5 Stars!

Any additional comments?

After I finished reading A Day Makes, I immediately thought, "I cannot wait for the audio! I need this on audio!"

Now that I've listened to it I can quite simply say: Greg Tremblay made this even better, and I didn't even think that was possible.

He does such fantastic character voices, especially the accents (of which there were MANY), which were all done brilliantly.

Now, it's true that I'm a Calmesaniac. I make no bones that Mary Calmes writes the kind of crack I'm addicted to.

But this story? What a fantastic ride you guys! Seriously, that was like the best roller coaster, and when you get off you immediately want to ride it again.

Mary Calmes always manages to take a first person single POV and make it so dynamic and enthralling that I cannot help but love it.

Our POV this time is solely from Ceaton Mercer, a mob enforcer with a conscience. Think that's an oxymoron? Nope. Mary Calmes pulls it off in a way it not only makes sense, but I was absolutely on board with Ceaton's decisions. I love how Ceaton's doing his best to be as ethical as possible in situations that don't normally find themselves to be on anyone's moral compass. Ceaton is making the best out of some truly hard situations.

The first half of the story sets up Ceaton and his friends, Pravi, Luka, and Marko, while the second half focuses on a single day in the life in where Ceaton meets his future, in more ways than one, learns some truth about his past and the lives he's saved and changed forever. And folks? Get ready for some ties to the past.

Now, this is sort of a slow burn. Though there's some romance (and sexy times) it doesn't come until later in the story, but it's definitely worth the wait. I absolutely loved Ceaton and Brin! I loved the banter, the action, the suspense, the Easter eggs...I loved it all!

All I can say without spoiling this was that I thought this was fantastic and sets up a possible series brilliantly. I really hope to get a better look at the Vault and get to spend more time with the guys in the future.

I love that Calmes can write a fantastic, mesmerizing series like the Marshals series that focuses on law enforcers, but can switch it up and write a story (and hopefully series - no seriously, please let this become a series!!) from the "bad" guy's perspective that is just as riveting and absorbing.

If you love bad guys with a heart of gold, some action, a bit of romance, definitely some great storytelling, and fantastic narration I highly recommend you pick this up.

100% Recommended!

8 people found this helpful

Holy nonsense!

Wow. I mean, I'm willing to suspend belief for a good romance. And I loved the Fit to be Tied series my Mary Calmes. And Greg Tremblay is a great narrator. But this was just bad.

4 people found this helpful

Best narrator ever

The book is fantastic and the narrator is the best male narrator I've ever heard. He ranks right along side Barbra Rosenblat and I can give no higher praise.

4 people found this helpful

Surprising, but it worked!!

Ridiculous, but I sort of loved it!

I'm the first to admit that I'm not typically a Mary Calmes fan. I have to be in the mood for a very particular kind of story, and I guess I was in the mood for that kind of story today because this one just worked for me.

It's Mary Calmes to the max, baby!!

Sure, the plot is... interesting. An "unapologetic mobster with the heart of gold"-kinda plot. I had NO idea where it was going or when we were FINALLY going to meet the love interest. The romance, when we get there after eons, was rushed to the point of incredulity. However, it all came together for me, somehow, in the end.

One big factor is that I love Greg Tremblay, and I thought he did an awesome job narrating this one. He really brought the characters to life, and I thought he elevated a 3.5 star story to a solid 4 stars. I loved all of his accents (no idea if they are realistic, though), and I loved his vocal differentiation between the characters.

Okay, just accept that this book is cracktastic and don't try to analyze it. You'll thank me later.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

3 people found this helpful

Brillant performance!! Amazing story.

Oh man, please tell me this is to become a series!! I loved this story. During the first half of the book I was a little confused because Ceaton and his "bros" are basically murderers working for the Serbian mob. Marko has done horrible and very violent things. How could anyone like these guys? But somehow, the author gets us to love them. There is a lot of character development of Ceaton and his crew and the love interest doesn't even appear until the second half of the story. But when he does, it is magical. We get the wonderful Mary Calmes banter that I grew to love in the A Matter of Time series. And, yes, Brin does remind me of Jory. But since I LOVE Jory, I'm definitely OK with that. I hope this is a series b/c I can see some additional story lines begging to be told. Greg Tremblay puts in an amazing performance, complete with Russian and Serbian accents. Just wonderful!

3 people found this helpful

B+ rating...

My Review:
Overall: 4.25
Performance: 4.5
Story: 4.0

This book is not your normal romance. In fact, it's very much not your normal romance novel. The first half of the book covers years of Ceaton's life, explaining how he gets to this place...first he's a sniper in the military where a mission went very wrong and he tried to fix it and then later in his life as a mob enforcer after he was forced out of the military. The first half of the book is all about the pure grittiness in Ceaton's life and the family he manages to build in his life despite of the truly awful circumstances.

Then the second half of the book covers a single day and how that one day and the guy he's sent to protect is absolutely perfect for Ceaton. That guy brings a lightness to Ceaton's world that he's never had. He's well-aware of the extreme danger and trauma of everything happening around him, but because Ceaton is there...with him, then it's all okay. This new guy comes off as almost naive, but yet he's brilliant and smart and so completely and totally enamored with Ceaton.

Ceaton couldn't help but be charmed by him and I had to agree. This guy was perfect.

And this audiobook was fantastic. Greg Tremblay NAILED all the different accents and gave the new guy just the perfect innocence and devotion that made this highly unlikely story work. If someone had told me the whole premise before reading/listening to it, I never would have thought it possible for me to like this book as much as I did. But Mary Calmes did it and wrote it very well.

I was charmed by both the characters and the story. Who knew? It was good!

1 person found this helpful

Amazing!!!

This book and even the voice chosen was amazing and exciting. I couldn't help but think about how cute some of the scenes are. I also really like how actuate the scenes involving the Marine Command were too. It's hard being in the military and having to follow commands and sometimes refusing to follow them can be.

1 person found this helpful

The spy who loved him

When I 1st tread the outline for this story I though what an interesting idea, a gay hitman for better or worse and how him being gay becomes such a moot point, because seton is with out a doubt one of the best written and well rounded characters I have read about in awhile. He's sexy and deadly and silly and by the end loving and protective. The end of this story touched my hart because of the passion and sheer craziness of Brin's sheer ops session with seton, I'm hopping there will be a part 2 before long.

1 person found this helpful

Good but too short

I enjoyed this story, but it was just too short. The first half of the book was only about Ceaton. There was no mention of Brinley until the second half of the book and then it was insta-love, a shoot out, and the book was over.
So we get to know Ceaton well, but Brinley seems to mostly be skipped over.
Greg Tremblay totally saves this book. His narration is fantastic as always. He is the man of a thousand voices and accents.

1 person found this helpful

Nice tale

I pretty much own everything by this author on audiobook. This one I waited until I saw it on sale.
Overall it was a good story, to me, not one of her best. The time line is not real defined and somehow I missed that they were in Massachusetts. When at the beginning of the story, I could have swear they were in Las Vegas. And I don't remember a move.
Following the years of the job that has to be done and the Boss slowly going insane was entertaining. The end seemed rushed, wasn't us finding out The Valut the whole point?
GT did a Phenomenal job, as normal.