I loved this audiobook!

If you follow my reviews at all (thanks if you do) then I'm going to sound like a broken record. I reviewed Starting From Zero as an eBook when it first released. It was a great read but now Michael Pauley's audio performance makes it even better. He does so many great voices in this one and when it comes to the sexy time – look out – hot as fire! The following is my original review of the ebook: I'm a relative newcomer to Lane Hayes books. I started with her Out in College series (3 books long so far) and loved all of them. Now comes her new Starting From series which is a spin-off from the Out in College series. No worries if you haven't read that series; Starting from Zero stands alone and is a complete story with an HEA. The book is told in first person POV, alternating between Justin and Gray. Justin is an aspiring rock star with many problems. Gray is 18 years older than Justin but something just clicks for them. It starts off as an anonymous one-off but circumstances bring them together again and a relationship develops. This story had a lot of secret keeping going on and that caused a fair amount of angst in some of the characters. I loved Gray, a successful, wealthy, older man who doesn't flaunt what he has. He started from humble beginnings and hasn't forgotten that. Justin was a bit all over the place. He has ADHD and that makes it hard for him to focus. He's determined to help his new band make it big and won't let anything stop him from making it so. He's not intimidated by Gray's wealth. I really felt the connection between Gray and Justin and their sexy time together was WOW! The story made me smile in places, cringe in a couple and had all kind of feels going on. There are several intriguing secondary characters in Starting from Zero and I hope they get books of their own. I was particularly taken with Gray's former lover, Sebastian. He comes off as quite a jerk but I think he can be redeemed and would love to read his story. 😊 An advanced copy of this book was provided to me via IndiGo Marketing but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author. ***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

1 person found this helpful

A steamy age gap opposites attract!

This is book 1 in the Starting from series and each book can be read as a standalone. This was a great start to a new series. I liked seeing Justin and Gray's relationship evolve. The chemistry between them was fiery and passionate from the very beginning and I was rooting for them throughout. The narrator, Michael Pauley does an amazing audio delivery and narration. The sexy times were oh so steamy and Michael doesn't shy away from bringing all the heat to his narration.

Very entertaining

I liked reading/listening Starting From Zero and am looking forward reading/listening other books in the series. Michael Dean narration was good . I only wish he wasn't so OTT dramatic during intimate couple times as , to me , is a bit off putting.

Good story. Good narration.

Justin is an interesting character with some unique challenges. I could definitely relate to his squirrelly brain! I think the author did a good job of building a relationship between the two main characters, and I am looking forward to listening to the rest of the character's stories. The narrator did a nice job of creating distinct voices for the characters. I only had one or two quick moments of uncertainty as to who was thinking/speaking, but it didn't distract from the story. Overall, an enjoyable listen that left me interested in the next book.

kinda okay.

This story was odd. I almost felt like I should have read a story before this story. I even checked to make sure this was really book 1, a few times. It was hard to follow with all the past stories that actually seemed way more interesting than this one. I thought the love story was underdeveloped and a bit immature. The entire stoey was kinda blah. Well, except the narrator. The narration was pretty good, though the separation of voices were minimal so sometimes vocals were hard to follow. Not moving onto book 2.

Loved it!!

This was amazing!! So beautifully written and Michael did an amazing job!!! I loved it so much.

Swoon Worthy

Swoon! Gah, I just loved Justin and Gray’s story. You know when you read a book, and it’s just so good and you have a smile plastered to your face? And you don’t want to finish because it will be over? This! This is one of those books! I loved it so much I also grabbed the audio, because amazing book, amazing narrator! Justin and Gray made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I loved their witty banter and their comfortable conversations they had with each other. Their chemistry together was explosive and off the charts hot. They truly completed each other so well, and their story really gave me all the feels. I know this will be a book I re-read when I need a pick me up. I really can’t recommend their story more! I loved their story in ebook, but this narration really made Justin and Gray's story even more for me.

Lane Hayes....... never disappoints a great read

i loved this book and everything he does and Micheal Pauly is onreal i think this is his best

Loved it!

Loved how some of the characters were familiar from Hayes’ earlier books, but I felt like we got a much more in depth look at the leads in this book than we did in the shorter earlier books. Also really enjoyed the two points of perspective here, got a look inside the heads of each lead, rather than just one. And Michael Pauley as narrator is my favorite and he nailed it... again!

Enjoyable May/December romance

Starting from Zero is a May/December rockstar romance. Its two main characters are brought together to collaborate on a love song for an upcoming movie. Justin is a talented songwriter and struggling musician who wants to make it to the big time. Gray is the older songwriter already with a successful career behind him. Their first encounter is a sizzling hook-up, which follows a romantic ‘date’ overlooking the city from a rooftop bar. They click from the start, but neither of them is looking for a long-term relationship. They meet again because of outside help and Justin is offered the chance of a lifetime. Or not. A fair proportion of the story deals with the rock music industry and Justin figuring out how to involve his band in this amazing chance. He’s not entirely confident with the idea of writing a love song, but as he falls more and more for Gray, the song (and his life) slowly comes together. There’s good chemistry between these guys, with plenty of conversation and banter alongside the steamy moments. The relationship is relatively angst-free. The main conflict and angst in the story happens because of the producer and also Justin’s ex-girlfriend and previous band, who are also in with a chance of a deal with the production company. Can any of them be trusted? I liked many of the secondary characters, including OTT Seb, who acts as the band's manager, and that we get to meet Rory and Christian from the Out in College series again. They're still together and very much in love! Michael Pauley’s narration is enjoyable. He created distinct voices for the various characters. I wasn’t too keen on Gray’s voice at times, but overall the production is good with the right emotions being portrayed well in the various scenes. It’s not my favourite Lane Hayes story, but I definitely will listen again.