Love Him Free

On the Market

By: E.M. Lindsey

Narrated by: Nick Hudson

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Socially awkward, 36-year-old virgin, Simon Kadish, knows he wants more from life than a failing bakery and an empty apartment. He just doesn’t know how to get it.

From an early age, Simon’s life has been marked by loss. After the death of his father, Simon and his infant brother are ripped from their home in Tel Aviv and forced to settle in a small mountain town in the US where no one speaks his language. By the age of 12, Simon is an orphan. By the age of 21, Simon finds himself the unwilling owner of his bubbe’s bakery, and the hesitant guardian of his little brother. Terrified of losing what little he has left, Simon dedicates himself to his faith, sacrificing everything to keep the fragile scraps of his broken family.

But, when Simon’s favorite film star’s life suddenly falls apart on social media, Simon makes a choice. He goes against every one of his instincts and fires up his camera, sending a message in rusty ASL. He doesn’t expect anything from it, of course. After all, Simon’s life has been anything but charmed.

Deaf film star Rocco Moretti had anyone's fantasy life, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.

But when Rocco wakes up to his boyfriend leaving, he has nowhere to turn. Rocco realizes in that moment, he wants something more. He’s not sure where to find it, but he thinks maybe the shy video in shaky ASL in his DMs is a good place to start. After all, Cherry Creek is in the middle of nowhere, and since seeing that video, Rocco hasn’t been able to stop thinking about that shy baker’s long fingers, shy smile, and the constellation of freckles on his pale cheeks.

Rocco isn’t sure leaving his life behind is the right choice, and Simon isn’t sure he belongs in Rocco’s world. But the one thing they do know is that this love has a chance to set them both free.

©2020 Elaine Lindsey (P)2020 Elaine Lindsey

Love, hope and grief beautifully portrayed

I am going through trauma treatment right now, and Lindsey's description of the struggles connected with complex PTSD is spot on. Impressive and touching! The frustration Rocco experinces as a deaf person in a hearing world is compelling too. The attraction between the two is sizzling hot, but I sometimes couldn't decide whether to cry or be steamed up. An extremely confusing experience, especially when my son came in and asked what was wrong! 😂
All in all an excellent listen!

Not much to dislike

It's rare that there's really not anything to dislike about a book but for this one the narration was perfect and I just really loved this story. It was so sadly sweet and pretty low angst. I honestly didn't feel the length at all!

Amazing

I absolutely LOVE EM Lindsey’s writing and this book is another wonderful example of her skill. Her characters are perfectly flawed, both real and fantastic. I love how she brings in physical disabilities and emotional problems in with her characters. It makes them feel more real! Nick Hudson did a fantastic job bringing this story and the characters to life! I can’t wait for more from both the narrator and the author!

Loved it!

I have not read this book yet (it's now next on my list). Usually, I read the books before I do audio but I received this audio and wanted to get started on it. Oh my, what a fantastic listen this book was. The way Nick brought the charters to life was stunning. I could listen to this book several more times and probably still be able to pick out new things I might have missed. The storyline was wonderful and kept me so engaged thru out the whole story Before I knew it 9 hours had flown by.

Good Hurt/Comfort Story

I really wanted to listen to this new to me author's story after reading the blurb and seeing that Nick Hudson was the narrator. The story was pretty good, but I thought it started off a little slow in the beginning. I hope the rest of the series comes to audio. I would like to listen to the rest of the stories.

Sweet Story

I received an ARC of this audio for my honest review. This story is about Simon and Rocco. They are really good for each other. You have a 36 year old virgin and a deaf porn star. The story was well written with a great story line. Nick did a great job narrating.

The Virgin and the Pornstar

This was a pretty good listen. Characters were interesting and passionate together. Nick Hudson is an awesome narrator and was perfect for this story.

Sexy and interesting

The story premise is fun- 36 year old small town baker meets the (deaf) porn star he idolizes. Just when the star’s life implodes and he needs a break. The characters are actually very interesting. However, we are told over and over that one of the characters has social anxiety but there is barely one scene in the book that supports this claim. I get annoyed when a story tells me something instead of letting me figure it out by the actions and situations that flow naturally in the book. The relationship does seem to flow organically, no stupid cheesiness or forced insta-love. The character who has social anxiety is a virgin and is what I would call extremely devout, yet he has no problems doing a porn scene. This is rather unbelievable to my brain. So I generously give the book a 4 star review. I’m rounding up because of the pet names in the book. You’ll have to read it to understand.

Emotional & Sweet

Love Him Free is the first book in E.M. Lindsey’s On The Market series. This is my first experience with their writing and I loved it. I couldn’t help but fall in love with these characters, their lives, and their blossoming relationship. But grab yourself a box of tissues because this is an emotional ride.

Rocco and Simon are both dealing with quite a bit in their personal lives – Rocco’s personal life is imploding publicly and Simon continues to turn in on himself in an effort to avoid the pain that has been constant since moving to the U.S. While things heat up quickly between Rocco & Simon, their histories and healing unfold slowly. There are a lot of painful revelations and self-discovery.

I liked the way Linsey approached Rocco’s deafness and Simon’s anxiety. It felt authentic without fetishizing. Lindsey does add a bit of humor, especially with the pets. “Pocket James” is just adorable. Ultimately, this is a really emotional yet sweet story and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

Nick Hudson! Oh my goodness. This narration is perfection. Hudson gives everyone in this book (and there are a lot of accents, inflections, voices) a unique sound. Additionally, he uses a slightly different voice on the chapters that are from Rocco’s POV in contrast to the ones from Simon’s POV. Not only does this give an added depth to the performance, it’s especially helpful when the writing is in 3rd person.

I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

4 stars

This book is set in Cherry Creek, which takes place in the same town as Kate Hawthorne’s Room for Love series. The story also ties into Hawthorne’s Heartless, which focuses on Simon’s brother, Levi. This book is listed as a standalone and while Simon and Rocco’s story does hold up on its own, there is a lot of backstory that I did not have starting here.

Lindsey does a great job with the characters here and Simon and Rocco both have sad stories. Simon is overwhelmed with his failing business and lack of social life and Rocco is working through the betrayal by his boyfriend/interpreter and agent.

There is a certain amount that you have to go with that Rocco, a well-known film star, drives 17 hours to meet Simon after one social media encounter. There is a heaviness to their relationship overall as both men have a lot to work through but . there is also a sweetness to their connection.

Nick Hudson did a good job overall with the audio. However, some of the Hebrew words were pronounced incorrectly and at times Simon sounded like a much older man.