Review of Audiobook If the Seas Catch Fire by L.A. Witt, narration by Michael Ferraiuolo

by L.A. Witt, narration by Michael Ferraiuolo

5 star 

Sergei Andronikov was a child when the Mafia wiped out his family, leaving him with nothing but a hunger for revenge. Years later, through ruthless strategy and tireless patience, he's a contract killer working for the three families ruling Cape Swan...and he's nearly in position to bring them all down from the inside.

Domenico "Dom" Maisano is Mafia royalty, a made man...and a hitman. He's caught up in a violent life he can't escape, struggling to maintain an image he doesn't want, and suppressing desires he can't have.

A chance encounter throws the killers into each other's paths. Though Dom knows he's playing a dangerous game, he's intrigued and keeps coming back. Sergei can't resist him either - Dom is everything he set out to destroy, but he's also everything he's ever ached for in a man.

Then Sergei gets the contract he's been waiting for - the hit that promises to bring the town's Mafia to its knees.

But when a boss makes an unexpected move, Sergei must choose between dropping the hammer on the families he vowed to annihilate, and protecting the man he swore he wouldn't love.

And the wrong choice - or even the right one - will destroy them both.

We LOVE this book!  If the Seas Catch Fire is our favourite L.A. Witt book, hard to choose just one!  And in all honesty we have read it 5+ times.  So what could make it better?  An amazing narration by Michael Ferraiuolo!

Why we love the book?

-          The story:  We love Mafia stories and If the Seas Catch Fire is at the top of our love list.  These 2 are normal men who are dragged into a life they don’t want.  There are so many similarities between Dom and Sergei yet they are so far apart on who they believe themselves to be.  It made us want to shake them, and make them acknowledge what they were felling.   This is a fast-paced ride of a story, so many ups and down, intrigue and heat-ache.

-          Dark dark dark:  this is a dark story, murder, drugs, human trafficking, torture, the list goes on.  But what do we love a dark romance?  The idea of redemption, the hope that itr will be okay.  And man we held onto that throughout If the Seas Catch Fire, we yearned for these men to find a little peace.

-          Sexy sexy sexy:  So sexy.  Dom and Sergei know they shouldn’t be together but just can’t stop needing each other, their middle of the night tryst are so hot and so good.

Let’s talk about the Narration:  Michael Ferraiuolo is amazing.  We have heard him in other audiobooks that do nothing for his talent.  He seems to have 100 voices from mafia Italians to Russians, and they are all exceptional.  We never felt confused, about who was who or what was going on.  And he delivered on the feels.   the Seas Catch Fire is an emotional read and Michael captures that heart-breaking quality, the hopelessness that surrounds Dom and Sergei. 

If the Seas Catch Fire is a perfect example of a fantastic author and an excellent narrator coming together to create a superior audiobook.  It is one of the best we have heard this year and on the top of our recommendations.  We are so pleased that L.A. Witt choose Michael Ferraiuolo to narrate and hope for many successful collaborations in the future.

Review of One Giant Leap by Kay Simone and narration by Greg Tremblay

by Kay Simone and narration by Greg Tremblay

5+++ stars

 

We love Kay Simone, we love this book and now we love this Audiobook, so so so so so so SOOOOO good!  Seriously!

Houston we have so many problems...

Curtis "Launchpad" Larkin's career as an astronaut has had its share of ups and downs.
Alternately lauded as the single-handed savior of NASA and condemned as a reckless, hot-headed bully, Curt has been through the wringer of public opinion and come out on top. When he embarks on his final mission with NASA, Curt figures there's no curveball that life has left to throw him. But when the role of spacecraft communicator is passed to a young engineer back in Houston who he's never met, Curt's mission takes on a new trajectory.

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"CAPCOM to commander. Do you read?"

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Patrick Harte's life is turned upside down when he's called to fill in at mission control, working directly under his hero, Curtis Larkin.  Falling for Curt is just a small step for Patrick -- but it's one giant leap to think that the astronaut could ever return his feelings.

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"The more I talk to you, the more I know that we understand each other."

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After Curt connects with Patrick from worlds away, he can't imagine life on earth without the other man... Despite the fact that he's never laid eyes on Patrick. And their problems won't stop once he's cleared for landing. The bad-boy astronaut is no stranger to controversy -- but will the genuine and soft-spoken man of his dreams be able to keep up with the trouble Curt seems to stir everywhere he goes?

This is a story about Patrick Harte who works as a NASA engineer, and after he is called up to fill in as Chief Communications Officer on the current mission he finds himself living his dream and spending hours of time speaking to Commander Curtis Larkin, his childhood hero.  Curt is on his last space mission, and unsure what is next for his life back on earth, but finding himself enamored by Patrick, finding himself pouring out his heart, his wishes and his dreams is not what he expected.  

One Giant Leap is the ultimate slow-burn romance, the tingle of anticipation between these 2 men starts from the first time they ‘meet’.  Even though they come from different backgrounds, ages, and experiences they love space, and connect early in the story over their amazement of all that is out there.  It is lovely, and sweet.  Kay Simone has created a unique story here, and even thought Curt and Patrick don’t physically meet till 80% through the book they have a connection that is powerful; they were made for each other.  One Giant Leap is a long book and the audiobook is 10+ hours as well.  But it never really feels long, Kay Simone builds anticipation in Curt and Patrick’s relationship.  And adding the NASA aspect is truly fascinating, romantic in itself and exciting. 

Now, granted we love this book – or anything Kay Simone writes, but adding Greg Tremblay’s narration is a combination that blazing.  One Giant Leap features 12+ characters, both men and women with different nationalities, and Greg creates distinct personalities for them all. Never once did we feel confusion on which astronaut was speaking, or if we are listing to Patrick or Curtis, there is a seamlessness that Greg creates that truly feels like this is narrated by multiple people.  

We are so excited that Kay Simone’s One Giant Leap is finally an audiobook – it is amazing!  Greg Tremblay adds so much to the sizzling relationship between Curt and Patrick, bringing this amazing book to an amazing love-story.  One Giant Leap is an Audiobook not to be missed!

Review of Audiobook Femme by Marshall Thornton and narration by Joel Leslie

by Marshall Thornton and narration by JoelLeslie

4 stars

Queeny cocktail waiter, Lionel, wakes up to find himself in bed with Dog, a straight-acting softball player and the two embark on a rocky road to romance. A journey that requires coming out of the closet, going into the closet, a pair of red high heels, many pairs of red high heels, a failed intervention, a couple of aborted dates, and homemade pom-poms. Mostly, Lionel and Dog learn what it means to be a man.

This is our first Marshall Thornton book, and in all honesty we kind of like to read a book before listening to the Audiobook, but Femme was so good, we don’t miss not reading the book first.

This is a story of Lionel, a queeny waitress in a gay bar, that is fine with who he is, take it or leave it. After a drunken night he finds himself in bed with family-closeted Dog, a softball player, who is fine living his life half-in-or-out of the closet.  These two men couldn’t be more different and although they keep finding themselves drawn back together. 

Femme is a hoot, so funny; we couldn’t help ourselves form laughing out loud! On the outside these men are so different, but when they start peeling back the layers they both realize that they struggle with the same things, and want to same things for their lives.  Through the laughter, Femme is a thought provoking book.  Lionel and Dog struggle with being true to who they really are, coming out, and standing up for what is right.

Now let’s talk about the audiobook – so good!  We love Joel Leslie, and he does an amazing job capturing Lionel and Dog.  The book switches points of view, and Joel creates very distinct voices that keep both characters and others in the book, very easy to recognize.  This isn’t your typical flowery romance, there are no grandiose declarations of love, but the relationship between Dog and Lionel is so real.  With everyday struggles, and falling in love when you don’t even realize.  And listening to Joel brings life to Femme makes you feel like it is a friend telling you a story. 

Femme by Marshall Thornton is a fantastic book, but with Joel Leslie’s narration brings this story to one of the best audiobooks we have listen to this year!

Review of Audiobook: The Innocent Auction by Victoria Sue and Narrated by Joel Leslie

 by Victoria Sue and Narrated by Joel Leslie

Book: 4 stars Narration: 5 stars

London 1810.

Their love was a death sentence.

Deacon, Viscount Carlisle, was aware of the slums and gin-lanes of London. Just as he was aware of the underground traffic that furnished the brothels and bath houses with human innocents. He was also aware that the so-called justice system would hang the accused without much of an attempt at a defense, unless the unfortunate had deep pockets to pay for it.

He just hadn't expected to be directly involved in any of it.

It started with a plea for help and ended with forbidden love, the love between a Viscount and a stable-boy. An impossible love and a guarantee of the hangman's noose.

Will Deacon fight for Tom? Will he risk the death sentence and take that fight from the stately halls of his English mansion to the horrors of Newgate Prison and the slums of London?

Or will he realize that if he doesn't, death will be a welcome end to the loneliness of the sentence he is already living?

This is actually the first audiobook we have enjoyed without reading the book first, and it was a great listen!  Victoria Sue weaved a heart-aching love story and Joel Leslie adds so much to the story through his poignant narration.

Deacon, viscount Carlisle, lives his life in the upper echelon of society, but knows of the hardships of those less fortune than hm.  What he is surprised to find is the underground auction houses, places where humans are bought and sold, and one night when going to pull his cousin our of one such place his find himself drawn to a young man on the auction block.  Against his better judgement he purchases the young man, and sets him on a life on his country estate.  5 years later when the death of his father bring Deacon back to the country estate, he find himself meeting a very different person than the young youth he saved; Tom has grown up to be a man. 

This book is great – we always like a historical romance, but the idea of the story is what makes it special.  How Deacon and Tom have a relationship spanning over a years, but are re-introduced as adults is wonderful.  The attraction they feel jumps off the page, and even with the trauma in Tom’s past life he sees Deacon only wants the best for him, even if it isn’t a life together.  Life during this period is hard as well, sodomy is against the law, and life is treated as a commodity and The Innocent Auction heart-breaking shows what happens to those accused of the crime. 

Victoria Sue creates characters that we fell in love with, that we rooted for and we cried with, but the real gem is the narration by Joel Leslie.  Joel brings Deacon and Tom alive, gives voice to their heart-break and lets you fall in love along with them.  Sometimes in m/m romance the characters all start to sound the same, but somehow Joel finds a way to keep everyone spate, and consistent through the whole narration.