Horrible beginning

Starts off with horrible narration and a mixed storyline. But by ch 3 we get into a groove and it's your normal straight guy finally realized he's gay novel. All the prerequisites included - near death accident, gay costar, storybook setting. Can somebody please come up with something fresh and new??

5 people found this helpful

Exciting New Series!!!

I'm so excited for this "spin off" from the O'Leary series. I also love that we get a cameo of Cam and Micah.

Fenn and Mason are so adorable together. There was the tension at first, but then the chemistry too. I love the pace of their relationship, it worked for them. I also love the setting of this new series. As trademark May Archer style, there's always the group/family dynamics, the witty banter and the unavoidable laugh out loud moments.

Michael Dean, my favorite narrator. He brought this book to life. Excellent as always. Strongly recommend.

**thanks to GRR for the opportunity to listen and review**

4 people found this helpful

YES NEED MORE

Oh my god!!! This book was absolutely amazing. A great listen—I love Michael Dean and May Archer is honestly one of my favorite authors! Knowing I had to listen/read her new series!!! I LOVE Mason. I loved him when introduced in the Love in O’Leary series with Constantine and Micha, but I loved getting to know him and seeing him fall in love with someone he didn’t think he could stand. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait for the next in the series

4 people found this helpful

Conflicted on how to rate this audiobook

For starters, this is an excellent *book.* You really can't go wrong with anything by May Archer. She writes compelling characters and great dialogue.

However, I was conflicted about how to rate the narration. Michael Dean does a great job narrating the MCs and does justice to their dialogue. However, he makes a few atrocious pronunciation decisions--some major mistakes even--that are extremely distracting and disappointing, and borderline insulting in some instances. There's a minor side character who is Cuban and makes wise pronouncements in Spanish throughout the book. Dean made ZERO effort to pronounce the words correctly. Like not doing a perfect accent is whatever, but not even trying to get the letter J or double-Ls correct is just LAZY. (Like isn't this his job? Isn't he being paid to do this?) He also makes every single female character sound like a dumb cartoon caricature rather than, ya know, a person. Like his version of Gloria would definitely fit in better on Bob's Burgers than in the world of this book. There are a few other distracting pronunciations throughout the book, but I don't need to list them all here. I think you get the point.

TLDR: Dean faithfully captures the MCs, but lazily neglects some details.

3 people found this helpful

Constant bickering

I made it to chapter 11 and while I understand that enemies to lovers needs to build, so far this book has been constant bickering between the main characters. I hope they live happily ever after.

2 people found this helpful

Great book

can't wait for the next in the series overall great storyline. can't wait for Beale story and maybe young Rafe and then younger brothers story too. lots of opinions but hopefully the author runs with them

2 people found this helpful

Did you say, “Treasure?”

After a bit of a jerky start, this story really smoothed out and I was able to enjoy the ride!

Part if the Of problem was that I liked neither MC in the first couple of chapters. Both were *holes and extremely rude to each other. As the story went along, though, grew kinder—not only to each other but to everyone else as well. I was soon cheering them on.

The book was quite funny & Michael Dean’s performance was good (although nowhere near his best). And, Mr. Dean, I’m asking that you PLEASE learn how to pronounce Spanish because you made me cringe in horror whenever you spoke it.

The slow burn and UST these two had was fab. And while there wasn’t a lot of sex, the few scenes were fun.

Snark, enemies to lovers, bi- or demi- awakening, treasure, & portents.

My rec? It’s a fantastic beach read any time of year!

1 person found this helpful

So much fun

This is not for you if you’re bothered by F bombs, but otherwise it’s such a fun and romantic story.

1 person found this helpful

Best fun yet

I got more and more pulled in to this crazy, fun, loving story with every minute. Couldn't wait to hear how it developed and ended. Great characters, superb narration (Thank you AGAIN Michael Dean.) and predictable delightful book. All the crazy denizens of Whispering Key will live in my memory. Hope to find more May Archer work.

1 person found this helpful

Intensely romantic

SPOILER ALERT (kinda). This book has NO HOOK in the first two chapters. You will have to PLOD through the first two chapters to get to the hook where the characters actually begin their journey. But, if you get past those first two chapters, your patience will be richly rewarded.

Further, at some points in the story, it seems Fenn and Mason have too many character flaws (unsure, unambitious, unreasonable insecurities...) but it all works out in the end. What I'm trying to say is that if you just keep going, the story does end well. One more caveat: The requisite lover's misunderstanding(s) that Fenn and Mason have, sometimes seem a bit TOO convoluted and forced (just for the sake of requisite conflict). Yet, that too makes more sense (or at least they're easier to overlook) if you just keep going.

This sounds like a negative review, but I have to say I really enjoyed the story. I recommend this to those who are willing to work for their HEA.

Michael Dean's narration is the best I've heard him do; in other works he's seemed a bit off-character, but he redeemed himself on this one.