Audiobook Review: Unquiet (Resilient Love #3) by Melanie Hansen

Loren Smith has been in love with Eliot Devlin almost his entire life. During their turbulent childhood and teen years, Loren didn’t always understand Eliot, and sometimes he could be a challenge, but Eliot was the only one to ever truly ease Loren’s deep loneliness and accept him. When Eliot’s increasingly erratic and self-destructive behavior culminates in a suicide attempt at seventeen, Loren is devastated.

Upon meeting again by chance nine years later, Loren is enjoying a successful career as a police officer while Eliot’s life has been a constant struggle for stability. In and out of mental hospitals, with a rap sheet a mile long, he continues to be buffeted by the twin storms of mania and depression. Loren’s love and protectiveness for Eliot are deeply ingrained in him, however, and their feelings for each other are quickly rekindled.

Loren has issues of his own he’s dealing with, and trying to understand and cope with Eliot’s bipolar disorder isn’t easy. They believe they’re meant to be, and Eliot brings a fulfillment to Loren’s life that no one else will ever match. But as they both come to realize, love by itself can’t cure all.

Listening Length: 10 hours and 32 minutes
Narrator: Michael Stellman

Unquiet is the final chapter in the Resilient Love series. It introduced me to great writing, interesting characters and angst filled love stories.

This novel definitely delivered all three with a friends to lovers theme featuring Loren (Kai's closeted ex from Signs of Life) and Loren's childhood best friend, schizophrenic/manic depressive Eliot.

When reading about mental illnesses in romance, I might be a little more apprehensive since it's a population I've worked with. And Eliot's character didn't come across as inauthentic. It was hard to read what he went through at times. It tugs on the emotions. But to me, it read...real. I believed he loved Loren. I think he was as great of a friend as he was capable of. Loren has always been Eliot's person since they were kids, no matter the time or distance.

My biggest issue? Loren. He grew up with Eliot from childhood neighbors. He knew Eliot prior to his diagnosis, during and after. His running away when situations got tough made me hesitate on his staying power toward the longevity of his and Eliot's relationship. It can be hard to learn but at the end of the day you must remember to not take Eliot's actions due to his illness personal. It's an illness and Eliot's illness does not define him.

I am a fan of Michael Stellman's narration. He doesn't make many voices but he did a solid job capturing the emotions from the text. I enjoy listening to his growls and his interpretations of dialogue. It's not my favorite book of the series, but overall it was a great conclusion..

This could be read/listened to as a standalone, though I like doing the legwork and reading a series from the start. Plus, it starts with my fave of the series (Everything Changes).

P.S. The epilogue was fun, though I rolled my eyes at 'biology lesson' part. Thank god for Jase (my fave character of the series) for taking the reins and being an adult about it.

Audiobook Review + Giveaway: Falling Down by Eli Easton

Eli Easton and Signal Boost Promotions host today's Falling Down audio review tour stop! Enter to win your very own copy of Falling Down on audio!

And don't miss R *A Reader Obsessed*'s review below on today's post!

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Audible US | Audible UK

Length: 7hrs 33mins

Narrated By: Michael Stellman

Cover Design: Tiferet Design

Blurb

Josh finds himself homeless at 18, but he has a plan. He'll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother's sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves are done and the harsh winter comes, Josh plans to find a place to curl up and let go. It will be a relief to finally stop fighting.


Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now a former Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody's hero.


Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark's cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger's eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expects that he'll be the one to fall.


The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries begin?


Trigger warning: Suicidal thoughts

One is not going to get anything less from Easton other than good writing and strong feels.

Josh has had it rough in his short 18 years of life, and he’s basically given up. He doesn’t want to feel or hope or want because that will inevitably bring disappointment, and Josh has definitely had quite enough.

Mark has his own baggage as well, especially from his time served in the military. He’s got a protective and caring side to him but at the same time, he’s scared of letting others down and thus afraid to commit to anything, including telling his brash traditional family that he’s gay.

When Mark sees Josh huddling under a bridge one night, Mark can’t not help him, and what begins as lending a helping hand slowly turns into so much more. Ensue a slow burn accompanied by lots of doubt and personal struggle on both these guys’ parts. Beware suicidal thoughts, in the closet anxiety, some selfishness and at times, an inability to empathize with the other’s situation, However, when it comes down to it, Easton doesn’t fail on the emotions nor the sexy.

Narrated by Michael Stellman, I’ve enjoyed him in the past and this was no different. He brings to the fore a certain melancholy fitting for the story, and the emoting done by both Mark and Josh was pitch perfect.

Overall, if you're a fan of this author, then I doubt this will disappoint. Easton for sure can be brutal in the angst but don’t be too intimidated by the subject matter here. Though there’s not a lot of puppy and rainbows except for the wonderful epilogue, this was kinda tame in the pain factor in comparison to some of her other stuff.

Again, a solid romance with a fulfilling happy ending!

A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

About Eli


Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.


Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.


In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.


Her website is www.elieaston.com

You can email her at eli@elieaston.com

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Audiobook Review: Secrets of You (Sunshine and Happiness #4) by Skylar M. Cates

It’s never easy to find redemption.

Carrying scars and regrets, River Darcourt avoids too much intimate contact. Among his friends, he is known as a quiet loner. Forget about love. It’s not something he will consider… until sweet, young, and tempting Morgan Hayes becomes his housemate. River closed his heart long ago, but the attraction is impossible to deny.

Morgan Hayes needs a change. He is moving out of his critical father’s home and in with his friends, including his secret/not-so-secret crush, River. Having feelings for River is a terrible idea. But what is a guy to do when the annoyingly sexy mechanic is just across the hall?

While Morgan has overcome ugliness and is ready for love, he’s just not sure River ever will be. They have both experienced pain in their lives. So Morgan dares River to take a chance, and love will either break their fractured hearts in more pieces or, just possibly, make them whole again.

Narrated by Michael Stellman
Listening Time: 7 Hours, 36 Minutes

I’m a big fan of “The Guy” series by Skylar Cates and binge listened to the whole series and fell in love. I hadn’t read any of the Sunshine and Happiness series when the audiobook for Secrets of You came through to the blog, but I did snatch it up pretty quickly. I conferred with another Unicorn who LOVES the books as to whether this was a standalone situation or a series commitment and thank goodness I asked Red because she let me know right away that if I didn’t do the whole series I would be missing out and damn she was right! Thanks Red! So, I backtracked, used a bunch of audible codes and binge listened to the first three books making my way to Secrets of You. It was a great ride and exactly what I expected from the author.

She’s amazing at writing relationship dynamics and they run the gamut of types and degrees in the Sunshine and Happiness series. I was really looking forward to Book 3, Close to You and I had mentally prepared myself to make that my favorite of the series, I mean really, it was Tomas and Marc’s story! And I did love it, very much, but, Secrets of You turned out to be my favorite of the four books in the end. It’s probably my weakness for misunderstood, heartbroken bad boys (River) and eternally optimistic rays of sunshine (Morgan).

What made these two so good together was their differences and their resilience. They both had been through some incredibly difficult times as of late, but deep down, they both still wanted to be happy. It was understandable they were a little reticent to be jumping into a relationship together, and if they had I would have called BS on it, so the roomies with benefits (while a convenient trope) was still a perfect avenue for them to explore one another both in out of the bedroom. The setup where all the other guys were gone on a cruise was convenient but necessary. There’s no way River would have opened up to Morgan the way he did if the rest of the friends had been present.

My favorite parts of the story were the quiet times between the two while they were home alone. Even if they were supposed to be keeping it casual, it was obvious they were meant to be together by way of the care they took with one another. It was quite sweet to see them fall into a relationship without even consciously realizing it. Accidentally in love is one of my favorite things.

Of course, nothing is that easy and it would be a cop out to not give these boys some angst to work through given everything they’d been through, but it wasn’t overdone and the issues they had made sense for them both separately and together. River’s story surprised me more than once and finally being in his head to get his impression of the relationship he had Brendan broke my heart and really made the story something so much more than what I expected. It also gave me more hope for his relationship with Morgan long term. It was a roller coaster I wasn’t anticipating and I love when a book gives me that!

Another thing that grabbed me when the audiobook came up for review was the narrator. I love Michael Stellman’s voice. His tone and organic narration get me lost in the stories he reads. I highly recommend listening to anything he is a part of. While each of the Sunshine and Happiness audiobooks has a different narrator, I thought that worked out really well for the series. There are a lot of characters and having different narrators gave each audiobook a distinction that probably wouldn’t have been there otherwise. Michael Stellman was the perfect pick for Secrets of You though. He could read an instruction manual to me and I’d be happy.

**a copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**

Audiobook Review: The Last Thing He Needs (The Last Thing He Needs #1) by J.H. Kinght

Tommy O’Shea is raising his seven younger brothers and sisters without any help from his drug abusing father and stepmother. Since he was fifteen years old, he's managed to keep the children fed and out of foster care. It takes up every ounce of his energy and the last thing he needs is romance complicating his life further.

Rookie cop Bobby McAlister doesn't belong in Tommy’s harsh world, but Tommy can’t push him out. As their unlikely friendship turns into a tentative relationship, they weather the daily storm of Tommy’s life with a lot of laughs and more than a few arguments.

Tommy isn't used to trusting outsiders, and he's never asked for help in his life. But when a tragedy strikes the O'Shea family and threatens everything he's fought for, he'll have to learn to do both to recover from the brutal hit.

Listening Length: 7 hrs 22 mins
Narrator: Michael Stellman

So...this book.

This audiobook!

How did I love thee? Let this review hopefully capture all the ways! (I'll try to keep the gushing to level 10) (Maybe.)

There are a lot of angsty events happening all around this story. And The Last Thing He Needs is most definitely a romance, the ensemble cast (O'Sheas) makes this story.There is a lot of strife and real life topics touched in this heartwarming tale: the victims of drug/alcohol/emotional abuse, living well below the poverty line, past sexual abuse PTSD, thieving to survive, death of a parent.

With all of that life gasoline fire surrounding the story, this is me at the end:

OMG I love them! Heart eyes 4eva!

This is my third J.H. Knight and you know what? I love her writing. It's like chicken soup to my reader's soul. There's something about it that I respond to while reading. It could be the ease of her writing, the way she captures the right essence of family love to deal with whatever real life antics go on or the fact that I want keep her characters in my pocket.

Now the similarities to another TV family is obviously there, but I love Shameless. And read it as a homage to a great show. I'd definitely watch Knight's version.A unicorn let me know the story is emotional manipulation and you know it. Hell, I knew it... but you love it anyway.

As do I.

Being as this is a classic (or if not yet...it definitely will be), I won't rehash too much of the plot. The Last Thing He Needs has Thomas O'Shea aka "Tommy" in charge of his seven brothers and sisters. His father is a drunk and his stepmother is a drug addicted whore. The two 'parents' (I use that term loosely) abandon their children to fend for themselves at a drop of a dime. Tommy, Colleen, Mikey, Davey, Carrie, Collin and infants Max and Zoe do whatever it takes to keep the roof over their head and the lights on. Odd jobs, hustling money or items needed, no job is too small for the O'Sheas. A rookie cop who has made numerous visits to the O'Shea home, Officer Bobby McAlister, takes a liking to Tommy and his ragtag family. Tommy has always harbored a crush on the blonde cop, but never thought anything would come of it. Tommy's more a fuck and dodge kinda guy.

But those feelings don't remain dormant. And Bobby, sweet persistent and equally hardheaded-as-an-O'Shea Bobby, doesn't back down when the times are rough and dredged in misery. He courts the oblivious Tommy and it is sweet and charming and just all the things I love reading about.

Me at the end of listening.

Michael Stellman did a pretty good job narrating. Granted, I read along with the audiobook so I caught a few discrepancies with his choice of words and the actual text. They were minor. And the Stellman didn't try making a lot of different voices for the multiple characters. Instead, he read through and kept the story interesting enough. But what I think my favorite thing about his narration is his voice. It's this sexy kind of growl that kept me hooked. I'm going to check out other books he narrated just to listen to Stellman purr in my ear.

Pair great narration with an awesome book and you know I had a wonderful time. As Bobby and Tommy get closer, the weight off the O'Sheas' collective back doesn't disappear but it does get a little easier to bear. Bobby and his mom Judy squeeze their way into the family's heart and help when it's needed. I loved the realistic approach to the problems. Sometimes Tommy got a little preachy, but it fit the story. And I can honestly say I love each and every character, well almost - those drunken drug addicted shit stains for parents? They can go to hell in hand basket while wearing gas drenched drawers.

Me and maybe ten other people haven't read The Last Thing He Needs. If you're one of the ten, jump on it. And if you've read it, the audio is well worth listening to a sample.

Highly recommend the audiobook and eBook to readers - definitely a great book for newbie MM readers, fans of Shameless and readers who love a big cast of characters.

Definitely a solidified J.H. Knight fan after reading this.

Due to me going to bed like this...

...just thinking about the O'Sheas and their HEA.

P.S. Dear J.H. Knight,

Please write more!

Signed,
A Greedy Fan