Setting the Hook

By: Andrew Grey

Narrated by: Greg Tremblay

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

It could be the catch of a lifetime.

William Westmoreland escapes his unfulfilling Rhode Island existence by traveling to Florida twice a year and chartering Mike Jansen's fishing boat to take him out on the Gulf. The crystal-blue water and tropical scenery isn't the only view William enjoys, but he's never made his move. A vacation romance just isn't on his horizon.

Mike started his Apalachicola charter fishing service as a way to care for his daughter and mother, putting their safety and security ahead of the needs of his own heart. Denying his attraction becomes harder with each of William's visits.

William and Mike's latest fishing excursion starts with a beautiful day, but a hurricane's erratic course changes everything, stranding William. As the wind and rain rage outside, the passion the two men have been trying to resist for years crashes over them. In the storm's wake, it leaves both men yearning to prolong what they have found. But real life pulls William back to his obligations. Can they find a way to reduce the distance between them and discover a place where their souls can meet? The journey will require rough sailing, but the bright future at the end might be worth the choppy seas.

©2017 Andrew Grey (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

excellent narration, loved the book

Any additional comments?

Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my AUDIO copy of this book.

William hires Mike's fishing boat twice a year to just get away from it all., from the job he has begun to hate. Running the family business was never what he wanted to do. His time on Mike's boat is precious, because it's MIKE he comes for, not really the fishing. Mike looks forward to William's visits, because he has had feelings for William since that first time. But he could never act on those feelings. Living and working in a small town has major draw backs and he has his daughter and his mother to look out for. It takes a hurricane for these men to act on their feelings and there is a lot of water to cross before they can be truly happy.

Andrew Grey has a way of writing that no other has, and I LOVED this first book in a new series.

William has feelings for Mike and vice versa. One bolt of lightening, one heated look and its only a matter of time before they finally give in to their feelings. I understood Mike's hesitancy to out himself, he has his daughter and his mother to look after but it had been so very very long since Mike allowed himself to feel, to have a connection to a man, and he really couldn't fight any more. And its beautiful, their coming together, really it is!!

I love William's mum and dad turning up on his "vacation" and Mike's reaction to William telling his parents of their relationship was a priceless moment! I also love the unexpected turn of events for his parents, and how that made William see them in a different light.

Couple questions I am left with though. It never fully explains about Mike's friend in the Navy, and what happened to him. While I can piece it mostly together, I would like to have had the full details. And the coin Mike's daughter found? What happened with that.

Bonus points for not shortening William to Will, not once!

AUDIO review.

Greg Tremblay narrates.

And, really, need I say more? I mean, the man could narrate the bloody phone book, and I'd love it!

I love the way Tremblay has with voices. William and his parents are very proper and upper class, and Mike, his daughter and mom are much softer, smoother voices. It makes for easy listening, because I don't have to concentrate too hard on making out who is speaking and I can just lose myself in the narration.

Tremblay's reading voice is clear and even, and you can feel the emotions coming off each man. A true joy to listen to.

5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Hook, line and sinker.

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

Most definitely. The story and the narration coalesce perfectly giving the characters dimension that you just don't get simply reading a book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Setting the Hook?

When William goes off on his mom, "Cry out in rapture at 4 in the morning" Oh my god, it was funny when I read it but hearing Greg Tremblay as William say it, oh wow, I laughed so hard I cried!

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

See above ^ he breathes life into the characters and ensures that each and every character have their own distinct voice. Some may be similar but there a little tone inflections and nuances that differentiate one from another.

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

Hook, line and sinker!

Any additional comments?

E-book Review from May 2017...

William and Mike are very much like two ships passing in the night, never long at the port. Over several years the two become friends when William vacations twice a year in Florida and charters Mike's boat to fish. He's far from happy with his day to day life. Between running his family's company and dealing with his meddling mother, William craves the time away. Getting to spend time with Mike, well, that's a bonus. Mike is lonely as well, focusing on his business and raising his daughter leave no time for dating. The fact that he lives in a small, conservative town doesn't bode well for him heading out on date night and holding hands with another man.

It would seem fate is giving these two men, that are so obviously attracted to one another, a gentle shove when a hurricane strands William in Florida. But neither sees a way to work a relationship into their already chaotic lives. At least.... not quite yet.

Thank you book goddess for delivering me a hard fought happy ever after story with little to no friggin' angst! I loved everything about this book. Grey takes these two seemingly completely different men... they lead different lives, have different priorities and responsibilities... but the one thing that brings them together is their slow burning love for another. I loved that Grey wrote every aspect of their journey into the story. Each man torn up over the fact that they want something more, but realize it's unlikely to be possible. They'll have to make sacrifices and learn to bend if they stand a chance at a life together.

If you're a hopeless romantic, want a story with two slightly older and more mature characters or thoroughly enjoy a story where they have to work for that happy ever after, because the best things in life... you have to work for them. This is definitely the book for you. But hey, that's just my two cents.

Setting the Hook

Mike lives in a very conservative town in Florida with his daughter and mother and runs his own charter boat. Mike is a hard worker whose goal is to make a better life for his daughter. Once he came home from the military, he accepted that he would have to remain in the closet to protect his daughter and business. That doesn't stop Mike from crushing on his client William, who charters his boat twice a year. Mike always enjoys the day spent with William, but this time Mother Nature has cut their fishing trip short and William needs Mike's help. Mike offers to let William stay at his home during the hurricane, and the time together has allowed the men's attraction to come out of hiding. But they lead two different lives, in two different parts of the world and they have to accept that the few days they had together was all they could have.

William is Mike's opposite. He comes from a wealthy family, and works for his family's business that he'll one day run. He lives in the family home and lives the life his parents have created for him. William allows himself two fishing trips a year to see Mike and to escape his dull office life. William dreams of being able to escape the offices of his family business and to work outside in the sun. After his time with Mike during the hurricane, William is struggling with the chains that bind him and has reached his tipping point for his life.

I really enjoyed both of these characters! Even though Mike was firmly in the closet at home, it was completely understandable. Living in conservative America can make it frightening and difficult to be yourself if it's outside what's considered "normal". Mike was a nice guy trying to make a living and willing to help others. Though William came from a wealthy family, he was kind and considerate and willing to help others out. Both MC's were just nice guys, doing what was best for their families.

The narrator is Greg Tremblay and he does a fantastic job bring the characters and story to life! He has a voice that's easy to listen to, gave each of the characters their own voice, had a good pace and no weird or awkward pauses. The narrator's voice allows the focus to be on the story and the characters, not his voice. The narrator did an excellent job of conveying the emotions of this story.

Every time I read an Andrew Grey book, I feel like my heart gives a little sigh when I come to the end of his stories. He creates men and families that you know have found their happily ever afters. I love that many of his books have children involved. You get to see completely different sides of the men when they have to interact with children. Please do yourself, and your heart, a favor and check out this beautiful story.

Overall: 5 stars
Performance: 5 stars
Story: 5 stars

Light romance

Low stress, light and happy romance guaranteed to please. Slightly lacking in complexity and depth but the setting is well imagined and the characters basically hold up. The reader does a fine job.

Great older MC story

This is one of those rare treats for me: a book I’ve not read, only listened to. I really love Greg Tremblay and am a fan of Andrew Grey’s as well.

We start with Mike and William, who by now are already friends, but neither is sure the other is gay, and they live several states apart. Add to that the fact that Mike lives in the conservative South and William isn’t sure he can commit and you’ve got a recipe for disaster!

But… these guys click – and when opportunity meets attraction there’s combustion. It takes awhile (maybe too long?) for our guys to figure this stuff out – but the story is low on angst and there are no artificial obstructions in their path. They’ve simply got to work through their issues until the right answer comes along.

I appreciated the fact that there was no “magic bullet” – simply compromise and change and sometimes some hard work.

While I wish the ending hadn’t felt so rushed – our guys aren’t together long before the end – the Epilogue felt lovely and hopeful.

I loved Mike’s family as well as all the boat talk.

Greg did a nice job with the accents – none over the top, but a subtle twang here and there, a bit of snobbishness once in awhile and – as always – an excellent use of timing and cadence to portray emotion and humor.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and recommend it!

4 of 5 stars

it is one you will enjoy tremendously

Any additional comments?

Setting the Hook was a good, heart-warming romance between two busy men who made it a habit of putting everyone else first.
William is a family man: he has towed the parental line, studied what his father told him was needed to keep the family business going, and is bored out of his mind doing a job he doesn’t enjoy.Mike is an ex-soldier and also a family man – but his is in a very different place than William’s.
If you like romances with enough obstacles to make your head spin, if you enjoy watching adults growing and changing once they meet the partner they are meant to be with, and if you’re looking for a read that is engaging, shows how difficult – and yet rewarding - it can be to compromise, and has a deeply passionate love story at its core, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do!