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  • Top Hat

  • Shatterproof Bond, Book 0
  • By: Isobel Starling
  • Narrated by: Gary Furlong
  • Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (14 ratings)
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Top Hat cover art

Top Hat

By: Isobel Starling
Narrated by: Gary Furlong
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Summary

A Shatterproof Bond / Sam Aiken Prequel short

Child protégé Sam Aiken is the youngest student studying linguistics at Oxford University. Frustratingly, being so young means Sam doesn't get to enjoy student life in the same way the older students do.

He is obsessed with his studies and is close to graduation, but when Sam's elderly Master, Professor Alfred Moxley, dies suddenly, Sam finds the replacement professor brought in to get him and his classmates through their last few months of study to be more than a little distracting. Dr. Alexander Deveraux becomes Sam's new obsession, and he wants to learn more from the young, brilliant, queer professor than just linguistics!

©2017 Isobel Starling (P)2017 Isobel Starling

What listeners say about Top Hat

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sam school's his tutor

I hadn't read the prequel before about Sam, but the pole-dancing explains his lithe strength and flexibility. I quite enjoyed this little nugget about the Amazing Sam. Recommended as a fun little frolic.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Lo
  • 27-10-17

A Great Prequel to a Great Series

This might a short listen, but it's definitely worth it.

This prequel is about how Sam's time in Oxford and how he deals with his first crush being on his professor. It was great seeing Sam being nervous, geeky and vulnerable because of his youth and Gary Furlong did a great job as usual bringing all these feelings to life, he really express how I imagine the characters to be which just furthers my enjoyment of this series.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An Adorable Sam Aiken Prequel

Hat's off to Isobel Starling for getting this adorable short story produced as an audiobook. Not many author's do this with their shorts, but with such amazing narration from Gary Furlong I'm glad she did cos just want more.

This story is an insight into Sam Aiken's time at Oxford and his daliance with his professor. Sam is young, geeky, and on the verge of a sexual awakening. It is super cute, and Gary capture Sam's nerdy vulnerablity so well.

There are apparently hidden hints and clues as to things that happen in the Shatterproof Bond series in this short. I'll have to give it another listen to hear if I can find any.

Another hit!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

as good as the ebook

The story is always 4 or 5 stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening, but not more then twice a year.
it's like a B

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