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

Review: Finding the Sky by A.M. Burns

Dillon Smith is so ready for the school year to be over, because he’ll get some relief from the gang that’s been pressuring him to join them. Unfortunately, when he stops for a soda, he’s implicated in the gang robbing a convenience store. Given his late father’s association with the gang, even his mother doesn’t believe him when he says he wants no part of it, and she sends him to live with his Uncle Bryan for the summer.

On the way to his uncle’s house in the country, he and Bryan rescue a hawk that was hit by a semitruck. They take it to some wildlife rehabbers living down the street, and they help open Dillon to experiences he never imagined.

When Dillon meets Scott, the son of the rehabbers, he falls in love, but the gang has a rough summer planned for him.

When this book was offered for review, I have to admit to being in two minds about whether to take it or not. If I'm honest it was the cover rather than the blurb that sold me, so can we all pause for a moment and give a little cover love to this book. Aaah. Feels good huh? So many fugly covers, I do appreciate it when I find one I love!

The cover persuaded me to give it  a try, and I'm glad I did. Despite the fact that portions of this story are very sad, it was on the whole quite a sweet love story - which is what I hoped it would be. I have very little patience for over dramatised, overly convenient plot lines and I did worry that this might fall into that category. I was pleased though, that while it did contain drama, it wasn't of the forced nature I worried it might be.

Once Dillon had moved from the city to his uncle's house the clichés that were lurking fell away and the story of his connection to his summer home came to the fore. And it was sweet. I liked the relationships forged and shown between all of the main characters. Although Dillon was a city boy, he seemed a country boy at heart - once he'd let himself appreciate the virtues of the countryside. Whilst his mother tried hard for him (and yes, she was a bit of a cliché downtrodden, pregnant young, poor mother) it was his uncle who really helped Dillon find himself. The relationship between these two was lovely. 

Scott, with his two dads and extensive knowledge of wild birds, was a great second protagonist. The romance between him and Dillon was really very sweet, and this is what I loved about the story. The angst and sadness and gang storyline were (for me) the author's way of getting Dillon and Scott together. They were there but as a carriage for the relationship development; in my opinion, it was the emotional storyline that won this story. It's what kept me reading.

Basically what I'm saying is; I liked this story. I did. While it wasn't a blow-me-away five heart read, it was exactly what I needed to read at the time I read it and it warmed the cockles of my heart despite the angsty edge.

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

For more information, see:
Harmony Ink Press
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Review: Love's Medicine by Ashley John

Justin White didn't expect to fall in love with his best friend, Sammie Cooper, but he couldn't stop himself. Since their teen years, they've been inseparable, but as each year passes, it becomes harder and harder for shy Justin to confess his true feelings to his charismatic and promiscuous best friend. Keeping secrets has become second nature to Justin, as his love for Sammie isn't the only thing he's concealing from the world. In the shadows of his home, his mother is slowly dying, and despite stealing painkillers from the hospital, there's nothing he can do to save her.

Sammie Cooper never thought his casual and sexual relationship with his boss at the nightclub would ever turn into anything serious, but when Finley offers him a briefcase stuffed with money to follow him to England, he doesn't know if he can resist the lure of the cold, hard cash. Sammie is faced with a decision that he never thought he'd have to make, and things only get more complicated when he makes a shocking discovery about Justin's life.

Can Justin start telling the truth to keep hold of the only man he'll ever love? Can Sammie turn down life changing money to risk it all on the unknown?

One is scared of love and the other is scared of commitment. Justin and Sammie thought they could make it through anything together, but their crumbling lives threaten to rip them apart. Both are faced with difficult decisions, but will they make the right ones? 

Ashley John is an author I look forward to reading now. The Surf Bay books are a series of, easy to read, devour in a sitting, stories. Each of the characters are unique, as is each love story. When I open up one of these books I know to a certain extent what I am going to get - but that is part of the charm. I know there will be one lovable MC with stuff going wrong in his life. I know there will be a 'bad boy' MC who we get to uncover and grow to love. I know there will be angst but ultimately an HEA/HFN. I like that I know this. I read different books for different reasons and depending on my mood at the time, and sometimes I just know I need to read this kind of book. Hard, but not brutal. I know I'll fall for the MC's along the way and wish them their happily ever after. 

So what is unique about each book? Well, though they follow a certain format they do all bring different characters to the table...or the town of Surf Bay and I really appreciate this. In this book Justin is the good guy making some super tough decisions. Hiding a secret from everyone, including his best friend Sammie, he is coping the best he can in a crappy situation. He's trying to keep himself together but is barely succeeding. On top of the personal issues he's dealing with the love of his life, best friend Sammie (friends to lovers - YAYAYAYAYA!!) has no idea how Justin feels about him, and Sammie's casual attitude to sex and his own self worth eat away at Justin more and more.

Sammie is getting himself in some hot water. Shagging his boss to keep him sweet and rolling in expensive gifts it seems that Sammie may suddenly be out of his depth. Caught between friendship and an uncertain future that may involve love, or a guaranteed 'high-life' rolling in riches, playboy to his boss, Sammie suddenly doesn't know which way to turn. He thought he knew what it was he wanted out of life but now he's questioning decisions he makes and then questioning them again.

It would be easy to write Sammie off as a bit of an arsehole - in truth he really can be, but I always got the feeling that he was more a confused little boy who really didn't know up-from-down. Yes, at times, his treatment of Justin SUCKED. He was a miserable BFF and the phrase 'who needs enemies...' sprung to mind. When I peeled beneath the surface though I think he was way more scared and unable to cope with life than Justin, however they would outwardly appear. He was screwed up and made screwed up decisions, but I think he started to learn from them and at the end of the day he made the right choices (eventually). Even if he did cut it fine.

Fans of this series will like this book and I would recommend Surf Bay for those looking for a comfort read, the population there is pretty cool!

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

For more information, check out Goodreads.