Color Me In

Last Chance, Book 2

By: Riley Hart

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Caleb White has been a lot of places and made a lot of decisions he isn’t proud of. He’s ready to settle down and figure out who he really is. Where better to do that than Last Chance, the home he was ripped away from at 16? A fresh start is in order, but he has no idea how to do that when he’s not even sure what he wants in the first place.

Ryan Daily is a pro at hiding his insecurities. He’s never fit in and has spent most of his life knowing there’s something missing. Just when he thought he’d found it, his whole world fell apart, and he lost everything.

Then comes a sleepless night in a 24-hour café, where Caleb and Ryan forge a connection full of laughs, junk food, and whispered secrets. In the middle of their budding friendship, desire blooms unexpectedly. Ryan has kept his heart protected after having it shattered, and Caleb - no stranger to attraction - finds that what he has with Ryan is on a whole new level from anything he’s experienced before. In a world of black and white, they bring each other color.

But life is never simple. When the past comes knocking, Ryan and Caleb will have to reach through the darkness to find the light they see in each other or risk slipping into the shadows for good.

©2018 Riley Hart (P)2018 Riley Hart

Loving the Men From Last Chance

When I listened to Riley Hart’s ‘Depth of Field’, my heart went out to Shane. He had lost his best friend Caleb at a very critical point in his adolescence. Caleb had disappeared without a trace and Shane often wondered what happened to his first love. Of course the arrival of his childhood tormentor, Van, brings the loss of Caleb to the surface. Shane falls in love with Van, but Caleb’s spectre looms large.

So, to say the least, I was thrilled Caleb was one of the heroes of ‘Color Me In’. I had also been introduced to Ryan, Shane’s mechanic, and he was a curiosity for me as well in the first book and I was thrilled to see he’s one of the heroes in the book. Both men have fascinating backstories that are slowly revealed. Although Caleb has faced some hard times, I didn’t feel his pain as much as I thought I would. It was Ryan’s tragedies that tore at me. I’ve never gone through what he has, but it doesn’t mean my heart couldn’t ache for him and his losses.

Ryan has always believed himself straight, so his attraction to Caleb takes him by surprise. But first comes friendship – bonding over Dodge Chargers (color IS important), late nights at the diner, and, eventually, living arrangements.

I’m a firm believer that there are people on the spectrum from straight to gay who fall in the middle. Bi-sexuals are the most prevalent, most misunderstood, and most spoken of in derogatory terms. But there are others on the spectrum – asexual, demi-sexual, polyamorous – who exist and are trying to navigate the heteronormative binary world. There are people for whom gender isn’t as important as the person they choose to love. That is why I was so pleased with this book! The men got their deserved happy ending and that means everything.

Both men have issues they have to address and Ryan’s are more immediate and pressing, although Caleb’s are no less important. As they navigate the world as a couple, they both discover inner strength they had never known. The title is as apt as the last one in the series. ‘Depth of Field’ referred to Van’s photography while ‘Color Me In’ is about the process of adding color to a world that has felt bleak – black and white. By the time Caleb and Ryan got their happy ending, their lives were full – of color, of love, of laughter, and of family and friends. Just what two men who have lived through so much deserve.

Nick J. Russo is a great narrator and I enjoy his work. He didn’t narrate the first book in the series, but that had no impact on me as he did a great job with this one.

Riley’s books are consistently a hit with me and this was another one.

Perfect audiobook

.. Colour me in flowed from book 1 and this audiobook is amazing & absolutely stunning.
How they met and their connection how they worked their lives around that was awesome .

These guys at their best!

This is Riley Hart and Nick Russo doing what they do best!
I’m sure you’ve all gathered what a big fan I am of Nick – so – just know he does another fantastic job and lives up to all the hype!
Riley Hart wins me over when she does sentimental and emotional. (I’m less of a fan of her erotica – but that’s not my forte.) Depth of Field touched me so deeply and this is an admirable follow up.
I loved the exploration into Ryan’s sexuality as well as their emotional sharing. It was great seeing Shane and Van and I can’t wait to see more from this “world”.

For fans of the author and the series this is a must and Nick only makes it better!

Highly recommended!

5 of 5 stars

Another great Riley Hart

An amazing story, and a great read. Caleb returns to Last Chance after being taken away at sixteen by his parents. Ryan finds his way to Last Chance before Ryan's return. After what feels like an awkward first meeting between the two, you can start to feel the connection between the two of them.

Caleb and Ryan's story is the second book in the Last Chance series, you can read it as a standalone, however it does touch on the characters from the first book Depth of Field, so it was nice to see some of the characters from the previous book. I can't wait for the next!

good

like this book will read other books l have listen to other books by this author and was please

demi-sexual & gay hot hot m/m treat

I wondered what happened to Caleb, now I know. His life experiences are a bit on the wild side. In this story, Caleb returns to his home town, only to find his best friend is now with the bully from their childhood. Ouch!

Caleb meets Ryan and they form a meaningful friendship. Caleb's understanding of different types of men helps Ryan to understand himself. This is a story of a gay man getting together with a demi-sexual man.

A different twist from your typical m/m books. It is definitely worth the read. Yes, it's good as a stand alone but book-1 is highly recommended. Enjoy!

Oh so good!!! Makes my heart smile

It’s hard for book two in a series to be better than the first one but this one actually is. I loved book one and highly suggest reading it too and reading it first but this book is even better. I’ve read many of Riley’s books and loved them all. Loved these characters and Nick Russo had the perfect voice. It was easy to tell the characters apart which not all narrators can do. Will listen to more of his books as well.

Nice story, predictable

I enjoyed the story, the narration was good. Nothing stellar but worth a listen. I did enjoy the Demi sexual aspect, as I hadn’t seen that in many other MM books. Low angst.

Story was ok…but

The story was ok. But as I was listening to it something was annoying me and I wasn’t sure what. At times I felt that it was the text sounding weirdly detailed…as if the story would say, “we went to McDonald’s which was a hamburger chain” (not actual text). In other words, I felt it was a story designed to inform the readers about MM relationships and why one should be accepting of them. Maybe there’s a way to alert the potential buyer. I felt like I purchased a grammar school reader when I wanted an adult romance novel.

Beyond beautiful!

Wow! Such a beautiful story! Love it so much! Riley is phenomenal! This story was so close to my heart! I hope that someday during my life time, we will live those times when we won’t label people anymore; we would just be human beings with different desires, of different ethnicities, with different likes and dislikes, who believe in different things and love other human beings! I truly hope! Meanwhile, thank you Riley and Nick! Fantastic work!

enjoyable

I really enjoy this author and narrator but something was missing with this one. I liked both Ryan and Caleb and their progression from friends to lovers - very real. I also really liked Ryan as a demisexual character - I think this was my first book with this - and I am happy how it was discussed. The narration was good (great voice) but it sounded a bit too much like reading and not enough emotion in it. He just didn't make me feel the characters as much as I'm used to with other audiobooks or when reading this author. Not sure if it was the story or narrator. But, I am very glad I listened and would recommend.

Not sure what bored me

Riley Hart and Nick Russo are favorites of mine. But this one I struggled to finish. I had the feeling Russo didn't like the novel and hurried to get it over with. Second, Ryan's voice was very hoarse and therefor Russo couldn't add emotion or nuance. Considering the print version is highly rated, I think it's not the writing lacking.