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 What he Left Behind by LA Witt

 

by LA Witt

3 stars

Josh Carver would do anything for Michael Adair, his childhood best friend. In the five years since Michael finally left his abusive ex-partner, Josh and his husband Ian have helped him leave that horrific past behind him. Michael seems to have adjusted well enough…until he admits he’s afraid to date because the abuse has left him terrified of physical intimacy.

Josh is stunned again when Ian proposes a solution—Josh can help Michael learn to enjoy sex again. It isn’t like it would be the first time. After all, Josh and Michael lost their virginity to each other years ago.

Michael hesitates, but then takes him up on the idea. It isn’t long before Ian’s getting involved too… and it’s all fine and dandy until emotions come into play that threaten their friendship, as well as Josh and Ian’s marriage.

Let’s start off by saying that we love LA Witt, gobble up all those great romance books, but somehow the ménage in this book didn’t grab up like we had hoped.

Josh and Ian are a happily married couple, and wish everyone could find the love they have.  Josh’s childhood best friend Michael is still re-living the horrendous abuse from his last partner and is struggling to let anyone in and push the past behind him.  Even after 5 years of therapy he is still handcuffed by his ghosts.   Josh wants nothing more for Michael to find the man of his dreams, but know that if he can’t find a way to let anyone in he will spend his life alone.  Ian suggests that maybe the key to helping Michael is finding someone that he is comfortable being intimate with; Josh. 

This is essentially a ménage book, but it isn’t really.  What he Left Behind focuses on the intimate relationship between Michael and Josh, and a building friendship of Michael and Ian.  And hold on to your hats, this book is very erotic, lots and lots of sex!  Michael struggles with a sexual relationship and Josh tries to get his libido back on track with lots of therapeutic time between the sheets.  And it is hot, hot hot! 

But feeling always start getting involved.  When Josh starts feeling this relationship with Michael is more than him just helping him get his groove back, the book starts to fall apart a bit for us.  Ian gets involved in this sex-triangle, but it feels like it is forced, like the book should have gone a different direction, that Josh should spread his own wings and fly on his own.  But instead we get a ménage story.   And don’t get us wrong, when it work it is hot, but this didn’t work for us. 

What he left behind set us up for a great story, but fell a little flat unfortunately.  If you are looking for a hot read and not much of a story, that this could be right up your alley!

Review of Covet thy Neighbor by L.A. Witt

 

by LA Witt

4 stars

 

Tattoo artist Seth Wheeler thinks he’s struck gold when Darren Romero rents the apartment across the hall. The new guy is gorgeous, witty, and single, plus he’s just the right blend of bold and flirtatious. Perfect.

Except then Darren reveals that he moved to Tucker Springs to take a job as the youth pastor at the New Light Church. Seth is not only an atheist, but was thrown out by his ultra-religious family when he came out. He tends to avoid believers, not out of judgment but out of self-preservation.

But Darren doesn’t give up easily, and he steadily chips away at Seth’s defenses. Darren is everything Seth wants in a man . . . except for that one massive detail he just can’t overlook. Is Darren’s religion the real problem, or is it just a convenient smokescreen to keep him from facing deeper fears? It’s either see the light, or risk pushing Darren away forever.

Start off by saying we love L.A. Witt!  This is a sweet, hot, angsty book between two unlikely men. We were a bit wary of the subject, because really who wants to be talking about God and romance, but we really enjoyed the balance of the two main characters beliefs.   And although this is book 4 in the series, it is the first on we read, so if you want to just pick up one title you can.

We first meet Seth, a tattoo artist who was thrown out of his family home in the name of religion when he came out to his parents.  Years later he still struggles with his faith, being shunned by his family and letting people in who could hurt him.  When his across the hall neighbor moves out, Darren moves in, and it is instant chemistry.  Darren is a new-to-town youth minister who is looking for a new start in a new town.

The chemistry between Darren and Seth is off the page, from the first time they meet, you can feel the pull of attraction between them.  And when they finally give into the lust, it is so hot.  LA Witt never disappoints with the bedroom material, and these boys couldn’t keep their hands off each other.  The sex in the book added so much to the believability that a minster and an Atheist could fall in love.

Now let’s talk the religion portion of this book, we actually enjoyed Seth and Darren’s discussions on their beliefs, and how coming together we could value each other’s view point.  How Seth’s past has put him so scared of getting close to religion again, and Darren’s vocation as a minister always put a strike against him, no matter who he is.  Their back and forth and finally seeing where each other are coming from is refreshing.  But, there is angst.  Seth specifically wrestles with who he believes himself to be as an Atheist and how can he forget what his old church and family did in the name of Jesus.  He struggles. 

In the end this is a really nice story of acceptance, and overcoming fears, and LA Witt delivers.  It is hot, sexy and a really great read.

Review of Conduct Unbecoming by L.A. Witt

by L.A. Witt

3.5 Star

Military romance that is a guidebook to Okinawa, Japan. 

Conduct Unbecoming by L.A. Witt is first a military romance, focusing on a taboo relationship between enlisted Eric Randall and Officer Shane Connelly.  Eric is unexpectedly transferred to Okinawa, Japan and even though DADT is repealed he struggles with companionship in a place when everyone America in in the military.  He goes out to a gay club one night to find a one-night stand and happens upon Shane.  And from their first looks at each other there is HEAT.  L.A. Witt, can write heat, and this grabs you and makes you feel it.

Eric and Shane keep their relationship a secret at first as they don’t want to come out in the military, but once they discover that they are enlisted and an office their secrecy becomes even more important.  This is hot read, the sex between Eric and Shane is off the sheets, and there is a lot, they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other! 

Complaints?  Well, it is really fascinating to learn about Okinawa, but it gets a bit much.  The descriptions of the castle sites are beautiful, but they go on and on.  And add that to the fact that you really are waiting for the shoe to drop, for someone to see them out-and-about, we tended to skim a bit.  Also, we did have to google a bit with why an enlisted and officer can’t be together, could have been explained a bit better.  But there is so much to love about this book, hot, sexy military men, a great sense of humor, and the character of Eric’s daughter, so much fun.    And we really rooted for Eric and Shane!