Blaine Franks is a member of the paranormal research group the Supernatural Explorers. When the group loses their techie to a cross-country move, newly graduated Flynn Huntington gets the job. Flynn fits in with the guys right off the bat, but when it comes to him and Blaine, it’s more than just getting along.
Things heat up between Blaine and Flynn as they explore their first haunted building, an abandoned hospital, together. Their relationship isn’t all that progresses, though, and soon it seems that an odd bite on Blaine’s neck has become much more.
Hitchhiking ghosts, a tragic love story forgotten by time, and the mystery of room 204 round out a romance where the things that go bump in the night are real.
Listening Length: 6 hours and 18 minutes
Narrator: Kenneth Obi
I’m quite conflicted about this story for a variety of reasons, and I’m really not sure how to express my experience.
This starts off with a group of gay friends who are basically out to make it big by proving that ghosts are real. Flynn actually has the ability to feel, see, and possibly interact with said ghosts so he’s a very valuable part of the team - a team that needs another to help with data collection and analysis. Enter Blaine. He’s always been a believer due to feeling his dead mother’s presence intermittently throughout his life. Because of this, Blaine is determined to prove that this paranormal phenomena exists, and what better way to do that than to join a group of ghost hunters?
When Blaine first meets Flynn there's literally a spark between them and of course, the instant attraction pushes them down the hill at warp speed. The two fall hard and fast, and there just might be a bit of spooky mojo making their connection all the more fantastical, and it’s “babe, baby, honey, love” in a matter of days. *grimaces* In and amongst this uh-mazing time, strange things are afoot, sinister happenings start to endanger Flynn, and sure enough, there’s a tragic mystery to be solved and justice to be had.
I’ve only listened to Kenneth Obi once before, and he was more than perfectly serviceable. Here??? Not so much. I could not follow the narration well at all. I don’t know if it’s because my ears couldn’t easily distinguish “Blaine” from “Flynn” as they’re both one syllable and end in N, or the fact that there was inconsistent character distinction which was not helped by the seemingly rapid POV changes that made it hard to discern who was who was who was speaking. Oy. To say the least, this took me an unusual inordinate amount of time to get through, and that didn’t sit well.
Soooooo despite the insta love, the banter between Blaine and Flynn was mostly sweet and entertaining, the smexy wasn’t too shabby. The scary bits were tense and disturbing, so if you want that in your ghost story then don’t worry. For me though, this book was just... odd, and it was not helped by the narration. I’m not deterred though, since this is my first from Sean Michael. I’ll forge ahead with the next book whether I listen to it or not!
Thank you to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for an honest review
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