Audio Review ~ Shifting Gears ~ Riley Hart #AudioChallenge #ShelfLove

Shifting Gears by Riley Hart
Crossroads #2
Narrated by: Sean Crisden
Release Date: May 23, 2016
Genre: Adult, M/M Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Tantor Media
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #AudioChallenge, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
Rod Nelson is used to being someone's good time, and that's fine with him. Spending his days at his adult toy store, Rods-N-Ends, he never knows who he'll meet. The second Landon Harrison walks in, he has Rod's full attention. It seems as if Landon wants him too, so why won't the man jump in the sack with him already?

Landon never thought he'd return home to the town where memories lurk around every corner. He has to admit, Rod makes the adjustment a lot easier. He keeps Landon laughing. Despite the fierce attraction between them, he's not willing to risk his newfound friendship to get laid.

Neither man wants something serious, but the more they're together, the harder it is to keep their hands to themselves, until eventually they stop trying.

But flings between friends are never simple, and as they attempt to shift gears, diving into their first relationship, they're slammed with setbacks. If they want to truly move forward, before they hit the open road together, they're going to have to let go of a past that could make them crash and burn.

Shifting Gears features Rod, whom I met in Crossroads. He's this kinda quirky guy who works in a sex toy shop when Brice and Nick meet him. Rod now owns his own ship and he's proud of what he does and his ability to put people at ease as well as offer them help with something they might feel uncomfortable with asking for.

Landon meets Rod when he comes into the shop for some product. They have an easy rapport and quickly become friends. They're both attracted to one another but Landon doesn't want to pursue anything and risk messing up their friendship - something he's never had.

These two guys have a lot of baggage. Their childhoods were far from perfect. Neither had an example of a healthy relationship to follow and both feared entering into a relationship, not wanting to hurt or be hurt. Watching as they both learn that they're worthy of love - giving it and receiving it - was a beautiful thing. They had a lot of walls to knock down on their way into each others' hearts but realized it was worth the work.

Brice and Nick were supporting cast members and I enjoyed spending time with them as well as seeing them have Rod and Landon's backs - offering advice and just being good friends. The introduction of a few new characters was well done and I figure one will be featured in a future installment of the series.

Sean Crisden did a fine job narrating, even keeping Brice's and Nick's voices consistent from the first book. I'll definitely continue this series in audio.

Audio Review ~ Crossroads ~ Riley Hart

Crossroads by Riley Hart
Crossroads #1
Narrated by: Sean Crisden
Release Date: November 17, 2015 (audio)
Genre: Adult, M/M Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Audible
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: Goodreads Reading Challenge
Goodreads

Synopsis
After divorcing the woman he'd been with since he was seventeen, Nick Fuller is starting over. He owns the restaurant of his dreams and he's determined to meet new people, find new passions, and experience life to its fullest. Easier said than done--that is until he meets his new neighbor, Bryce Tanner...

Bryce is all about a good time. He plans to show Nick how it's done, help him meet a few women, and enjoy the gift of a the single life he's been given. But things don't go as planned, and soon they realize they'd rather be together than with anyone else.

Neither man has ever wanted another guy, but there's a connection between them from the start--a spark they can't deny. They find themselves navigating an unfamiliar new world and dealing with unforeseen obstacles. Physical desire isn't enough, and now Nick and Bryce are at a crossroads. They have to decide which way to go--the easy path they've always followed, or the one that's determined to trip them up at every turn.

This is my second book with Hart and I've determined I quite like her style. She delivers a provocative story with engaging characters that I can't help but root for. 

I first want to address something I've seen a few comments regarding and that's whether or not this story is a "gay for you" type story. While neither of these guys ever thought they were gay, I didn't feel this was necessarily a GFY and here's why:

• Nick had married his high school sweetheart and had never been with anyone else. While this might indicate he was straight, one might infer that his being from a traditional family would have kept him from exploring his sexuality earlier. One might also infer that since his wife cheated on him repeatedly, she wasn't happy with their sex life.
• Bryce had slept his way through many women but at 31 he'd not found a single one that made him want more than sex. Once might infer from this that he kept trying something - someone - new because no one was doing it for him. No one until Nick.

That's all my opinion, of course. Anyway, I adored Nick and Bryce. They were neighbors who became close friends, who became more. Nick, having been with his ex-wife since he was 17, had never had real friends of his own. Bryce's only real friend, Christy, had been around for awhile and they'd even dated briefly. The reason these two worked well because they balanced one another. Nick was staid, had always known what he wanted to do, and was loyal almost to a fault. Bryce was more of a dreamer, who tried a little of everything before picking a career, was always ready with a joke, leaped before looking but also was one who loved deeply.

Watching their friendship evolve, the realization they felt more and the fallout experienced in making their feelings public, all made for an emotional listen - one I was loathe to put down. Sean Crisden did a fine job with voicing a rather large cast of characters. He kept his voices distinct and was also able to convey the feelings in every scene. His female voices don't have quite as much range but it didn't take anything away from the story. This is my second listen with him and I plan to continue the series, so it won't be my last.