A Casual Weekend Thing

By: A. J. Thomas

Narrated by: Andy Babinski

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Doug Heavy Runner left the life of an openly gay Miami police officer and returned to his home on the Salish-Kootenai Indian Reservation when his mother got sick. In the two years since she passed, he's carved out an empty life as a small-town deputy, relying on out-of-town one-night stands to keep him sane. Then he meets Detective Christopher Hayes, and they share a wild night so incredible Doug breaks his own rule and allows a one-night stand to grow into a weekend of amazing sex.

When Christopher travels from San Diego to Montana to deal with his abusive brother's suicide, he doesn't expect to find the man he spent the weekend with to be handling his brother's case. He certainly doesn't mind spending more time with Doug-but then an arsonist destroys the house Christopher inherited from his brother, and Christopher and Doug discover they are the primary suspects.

As they investigate, they discover Christopher's dead brother has set them on the trail of a psychotic pedophile who will stop at nothing to silence his last victim. However, the search for the victim goes horribly wrong, leaving Doug hospitalized and Christopher at the mercy of the killer....

©2013 A.J. Thomas (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Not a good narration, interesting story

*Audible edition*

I always wanted to know what a robot would sound like narrating M/M romance. Now I know.

Ugh, this audiobook was not a strong one. While the narrator had a broad range of voices, they were all sort of... off. He gave each character a grating voice, and his narration of Christopher was stilted and odd. While it wasn't the worst audiobook that I've listened too (cough, cough The Fall), I had a difficult time getting into the story because of the reading voice.

Now, I have to say, when I heard this was a debut book from this author, I was very impressed. It is a mature, slow-burn romance with some surprising twists and with two men that have more baggage than Samsonite. I loved the diversity of the characters (I have only read a few Native American M/Ms, the others being by Sarah Black) and the way things seem to develop organically between the two MCs. Also the mystery... wow, really well done. I'm not a mystery reader but this mystery kept me guessing.

I did have a few issues with this book that kept it from being a "love" (not including that terrible narration... can you tell that I hated it??). This book tends to get caught up in the details. Descriptions tend to be overlong and I often found parts of this book to be slow moving. I think it could have been cut down by 50 pages or so and it would have made a tighter story.

I also think it tried to do a little too much. There were a lot of jumbled issues (childhood sexual abuse (<--- trigger warning), rape, domestic violence, trust issues, abandonment, PTSD, religious themes)... the list goes on and one), and when you are combining that with a burgeoning romance, a mystery, and a police procedural, it ended up feeling a little cluttered. Also, these guys were too dense and non-communicative about their feelings for each other for my liking.

I think if the narration had been stronger I would have liked this a bit more, but it was still a pretty impressive book. I think it is a must-read for angsty, mystery lovers who want something a little slower paced and different.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

When you least expect it...

I believe I have found another "must" read author!! A.J. Thomas delivered an exceptional story filled with humor, lust, intrigue, and possibility. Thomas's writing technique draws the reader in and makes you hunger for more. The meeting of Christopher and Doug is one that is very realistic and relatable and their journey to discovery was awesome. The narration by Andy Babinski was exceptional and added to the story. Though I would have loved to have had closure in the story that was Christopher and Doug...the author allowed the reader to imagine the possibilities and being the sap that I am, of course they live happily ever after!!! Excellent book and I definitely recommend. Looking forward to reading more from this author...

Can't stand the narrator

Would you try another book from A. J. Thomas and/or Andy Babinski?

Yes the story was good but the narrating was beyond irritating

What other book might you compare A Casual Weekend Thing to and why?

I think I'll buy the book because I was interested in the plot

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

The voice was completley wrong for the genre of book. I could not get into the story because the voice was grating and lacked any sort of emotional range

Unfortunately medium due to narration

The story is actually probably very good and if u like gay romance suspence Novels u will like the story. BUT word of advice: listen to the audio sample if u are the type Who cant listen to an irritating narrator. Its difficult to explain why he is bad - he draws out some words every 10sec or so - listen and se if u still Can listen - and if you think it will be possible Then it is worth your time. I listen to the entire story but were irritated and could not like the story for that Reason.

Andy Babinski... never, never again.

Would you try another book from A. J. Thomas and/or Andy Babinski?

I enjoyed the read and will move to the next one in the series. However, the author and/or the publishing company needs to seriously consider not using this narrator, again. I ended up just READING (novel idea) the book. That's a 4 Star rating.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He's voice just doesn't draw you in. It's nasally and his cadence was too slow.

It was O K... but that's all

First off, the narrator was horrid! The annoying grating and eventually by the end of the book the intolerable narration was a key factor in my rating. Once again it seems as if gay men can't seem to go through a book with out the graphic sexual description. I would love too listen to a book that the characters were just gay, and that the sex wasn't so important to write endless chapters describing it.

The story itself wasn't too bad. Could have been a little more engaging. The "twists" were predictable. And the fact that a 2 week fling leads to a LTR is pushing the envelope. But I was nonetheless compelled to finish this book and find out what happened.

Interesting choice of narrator for a great book.

This book took me a little bit to get into to because of the reviews on the narrator. I went into it with a negative attitude based on listening to sample, but after the first chapter I realized it was not as bad as I thought. Yes, I have heard better narrators, but he was decent enough for me get into the story and characters. I actually enjoyed the book itself so I am glad I took a chance on this audio book despite the negative reviews on the narrator.

Great story, narrator's voice nearly ruins it all.

Would you listen to A Casual Weekend Thing again? Why?

I would not. I would read the story instead. The narrator's voice and cadance are a cross between Mo Racca and Emo Phillips. The grating nasal quality is horrific. Despite the above average story, it is nearly destroyed by this narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cristopher. He's likable, under pressure, and absolutely ready for love. He doesn't crack under the stress of the story and still makes the choice to be happy.

Would you be willing to try another one of Andy Babinski’s performances?

No. Not ever.

If you could take any character from A Casual Weekend Thing out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Doug. He needs to know eople can like him for the man inside and despite his past. I would be happy to make him my friend.

Great story. Great narration.

Really liked the characters. The plot was well constructed. I didn't guess the end!

I enjoyed the way the writer artfully added social commentary and a bit of wilderness education among other things.

This was my first list, but I have read the book several times. I keep hoping there could be more than just 3 books to this series.

A good emotional read

Audio review
Warning* Emotional triggers* The bad guy is a pedophile, there is mention of rape on both characters sides. Though it is all off page no actual scenes. Not for the faint of heart!*
Christopher is on leave from a shooting. He and is partner are close but his partner is straight and a playboy. Christopher figures out he may to be able to go back to work with his hand the way it is. He gets a call and finds out his brother is dead, not that he cares, but when he walks in on his partner with a man it breaks his heart so he decides to go deal with his brothers body and estate. He stops in Missoula and meets a hot man. They have a great weekend but know they will never see each other again.
Doug works for the search and rescue team with the sheriff's office. He never expected to see the sexy man from the weekend until he came to ID the body and take care of the estate he didn't realize existed.
The story line is angsty, twisted and keeps you on pins and needles. The romance between the two men give the story a bit more softness.
Andy Babinski did a good job narrated. he kept me interested, the pacing was good and the voices ok. I recommend this audio!