Honestly, it took me several chapters to get into “Conventionally Yours.” I’m not a gamer and a lot of the relative “shop talk” didn’t really hold my interest (and lost me completely a few times later on), plus I was chomping at the bit for the road trip to get underway – despite the obvious need for some story setup. Once it was wheels up, though, the story kicked into gear for me and it was a fun ride.
What a delightful journey watching Alden and Conrad’s relationship evolve from rival gaming frenemies to tolerant travel companions to tentative friends to, ultimately, lovingly committed partners. The low heat approach worked well, too, with lots of kissing but largely off-page sexy times. It was as though we readers were granted full access to Alden and Conrad’s inner thoughts, fears and emotions, but their most intimate moments were reserved for just the two of them, which seemed fitting for the story.
Narrators Kirt Graves and Joel Froomkin are such highly capable narrators, and both gave solid performances here. Each has a rather distinct voice, certainly distinctive from one another, and so I think this audio book may have benefited more from a duet narration (still pretty rare, it seems) rather than dual. Still, this was a very enjoyable listen overall.