Audio Review: Salvation by Sloane Kennedy

Salvation (The Protectors #2) by Sloane Kennedy, Narration by Joel Leslie
Audible, Amazon, Goodreads
Time: 7hrs and 56 minutes

3 Pants Off

Blurb: "I lifted my gaze to tell Seth no but then I saw it. The thing I'd feared I'd lost. It wasn't hero worship or the wayward emotions of an innocent child. And it wasn't some distorted reflection of a man who no longer existed. All I saw was me...the way he saw me." (Ronan)

Trauma surgeon Ronan Grisham lost everything the day the man he loved was stolen from him in a brutal attack. Driven by a thirst for vengeance, he turns his hatred into building an underground group that can do what he couldn't that fateful day...take the lives of the guilty to save the lives of the innocent. But years later, he's forced to confront the one link to his past that he can't sever.

Seven years after the loss of his parents in a violent home invasion that left him permanently scarred both inside and out, 21-year-old Seth Nichols is trying to put his life back together so he can take over the reins of his father's global shipping empire. But the last person he expects to come back into his life is the man he drove away with one innocent, stolen kiss.

With one brush of his lips, Seth managed to do to Ronan what no other had since the day Ronan watched the light in his fiancé's eyes go out forever. He made him need again. But Ronan can't need anyone, least of all his dead fiancé's younger brother. Because even one touch from Seth could shatter Ronan's carefully constructed world and Ronan knows there's no coming back from that a second time.

But when a series of escalating attacks against Seth forces Ronan back into his life, Seth knows it's his last chance to show Ronan he can be the man the broken surgeon needs. Only the Ronan who returns isn't the Ronan Seth fell in love with so long ago....

Can Seth be Ronan's salvation or will he end up destroying them both?

Review 

The Story: 3 Pants Off 

What in all the drama was this?  

Ronan Grisham. Trauma Surgeon, lover, and a fighter. Ronan had it all with the man he loved until tragedy came in and took everything from him. When he was given the opportunity to seek revenge he took the path he now walks as a Protector. Ronan is in charge of elite bunch of killers who rid the world of the worst type of scum. He’s very much detached from life but is all about his job. Then there’s Seth, beautiful innocent Seth the little brother of his slain lover. 

The things Ronan is feeling for Seth is a complication he doesn’t need but when Seth is assaulted Ronan makes his grand appearance into his life once again. It seems Ronan is here to stay when the violence against Seth starts to escalate to the point of dangerous 😜 and he needs to protect him. But sparks are flying and Seth has made it quite clear his feelings for Ronan hasn’t changed, and Ronan has never been able to deny Seth. 

This begins a push and pull of a man falling for his dead lovers little brother, and protecting him from harm.  

Seriously, this book had so much stuff going on and by stuff I mean all the bad happening that have happened to Seth. His parents are murdered and he was violently hurt in the process, his brother gets murdered and he’s left alone, then someone is trying to kill him now. It was just all a little too much and it just kept getting more ridiculous. This is only my second book in the series but it’s the most ridiculous so far and that’s counting that in the first book a man almost shot another man because he thought he was a pedophile 😩. 

Overall, ridiculousness x10 and Seth and Ronan didn’t really do anything for me 🤷🏽‍♀️ 

The Narration: 2 Pants Off 

🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😭😭😭 those emojis are my reaction to my listening experience. There was just so much emoting especially on Ronan’s part. Who in the world thought this was acceptable? I’d like to have a word please. 

Joel Leslie you did a bad job here sir, and while the story should have been angst ridden I found myself laughing at random points and I couldn’t take anything seriously.  

What a complete and utter disappointment. The story was already lacking and the narration just made it all the worse. 

It’s a no for me dawg. 

Audiobook Review: Slow Heat by Leta Blake

Slow Heat (Heat of Love #1) by Leta Blake, Narration by Michael Ferraiuolo
Audible, Amazon, Goodreads
Time: 14hrs and 7 minutes

4.5 Pants Off

Blurb: A lustful young alpha meets his match in an older omega with a past.

Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-30s, he's long since given up hope that he'll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He's fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends.

When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can't be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.

But for Vale, being with Jason means giving up his independence and placing his future in the hands of an untested alpha - as well as facing the scars of his own tumultuous past. He isn't sure it's worth it. But Jason isn't giving up his destined mate without a fight.

This is a stand-alone gay romance novel, 118,000 words, with a strong HFN ending, as well as a well-crafted, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. Content warning for pregnancy loss and aftermath.

 Review

SLOW HOT FIRE

Squeeeeeeee!! This review will probably just be all gushing cus of reasons. What a surprise to my senses and my feels Slow Heat was. I’ve read a lot of non-shifter omegaverse in fanfic and I don’t see it a lot in published works and when I do they’re not that great. But this book and the narration was a slam dunk.  

Micheal Ferraiuolo is the TRUTH!! 

The Story: 4.5 Pants Off 

Jason Sabel is a young Alpha not yet into maturity. He attends universiy to learn how to finally care for his Omega when they meet. As an Alpha he’s got urges but Omegas are to remain pure until they meet their one true match so he’s getting no love on that part. But that doesn’t stop Jason from getting himself into something warm. So he gets off with his best-friend Xan another Alpha, which is a forbidden complication, but horny growing boys. 

When Jason meets his much older omega Vale, a professor at his university it’s quite unexpected and everything is set to work against them but instinct is a hard thing to deny. To the world their union would be a disaster because Jason is a young Alpha, and to everyone else Vale is a used up Omega who has been through many heats but Jason will not be denied his true match and he’s very much willing to risk it all for Vale. 

Vale Aman has his hang ups, after going through two very traumatizing heats. An omega is required to bare children and that’s something he can never do. So, he will not let Jason suffer a childless union no matter how much his heart will hurt. For each day he spends getting to know Jason, it’s a little bit of himself that he loses to the young man. Walking away will be hard but it’s for the best even though it will break him. 

So like wow, what a rollercoaster this was. I’m all about the older guy poking younger dude, but this one had a case of younger guy poking older dude. Along with heartache and miscarriage, a very bloody sounding miscarriage. 

Things I Liked: Pretty much everything. The story is entertaining, while a bit on the very long side it really kept me entertained all through. 

I enjoyed Jason and Vale as characters and their slow burn coming together. 

The writing is amazing. Leta Blake delivered a complex and very unique novel with so much undertones about serious topics like gender, and society norms. There’s a richer meaning, and it’s so much more than dudes who get pregnant.  

I enjoyed all the supporting characters and they added more spice to the story (but sometimes they were there just a little too much).  

Things I didn’t Like: Jason’s sexual relationship with his best-friend. Initially I really disliked Xan but there is so much to his character that I’m looking forward to his story. I just find their relationship contradicting, especially after Jason meets Vale. Like the Alpha/Omega bond is this undeniable sacred thing so Jason and Xan together just seemed wrong. 

So much story about other people that wasn’t Jason and Vale. The most intense and heartbreaking moments in the book really had nothing to do with the main MCs and that really bothered me. Their entire story could have been wrapped up in 150pgs or less. 

It also didn’t need to be so depressing and angst filled through out. For once I needed something to go easily, but every aspect just had to have some obstacle to get over.  

Vale! At a certain point his negative thinking and woe is me attitude really started to irk me. He was way too into his feelings and by the end I was over him. I would have been on board if Jason said “adios you whining omega”.  

It’s not a perfect 5 ⭐️s because it really did get draggy and Vale got super whiny and I swear he became the one with the lower mental age.  

Overall, I really loved the story and there is just so much more to discuss but then this review would be a 10pg review and ain’t nobody got time for that. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 

The Narration: 5 Pants Off 

Michael Ferraiuolo is my favourite narrator ever!! While I am new to the whole audiobook movement, Mr Michael is the best I’ve ever heard. He made the story so freaking epic and I am convinced I love it for the sole reason of his narration (Maybe). 

Each character voice was unique and exciting and there was never a moment where I was confused about who’s who. He really brought his a-game and I want to dive into any audiobook he’s done. 

Even if the story wasn’t very good Michael Ferraiuolo would have made it enjoyable regardless, he brought Slow Heat alive.  This is one story I will be listening to over and over again and eagerly anticipating the second book in audio form. 

Audiobook Review: The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles

The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1) by KJ Charles
Amazon, Audible, Goodreads
Time: 7hrs and 56 Minutes

4.5 Pants Off

Blurb: A lord in danger. A magician in turmoil. A snowball in hell.

Exiled to China for twenty years, Lucien Vaudrey never planned to return to England. But with the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, it seems the new Lord Crane has inherited an earldom. He’s also inherited his family’s enemies. He needs magical assistance, fast. He doesn't expect it to turn up angry.

Magician Stephen Day has good reason to hate Crane’s family. Unfortunately, it’s his job to deal with supernatural threats. Besides, the earl is unlike any aristocrat he’s ever met, with the tattoos, the attitude... and the way Crane seems determined to get him into bed. That’s definitely unusual.

Soon Stephen is falling hard for the worst possible man, at the worst possible time. But Crane’s dangerous appeal isn't the only thing rendering Stephen powerless. Evil pervades the house, a web of plots is closing round Crane, and if Stephen can’t find a way through it—they’re both going to die.


Warning: Contains hot m/m sex between a deeply inappropriate earl and a very confused magician, dark plots in a magical version of Victorian England, family values (not the good kind), and a lot of swearing.

Review

THE LORD ASSHOLES 

So I’m so glad I decided to listen to this on Audio. The story is already magnificent and the narration made The Magpie Lord all the more magnificent. 

The Story: 5 Pants Off 

I really do love the heck out of this book. I am a fan of things creepy and a story filled with twists and turns and The Magpie Lord had it all. The characters are deeply rich, the storytelling topnotch, and the sexy time is definitely sexy. 

Lucien Vaudry aka Lord Crane on more than one occasion has tried to kill himself while deeply asleep and each time becoming more successful than the last. He knows he needs help and so he calls in local magician that comes highly recommend. Seems the title of Lord is deeply cursed which has Lucien feeling some sort of way because the sins of his father and brother shouldn’t fall on him since he’s been exiled for quite sometime. But in order to stay alive he will the need the help of Stephen Day, the tiny feisty magician who also hates his guts (sins of his father and all). 

What then transpires is next level creepy shit, ghosts of old, and magpies. Crane and Stephen clash in a most delicious type of way and they make the story all the more worthwhile. They got so much chemistry I was in flames. While I would call this a slow burn you won’t mind cus it burns so good and it’s quite delicious enjoying it for a second time. 

Let me also mention it’s freaking hilarious. The greatest balance of creepy with hilariousity.  

The Narration by Cornell Collins: 4 Pants Off 

Yes, yes, and yes. Having read the book previously, listening to it brought a very different level of excitement. The narration was so on point, each character so very well developed in both uniqueness and personality.  

I am all for this and I’m so much looking forward to listening the rest of the series.  

I am both happy in my pants and my ears.