Audiobook Tour: Ambiguous by Leslie McAdam

 

AUDIOBOOK TOUR

Book Title: Ambiguous

Author: Leslie McAdam

Narrator: Hamish Long and Kirt Graves

Release Date: August 25, 2022

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Rock star, slow burn, forbidden love, opposites attract, lawyer/politics, fake relationship (with a twist)

Themes: Labels, coming out, being true to yourself

Heat Rating: 5 flames

Length: 8 hours and 17 minutes

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Audible US  |  Audible UK 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Blurb 

Love is for other people, not for me…

At least that’s what I believed, until I met him. Julian Hill. The most famous rock star on the planet. A music god with untidy hair and the voice of an angel.

I’ll never be anything but out, and he has very good reasons to stay in the closet. After all, every move he makes is dissected, critiqued, and shared on social media, so he just wants a little privacy. I understand that. Truly, I do.

But no one makes me feel the way he does, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for me as well. Which is inconvenient since his record label just hired me to sue him. Guess I should’ve sorted things out before I kissed him… Oops.

Ambiguous is an addictive MM bisexual romance novel about a fashion-forward rock singer who hates labels of all kinds (except for clothing), a dapper attorney who already has a (fake) boyfriend for a very good reason, and the possibility of love saving the day in a sensually stimulating “opposites-attract” romance story. In addition to the compassionate, big-hearted main characters and engaging, steamy interactions, LGBTQ+ romance readers are raving about the refreshingly honest discussions about homophobia, acceptance, bisexuality, and gay rights, which flow seamlessly into the heart-warming, soul-stirring love story.

About the Author

Leslie McAdam is a California girl who loves romance and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two children. Leslie's first published book, The Sun and the Moon, won a 2015 Watty, which is the world's largest online writing competition. She's gone on to receive additional literary awards and has been featured in multiple publications, including Cosmopolitan.com. Her books have been Top 100 Bestsellers on both Amazon and Apple Books. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men of your fantasies.

Author Links

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Audiobook Review: The Palisade (Lavender Shores, #1) by Rosalind Abel

Confident businessman Joel Rhodes sees the small California town of Lavender Shores as nothing more than a business opportunity and a final stepping stone to the position he’s been working toward his entire life. It was supposed to be just one night in town to close the deal, and sleeping with one of the local men, no matter how gorgeous, meant nothing more than a few hours of fun.
Andrew Kelly is perfectly content with the life he has in his hometown. So much so that the only thing missing is someone to share it with. Going to bed with a tourist was never meant to be the answer to his dreams, just a beautiful distraction. He could get back to looking for Mr. Right the next day.
Both Andrew’s and Joel’s worlds are turned upside down when a few hours of pleasure get extended to a couple of days. Even that shouldn’t have been a big deal. You can’t fall in love in that amount of time. That isn’t how it works. However, if destinies collide, a few short days may be all it takes to find your soul mate. Even so, when secrets and motivations get tangled, fate may do nothing more than leave two hearts in pieces.

Narrated by: Kirt Graves
Listening Length: 7 hours and 20 minutes

Guest Reviewer - Annika

For the most part this book was low angst and an effortless read, but it didn't work for me on many levels. But it also seems like I'm a minority in this, so please feel free to ignore me.

I'm not too fond of Kirt Graves as narrator. He doesn't really differentiate between the characters so at times it's a bit difficult to keep up with which character is narrating/speaking. Don't get me wrong, he is very pleasant to listen to but you need to focus much more than with other narrators.

For me to really enjoy a book I need to like the main characters, when I don't I spend the time being irritated on one/both of them instead of enjoying the story being told. Such was the case here. I never really liked Joel. Sure he'd always been bullied by his dad. But at some point he needs to be able to stand up for himself. Joel never did. Instead he went behind the back of people he claimed to love and respect. He knew what he did was wrong and that it would hurt those very people, but he kept on doing what he did anyway. I'm sorry, but that is not okay in my book.

I'm also a big fan of slow-burn romances. Where things are allowed to take time, to develop naturally. I can believe in that, I believe in those feelings. Here we got insta love and insta lust.

I do believe a lot of people will like this book, so don't discard it because I didn't like it. The writing is solid, and who knows, the rest of the series might work better.

A copy of this audiobook was provided in exchange for an honest review

Audiobook Review: The Sumage Solution (San Andreas Shifters #1) by Gail Carriger

Can a gentle werewolf heal the heart of a smart-mouthed mage?

NYT bestseller Gail Carriger, writing as G. L. Carriger, presents an offbeat gay romance in which a sexy werewolf with a white knight complex meets a bad boy mage with an attitude problem. Sparks (and other things) fly.

Max fails everything - magic, relationships, life. So he works for DURPS (the DMV for supernatural creatures) as a sumage, cleaning up other mages’ messes. The job sucks and he’s in no mood to cope with redneck biker werewolves. Unfortunately, there’s something oddly appealing about the huge, muscled Beta visiting his office for processing.

Bryan AKA Biff (yeah, he knows) is gay but he’s not out. There’s a good chance Max might be reason enough to leave the closet, if he can only get the man to go on a date. Everyone knows werewolves hate mages, but Bryan is determined to prove everyone wrong, even the mage in question.

Delicate Sensibilities? 

This story contains M/M sexitimes and horrible puns. If you get offended easily, then you probably will. The ­­­­San Andreas Shifter stories contain blue language, dirty deeds, and outright admiration for the San Francisco Bay Area. Not for the faint of heart (mouth/tongue/etc.).

This book stands alone, but there is a prequel short story featuring Bryan’s brother, Alec, the Alpha. Want to know why the pack moved? Read Marine Biology.

Narrated by Kirt Graves
Listening Length: 10 hours

I find I'm having a bit of separation anxiety upon finishing this book. I keep thinking about it and that always counts for something with me.

What started as a seemingly run of the mill, opposites attract shifter romance turned into an obsession. I listened to the whole thing in one day. I know! Crazy, right?

Bryan, beta werewolf and Boston accented big un, is Cupcake book boyfriend material. If you know me, you know what tics my boxes and Bryan colored them in with permanent magic marker-gentle giant except when it counts, lover not a fighter, has that vulnerability thing happening... *sigh*

Dude is hot is all I'm saying.

Bryan's recently relocated with his newly formed pack of "misfits" to the Bay Area. As beta of the pack, he takes his caretaking responsibilities seriously, never wanting to disappoint or hurt anyone. He's closeted (briefly) and coming to grips with his sexuality. So virgin and bashful and blushing. #S.W.O.O.N. He gets volunteered to go to the local DURPS office to register the pack and meets Max. Max is a sumage and a little abrasive. He tends to use humor and sass to mask his feelings of inadequacy. Childhood was a nightmare, he's generally a loner and feels inferior in most all ways, and has some truly awful body image issues, so he's in need of some TLC in a bad way.

Sparks fly between them and the dating and sexytimes occur pretty quickly. The sex is ON FIYAH!!!!!! (to me). Thorough and messy. Rimming, marking, biting, big guy bottoming, manhandling, toys, hands free orgasm and a little bossiness. Cupcake might've danced a jig.

WOOF! 

The Sumage Solution definitely meets criteria for the hurt/comfort trope and is rife with mis/non-communication. Almost immediately there is conflict which even though I thought was somewhat overblown and dramatic on Max's part, I understood why he would do what he did. However, the conflict at the end employed the dreaded martyr plot device. I really hate that one and I was ultimately dissatisfied with how it played out.

Despite my quibbles the romanciness of this first love story will stick with me for the foreseeable future. I do love a mates story and Carriger takes us along for the journey of them falling in love and getting their hard fought HEA.

It was like the werewolf filled all his empty, broken, lonely parts with liquid fire. Scary and exhilarating. 

Biff felt odd, floaty but tethered, anchored to Max. A shard of toffee, sharp and sweet, was being melted inside him into hot liquid caramel. The taste and smell of Max.

The pack and other various sassy and endearing secondary characters rounded out this story. I do love a chosen family and this has all the hallmarks of adding countless "misfits" to an already adorable pack. This world that Carriger has created will make it impossible for me not to proceed with the series. Admittedly, there were times where I felt like I was missing something and wishing like crazy for a prologue or glossary of terms or something! But the cleverness of this interpretation of an urban fantasy with all sorts of shifters and paranormal beings won me over. The action plot takes a backseat to the romance, though.

As far as the narration, this is my first Kirt Graves and he's going to get listened to again. Each character got their own voice, though all the women were variations on Southern which was confusing for a book set in the Bay Area. Other than that his Boston accent for Bryan and Alec had me swooning all over the place. I ❤️ me a Boston accent. I forgot how much until I heard Bryan speak. Reminded me of that time I legit recorded the vendor hawking CHOWDAH HEYYYAH at Fenway. Good times.

Yeah, I did it.

Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, recommending this book! Smartly written, droolworthy likable characters, sexytimes, romancey first love romance with mates, entertaining plot and fantastic narration. What's not to like? If you like urban fantasy or romance this should be a win for you.

A review copy was provided.

Trivia Question: When Perry & Rory go out to rescue Fiona in Romancing the Ugly Duckling what was she out in a storm looking for? 15 pts

Random winner will be chosen 11/23. I'll be traveling all will so I will try to have winners notified no later than 6 pm EST.

Audiobook Review: Whiskey Business (States of Love) by Avon Gale

Ryder Waites will do anything to keep the tiny town of Gallows Grove, Kentucky, from vanishing off the map—even sell his family’s whiskey recipe to Bluegrass Bourbon in Lexington. Hopeful that the larger company can provide necessary improvements to the distillery, Ryder’s ultimate goal is to get Gallows Grove on the Bourbon Trail… and bring in much-needed tourism revenue. But to keep producing Hanged Man Bourbon in Gallows Grove, he’ll have to convince company liaison, unbearably stuffy and seriously hot Adam Keller, that he's worth the investment.

Adam comes from an old-money family, but he’s determined to make his own way in the world. When he’s sent to Gallows Grove, he questions the life choices that led him to a rented room in a funeral home, in a town full of macabre-themed businesses. And he doesn’t know what to make of Ryder, the descendant of bootleggers who’s on a mission to save his strange town from extinction. When Adam and Ryder put aside their initial mistrust, the results are as smooth as good whiskey. But after Adam’s assignment ends, he’ll have to decide if small-town life and a future with Ryder is to his tastes.

Listening Length: 3 hours and 37 minutes
Narrator: Kirt Graves

It's my first Avon Gale and Kirt Graves!

I know, I know, I'm super late. I've read wonderful things about author and narrator. And after reading/listening to Whiskey Business, I can happily say all those wonderful things are accurate.

Gale takes the reader to her home state of Kentucky in this opposites attract romance that features Ryder Waites, a blue collar distiller in love with his macabre small town of Gallow Groves and Adam Keller, uptight businessman extraordinaire.

Ryder sells his family bourbon recipe to Adam's company. Adam's company sends the Kentucky city boy to investigate Hanged Man Bourbon's facilities and town. It was not love at first site, despite each gentleman finding the other hot as fuck.

All the choices I've read so far from the States of Love house line has made sure to feature a US state heavily. This can be said for Whiskey Business. Kentucky was a character in the novella. A little crazy, a lot snarky, some country and all heart. I've never been to this state but I wanted to visit after reading this. Kentucky was the silent partner in the coupledom of Ryder/Adam.

The two start on opposite sides of the fence, but they did share a common goal of Hanged Man Bourbon. And they grew from there with a plucky, quirky small town that accepted both men being gay (no stereotype of homophobe yokels to be found--yay!). Every member of the town added to the snark and sweetness of this low angst story.

Kirt Graves did a great job with the accents. It took me longer to get into what he did with Adam's voice. I know he was making each guy to be as distinct as their character. I mean, the narrator picked up little details to make the characters really stand out. I ended up really liking the entire thing as I listened along.

There is a heavy dose of sexy added to the plot. Ryder is blunt and wants to "bone" Adam, not because he happened to be the only gay guy in his little town. But because they shared a common attraction and it read believable and not forced. The sex (when it happened) was hot. Someone is bossy and the happy bottom out of the pair really liked that. As did I. I could easily see these two having sex anywhere if left alone for too long. Office sex with a bossy britches makes for fun times.

But I must share my one disappoint.

I was almost taken on a one way trip to smut heaven with possible stairway sex...

I was touching the cum filled gates...

And it wasn't meant to be.

Teased!

Other than that that tease, it was a great time reading/listening. After the Kentucky love, my second favorite thing was the banter and dialogue between Ryder and Adam. There was a nice amount of witty in here. And the puns were cute!

If you're in the mood for something fun and light, with good amount of sexy without it reading like erotica and your a Kentucky fan, definitely give Whiskey Business a try. I recommend it.

This won't be my last Avon Gale!

Trivia Question: Name the MC that must complete a series of tasks laid out by his dead twin sister in order to keep the house & business they built together? 15 pts

Audiobook Review: Murmuration by T.J. Klune

In the small mountain town of Amorea, it’s stretching toward autumn of 1954. The memories of a world at war are fading in the face of a prosperous future. Doors are left unlocked at night, and neighbors are always there to give each other a helping hand.

The people here know certain things as fact:

Amorea is the best little town there is.

The only good Commie is a dead Commie.

The Women’s Club of Amorea runs the town with an immaculately gloved fist.

And bookstore owner Mike Frazier loves that boy down at the diner, Sean Mellgard. Why they haven’t gotten their acts together is anybody’s guess. It may be the world’s longest courtship, but no one can deny the way they look at each other.

Slow and steady wins the race, or so they say.

But something’s wrong with Mike. He hears voices in his house late at night. There are shadows crawling along the walls, and great clouds of birds overhead that only he can see.

Something’s happening in Amorea. And Mike will do whatever he can to keep the man he loves.

Listening Length: 12 hours and 11 minutes
Narrator: Kirt Graves

TJ Klune is a autobuy author to me. Even if I review a free copy, I’ll end up purchasing the book in ebook, audio or paperback because I just love the story that much and I need TJ to keep writing for as long as he can stand it. One of the greatest things about this author is his willingness to take risks when it comes to writing. And boy was this a risk.

This is the most unusual story I have listened to in awhile. There is a lot going on that I was keenly aware of while I was following Kirt Graves narration, I just couldn’t figure out the bigger picture. The story was pretty obvious in some ways, but I was still following breadcrumbs to understand it completely through most of the story. It is definitely a story that takes you on a winding journey. It’s hard to tell whether it will lead you to the Emerald Castle, or whether you’ll end up back in Munchkin land.

I love a bit of mystery, and this mystery worked me the entire time. I was hungry for the little bits of knowledge that cropped up during odd moments, and how that played into the overall plot. I really had no idea how this story was going to end, even as I neared the conclusion. I loved that I got played and that at times I was completely confused.

This story is an experience. In patience and thought. It’s like a twin peaks episode, but then once you’re at the end you realise you’ve watched the entire season. It’s something bizarre and quirky and beautiful. Fascinating in it’s development with a slow reveal. A complex piece of literature from a skilled writer who enjoys taking readers on a ride.

I did find the tone of the story to be a little dreary. It felt slow at times, and I wanted it to hurry up. My best advice to other readers is to go in expecting an experience. Not just a story but a journey. This will make you consider the what if’s and draw parallels to thoughts or stories you’ve heard or seen. This is a story within a story, and once you’re inside it, you’ll question what you’ve read, and everything you’re going to read.

This is more than a romance. This is actually beyond a romance. The relationship between Mike and Sean is the most minute part of this story, but is also everything in this story. Pay careful attention.

I can’t say I love Kirt Graves as a narrator, but I think his style is growing on me. This is a personal issue and I don’t think it has anything to do with Kirt’s voice acting skills. I’m a weirdo with voices, and if you’ve followed any of my previous audio reviews, you’ll know it is more connected with my hearing issues than the actors who put their voices to these stories. The best way to judge for yourself would be to sample this story on Audible.

If you’re a fan of odd quirky stories, complex writing, and stories that are different, definitely give this one a go. It wasn’t my favourite, but it is definitely something memorable, and for that it gets high marks.

A review copy was provided for an honest opinion.

Audiobook Review: Wolfsong by T.J. Klune

Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road. The little boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the little boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the little boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the little boy’s secret and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Listening Length: 18 hours and 40 minutes
Narrator: Kirt Graves

Before I even start to review the book, I need to tell you all how FUCKING AMAZING the narration is for this story. A narrator can make or break an audio title, or maybe not break it but keep it on the okay side. Kirt Graves took this story to another level, now I can't speak for TJ Klune, but as the listener I can't imagine this being read in any other way; Kirt absolutely nails it as far as this reader is concerned. A story I listened to today was... not ruined, but marred, by the fact that the narration felt off to me, and I was repeating lines in my head emphasising the words how I would have read them. The Wolfsong narration was so good I just melted into the story and got absolutely lost in it. I will be keeping my eye out for narration from Kirt Graves from now on, because he was Ox as far as I was concerned.

Okay, so moving onto the story. I'm glad Klune had a top-notch narrator because this story utterly deserved it. I mean, it's not a secret how good his writing is, nor is it a secret how this talent extends across genres; he can be hilariously lighthearted or tug on every single last heart string. Admittedly, all his stories contain a bit of both but they are all fantastically unique. Talented author is talented - but you all know that, right?

So Wolfsong... what was it that makes it so special? Well anyone who has ever read a review by me knows I am a character gal through and through. If I fall for the characters then I am sold pretty much on the story and this book was jam packed with characters to love.

Ox, the MC,  for starters is quietly understated yet he manages to be a growing strength all through the book. You know they say it's the silent ones you need to watch out for? Well that is Ox; to underestimate him is a folly. He's a real hero as far as I'm concerned; strong and true and honest and utterly humble. Joe is the perfect opposite for him, the perfect partner. Joe is Joe, he is the sunshine on a gloomy day. Always bright, well almost always, but he could so easily have been a broken parody of a character and I am so glad he wasn't. My other favourite character was Gordy, I would really, really like his story. Father figure, friend, boss - and so much more to Ox, his presence in the story was important to me, without him I don't think Ox would have been the man he became.

TJ didn't just work his magic by creating fantastic characters though, he also wrote a wonderful world. It was our world, particularly a small town USA world, but with a magical, supernatural presence that only a few know of. The world he wrote though was lyrical in its own right. He makes it so easy to picture in my head that when I think of Wolfsong I see greens and browns and woods and home and family and love. I see small town USA, though I've never been stateside.

The other important element to the writing is the vivid emotional imagery. He wrote feeling. He didn't write about feelings, he wrote them so they were tangible, so they were mine as well as Ox's or Joe's or whoever's. The storyline was almost just a by-product of the other three things; characters, setting and emotions. I mean, obviously it's not, I'm sure every author out there would have my head on a plate for suggesting the storyline just eases into place once characters etc are there. I can only imagine the hours of hard work that goes into a story like this. The talent though is making it appear effortless, by not adding in cliches and over used plot devices to get a story to work. If I was attempting to get poetical about it, I would say the storyline is the material the tapestry is done on and the other  elements are the threads that weave the picture. 

I would really recommend this story to anyone who enjoys good writing and it is as simple as that. If you enjoy being lost in a book - choose this story. Again, I cannot recommend highly enough the quality of this audible version; TJ Klune wrote a stunning story and Kirt Graves managed, somehow, to take it to another level.

A copy of this audio book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information see on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads.

See our ebook uni gangbang review here!