Choosing Happy: M/M Romance

More than Friends, Book 3

De: Aria Grace

Narrado por: Michael Ferraiuolo

Steve is living in Portland with many regrets. He has alienated the people he cares most about by making bad choices that continue to haunt him. When he meets a kid who's in a bad relationship and needs some help, Steve reluctantly offers it, knowing it's his chance to redeem himself. What he doesn't expect is to find happiness. It's there; all he has to do it choose to accept it.

For mature listeners.

©2014 Aria Grace (P)2015 Aria Grace

Sweet story good for a quick listen

Would you consider the audio edition of Choosing Happy: M/M Romance to be better than the print version?

I honestly did not read the print.

What other book might you compare Choosing Happy: M/M Romance to and why?

There have been a few I've read/ listened too which are similiar. I think the narrator brought out the good parts. I enjoyed his reading of the story

Which scene was your favorite?

There were several but I enjoyed seeing how they interacted with others especially the tattoo artist.

Who was the most memorable character of Choosing Happy: M/M Romance and why?

I enjoyed the character of Joey he was sweet and naive without being annoying about it

Lovely easy Book

What made the experience of listening to Choosing Happy: M/M Romance the most enjoyable?

Michael's smooth tone was great, easy to listen to and follow who was who

What did you like best about this story?

I loved how Steve kept calling Joey Little Duck, after seeing him in a Ducks shirt when he brought waffles from the cart

Which character – as performed by Michael Ferraiuolo – was your favorite?

I fell in love with Joey

If you could rename Choosing Happy: M/M Romance, what would you call it?

Little Duck falls in love

so exciting

the excitement in this one, keeps you on the edge. I loved these two. it was wonderful.


Kathy Banks

The Narration Made Me Happy, But the Story Less So

***I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.***

Choosing Happy begins with Steven, the waffle stand guy (yes, the big, tattooed guy on the cover owns a stand shop, which I think is pretty cool), waiting to spot the guy he calls Little Duck (because of a shirt he wore of the Portland Ducks one day), who he sees every day walking at the same time with the same guy. This part of the story gets to me, but not in a good way. The way he talks about "his" Little Duck (whose name turns out to be Joey), a guy he's talked to once when he bought a waffle from him, but who he waits around to spot every day, even staying late to close up makes it feel more like creepy obsession than just interest. Unfortunately, even after he and Joey meet and talk, when Joey is in need of help and is going through physical pain, Steve is still being creepy, thinking about how much Joey turns him on and imagine what he'd do with him, though he does eventually acknowledge those thoughts are for a different time. It just feels too little, too late.

This is my first introduction to Aria Grace's stories, though I'm coming into this as book 3 of a series. Even though the major plot works as a stand-alone, it feels like some of the characterization comes from previous books, and we're missing out on things or just told about them. This would be the other major flaw for me, how much we're told things instead of shown. I didn't count how many times Steve lamented past decisions and how worried he was about hurting others now, but it's an oft-repeated concern. Maybe because this story is written in the first person, there's a lot more of this throughout the whole thing, but I would have enjoyed a lot more subtlety in getting points across and less telling.

The rest of the story couldn't overcome these early flaws for me, though it was fine, if not exactly anything that particularly drew me in. I can say that I didn't struggle to finish it, it just didn't have me wanting to read the rest of the series or rushing to read more from this author, sadly.

As far as narration goes, Michael Ferriauolo has a really nice delivery. His voice was clear, with a nice cadence, and I felt everyone's personality and emotions came through really well. I don't think Steve's voice stayed consistent throughout, and that was the only thing that detracted from the narration for me. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to the next time he narrates a book I'm interest in.

Steve & his Little Duck

Since I read/listened to these books out of order, I started this knowing more about Steve than we saw in book 2. That said, it was interesting for me to see Steve from the beginning, to learn about his Little Duck.

I loved the growth Steve went through, the self realizations & control he learned. Joey's story pulls at you, giving a glimpse into a life that is too often overlooked. Both men have scores of baggage to unload before they can learn to trust what is starting between them. Aria Grace continues to showcase well developed stories that have varied characters, excellent plot, enough action to keep your heart in your throat & your temperature on the verge of over hearing!

Michael Ferraiuolo does a brilliant job bringing Steve's strength & confidence (arrogance) to life. He shows Joeys fear, insecurities & devotion without portraying him as weak or inferior. In the heat of the action, each character is clearly defined, their personality shining through. I'll be looking for more from both Aria Grace and Michael Ferraiuolo!