Category: Audible

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Quiet Nights (Mangrove Stories #2) Audiobook by Mary Calmes Narrated by Greg Tremblay

Dreamspinner presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6431

QuietNightsAUDMEDBlurb

It’s a lovely little life Kelly Seaton leads. He’s got his own landscaping business, a nice little house, and his best friend, Cosimo Renaldi, and Coz’s goofball family who have adopted Kelly as their own. Sure, it’s a little lonely at night, but it’s a sweet deal, and Kelly can’t chance ruining it by letting on that he wants more—has always wanted more—with Coz.

Then Kelly’s past comes to town, bringing bad memories and hurt feelings that start to break Kelly down, and Coz just doesn’t understand why Kelly won’t let him be the support and strength that Kelly’s always been for him. They’ve already been through war, Coz’s devastating injury, and starting new careers in Mangrove, Florida. Why shouldn’t they face their chaotic pasts and build their future of quiet nights… together?

Review

(Reviewed previously)

Oh Mary, how I love thee, let me count the ways!

This is the second book in her new Mangrove Stories series. So… yep we get to see Dwyer and Takeo again. (Yay!)

Kelly and Coz are best friends and have been since their days in the military. Kelly is Coz’s de-facto brother, his family disowned him for being gay. Kelly saved Coz’s life but Coz still lost an arm, and as a result still feels inadequate in the realm of romance.

Takeo actually is to be credited with pushing Kelly and Coz together, because it is his matchmaking endeavors that sort of push Coz into dating which makes Kelly so jealous he can’t see straight!

This is a short story, so we get a little build up and a little steamy smexy times and lots and lots of warm feels.

One of my favorite quotes from the book illustrates this exactly. Coz is talking to Kelly. “You’re who I think of telling shit to, who I miss even when I’m busy doing something and you’re who I want to roll over on top of in the morning.” See? Build up, smexy times, and lots of great feels!

4 of 5 hearts

Audio

Greg Tremblay did an amazing job with this. I just love diving into his stories – he is so compelling – adding a layer to Mary’s work that just makes everything exponentially wonderful.

5 of 5 hearts

Overall 4.5 hearts

4.5

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Sidecar Audiobook by Amy Lane Narrated by Chris Patton

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6433

SidecarAUDMEDBlurb

The year is 1987. The boys wear pink Izod shirts, the girls wear big hair, everyone has a stash box, and AIDS is just an ugly rumor rumbling like a thunderstorm from the cities. A teenage runaway wanders the side of the road, a heartbeat away from despair, and is rescued by a long-haired angel on a Harley. But that’s just the beginning of their story. Josiah Daniels wanted peace and quiet and a simple life, and he had it until he rescued Casey from hunger, cold, and exhaustion. Suddenly Joe’s life is anything but simple as he and his new charge navigate a world that is changing more rapidly than the people in it. Joe wants to raise Casey to a happy and productive adulthood, and he does. But even as an adult, Casey can’t conceive of a happy life without Joe. The trouble is getting Joe to accept that the boy he nurtured is suddenly the man who wants him. Their relationship can either die or change with the world around them. As they make a home, negotiate the new rules of growing up, and swerve around the pitfalls of modern life, Casey learns that adulthood is more than sex, Joe learns that there is no compromise in happy ever after, and they’re both forced to realize that the one thing a man shouldn’t be is alone.

Review

Casey gets kicked out of his house for being gay. He ends up being a “rent boy” briefly, and the punching bag of some truckers as he hitches out of town. Just when he’s thinking about giving up he meets Joe.

Joe is a Quaker, a nurse, a biker, a bear, bi-sexual, hippie… you name it, he’s probably done it. He is easy going, big hearted and lovely. He sees Casey on the side of the road and has to – HAS TO – help him.

At first Casey is leery – he’s been burned before by men, then he realizes how truly good Joe is and then he is determined to seduce him. The only problem is he’s 16 and Joe is at least a decade older and no way is Joe going to act on anything Casey is offering.

The years go by and Joe essentially raises Casey from a precocious 16 year old to a sassy 21 year old – managing to get him through high school, first love and into college. When Casey makes one final play for Joe that ends up in a huge fight, he takes off – leaving Joe lonely and decimated.

When Casey’s father dies, Joe helps him attend the funeral and they finally admit what they mean to one another.

But – both Joe and his family know that Casey can’t give him what he most wants in life – a baby. Add to this a judgemental sister and a significant age gap and we still have some hurdles to face.

However, in the end, with miracles abounding Casey and Joe put together a family and manage to be the most rock solid team you could ever dream about.

**
Oh man. I love – love – love- this book. Joe is one of my favorite “Amy” characters. He is so steady but funny. Down to earth and sweet. Casey is equally awesome – sassy and sarcastic – always pushing buttons and never afraid to ask for what he wants.

There is some angst – it’s an Amy book for Pete’s sake – but by and large most of this book is two men building a relationship and a family and making their own pathway in life.

It was beautiful and touching and sweet and sentimental and yet the sex scenes are some of Amy’s best work!

The narrator did an AMAZING job. He makes Joe a bit growly and Casey a bit snarky and just lets you sink right in to the wonderful story Amy has given us.

I can’t recommend this highly enough – I’ve already listened to it three times – it’s just so good!

6 of 5 stars

amazing

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Transparency Audiobook by Ethan Stone and Sara York narrated by John Solo

Troy Daulton Presents http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Transparency-Audiobook/B00M4DGE9C/ref=a_search_c4_1_4_srTtl?qid=1430671811&sr=1-4

transparencyBlurb

Charlie is the quintessential bear. Big, muscular and hairy. But that isn’t the type of men he’s attracted to. He is drawn to men like Taylor – short, smooth, and sexy. Taylor is Charlie’s idea of the perfect twink. But there’s something about Taylor Charlie doesn’t know.
Taylor is unsure about a lot of things, but when he sees Charlie, he instantly knows he wants him. The only issue standing in his way is how Taylor views his own masculinity. He’s afraid that Charlie will leave once he knows the secret Taylor wants to keep hidden. Can he be transparent with Charlie and allow him to look behind the image he’s so carefully constructed?

Review

Taylor meets Charlie at a glory hole and is afraid to make further contact because he’s been burned in the past by guys who can’t see past his past. Charlie is Taylor’s dream guy, big, hairy, tough… and unlikely to want someone like Taylor. Transgender.

But… Taylor doesn’t know Charlie and when Charlie convinces him to give their relationship a chance, Charlie surprises Taylor with the depth of his heart and his willingness to see past the body to the person underneath.

**
This is a short story and it maybe would have been better had it been longer. Since it moved so quickly from meet to love to forever it was a bit hard to swallow. I just didn’t fully appreciate that Charlie’s friends would vilify Charlie’s taste in men and Taylor so violently and I would think the whole transgender thing would need more discussion and would have really made for a lovely educational story about the challenges faced by such a romance.

The narrator, John Solo, did a great job and I enjoyed listening to this more than I would have reading it, I am sure.

Overall 3 of 5 hearts for the audiobook.

3

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The Enlightenment of Daniel (Sex in Seattle Book 2) Audiobook by Eli Easton Narrated by Tommy O’Brien

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6363

EnlightenmentOfDaniel[The]AUDMEDBlurb

Business tycoon Daniel Derenzo lives for his work until his dying father reminds him life is short. When Daniel starts to reevaluate his world, he experiences a startling revelation: He’s attracted to his business partner and best friend, Nick, even though Daniel always believed himself to be straight. In typical type-A fashion, Daniel dissects his newfound desires with the help of the experts at the Expanded Horizons sex clinic. He goes after Nick with the fierce determination that’s won him many a business deal.

Nick Ross was in love with Daniel years ago, when they were roommates in college. But Daniel was straight, and Nick patched his broken heart by marrying Marcia. Two kids and 14 years later, they go through the motions of their marriage like ships passing in the night. But Nick’s kids mean the world to him, and he’s afraid he’ll never get joint custody if they divorced. If he can trust his heart to an awakening Daniel, they all might find their way to a happily ever after.

Review

Daniel and Nick have been friends and business partners for years.  One day – really from out of the blue – Daniel sees Nick as a potential lover.  Daniel has never had feelings for a man before so he goes to see our favorite sex therapist who helps him to understand his feelings better.  (This was one of the hottest and funniest scenes in the book!)

Once decided – after finding out his dad has a terminal disease – Daniel works hard to get Nick (who is still married to a woman) on board.

Nick’s wife, unfortunately, is not a nice woman and she has quite a bit of baggage.  Luckily Daniel knows a PI who can help us figure out just what makes her tick.

Eventually the truth comes out about Daniel and Nick and Marcia and Nick and though it was hard – everyone ends up deliriously happy in the end.

**

Of course this was wonderful!  Eli Easton is an amazing author!  I loved Daniel’s character so much.  He was both brash yet trepidatious and though Nick sometimes bugged the crap out of me – I loved them as a couple.

Audio

Tommy O’Brien did a nice job with the narration.  He didn’t do very much with the voices but let the story tell itself.

Overall a wonderful story and audiobook.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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Beneath the Stain Audiobook by Amy Lane Narrated by Nick J Russo

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6367

BeneaththeStainAUDMedBlurb
Complete novel.

In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers– and their penchant for making good music when they weren’t getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends—especially Grant Adams–made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind.

Between the heartbreak of leaving Grant and the terrifying, glamorous life of rock stardom, Mackey is adrift and sinking fast. When he’s hit rock bottom, Trav Ford shows up, courtesy of their record company and a producer who wants to see what Mackey can do if he doesn’t flame out first. But cleaning up his act means coming clean about Grant, and that’s not easy to do or say. Mackey might make it with Trav’s help–but Trav’s not sure he’s going to survive falling in love with Mackey.

Mackey James Sanders comes with a whole lot of messy, painful baggage, and law-and-order Trav doesn’t do messy or painful. And just when Trav thinks they may have mastered every demon in Mackey’s past, the biggest, baddest demon of all comes knocking.

Book review here: https://kimichanexperience.com/beneath-stain-amy-lane-first-episode/

Audio

Wow. Can I just say? Wow.

I absolutely loved Nick J Russo’s narration! His Trav was sooooo sexy! He did an amazing job with the hours and hours of narration – giving each character a distinct voice and flavor. He does a nice job even with the female characters.

I really wish he could have included the bonus material – but I know that wasn’t his decision to make – I would have loved to hear the “ass-babies” discussion at the end!

I can’t recommend this book and the audiobook highly enough – 6 of 5 hearts!

amazing

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Keeping Sweets Audiobook by Cate Ashwood narrated by Jeff Gelder

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6327

keeping sweetsBlurb

Days away from high school graduation, with hardly a penny to his name, Evan Lowry needs to earn money for college. When he comes across an ad for modeling, he thinks his luck has changed – until he learns he’s interviewing for an adult film and will be expected to have sex. On camera. With other men.

For gay porn star Brandon Court, the shine has worn off of regular shoots. He and his producer Les decide to try something new: a reality-show porno set at a beach house. When he meets wide-eyed and naïve Evan for the first time, Brandon isn’t sure if he wants the kid to get lost or get naked. Naked wins.

On set, Brandon takes Evan under his wing, and over the next month, they are thrown together in every intimate way conceivable – except emotionally. Both Brandon and Evan are terrified of trying for anything deeper, and insecurities and doubts wear on their hopes, but the chemistry between them won’t let them slow things down.

Review

This is a lovely story about a jaded porn star who falls in love with a newbie/virgin.  There was a lot of great sex and some pretty nice “feels” in this story.  Brandon and Evan fall for one another pretty much right away and the only “hurdle” happens near the end when Brandon abandons Evan after the shoot – causing Evan to despair.

However – Brandon realizes his mistake and we get a solid HEA after all.

You definitely have to suspend your disbelief – this is not porn like anything I’d have seen or expected – definitely a rosy vision of the industry.  But… it’s nice and the love story is very sweet.

I loved all the Oregon references 🙂

Audio

Jeff Gelder does a nice job with this.  He’s not my favorite narrator and he doesn’ “move me” like some narrators do, but he tells the story in such a way that the story takes center stage, not the narrator.

Overall 4 of 5 hearts

4

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Not Just Friends Audiobook by Jay Northcote Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

NotJustFriendsAUDMEDFrom Dreamspinner:

Blurb

Leaving home to go to university is an exciting phase in anyone’s life. One that’s full of new places, new friends, and new experiences. But Lewis is not prepared for the sudden and intense crush he develops on his out-and-proud flatmate, Max—given that Lewis had always assumed he was straight. Max starts dating another guy, and Lewis’s jealousy at seeing them together forces him to confront his growing attraction.

When Max’s relationship goes awry, Lewis is the one to comfort him and one thing leads to another. But after a night together, Lewis is devastated that Max wants to go back to being just friends. Lewis tries his best to move on and their friendship survives, but the feelings he has for Max don’t go away. He faces other challenges as he deals with coming out to his parents and needs Max’s support more than ever. But Lewis isn’t the only one who’s conflicted. When Max finally admits he cares for Lewis too, Lewis must decide whether he dares risk his heart again on being more than just friends.

Review

Lewis is 18 and just starting University where he meets Max, one of his dorm mates.  Max is out and proud and gets Lewis thinking that he may be something other than straight.

At first Lewis fights his attraction to Max, but it isn’t long before he begins to acknowledge that the feeling he’s experiencing watching Max hook-up with other guys is jealousy.  After a sad break-up one night, the two get drunk and mess around.  Lewis is ready to go all in after that; admit he’s gay, admit he likes Max, everything, but Max is on the rebound and isn’t ready to “break in” a new boyfriend, especially since Lewis is new to being gay and they live together.

Lewis is heartbroken, but admits it makes a bit of sense.  Moving on, Lewis begins to explore his newfound sexuality by telling his family, friends, joining the LGBT group at school and even dating.

As the semester goes on, Lewis discovers more about himself and Max does, too.  They have some hurdles to overcome, but in the end we see a very HFN (or HEA depending on how you look at it.)

**

This was another sweet, wonderful book by Jay Northcote.  It’s told in a way that seems very natural and realistic.  Lewis isn’t hung up about finding out he’s gay – he’s reluctant at first, only because he’d had a girlfriend in High School, but it doesn’t take much in the experimenting phase for him to admit his preference.  Lewis’ family is essentially pretty supportive as are his friends.

Max is a fairly easy going, very open gay man, who is really just following his heart.  He doesn’t have any terrible, dark secrets keeping him from loving, just normal life-is-never-perfect stuff that gives him some substance.

When all is said and done, the really nice thing about this story is that it ends up being more about the love story than a “gay” love story.

Audio

I really like Matthew Lloyd Davies.  I think it’s important for these British books to be read in a British accent and Matthew has a lovely one!

I highly recommend the story and the audiobook; 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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Cherish and Blessed (Faith, Love & Devotion books 4 & 5) Audiobook by Tere Michaels Narrated by JP Handler

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6328&cPath=1235

Cherish&BlessedAUDMEDBlurb

2nd Edition Faith, Love, & Devotion: Books Four & Book Five

Cherished

After several years of happy coupledom, Matt and Evan can relax in the knowledge that their little family has survived the worst of it. The two older girls are away at college, the twins have yet to fully hit teen angst, Matt is doing well with his part time security consulting, and Evan is about to be promoted to captain—it seems like things are calm and bright.

Until they aren’t.

As the holidays approach, Evan and Matt get a shock no parent is ever prepared for: feisty Miranda, Evan’s eldest, has a new boyfriend, Kent, and they are talking marriage after just three months together. In fact, Miranda wants to bring him to Thanksgiving dinner—along with his parents, Blake and Cornelia.

Blessed

Lives are in transition as everyone gathers at the stunning Hamptons beach home of Daisy and Bennett to celebrate the christening of their new baby. Griffin and Jim—secretly growing tired of their rootless lifestyle—are in a rocky spot in their relationship. And as the godfather, Griffin finds himself yearning for something he’s sure Jim won’t be interested in.

Fatherhood.

Matt and Evan are looking to reconnect during the long weekend, as their respective careers pull them in separate directions. With less time spent together, Evan grows concerned about what will happen when the last two kids leave the nest.

1st Edition of Cherish published as an eBook by Loose Id LLC, November 2012.

Review

This is definitely not a stand-alone and is the fourth and fifth books combined in one edition.

In Cherished we see Matt dealing with parenthood as Evan’s daughter really puts everyone through the wringer. I loved the look into the couple as they navigate more of the everyday realities of being a unique family. The fact that Kent’s parents were more bothered by the guns than the gay was a great twist and I thought the whole storyline was well done.

In Blessed we see all four couples (Evan’s partner and her new husband, plus Daisy and her new baby along with Griff and Jim) at the Hamptons for Daisy’s baby’s christening.

Though Evan is still dealing with being promoted to captain and put in a position more for diplomacy rather than danger, he and Matt are just so damn cute and in love! Griff and Jim, however, are smoothing out some of the rough edges of their romance and this is a nice sequel to their story.

Something very interesting happened though at the end… it seems left open for another installment! I am hoping that with the re-release of the original stories and their audiobook debuts that we will see another (final?) installment giving our guys some even more permanent closure. (Hint, hint… a wedding perhaps???)

(Update! Looks like I was right! http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6330 Coming May 1st!)

Audio

JP Handler has narrated this entire series. I think he’s one of those narrators who will either strike you as being perfect or not so perfect.

I think he did a better job with this than some of the previous books. His voice modulation was a little more solid, less “warbling” and emotional.

I love this series so much and I think, once you get used to it, his narration is adequate.

Overall 4 of 5 hearts

4

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Rack and Ruin Audiobook by Charlie Cochet Narrated by Mark Westfield

Dreamspinner Presents: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6303

Rack&RuinAUDMedBlurb

New York City’s streets are more dangerous than ever with the leaderless Order of Adrasteia and the Ikelos Coalition, a newly immerged Therian group, at war. Innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire and although the THIRDS round up more and more members of the Order in the hopes of keeping the volatile group from reorganizing, the members of the Coalition continue to escape and wreak havoc in the name of vigilante justice.

Worse yet, someone inside the THIRDS has been feeding the Coalition information. It’s up to Destructive Delta to draw out the mole and put an end to the war before anyone else gets hurt. But to get the job done, the team will have to work through the aftereffects of the Therian Youth Center bombing. A skirmish with Coalition members leads Agent Dexter J. Daley to a shocking discovery and suddenly it becomes clear that the random violence isn’t so random. There’s more going on than Dex and Sloane originally believed, and their fiery partnership is put to the test. As the case takes an explosive turn, Dex and Sloane are in danger of losing more than their relationship.

Review

Chaos in THIRDS land.

The Coalition has a mole from inside THIRDS and some Therian is killing humans. And if that isn’t enough, things inside THIRDS are in chaos as well.

Dex and Sloane are navigating their budding relationship. Sloane is trying to get the rest of his team to pull it together and leave personal business at home. Dex is trying to help Cael with his feelings for Ash. Letty and Rosa are … okay, they’re fine. Taylor is sexually harassing EVERYONE. The new guy Levi might be hooking up with Lou, and Dex has to plan for his pre-birthday-party-party. It’s a lot to deal with.

In this installment we get to see a lot of Sloane and Dex and most of it is really, deliciously, ooey and gooey. Sloane even purrs! (Wait til you read that part – so fantastic!) They seem solidly on the forward track until… well… Sloane runs … again. Dex inadvertently moves the relationship forward and Sloane isn’t prepared for it, so Sloane takes off for a bit, but eventually, with the help of Ash (of all Therians) figures out what a good thing he has in Dex.

The sex is super hot and Dex and Sloane as a couple are hilarious. (My favorite is the closet scene: “This isn’t what it looks like. I dropped some change, it rolled under the closet door, and when I went to pick it up, my clothes fell off. True story.”)

Ash has something going on in his life that is making him distance himself from Cael and Cael is heartbroken and making potentially fatal mistakes as a result.

When the dust settles and the bad guy (for the moment) is disposed of, we’re left with a cliff hanger. We’re going to have to wait til next YEAR to see what happens – that Charlie Cochet, she’s naughty!

Now, we can all probably guess the outcome, but in addition to the main worry, we also have to worry about Cael and Ash – will Ash ever figure things out and get it together enough to be with Cael?

And, really, what is going on with Calvin and Hobbs? Inquiring minds want to know.

Overall, this was a wonderful third installment to the THIRDS series and I really enjoyed it. There was lots of Therian shifting which I like, Sloane acting like a happy kitty, which I liked and some tricky spy stuff, which I like.

Audio

Mark Westfield narrates this entire series and I love his work.  I think it’s great how he augments the sound for microphone or telephone etc and his delivery is great.

5 of 5 hearts

5

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The Blinding Light Audiobook by Renae Kaye narrated by Jonathan Young

Dreamspinner Presents  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6315

BlindingLight[The]AUDMedBlurb

Jake Manning’s smart mouth frequently gets him into trouble. Because of it, he can’t hold a job. Combined with some bad luck, it’s prevented him from keeping steady employment. A huge debt looms over him, and alone he shoulders the care of his alcoholic mother and three younger sisters. When a housekeeping position opens, Jake’s so desperate he leaps at the opportunity. On landing, he finds his new boss, Patrick Stanford, a fussy, arrogant, rude… and blind man.

Born without sight, Patrick is used to being accommodated, but he’s met his match with Jake, who doesn’t take any of his crap and threatens to swap all the braille labels on his groceries and run off with his guide dog unless he behaves.

Jake gets a kick out of Patrick. Things are looking up: the girls are starting their own lives and his mum’s sobriety might stick this time. He’s sacrificed everything for his family; maybe it’s time for him to live his life and start a relationship with Patrick. When his mother needs him, guilt makes his choice between family and Patrick difficult, and Jake must realize he’s not alone anymore.

Review

This is the second book I have read by this author and I will definitely be looking for more. The setting is Australia, so you get a few funny words, but for the most part, the setting could be anywhere. Jake is a young man who is a little bit too perfect but in a way that is so funny and sweet, you can’t help but forgive him for that.

Patrick is fantastic. Curmudgeonly and surly at first, only to be completely turned around when his sh*t is thrown back in his face by the mouthy Jake.

It’s almost a Cinderella story in that Patrick has so much money and Jake is dirt poor, but since Patrick is blind – the inequality isn’t quite so profound. You really get the idea that the two do have something to offer one another and that makes the disparity more tolerable.

Jake’s friends and family are funny and well rounded as characters who add to the story without really detracting from the main thread.

There was an appropriate amount of smexy scenes, not overwhelming and those that were there were definitely hot.

The ending kind of came from left field, but in a way I really liked it. Sometimes life does throw you a curve ball and you have to take what you get when you get it.

I also liked how the two resolved the issue of money between the two of them. It might not be the most romantic way to do it, but it’s a realistic approach to a sensitive, relationship-breaking subject.

Overall I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone in search of a sweet, light read.

Audio

Jonathan Young did another wonderful job with this narration.  I loved the emotion he uses and the way his accent doesn’t overwhelm the story.

Overall 5 of 5 hearts

5

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