Escape Velocity

I find that I’m partial to gay romance books that transcend the human reality of our experience either through science fiction or fantasy. As long as the characters are human or close enough to identify with. The added dimension of other worldliness makes it easier for me to look past my own sense of the impossible and experience the excitement of living a different life.
The two central characters of the book embody the qualities of the men I’ve always longed for not only as physical specimens but with all of the qualities and flaws that make them loveable.
The characters that surround them are also believable avoiding the exteme stereotypes of perfection, super-human abilities or ridiculous embodiments of good or evil.
While the story is left at a satisfying place in the end, the implied adventures underlying all of the book’s events are barely begun. I have to hope the story can continue in subsequent sequels!
The production of the audio book is also worth mentioning. As I’ve experienced more and more audiobooks, I’ve become more aware of the difficulties of pulling off a narration using only one narrator. Male readers often lose me when they have to shift to voices of women or children, leaving me to roll my eyes at their inability to pull this off. Charles Carr does an excellent job of this. His timing and pacing are also goodwhich not only makes it easy to keep up with and understand, but helps it get closer to the experience of reading it for yourself.

I haven't read the print version, but I had already listened to the authors other audiobook, which was a disappointment. So, I was happily surprised after taking a chance with this book.

Quite simply, the narration. The story was different and the characters interesting. But the narrator Charles Carr is so very talented and engaging that he made everything better.

Charles Carr's performance is immediately engaging. His characterizations sound right, and he makes both the lovers accessible and empathetic. The love scenes are passionate and real.

Sender is a very likeable character with surprising depth. I couldn't help caring about his happiness. Even though we meet Elios first and are set up to see things through his perspective at first, Sender quickly became the one I cared about more. His character goes through more changes and therefore he gains more depth and real empathy.

I am VERY disappointed that there are no other books narrated by Charles Carr currently available at audible! Obviously, the narrator can make (or break) a book, especially in this particular genre. I hope more of this narrator's work becomes available soon.

It Was Great!

I loved the story line, the characters, the plot, the narration. I couldn't wait to drive somewhere just so I could continue to listen to it.

He read with warmth and enthusiasm and his voices helped me to differentiate between the characters with no second-guessing. I liked the tone of his voice too. He's a great narrator.

Love is The Mission

These two authors combined to write a top notch book for my enjoyment. I'll be looking for more of their books.

So this is a gay romance novel. This is the first time I have listened to one. The sex scenes were great, the plot not so much. I guess I was expecting some kind of end point to the book, it seems the authors are setting up for a series but really didn't care about ending this book. Saying that, one of the characters is having a hard time with whole religion/ gay thing. I think some of the issues he faces, are what a lot of gay people have had to face. I thought that maybe this would be a good book for someone who is struggling with the same issues.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Very intellectually and emotionally satisfying. I even gifted this book to a friend who claimed he didn't like science fiction.

I kinda like this book...but I can't seem to get past the 4th chapter. Maybe I will finish this later, but as of now... Not such an amazing book. I think the blurb is the best part of the story...

I felt there wasn't enough conflict to make the story more interesting. The characters were at odds, yes, with one another occasionally, but not enough to make me worry about them. Not really. Also, the sex was almost 'cut-and-paste' in it's similarity.I also would have kept this as a novella, since that's what it originally was apparently, the story didn't stretch well.

I can honestly say I haven't read anything like it to date.

Definately Sender, most similar to Charles Carr.

Definately more conflict and better sex scenes.

Carr has to be commended for his attempt at a 4 year old girl. It was fairly decent, considering how low his natural reading voice was.

"Decent" as is a satisfying read but nothing to write home about.

The narrator did a great job of reading as if acting when it came to dialogue - when someone was speaking from pain, joy, etc., you heard it in the narrator's voice. On the other hand, the narrator used an overly effeminate voice inflected with the tones of expression one might hear among men in a hair salon, but the characters were in the military and might or might not have wanted or needed to be inclined that way. Not for all the voices, really just one and spattered throughout others. It doesn't ruin the reading by any means, but was a distraction for me.

The story is quite predictable, but the details within what you know is going to happen are satisfyingly individual to this story and these characters. You KNOW how it's going to turn out, but it's still an interesting journey. I thought the author's ability to observe people in real life and translate those personalities to writing was above average. A main part of the story included preachiness about views on whether it's ok for men to like men and about how church doctrine (highly similar to Christianity) ruins people and families by telling them what's right and wrong vs. letting them be themselves. It doesn't bother me, but it might be too much for some readers (but then, why would they be reading this book at all?).

The physical scenes between the main characters (there were none between other characters) fit in well with the story, they were not merely put in gratuitously. They all involved caring and relationship between consenting adults. They were fairly brief and not nermerous, but you definitely wouldn't want anyone but a consenting, interested partner of your own to hear them by mistake.

I probably should give the book 4 stars instead of just 3, but athough I enjoyed it quite a bit Its just one of many I enjoy quite a bit, so nothing really stands out. On the other hand, it is definitely decent writing and performance all the way around. I guess I'm picky!

Most likely not . Not a lot of depth to the characters.

Predictable

Very good considering.

No

Futuristic; Compelling; Thought-provoking

When the main male characters finally realized they needed each other to make their lives completed.

No