The Heart as He Hears It

Perspectives, Book 3

De: A. M. Arthur

Narrado por: Guy Locke

While most of his friends have moved on to "real" careers, Jon Buchanan is content skating through life as a part-time waiter and gay porn star. Firmly single thanks to a previous relationship disaster, he focuses his spare time on Henry, a dear friend dying of cancer. And with Henry's happiness paramount, Jon is on a mission to help Henry meet his recently discovered grandson.

Isaac Gregory hasn't set foot outside for the past year. He has everything he needs delivered, and his remaining family knows better than to visit. When a complete stranger shows up claiming to be his grandfather - with a distractingly handsome younger man in tow - his carefully structured routines are shaken.

Despite his instant attraction, Jon senses that Isaac is too fragile for a relationship. Yet tentative friendship grows into genuine companionship. And when Henry's health begins to fail, they realize that fate brought them together for a reason.

Contains mature themes.

©2016 A. M. Arthur (P)2016 Tantor

happy ending

I listened to the whole series of the Mean Green boys. They all have touching moments. Was happy for Boomer.

Ahhh. Just... yes.

Of the 3, this has been my favorite. The story and narration had me all in, talking out loud, gasping and holding my breath. A follow up on this couple would make me swoon. Easy listen --worth the journey to the HEA.

Review of Perspectives , Book 3

Completely engrossing book of course. A.M. Arthur, and Guy Locke love to write about love stories and the relationship tangles we get inside our heads and hearts, definitely bringing it all to life with the excellent audible performances.

Tries for the same punch, comes close.

The third installment of the series, half of each couple is linked by working at the same porn studio. While this seems a tough sell for the author, Arthur does a great job of keeping all the moving parts going in the right direction. This story tries for some of the tough, emotional moments of the first book with moderate success. Where this title does succeed is the character of Isaac. He is likable as the child of a physically abusive father - he still bears the scars of that abuse - and he is completely lost after the death of his grandparents. Arthur is fully committed to all of Isaacs coping mechanisms and his sheltered world view. By establishing him early and never deviating from his trajectory, the other elements of the story more or less mind themselves. He is very charming in his own way and the reader can quickly connect with him. Jon, and his fast attraction to Isaac is a bit much at first, but like the other couples in the first two books, Arthur creates a believably supportive boyfriend who wants to be with Isaac, and also be there for his father figure, Henry, who is terminally ill,

Then there is the narration. Once again, Tantor bungles the production of the book by not having anyone review basics. After book one with No-El, Locke goes over the cliff with the greek word for grandmother. He pronounces yia yia as Yee-ah Yee-ah instead of as Yah Yah. It would be unfortunate if it happened a few times, but Isaac is constantly referring to his beloved grandmother and it is like nails on a chalkboard. I had to stop my initial listen it was so bad. Did Locke really think that is how it was pronounced? Nobody thought, hey - this is a Greek term, I better do a quick google pronunciation to be sure. Where I was more sympathetic to Lockes gaffes in the first two books, I realized that he's just sloppy and ok with it. I stumbled across him as the narrator for Tyler May's terrible Silver & Black, and he was just as sloppy there too, so it must be his thing and people don't care.

If you can get past the narration, Arthur creates a solid plot of exploration, trust, love and personal growth. Oh and she weaves in a stalker storyline that keeps you guessing! The connection from Jon to Henry to Isaac is a bit of a stretch, and the ease with which Isaac's family makes him available to a complete stranger seems highly unlikely. He is well loved and nurtured by them, so you would think the opposite would occur, but she had to get the story going somehow. Like the first two books, the subject of the porn work has to be broached, and once again Arthur allows the characters to feel it out - she doesn't tell the reader how to feel about it.

The title is recommended. If you really enjoyed these, there are two more in the series not on audio.

Great sequel, some mispronunciations

This is the third book in the series I’ve read, and I’m glad I read it. However, the narrator’s mispronunciations bothered me, especially (which he pronounce expecially) the word yia-yia, a Greek nickname for grandmother. He pronounced it YEE-ah-YEE-ah instead of the way it’s supposed to be pronounced, YAH-yah. This word repeats many times throughout the book, and his unwieldy pronunciation of what is supposed to roll easily if the tongue of a toddler bugged me. It seems to me this kind of thing should not happen when there is not just a narrator but a producer and other production staff. Other than that, I did like his narration, and it brought the book to life in my ears.

Good 3rd book in the set

This is probably my favorite out of the 3 books so far. The MCs are great. The narration is best in this book out of the three. There's more world building, like we finally lean more about Chet and his porn company. All in all, if you liked the other 2 books, you'll like this one.

Good story, not so good narrator

I like this series and enjoyed this book, but the narrator really killed it for me. There was no emotion and was just slow and monotone.

AM Arthur does emotionally handicapped sooooo well

Story is about the struggles of an anorexic and a shut in and no one writes this type of story better than AM Arthur. Both characters are heroes, using each other for support yet finding it within themselves when necessary. Even the secondary characters like Henry are written in such depth that you get to know them well without them taking away from the MC's story. And she always seems to incorporate an unexpected surprise or two in the story. Loved it.

Next book, I will have to read instead of listen to though. Narrator got worse with each book. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to all three within a month and I wouldn't have grown tired of him, but his drawling, near monotone voice started making the characters come of as unintelligent or slow witted. And he doesn't know how to pronounce t's. I won't listen to anything else narrated by him.

Amazing Heartfelt tale of Friendship and Romance

Audiobook Review September 2020:
It has been over four years since I read The Heart as He Hears It and it is as beautifully told today as it was then. Isaac is just, well I just want to protect him, tell him it's okay to be mindful of the outside world but at the same time make sure he knows he's strong enough to face what is out there. I can see parts of myself in Isaac and yet I am completely blown away by not even beginning to imagine what thoughts are rattling around inside his head. Don't think that last sentence is a negative judgement of Isaac, no it's more of a statement of how complex and yet completely relatable character he is.

As for Jon, well if I met him on the street and he behaved the way he is I'd think he's too good to be true, he's too considerate but lets face it, he has his flaws too which is why he and Isaac are so perfectly suited. Friendship plays such a huge part in this tale and for me that is what makes this entry in AM Arthur's Perspectives series so amazing, so real, so heartwarming.

This is my first audiobook with the narrator Guy Locke and he did an amazing job. I could feel Isaac's anxiety, I could see Jon's compassion, and not to be too clever I could hear their relationship unfold. Because his narration reached all my senses, it made AM Arthur's words that much more incredibly gripping.

Original Review April 2016:
As usual, when each new installment in a series concentrates on a new couple, I have a hesitancy to let the new pair into my heart because I am not ready to let the last one go yet. With AM Arthur's Perspective series, I was dead set on knowing no one could possibly reach me as wholeheartedly as Tristan from book 2, The World as He Sees It, did. Boy was I wrong. Isaac Gregory may not have passed Tristan in my heart but he burrowed in right next to him. I am by nature a very shy person having grown up in the boonies and an only child, I tend to keep to myself as well but it does not compare even an iota to what Isaac deals with. When he lets Henry and Jon into his home, their lives are forever changed. With The Heart as He Hears It, the author shows us just how much one person can truly change our lives, how strangers become friends, lovers, and become home. Truly a great read filled to overflowing with heart, all the strength and weaknesses that come with letting someone in. I cannot recommend this series enough, you won't be disappointed.

Loved the narration

The Heart as He Hears It is the third book in the Perspectives series. It can be read as a standalone as each book focuses on a new couple. They do appear as minor characters, but you won’t feel lost when they do.

Sadly, I just wasn’t feeling the magic this time around and I can’t really tell you why. I mean the story is a good one. I love dented characters and we got that here, there are plenty of issues going around with everything from eating disorders, anxiety and agoraphobia. I love to read about overcoming adversity and we got that here. We follow Isaac’s journey letting John and Henry in, first in his apartment and then into his life. Developing a friendship, learning about attraction and even venturing outside for a moment. So the story is there. The narration is there (more on that later), so why I just didn’t connect I sadly can’t answer. I do know that it’s all on me and not the book.

Guy Locke performed this book really well. The different voices made it easy to separate the characters and following along. He also captured the nuances of their personalities. Isaac’s fear and anxiety for almost everything. His fascination with new knowledge. The friendship between John and Henry also came through so clearly, as was the loss when he “finally” passed. He added a lot of feeling and emotions to the narration and brought the story to another level.

While I didn’t connect to the audio as I’d hoped I do recognise that’s all on me. The writing and story is there and the narration is a good one. So if you are looking for a new beginnings story with a lot of emotions this might be the book for you.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.