I read the ebook of this first and my comments below are from that review. The thing I want to add about the audio is how Joel Leslie’s vocal performance (it’s so much more than a narration) brought the book alive for me. My original review for the ebook was only 4 stars. After listening to this book I had to up that to 5 stars.
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Tread the Boards starts out with an encounter that Tom has at a gay bar and then moves on to Ben at his job with Sky High Scaffolds (SHS). I have to admit that at first I didn’t really get the connection but things totally made sense as I read more of the story. The chapters alternate between Tom and Ben’s perspective, and I was soon hooked.
Ben meets Tom as at co-worker’s house and is puzzled by the attraction he feels for him. Ben is straight, and has a son, yet he feels drawn to Tom in more than just the way that a friend would feel. Tom suffered a personal tragedy several years ago and hasn’t had a serious relationship since then but he’s had a lot of one-night-stands. Tom longs for something more but he’s also wary of getting involved with a man who until now has identified as being straight.
As the friendship between Ben and Tom deepens Ben finally comes to understand that he isn’t straight, rather he’s bi-sexual. Tom has to overcome his fear of getting involved with a man who isn’t out and Ben has to learn to accept himself and not be afraid of what other people will think.
I liked how the relationship between Ben and Tom was slow to develop (except for one early encounter). The easy relationship between Tom and Ben’s son, Benji, was a very nice part of the story. Adults can learn a lot from the easy acceptance of children as they don’t know to make judgments until adults teach them differently.
There’s humor in this story along with the serious stuff. I liked both main characters (MCs) but it was particularly enjoyable reading about Tom and his life experiences.