storyline ends on a bit of a cliffhanger here. I've heard the author is planning 10 books for the series, some featuring secondary characters as the MCs, and I'm here for it. Especially Mal and Benji's story. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily.

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A Blissfully Nerdy Ode to Sci-Fi & Alien Love

Revisado: 08-04-23

This story was a lot of fun. I got a real kick out of all the sci-fi nerdiness and pop culture reverence. Naming a car Serenity? Considering David Tennant the best Doctor (a correct assessment, btw)? Admittedly liking BOTH Star Wars and Star Trek (TNG, obviously)? Love it.

Narrator Greg Boudreaux is fabulous, as always, and he obviously had a field day with this. Credit to him for making River's youthful OTT exuberance, adoration for all things sci-fi, and sheer running-mouth enthusiasm so infectious. This story is a bit (overly) long, but listening to it was a pleasure.

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Loved the Narration, Not So Much the Story

Revisado: 07-25-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I jumped on this story because narrator David Allen Vargo has a fantastic voice and always delivers. As anticipated, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his performance, and would happily listen to him narrate anything.

That said, I either wasn't in the right mood for this angsty of a story, or it's just not my jam. I needed more romance to balance out the rest.

The tragedy that strikes early on and sets Jasper (25) on a life trajectory that has him meeting Rob (50) casts a long, heavy shadow. Even with Jasper's difficult backstory, which should've elicited a boatload of empathy, I never connected with the character on any level. That's clearly a "me" thing, but it hampered my enjoyment of the story. I think I'd have enjoyed it more had it been more evenly balanced between the two POVs rather than mostly Jasper's.

I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily.

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A Hurt/Comfort MMM Love Story w/Some Danger

Revisado: 07-23-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Master/Daddy Zane and his sub/baby boy Ryan take in Ty, a young man on the run from an abus¡ve ex. In opening their home, they also open their hearts and relationship, and the three quickly (nearing insta-love speed) form a throuple.

This is very much a hurt/comfort love story, with Zane and Ryan helping Ty to trust, open up, and learn what it means to truly be loved. It's also a s€xual exploration (including sounding) for k¡nk-curious Ty. The "education" aspect meshed with the story quite well, and never felt like a teaching lesson. But it seemed like they all could've had more in-depth discussions about their k¡nks and dynamics before diving into a relationship, especially since it was all brand new to Ty.

There's an underlying heaviness to this story for a couple of reasons, and it felt like it all could've been explored much deeper. Along with the lingering potential danger for Ty from his ex (a protective Daddy Zane is delicious, by the way), an unknown so-called Dom is abus¡ng subs in their k¡nk community. The latter is only somewhat resolved, so I expect that plotline to carry forward in the series.

Narrator John Solo delivers a good performance overall, providing easily distinguishable voices for the three MCs. He also captures their different personalities quite well. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily. [Story: 3.5 Stars]

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