Sleeping 'til Sunrise

Mangrove Stories

By: Mary Calmes

Narrated by: Greg Tremblay

Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Everyone in Mangrove, Florida, knows Fire Chief Essien Dodd is a saint. He took care of his ex-wife until she died, is raising his teenage daughter alone, and is the kind of man who pulls kittens from trees. All in all, the man's a catch. But Roark Hammond has sworn off getting involved with a man who's been hurt before because he can't guarantee he won't hurt his prospective love again. If only he could get Essien out of his mind long enough to focus on anyone, or anything, else.

Strong emotions are in play. Essien is lonely but determined to focus on Ivy; Ivy wants her father to have a new life so much that, to his horror, she's trying to find him a man; and Roark is so scared of the present and past, he won't allow himself to commit. To have any chance of sleeping 'til sunrise and greeting each new day together, Essien and Roark will have to rethink how they're living their lives and focus on what's most important.

©2015 Mary Calmes (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

Worth the time and the money to read.

Where does Sleeping 'til Sunrise rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a quick listen and so worth it. I was proud of the men in this novel and recognize the growth that Mary Calmes have taken in developing her characters.

What does Greg Tremblay bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is a great narrator and I'm disappointed that he doesn't have more audiobooks accredited to his name. I believe Audible should take notice and develop more M/M romance stories quicker from proven authors and use great narrators like him.

Loved it!

While I miss Rory and the Marshall, I am glad that Mary was able to weave together various series based on the first novel which has me in tears and then laughter throughout the entire "A Matter of Time" series. Those familiar with the books know Aaron Sutter, who is mentioned throughout the Mangrove novellas. Mary is a genius at knitting and weaving together this collection. I invite anyone who is interested in LOVE to start with the A Matter of Time and progress forward. The first series is a tad darker, in tone but no less entertaining than this brighter series, however there is a little bit of darkness in this series too. I love her character development and how unpredictable she can be from what I was expecting. She's a BRILLIANT novelist and all of her catalog is available from Kindle and Audible has most if not all. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Brian Dulaney

fabulous!

I loved loved loved this book! The Mangrove Seires is a go to for me and this is no different!

Greg hit it out of the park once again!

Greg and Mary - winning combo!

We met Essien through his daughter in Mike and Hutch’s story. He’s a widower who does no wrong and believes he’s going to be alone until his daughter grows and is gone. Ivy, his daughter, believes in love and wants that for him. She sets him up on some terrible dates and hopes for a connection with her pediatrican, Roark.

Roark has cancer. We find that out early on. It’s not making him sick but it might one day. Roark figures that since Essien’s wife died from cancer, he’d be avoiding Roark like the plague. And at first, Essien is hesitant – more so for Ivy than himself. But… everyone convinces him that love is worth the risk and we get our delightful HEA.

**

Lordy – Essien is hot and the way he manhandles Roark and just lays everything out about their relationship – hot! The way Takeo calls Aaron Sutter and gets Roark’s family to back down – hot! The way Mike and Hutch keep teasing Essien – hot! The way Dwyer looks at Takeo – hot!

Essien and Roark are a sweet couple and it was great seeing all the guys again. I love love love love Aaron so extra bonus points for him being in the story again!

I think the concerns Roark has are valid and I do wish we’d learned more about that issue, but I was glad Essien had decided that either way it didn’t matter so long as they were together.

Audio

Greg is my hero. I’ll listen to (most) anything he narrates. He is just so GOOD at the emotion and the telling of the story. In addition, his voice is so easy to listen to.

Superb job – as always.

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars.

Love this series, so much fun to listen to.

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

Yes I would. While there was some heavy content, it was still fun and light hearted and narrated splendidly.

What other book might you compare Sleeping 'til Sunrise to and why?

Any other book in the Mangrove series, they are all short, sexy and so much fun!

Which character – as performed by Greg Tremblay – was your favorite?

Roark I think, I loved how hard he tried to fight the pull the Essien, and how Tremblay managed to put that strain into his voice.

If you could take any character from Sleeping 'til Sunrise out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Ivy! I think she'd be a blast!

Any additional comments?

Essien Dodd stood by his ex-wife when she fell ill with cancer, living up to his vows, even after the promise had been rendered null and void. He took the job as Fire Chief in Mangrove hoping to start a new life for himself and his daughter, away from the city and the reminders of the mother Ivy misses. Essien and Ivy quickly made friends and were brought into the "family" circle that is the warm, welcome and loving atmosphere of the small town. Es vowed to remain single and devote all his attention to his daughter until she goes off to college. There is one person in particular that is making that vow very hard to keep, town doctor Roark Hammond.

Roark has sworn off relationships as well, be for a far deeper reason. He's loved the towns gorgeous Fire Chief from afar for a while, but refuses to put anymore pain on the mans plate. Too bad that Ivy, Essien's fourteen year old daughter turned match maker for her lonely daddy, didn't get the memo.

Lord love a duck, the sexual tension between these two was palpable. The scene at the coffee shop, yow-za! I could feel the chemistry between these two through my ear buds, Tremblay truly brought these characters to life in my mind. I could completely understand why both men hesitated, they each had valid reasons. It doesn't take them long to realize that the heart wants, what the heart wants, and neither of them are strong enough to resist the pull. As usual, Tremblay does an amazing job at bringing the various characters to life while bringing all the voices he has given characters in the previous books over into this story.

While this story is a little heavier than the previous books in the series, there is still that light hearted air and slightly comical approach to the situation. I can't recommend this series, Author or Narrator enough.

Cute story and great narrator.

Mary Calmes ond of my favorite writers. Greg Tremblay is also one of my favorite narrators. Love between Essien and Roark is timeless. Over coming odds to be together is great recipe for an amazing story line.

Easy flow and a good, quick listen.

Any additional comments?

Fire Chief Essien Dodd moved to Mangrove, Florida with his daughter, Ivy, from Detroit (with a short sting in Miami in between) in order to put big cities and a too-rapid pace of life behind him for a while. Essien has dealt with a lot and is looking for some peace. After moving to Mangrove he sees, and falls for, Pediatrician Roark Hammond.

Roark has deep feelings for Essien, but doesn't want to act on them for a very good reason. I really, really don't want to give anything away here. I know - mind boggling for me the Queen of the Spoilers to say that...but, nope, no spoilers from me this time. I don't want to ruin it.

This short novella is a classic kind of Calmes with great dialogue, delicious heat and sexy times, and a breakneck romantic pace. Sure, there are some points I could niggle over, but I don't wanna. It all just works for me. I felt like it flowed really smoothly and I enjoyed the whole thing.

And not that it's a surprise, but once again, Greg Tremblay does a wonderful job with the narration.

Recommended!

What can I say? Calmes is my crack and I'm willingly addicted.

This combo can do no wrong!!!!!

Anything these two touch is gold. PURE GOLD. Magic!!! What a gift! Mary and Greg! Great shortie!!!! Recommended!

Sweet novella about finding love again

I always enjoy Greg T's work. His narration adds something special to each story he reads.

Essien was a widower raising his daughter Ivy who wants her father to find love again. She tries hooking her dad up with several dates until she settles on their local pediatrician, Dr. Roark. After Ivy’s mother died of cancer, Essien threw himself into work and raising his daughter. Ivy is older now and wants her father to stop hiding, so she maneuvers him towards Roark.
Despite an attraction, Roark avoids Essien at every opportunity until Essien finally pins him down for an answer. The answer, while shocking, wasn’t enough to lessen Essien’s fascination.

I didn’t know this book was part of a series but I really enjoyed it. The narrator did a great introducing the couple. I really liked Essien and his daughter. I also thought Roark and Essien made a cute couple. I love how they tried so hard not to mess up what quickly became a very important relationship. I loved the way their friends and whole community rallied around them. It spoke to the kind of men they were and I really liked both them. This short audiobook had love, sadness, laughter and hope. I just wish I had known it was an already established series.

Mangrove stories continue - thank you

I love this Mangrove series. Over the long weekend, I have listened to each of the stories. I love these shorter stories that Mary Calmes writes. Sleeping 'til Sunrise has all the feels. The characters are well developed and the story is stellar. Love has no color or gender.
Greg Tremblay brings a greater dimension to the tapestry of the story. I can't give it enough stars.