Moving story with great narration

Archer is the anti-monogamy blogger who thinks gay men are trying too hard to be straight guys and deluding themselves that marriage is for them. He also feels gays shouldn’t be parents! He makes good money saying these things, too. When his sister dies, leaving him co-guardian of two small children, his world is about to be rocked.

Ryan is the exact opposite of Archer. All he wants is a house, a husband, and a family. He’s a teacher and only recently out of a relationship where they were fast-tracking marriage but got de-railed because Ryan was pushing too hard, too fast.

So it’s oil and water when Archer and Ryan meet – or gas and flame! Archer is a big jerk and Ryan is pretty judgmental. They agree to disagree for the kid’s sake and to work on teaching Archer what he needs to know to eventually be the sole parent to the kids.

Of course it doesn’t really work out as planned…

**

I really like Chris Scully’s characters. They are usually very “real” and three- dimensional. In this case, Chris explains all the research that went in to discussing the aboriginals in Canada and their plight and the research shows in the very well-developed characters.


This story, like her others, is a slow-burn romance with not a lot of heat. There is a boat-load of sexual tension and oodles of feels developing, but she doesn’t emphasize the sex as a way for these guys to get close.

There is a lot of deep soul searching and a lovely growth process for both men. The children seem pretty realistic if a little too “easy” and the love that grows between the family is the most beautiful part of this story.

Though the Epilogue doesn’t leave a big window for a sequel- I’d sure love to see these guys after they decided to plant roots together. We spend so much time watching them avoid each other it’d be nice to see them together – at least for awhile.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

4.5 of 5 stars


Audio

Michael Pauley did a great job with this – including the inflections to Archer’s voice giving him just enough “other” to suggest an exotic background without a cheesy accent. I think he does best with emotional stories like this. This is a great way to enjoy this lovely story.

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.75 of 5 stars

4 people found this helpful

Heartfelt

So good. It’s been a while since a story really brought me to tears while also avoiding an agonizing amount of angst. This felt real without being overly dramatic. I cried both sad tears for Archers experiences and happy tears for the life they created together. During the last chapter all I could think was “I can’t wait for the epilogue” bc I was so excited to hear how their lives together worked out for everyone.

1 person found this helpful

wowwwwwwwwwwwwww !!!!! I'm in love 😍😍😍

the book was amazing... dam I👂 it 7 hours straight! it's an incredible book !
and Michael Pauley as always is the best!

1 person found this helpful

So heartwarming

I grabbed this because it was free under audible escape and sounded kind of interesting. WOW was I surprised at not only the quality of the writing but the storyline itself.

Very well thought out and developed characters, heartwrenching with the loss of the mother and the slow burn relationship of the two MC.

Michael Pauley (Dean) as always does a great job with his narration, I knew what to expect with him and he's one of the reasons I gave this one a chance. But all I can say is it was very good and I highly recommend it.

omg wow!!

Heartfelt...if I had to describe in one word that's what I would use. I love it :) emotional and yet sooooo good I love it!!! You have to give it a try its omg sooo good!!!!

A Total Win!

This is a great story with lots of feels. I enjoyed the journey and embraced the characters.

I listened with an Audible Escape membership, but plan to add it to my collection permanently.

A solid narration, as well....

Gooey goodness with a tiny bit of angst

First of all. I loved Michael Pauley's performance. He is so good at character distinction in his narration of a story. He is also good at making you feel what the character may be feeling.

I loved how well the characters were written in this story. Although I am normally a big fan of fantasy, this story which was a true M/M romance touched me. From dealing with grief and the unexpected responsibilities that come with someone close to you passing away to the way both the main characters figuring out what they really wanted.

This was not an insta-love romance, even though I love those stories. We were able to see how the two fell for each other.
So. all in all. I enjoyed this book.

Very Cute

This is a very cute story that makes me wanting more. It is worth the listen.

Loved it

Could not stop listening. It was a beautiful audiobook. I definitely recommend it! I found it very emotional with a HEA

Mixed Review

The book was a roller coaster for me. There were times I was so mad at the situation/guys I almost quit. There were sweet moments that almost made me believe in it again. There were just enough of those to make me keep up with it and finish. I would call it a HFN as there are still issues between the guys at the end.
There is so much difference between them that I started being very pleased that it wouldn't be anything of a formula. Then the formula of destructive behavior would set it and everything would go to pieces.
It takes almost the entire book for any resolution and then epilogue is short and inconclusive to me.
I would say it was pretty frustrating.
The narrators voice seemed kind of contrived for the deep gruffness of one and the sweet Mary Poppins of the other. Sometimes the effect was good, sometimes the vast differences was too drastic. I thought the kids and secondary characters were quite successful.