Relay

Changing Lanes, Book 1

By: Layla Reyne

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A last chance at swimming gold, a second chance at lasting love.

Team captain. Olympic medalist. Devoted son and brother. Alex has it all, and all the demands that go with being the best. The last thing he needs on his crowded plate—and on his team—is his closeted ex.

Dane is swimming’s biggest star. Carefully crafted from crib to pool, his fame feeds his celebrity parents’ empire. He dropped the act once—the summer he fell in love with Alex. Ten years later, the performance is crushing his soul. So is resisting the man he still loves.

As the team struggles to gel, Alex and Dane clash in and out of the pool. Forgive and forget is easier said than done. But something has to give, if Alex and Dane want a shot at gold. And a second chance at love.

Team captain and team celebrity square off in this enemies to lovers, second chance MM sports romance between two elite swimmers fighting against their hearts and fighting for Olympic gold.

©2018 Layla Reyne (P)2024 Layla Reyne

Great listen!

I am new to this author and I must say I fell in love with Alex and Dane. This story had the right mix of tension and ease between the two leads. I am a fan of M/M sport romances and I loved the supporting cast of team members that added a lot and made the story full. Nick J Russo is a instant click for me. He is such a spectacular narrator and is always spot on with his intrepretations of each character. OMG Dane's volice in this story was swoon worthy! I immediately bought book two and look forward to listening. I highly recommend!

In synch

Loved this audio book version. Great narrator. Another great story from Layla Reyne. This lovers to enemies to lovers story is engaging and the characters are interesting.

Great 2nd Chance

This is a great second chance. I really enjoyed thevsyory when I read it and Russo IMO brought it to life wonderfully.

great story

Alex and Dane got their second chance, just as they should have! I loved everything about this. The story was great and the narration was awesome. Nick J Russo is a great narrator!!

"Medals aren't everything" 💕

Relay: Changing Lanes Book #1
MMy Thoughts and Review:

If you are looking for a story that is ninety percent Olympic focused ten percent romance, you need to look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a second-chances, enemies to lovers, rich-man/ poor-man, coming out, hurt/ comfort, slow-burn, "lookout Nancy Kerrigan, I may have spotted Tanya Harding around the corner," then this is definitely the book for you.

The characters are fleshed out, and with Russo narrating, this story is lively, full of humor, grief, angst, and eventually joy and happiness. The ride is rocky between the MCs, Dane and Alex, with their very emotional and somewhat hostile break-up, from ten years ago, dripping over into the USA swimming team's training camp. Tempers stay locked and loaded, and it's the members on their team who feel each shot as it leaves the barrel any time the safety is off.

How much these two stubborn men will lose before they put their demons to rest is/ was actually good for some personal introspection. I always love, hate, and in the end appreciate when the author tugs at something inside me. This is a really good reminder of not being able to undo those things we say or do in haste, anger, fear, jealousy, or ignorance.

Excellent story. I highly recommend this audiobook!

The Story: 4.50 🌟🌟🌟🌟.✨
The Narration: 5.00 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 4.75 🌟🌟🌟🌟.✨

4.75 chase-away-the-pain-together-stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.✨

I received an audio copy of this book from GRR in exchange for my review. ⚔

Engaging Characters

I love a good sports romance, this one was a fun read. Both characters made me feel for them and want them to succeed and their relationship was beautifully developed with loads of history and realistic motivations. Great romance with lots of heart, just the right amount of focus on swimming. Throw in some computer hacking, fun to dislike villains, and Olympic medals on the line, and it was a great entertaining read. Already downloaded the ebook for the sequel.

Engaging sports romance

Relay fit very well for a summer 2021 listen, and I really liked the premise. The story is a male/male romance, a second chance romance, and a sports romance all in one, and Layla Reyne combines the tropes very well. I'm always a sucker for a second chance love story, and Dane and Alex's love story was 10 years in the making. This one turned out to be a bit of a coming-of-age tale despite the characters being in their mid-twenties. Dane has a lot to learn about being his own man and standing up to those who want to control him, so he has quite the personal journey as he figures it all out, and I don't mind admitting that I really wanted to give him a good shake along the way. Alex is a sweetheart, a hotheaded sweetheart at times but totally lovable. His drive and determination are what make him a great captain and keep him going despite more than his fair share of personal troubles. There's also a great group of secondary characters that made for some terrific camaraderie and witty banter. Nick J Russo gives voice to the characters, and since the chapters alternate between Dane and Alex, we get to see the story from both perspectives. Russo does a fine job of keeping the voices distinct, even the secondary characters - once a character was introduced to the story, I had no problem keeping them straight just with the differences in pitch, accent, and tone. I've listened and enjoyed Nick Russo before, so it was a treat to hear him again. All in all, this first Changing Lanes romance is an engaging romance with likable characters, and I'm excited to go right on into listening to the next in the series.

Really enjoyable, steamy and lots of heart

This is my first Layla Reyne romance, and it was such an enjoyable listen. The relationship between Alex and Dane was well-developed, their backstory was heartbreaking, and the support and love that they felt for each other was so evident throughout the story.

I especially enjoyed the way that Layla Reyne wrote, and Nick J. Russo voiced, Dane's transformation throughout this book. No spoilers, but his complicated relationship with his parents is such a huge part of this novel, and you could hear the emotion in Nick's voice.

On a personal note, as someone who was a competitive swimmer, I loved how true Layla Reyne was to the sport, too! It was such a refreshing read since there aren't a lot of romances set in the word of swimming.

I was given a copy to review,giving honest opinion

I was given a free copy of this audio book and I am giving an honest and unbiased review.


I really liked the two main characters,Dane and "Alex",Alejandro,two young 20 something,U.S. Men's Swim Team, swimmers,who first fell in love,when they met at age sixteen.

Ten years later,Dane and Alex,through tough times fall in love all over again,now older,while on the same,U.S. Men's Swim Team.


Dane now twenty six,is a golden boy who has been holding a torch for his ex,Alex.


Dane's public and private life is controlled,by his father,an evangelical pastor and his mother a former beauty queen,who sells things on tv home shopping networks.


Dane finds it hard to come out and accept himself,or let his heart open to his first love,Alex.


Dane and Alex have a love hate relationship,more on Dane's part than on Alex's.


Dane keeps Alex at arms length.


Eventually,Dane gives Alex and himself a chance to try to have a relationship and that is when this book really picks up and where both characters shine.


Dane eventually stands up to both of both of his parents,comes out and fights for his love with Alex.


At times I got frustrated with Dane and Alex.


But,I'm happy that in the end,Dane grew as a young man and got the courage to stand up for himself and to let himself love Alex.


Dane is somewhat unlikable at first,but I'm glad that I gave this story a chance.

In closing,I liked this book a lot,and I look forward to listening to it again in the future.

Second Chances

Second chance stories are not my favorite, but I wanted to try a story by this author. Plus, when I saw the narrator was Nick J. Russo, I couldn't pass it up. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I look forward to the next one in the series.