A sweet and steamy opposites attract!

This is the third book in the series and can be enjoyed as a standalone.
I enjoyed Kory(Hayden's) character alot. I found him to be so multi dimensional and I loved how his 'public' brash personality contrasted starkly with his sweet and vulnerable side.
It takes a while for Kory to warm up to Jon, and when he does we can see the sparks and chemistry between them.
This was a sweet, opposites attract hot read and highly entertaining.
Joel Leslie's narration was absolutely brilliant in this one.

3 people found this helpful

Drama + strong emotion + expert narration!

The story:
After the overly brash and cocky attitude I had come to expect from Kory based on the first two books, I was curious as to how his story would play out here in How to Deal. But while I was expecting a nonstop smartass, I got to see the rest of Kory's personality instead. It was actually pretty entertaining since all that self-assuredness flew out the window when it came to interacting with Jon and Jon's family.

Jon is a fantastic character--laid back, easygoing, but then very alpha and assertive when it's called for...which makes for some pretty interesting scenes between him and Kory (who you'd expect to be the dominant top based on the first two books). Jon knows exactly how to handle Kory, no matter how Kory tries to short circuit their relationship.

There's drama and strong emotion-something I've now come to expect from this series (I'd be disappointed if it was missing)-which really drags the other side of Kory's personality to the forefront and lets us see him in a whole new light. Seeing his reaction to events that happen with Jon and how that really opens Kory up to emotion was moving and showed even greater depth to his character. He and Jon work extremely well together, giving us another strong match to celebrate in the All Cocks family. Because yes, they are all definitely a family.

The only thing that bugged me about this story-and the only reason this is 4 stars for me instead of more-is how things played out at the end with the sub-plot of Kory and his sister. In my opinion, how this is resolved is based way too much on coincidence which for me diminishes the believability of the situation's resolution.

How to Deal is another success in the All Cocks series, and just keeps me wanting to hear more and more about the characters in this unique family. 4 stars, recommended for fans of M/M romance 18+ due to adult language and explicit M/M sexual content.

The narration:
How to Deal is another in a long line of exemplary narrations by Joel Leslie. He brings so much to these characters, and the accents and individual voices are magnificent. The character voices are consistent, and also match the voices for the same characters in the previous book in this series he narrated. Joel expertly infuses the narration of each character with emotion, which made it very easy for me to slip right into the All Cocks world while listening. 5 stars for Joel Leslie's audio interpretation for How to Deal!

2 people found this helpful

Not bad

There is nothing really bad to say about this story and keeping in mind that there are only about 4 hours of time to tell it. Its just that i am a fan of the meeting and falling in love part and that part was kind of glossed over. It could have been a really great story if perhaps 6 or 8 hours long going a little deeper. Narrator is good

1 person found this helpful

Fabulous book with great narration

If you could sum up How to Deal in three words, what would they be?

Amazing, sexy, fun

What did you like best about this story?

Kory was such a jerk in the first book (Gay for Pay), but we never got much in the way of why except for the fact that Linc found Kory with his boyfriend at the time. Although we don't get much backstory in this book about that incident, I kind of got the impression in this book that Kory felt bad about how it affected Linc.

The beginning events of this book take place simultaneously with book 2 (Fame and Fortune) where we first meet Detective Jon Brennan. There is some immediate spark between Kory and Jon when they first meet, and despite him seeming like a big old tough guy, Jon is just a bit more tougher. He doesn't take no for an answer and worms his way right into Kory's life and heart. Poor Kory has had such a tough childhood, and it was great to see him come to terms with things he hasn't let himself think or talk about.

Jon's family is so awesome! Their banter, support, unconditional love, and crazy Gran were fabulous. I loved reading about them, and I am so glad Tristan gets his HEA in the next book. I'm hoping to see more of this family!

What does Joel Leslie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was able to make each character unique and bring their essence to the story

If you could rename How to Deal, what would you call it?

I wouldn't. I loved this title

Any additional comments?

I loved this book and narration

1 person found this helpful

Nice story; great narration

This is another nice installment to the All Cocks series. Kory and Jon are a very different couple. Although there is a lot of love, almost instalove, there is also a lot of volatility. Kory grew up in foster care and has some demons because of it. Jon grew up in a loving big Italian/Irish family that didn't care that he was gay. Also, Jon is an out and proud NYPD detective that get along with his colleagues for the most part. So I really enjoyed both those aspects of Jon's life, it was a refreshing change from the regular homophobic story arc. That said, I found most of the conflict between Kory and Jon very superficial and there is a lot of telling of the story instead of feeling the story. The big time jumps didn't help my lack of empathy for the couple, their romance moves very fast. There is a tragedy in the story that introduces up to the next MMM relationship, that I look forward to listening to.

I say listening to because what really made this more enjoyable for me was the range, dialect and emotions Joel Leslie brought to the story. He does a great NY accent and Irish brogue. He also revived his wonderful Victor accent from Book 2. Overall, I really good listen.

1 person found this helpful

Another audio treat!

Another solid story brought to life by Joel Leslie 🤗. Joel Leslie has a way of making each character distinct, unique.

1 person found this helpful

Joel really earned his chops with this!

From the earlier books in this series we know Kory is kind of a big drama queen. He’s hard to work with and struggles to make friends. When there’s trouble and the police get involved we meet Jon – Tristan’s brother from book 4.
Jon is a cop and doesn’t put up with a lot of drama. He puts Kory in his place but with a gentle hand.
There’s a lot of drama in this story – it’s about Kory after all!- but there’s also a lot of sentimentality and sweetness.
I had a hard time with how Jon and Kory relate to one another - sometimes with violence. That's just a trigger of mine and it made me uncomfortable.
I thought the Cass part of the story was a little to good to be true, but lovely nonetheless.
We get to see how the throuple is doing as well as catch up with the guys from book one.
This wasn’t my favorite in the series, but it’s still an excellent addition to the other books and I really liked it.

3.5 of 5 stars

Audio

Joel Leslie had a tough job here. He had to switch back and forth from a NYC accent to a Southern Drawl – over and over and over! He did a great job! I loved Jon’s accent (his whole family’s really!) and can’t wait for Tristan’s story in audio as a result! Kory’s accent was fab too and I know it had to be hard to use such distinct voices then add in Irish too! Gah! It was really well done. Joel is great with the emotion and the non-dialog parts as well. Highly Recommended!

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.25 of 5 stars (rounded to 4.5)

1 person found this helpful

How to Deal

Any additional comments?

*Audio copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author for my listening pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

How to Deal is the third book in TM Smith’s All Cocks series. It’s possible to read or listen to this book on it’s own, but seriously, don’t do it! Take the time to read or listen to the first two books in this series, you’ll thank me! In this book, our bad attitude, cocky and abrasive finally meets a man he can’t chase off! We finally get to see who Kory is and what he’s been hiding with his behavior. But don’t think he’s going to fall easy, he makes Jon work for everything! Jon met Kory and many other All Cock guys in Book 2. He was the police detective that responded during the attack on Matty. Jon immediately notices Kory, his favorite porn star and gives him his number. And he’s up to the challenge of dealing with Kory.

A lot of this book was about family. Jon’s large, loud, in your business family. Jon’s family has a long history of being on the police force and he never considered any other kind of career. He’s never had to hide that he’s gay, it’s just who he is. We get to see a lot of interaction with Jon’s family, and see Kory’s insecurities as he learns to deal with them. Kory’s long-lost sister, who was lost to him when he was eight. Once Kory lost her, he lost all his remaining family and grew up in the system with no real family. And, thanks to the keen observation of Tristan (Jon’s brother), Kory gets his sister back. And of course, All Cocks, Kory’s chosen family, though he still protects his heart from them. This story is about Kory’s acceptance of himself and his past, and his healing and allowing his family to support him and letting love in.

Jon and Kory’s relationship was explosive at times. This was not an instalove story. Kory and Jon dated, and didn’t even rush into sex. They dated, got to know each other, and sometimes fought like cats and dogs. In some ways, they were opposites, but both men are stubborn and hard-headed. And though Kory seemed to be a dominant person in the previous books and on screen, he is not with Jon. With Jon, we get to see the insecure, heart-broken, lonely Kory that makes him act out and Jon stays strong and provides the support Kory needs. Once sex does happen, it is HOT!

This story is narrated by Joel Leslie and he does an excellent job! He narrated Book 2 in the series and does such a great job with the timing and pace of his narrating. He doesn’t have long pauses and moves the story along so it’s easy to follow and to stay involved in the story. And he brings the characters to life.

Overall: 5
Performance: 5
Story: 5

1 person found this helpful

Sexy cops,hot,cocky porn stars...YUMMY

Kory is one of the All Cocks models and if you have read any of the other books you met him and probably disliked him a lot. I know I did. But I love a story that takes a bad guy and gives them a chance to change our minds. This story is a fantastic example of that.
Jon is adorable from the first meet, and his family is hilarious especially his grandma. They add a much-needed touch of humor to the angst, drama and passion of the story.
How to Deal is a great read. However...

Joel Leslie brings it to life. Both Jon and Kory have accents and Joel captures them both well. He also does a great Grandma. Joel is a fabulous narrator. He doesn't just read the story but acts it out. He puts in every deep breath, sigh, excitement, and passion.

If you like sexy cops, hot porn stars, drama, love and some hot men sex, I highly suggest you check out this story. I also recommend the Audio version for a trip or doing chores this will surely take your mind off the tedious tasks!

1 person found this helpful

Sweet relationship story; great narration.

Any additional comments?

T. M. Smith offers up another entertaining story in the All Cocks Stories Series.

The story begins when Detective Jon Brennan is called in to help with the investigation of the club incident that happens at the end of Fame and Fortune and follows from Jon’s meeting of his favorite star of the All Cocks site, Hayden Cox, or Kory White when he isn’t performing, through their entire relationship from the first few moments until their HEA.

Told from both Kory and Jon’s POV the story follows the same construct of the rest of the series with the focus on the relationship ins and outs, a huge dose of insta-love, and all kinds of hot, sexy times, then some drama towards the end to keep readers/listeners on the edge of their seats. There’s also a sprinkling of hurt/comfort as well.

I loved Jon and Kory together. They were loving, volatile, and real. I know couples that behave the way they do. I recognized them. I loved getting to see the other All Cocks guys again and getting a glimpse of the next story in the series.

My only small complaint is I didn’t particularly love that there are, once again, time jumps where a lot of time gets packed into the story. However, this time around I didn’t feel like we lost relationship development with the time passages. The timing worked well and Joel Leslie was able to transition from period to period easily.

I love Joel Leslie’s narration. Leslie does another great job with his character voices, pacing and timing all being on point. Leslie doesn’t disappoint with his performance.

Sweet relationship story with some deep emotion, some hurt/comfort and great narration, How To Deal ticked off all my boxes for a good listen. I’m looking forward to continuing the series with Joel Leslie at the helm.

1 person found this helpful