Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen ~ Audiobook

Title: Signs of Life

Series: Resilient Love 02

Author: Melanie Hansen

Narrator: Robert Nieman

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 8 hrs 22 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (21st March 2017)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all – a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leaves Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids – he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

Product Link: Audible USAudible AU | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Signs of Life is book 2 in Melanie Hansen’s Resilient Love series. I hadn’t been sure what to expect. I had read book 1, about 2 years ago, and from reading my review of that I loved it, though I had trouble remembering all of the plot. Regardless, I went into the audio of book 2 with an open mind and hoping that I didn’t need to do a proper re-read of book 2. While I’m sure it would be best to read the books in order, I find that Signs of Life also works perfectly well as a standalone book. However, be warned, it’s probably best to have some tissues handy for this one.

The story follows Jeremy Speer, a lawyer with a tragic past after the death of his family, and passionate school teacher who works with troubled kids, Kai Daniels.

Jeremy has a lot of baggage and emotion to work through before even thinking about a relationship beyond sex. After their first encounter, work brings the two men back together and Kai is not a very happy man about seeing the man he thought as an asshole. For Jeremy, the fact that he barely knows Kai, especially since their first encounter is in a dark, dingy gay club, he has to open himself up before completely fucking up any chance he could have with Kai.

The plot line itself is fairly simple and I’ve tried to keep this review spoiler free, which is the reason why it is so short. For me though, this book was all about the emotion – the loneliness, hurt and grief which has the opportunity to transform into acceptance, love and hope.

I’ve not heard a lot of books narrated by Robert Nieman, and while he is not among my absolute favorite narrators, I nonetheless enjoyed listening to his narration.