Touch Me Gently

I was excited to listen to this – I really was. The book has so many things that I usually love, like age difference and the hurt/comfort theme. To my surprise, though, I found myself rolling my eyes more than just a few times as I listened to Touch me Gently, and I almost turned the audiobook off several times. It makes me sad, because I really wanted to like this book.

I usually love age and size difference between lovers, but Kaden just...never seemed like a man to me. In the whole book, I kept imagining him as a young, young boy – and sometimes even as a little girl! At the very beginning of the book, his physique is described as "almost effeminate”, and the way the teen flinches, shivers, gasps and winces when men come close to him makes me think of a scared little girl – not a man who’s about to start his twenties! If I wanted to listen to a straight romance, I'd have bought a straight romance!

Instead of feeling sympathy, I kept rolling my eyes when Kaden's reactions to men and memories went way over the top. I won't spoil the main plotline for anyone, but even if a man has been raped in the past, I doubt they’d literally drop to the floor and curl up, panicking, if a woman simply asks where they got the scar in their face. Despite this he goes out to dance wearing sexy leather pants (that I doubt he’d be able to afford, since he’s been living in a dingy and dirty building with hobos laying at the bottom of his staircase??) later that week.

Not to mention how his scar supposedly makes him ugly and insecure (which I normally would love) , but the first day at his new job, a man comes up to him, tells him that he's easy on the eyes, and asks if he wants to have sex! He isn't the only one: Logan, who's straight and has only been dating women up to that point, is described to be attracted to him from day one!

While I know Kaden's supposed to seem pitiable - even lovable - he just seems pathetic to me. As for Logan; I don't really like the whole "Gay for you" thing. He's been a straight man all his life, and when he's suddenly attracted to a guy much younger than him he just shrugs it off and doesn't give it another thought – No one else seems to think it strange that he’s suddenly dating a teenager either!

The story just seemed too unreal and inconsistent for me. Maybe someone else will like it, but I did not.

I was hooked within a few minutes of starting it and finished it spanning two days only. Beware that there's nothing particularly spectacular about the story line and plot. It is predictable and yet still was very special, a tribute to great writing. Also, a part of that is that I'm very partial to stories of rural America and the setting in Montana was particularly satisfying. I am going to niggle just a tad at the last 25% of the story wondering if some if it was really necessary or a tad overly dramatic, but that could never detract from the overall effect which is that it leaves you feeling very good and satisfied. I highly recommend it.

I loved this story from start to finish! I will definitely check out other stories by this writer

Intense story.... hearing about Kaden's abuse was heartbreaking.

Really enjoyed the characters, the performance, and the story.

I love that most of the story is fluff and romance spiced with comfort when needed. The characters aren't perfect, and I liked the pace in which they developed. The antagonist is a bit too much at times, but as he is hardly there it doesn't matter. I didn’t much like the last hour of the story, which is the reason why the story only gets 4 stars instead of 5. The first many hours are filled with meaning full moments that shows the slow healing, hope to move on, and the occasional draw back. While there’s also some (probably just as many) in the last part I just didn’t like the new characters introduced and their effect on the protagonist.

This is one of my preferred scenarios traumatized guy getting help to get healed and currently one of my favourite books. If you’ve heard Chasing Seth and found it ‘not quite heart-warming’ then don’t judge this book from that. Chasing Seth was a fine book well worth at least one listen, but this one is so much better.

Yep- it was a good story, with some action, like breaking a horse and defending a lover. It kept my interest for a while. I needed breaks from it every once in a while because of Kaden's violent past, but that's my damage, not the story's.

I liked the horse that Kaden finally broke, mainly because they were so alike.

It was kind of flat. That's semi-unfair because I compare all narrators to Holter Graham, who's the best narrator ever. Mr. Gelder did a descent job, though.

Logan because he was so kind and protective of Kaden and his little sister. He's the typical hero, but fights his feelings until Kaden really needs him.

I tried this story on a whim and wasn't disappointed. I love happy endings and this one had a great one.

Probably the characters. They are very well written and easy to imagine.

Kaden was my favorite character. Someone so sweet and innocent yet so badly damaged just tugs at my heart.

needs. some. improvement.

I would say that would be a tie between the two main characters, Kaden and Logan. They were both very well written and each had their own story to tell.

If your a fan of gay romance novels, you can't go wrong with this one.

This book started out well, if you took it with a grain of salt at some areas and allowed the author to use his/her artistic license, then you can listen to it happily. you'll find yourself saying 'awww', more than just once.

The story itself wasn't bad. The characters, that is. BUT, the least interesting was the mention of 'the past, the past', and then the flashbacks. The absolute, ABSOLUTE least interesting was the last hour of it. If I had turned that off after that chapter, this book would have been great.

This book is very pleasant to listen to. I did hate the fact that the character was referred to as 'the teen', 'the boy', 'little one', etc. etc. and then he'd act like an infant at times, although he was 19. that part kinda creeped me out. but the main characters coming closer was nice. although, some parts, some character reactions, were a bit unrealistic and over the top. if it was toned down a bit, maybe it'd be a bit better. otherwise, I did like the story after it picked up. I DO recommend it, it was a good listen, but skip the last hour! :-p and allow yourself to let a few things slide...

The narrator was very good. From the volume of his voice to the enunciation of the dialog he was wonderful.

The theme of perseverance was very nice.

The moment the little girl died was heartbreaking.

Slow to build, as a good love story should be. The story skirts the boundaries of the believable, but that's alright. Who reads romance for realism? It's less focused on physical intimacy than many other audible titles of this genre, and much more focused on the emotional quality of a building love story, which I appreciated. All in all a gentle and articulate romance which is worth the download. Would purchase more titles by this author if they were available, and would reccommend.