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The Paper Boys

The Brent Boys, Book 1

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The Paper Boys

By: D.P. Clarence
Narrated by: Sam Stafford, Luke R Francis
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About this listen

In the cutthroat world of British political journalism, rivals Sunny Miller and Ludo Boche are about to discover that the biggest scoop of their careers might just be love.

Sunny, a working-class reporter at the trashy tabloid The Bulletin, dreams of writing hard-hitting stories that change the world. Ludo, a privileged musical theatre fanatic turned journalist at the prestigious Sentinel, can’t seem to enter a room without causing chaos.

When an unexpected scoop lands in their laps at the same time, thrusting them into a web of political intrigue, these arch-nemeses find themselves reluctantly working together—and fighting an unexpected attraction.

From the bustling newsrooms of London to a questionable hotel on a remote Scottish island, Sunny and Ludo navigate class differences, family expectations, and their own prejudices. As they uncover corruption and confront their feelings, they’ll learn that the story of a lifetime might just be their own.

Filled with razor-sharp wit, laugh-out-loud moments, and a cast of unforgettable characters, The Paper Boys is a heartwarming tale of rivalry, romance, and the power of love to bridge any divide. Perfect for fans of British humour and queer romance, this debut novel delivers a story as timely as tomorrow’s headlines and as timeless as love itself.

The Paper Boys is a gay romantic comedy ideal for fans of Red, White and Royal Blue and Boyfriend Material.

©2024 D.P. Clarence (P)2026 W. F. Howes Ltd Literature & Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy Heartfelt LGBTQIA+

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Going Solo By: D. P. Clarence, and others
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It took a while for The Paper Boys to get going, but I enjoyed it overall. Sunny and Ludo(vic) are journalists working as opposite ends of ‘Fleet Street’ – Ludo for an upmarket broadsheet and Sunny for a mass-market tabloid – who are both chasing a story about a new nuclear plant being built in Sunny’s home town of Leicester. Ludo’s dad is the editor of The Sentinel, so Sunny thinks he’s just another nepo posh git to start with, but when they actually meet, he’s very reluctantly charmed by his rather clumsy earnestness.

Their romance is nicely done and the humour is very British (which is always good to see); the plot around exposing political corruption held my attention (while I was at the same time thinking about how unrealistic it was because corruption is so often ignored these days!) and there are some moments of real emotional whump that land well. I do, however, have to question the use of words like “golly” and “bally” by Ludo because I’m don’t think even posh blokes like him would use those in the 2020s! There’s a decently drawn secondary cast, of which Ludo’s theatre-loving godfather Ben is the standout (*sniff*) and the real heart of the book.

The late-book conflict is predictable and stretched my credulity (I had to believe that Ludo, who had received bad news about Ben, didn’t text Sunny to explain while he was on the way to the hospital when the text specifically says that he goes by taxi, so he would have had time.) But I suppose it’s no worse than any other Big Mis, and it’s worth accepting it to get to the reconciliation.

The narration by Sam Stafford (Ludo) and Luke R. Francis (Sunny) (two new-to-me narrators) is good – well-paced and clearly differentiated with a good variety of character voices for the secondary characters. The story is told in alternating PoVs; both sound appropriately youthful (I’m guessing Ludo and Sunny are late twenties? I can’t remember if it’s stated in the book) and do a good job of interpreting the ‘other’ lead when reading from their character’s perspective. My one nit-pick is about accents. Sunny comes from “north of Milton Keynes”; Leicester is in the East Midlands, but Luke R. Francis gives Sunny a slight ‘northern’ accent, whereas Sam Stafford does not when he’s portraying Sunny in Ludo’s chapters. I thought this was something they should probably have worked out beforehand – until several chapters in, Sunny talks about how he worked to lose his accent because he didn’t want the people who might hire him to be biased because of the way he speaks, so it was actually correct for him NOT to have a regional accent. This didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the listening experience overall – it’s more by way of Something I Noticed (and couldn’t unhear – because I’m picky about accents!)

In the end, The Paper Boys was fun and entertaining, and I’ll look out for more by this author.

Entertaining rivals-to-lovers romance

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I had already read D.P. Clarence’s novel of The Paper Boys (and loved) the funny and charming story of Sunny and Ludo, journalists on rival publications who fall for each other in the midst of a twisty political story they are covering, so was intrigued to see what the audiobook version would differ or what it would add as an experience. The two lead performances (from Sam Stafford and Luke R Francis) are both thoroughly charming and reflect clever casting choices - both for their core role but also for the others their retelling brings to life (Uncle Ben, Stacey, each other, etc). The audiobook particularly brings out the abundant humour of the story (Mrs Gallagher’s B&B is a particular highlight!), and lets you wallow in the storytelling and wonderfully warm and gently flawed characters - and unlike reading the novel you are encouraged to pace yourself more sensibly, even as the story reaches several key climactic moments. The audio book also handles sensuality in the story nicely, with performances that feel authentic and unhurried, and yet still the right kind of awkward. Hugely recommended as a lovely warm audio bath of a way to revisit and re-enjoy the novel, but I’m equally sure this would be a treat as the first way to discover this delightful story of Sunny and Ludo.

Funny and utterly charming - a wonderful audio version of a lovely book!

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