Review: Wed to the Barbarian

Wed to the Barbarian by Keira Andrews and Michael Ferraiuolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sheltered in the palace with his books, Jem’s life is peaceful. Even if he’s lonely and yearning for romance, the big, strong men he wants don’t crave small, timid princes.
Then he’s forced to marry a mysterious barbarian. Jem must do his duty. Even if he must leave behind everything and everyone to journey to a forbidding island of ice and stone.


Wed to the Barbarian is the first action-adventure romance in the Barbarian Duet and must be read before The Barbarian’s Vow.

 
This was a nice surprise! I loved the flawed characters and their growth. This was not a sugarcoated fantasy and it kept me listening breathlessly. The only thing that bothered me, was Jem suddenly having a lot of physical strength. 

You can accept the happy-for-now ending of book #1 without listening to book #2, but then you miss out!
The narrator was great. Maybe, after a relisten, I change my rating to 5 stars.

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Review: Racing for the Sun

Racing for the Sun by Amy Lane and Nick J. Russo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Staff Sergeant Jasper "Ace" Atchison takes one look at Private Sonny Daye and knows that every word on paper about him is pure, unadulterated bullshit. But Sonny is desperate, and although Ace isn't going to take him up on his offer of "anything," that doesn't mean he isn't tempted.

Instead, Ace takes Sonny under his wing, protecting him when they're in the service and making plans with him when they get out. Together, they're going to own a garage and build race cars and make their fortune hurtling faster than light across the desert.

I liked the love and care in this book and how protective Ace was. I kept reading because I wanted to know more about Sonny, nothing else was interesting.
The narrator did a great job.

But I will not relisten to this audiobook. The ending did not satisfy me because I believe the San Diego police can easily solve that crime. They can investigate the last race and investigate the pet. Ace's believe SDPD will not be interested because the victim was a criminal, does not match with his statement they have a 97% crime-solving rate.

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Review: Chase in Shadow

Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane and Sean Crisden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chase Summers: Golden boy. Beautiful girlfriend, good friends, and a promising future. Nobody knows the real Chase. Chase Summers has a razor blade to his wrist and the smell of his lover’s goodbye clinging to his skin. He has a door in his heart so frightening he’d rather die than open it, and the lies he’s used to block it shut are thinning with every forbidden touch. 

He may have met Tommy Halloran in the world of gay-for-pay—where the number of lovers doesn’t matter as long as the come-shot’s good—but if he wants the healing that Tommy’s love has to offer, he’ll need the courage to leave the shadows for the sunlight.

 
I listened to the audio book after reading the e-book several times. It is a sad story about two young adults with mental health issues. The official girlfriend plays a big part in it and she was this really annoying perfect super feminine cutie. I disliked the ending, where the story tried to fulfill some family norms I could have done without.
The narrator is better, nowadays. In this production he sometimes swallowed the last word and he made the tone a bit too friendly. Long stretches were read in a nice matter-of-fact tone, while the text described drama and suffering.

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Review: Breaking Point

Breaking Point by N.R. Walker and Sean Crisden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As guilt plagues him, Matthew Elliott’s world begins to spiral out of control. The harder he holds on, the more it slips through his fingers, and he’s helpless to stop it.

Entering into the underground cage-fighting scene, he starts out fighting for what’s right. The deeper he gets, the more guilt consumes him – the more pain he takes for his penance, and he’s soon fighting for more than justice.

This novel can't be read without listening to book #1, where Matt and Kira find love. In this novel, the mandatory trouble in paradise occurs. Sometimes, hurt is what I want to read about, and this is a favorite go-to. The fight scenes are harsh, so I skip parts.
Narration is good.
 

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Review: Dissonance

Dissonance by Shira Anthony and Nick J. Russo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

British noble Cameron Sherrington has hit rock bottom. The love of his life, opera sensation Aiden Lind, is marrying another man, and Cam knows it’s his fault for pushing Aiden away. As if that’s not enough, someone is trying to take away his family business, and the US authorities are pursuing him on charges of money laundering. Desperate and betrayed by the people he thought cared about him, Cam takes refuge in the subway station where Galen Rusk plays his trumpet for tips.

 

The first part, where Cam is accused of money laundering, was captivating. After that, the focus changed to Galen and his issues and I just bided my time. This was no immersive novel, maybe caused by the third-person narration. I was not convinced by everything this story offered. Like, Cam being able to run a company and how easily he stepped over his mental health issues.
I chose this book based on the narrator, who did a good job, again. The sound was too harsh.

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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: Winter of the Owl

Winter of the Owl by Iris Foxglove and Kris Antham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sava has the best house in all of Lukos. He built it himself, dreaming of the day when he and Milan, the man he loved, could live there and brave the harsh winters of Lukos together—only to be devastated when Milan was found dead in the spring. 

Victor is a scholar from Gerakia, a land known for its long summers and vibrant history, and he has never been more unprepared in his life. Abandoned on the inhospitable island of Lukos after a disastrous relationship, Victor has to adapt quickly to survive. Victor and Sava start to make a home together, growing close as snow falls outside, but the true danger of a Lukos winter is closer than they suspect...

 
I loved this MM romance and immediately bought audiobook #2.
The plot was quite simple and I did not care I could predict it. I wanted to keep listening because I cared about Victor's well-being. The writing was flawed in places. There were chapters where the author did not show but tell and at times the wording was in your face, where nuance would suffice.
The narrator was great at performing and voices but also not consistent. A few times he lost his inspiration and narrated like an enumeration, for a couple of sentences.

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Review: An Unnatural Vice

An Unnatural Vice by K.J. Charles and Matthew Lloyd Davies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy is determined to expose spiritualists who exploit the grief of bereaved and vulnerable people. First on his list is the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel expects him to be a cheap, heartless fraud. He doesn't expect to meet a man with a sinful smile and the eyes of a fallen angel - or that a shameless swindler will spark his desires for the first time in years.

Justin feels no remorse for the lies he spins during his séances. His gullible clients simply bore him. Hostile, disbelieving, utterly irresistible Nathaniel is a fascinating challenge.

But Justin and Nathaniel are linked by more than their fast-growing obsession with one another. They are both caught up in an aristocratic family's secrets, and Justin holds information that could be lethal.

 
Book 2 of 3.

Although this audiobook is a well-written story with complex characters, the story did not grasp me. In my opinion, this is a redundant volume between book #1 and #3, because mystery-wise not much changes, and romance-wise I was disappointed. There was too much talking and (as is common in more English historical romances) the lovers were more polite than passionate.
The narration was good.

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Review: The Front Runner

The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren and Christian Rummel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

In 1975, coach Harlan Brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York college, after he was fired from Penn State University on suspicion of being gay. A tough, lonely ex-Marine of 39, Harlan has never allowed himself to love another man.

Then Billy Sive, a brilliant young runner, shows up on his doorstep. He and his two comrades, Vince Matti and Jacques LaFont, were just thrown off a major team for admitting they are gay. Harlan knows that, with proper training, Billy could go to the '76 Olympics in Montreal. He agrees to coach the three boys under strict conditions that thwart Billy's growing attraction for his mature but compelling mentor.

This is one of the LGBT novels I chose because it is a classic. It is compelling and stays with you for the rest of your life. The focus on gay rights and injustice made this audiobook a slightly depressing lesson in history. Personally, I would have liked a happy ever after. 

The narration was all right.

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Review: Brothers of the Wild North Sea

Brothers of the Wild North Sea by Harper Fox and Hamish Long
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

Caius doesn’t feel like much of a Christian. He loves his life of learning as a monk in the far-flung stronghold of Fara, but the hot warrior blood of his chieftain father flows in his veins. Heat soothed only in the arms of his sweet-natured friend and lover, Leof.

When Leof is killed during a Viking raid, Cai’s grieving heart thirsts for vengeance—and he has his chance with Fenrir, a wounded young Viking warrior left for dead. But instead of reaching for a weapon, Cai finds himself defying his abbot’s orders and using his healing skills to save Fen’s life.

At first, Fen repays Cai’s kindness by attacking every Christian within reach. But as time passes, Cai’s persistent goodness touches his heart. And Cai, who had thought he would never love again, feels the stirring of a profound new attraction.

This is a must-read for everyone, but when listening to the audiobook, you are in for a treat. The plotline, lifestyle, characters, history, and narration are top-notch. This early medieval society existed before the Catholic church decided to make a list of mortal sins, putting homosexuality in the top 3. No damnation and no bigotery.
People not used to explicit gay intimacy may keep in mind: hetero sex involves the same acts.

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Review: A Midwinter Prince

A Midwinter Prince by Harper Fox and Rusty Coles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars  

Laurence Fitzroy is trapped in a golden cage. The only son of a wealthy London baronet, he's struggling to escape his father's suffocating world. But Laurie is losing his fight. At 19 years of age, bright and imaginative, he's no match for the brutal Sir William. Laurie wants to be an actor - bad enough as far as Sir William is concerned, but, worse than that, he's gay.

One bitter winter night, he meets a young homeless man huddled in blankets outside the opera house. The two form a bond straight away, and Laurie takes him home, wanting only to offer him food and a warm bed. But Sasha is a passionate Romani immigrant, and his beauty and sweet nature soon overwhelm Laurie's chaste intentions, leaving him hopelessly in love.

This is not a historical series. They are titled aristocrats in contemporary society.

 Book 1 of 2.

I love this audiobook, and always follow up with the next, although that one is less to my taste. I like how they express their affection and withstand setbacks. Most of the drama is based on bigotry. 

I liked the story but was very confused in the beginning because Audible tagged this as 'historical'. I don't often read the blurb, so I was waiting for a time portal to open or a second storyline to start. 

Some sentences in this one were recorded twice but it did not lessen the performance quality. 

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Review: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles and Martyn Swain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Abandoned by his father as a small child, Sir Gareth Inglis has grown up prickly, cold, and well-used to disappointment. Even so, he longs for a connection, falling headfirst into a passionate anonymous affair that's over almost as quickly as it began. Bitter at the sudden rejection, Gareth has little time to lick his wounds: his father has died, leaving him the family title, a rambling manor on the remote Romney Marsh...and the den of cutthroats and thieves that make its intricate waterways their home.

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. His family is his life...which is why when the all-too-familiar new baronet testifies against Joss's sister for a hanging offense, Joss acts fast, blackmailing Gareth with the secret of their relationship to force him to recant. Their reunion is anything but happy and the path forward everything but smooth.

Who thought to employ a narrator who pauses after every three words was a good idea? I tried a few chapters and then the M/M romance grasped me. It is doable. I loved the action, the side characters, the villains and the rival smuggling gang. The Marsh in my head turned from grey and desolate to lively, colorful and social the longer I listened. It brought to mind Daphne de Maurier's work, which makes it not original but breathtaking none the less.

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