Rainbow Place

Rainbow Place, Book 1

By: Jay Northcote

Narrated by: Hamish Long

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Can Jason find the courage he needs to be the man Seb deserves?

When Seb Radcliffe relocates to a seaside town in Cornwall, he feels like a fish out of water. He misses queer spaces and the sense of community he enjoyed when he was living in the city and decides to open an LGBT-friendly cafe-bar.

Jason Dunn is the builder Seb hires to help renovate the rundown space where the cafe will be housed. Jason is also gay, but unlike Seb, he’s deep in the closet. He’s never had a relationship with another man - allowing himself only the occasional hook up with guys who are prepared to be discreet.

The attraction between the two men is instant and impossible to ignore. But while Seb is out and proud, Jason is terrified of being exposed. With the grand opening of Rainbow Place approaching, tension is growing among some locals who object to Seb’s plans. When things escalate, Jason is forced to choose whether to hide in the shadows and let Seb down or to openly support the man he’s fallen so hard for.

Although this book is part of a series, it has a satisfying happy ending and can be listened to as a stand-alone.

©2018 Jay Northcote (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Amazing!

I am so in love with this story even more then want I read this one! I love Jason and Seb! Jay Northcote has pull so much emotions in these characters that I feel everything. Then Hamish Long does such an amazing job bring even more of the emotions into this story. I mean I love this story before listening to it but now I love it even more!

So many emotions, such a beautiful story!

Jay Northcote’s writing manages to give life to characters in a way that they become real to me, with every one of their multi-layered emotions getting to me, too.
We live Seb’s excitement, along with the anxiousness, for the opening of Rainbow Place, his new LGBT friendly cafe, and the hopes he has for his budding relationship with Jason.
And we live through Jason internal battle, where his fear and wish to protect himself keep him deep in the closet, but these are at war with Jason’s newfound feelings of wanting to be free, and wanting to be with Seb in the open.

The book is not excessively angsty, but emotions run deep and it sure kept me glued to my earbuds and rooting for these two wonderful men!

Hamish Long is a new to me narrator, but I loved his accent and his narration!

So good.

Loved it. Sweet and sexy, with lovable characters. With a little sprinkle of drama.
Enjoyable and recommendable

Great start!

3.5 stars rounded up!

This was a really good start to a series. Seb was so kind and understanding, but he wasn’t willing to get steamrolled or hurt just to appease Jason. And Jason was a little harder to like in the beginning, but he comes around and shows he’s serious in an incredible way. I loved the concept of Rainbow Place and am looking forward to the rest of the series. The narrator was amazing, and I would love to hear more from them.

3-3.5 Stars

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I enjoyed it so I will definitely read this author again. In fact, I've already purchased the audio books for the next 3 books in the series so hopefully I enjoy those too.

I gave this book 3-3.5 stars because it was good but there wasn't really anything that pushed it to great for me. It was very middle of the road and there is nothing wrong with that at all. It didn't give me lasting feels or cause me any strong emotions but there wasn't anything bad about this book. I think the premise is great. I loved the whole creating a place that is safe and welcoming for all LGBTQ people and allies. The cafe is fun and I anticipate it will be the setting for the subsequent books. I enjoyed the characters. I really liked the relationship that Jason had with his ex-wife and daughter. I also liked watching the relationship build between Seb and Jason, though I wouldn't have minded having a bit more substance to their relationship and see them bond through more than physical attraction; especially since they seem like they will be a lasting relationship. I also liked the side characters, especially the couple that is good friends with Seb. They are great.

Rainbow Place wasn't that long, only 6 hours in length on the audiobook, so it is a fairly quick listen. The narrator is really good. He was easy to listen to and had great pacing. I don't think I have listened to this narrator before but I would gladly listen to more by him.

Excellent listen!

I loved this listen. The story was well written with characters I enjoyed meeting. The narration was absolutely amazing. His ability to do different voices if fantastic!

Great start to the series, awesome vocal performan

This is a great start to a new series! I love the idea of The Rainbow Place being the central meeting place for each couple in each book of the series. We meet several great characters and I’m looking forward to reading more about them.

I typically don’t love stories with a closeted character because of the inevitable pain caused by one of the characters to one of the characters. There are a couple of scenes here in which some pain is inflicted by Jason, but he surprisingly makes up for the pain he causes Seb with his ‘grand gesture’.

Seb and Jason immediately have great sexual chemistry and decide to forge a friends-with-benefits type relationship which quickly escalates to more.

My one niggle with the story is I wish their relationship had developed a bit more on-page. We really only experienced them during their sexual experiences and while working in the café.

Looks like the next book is about a couple of younger characters we met – one of which is the son of the antagonist from this book – and I’m interested in listening to their story!

The vocal performance was amazing. This is my first experience with this performer, and I was impressed. He has distinctive voices for every character and his voices for the women were outstanding! I can honestly say I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed this story as much had I just read the book instead of listening.

Great Book 1

The first book in the series, and it got me hooked. Love all the characters and how the story evolved. Jay Northcote is new a author to me and I truly enjoyed how he keep the story going. There is no dull moments, and how light and funny it is. Hamish Long is also a new narrator to me and he nailed all the characters in this series. What a talented duo!

Loved it

I am from Cornwall living in USA. The accent, the reference to every thing Cornish warmed my heart. First time I have heard a decent Cornish accent in audio books. The characters were well felt genuine and the coming out struggle felt real. Easy listen and highly recommended.

Loved this one!

I was so excited to see this series come to audio! I love this beautiful series by Jay Northcote and it was wonderful to have these characters and this story come to life in a new way! Hamish Long is incredibly talented and did a lovely job with narration.