Tag: British

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The Dating Game Audiobook by Jay Northcote Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

Jaybird books presents  http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Dating-Game-Audiobook/B00UMDCOZ4

dating audioBlurb

When they were at uni, Owen always had a bit of a crush on Nathan. But Nathan was apparently straight, and Owen was too busy with other guys to take his crush seriously.

When Nathan moves back to Bristol after a year away, Owen hears that Nathan has come out of the closet, and he propositions him. Nathan doesn’t want to be just another notch on Owen’s bedpost, though, so he challenges Owen to prove he can be serious: five dates before they have sex.

Owen doesn’t think that sounds too difficult. He’s expecting Nathan to find his charms irresistible anyway. But as they grow closer, Owen begins to care more about proving himself to Nathan than he does about getting him into bed.

Review

(book reviewed previously)

Owen has always been out and proud, at least since college, and that’s when he first met Nate.  Nate was “straight” through college, but he’d noticed Owen, and sublimated that interest, back in college, as well.  Later, now that Nate is finally being true to himself, Owen wants to see if reality is as hot as the fantasy.  But Nate doesn’t do casual relationships and that’s all Owen knows.

On a lark, Nate offers to have sex with Owen, but only if Owen will agree to five sexless dates first.  Surprising them both, Owen agrees.

At first Owen is merely placating Nate, biding his time, proving that he can do “dating” as well as the next guy.  But it doesn’t take long for things to get “real” and suddenly Owen is looking forward to each new date without worrying about trying to get in Nate’s pants.

Meanwhile Nate is falling for Owen, but positive that Owen will never settle down with just one guy and certainly not him.

After a few fairly minor hiccups, the two manage to make it through date five only to find that what started as a drunken bet has developed into something very real and both end up very happy with the results.

**

What a sweet, fun, fantastic read!  Jay has given us another winner!

Both characters are very likable, their emotions are sweet and straight-forward, their romance both hot yet touching.  Neither has a boat-load of angst to overcome and the main hurdle in this story is mostly one of self-perception.  Owen doesn’t see himself as a “boyfriend” type and Nate isn’t sure of his appeal.

I really enjoyed the old-fashioned “getting to know you” dates these boys went on and enjoyed the sexual tension right along side them.  Sure the sexual tension and flirting was there, keeping the steam level high, but since the entire point was to wait for the sex “to mean something” you know (or at least assume) that each encounter isn’t going to end up in the sack.  It was refreshing!  It made their parting kisses that much sweeter and more meaningful (both to the boys and the reader!).

Jay isn’t afraid to be “British” and her dialog is full of British sayings and the boys travel through the country giving a taste of the locale as well.  I loved the unique phrases, even something as mundane as an all you can eat buffet (an eat-all-you-can buffet) or kissing (snogging) or push-ups (press-ups) take on an international flavor and bring another interesting quality to the story.

The secondary characters are fun as well.  Simon, Jack and Kirsty are all well developed and help us to understand our MCs all the better while adding more humor to the mix.

5 of 5 hearts

Audio

I was really glad that a British narrator did this audiobook, I think that adds to the UK flavor Jay Northcote sets up in her books.   I liked him well enough, I thought that sometimes I could have used more variation in the voicings and maybe a little more raunch or emotion… but I really liked it.

Overall, 4.5 of 5 hearts for the Audiobook

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Nothing Special by Jay Northcote

Dreamspinner Presents:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5279

NothingSpecialBlurb

Noah thinks he’s nothing special. Average height, a bit on the skinny side, and cute but rather geeky, he’s relentlessly ordinary. He certainly doesn’t expect to be noticed by Sol, the gorgeous dark-haired stranger Noah sees on his commute home most days. But when Noah’s friend, Dom, persuades Noah to take a huge risk in a bid to get Sol’s attention, things turn out better than Noah dared to hope. Noah and Sol start dating, and much to Noah’s surprise, his feelings seem to be reciprocated.

But Noah’s insecurities make him doubt Sol. He doesn’t believe he’s interesting enough or sexy enough to hold Sol’s attention, and as Sol tries to get closer, Noah’s instinct is to pull away to protect himself. If their relationship is going to survive, Sol needs to convince Noah that he sees Noah very differently than Noah sees himself. Because to Sol, Noah is something very special indeed.

Review
(from previous site)

Noah is a shy guy, a little low on self-esteem, but knows something good when he sees it.

Sol, named after the sun, is as hot as all that, but, surprisingly, a super-sweet guy, too.

Noah sees Sol day after day on the train and one day Noah gets brave enough to ask Sol out and, wonder of wonders, Sol agrees! The two end up on the longest first date ever and with very little fanfare, find themselves in a relationship.
This is not a book full of angst or mystery. It is just so stinking fun, touching, nice and sexy… I loved it. It was like eating a bowl of ice cream on a hot afternoon. Tasty, sweet, and leaving you feeling happy you took the time out to appreciate it.

I absolutely loved that Noah, though amazed at his good fortune, almost never lets his self-esteem issues get in between him and Sol. I loved how the families were not the problem, or society. Instead it was just two guys, genuinely caring for each other, navigating the first days of a romance and taking it all the way to their happy ever after. I LOVED the ending. LOVED IT!

Jay Northcote’s writing is crisp and well-paced. The editing is perfect and the over all effect is a very tight, happy, well-done novel.

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

5

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Fire Horse (Polo #1) Audiobook by Mickie B Ashling Narrated by Max Lehnen

Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6147

fire horseBlurb

Preston Fawkes is ten the first time he meets fifteen-year-old Konrad Schnell at the San Antonio Polo Club. Captivated by the mystique surrounding the sport of kings, Pres vows to learn the game at the hands of his newly acquired friend and mentor. The hero worship soon grows into something deeper, but the friends are separated when Preston goes off to boarding school in England.

The relationship that follows is riddled with challenges―their age gap, physical distance, and parental pressure taking precedence over feelings yet to be explored. Although their bond goes deep, they deal with the reality of their situation differently: Preston is open and fearless while Konrad is reticent and all too aware of the social implications of making a public stand.

Their paths intersect and twine, binding them as tightly as a cowboy’s lasso, but fate may alter their plans. How will love overcome the divots in the turf as they gallop toward the future—one where obstacles no longer stand in their way?

Review
This book starts with Preston as an injured Polo player being told he should never play again and he’s lucky to be alive. We know he has 2 ex-wives and 2 children, and that Kon is NOT in his life, currently. (This should give you an idea of where things are headed…) Then we get to the flashbacks which take up the bulk of the book.

As a boy of ten Preston meets Konrad, a boy of 15, for the first time and learns from him what it means to be a Polo player. He acts as his groom and Kon mentors him in the sport.

Preston’s hero worship of Kon changes on the night he realizes that Kon is gay and that the feelings in his gut may be more than just friendship. Kon, as he should, rebuffs the now 13 year old’s advances.  He puts him off because a) he’s too young and b) the two are about to be separated by Kon’s joining the American Polo team and Preston’s going overseas to study.  But first the two share a passionate kiss.

Preston meets Ned at Eaton, a boarding school in England. Ned shows Preston how to be properly English and Preston gives Ned Polo lessons. After a while, Ned  becomes Preston’s tutor in gay sex as well as his close friend.

Preston and Ned don’t become boyfriends though, because Preston is saving that for Kon, whom he stays in touch with and occasionally meets.

Finally, when Preston is 17 he and Kon spend a chunk of time together and move their relationship forward, becoming lovers and long-distance boyfriends.

Here is where things go horribly wrong. Their relationship is discovered and Kon is forced to join the military and …. Well if I tell you it’s a big spoiler. Needless to say what happens next keeps Kon and Pres apart until the end of the story and for YEARS.

**
I really, really wanted to like this. I loved the idea. Polo, young love, age gap, geographical gap… It had a ton of potential.

The pre-eighteen year old sex did not bother me – that’s reality for a lot of people and I thought it was mostly handled well.

What did bother me: Kon never really seemed to love Pres as much as Pres loved him. Kon seemed to lust for Preston, but not love him. Preston was a jerk, and hard to like, so I don’t blame Kon. As an adult, Pres only gets worse.

The plot twists were far too many and too hard to believe. At times it was like a soap opera in the way that the lovers were kept from one another – for YEARS. If we have that much angst I need a huge batch of happy to make up for it and the reunion at the end did NOT make up for all the unhappiness. After all the torment we see our MCs through, they get about one paragraph of happy ending and the “celibacy issue”… I just didn’t buy it at all.

I did not like the on-page sex with people not the MC. That, more than the age thing, did really bother me.

I thought the writing was ok, but I didn’t feel a lot of authenticity from the characters. Preston’s dad was practically bi-polar (smacking Preston around then giving him a new pony.) Preston’s step-dad just going out and renting his 16 year old son porn seemed nuts. Preston’s mom even marrying Preston’s dad didn’t make much sense. Ned – putting up with Preston’s crap for so long.  And there are other areas where it didn’t feel real.

I just couldn’t connect well to either MC very well, thought the plot holes were too big to ignore and found the romance lacking.  If you are a fan of drama, you might like this.  There is a LOT of it.  If you want a tender and satisfying, relationship story, this is not for you.

Audiobook
Max Lehnen is hit or miss for me. I have heard him do some nice narrations, and I have heard him butcher some. In this case he had some tall orders. He had to do a wide range of ages, including aging the MCs from 10 to adult. He had several accents to do, Texan, British, and Preston’s odd British/Texas blend, women, kids, etc. I thought for the most part he did a great job handling such a demanding narration, though some of his accents were definitely better than others.

I give Max Lehnen 4 of hearts and the story 1 of 5 hearts which gives this an average of 2.5 hearts

2.5

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