Audiobook Review: Let the Wrong Light In by Avon Gale

Avery Hextall, a junior architect at a prestigious firm, is thrilled when his design is chosen for a new performing-arts center—even if it means working closely with his insufferably uptight project manager, Malin Lacroix. When a chance encounter in the boss’s office proves that Lacroix is anything but cold, Avery is determined to learn more about the real man beneath the aloof veneer.

Despite their growing attraction and their increasingly kinky encounters, the enigmatic Malin remains as emotionally distant as ever. Worse, Avery’s friends are convinced Malin thinks of Avery as a dirty secret and nothing more—a secret that might destroy both of their careers.

But the real secret is a single moment in time that haunts Malin and keeps him from committing to the life he wants with Avery. In order to move on, Avery must help Malin come to terms with the tragedy in his past before they can work on building a future together.

Listening Length: 8 hours and 32 minutes
Narrator: Derrick McClain

This was my second time ‘reading’ this story, first time listening to it. I gave this story 5 stars when I read it the first time and I stick by that rating for the most part, the narration gets 4 hearts from me.


I won't go into detail with the storyline but basically, Avery works for Malin in an architecture firm and one day by pure happenstance, they get their kink on. Malin is a cold, hard character to get to know and like, but his story will bring you to tears when you eventually get to hear it. Avery is one of those overly exaggerated funny characters, loud and outgoing with no filter, so if you don’t like those, you may not like this. This story is more about the instability of Malin and Avery’s relationship and how that evolves into something real. The sex is super hot, especially if you like pain sluts and rough play.


I’ve listened to Derrick McClain before, not that long ago when I reviewed the audiobook for How to Be a Normal Person. I adored the narration in that book and McClain received 5 hearts from me. However having heard him so recently narrate a character as iconic at Gus from HTBANP diminished the experience of this book for me. All I could hear when I listened to Avery was Gus.


McClain has quite a distinct way of speaking and it's obviously hard to change that completely. There was nothing I could fault with McClain’s narration. He still accentuated everything beautifully, he made the funny moments funny, the hot moments hot and the emotional moments heart clenching. It was just unlucky that I heard his narration elsewhere so recently, it made it impossible to really hear Avery within the story.


The narration was well done, but when I read this again, which I inevitably will, it'll be reading not listening. Definitely recommend this though!

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