Dean and Sloane

The idea of best friends falling in love is certainly not new. But Romeo Alexander and John Harris tell the story of Dean and Sloane convincingly and warmly. It was nice to see the deep friendship between the two. I fell in love with Dean and Sloane while listening, and I found them both very sympathetic. The story was interesting and I liked the dynamics between the main characters. Dean has more feelings for Sloane than he should. Does their friendship still have a chance? Listen for yourself!
I found the audiobook unexpectedly good and very entertaining
Michael Ferraiuolo is a brilliant narrrator and it’s really fun to listen to him. Those were very entertaining hours for me. I listened to the whole audio book in one afternoon. Dean and Sloane are sweet together. Please get more of it!

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Sweet GFY story

It's a sweet "gay for you" military story with almost no angst (Dean's PTSD didn't played a very big role IMO).
I have to admit that I enjoyed the the deep friendship between Sloane and Dean a bit more than when Sloane realised that he feels more for his best friend.
I would have loved to get to know more what will happen after both got together but I understand it's a novella. ^_~
Michael Ferraiuolo is a wonderful narrator and voiced the characters perfectly.

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Heart Warming

Romeo Alexander & John Harris has written an amazing story of two best friends. Michael Ferraiuolo made Sloan and Dean pop from the pages. Highly recommended for to romance lovers.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

1 person found this helpful

Fantastic audio performance, really good OFY story

It's no secret that I LOVE audiobooks performed by Michael Ferraiuolo. His vocal talent can turn a so-so story into one that I'd listen to over and over again. This was far from a so-so story and I really enjoyed it.

I love this length of audiobook because I can usually listen to the whole thing without interruption. Unfortunately, even though I knew better, I started listening to this too late at night to stay awake to finish it and I really wanted to finish it.

In any case, I thought this was a really good out-for-you story as well as a great friends-to-lovers one. Both of these tropes are favorites of mine. The blurb is pretty good so I'll just say that I loved the connection that I felt between the two MCs – even before anything physical happened between them. Michael's performance was perfect and the different voices he did for the characters made it easy to tell who was speaking. I really liked the secondary characters, too and would love to read a story for Marco.

Friends-to-lovers

This is low angst friends-to-lovers bisexual awakening done right. Sloane and Dean are sweet together and they find out what the listener already knows: that they’re meant for each other.

Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration is, as always, a pure joy to listen to and makes this love story even more enjoyable.

One interesting friends to lovers story!

Story: I really liked the dynamics between the MCs and the friendship they shared! The whole story was really interesting, although I'd love to see some aspects of their personality, that were hinted at, to be more pronounced, like PTSD, which almost felt like an afterthought for the most part. Overall though. it was a very enjoyable book!

Narration: While the voice was pleasant to listen to,acting out the emotions could use some more work. At times the cadence sounded almost bored and the tone not always matched the plot.

as great as the ebook

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. Michael Ferraiuolo is one of the top 5 narrators for me, I can listen without break and have no problems to follow.
I'm just not yet finish with the book, just over the half, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B

Pleasant but not quite believable military characters

Long time army buddies, Dean and Sloane, try to sort out their feelings for each other. I really wanted to like this, it’s performed by one of my favourite narrators and I quite like military-themed novels. It was a pleasant and low-angst story but I found it was just ok. I puzzled over why it didn’t didn’t sit right and I think it’s the military setting, it’s just been pasted on. I had the privilege of working with military personnel for years and I haven’t met any, even the out-and-proud ones, that act or sound like these characters. If it had been set in, say, an office, a club, or a hairdressing salon, I think it would been much less incongruous. Secondly, I didn’t feel the spark between Dean and Sloane; I thought there was better chemistry between Dean and his original boyfriend, Marco. 🎧 Finally, no one does sassy, comedic, arch, or sarcastic characters better than Michael Ferraiuolo, I’ve loved every previous performance, but this story and these characters didn’t call for his talents, and I didn’t feel his voice or tone suited a military setting.

A great read

I would highly recommend. Excellent narration and a great story. No significant angst or cheating just a great read.

Not So Straight

Before I get started with the review for I’m Straight, Right? By Romeo Alexander and John Harris, I’d like to go ahead and say that I was given a free audiobook copy of this novel for an honest review. I’m stoked to report I not only loved this book but also both author’s writing style! To be perfectly honest, I’m not a super-duper picky person when it comes to books, but I do want something with some substance and this book really delivered. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the book. I’m not the sort of person that likes to ruin the plot with a bunch of spoilers, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re out of luck here. Now, if you want an honest opinion, keep reading!

Dean and Sloane have been best friends since meeting in Basic Training six years prior to the start of the story. They’ve always shared everything with one another, or so Sloane thought. He wasn’t aware of the fact that Dean’s been in love with him from nearly the start of their friendship. Nor was he aware of the fact that Dean’s been dating a man named Marco while trying to move beyond the unrequited love he has for his best friend. It isn’t until Sloane runs into Dean and Marco in town that he realizes that Dean is dating, and boy is he pissed about it. This caused some discord between the friends which leads them to reevaluate the situation when they can’t stand the rift. Friends become something more, which brings with it confusion and personal consideration that eventually leads to a HEA.

I honestly loved all of the characters in this book. It’s a common issue with a lot of authors to create amazing main characters but neglect the supporting or secondary characters. That wasn’t the case at all here. I feel a little bad for assuming that Marco was going to eventually be a total tool, yet I was pleasantly surprised that Marco was a sweetheart! I love how Michael Ferraiuolo read Marco’s parts. The accent was brilliant! Sloane’s mom won my heart over from the first phone call she had with her son. You could tell that she was a great, loving mother for her children. I also fell in love with Sloane calling her Mama. It was so cute! Troy, Trisha, and John were all great characters too. I enjoyed Trisha’s dry humor while on duty with grumpy Sloane and clueless John. It was fantastic. Troy isn’t to be forgotten either! He seemed like a good friend, even if he drove Dean a little crazy sometimes. I’m intrigued by the history that is obviously between Oscar and Troy, too.

The flow of the story was good until the very end. There was a consistent progression throughout but the end seemed a little rushed. I mean, Sloane was trying to figure out how he felt about everything as a not-so-straight dude. When Dean came over it was as if a switch flipped and Sloane was suddenly okay with this new orientation and his feelings. It wasn’t awful, but it did seem like a bit of a fast turnaround if you ask me. The sexy scenes were pretty good. I would say there was a medium heat level but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you don’t mind it.

I’m Straight, Right? was read by the talented Michael Ferraiuolo. I’m a bit biased because he’s one of my favorite narrators. He killed it with his performance for this novel and it made my whole listening experience incredible. Michael does a great job of giving each character a personality that you can truly feel. I don’t have a single complaint I can think of that needs to be mentioned.

My overall opinion of this book is very positive. It’s not too fluffy and it’s not too dramatic, it just seemed to flow with an enjoyable tone. I finished with a smile on my lips due to the great story and the awesome narration. It definitely left me feeling happily satisfied with the time it took to listen. The authors wrote a fantastic piece of fiction that’s engaging and enjoyable. If reading or listening to military gay romance is something you’re into, I think you’ll enjoy this book. Alternatively, If you’re new to the authors or narrator give them a chance. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.