I can’t think of another MM romance that dealt with the sexual side of a relationship in this way. It was initially a bit odd, but as the story progressed, I was in love with their honesty and approach. Too often MM romance is a pair of horny rabbits who constantly have the best O’s of their lives – every night. These two actually talk from the beginning , and the vulnerability is evident. I think it’s what made this book work so well, and feel real in a way these book often do not. This story is really about connections.
The narration was a problem for me. Greg Boudreaux is always the consummate narrator. He is great with women’s and children’s voices. This book is an example of why this tiresome need for duet narration needs to go away, unless each narrator owns specific voices throughout for consistency. Joel Leslie is so hit or miss for me. I think about how stressful he was to listen to in Alexis Hall’s Arden St. Ives series. He reads like a narrator playing a narrator – overly breathy and forced. Sometimes it works, or as in this case, it did not. He narrated Felix as if he was plucked from a 1930’s Katherine Hepburn film. His odd use of the trans Atlantic speech pattern was so jarring I wasn’t sure I could make it through. He has one woman’s voice in his repertoire – which in this case seemed to fit the character of Gabrielle fine, but Boudreaux’s interpretation of her was still better. I have opted to score up for Greg’s fabulous performance, rather than score down for Joel’s odd choices.
The slow burn is probably my favorite trope, and this book delivers that all day long. The guys are sweet together, especially Calder learning that not only does he like children, but he learns he’s good with children. His sweet determination is perfect for a slow burn, and his growth over the course of the story is what make this a four star read. Yes, it’s borderline Hallmark schmaltz at times, but he’s so earnest about it that it works.
Then there’s Felix. He is great in the beginning – aside from the voice – and as their relationship grows, how he intuitively connects with Calder physically and emotionally is amazing. He isn’t a ripped god, he’s a 40 something guy who’s been burned, but is still alive. Then we hit the mid point and Albert doesn’t throw any outside traps at the guys. Instead, Felix goes deeeeep into his own head. This could have worked, but as written it’s feels flimsy and childish. The inner voices Felix has in his head need to be evicted ASAP. It is very melodramatic with lots of hand wringing, reminiscent of one of the old movies Joel used channeled to his voice. I wanted to slap him and say “get over yourself!”
But let that go and instead enjoy Calder’s explorative journey. If you worry less about Felix, I think you will really enjoy this book, I know I did. Highly recommended.