Leta Blake: Alpha Heat ~ Audio Review

Layered, passionate, and exciting!

Title: Alpha Heat

Series: Heat of Love Book 02

Author: Leta Blake

Narrator: Michael Ferraiuolo

Genre: Non-shifter Omegaverse

Length: 15 hours and 22 minutes

Publisher: Leta Blake Books (22nd October 2018)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 4 Hearts

Blurb: A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.

Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy-ever-after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.

Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart—and so does he.

But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.

This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It’s 130,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a well-crafted, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.

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

Reviewer: Gigi

Review: A deeper read than I thought. I started with this audiobook not having read the first in the series. I’m very impressed with Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration, he delivers the right amount of passion, a variety of voices/characterizations and good tempo.

There are lots of layers to this story, set in a non-shifter Omegaverse. The world the story is set in involves status/social positions of Omega, Beta, and Alpha, and an interesting concept of being unmanned, which is what I came to learn of as “gay” for an Alpha, to be in the submissive position.
Readers are reintroduced to other couples from book one, and we get a good feel for the fact that all of the relationships in this series somehow intersect or overlap.

My favorite character, and the strongest by far is Urho. As a doctor he cares for all the characters, being wounded from loss of his spouse and son, he builds up protections around his heart. He wants Xan but denies himself until he sees that Xan is putting his life in danger and nothing other than taking him in hand, and heart, will protect him.

Caleb is an interesting balance to the trio. As an asexual Omega, Caleb nonetheless loves Xan and feels safe in their relationship, knowing Xan will not pressure him sexually but will be there to help with his heat. When Caleb sees Xan’s interest in Urho he encourages it, and fears that Xan will wind up dead if left to fill his needs with dangerous dominant alpha’s who only enjoy his pain.

The trio come together through care of friends, exile to a house out of town, and make a pact to help Caleb through his heat when the time comes.

When the story reaches its crescendo and all hell breaks loose, I wasn’t sure if my favorite character Urho could pull it off, it was intense, nail biting and exciting! You’ll know what I mean when you get there, it’s almost absurd how everything develops but there’s an HEA, don’t fret!

The sexual scenes are steamy for sure! The narrator does a good job adding passion to the worlds. I just wish I had read book one first. I recommend you read/listen in order. Looking forward to the next book!

The Right Words by Lane Hayes ~ Audiobook

Title: The Right Words

Series: Right and Wrong 01

Author: Lane Hayes

Narrator: Michael Ferraiuolo

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Athlete-Coming Out

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (August 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Escaping an abusive relationship left Luke Preston anxious and spouting panic-induced poetry. Desperate for a fresh start, Luke accepts a job remodeling a tired old beach house for a professional soccer player and his model girlfriend. While his passion is literature, not sports, focusing on the renovations eases his anxiety. Until the job he signed up for turns out to be more complicated than advertised.

Sidelined with a serious injury, soccer star Michael Martinez decides his beach house is the perfect place to recuperate. Remodeling might be the diversion he needs to keep his mind off his busted knee. Falling for the pretty designer with some quirky habits wasn’t on the drawing board. Unfortunately, Luke didn’t build a big enough closet for Michael to hide in. Having a star-powered sports career used to be all Michael lived for, but he’ll have to reevaluate his plans and find the right words if he wants to build more than a beach house with Luke.

Product Link: Audible US | Audible UK

Reviewer: Gigi

Review: First off, you’re in for a treat because this whole series is beautifully written and perfectly narrated. I absolutely have a new favorite narrator. I was so glad to see Lane Hayes wrote a series of these heartwarming, soul searching, and steamy novels.

This first book in the Right and Wrong Series, The Right Words, focuses on two alluring and flawed characters: Luke, the anxiety ridden interior decorator still on the mend from an abusive relationship who is slowly rebuilding his life and his career. Luke is desperate for this big new job, but just how much will he be willing to put on the line?

Michael, the sexy Latin lover even I want to take home, the jock soccer superstar who is healing from a sports injury and is hiding out in seclusion in his retro home, is certainly surprised by Luke showing up on his doorstep. It doesn’t help that Luke’s design services had been arranged by Michael’s disgruntled ex. Not a warm welcome as you can expect. These two have plenty of tension, attraction, and a journey of healing in common.

There are some fun plot twists, and fighting the drama of an athlete in the closet, a victim of abuse finding himself attracted to yet another boss, so many things could go up in flames. But the journey is wonderful, with splashes of heart sinking moments, tempered with some amazingly hot love scenes.

The most refreshing thing about how Hayes writes sexual encounters is that the main characters don’t rush right to the one finger, two finger, fuck trope. These lovers enjoy all the senses, the kiss, frottage, fellatio, simply being held by another human being, long before the intimacy of intercourse. Each scene, whether it be a simple kiss, or a hot grope up against a wall, is beautifully written and narrated to perfection. I love Michael’s accent, and the Spanish language is so perfect.

The Right Words is a refreshing journey through physical and psychological healing, bringing two lovers together against the odds and against society’s phobias. I loved it! Grab the whole series, you’ll be ready to load the next book as soon as you’re finished with the first!

The Wrong Man by Lane Hayes ~ Audiobook

Title: The Wrong Man

Series: Right and Wrong, #2

Author: Lane Hayes

Narrator: Michael Ferraiuolo

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Athlete-Coming Out

Length: 8 hours and 1 minute

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (2016)

Heat Level: Explicit

Narration: Exceptional

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts

Blurb: Successful owner of an upscale boutique in fabulous West Hollywood, Brandon Good swears by his personal edict to “live in the present”. After a bad breakup, he agrees to dog-sit to keep his mind off his ex. Never did he expect the dog to belong to a man from his past, the only man to ever truly break his heart.

When Jake Westley relocates to join the WeHo fire department, the last thing he anticipates is reuniting with his secret high school love. Thrilled with the prospect of reconnecting with Bran, Jake feels no guilt in using his charming old dog as an unwitting matchmaker. As he and Bran rekindle their friendship, it becomes clear the intense attraction they once felt is stronger than ever. But as hard as they try to leave the past behind, painful memories resurface.

Bran will have to confront his fears and consider the possibility that the man he swore was absolutely the wrong one might be perfect after all.

Product Link(s): https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7612

http://amzn.to/1NnipTb

Reviewer: Gigi

Review: First off, you’re in for a treat because this whole series is beautifully written and perfectly narrated. I absolutely have a new favorite narrator. I was so glad to see Lane Hayes wrote a series of these heartwarming, soul-searching, and steamy novels.

This second book in the Right and Wrong Series, The Wrong Man, spins out from a character we have already been introduced to in The Right Words, Brandon Good, of B. Goods boutique. Brand is the strong friend with sage advice, always a shoulder to lean on, but always strong-willed, and fiercely independent. His store is his life, and there’s not much room for more beyond helping his friends solve their personal woes. His protective walls come crumbling down when the shock of an ex-lover, his first true love, comes back into the picture, walking a geriatric dog.

Jake is the big strong EMT, so lovable I wanted to hold him and hug him and keep him forever. But there’s a darker past layered into the writing of this story. We know something crushing happened to both characters in their past, but will it be big enough to keep them apart a second time around?

Just as Jake and Bran start to mend fences, and new sparks ignite, with the sweet dog to give them a safe buffer zone, another player comes into the game of love. The ex-lover Jake was seeking distance from wants his place in Jake’s life back. The jealousy is palpable, and Brandon doesn’t know if his heart can take another deep wound.

One of the hooks that kept my rapt attention is the question of what Jake did to Brandon in their past that wounded him so much. And what are the secrets Jake is keeping close to the vest regarding those years between graduation and now. Could it destroy them both? So much drama, such a lovely story!

I also enjoy the multi ethnic characters in Hayes’ writing. The beauty found in characters of Latino, or mixed ethnicity backgrounds bring such an interesting weave to the tapestry of this series.

The Wrong Man is a story of heartbreak, loss and disappointment morphing into maturity, individuals witnessing new growth, forgiveness, and rediscovery of each other.

Oh, and I can’t forget the love of a dog, and all the dedication that goes with that!

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

Tag: Michael Ferraiuolo – Narrator

Leta Blake: Alpha Heat ~ Audio Review

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The Right Words by Lane Hayes ~ Audiobook

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The Wrong Man by Lane Hayes ~ Audiobook

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