Sleeping 'til Sunrise by Mary Calmes ~ Audiobook

SleepingtilSunriseAUDLGTitle: Sleeping ‘til Sunrise
Series: Mangrove Stories, #5
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Greg Tremblay
Genre: Interracial Romance
Length: 2 hours and 12 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (01-26-2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Everyone in Mangrove, Florida, knows Fire Chief Essien Dodd is a saint. He took care of his ex-wife until she died, is raising his teenage daughter alone, and is the kind of man who pulls kittens from trees. All in all, the man’s a catch. But Roark Hammond has sworn off getting involved with a man who’s been hurt before because he can’t guarantee he won’t hurt his prospective love again. If only he could get Essien out of his mind long enough to focus on anyone, or anything, else.

Strong emotions are in play. Essien is lonely but determined to focus on Ivy; Ivy wants her father to have a new life so much that, to his horror, she’s trying to find him a man; and Roark is so scared of the present and past, he won’t allow himself to commit.

To have any chance of sleeping ’til sunrise and greeting each new day together, Essien and Roark will have to rethink how they’re living their lives and focus on what’s most important.

Product Link(s): http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7473

http://amzn.to/1XCJPFq

Reviewer: Tams

Review: Essien Dodd stood by his ex-wife when she fell ill with cancer, living up to his vows, even after the promise had been rendered null and void. He took the job as Fire Chief in Mangrove hoping to start a new life for himself and his daughter, away from the city and the reminders of the mother Ivy misses.

Essien and Ivy quickly made friends and were brought into the “family” circle that is the warm, welcome and loving atmosphere of the small town. Es vowed to remain single and devote all his attention to his daughter until she goes off to college. There is one person in particular that is making that vow very hard to keep, town doctor Roark Hammond.

Roark has sworn off relationships as well, be for a far deeper reason. He’s loved the towns gorgeous Fire Chief from afar for a while, but refuses to put any more pain on the man’s plate. Too bad that Ivy, Essien’s fourteen year old daughter turned match maker for her lonely daddy, didn’t get the memo.

Lord love a duck, the sexual tension between these two was palpable. The scene at the coffee shop, yow-za! I could feel the chemistry between these two through my ear buds. Tremblay truly brought these characters to life in my mind. I could completely understand why both men hesitated, they each had valid reasons.

It doesn’t take them long to realize that the heart wants, what the heart wants, and neither of them are strong enough to resist the pull. As usual, Tremblay does an amazing job at bringing the various characters to life while bringing all the voices he has given characters in the previous books over into this story.

While this story is a little heavier than the previous books in the series, there is still that light-hearted air and slightly comical approach to the situation.

I can’t recommend this series, Author or Narrator enough.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Easy Evenings by Mary Calmes ~ Audiobook

EasyEveningsAUDLGTitle: Easy Evenings
Series: Mangrove Stories, #4
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Greg Tremblay
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 2 hours and 24 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (12-18-15)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Lazlo Maguire doesn’t do relationships—he does transactions. Six months of the year, he’s an expensive rent boy in Manhattan, and he moves so fast that settling down could not, would not, ever enter his mind… except for once.

Britton Lassiter he meets man to man, not as hustler and mark, and it’s too good to be true when the lawyer wants to keep Lazlo even if he has to share him with the job.

But Lazlo has his reasons to walk away from the man he’s grown to love. The other six months of the year, he is laid-back Laz, a shopkeeper in the sleepy coastal town of Mangrove, Florida, where the artist he never allows himself to be in the Big Apple shines through. He lives for his time by the ocean, the place he hides his secrets and nurses his broken heart.

Then fate intervenes, and Laz gets the surprise of his life when he spies Britton in Mangrove—but it’s not meant to be… not until Britton sees the change in him and wants to be a part of Laz’s new life so that every evening can be easy… together.

Hopefully the secrets that tore them apart won’t come back to haunt them.

Product Link(s): http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7307

http://amzn.to/1mN5QE0

Reviewer: Tams

Review: Lazlo Maguire’s mother put her son out on the streets turning tricks when he was barely a teenager, making him the financial supporter of her and his sister. Several years later Laz is splitting his time between that life, and his life in Mangrove. He has no regrets, well, only one… walking away from Britton Lassiter. The two met in the city when Laz was doing his six months with clients, making the big bucks so mama could sit her worthless ass at home on the couch and drink herself into oblivion.

Anywho, so when Britton shows up in Mangrove, Laz thinks he is getting a second chance. Until he’s slapped with a restraining order. Britton is still smarting over what he assumed was Lazlo choosing that life over him, and Lazlo is trying to figure out how to get back in Britton’s good graces. Both of them have to rethink all their priorities when Lazlo gets the surprise of his life.

If you are in the mood for a fun, hysterical, series of short stories, that are all set in the same town around this close-knit group of friends. Stories that have a lot of content for so few pages. Moonlight, romance, side-splitting family dinners… then this series is a must. Anytime I want to smile and listen to a well written story with fantastic narration, it would be the Mangrove Stories.

Mary Calmes and Greg Tremblay make a dashing couple, him bringing her words to life. Fans of the series will recognize both characters from previous books. They’ll even remember the encounter that spawned the restraining order. Britton does tend to overreact a bit, ya know. I loved how he and Laz looked past their own personal issues and concentrated on what was important.

Definitely a must listen series. Seriously, listen! Trembaly is absolutely splendid voicing all these different characters. And from one book to the next the group of characters grows, but they all carry their voices so you always know who’s speaking. One of my very favorite go to series when I need to laugh, smile or just say “awwwwwww”!

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Blue Days by Mary Calmes ~ Audiobook

BlueDaysAUDLGTitle: Blue Days
Author: Mary Calmes
Series: Mangrove Stories, #1
Narrator: Greg Tremblay
Length: 2 hours and 49 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (01-13-15)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Reviewer: Tams
Blurb: Falling for a coworker is rarely a good idea, especially for a man getting a last chance at salvaging his career. But from the moment Dwyer Knolls sees the beautiful, but socially awkward Takeo Hiroyuki, he seems destined to make bad decisions.

Takeo’s life is a string of failed attempts to please his traditional Japanese father. Unfortunately, succeeding in business turns out to be just as difficult for Takeo as changing from gay to straight. In fact, the only thing Takeo seems to truly excel at is taking notice of Dwyer Knolls.

When Dwyer and Takeo head to Mangrove, Florida on a real estate buying trip, their tentative friendship combusts and becomes much more. Is their sudden connection real enough to bank their futures on, or should they chalk the whole thing up to the daze inspired by the blue ocean breeze?

Purchase Link(s): http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Blue-Days-Audiobook/B00S5DZELY

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6050

Review: Dwyer Knolls already has one foot out the door when his company is re-envisioned by its Japanese owner. While Dwyer is elated he gets to keep his job, he’s a little miffed that he isn’t partnered with the mysterious and brooding son of the owner.

Regardless of partners and pairings, Dwyer seems to have a way with Takeo that no one else does, the two become friends of a sort all while they both harbor feelings for the other. A business trip to Mangrove, Florida changes everything, and these two become lovers in the time it takes to slam the bedroom door.

They can’t hide out in Mangrove forever, and a phone call from Takeo’s unreasonable father threatens to burst the perfect little bubble they’ve surrounded themselves with. Life offers them a reprieve and while Dwyer knows he wants to keep Takeo where he has him, in his life and in his bed, he’s not quite sure Mangrove is the place to do that.

Calmes has laid the foundation for another amazing series of stories all about love and acceptance. I especially like the tie in with Aaron of Duncan from the Matter of Time world. Calmes has a knack for pairing polar opposites and making the road they travel to happiness, while often times bumpy, believable, and attainable.

Now we have the marriage of Calmes writing and Greg Tremblay’s narration, I assure you its perfection. Tremblay is very fluent with Asian cultures, phrasings, nuances and the language. His voice flows seamlessly from Dwyer with his dry, witty sense of humor to Takeo and his abrupt, unflinching attitude. But I think my favorite aspect to their relationship was the bond of communication they built before they became lovers.

Short, sexy, fast read that had me smiling the entire time.