Bolt Hole Audiobook by Amy Lane Narrated by Nick J Russo

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5485

BoltHoleAUDMedBlurb

Terrell Washington’s childhood was a trifecta of suck: being black, gay, and poor in America has no upside. Terrell climbed his way out of the hood only to hit a glass ceiling and stop, frozen, a chain restaurant bartender with a journalism degree. His one bright spot is Colby Meyers, a coworker who has no fear, no inhibitions, and sees no boundaries. Terrell and Colby spend their summers at the river and their breaks on the back dock of Papiano’s. As terrified as Terrell is of coming out, he’s helpless to stay away from Colby’s magnetic smile and contagious laughter.

But Colby is out of college now, and he has grand plans for the future—plans Terrell is sure will leave his scrawny black ass in the Sacramento dust until a breathless moment stolen from the chaos of the restaurant tells Terrell he might be wrong. When the moment is shattered by a mystery and an act of violence, Terrell and Colby are left with two puzzles: who killed their scumbag manager, and how to fit their own lives—the black and the white of them—into a single shining tomorrow.

Review
(From Previous Site)

Terrell is a journalist who can’t get a job in his chosen profession because of his race. He works at a restaurant as a bar tender, he’s angry, he’s lonely and he can’t see anything but bleakness for the future of a gay man from the ‘hood who can’t possibly be “out”.

Then one day a sociology major named Colby starts working at Terrell’s restaurant and now, suddenly, there seems to be hope on the horizon. Colby is everything Terrell isn’t, he’s out, he’s white, he’s optimistic, he is a bright and shiny star.

Turns out that Terrell is everything Colby ever wanted in a man and Colby wages a slow but steady courtship of Terrell over the course of a year, gradually reeling in his prize.

In the meantime there is some drama at the restaurant that puts Terrell, Colby and their friends in danger, and it takes several acts of heroism for Terrell to see that Colby is worth breaking out of the closet for.

Amy Lane – queen of Angst – packs a punch with this one. It is not her most “angsty” story but – wow! – does it have its fair share. There is something so rewarding in watching Terrell slowly unfold, like a flower facing the sun under the bright light that is Colby. Colby has had it easy, but he takes nothing for granted. It could only be someone so essentially good that could show Terrell’s there is more to life than pain and suffering and show him the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Their love is intense, and their sex scenes are absolutely scorching. The side “mystery” is well woven into the love story and helps to shape the characters without detracting from their romance.

I loved Moira and though Percy is kinda an a-hole, he has his moments, too. I also thought that though Gi-Gi is not a person anyone would really want to emulate, Terrell was able to see that she did, perhaps, save his life, even though we abhor her methods.

In the audio version Nick J Russo (who also did Racing the Sun) does an amazing job with Terrell’s voice and really excels at the kid-from-the-wrong-side of the track narrations. I really like his narration style and enjoy the quality and tone of his voice.

I highly recommend both the book and the audio version and give both a 5 out of 5 hearts.

5

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Yes by Brad Boney

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6162

yesBlurb

What if youth wasn’t wasted on the young?

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Ian Parker is looking for a reboot. He may be the proud owner of a trendy coffee shop in Austin called La Tazza Magica, but his love life has been MIA for years. During a trip to Denver with his best friend, Mark, Ian buys an enchanted chocolate from a mysterious candy store—then wakes up from a nap two decades younger. After the initial shock, Ian realizes a quirk of the universe has given him a second chance and, with Mark’s help, he devises a plan to start over.

With a new lease on life, Ian sets his sights on handsome architect Bartley James, a regular customer at La Tazza. He pursues Bartley as Ian’s twenty-one-year-old alter ego, Ryan, with decidedly unexpected results. Joining Ryan on his adventures are Matthew, the dreamy new barista, Jeremy, the geeky high-school math teacher, and Sam, the pizza delivery boy. Even as misunderstandings and expectations collide, Ian remains determined to right his past mistakes and find his off-ramp to happiness.

Review

I would strongly recommend that you read these books in order to fully appreciate the nuances. Brad does an amazing job of creating this “alternate” world with the Walsh brothers and laying out that time is very non-linear and to ignore all that history is silly.

Sure, technically this is a stand alone – but why? Just read the others – they’re great!

In this story we see – again – people making small decisions that have huge implications which can affect their lives (and other’s lives) and lots and lots of trivia.

I think that you are either a fan of the trivia – in this case old porn – or not – and the rapid-fire game-playing will either charm or repel you.

I find Brad Boney’s writing to be fascinating and I love his alternate world-view and though I wish he’d had a different game plan – one where our MCs spend some actual time together – I always enjoy the time I spend on his books.

This was not my favorite in the series – but still an excellent book.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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