• The Blinding Light

  • By: Renae Kaye
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Young
  • Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (442 ratings)

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The Blinding Light  By  cover art

The Blinding Light

By: Renae Kaye
Narrated by: Jonathan Young
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Publisher's summary

Jake Manning's smart mouth frequently gets him into trouble. Because of it he can't hold a job. Combined with some bad luck, it's prevented him from keeping steady employment. A huge debt looms over him, and alone he shoulders the care of his alcoholic mother and three younger sisters. When a housekeeping position opens, Jake's so desperate he leaps at the opportunity. On landing, he finds his new boss, Patrick Stanford, a fussy, arrogant, rude...and blind man.

Born without sight, Patrick is used to being accommodated, but he's met his match with Jake, who doesn't take any of his crap and threatens to swap all the braille labels on his groceries and run off with his guide dog unless he behaves.

Jake gets a kick out of Patrick. Things are looking up: The girls are starting their own lives, and his mum's sobriety might stick this time. He's sacrificed everything for his family; maybe it's time for him to live his life and start a relationship with Patrick. When his mother needs him, guilt makes his choice between family and Patrick difficult, and Jake must realize he's not alone anymore.

©2014 Renae Kaye (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about The Blinding Light

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • JC
  • 07-30-15

I guess my only question is...

Any additional comments?

Why doesn't Jonathan Young have more audiobooks on here?

This was my first story by Renae Kaye and first audiobook narrated by Jonathan Young, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Both of the male protagonists were likable. I laughed quite a bit at when they were bantering through notes before ever meeting each other. It almost felt like the modern, gay version of the letters going back and forth in Pride and Prejudice. Actually, Jake and Patrick did have certain similarities to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. At least, I thought so. It was just the way they had misconceptions about each other, and didn't realize their attraction was mutual.

This also had a Maid in Manhattan-ish feeling (though it's been years since I saw that movie... Maybe that's a poor example since I barely remember it), with the poor housekeeper and rich employer falling for each other. That would have been enough in itself, but... What prevented this from being absolutely perfect for me was the addition of Jake's alcoholic mother. And the ending just seemed... A tad overkill. Kind of like it was way longer than it needed to be? Overall though, I liked the writing and humor enough to get more from this author.

Now for the narrator. This story is set in Australia, and while I'm not the best judge of what constitutes an authentic Aussie accent having only been to Australia once and having spoken to just a handful of Aussies, I thought Jonathan Young sounded pretty genuine. At least he didn't sound like the stereotypical Aussie accents you hear in SNL or you know... Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin. The accent he used was more subtle and very easy to understand. Definitely top notch narration, and more than worth the credit (or purchase).

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A sweet story with a solid narration.

Sweet, slow burn story about a housekeeper falling in love with his blind employer. Low levels of sex, folks, but HIGH levels of charm!

I really enjoyed this story. It was easy listening, and surprisingly low angst for all the obstacles that the MCs faced. It was also fairly low drama, which I ALWAYS appreciate. The story was sort of hurt/comfort-light, or more like opposites attract. Where Patrick is uptight, stuffy, and caught up in his disability, Jake is down to earth and selfless (almost to an annoying level). They meshed very well together, and I liked the buildup and organic feel to them as a couple.

I think if it was rating the book on content alone, I would be rating this in the 3-3.5 star range. However, I really enjoyed the narration of this book. Warning: If you are Australian or very familiar with the Australian accent, I would stay away from the audio of this book. From my untrained, Americanized ears, I loved the narration, but I recognize that the forced-Australian accent was a little... wonky. It didn't bother me because my ears aren't trained to pick up what a correct Australian accent sounds like, but I'm just picturing what it would be like for a native of that area. It would be like a British person trying to do a bad New Yorker accent... shudders.

Accent aside, the narrator, Jonathan Young, did a very nice job. Great emotion, great cadence, great feel. I judge audiobooks more on my gut reaction than anything else, and my gut REALLY connected with this one.

All in all, a very nice introduction to Renae Kaye for me, and it got me pumped to try more from her in the future.

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

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved the book!

What did you love best about The Blinding Light?

All in all, a pretty solid, funny, sweet story with some very hot sexy times.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Young – was your favorite?

A tie really between Jake Manning and Patrick Stanford. Loved both characters!

Who was the most memorable character of The Blinding Light and why?

Jake Manning - even though the story is from POV, Jonathan Young captures his snark and awesomeness wonderfully.

Any additional comments?

Wonderful narration by Jonathan Young! He does a really good job.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it

I really enjoyed this book when I read and even more when I listened to it. This author has a way of taking life situations that could be depressing and giving them characters that take the lemons they are dealt and turns them into lemonade. I'm grateful the narrator does a good Australian accent, as this is set in Perth. He does a great job with capturing Jake sarcastic humor. Jake has been thrown a lot of life's curve balls, with an alcoholic mother and having to raise his three sisters at a young age. He meets a rich blind man when he is hired to clean his house. But this is NOT a whoa as me story; Jake is amazing and the world be a better place if everyone adopted his attitude. Great story, sweet romance, great narrator, it is all good!!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!

I loved this story! The narrator had some spots that it was a little confusing but all in all very good. I would recommend this book for the happily ever after lovers!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A feel-good-love-overcomes-all-obstacles story

If you could sum up The Blinding Light in three words, what would they be?

Feel good story.

What did you like best about this story?

Jake's integrity despite the crappy hand he was dealt.

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

That Aussie accent gets me every time.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The heart sees what the eyes can't.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for a witty, clever written, well narrated, captivating story with, of course, a healthy sprinkling of hot sex, then look no further.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Blinding Light

Oh how I liked this book, Jake is such a warm soul he love with his whole heart and I love how he treats his family. He never makes them feel like a burden. Even when he puts his life on hold to clean up after them. He just does what needs to be done.

One of his jobs was a housekeeper and it kinda awesome how he and Patrick meet I loved that Jake was falling for him even before meeting him. But it was more than that it was how he just accepts Patrick’s blindness. I hate when books only focus on one thing and harp on it that didn’t happen with this book. It was a part of Patrick and that is that.

These two were sweet and I just enjoyed listening to their HEA. A much deserved love story.

The narration was perfect for this book, the right accent makes all the difference this book wouldn’t have worked otherwise at least not for me.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • mh
  • 09-27-15

Wonderful

Perfect from beginning to the end. Sweet story and the narrator did an excellent job.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Its a great story

I am really annoyed by the performance. This is a great story that deserved the respect of someone that can do an Australian accent. I want my money back or give it to Renae to assist in her writing of another beautiful, funny story.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Jonathan Young does amazing job with amazing story

This is the second book I have read by this author and I will definitely be looking for more. The setting is Australia, so you get a few funny words, but for the most part, the setting could be anywhere. Jake is a young man who is a little bit too perfect but in a way that is so funny and sweet, you can’t help but forgive him for that.

Patrick is fantastic. Curmudgeonly and surly at first, only to be completely turned around when his sh*t is thrown back in his face by the mouthy Jake.

It’s almost a Cinderella story in that Patrick has so much money and Jake is dirt poor, but since Patrick is blind – the inequality isn’t quite so profound. You really get the idea that the two do have something to offer one another and that makes the disparity more tolerable.

Jake’s friends and family are funny and well rounded as characters who add to the story without really detracting from the main thread.

There was an appropriate amount of smexy scenes, not overwhelming and those that were there were definitely hot.

The ending kind of came from left field, but in a way I really liked it. Sometimes life does throw you a curve ball and you have to take what you get when you get it.

I also liked how the two resolved the issue of money between the two of them. It might not be the most romantic way to do it, but it’s a realistic approach to a sensitive, relationship-breaking subject.

Overall I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone in search of a sweet, light read.

Audio

Jonathan Young is a great narrator who does a fantastic job with this. He makes the voices unique and has just the right amount of accent to make it feel authentic but not over the top or hard to listen to - definitely adds to the enjoyment of the book!

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