Review: Private Charter

Private Charter by N.R. Walker and Anthony Ferguson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Stuart Jenner’s job is high stress, high stakes, and everything he’s strived for. So why, when the apex of his career is within reach, does he stumble? At his doctor’s insistence, he books a privately chartered yacht to sail around the Whitsundays for two weeks.

Foster Knight left the rat race behind six years ago, bought a yacht, and now calls the Great Barrier Reef his home. Sailing tourists around tropical waters is all in a day’s work, and he’s never been happier. Foster can see how stressed and exhausted Stuart is, and he promises him extensive rest and relaxation.

 
How long does an average reader take, to start skimming? For me, it was 2 hours of swimming, sunbathing, and flirting. The constant mention of white speedos got annoying. At 30% I noticed some sex was added but did not bother listening to that.
The narrator was no performer. He read without errors but hadn't the talent to make a boring text seem thrilling.


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Review: The Foxhole Court

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic and Alexander Cendese
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.

Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.

 

Nothing wrong but not my cuppa. Too much drama.

DNF at 50%

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Review: An Unsuitable Heir

An Unsuitable Heir by K.J. Charles and Matthew Lloyd Davies
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

On the trail of an aristocrat’s secret son, enquiry agent Mark Braglewicz finds his quarry in a music hall, performing as a trapeze artist with his twin sister. Graceful, beautiful, elusive, and strong, Pen Starling is like nobody Mark’s ever met—and everything he’s ever wanted.
Pen doesn’t want to live as any sort of man, least of all a nobleman. The thought of being wealthy, titled, and always in the public eye is horrifying.
But there’s a killer stalking London’s foggy streets, and more lives than just Pen’s are at risk. Mark decides he must force the reluctant heir from music hall to manor house, to save Pen’s neck.

 
Book 3 of 3.

I did not like Mark or Pen and was not really interested who the killer was. I missed several motivations to keep reading. Does the heir get his coronet? He doesn't even care himself. Finding long lost family? No one wants to be related to these criminals. Does the estate run well and are the workers cared for? No mention of that. It also does not mention wealth and what one can do with it. And there is some unknown psychopath killing people for reasons only he himself knows, which is hard to make into an arc other than dead bodies turning up.
What I liked was the non-binary protagonist but as a cis-woman, I can not judge if this is a convincing representation.
The narration was great.

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Review: Natural Twenty

Natural Twenty by Charlie Novak and Joel Leslie
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Plants are easier than people—that’s Leo’s rule of thumb. After all, nobody really wants a man who looks like he belongs in a biker gang but would rather spend his time buried in books and flowers. It’s just easier to be single. Until he meets the owner of the new book shop.

Jacob Morris knows two things: he’s really attracted to the man who runs the local flower shop, and he doesn’t date. Not when he’s still healing from a bad breakup, has a new business to run, game nights to organize, workshops to host, and a website to build.

Did not finish at 20%
Two and a half hours of tedious talking, eating, and visiting each other's shops. No plot, no tension, no hopes or dreams, and undeveloped characters. Add to that the bored Joel Leslie of late.
I bought this audiobook because #2 sounded good. So I skip this gay romance and hope the best for #2.

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Review: Nothing Special

Nothing Special by A.E. Via and Aiden Snow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Detective Cashel "Cash" Godfrey is big, tattooed, and angry so people typically keep their distance. He's fresh out of the police academy, however, no one is looking to partner with the six-foot-four beast with a huge chip on his shoulder and an inability to trust. When Cash scans the orientation room he wasn't expecting to find sexy hazel eyes locked onto him. Eyes of the handsome Detective Leonidis "Leo" Day.

Leo is charming, witty, hilariously sarcastic, and the only one that can make Cash smile. He's proud, out, and one bad-ass detective. Together, Cash and Leo become the most revered and successful narcotics detectives Atlanta's ever seen. Leo begins to see something in the big man that no one else does...something special. But Leo fears he'll never break through the impenetrable wall that protects Cash's heart. 

 
This was a weird audiobook. Macho men talking about love like teenage girls. And so very cheesy. Shallow gay men being annoying while thinking they are witty. Not. Some occurrences were ridiculous and others very predictable.

The narration was bland. Lots of sentences in the same intonation and rhythm, whether he was reading sex or a stroll in the park. Especially the sex was very boring.

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Review: Mike and the Spring Awakening

Mike and the Spring Awakening by Summer Devon and Cornell Collins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Young Micah "Mike" Cordett's privileged life explodes when he is caught naked with a schoolmate. Running away from disgrace, he blunders into a trap in a seamy part of London and endures months of abuse before escaping.

Lucas Spring pined for Mike from afar when they were in school. This shadow of the confident boy he once knew shocks him, and Lucas vows to do anything he can to help restore the person he'd so admired. With patience and determination, he hopes to ease Mike's fears and perhaps even win his love.

 
A quick and easy gay romance. The story went from A to B without any tension or drama. Well read, but I wil never relisten this audiobook.

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Review: Roommate Arrangement

Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James and Nick J. Russo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Payne:
There’s nothing sadder than moving back to my hometown newly divorced, homeless, and lost for what my next move is. When my little brother’s best friend offers me a place to stay in exchange for menial duties, I swallow my pride and jump at the offer.

Beau:
Since my career took off, I barely have time to breathe, let alone keep my life in order. I’m naturally chaotic, make terrible decisions, and scare off potential dates with my “weirdness”. So when Payne gets back into town and needs somewhere to stay, I offer him my spare room with one condition: while he’s staying with me, I need him to help me become date-able.

An unoriginal and predictable audiobook. Shallow characters. Unattractive sex scenes. But I finished it. The narrator was good.

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Review: His Compass

His Compass by Con Riley and Cornell Collins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After a busy season as a charter-hire skipper, Tom yearns for some downtime. His lonely heart also aches for adventure with someone special, but paying his bills has to come first. A surprise sailing contract and huge bonus offer his first glimpse of freedom for years. There’s only one catch: he must crew with Nick, a deckhand who jumped ship once already.

Nick’s as young and untested as the new yacht they’re contracted to sail, and he’s just as gorgeous. Forced to spend a month as Nick's captain, Tom discovers depths he hadn’t noticed. He’s captivated, and happier sailing with Nick than he’s been in forever. However, their voyage is finite, and both men keep soul-deep secrets.

I have no idea where this is going. This audiobook just goes on and on and I couldn't care less about this so-called gay romance. Even the sex is boring. Did not finish at 50%.
Well narrated.

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Review: Irresponsible Puckboy

Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley, Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Tripp

Years of pining have left me exhausted, and I need a break from Dex. I need space to get over my feelings. But when his relationship falls apart and he turns to me for comfort, I cave immediately.If there’s one thing I hate more than being hurt, it’s seeing Dex struggle. I can’t leave him in a time of need, even if my friends say it’s my biggest downfall. 

Dex

I’ve always been the dumb one. It’s what I’m known for, and usually I don’t let it get to me. I have hockey, and I have my best friend, Tripp. What more do I need? To settle down? No thank you. Marriage? Hard pass. According to ex-girlfriends, that makes me “irresponsible.”
But the solution I come up with to get over my fear of commitment might be my dumbest idea yet.

Nothing special. I was not sold on the straight man suddenly falling for a gay friend. The rest was the same as every other mediocre audiobook I have listened to before. 

Both narrators did a good job.

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Review: This Way Out

This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed and Rohan Rakhit
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Amar can’t wait to tell everyone his wonderful news: he’s found The One, and he’s getting married. But it turns out announcing his engagement on a group chat might not have been the best way to let his strict Muslim Bangladeshi family know that his happy-ever-after partner is a man—and a white man at that.

Amar expected a reaction from his four siblings, but his bombshell sends shockwaves throughout the community and begins to fracture their family unit, already fragile from the death of their mother. Suddenly Amar is questioning everything he once believed in: his faith, his culture, his family, his mother’s love—and even his relationship with Joshua. Amar was sure he knew what love meant, but was he just plain wrong?

 
Did not finish this audiobook at 20%.
I listened for 2 hours to give this romance a fair chance. It is not for me. I have no patience for long discussions about being LGTBQ is not a choice. And the very limited mentioning of the fiancé makes me fear this story is not about a relationship but one long inner monolog.
The narrator is no performer but a reader. I have major issues with his pauses between sentences. Pauses for up to three seconds or more. You have to listen closely: if the next word is a conjecture you know it is still the same paragraph.

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Review: Invitation to the Blues

Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish and Greg Boudreaux
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Eight months ago Jude Lucen fled his partner, his career, and a hospital in Boston after a suicide attempt. Now back in Philadelphia, he feels like a complete failure. Piano has always been his passion and his only escape. Without it, he has nothing. Well, nothing except a pathetic crush on the most gorgeous man he's ever seen.

Faron Locklear came to Philly looking for a fresh start and has thrown himself into tattooing at Small Change. He's only met Jude a few times, but something about the red-haired man with the haunted eyes calls to him. Faron is blown away by Jude's talent.

 
This lacked plot, tension, and character development. At least 75% of this audiobook is Jude telling and thinking he is worthless. I have patience with that and won't call it whining, maybe because the narrator was great.
There was no place in his head for thinking how great Feron was or planning to change his ways. And that makes this not an LGTBQ romance.
Another shortcoming was the long monologs. That is not natural speech.

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Review: Love Him Steady

Love Him Steady by E.M. Lindsey and Nick Hudson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Taking up shop in the former kosher bakery, Wilder Torres breathes new life into old traditions, but there’s a darkness about him most of the residents in Cherry Creek don’t want to touch. He’s a kind and quiet man, but Wilder hides scars under long sleeves from a vicious attack that nearly took his life, and he’s determined never to let anyone close enough to hurt him ever again. And then he meets a stranger sitting on a park bench, looking like the world had just kicked him in the gut. Lorenzo Moretti had spent the better part of his years living off the success of his rich siblings. His life was shallow, with no purpose, because Lorenzo had never believed he deserved more than that.

I tried this audiobook several times and often I get bored and do not finish. But at times I like it because I finished it at least once and keep trying. I wonder if the narrator is the cause: if he only keeps my attention when at rest, but not when multitasking.

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Review: Hummingbird Heartbreak

Hummingbird Heartbreak by Max Walker and Greg Boudreaux
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

DUSTY GOLD

College is weird. One second you’re studying for a huge exam in integrated physics and the next you’re secretly drooling over the sexy rugby player living in the dorm next door. Maybe inviting him to stay at my family’s house for the summer wasn’t the greatest idea I’ve ever had?

         BRANDON REED

I freakin’ loved college. Everything about it, minus the classes obviously. I loved being able to play rugby the most; losing myself to the game, watching the crowds in the stadium grow bigger with every win. Then Dusty Gold springs into my life. Literally. After we end up as surprise roomies, a spring busts on his bed and we go from roommates to snuggle buddies.
I’ve got a messy past, though, and Dusty’s got a bright future. Will my ghosts ruin us before we could ever really begin or will we both get a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a happy ending?

Enough happens, but I just don't care. There should be a problem to be solved or some tension or character development. Nope. Just everyday life, day after day. It makes this a tedious audiobook.
The narrator had nothing to work with, so the performance was bland but well-read.

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Review: Pine Cove: The Complete Series

Pine Cove: The Complete Series by H.J. Welch Nick J. Russo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Welcome to Pine Cove, where true love lives happily ever after! This 2000 page box set contains all six novels as well as all five companion short stories. Each Pine Cove book can be read as a stand alone and has its own happy ever after.

Safe Harbor
Robin Coal needs a fake boyfriend for his high school reunion. He asks his housemate: a gorgeous, totally straight ex-Marine. 
 
Sweet Spot
It’s Halloween and Robin has prepared a sexy little surprise for his boyfriend Dair when he gets home from work. 

Troubled Waters
Bodyguard Scout Duffy doesn’t know what’s worse: the fact that his scorching one-night-stand, Emery Klein, is his bratty new client, or the fact that he doesn’t even remember Scout. But Emery’s life is in danger thanks to his out and proud charity work, and once he finally recognizes Scout, their chemistry in undeniable.

Homeward Bound
Swift Coal just found out he’s a father, and his daughter (and her cranky cat) are coming to stay. His best friend’s younger brother, Micha Perkins, has nowhere to go. He’s relieved when Swift asks him to be a live-in babysitter.

Bright Horizon
With sixteen years between them, baker Ben Turner and lawyer Elias Solomon have no idea their crush is mutual. But when Ben inherits his long-lost family’s estate and becomes an overnight millionaire, Elias swears to protect the innocent younger man from the vultures circling him. To unravel the mystery of the inheritance, they must go to England.  
Crossed Paths
Raj Bhat is done living in the shadows. It’s time for him to take charge of his own destiny and tell the man he’s fallen for how he really feels.

 
Midnight Sky
It’s the night before New Year’s Eve. Taylan Demir is all alone, and he’s just lost his dog. Except when his handsome customer, Hudson Perkins, comes to his rescue, Taylan doesn’t just get his dog back. 

 

Memory Lane
Angel Shields saved Jay Coal’s life in high school, and Jay has secretly loved his straight best friend ever since. Now Angel’s back in town with amnesia after a suspicious work accident and it’s Jay's turn to rescue him. He pretends to be Angel’s fiancé to see him in the hospital.

Thin Ice
Kamran’s ex broke his heart, tricked him into aiding a bank robbery, and now he wants him to do one last job. There’s only one way to say no: seek the protective custody of the biggest, grumpiest FBI agent ever, Lee Marshall. 
 
Calm Shores
Gorgeous, sophisticated Dante walks into Oliver’s bar and orders…a boyfriend?! Dante needs a man to keep his mother from setting him back up with his awful, cheating ex, and Oliver is up for the challenge.

Fresh Snow
Emery Klein is throwing the best Christmas party ever, but his fiancé, Scout Duffy, and all their friends have something more exciting in mind.

 
6 full length novels for 1 Audible credit. What is not to like? Even if you skip several endings out of boredom, you still have hours and hours of entertainment. And you gain a badge! 

I liked the first one and thought the second one had a memorable main character. Listening to six in a row should be avoided, I think. Problem is, the writing is mediocre at best. Only plain tropes and no surprises. Shallow characters without growth. Way too much inner monolog for every point of view, always about tiresome insecurety combined with much crying. Never a hurdle in the relationship but always a secondary character being an over the top villain or rude bigot with vague motivation.
The narration is great and I finished 2 novels.

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