Title: Keeping Sweets
Series: Keeping Sweets, #1
Author: Cate Ashwood
Narrator: Jeff Gelder
Genre: New Adult Romance
Length: 6 hours and 25 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (03-27-15)
Heat Level: Moderate to Explicit
Heart Rating: e-book 4.5 Hearts | audio book 3.5 Hearts
Blurb: Days away from high school graduation, with hardly a penny to his name, Evan Lowry needs to earn money for college. When he comes across an ad for modeling, he thinks his luck has changed—until he learns he’s interviewing for an adult film and will be expected to have sex. On camera. With other men.
For gay porn star Brandon Court, the shine has worn off of regular shoots. He and his producer, Les, decide to try something new: a reality-show porno set at a beach house. When he meets wide-eyed and naïve Evan for the first time, Brandon isn’t sure if he wants the kid to get lost or get naked. Naked wins.
On set, Brandon takes Evan under his wing, and over the next month, they are thrown together in every intimate way conceivable—except emotionally. Both Brandon and Evan are terrified of trying for anything deeper, and insecurities and doubts wear on their hopes, but the chemistry between them won’t let them slow things down.
ISBN: 1623804078
Product Link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Keeping-Sweets-Audiobook/B00V97KPG2
Reviewer: Tams
Review:
Tams e-book review Hearts March 2013:
The basis for this story is The Real World meets Queer as Folk. Brandon Court (aka Noah) is a gay porn star that has tired of the strain and requirements of his job that he used to like. On his next shoot he will not only be in front of the camera, but behind it as well. Deciding to take several other guys to a beach house and act out a scripted Melrose Place for gays!
Evan Lowry (aka Jackson) has just graduated high school and hops the first bus out of town, getting as far away from his homophobic, alcoholic step dad as possible. Thinking it will be easy money before he starts college, he answers an ad for a modeling job. It turns out to be for an adult film and the interview lands him right in Brandon’s lap, literally!
The worst part about this book is how fast Brandon and Evan fall in love, the best part about this book is how fast Brandon and Evan fall in love. Yes, you read that right. It’s completely unrealistic, but it fits for this story so I’m a bit torn about that aspect.
The question is, will Brandon be able to set aside his professional life and his hang-ups about holding Evan back if he admits his feelings for him? Or will the young, naïve young man get his heart broken for loving Brandon so fearlessly? Will Brandon be able to keep his sweets?
Once I got past the insta love, this really was a well written love story between two guys that ended up together due to a happy circumstance. The sex if off the chain! The way that these two love each other is intense and passionate and it translates quite well when reading it. I had to wipe the steam off my kindle a couple of times!
Tams updated Audio review May 2015:
Well, I swore I’d never listen to another Jeff Gelder narration again, but the Author asked me to give it a go so I did. I stand a little bit corrected. Perhaps Mr. Gelder has taken some of the reviews on his previous narrations to heart, because there was a huge improvement in his performance in this story compared to his previous audios.
Keeping Sweets has always been one of my favorite books, going back and listening to the story again after two years just reinforced my love for this book, the characters and the author. The audio version really brought all the secondary characters to life for me, in a way that the print version didn’t.
I absolutely loved the voice tones Gelder chose for Brandon, Evan and the country boy who would be Evan’s roommate. Riley however, that has to be possibly the worst Irish accent I’ve ever heard, epic fail there. And a few times while reading straight dialogue, Gelder reverted back to that robotic voice he sometimes has. But overall I was really pleasantly surprised with this audio.
One thing that didn’t change from print to audio was the relationship between the two ML. Brandon and Evan are smitten from the start and fall in love five minutes later. Their story is one of lust, love, passion and endurance as they can’t have their happy ever after until Brandon figures out that he is good enough to keep his sweets.
If you like stories like Amy Lane’s Johnnies series or are a fan of Ashwood’s work, then you are going to LOVE this one. And anyone out there that usually skips over any book narrated by Jeff Gelder, you should reconsider, I’m very happy that I did.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *