Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Audiobook Reviews: VOWS SERIES 1 & 2 by Addison Albright, Narrated by David Gilmore-Includes Giveaway!




'Til Death Do Us Part



Narrated By: David Gilmore 
Length: 8hrs 3 mins

Henry and Sam Miller-Greene are living the dream. They love their careers - which afford each of them opportunities to travel to exotic locations - they love their home, Sam's caring family, and each other. They disagree on the subject of adoption, but are fully committed to each other in marriage ... 'Til Death Do Us Part.

The dream is shattered when Henry's plane crashes, and he's presumed dead. But four people - Henry, two other men, and a child - survive undetected on a remote, small, and insignificant island. Will Sam and Henry's love be able to survive as well?

Henry fights to endure in harsh conditions, never knowing when disaster will strike. Sam struggles with his loss, but with help moves on with his life. Will Sam be able to put aside his new love when he reunites with Henry?


Carra's Review

Addison Albright totally sucked me in to this story from the very beginning, and holy cow she did not let me go for even a second until the very end.  I loved the characters, the storyline, and pretty much everything else about this book…so I’m not even going to wait until the end of this review to let you know this was a 5-star read for me.

My heart broke over and over again for both Sam and Henry.  Even knowing they’d have another chance in the end from the blurb, watching them both go through this heart-wrenching separation was tough.  Seeing what they each went through also made me think what would happen if I was put in that same situation, and the thought of it is frankly terrifying.  It made me feel so much for Sam, not ever having received any kind of true closure.  

I loved how Henry kept focused virtually the entire time he and the others were stranded, and how he remained strong for the child that was stranded with them.  It was uplifting to see how he, Garrett and Devon all worked together…the three of them seemed like a good representation of the spectrum of attitudes you would expect to see.  Garrett, the ultra-calm, super level-headed guy who is the consistent voice of reason; Devon, the impatient, sometimes impulsive and hot-headed one; and Henry-torn apart by missing Sam, wondering what his disappearance is doing to his husband, and yet putting on a brave face and using his knowledge to help keep everyone alive…while becoming immediately attached to Buddy, the small child (a baby really) who was marooned with them.

The love between Henry and Sam is so deep that it makes it incredibly hard for Sam to move on-taking him years to finally do so.  And just when he’s about to take a huge step with someone else (Nash, a sweet man who you’ll wind up feeling so much for), everything gets turned upside down again.  

Between the intensity of Henry and his companions trying to stay alive on a deserted island, the heartbreak Sam goes through thinking he’s lost Henry, and finally the upheaval once they are reunited…I absolutely could not put this story down.  It was utterly captivating, and made for an amazing read.  Even though for the majority of the story Sam and Henry are apart, the way it is told-with the chapters before the rescue starting off with a flashback to a point in time in their relationship that lines up with the time from which Henry’s flight crashes (so for instance day one in their past is the day they met, in the present is the day the plane goes down)-is unique and keep you thoroughly invested in the story.  It lets you learn about how their relationship starts and develops while at the same time showing how they deal with the present-day situation, and ultimately enforcing and reinforcing their utter devotion to each other.

You already know, but this was a 5-star read for me, and it’s also going on my Top Recommendations list.  I highly recommend this story for any M/M romance fan, and while there is not much intimate content (and honestly, this story works very well with the small amount it does have), it is still meant for readers 18+ for adult language and some light intimate scenes.  I really did love this story, and I can’t wait to keep reading the series—especially to find out what happens with Nash!

The narration: This is the first audiobook I've listened to with David Gilmore as the narrator.  He does a good job with the mechanics of the narration, voicing an evenly paced, smooth story.  The voices he uses for the characters to me didn't fit with what I already had in my mind from reading the story (well, with the exception of Buddy), and were not always consistent to my ear for each individual character.  Even so, I still got that punch in the feels with the emotion of the story.



From This Day Forward



Length: 1hr 19mins



Revisiting the characters from 'Til Death Do Us Part, Henry and Sam Miller-Greene are enjoying life in the summer after Henry's rescue from a small South Pacific island, where Henry and three others were marooned.

Henry and Sam thought adopting Aiden-a child with whom Henry'd been stranded-would be smooth sailing. Matters are complicated by the public nature of their rescue that has turned the survivors into overnight celebrities. Anti-gay fueled animus rears its ugly head in the blogosphere, causing concerns over the impact libelous rumors might have on Aiden.

Their nightmare separation behind them, Henry and Sam are anxious to renew both the intensity of their former intimacies-now hampered by having a curious and still apprehensive child sharing their home-and their commitment to one another.



Carra's Review

From This Day Forward is a nice follow up to 'Til Death Do Us Part, and it was nice to get more closure for Sam and Henry--and Aiden as well.  Aiden kind of stole the spotlight for me in this story!

This is a very quick read, yet lets us see how the three of them are getting on with their lives, and particularly how Aiden is adjusting.  There is some drama that crops up thanks to those narrow-minded, bigoted people in the world, and it throws a bit of stress into the mix.  But what this story really is for readers is a nice extended epilogue to give this sweet family resolution to the nightmare they endured in book one.

This book gets 4-stars from me, and also an 18+ reader reminder as well for some language and sexual content.

The narration:  I thought David Gilmore actually did a better job with this second Vows story, making the character voices more distinct.  This let me enjoy the story more this time around.  Again the pacing was even and the narration flowed well, so 4 stars for the narration.




Author Bio


Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with two peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in mathematics and a minor in chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, French fries, "open window weather", cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.




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