Saving Samuel (Manchester Ménage #1)-Nicole Colville

Publisher: Hidden Pleasures

Police officer Milo and Fireman Daniel have been dating off and on for six years, but it always seems more off than on. Just when their relationship reaches breaking point, someone enters their lives, unknowingly helping the confused couple work through their differences.

Falling in love with the man Daniel rescued and who Milo is investigating as a potential arson suspect isn’t a conventional start to any relationship, especially one which includes a mysterious blond who’s afraid to stop running. But they both see what didn’t work out as a couple, could work out as a ménage.

Daniel and Milo unite to help save Samuel, but quickly realise he’s not the only one being saved.

With so many obstacles in their way threatening to destroy the future they desire, all three have to fight to create a bond too strong for anyone or anything to break.

  
Let me start by pointing out how much I liked the cover. I don’t know if it was the color, or the fact that it was the fireman wearing his gear looking hot, but I really liked it.  The characters were wonderful, I just couldn’t get enough of reading about these characters. For some reason, Milo was my favorite of the three. Then it was sweet Daniel and even sweeter and gentle Samuel. 

These three men’s personality is so different from each other but they fit together perfectly. It was clear from the beginning of the story that Daniel and Milo are deeply in love with each other but their personalities caused these two men to bump heads.  Daniel wanted more from his relationship with Milo. It wasn’t that Milo wasn’t willing to give Daniel what he needed, he simply couldn’t because he didn’t quite understand how, you know? 

Then Samuel enters their lives. One would think that the timing was bad to bring a third into a rocky relationship but in this case, this particular third was exactly what the two men needed. They saved each other. Samuel endured a past filled with abuse, both physical and sexual at the hands of his kidnappers. First Daniel and then Milo became his saviors and gave him the newest, sweetest lease on life.

I loved this book, these characters. Ms. Colville did the best job of crafting them. Their dialog and the storyline was amazing. This is a new author to me, brought to my attention completely by chance. I truly enjoy the all male ménage storyline and she did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life for me. I am really looking forward to reading the second book in this series. I was so excited to see that Dalton would get his story. I really liked his character. This is a great start to what to what is looking to be a brilliant series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️AMAZING⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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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Lost Along the Way by Marie Sexton

Dreampsinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6261

LostAlongtheWayBlurb

Three months after losing his parents in a car crash, Denver weatherman Daniel Whitaker returns to Laramie, Wyoming. It’s bad enough dealing with the death of his parents and his failing relationship of fifteen years, but when he finds his childhood home full of clutter, Daniel is at a loss. He enlists Landon, his parents’ sexy neighbor, to help him sort through the mess. Landon Kushner is a study in contradictions. He builds wind sculptures out of scrap metal and loves the outdoors, but he also rides a mint-green Vespa and has an affinity for knitting and fortune-telling. He’s been friends with Daniel’s parents for years, and he’s more than willing to lend a hand.

Their plan is simple: clean the house so Daniel can sell it and get back to his life in Denver. But when a strange cookbook comes into Landon’s possession, Daniel begins to realize that the universe – and Granny B – may have other plans.

Review

This is not what I had been expecting! You should know that ¾ of this book sees Daniel in another relationship (with Chase) and slowly moving out of said relationship. Landon is there throughout and is slowly falling for Daniel and vice versa, but most of the story is Daniel’s relationship with his family and his lover of 15 years.

I really like Marie Sexton and her writing style so this was an easy read for me. Having grown up in Colorado and living in Ft Collins for years it was like a reunion for me. However, what I really liked was that she is able to take what could have been a crippling realization – Chase doesn’t love me anymore and I gave up my family for him – and turned it into a growth opportunity and so much more.
I loved Landon’s character and wish we had seen more of the couple as a couple – but it was still a very satisfying love story.

5 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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Outcome (Aftermath #2) by Cara Dee

Cara Dee Presents:  http://www.amazon.com/Outcome-Aftermath-Book-Cara-Dee-ebook/dp/B00NML5KGI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1427768959&sr=1-1&keywords=outcome+cara+dee

outcomeBlurb

Three years ago, Chase Gallardo ran toward freedom with his fellow survivors after having spent five months in captivity. He hasn’t stopped running since. Only now, it’s the memories he’s constantly trying to escape. Haunting echoes of a man who forced Chase to play the part of another, the kidnapper’s younger brother. Chase may have survived, but that doesn’t mean he’s really living. Until one day, when his employee tells him there’s a man sitting at the bar, wearing only underwear.
Remy Stahl has given up—almost. For a year, alcohol, drugs, and faces without names have kept him company. But he has two friends who refuse to give up on him, and they lock him up in his house in an attempt to save him from himself. But never underestimate an addict’s desire to see the bottom of another bottle. Remy escapes, and he doesn’t give a rat’s ass that he’s nearly naked.

This is the sequel to Aftermath, where Cam and Austin met, struggled, and fell in love. Outcome takes us back to Bakersfield with Chase and Remy’s story. Fueled by anger, guilt, and shame, they’re not off to an easy start. But it’s only a matter of time before they learn how much they need each other in order to move on.

Review

(From previous site)

If you remember Aftermath – which you MUST read before you read this – you’ll recall that Chase was one of the captives held by Remy Stahl’s brother.  In fact, Remy was the “name” Chase was given and his role to play in the demented farce he was forced to play in the basement.  At the end of Aftermath, Chase is contacted by Remy in an attempt for Remy to express his immense regret that Chase suffered at his brother’s hands.

In this, the sequel, we pick up where Aftermath left off, Chase is a year out of captivity and he is feeling more secure in his life.  He has refused Remy’s apologies thus far and doesn’t think he will ever be ready to face him.

Remy, on the other hand, is checking out.  He is in a drug driven downward spiral that is only halted when his friend pulls him in and puts him in a forced “detox” situation.

Running from this detox, Remy runs into Chase by accident.  This spurs Chase into re-evaluating his feelings and the two enter into a somewhat strange, but infinitely mutually helpful relationship with each other.

They have many ghosts to vanquish and we see some very interesting new developments in the kidnapping case which may serve to split them apart.

**

I absolutely loved Aftermath and was so pleased to see the sequel.  This is a lot easier to read than Aftermath – mostly because we’ve already seen most of the horrors the men had to survive.  Instead, this was a delightful, healing sequel that showed us more of Cam and Austin and allowed us to see Chase and Remy come to peace with their pasts (more than just the past that they shared with Remy’s brother.)

Their love story is sweet and sexy and you will want to read this all in one seating, it’s so engaging.

I highly recommend this and give it 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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Spring Break at Villa Hermes (Brandt and Donelly book 4)by Xavier Mayne

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6231

SpringBreakattheVillaHermesBlurb
Troopers Ethan Brandt and Gabriel Donnelly celebrate the one-year anniversary of their engagement by flying south for a week of calm relaxation at the Villa Hermes, a gay boutique hotel on the beach. But when the rest of the guests turn out to be college guys on spring break (unwittingly booked into a gay hotel by a passive-aggressive travel agent), their week turns out to be anything but calm.

Ted, one of the spring breakers, has harbored a crush on his roommate and best friend, Bark, since they met freshman year. Now, on their fourth and final spring break, Ted knows they must soon say good-bye. A lacrosse star and ladies’ man, Bark has no idea Ted has fallen for him—until a storm forces the entire group underground for twenty-four hours of stress and truth-telling. Bark doesn’t want to say good-bye to Ted at graduation either. He just didn’t know how to put his feelings into words or if he could face the consequences of speaking them. Brandt and Donnelly help the college guys through their crisis by showing them what love between best friends can grow into.

Review

Ted and Bark are friends and roommates in their last year at the university. This is to the their last “hoorah” and Ted plans to say good-bye to the man who’s been his unrequited love interest for the last four years. But when a manipulative travel agency books Ted and his friends at the same gay resort as Brandt and Donelly a lot of things happen that change that plan.

**
This is an absolutely hysterical and lovely story. Ted’s friends are full of charismatic stories that get told one night as they all huddle against a storm.  Each striving to be their own man and to deal with their own sexuality in ways that none of the others ever guessed.

Xavier Mayne has given us more wonderful secondary characters with just as much flavor as Bryce and Nestor.  I also love that Xavier is not shy about letting the secondary characters sometimes steal some of the limelight.  In this case Ted and Bark’s story, though lovely and really sweet, has moments where it is eclipsed by the tale of the underwear model and the bear and a blossoming bi-sexual hippy.

I love that we continue to be awed by the love between Brandt and Donelly again – there are still layers to explore in their relationship- and it is always fun to check in on them as they get closer to marriage.

I have really enjoyed this series tremendously and I think that this comes in second as my favorite of the bunch.

I whole-heartedly recommend it and give it 5 of 5 hearts.

5

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Silence of the Stars Audiobook by Kate McMurray Narrated by Michael Ferraluolo

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6236

SilenceoftheStars[The]AUDMEDBlurb
A Spin-off of The Stars that Tremble

Sandy Sullivan has gotten so good at covering up his emotions, he’s waiting for someone to hand him an Oscar. On the outside, he’s a cheerful, funny guy, but his good humor is the only thing keeping awful memories from his army tours in Afghanistan at bay. Worse, Sandy is now adrift after breaking up with the only man who ever understood him, but who also wanted to fix him the way Sandy’s been fixing up his new house in Brooklyn.

Everett Blake seems to have everything: good looks, money, and talent to spare. He parlayed a successful career as a violinist into a teaching job at Manhattan’s elite Olcott School and until four months ago, he even had the perfect boyfriend. Now he’s on his own, trying to give his new apartment some personality, even if it is unkempt compared to the perfect home he shared with his ex. When hiring a contractor to renovate his kitchen sends Sandy barreling into his life, Everett is only too happy to accept the chaos… until he realizes he’s in over his head.

Review

To start – I did not read The Stars That Tremble, but I’m told that’s okay.

Sandy is suffering from PTSD, now working with a buddy as a decorator, mostly outgoing and loving life, but having a hard time dealing with the demons he saw in the war.

Everett is coming off a broken heart, his famous ex has moved on and he’s now focusing on his new career and a new residence.

The two are immediately attracted and begin an affair, but it isn’t an easy road.

Sandy doesn’t want to deal with the PTSD he denies and doesn’t want to burden anyone else with his nightmares, so he avoids sleepovers and commitment.

Everett is still a bit gun-shy, what with being a recent ex of a long relationship and he’s dubious about his own abilities to handle Sandy’s PTSD.

In the end Sandy agrees to get some help and Everett and he get a solid HEA.

**

There were parts of this book that I really liked. I loved the MCs and their POTENTIAL. The PTSD, the socialite and the working class man, the musician and the carpenter… all good mixes and rife with potential.

What I didn’t like was the lack of emotion. Even the sex seemed kind of mechanical and blah. Though they said words to the effect of “you are so hot” “I want you so much” I didn’t FEEL it.

Kate McMurray has an easy and flowing writing style, lots of attention to detail and well developed characters.

I liked this book and I would read more by this author, but I wasn’t wowed by this particular story.

3.5 of 5 hearts

I love the cover!

Audio
I mostly liked the narration by Michael Ferraluolo. He has a very nice voice that is easy to listen to. However, I thought that Everett should have the lighter voice and Sandy the deeper – so that kept throwing me out of the story. But I don’t really think that there is a basis for my interpretation other than Sandy was the Army guy… stereotypes and all that. It didn’t really diminish the overall enjoyment for me – just gave me pause now and then. He differentiated the voices nicely and dealt with the emotion that was in the story well.

4 of 5 hearts for the audiobook

4

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Running Wild (Havoc #1) by SE Jakes

Riptide Presents http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/running-wild

running wildBlurb
Embrace the danger.
Sean Rush is an adrenaline junkie. That’s why he was in the Army, why he steals and races classic muscle cars . . . and why he can’t stay away from bad boy Ryker, a Havoc Motorcycle Club lieutenant. Fortunately, Ryker can’t seem to stay away from Sean—he’s spent the last eight months breaking into Sean’s apartment and stealing into his bed, leaving Sean physically satisfied but increasingly restless.
Sean has always avoided relationships. He likes to come and go without being controlled. And Ryker is possibly the most controlling man he’s ever known. Still, he finds that he wants more from Ryker than their silent nighttime encounters.
Then one of Sean’s thefts goes bad, and Ryker’s protective instincts kick into overdrive. He takes Sean to the Havoc compound, determined to keep him safe. But Sean’s past threatens the safety of Havoc—and everything Ryker holds dear. Worse, Ryker’s hiding secrets of his own. Soon it’s obvious that the adrenaline rush can’t keep them together anymore. But maybe love can.

Review
(from previous site)

SE Jakes has done it AGAIN. This series may even top/tie with the Hell or High Water series for me. Ryker is absolutely on par with Prophet for hot, bad ass, awesomeness… but maybe I should compare him to Mal… or Cillian… he is so bad ass that he always knows what to say and when to say it and what he does is ALMOST always right. Almost. Ryker is a SEX GOD and yet so amazingly sweet that you just want to take him home with you. He. Sends. Flowers. (Insert swoon)

Sean is another great character. He is funny, and caring, and a little crazy and vulnerable, and tough… just like a good SE Jakes character should be. He is a great friend, a neurotic lover, an adrenaline junkie and an ex-soldier who suffers from PTSD. He also is Bad. Ass. He has ninja car skills and can steal a car with one hand tied behind his back. His relationship with Ryker is sweet and funny and very, very hot, and sometimes frustrating.

The story is completely amazing. It grabbed me, threw me on the back of the bike and told me to hang on! There was literally never a slow moment or place I felt I wanted (or even could) skim. It was all vital, wonderful and riveting.

The love story is so completely satisfying and … hot. Enough said.

Jakes has added some vaguely paranormal stuff to this story that added a distinct charm and mystique to Havoc and its compound. I hope for future stories from Casey, maybe Sweet, maybe Noah – you never know right?

I totally recommend this book (and all SE Jakes books) and give this book 6 out of 5 hearts – it was that good. Really.

amazing

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Rare (Roads #2) Audiobook by Garrett Leigh narrated by Michael Lesley

Dreamspinner Presents
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5791

RareAUDMedBlurb
Paramedic Pete Adams lived through the year from hell watching his lover, Ash, fall apart, and the precarious balance between work and home is becoming more strained. His heart is always home, with Ash, but the dark side to his job is weighing him down.

Tattoo artist Ash Fagin is recovering from a nervous breakdown triggered by revelations about his traumatic childhood. His battle with mental illness is far from over, but with Pete by his side, he’s feeling good again, so good he doesn’t notice something missing until it walks right into his living room.

Ash believes he’s had enough coincidence in his life, but when a voice from the past comes looking for him, it takes the devastating injuries of the one he loves most to convince him to let a ghost become the family he never knew he wanted.

Review

Ash is recovering from his breakdown and Pete is helping him as best he can while wrestling with his own demons.

Though Pete has been the strong one in the past, his job (in general) and some tough calls (specifically) drain his energy and force him to really rely on Ash for a change.

Things in Ash’s life are changing too.  A mystery woman enters his life who may or may not be significant in his past.

There is more drama and angst – as is to be expected – but overriding it is the love that Pete and Ash share. It only deepens and strengthens as each of them grows and heals.

**

I can’t say this is a “happy” book, but it feels lighter than the first. I was grateful to see Ash healing and moving on (mostly) from his past and I loved seeing more of Pete as a real person and less the idealized boyfriend.

I felt like I connected with the MCs more in this book and thus liked this book a bit more than Slide.

Garrett Leigh is a very good writer and I really appreciate her ability to create these very deep, complex, wounded characters. When you’re in the mood for angst and heart-ache but you need to know there’s light at the end of the tunnel – I’d turn to her for a sure bet.

Audio

For me, Michael Lesley turns this book from a good to great. I just adore his take on Ash. I can almost see and feel him through his voice alone. Michael does a tremendous job of giving us the emotion, the variation in characters and the timing to draw us deeply into the story and immerse us in the character’s lives.

4.5 of 5 hearts

4.5

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