Misdemeanor

Responsible Adult, Book 1

By: C F White

Narrated by: Piers Ryman

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Life isn’t always responsible.

After his mother tragically dies and his deadbeat father goes off the rails, 19-year-old Micky is left to care for his disabled little brother. Juggling college, a dead-end job, and Flynn’s special needs means Micky has to put his bad-boy past behind him and be the responsible adult to keep his brother out of care. He doesn't have time for anything else in his life.

Still scarred from a past relationship that went bad, Dan’s not looking to complicate his life. Everything tells him he should stay away from Micky, but he’s powerless in the face of his overwhelming attraction to his newest staff member. Especially when he begins to peel off Micky's layers to reveal the true man beneath the façade.

As their attraction builds, revealing more of themselves to one another, each is faced with a stark question: Can Micky allow himself to follow his heart, and can Dan risk falling in love with someone so tempestuous?

Misdemeanor is the first book in the Responsible Adult trilogy and is a rerelease of the previously published version by Pride. It has been edited with new content added.

Author note: Potential triggers include references to suicide, physical assault on a minor, criminal behavior, and bullying of a disabled child.

©2021 C F White (P)2021 C F White

raw and gritty!

I loved flawed characters and this story had in spades, they felt realistic! CF White did an amazing job with world-building, the story felt raw and gritty. I loved Micky; he was attempting to turn his life around so that he could take care of his brother who had Down Syndrome. Dan and Micky had so much chemistry but there was a lot of hot and cold between them. I got the opportunity to listen to the audio version from the author. I loved the story sooo much, I had a hard time stopping it! Piers Ryman did a fantastic narration, he really brought the characters to life!

Enjoyable start to the series.

Misdemeanor is Book 1 in the Responsible Adult series. This is a beautifully written story with such emotion. Micky is trying to attend college while working and taking care of his special needs younger brother, Flynn. The last thing he needs is to fall in love with his boss, Dan. I love Micky and Dan together and can't wait to see how their relationship evolves in the next book. I know some people don't like cliffhangers, personally I don't mind them, the end of this book really made me want to dive right into the next book to see what happens next. I recommend this book, but know it's a bit intense, though I have high hopes for a happy ending for Micky, Dan, and Flynn.
Narrator Piers Ryman does a marvelous job. I love the way he tells this story.

Good start to the series

This is the first story I’ve listened to by this author. I read upfront this ends in a cliffhanger. It is a good start to the series. I felt maybe the background could have been a little shorter but overall it is a good story. Mickey is leading a very hard life. He trying to finish college and care for his disabled brother. He is also hiding who he really is so as to not jeopardize keeping his brother.
Dan is strongly attracted to Mickey. Dan isn’t looking to get into any relationship but he can’t seem to help it.
I read a couple reviews that addressed Dougie, a side character. I didn’t feel as strongly about him as I did with Holly, another side character. I think the author did a good job on the character development.
Maybe it is because I enjoyed the narration by Piers Ryman who brought these characters to life but I look forward to the next story in the series.

Micky and Dan's Love Story Begins

‘Misdemeanor’, a grittily heartfelt tale of perseverance and love, is the first book of CF White’s ‘Responsible Adult’ series. At the start of the book, Micky is struggling to juggle school, a job and care for his special needs brother after a life filled with abuse and tragedy. In his 19 years, he has learned the hard lesson that self-reliance equals self-preservation and shuts out any resource that might help him build a better life for himself and Flynn.

When Micky takes a job at the up-market grocery store where Dan is a manager, the attraction they feel for one another is instant. Micky, having no previous experiences with healthy relationships, resists Dan’s attempts at lessening the burdens Micky has been carrying alone. Will Micky finally let down his defenses to allow Dan into his heart?

This book delivers some of my favorite tropes. Micky’s story has a bit of a coming-of-age-ness about it. White provides both Dan and Micky with some wonderful character development. The slow-build of their relationship makes sense given Micky’s past. White brings forth just the right amount of angst; it’s not artificial or overwrought. With adorable little Flynn added to the mix, there is a single-dad vibe that I find particularly lovely. This story has me feeling all the feels.

I’m looking forward to Book 2, but I find the cliffhanger ending in this book to be utterly unnecessary. The book is excellently written and doesn’t call for such a blatant attempt to attract readers to the rest of the series. (This is a pet peeve of mine; gotta call it out.)

Piers Ryman’s narration is excellently performed. His interpretation of the deeply emotional aspects of White’s storytelling is brilliant.

This audiobook was given to me as a ARC, at my request, and I am now voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Highly recommended.

Great book!

This is an excellent book. It definitely shows the injustices of our current system. A must read for everyone. I cannot wait for book 2 to be out on audiobook! Major cliff hanger.

Good start

**Audiobook ARC Review**

This is a gritty, no holds barred, in your face reality of life in a British small town. From jump you get all involved in Mickey life while he navigates his responsibilities taking care of his younger disabled brother(oh I so love Flynn), working part time, fighting the system trying to take his brother away, keeping up with his best bud and catching feelings for Dan....Dan his gay boss. OMG I'm so glad I was able to give this audio a try...loved every minute of it and the narrator is on point. A great story teller and since this is part of a series, the ending leaves you wanting more and thank goodness I'm able to continue on with the next listen...NICE!!

An amazing start to a new series

This was a hurt/comfort, gritty, heartfelt romance.

I loved how the relationship between Micky and and developed.

There was so much emotion portrayed in the storyline

Micky was such a lovely and relatable character.

The narrator performed an enthusiastic Audio delivery and narration

Definitely recommend

Yes yes yes

This book hit the spot right in the feels! I loveloveloved it. If your concerned about the trigger towards references to suicide, it's not something that goes in depth, just brief mentions. The bullying of a disabled child was a little tough because how hard you fall in love with Flynn. He really does take the show. The build up of Micky and Dan getting together was great. The way Dan goes dumb every time Micky is around is so adorable. There aren't many sexy times. It's slightly angsty. Totally worth it in the end. This is a must listen! Piers Ryman does such a fantastic job. Just perfection.

Good narration. Good story.

CF White has a talent for creating complex and intriguing characters. The contrasts between Dan and Micky highlight how circumstances can dictate your life.

The challenges Micky faces because of the environment he grew up in are slowly unveiled with every chapter. The author does an amazing job of showing what life might be like on the either side of the fence. Both Dan and Micky have plenty of things to learn about each other. Those lessons might teach them both how to change the circumstances they find themselves in.

Sometimes the story felt a little slow, but that might be because finding out what was around the corner by for Micky was a constant source of tension for the reader.

The narration was performed well, and each character had a distinct voice.

Powerful beginning

I *just* finished this book and OMG – good, yes. Great even. Cliff-hanger? Also, yes. Argh! I want the next book. RIGHT NOW! I will be patient, but it’ll be a near thing.

Okay – what I love about this book. Dan. The good guy. The dependable employee. The goof friend to his roommate Tamsen. Just a reliable guy. He’s been burned before, but that hasn’t brought him down entirely. He had aspirations beyond produce manager at the local grocery store…but he hasn’t quite figured out how to move beyond his somewhat comfortable life. Inertia.

I adored Micky. He’s had an incredibly rough go of it. Horrible childhood, miserable adolescence. Now he’s nineteen and trying to get some education behind him. He wants better – for himself and for the younger brother he’s been caring for since his mother’s death. That’s a hell of a lot of responsibility for one young man to bear. That Flynn is lovely and loving helps, but his disabilities only make life tougher. Micky is forever dodging the authorities because he’s not Flynn’s legal guardian. The fact he loves his little brother and that brother is safe and happy? Probably not enough to persuade the adults who only see Micky’s record and his lack of education. He takes the job at the local grocery in the hopes of providing a stable home for Flynn.

He gets more than he bargained for.

Dan and Micky have chemistry. But Micky’s prickly and Dan is gentle. Micky’s secretive and Dan is open. So, like, opposites attract. Dan is also persistent and he starts dismantling Micky’s defenses.

And then it all falls apart.

And…cliff-hanger.

Oh dear. But I know this is a three-part series, and I’ve adored all Ms. White’s books, so a little wait will do me good.

Finally, must say Piers Ryman was wonderful. He and Ms. White’s words go perfectly together, and I couldn’t ask for a better narrator. Tapping foot for the next book.