A Matter of Time, Volume 2

By: Mary Calmes

Narrated by: Paul Morey

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Three years ago, Jory Harcourt changed his name and shut the door on a past full of pain, only to emerge stronger on the other side. He has a new career, a great working partner, and a satisfying life - except for the hole in his chest left behind when police Detective Sam Kage walked out with his heart.

Now Sam's back and he knows what he wants... and what he wants is Jory. Jory, who doesn't know if he can survive another breakup or losing Sam to his dangerous job, resists returning to the arms of the only man he has ever truly loved. But when a serial killer with a score to settle targets Jory, he will have to decide if love is worth the danger as he tries to solve the case and keep Sam safe.

Don't miss A Matter of Time, Volume 1 (Books One and Two)

©2011 Mary Calmes (P)2013 Mary Calmes

3 years Mary!

3 years Mary! 3. Freakin’. Years!

I’ve said it before. 3 years is way too long! Our poor Jory had his heart stomped by Sam and was left adrift for 3 stinkin’ years! During that time both he and Sam end up sleeping with others, including Aaron Sutter- who has his own story coming up- and this is something I really hate in a romance.

As I’ve been re-listening to this series, another thing strikes me as to why this has never been one of my favorite Mary stories. In a way, Volume 2 – which is technically books 3 and 4 of the series – is really a “reconciliation” story. We get the initial rush of first romance and the couple’s dance to make it real in books one and two. Then Sam LEAVES for 3 YEARS and book 3 is really them reuniting. I’ve never liked reconciliation stories. For me, the best part of a romance is that initial meet and in a reunion that’s over. In this case, not only have our guys met and declared their love, but instead of an epic reunion, we get (IMHO) a very weak and somewhat frustrating reunion sequence.

Sam, in book 3, is mostly a bossy jerk. He pretty much just tells Jory that he loves him and so Jory should take him back – and after not much fight, Jory does. I gotta tell you, Sam did NOT convince me he’d done any changing (not until book 4, really) so I was kinda thinking Jory should have kept saying NO or at least made Sam grovel a hell of a lot more.

In any case, he does take Sam back and there are some really hot sex scenes and some sweet declarations from Sam, but Jory looks like a bit of a pushover here.

Then we move on to book 4, which is all about Sam deciding to come out of the closet at work and Jory doing a lot of dumb things and being in danger all the damn time.

On the one hand, Sam and Jory together are amazingly, wonderfully, sweet and hot. All the waffling, other people’s weddings and the big “mystery” kind of made me crazy. This just wasn’t my favorite Mary story though I am a big Sam Kage fan.

3 of 5 stars

Audio

Having Paul Morey do the narration made this a really wonderful listening experience. I thought he really did justice to both Sam and Jory and the unique voices he gives to all the other characters helped them to stand out instead of blur in a seemingly endless line of names. It was also great for continuity as he did Volume one. Unfortunately he does not do books 5 or 6 (the next two in the series.)
I think he excels at giving depth and emotion and his sense of timing helps make the dialog pop.

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4 of 5 stars

it is worth it

the story is interested i loved it so much that it is hard to stop listening to i can't wait for book 5

LOVE Jory and Sam

This is book 2 of a series about Jory and Sam. I LOVE this series. I also LOVE the
Marshalls series! Of course just about anything by Mary Calmes is good.

Love Mary's Writing and Story Telling

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It'a a great escape - especially if you enjoy great, artful writing from an author who isn't afraid to use college level vocabulary.

Five stars to Paul Morey!

I'd read the four books back when it was published by Club Lighthouse Publishing then bought the edited Dreamspinner version. 5 stars all the way but it was Paul Morey's narration that truly brought this series to life for me.

His interpretation of Det. Sam Kage is brilliant and the rest of the story is narrated with expression and just the right pacing but audiobook fans will know what I mean.

I still don't know why I like this, but I do.

Any additional comments?

Perhaps it's the dominant/submissive thing with both being strong yet vulnerable men...I honestly don't know...I am onto the next one...Mary, you definitely need to get Paul back though...he set the stage and although the narrator for Book 5 isn't a bad narrator, he's not doing what Paul did with the characters...Dear Listener...I haven't got the slightest idea why, but I think once you're in Jory and Sam's lives, you'll want to find out how it all plays out...well, at least I do..and still, don't have the slightest idea why...

Still Awesome

Overall Series 5th Re-Read 2019:
Again there's really nothing new I can add that would express how much I love Jory and Sam. Not everyone likes the kind of alpha male that Sam Kage is and I too don't always appreciate that element but when the dynamic between the two men is so powerful as Sam and Jory then I completely fall in love. Just because Sam is so alpha don't think Jory is a pushover, oh no he definitely has no problem voicing his opinion either and I think that is what makes them work for me because its an even balance of push and pull from both.

Now as for the audios, there are four different narrators, three for Jory/Sam and one for Duncan/Aaron in Parting Shot. Some might find that off-putting but I actually found it fitting. Just why there is different narrators I don't know but as a listener, I found each one did a brilliant job and yes they are noticeably different but they bring the perfect nuances for where the characters are in their journey, we all change as life goes and Paul Morey, Jeff Gelder, and Finn Sterling showcase that wonderfully. Tristan James brings Duncan and Aaron's story to life that is a perfect fit for the Matter of Time series.

Love Jory

How can one person get into so much trouble and get out of it without being killed? Great story.

Good story but does have a lot of bouncing around

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The way Jory goes from one thought to the next and when people don't keep up with him it can be hilarious. Laughed out loud several times during vol. 1 & 2.

I want to start by saying I really love Mary Calmes books. I did however have a few things that got to me by the end and could just be my own pet peeves. 1 - I understood by the first volume that EVERYONE loves Jory and all the men want to sleep with him or be with him. This seemed so overdone that I started cringing when it still continued in this book. She also repeatedly goes over this with his brother Dane as well as Sam but Jory is focused on the most. Really? No one is LOVED by all. If you follow the series - these are NOT stand alone books so the author should not be repeatedly going over the stuff in the first volume and I see this is a pattern that is to continue in Bulletproof which I am listening to now. 2 - I usually find the endearment "baby" a total turn on till Sam used it so much that it lost the effect. 3 - Jory has consistently through both volumes tried to remain friends with guys that want to still be in his bed. HELLO???? If they still want to be in your bed then they don't see you as just a friend and Jory comes across clueless is this regard. On the upside he has a quick wit, charming personality and I love the fact that his filter is usually turned off and says what he thinks. That is refreshing.

Wonderful Narration

Paul Morey nailed Jory's personality perfectly. The voices were very distinguisable. I am in awe. I've listened to a few other books where the voices sounded put on and almost cartoonish. Not so here. It really sounded like different people were narrating. The book itself was excellent and I am a big fan of Mary Calmes, especially this series which continues with Bulletproof.