Review of Chasing Mr. Wright by Aimee Nicole Walke

 

 by Aimee Nicole Walker

2 stars

Grayson Wright is a man who knows how to do many things. He knows how to follow his dream and create a company, Wright Creations, alongside his brother. He knows how to be a good son, brother, friend, and employer. Grayson doesn’t know how to fix his toxic relationship with his long-time boyfriend.

Grayson decides to throw his boyfriend a surprise birthday party as a last ditch effort to rekindle the old spark, but it’s Gray who gets the surprise of his life when he turns on the lights and learns the ugly truth about his life. Now at age 32, he re-evaluates who he is, what he wants out of life, and the kind of man he wants to give his heart to.

Chase Rivers has an MBA from Georgetown with a minor in marketing. His life starts looking up when he accepts an entry level position at an ad agency. It isn’t his dream job, but it’s a great start and it just feels right to him. He hopes this new beginning in his professional life will spill over into his personal life.

Chase is unlucky in love and draws every loser, liar and cheater like a magnet. He’s an expert at finding the perfect mate for his friends, but strikes out every time for himself. He gives up on finding Mr. Right and agrees to a date with Mr. Right Now out of loneliness and desperation. Chase didn’t expect Mr. Right Now to lead him to the doorstep of his very own Mr. Wright.

If their first meeting was a fluke, then what was the second and third? Twisted fate? Bad luck? Fated hearts? Buckle up for a bumpy ride as these two men travel down a broken road of heartache and discovery.

The first few chapters had so much potential for this m/m insta-love story, but fell apart quickly.

We first meet Grayson Wright, throwing what should be a happy surprise party for his live-in boyfriend of 10 years.  Thinking that this would be a great re-boot for their waning relationship, what he didn’t bank on is being the one surprised.  Chase Rivers is a pretty boy that is unlucky in love, starting a new career at an ad agency hoping that this time things will start coming together. 

Oh there is SO much happening in this book we don’t know where to start; insta-love, bisexual shaming, chick-flick emotions, so many leaking eyes, fate fate and more fate, ridiculous misunderstandings meddling ex-boyfriends, inappropriate grandmas and so many references to ‘God’s plan’. It was a bit much.  Grayson spends 50% of the book being a jerk to Chase, he is hot and cold, going from rejecting him to wanting him.  And chase keeps coming back for the bait; seriously, has he been so broken by other men he will take whatever he is being handed.  I want him, I can’t have him, I want him, I can’t have him…..and repeat. 

This book is also way too long, a couple times it could have wrapped up nicely, but it just kept on going, probably 100 pages too long.  Chasing Mr. Wright also switched POVs, but it was confusing and muddled and more than once we wondered which one of these men was talking, but honestly didn’t care enough to go back and look. 

As we can see we can go on about all our issues with this book, but will just end here by saying, do yourself a favor and skip Chasing Mr. Wright.

Review of Audiobook Cronin's Key by NR Walker, narrated by Joel Leslie

 

Review of Audiobook Cronin's Key by NR Walker, narrated by Joel Leslie

5 stars

NYPD Detective Alec MacAidan has always been good with weird. After all, his life has been a string of the unexplainable. But when an injured man gives him cryptic clues, then turns to dust in front of him, Alec's view on weird is changed forever.

Cronin, a vampire Elder, has spent the last thousand years waiting for Alec. He'd been told his fated one would be a man wielding a shield, but he didn't expect him to be human, and he certainly didn't expect that shield to be a police badge.

Both men, strong-willed and stubborn, are still learning how to cope with the push and pull of being fated, when fate throws them another curveball.

Rumors have spread quickly of turmoil in Egypt. Covens are fleeing with news of a vampire who has a talent like no other, hell-bent on unleashing the wrath of Death.

Alec and Cronin are thrown into a world of weird Alec cannot imagine. What he learned in school of ancient pharaohs and Egyptian gods was far from the truth. Instead, he finds out firsthand that history isn't always what it seems.

We don’t need to start by saying how much we love anything and everything but NR Walker, and the Cronin’s Key series is right up there.  But, there is something that Joel Leslie creates, that brings this fantastic book to life.  One of the best audio narrations we have heard in a while, so much we are downloading everything else Joel has recorded!

Cronin is a thousand year old vampire who has been waiting for his fated one, his mate, who shows up in the form of Alec, a NYPD detective that has always attracted the weird.  There is other vampires, and a newly born one wanted to take over the world, and happiness of finding each other and the sad thoughts that they might not have forever together. 

But, we love this story, so let’s talk about the narration.  Joel has this husky quality to his voice that creates each individual voice for the characters.  And his accents are out of this world.  Reading this book, you feel the sexual tension between Cronin and Alec, but hearing it voices brings the tension, but the sweet heat they are both feeling for finding each other.  Joel finds that caring between these two strong men, and their whispered words of love are so endearing.  Our favourite scene in when Cronin first takes Alec to the Scottish fields, we could feel he love and tenderness between them.

So much good, but one sad thing, we have to wait for the other 2 installments in the Cronin’s Key series!!!  But really, it is a great book, and a fantastic narration, we will patiently wait if the rest are a good as this one.