Story Rating: 5 stars
Audio Rating: 5 stars
Narrator: Ron Herczig
Length: 6 hours and 45 minutes
Audiobook Buy Links: Audible
Book Buy Links: Amazon | All Romance
Trevor Moga is the out, gay, son of the President and he finds a newly sworn-in Republican U.S. Congressman, Ford Hollingsworth, in his neighborhood gay bar. He picks Ford up, brings him home, and proceeds to have his way with him. Ford is stunned by the fantastic sex, but he’s even more stunned when he gets a good look at his partner. Ford is sure that Trevor and his parents will ruin him, and cannot understand Trevor’s promise not to do so. But, he trusts that promise, and these two lonely men find solace for a night. And, later, another night, and another, until their clandestine hook-ups blossom into actual love. The book is a swooner, and sexy as all get-out. For. Real.
As an audiobook, I loved it! Narrator Ron Herczig has the rough, gravelly voice that really suited two 6’1” tall, fit, masculine, mature men. Trevor is supposedly 42 years old and Ford is 37, so I wanted to feel that gravitas of age and experience in the audio, and I was not let down. There are a few female characters in the story, and Herczig’s range was adequate to the task, conveying these voices without a grating falsetto. Yay!
The material of the book is without a doubt erotic; there is graphic sex in most chapters, and the narration was animated and playful both in and out of the bedroom. I could feel Ford’s bashfulness, and his blushing, whenever Trevor tossed off one of his signature filthy quips. Trevor’s confidence and swagger were also well translated in the audio. He is the pursuer most of the time, and yet the vulnerability of possible rejection was still clear in his character’s voice and thoughts.
For the scenes where the plot advanced, the conversations felt real and intimate. The simmering tension between Trevor and his power-hungry mother was clear in their voices. Likewise, Ford’s internal conflict regarding coming out was palpable in his character’s voice whenever he was around his family. His wistfulness over their casual affection, and his desire to have the same openness with Trevor was fully present in the audio. And, I’ll admit to being sucked in whenever Ford began talking about his politics. That man is a guy I’d vote for!
I had only a couple of niggles regarding technical aspects of the audiobook. There were a few moments when the volume wavered, making a word or two harder to hear every now and then. There was an errant “marker,” the chapter listing was off by one, and we had a glaring mispronunciation of a well-known fraternity name, but those were small and didn’t detract from my thorough enjoyment of this audiobook. I’ve listened to it repeatedly, and still enjoy it as much as the first time. Definitely NOT safe for open listening, however. Thanks to Cardeno C for writing such a sexy-sexy book, and to Herczig for bringing their straining, groaning, sweating, tender love story to life. Almost gives me hope for the political process.
