Better Than Chance

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Tyler Stevens

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

Jay Reynolds has a crush on his project leader at work, but an office romance with Peter Morgan isn't likely to happen since Peter is straight. Worse, Jay soon fears Peter is homophobic, and his initial infatuation turns to loathing. But one fateful night, Jay is forced to acknowledge things aren't quite as they seem with Peter. Suddenly, his crush is back and unbelievably, Peter is interested too.

They begin a friends with benefits arrangement, which becomes difficult for Jay when he starts falling for his sexy boss. Peter's past issues keep him from committing, and Jay has to decide if he can be satisfied with friendship if Peter isn't ready to take a chance on anything more.

©2014 Lane Hayes (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Very nice! Almost as good as the first!

A great audiobook narrator makes you forget you are listening to an audiobook. You feel like you are living the story, rather than just reading it. Hence the magic of audiobooks.

**throws glitter and does a pseudo-mystical dance**

Lane Hayes, or whoever picked Tyler Stevens, is a very smart person indeed. His range of voices MADE the story for me. I loved Jay's sexy southern voice and Peter's more masculine voice as an awesome counterpart. The narrator rocked this story out and made it a great listen.

Now onto the story itself...

I ADORED the first book in the series, Better Than Good. It was GFY/OFY heaven, and I knew it would be a tough act to follow. However, I think the author did a nice job here, with a veerrrrryyyy slow burn, enemies-to-lovers (in a mild sense), office romance.

This book is very relationship-focused. It is all about the couple and very little else, which I happen to like. I don't like a lot of riffraff or poppycock clogging up my romance! (Okay, I just wanted an excuse to use those words... shhhh...) I loved how the relationship grew and progressed over time, and I enjoyed being on the journey with these two men.

My only sticking point is that I didn't really get Peter's reluctance to commit. I kind of got what the author was going for, but it felt a little weak to me. He seemed fully committed in his actions, so his reluctance to say it out loud felt incongruous with his behavior.

All in all, a very nice follow up by Lane Hayes with a lovely narration.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Loved, Loved, Loved

What made the experience of listening to Better Than Chance the most enjoyable?

After listening to the first book, I read the second one. Loved it too, but listened to it and the voices, was so much better. Cannot wait for the third book to come out!

What did you like best about this story?

The characters! Love Jay and I learn to love Peter, especially knowing what happens in the first book.

Have you listened to any of Tyler Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, in the first book, and he is perfect for this series.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I have been checking on audible for it's release, stopped my other book, downloaded and listened.

Any additional comments?

Great series, You cannot help but fall in love with these characters. These are not life altering stories, but they are written well, narrated well and you feel great after reading or listening to them. Lane Hayes writes "great" characters.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good!

I have to admit, I like book 1 way way better, but this was good.. You kinda start off after book 1, then go back in time to when Jay meet Peter and started his fling. Peter was actually a better character than Jay, I think..... I would have liked to be in Peter's head more so than Jays....

It was a good prequel and squeal all in one...

Nice narration... same as book 1! Smexy voice!

Good credit, buy or sale...

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

How do you know, if you won't even try?

If you could sum up Better Than Chance in three words, what would they be?

Fun, engaging and probable

What was one of the most memorable moments of Better Than Chance?

When Peter takes Jay into the smaller conference room and what happens while they are in there. As the story progresses, you figure out that that particular moment was a catalyst for these two men. It just takes a while for them to figure that out.

Have you listened to any of Tyler Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have, and I quite enjoy his narrations. He's great at making sure each character has their own voice and tone and can put emotion into his words when needed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both actually.

Any additional comments?

So, this story starts out at the end, then goes back to tell you how these two men got there. At first I thought, what the heck? Why are you telling me this, but then as the book moved I realized that the fun part, was going on the journey with these two men as they figured things out. Like my title for this review.. How do you know, if you don't even try? That pretty much sums up Peter and Jay for a good bit of the book. But there is so much passion, angst and stability growing as they get to know each other and it translates well in the way they are written and the way the story plays out.

Definitely worth a listen in my humble opinion.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not quite the office romance I expected

Any additional comments?

I was expecting this to be a clandestine office romance, but Peter and Jay don't actually spend a lot of time at the office so if that's what you were looking for, you'll be disappointed. I must say, though, that with regard to sexual tension and the actual consummation of it, this story delivers. In spades.
I like that Jay babbles when he's nervous or uncertain. It was endearing and made the character far more likable than he otherwise would have been with his perfect features and perfect body and well, perfect everything. Peter starts out as sort of an enigma because this story is told entirely from Jay's POV, and the fact that Jay kept misreading his intentions and jumping to conclusions helped fuel their misunderstandings. Peter starts out mostly like your standard Het-romance hero. Tall, dark, devastatingly good looking, etc. But as the story progresses, you begin to see chinks in his perfect facade.
Jay and Peter initially start out with a Boss/Subordinate relationship which morphs into a Friends-with-Benefits arrangement before both guys just decide to let go. The story also starts in the present, 5 years after the main events take place, where Jay and Peter are about to get married which I thought was unconventional. Then again, this is a romance so it's a given they'll end up together. From the beginning there's no doubt of the happy ending. I think this should have been first in the series, though. So if you haven't started this series, listen to this before listening to Better Than Good (imho). That might make it flow better.
With regard to the narration, Tyler Stevens is on my list of favorites. He does campy characters pretty well and provides great distinction between character voices. He's currently on my list of favorite narrators simply because I'm never bored when he's narrating. Nice pace, pleasant tone, great at conveying emotions.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I love Tyler Stevens!

Any additional comments?

In book one we meet Jay and Peter as they announce that after 5 years they are finally getting married. This is their “backstory”.
Jay and Peter worked together and Jay had a huge crush on Peter for a long time. At first Jay thinks Peter is straight, then he thinks he’s a jerk, then they become friends with benefits.

Jay is essentially all in, but Peter is commitment-phobic. When Peter does something to slow things down, Jay jumps all the way to “we’re breaking up!”.

Finally, they air their grievances and make a commitment.

**

I really loved book one. It felt real and authentic and genuine. This one was less good, but still very good. I liked the chemistry between the MCs but grew tired of the “hurdles”, especially when it felt like if they would just TALK to one another things would clear up.

Audio

Tyler Stevens makes this book go from good to great! He is an awesome narrator and I love listening to him. He really brings the story alive and (for me) elevated this book up at least one notch.


Writing/Editing 4
Romance 4
Sex/Heat 5
Storyline 3.5
World Building/Characterizations 4.5
Audio 5

Overall 4.3 of 5 stars

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Narrator was off putting

Would you try another book from Lane Hayes and/or Tyler Stevens?

Not sure. I will have to read the story to have an opinion. Could not finish the book, narrator was too annoying.

What was most disappointing about Lane Hayes’s story?

Can't comment

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tyler Stevens?

It was soo distracting and over exaggerated. I am not sure if the narrator is from the south, but the accent was just campy, it made the character sound like a joke.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Better Than Chance?

Not sure

Any additional comments?

What a waste of a credit.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great story - top notch narrator

Where does Better Than Chance rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks right up there with the best ones I've read.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that opposites attract. One loved with an open heart, the other was guarded with almost impenetrable walls. Loved the juxtaposition of Jay's light-hearted disposition and Peter's rather secretive demeanor.

Have you listened to any of Tyler Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I thoroughly enjoyed his narration. This genre is teaming with amateur readers and low quality recordings. Steven's performance was a breath of fresh air...he made me smile, often.

Any additional comments?

This is the story of Jay and Peter, and their bumpy journey to happiness. Their "friends with benefits" agreement turns into something more. One loves with an open heart, the other is guarded with seemingly impenetrable walls. Very enjoyable story, but have a Kleenex or two at the ready.

The narrator Tyler Stevens made the story all the more enjoyable. I look forward to more audiobooks being narrated by him.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Lobbyist MC fails to sell himself

What disappointed you about Better Than Chance?

Jay, who is supposedly a grown-up professional sort and works as a lobbyist, might reasonably be expected to have aquired some basic interpersonal skills somewhere along the way. Alas, Jay has not, and when his project leader, who also happens to be the super hot guy Jay is crushing on, offers constructive criticism, Jay decides the dude is a total jerk and probably homophobic. And no, I'm not a fourteen-year-old and such choice phrases as "super hot guy" and "total jerk" are not liberally used in my everyday vocabulary.
It's Jay, whose first person POV cannot be escaped, who talks this way and that in itself might have been enough to put me off, considering he's supposed to be a well-educated adult of above average intelligence, if he does say so himself.
Oh, and he does. Above average intelligence, above average good looks and, speaking as an adult of only about average intelligence who has experience teaching teenagers, I would as soon fall in love with one of them. In fact, I might rather fall in love with a teenager. At least with them, there's still hope that someday, they'll grow up into tolerable faximiles of self-aware, adult human beings.
I reached my limit the second time Peter's attempt to provide constructive criticism made Jay so furious he had to throw a fit and start yelling at the poor guy (yeah, at work, and yeah, still Jay's boss) about how Peter has something against him personally (this time he can't attribute this outrageous habit of Peter's to dare question anything Jay does to Peter being a homophobe, but that's only because he now knows that Peter is gay too).
Had enough?
Me too.
Will definitely not finish.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Definitely nothing by this author, now or ever again.

What didn’t you like about Tyler Stevens’s performance?

Maybe it was the narrator's voice, but this book gave me highschool cheerleader flashbacks like you wouldn't believe. All the major characters, except the MC's love interest, were done in an overdramatic, high-pitched voice, and the faux southern drawl that tinted the MC's speech even when he was just thinking only made the whole thing worse.

What character would you cut from Better Than Chance?

So far, all of them exccept for Peter, but Jay in particular. Can't stand the guy.

Any additional comments?

Utterly disappointing.

Liked it - better than the first in the series

I liked the story much better than the first and this is not a bad author. It will not reach my top 10 but it the author has potential. I kind of think that it should have been the first story since jay and peter is a couple u know from the first book, but mostly that serves like an appetizer since u allready like them in that book, so i guess thats the point in writting it in a different order. Narrator fine.

A great listen

What made the experience of listening to Better Than Chance the most enjoyable?

Tyler Stevens without a doubt. I thought I'd find the Southern drawl annoying, but I not only got used to it very fast I fell in love with it. And he does all the voices brilliantly. Probably the best narrator I've listened to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Better Than Chance?

The river scene, though there were plenty of enjoyable ones.

What does Tyler Stevens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He narrates the story in a way that makes it come alive, very believable. Having heard him read this and the first book in the series I'm eagerly waiting for the audio to come out for the third one and hope that he'll be narrating that too.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was a lot of fun with a bit of angst and I loved it.