Another good story from Andrew, great narration

This stand alone title from Andrew Grey is a wonderful story of a young man standing for his right to live free of hate and hardship for him and his son after growing up with parents who play a big part in a white supremacist community.
Billy Joe flees his parent's house and his home town with his young son after witnessing a horrific event. He refuses to have his son grow up in that environment and drives as far as he can. When the car breaks down during a snowstorm, they are rescued by Carlos, who's on his way home from work. Carlos' caring nature comes forth in helping them first with the car and then finding shelter for the night.
Friendship blooms between the two men. Billy Joe is in major need of support as it's now just him and his 2 year old son, Tyler, and Carlos' family reappear causing strife for him also. Both have family drama but with things developing, it's far easier to deal with when you have someone else in your life to lean on during tough times.
I love the story and gentle development of the relationship between Billy Joe and Carlos. There's no rushing, just talking, eating meals together and discovering things about each other. Carlos is independent, living openly as a gay man and he helps to Billy Joe along his journey to see just how it's possible to make your own loving and supporting family from the people around you. The men did seem to connect very quickly but I think that was helped by the circumstances in which they both left and with Billy Joe needing help in the moment, he has to trust himself and not what he was raised to believe.
Helping them along the way, Tyler is just too adorable! He grabs everyone's heart, both characters in the book and yours. We have some really good supporting characters too that balance out the negativity we experience from the MC's families back home. Carlos' friend Angie envelopes Billy Joe and Tyler, helping them feel acceptance in their current home.
There's a lot of emotion packed into the story, though we wouldn't expect anything else from Andrew Grey. I love the way he completes a story with well written characters, places and story line, always drawing you in and becoming invested in the outcome of the MC's involved. This book is no different and I definitely recommend it.
I did think there was more dramatic events that would include the "bad guys" of the story but a lot of that seemed to be background, instead our focus remains on Billy Joe, Carlos and Tyler.
Narration - 5
I loved this story's narration from Jack Richmond. His voice for Billy Joe is so charming and southern, just drawing you in with his slow speech style. Emotion comes through clearly, with both men having a lot to deal with regarding how they live and their past. Jack does extremely well with having two different accents to deal with throughout the book, switching between viewpoints of the characters, with Billy Joe coming from Mississippi and Carlos from Mexico. Jack did a great job of drawing me into the story and keeping me entertained throughout.

1 person found this helpful

3.5 Stars

Running to You is one of my favorite Andrew Grey novels and it has a very compelling story.

Billy Joe comes from a small Mississippi town and has been closeted knowing his family and their cronies would never accept him. After he witnesses a horrific crime, it propels him to run from his family and the only life he’s ever known in order to protect himself and his two year old son Tyler.

After breaking down in Pennsylvania, Billy Joe and Tyler are rescued by Carlos, who not only gets Billy Joe’s car to work, but finds them a furnished apartment to stay in temporarily and then recommends Billy Joe for a maintenance job at the University where Carlos works as a Librarian.

What began as an accidental meeting turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to them. Carlos and Billy Joe quickly fall for one another recognizing a kinship in each other and a need for family and love.

Running to You is well written, with a lot of elements driving the plot forward. I liked the dual POV, and how Carlos and Billie Joe supported each other so much.

The narration by new-to-me narrator Jack Richmond was okay, and he does provide character voices, which makes it easy for a listener to follow along, but he needs to work on his pacing and timing, and work on his pauses. This is one of those rare times I had to speed up the narration to 1.15 times the regular pace.

I think this audio would appeal to those who like less of a “performance”, and more of a straightforward narration of the text without a lot of emotional embellishment.

1 person found this helpful

every syllable

the story was okay, but the narration is not that great. the narrator pronounces every syllable in every word. the difference between reading a book out loud and actually narrating the story with emotion. listen at your own risk!

Running to You

This book is another example of the talent and skill that is Andrew Grey. The way this book starts will have you on the edge of your seat, even though you don’t know what’s going on, you know it’s bad. Billy Joe grabs his son and disappears into the night. The story of what happened unfolds throughout the book, but you get pieces until you know. And it’s not an easy story to read/listen to.

I liked Billy Joe and Carlos. These were just two every day men, trying to improve their lives, their situation and creating a new life for themselves. They were both great fathers to Billy Joe’s son and thanks to their families, had learned how not to be a parent. The story is full of great supporting characters who come together to create a family with Billy Joe and Carlos. The relationship between the two men was comfortable from almost the very beginning. They just seemed to make a life together without a lot of effort and thought.

No one writes children into stories like this author. He’s able to utilize them to create the perfect dynamic without letting the story be overwhelmed with their presence. Children always enhance the relationship but don’t detract from the story. He’s also woven quite the story in this one that shows some truly negative aspects of humanity, issues that are usually hidden but happen every day in our world. And, because this is fiction, people get the punishments they deserve and Billy Joe and Carlos get their HEA.

The narrator of this audio is Jack Richmond. I don't believe I've listened to him before, and I struggled with him this time. His pacing and timing was very slow and just hard to listen to. He did give character voices, but it felt like the emotional dialogue was a bit monotonous. There was at one point that a character had a line that was screamed. The narrator just read the line in a normal tone and I was thinking really, that was the character screaming? And the reality is, Billy Joe is from Mississippi, maybe he was so supposed to talk so slow, but it was hard to listen to. Though I'm not one to ever adjust the speed of the narration, if you're struggling with it, maybe adjust to a higher speed to help.

Though there are some tough issues in this book, it never overwhelms the story and it has a sweet HEA! I've both read and listened to this story, and I truly enjoyed it more when reading it than listening, but if you're new to this story, I'd recommend listening to a sample before making your decision about which medium you choose. Honestly, choose one because it's a terrific story with wonderful characters who truly work to make a better life for themselves.

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars (I'm not taking rating away because of the poor performance, lol)
Performance: 3 stars
Story: 4.5

Starting over, and a cute toddler

As usual Andrew Grey wrote another beautiful romance.
Billy Joe was raised in a white supremacist family in Mississippi one night he sees something that makes him certain he needs to get out of there. He doesn't want his son raised with that attitude. He gets some supplies, silently packs up his son and slips out in the middle of the night heading as far as he can. He ends up in Pennsylvania in a snowstorm and his car dies. A nice man stops and helps him get it going and finds him a place to stay overnight.

Carlos knows what Billy Joe is going through having done the same six years prior. He helps Billy Joe get settled in the apartment and find a job. They become close friends.

I absolutely loved this story. It started off with a touch of mystery making you not want to put down the book. It is a real page-turner. I loved Tyler, Billy Joe's son. My only issue with the story was Tyler seemed much older than 2 going on three. That said, I adored him and he made the story. The connection with Carlos and Billy Joe is great as well.

Jack Richmond does a great job bringing this story to life. It is easy to follow the characters and the pacing is great. He shows emotion instead of just telling it. He drew me in and I listened all in one sitting.
If you are looking for a good friend to lovers, coming out, cute kids, and all over great romance I highly recommend this.