The Boy Who Came In From the Cold by B.G. Thomas ~ Audiobook

Title: The Boy Who Came in From the Cold
Author: BG Thomas
Narrator: Charlie David
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 7 hours and 57 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (04-09-14)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Reviewer: Tams
Blurb: Todd Burton has had enough of small-town Buckman. His abusive stepfather calls him a fag; his friend Austin makes him realize he may be gay, but Todd doesn’t want to admit his stepfather is right; and he dreams of being a chef. Three good reasons to flee his hometown and pursue greener pastures. But when Todd reaches the big city, his luck runs dry. Soon he can’t pay his rent and gets evicted. In the middle of a snowstorm.

Gabe Richards is a wealthy businessman with enough wounds of his own to make him afraid of ever being intimate again. But when he sees Todd outside his building, freezing to death, he takes pity on him and takes him in from the cold.

To their mutual surprise, Todd and Gabe find themselves drawn to each other. “One night” turns into a week. Maybe letting a man in from the cold can melt the ice around Gabe’s heart—and maybe getting evicted will turn Todd’s luck around.

Purchase Link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Boy-Who-Came-in-from-the-Cold-Audiobook/B00JJRYLA0
Todd Burton is jobless, broke and now homeless in the middle of freezing blizzard. Not the greatest combination. Little does he know that the man who lets him come inside the foyer of his apartment building is about to change his life, irrevocably. Gabe Richards is always paying it forward, so much so that he’s had his heart demolished in the past because he is so kind. But he can’t resist wanting to help the scared, frozen young man he finds outside his building.

When Gabe offers him a meal and a place to sleep for the night that is safe and warm, Todd immediately gets the wrong idea and not only insults Gabe, but hurt’s his feelings. None the less, when Todd realizes he has nowhere else to go, but out in the cold, he decides to take Gabe up on his offer.

Todd spent the better part of his life ignoring his sexuality. There have always been hints, little clues, like the heated make out session with his best friend Austin, the men’s fitness magazines he horded as a teenager, oh and the underwear model ads, all male models. But a verbally, mentally and sometimes physical abusive homophobic stepfather made him deny née and every inclination he had toward the same-sex.

But now that Todd is staying with Gabe, he’s finding it hard to ignore the attraction to him. There is also a familiarity and a trust with Gabe that Todd has never experienced with another human being.

Gabe was rescued himself by his boss, mentor and friend Peter when he wasn’t much older than Todd is now. It made his very aware of just how precious life is and how some people just need a helping hand sometimes. Gabe also wears his heart on his sleeve, which some people will take advantage of, which is how he got his heart broken by a young man he helped once a few years ago.

Though Gabe still does anything and everything he can to help someone who is down and out on their luck, he’s safeguarded his heart. Fear of being taken advantage of and hurt again make him deny his increasingly growing feelings for Todd.

Love at first sight and all that are at the core of this story, that and coming to terms with who you are and how you want to live your life. Todd will have to set aside all the ingrained hatred that is stuck on repeat in his brain and Gabe will have to open himself up for possible heartbreak again, if they are going to stand a chance at any kind of happy ever after.

I was hooked on this story from the first words uttered by Charlie David. The scenario of a young man who is battling his own mindset in order to be who he really is was seriously fascinating. Thomas did a great job of writing the inner turmoil that Todd goes through with his stepfather’s barrage of insults constantly repeating themselves inside his confused mind.

It’s not until he finds a way to turn that off that he finally opens himself up to Gabe. The narration was splendid, with David giving that southern twang to Todd’s accent while Gabe had the more mature and commanding tones to his voice. But my personal favorite voice would have to have been Peter, Gabe boss and friend. David really captured the maturity and British nuances to Peter’s proud voice.

If you are a fan of coming of age and being true to yourself stores with a sexy edge, Charlie David narrating and just overall a fun, romantic read then you really should give this one a go. I recommend it!

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