Audiobook Review: Dare to Hope (All Cocks #4) by T.M. Smith

Tristan is the second oldest of the Brennan brothers and the odd man out. Most of the Brennan men have careers in law enforcement, but as a psychiatrist, Tristan chooses to help people in a different way. Quiet and restrained, he is content to hover in the background of his more gregarious brothers. Then he meets two men, each broken and damaged from losses beyond their control.

Gabriel Simenson is mourning his lover's death. The random act of violence that took Gio's life has left everyone at All Cocks reeling. The only thing keeping Gabe from drowning in misery is the friendship he's forged with Micah, the newest model at All Cocks. He continues to struggle, and at the urging of his All Cocks family Gabe agrees to counseling with Tristan under one condition: Micah must go with him.

Micah Solo can relate to unbearable loss, having lost his leg and so much more in Iraq. The past two years he has been alone, adrift and vulnerable - the memories of war haunting his dreams, spilling over into his daily life. At All Cocks, Micah has found the acceptance he craves and the family he lost, but still he yearns for happiness and peace within.

The friendship between the three is instant, the mutual attraction evident. They circle each other, wanting more, yet unsure if it is truly possible. Is life the mundane reality they've each come to accept for themselves or do they dare to hope?

The All Cocks Stories is a series set within the world of online gay porn. Micah's PTSD is told in detail, including flashbacks to his time in Iraq.

Listening Length: 6 hours and 13 minutes
Narrator: Joel Leslie


Reviewer: Shee Reader

This is book 4 in the All Cocks series (set in the world of gay porn) but is easily accessible as a stand alone

The book tells the story of Tristan (the second oldest Brennan brother) who works as a psychiatrist. He professionally helps two lovely guys who work at All Cocks making porn movies. Gabriel is mourning the tragic and sudden loss of his lover in a shooting, and Micah is a wounded veteran who suffers PTSD from his time in Iraq where he and his troop were ambushed. Micah was the only survivor, losing his leg and suffering terrible PTSD flashbacks.

Micah and Gabe are best friends, and have developed a super close bond in the year they have lived together in the house where All Cocks is often filmed. Tristan has been helping Gabe, and Gabe encourages Micah to see him too. The three men make fast friends, but there's an attraction too. Can they work through their issues and Dare to Hope for more?

This is a lovely story, with a moving background. Micah’s flashbacks are realistic and emotive, and Gabe’s grief is almost tangible. Tristan helps them both individually, but fights his attraction to both men, believing they’ll be better off without him around. The complexities of the relationships with each other are enthralling. The menage aspect makes the will-they wont-they so much more complex, and the demons each man is fighting make is even more challenging. That said, it wasn’t an overly angst-y book, and was very enjoyable to listen to. So much so, that I stayed awake until 4am one morning to listen to the end!

Joel Leslie does an outstanding job with what must have been a tricky story to narrate. There are three leading men for starters, and more emotional baggage than five strong men could carry! His voices were warm, engaging, and clear. He gave super intonation and characterisation. and was a joy to listen to.

The HEA was lovely, and I’ll be sure to look up the audio books of the first three books in the series to get the down-low on all the Brennan brothers, and All Cocks boys!

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34839770-dare-to-hope

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