Musings on Romance

Tag: New York (Page 1 of 6)

Fighting the Pull by Kristen Ashley, narrated by Lance Greenfield, Stella Bloom & Joseph Discher

Fighting the Pull by Kristen Ashley, narrated by Lance Greenfield, Stella Bloom & Joseph Discher. Solid entry into the series but equally, I doubt it’s one I’ll revisit.

Sunset cityscape in top fifth, the rest of the cover is sea green fabric artfully folded on itself with the titles in pink over the top.

 

I’ve dipped in and out of the River Rain series but enjoyed Chloe and Judge’s book (Chasing Serenity) very much and was keen to see how Hale’s HEA was going to work. I also enjoy Stella Bloom and Lance Greenfield’s narrations so picking up Fighting the Pull on audio was an easy choice.

Hale Wheeler has inherited his father’s wealth and has been working almost non-stop to make the various businesses ethical and sustainable. He had a distant relationship with his dad and has a tense one with his mother. He has declared he will never marry. But then he meets Elsa Cohen.

Elsa Cohen has appeared in earlier River Rain books as the creator and face of “Elsa’s Exchange” a kind of Lainey Gossip/TMZ/Entertainment Tonight YouTube channel. Elsa had interviewed Hale’s mother live and unfortunately it did not go well. Hale’s mother (as we say in Australia) “stuck the boot in” to people Hale is close to and the fallout caused a lot of pain and damage. Elsa, for her part, learned never do to live interviews (she pulled the video before Hale’s found family asked her to) and has worked hard to lean away from the more sensational celebrity stories.

Hale ended up making a deal with Elsa: he would grant her an exclusive 1:1 interview if she laid off his family. Now, a year later, Hale wants to fulfill his part of the bargain.

When he and Elsa finally meet, sparks fly and, for reasons, Hale ends up accompanying Elsa to a dinner with her (mostly) toxic family as her fake boyfriend to get them off her back.

Then a misunderstanding keeps them apart for a few months until they have a simple conversation that sets the record straight.

Their relationship is fairly smooth sailing really; they get along well, are very compatible sexually and both are busy, ambitious people who are looking for ways to slow down a little. Elsa is on the cusp of a big streaming deal and is expanding so she doesn’t have to do as much herself. She’s even thinking of opening a West Coast studio. This would suit her relationship goals to as Hale is based in LA (in so far as he’s based anywhere – he travels a lot) and she is in New York.

However, Hale has baggage from his childhood and chooses a particularly bad time to have cold feet.

Meanwhile, there is a stalker and various family drama from Elsa’s side of the equation.

Fortunately (if somewhat unrealistically) it all comes right in the end and they’re all one big happy family by the time the credits roll.

There was one thing which I particularly noted in the story. Mild spoiler: One of the characters in the series is described, late in the book, as having suffered from CTE. In the novel apparently this was diagnosed prior to the character’s death. I was pretty sure that wasn’t possible but I googled to check. Here is the first result that popped up:

Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed after death through brain tissue analysis. Doctors with a specialty in brain diseases slice brain tissue and use special chemicals to make the abnormal tau protein visible. They then systematically search areas of the brain for tau in the unique pattern specific to CTE.

There are very good reasons why it could not have been diagnosed after the character died.

Artistic license I guess.

Moving on.

The narration is very good. Joseph Discher narrates some small sections from the point of view of Hale’s father, Corey Szabo, but most of the book is narrated by Lance Greenfield (Corey’s POV) and Stella Bloom (Elsa’s POV). Mr Discher’s narration was fine but it was also pretty brief so I didn’t have a lot to go on.

Mr Greenfield has a particular cadence to his voice which I suppose won’t work for some people but it works for me. I’ve heard him narrate some of my favourite Kristen Ashley books (Complicated is one example) and something about his performing style suits the way Ms Ashley writes so well.

Similarly, Stella Bloom has narrated numerous Ashley books – I don’t think it’s any kind of secret to say she also narrated the Rock Chick series, albeit under another name. Her voice is one I associate with Ashley books so it puts me right in the zone when I start listening.

Both Greenfield and Bloom are skilled narrators, with good tone and pacing and a keen sense of comedy and irony – something that works well for this author.

While I doubt I’ll end up revisiting Fighting the Pull in the future (unlike many other Kristen Ashley books in my library), I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.

 

Grade: B-

American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera, narrated by Sean Crisden

photo of a Latinx young man in a long sleeved white t-shirt, one arm crossed at his waist, the other lifted to his face, his hand just touching his jaw, against a sunset coloured background.Why I read it:  This is one from my TBL.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads)  Fairy-tale endings don’t just happen; they have to be fought for.

New York City social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs grew up surrounded by survivors who taught him to never rely on anything you didn’t earn yourself. He’s always dreamed of his own happily-ever-after, but he lives in the real world. Men who seem too good to be true usually are. And Milo never ever mixes business with pleasure until the mysterious man he had an unforgettable hookup with turns out to be the wealthy donor behind his agency’s new, next-level funding.

Thomas Hughes built a billion-dollar business from nothing: he knows what he wants and isn’t shy about going after it. When the enthralling stranger who blew his mind at a black-tie gala reappears, Tom’s more than ready to be his Prince Charming. Showering Milo with the very best of everything is how Tom shows his affection.

Trouble is, Milo’s not interested in any of it. The only thing Milo wants is Tom.

Fairy-tale endings take work as well as love. For Milo, that means learning to let someone take care of him, for a change. And for Tom, it’s figuring out that real love is the one thing you can’t buy.

What worked for me (and what didn’t):  I haven’t yet listened to American Dreamer, the first book in the series (though I have it on my TBL now), however, American Fairytale, the second book in the series, stands alone well. Each book, features one of a group of four close friends, most of whom are gay/queer and living in New York. None are white.

There is a vibrancy to the writing, which illustrates the diversity in New York. There is a marked difference to American Fairytale as compared to the all-white (or almost-all-white) New York-set contemporary romance which is commonly available and it was both authentic and so much more interesting to me. It felt more like the real world and less like a construct and the characters showcased different experiences and points of view than my own white experience. I loved it. Continue reading

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