Secret Admirer

De: DJ Jamison

Narrado por: Darcy Stark

You deserve all the kisses you want....

Benji,

I want you to know how amazing you are. You won't believe me, because I'm just your brother's best friend, but it’s true. Each day my feelings for you grow, confusing but undeniable.

With a few anonymous love tokens, I finally have an outlet for all the things I can't say. And with each gift and note, you smile. For me. Not your brother's straight friend, but something new. Something more. Something that will change everything if we can both find the courage to believe.

All I have to do is confess who I really am:

Your Secret Admirer.

©2020 DJ Jamison (P)2020 DJ Jamison

It’s all those little things that became love

A very sweet and heartwarming story! I have definitely become an admirer for “secret admirer”.

Ace has always thought he was straight. Until he found that Benji needed someone to take care of him and raise his self-esteem. A human mind is so complex yet so simple at times. It was like a whole new world was opened up for Ace when he found himself being attracted to Benji. Not only that, he found that he has been interested in little Benji, his best friend’s little brother for quite a long time already without even knowing himself. Benji needs someone to love and protect him and Ace desperately wanted to be that someone. Where can you find a more prefect match?

Realistic, sweet, charming and full with all-good feels. I love everything about this book. No doubt, various kinds of OFY, GFY tropes are very popular with gay romance genre but this book was truly unique and charming. We not only learn about Ace’s self-discovery and acceptance but also witnessed the true blossoming of little Benji. These two are truly too sweet together. I loved all those little gifts. And my! Darcy Stark did a terrific job with the narration. I have always loved his performances but I think this one outshined all of his previous works I have listened before. Can’t recommend enough. Don’t hesitate and just listen! I guarantee this one is very credit-worthy! ❤️

5 It’s all those little things that became love stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Audio rating

Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Adorable Romance

Great friends to lovers/brothers best friend romance. These guys were so sweet together and the personal issues they dealt with were spot on.

Enjoyable!

This was such a great book with everything I love...the nerd and the frat guy, the brother's best friend, bi-awakening, first times...it was so good! Benji and Ace's love story was so much fun to read, written so well and had me smiling from beginning to end.

Darcy Stark did a good job narrating the book.

Sweet Listen

This just is what it is a sweet, lighthearted romance nothing too complicated, just a classic romance with a friends to lovers feel. The narration is done really well and definitely enhances the story.

Great story/listen

This is was just the perfect book to listen to. The story was such a sweet one but fun all the same. I love the brother's best friend trope and how this one played out. First time I have listened to Darcy Stark and will certainly not be the last time. Thought he did a fabulous job portraying the guys in the story.

Brother's-Best-Friend Romance

'Secret Admirer' features Benji, an art student just starting college, and Ace, the best friend of Benji's brother Jeremy. Since Jeremy isn't around to watch over his younger brother, he has tasked Ace with the job. Ace accidentally becomes Benji's secret admirer. After some angsting over each other, they get together.

I'm not much of an angst fan, so the beginning of the book gets me a little frustrated. Benji and Ace have feelings for one another, but are absolutely convinced the other guy can't possibly feel the same. And then they proceed to not talk to each other about their feelings. When Ace finally gathers the courage to tell Benji how he feels, I like the story more. Their dates are adorable and the sex scenes are loving. Overall, it's a good story.

I liked Darcy Stark's narration for the most part. The dialogue is performed very well. The exposition sometimes has an overly formal feel that didn't seem to suit Jamison's story.

I received a free review copy of this audiobook and in exchange have written this voluntary honest opinion.

Recommended.

Romance adventure

This was a great listen. This story was sooo good to listen to. Loved Benji he is a shy cartoon loving guy who is far from home so when he gets letters from a secret admirer he feels special. Ace is his brother’s best friend and it was a twisted road for these two to come together but they belong and I was amazed by there story. Great listen the narration was great. Can’t wait for more from this author and narrator.

3.5 stars- Sweet, uncomplicated romance

Secret Admirer was a sweet, long-angst romance. I liked the plot and thought it was a good approach to the best friend’s brother trope. I also really liked the inclusion of the bi-awakening plotline. While there was tension exposing the relationship to the big brother, for the most part the romance felt easy with as much heat as it had gentle moments.

Ace and Benji’s familiar bond was immediately apparent, which made the move to something more smooth. While this wasn’t novel per say, I did like the way the author developed Ace’s feelings for Benji- it felt seamless yet believable. I also really enjoyed that the dual point-of-view allowed Ace’s intent to be obvious. It was a nice change of pace to have the typical hot frat boy unsure but wanting to pursue the “dorky” art student. Both characters were pretty well developed as individuals, especially as Ace dealt with his family and decided to come out to his friends and family. That said, I couldn’t help but wish the chemistry between Ace and Benji was a little more strong and palpable. As much as I enjoy an easy romance, I needed something to drive my interest and connection to the story and that lagged a bit once they had become a couple.

The narrator for Secret Admirer was new to me but his uncomplicated delivery that matched the story’s tone well. I was easily able to follow along with the dialogue and point-of-view changes, and would definitely be open to listening for more from this narrator. Although there was a little emotion missing from the narrator’s delivery and I wanted a little more hook for the second part of the book, Secret Admirer made for a nice listen I’d recommend to readers looking for a straight forward romance with minimal drama and conflict.

*ACX code received via Gay Romance Reviews. The author, PA, and narrator had no influence over this review*

Fantastic story + fantastic narrator = A++ reading

Secret Admirer is a college, bi-sexual awakening, best friend’s brother love story and it hits all the right notes. Benji and Ace are lovely (especially Ace *swoon*) and they have great chemistry and connection that you can feel coming off the page. There are steamy scenes that are just right in their level of detail and the emotional treatment of Benji’s inexperience and Ace’s bisexuality is expertly handled. It’s not too heavy-handed, light on the angst, but altogether authentic.

There’s a purity and “rightness” about Ace and Benji’s relationship that resonates, and the events and the character’s actions and reactions are described with just the right balance of information to picture the scene, understand what is happening and how the characters feel about it, but not so much that you are told what to think and how to feel about it all. You are given the freedom as the reader to interpret and feel, and that’s the hallmark of a great book. If I just wanted everything spelled out, I’d read a dictionary.

The author has created an aura of happiness and warmth with this couple; as you are reading, you’ll find yourself smiling, because they are loveable and feel right together. The discord from the reaction of Jeremy (Benji’s brother) to Benji and Ace’s relationship also was treated in a believable way. It wasn’t too extreme or over the top, but struck a chord of reality - that this is something that could happen in everyday life. The fraternity element added some external sources of conflict, and humor, to the story which I really enjoyed.

I had read this book a while ago and didn’t review at the time, which I should have because I loved it. I reread it now in connection with the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Darcy Stark. Listening to the audio and hearing the spot-on voicing of Benji and Ace made me remember why I loved the book the first time, and marvel at how much better even a great book can get when paired with a talented narrator. I highly highly recommend you both read and listen to this gem of a story.

Sweet Romance

I can't believe this is the first story I have listened to or read by this author! I enjoyed this story, and it's been a long time since I've read or listened to one that involved a secret admirer. The slowburn was perfect and realistic, and the epilogue was perfection. This is also the first story I've listened to by this narrator, and he did a great job giving all of the characters distinct voices. I hope he narrates more of her books in the future.