Come Back

The District Line, Book 3

By: C F White

Narrated by: Piers Ryman

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The bigger you become, the harder you fall.

Sebastian Saunders is a rising rock star. Jay Ruttman is a Premier League football player. Their year-long relationship is hot commodity. Hounded by the press and fans alike, the lovers struggle to keep their private lives private.

Flying high in the charts and having Jay by his side, Seb is finally living his dream. But Jay’s new, promising career is threatened when a horrific injury on the pitch has him side lined - not only in the game but also in his relationship with Seb.

Jay’s crippling self-destruction spirals out of control, tearing them apart. To move forward, both men must learn to leave their past behind - not so easy when it keeps coming back to haunt them.

Can their hard-fought relationship survive the ultimate test?

This is the concluding part to the District Line series where the full-time whistle could signal an end to their turbulent journey...or is it just the beginning?

©2018 C F White (P)2020 C F White

The best

The best follow up that I could ever ask for. I honestly hope and wish that there was another book. Both narrator and author are now on my list of favorites. Well done

A great ending for the series.

Oh my! Parts of this story just tore me up; the things that Jay goes through are so awful. But love and perseverance finally triumph.

Jay takes a lot of flak for coming out and it causes him some major problems on the pitch. He gets injured and his football (soccer) career is in jeopardy. Seb and his band find success which results in some conflict between him and Jay.

There are trust issues between Seb and Jay in this one but they both finally open up to each other and make their relationship a priority. They each find professional success and get their romantic happy ending.

Piers Ryman's performance of this book, and the entire series, was really wonderful. I love the accents he uses and his delivery of C.F. White's words brought me to tears more than once. This is a series that I can highly recommend.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

Skillfully narrated and satisfying ending

I was pleasantly surprised at how emotional the narrator was, and though his narration went a long way into making this book that much more engaging and appealing to me.
I felt like their story was bound to have a turbulent ending, with Jay injured and depressed it seemed like the whole world was against them. And yet, they pulled through.
.I found the soccer side of the book interesting and realistic, and I usually don't really go for Sport Romance at all! I loved how all three books really took the reader on a journey and showed how far they came, and how much they grew.

To conclude, this entire series was a surprise, and the narrator I had doubts about at first because of odd pacing turned out to be a master at accents and emotions. I will say some accents were a bit hard to understand for me, but I credit it to authenticity.

Absolutely brilliant! What a journey

Can Seb's and Jay relation survive the real world?
Do they have what it takes?

This series in angsty, heartbreaking and will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions.

I was invested in Seb and Jay's relationship right from book 1 and have been rooting for them since.

I loved the ending and was glad that all the loose ends were neatly tied up.
I absolutely recommend listening to this one in the series order for maximum enjoyment as these are not standalones.

The narration was enjoyable and entertaining. Piers Ryman did a great job in distinguishing the characters and giving them thier own voices.

great conclusion when the wrinkles are ironed out

The jealousy and biases at the beginning were enough to make me wretch. smh! gutwrenching! I was incensed that the press would blame the victim for staying and standing up rather than slinking away like he's guilty !! Blame the true bigots !! Finally. the scales are removed from Seb's dad's eyes And Stephen is finally seen for the predator and liar he is. Will comes to terms with himself and his son! Kudos on the redemption. Trust issues and someone vying for Jay's affection . I didn't expect the complications and fall out. It broke me soul. Hea- see how it happened. I lovef these guys. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator wad great with voices and expressions.

A great finale to an awesome trilogy

When I first embarked upon the story of the entitled emerging rock star and the struggling footballer, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into. When the third book drew to a close, I know I’d found something special. Something with that extra awesomeness.

In some ways, the story is simple – two guys who bump into each other, discover each is gay, and move into a relationship. A few bumps, a few bruises, a broken leg, a move across the ocean, fame, and homophobia and voila, a series you have.

This book begins with Jay and Seb settling into life living together. This is Britain in the mid-2000’s, so we’re nowhere near legal marriage. That being said, the men are committed to each other. Their time apart has shown them that they are happier together. Are meant to be together.

But this is a C.F. White book so it can’t be all hearts and roses. And it isn’t because the men have barely resumed their new activities – Seb playing in the band and Jay back on the pitch – when Jay is taken out by a horrific injury. I mean, like, ouch. Devastating to say the least. Seb is there at every moment but a distance between them grows as Jay is running out of patience and pushing Seb away. It all comes to a head and it’s only with the intervention of their friends that both men finally pull their heads out of their asses.

But then if they’d communicated in the first place, the book probably wouldn’t have been as good. Had to add a little angst. And speaking of their friends – a few surprises in store that I did not see coming. All good, I promise.

In the end, I got my happy ending. Something I demand these days. I even got a special epilogue that made my heart sing. This is a great series and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up any other C.F. White book. And I can’t finish without mentioning Piers Ryman. I have a thing for British accents and although I’m not so good at spotting upper class versus working class, Ryman had a distinctive voice for each character and it worked. The whole book just worked. So glad I listened.

Lovely ending to the trilogy

This is the final book in the District Line trilogy and while it is a complete story on its own – you definitely need to read/listen to Kick Off & Break Through first.

Come Back starts out a little slower but in some respects I enjoyed the fact that the first half was low angst. We were able to enjoy Jay & Seb settling into their new normal as a cohabitating couple. About half way, things start to pick up and their relationship is threatened by career trajectory, media/public speculation, injury, a blast from the past, and family revelations.

At one point I was a little worried that “the big misunderstanding” was going to be predictable, but was pleasantly surprised by the direction C F White took our characters on during their journey. There are a lot of obstacles to overcome, but the angst isn’t repetitive or needlessly drawn out – which I loved.

There’s an adorable HEA for Jay & Seb as well as a lovely epilogue. Overall, this trilogy has been wonderful and I’m so glad to have listened.

Piers Ryman is a great narrator. While I still feel that his voice sounds a bit older than our couple – he does Jay & Seb so well that it works. His voice for Stephen continues to be spot-on smarmy (skin crawling listening to those parts). This is a big cast with a lot of male characters and Ryman gives them all a unique sound and personality. I look forward to more by him.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

great ending

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

Story comment: started a little slow with Jay and Seb settling into their new normal, but the pace soon picked up when the relationship is threatened. The story is well written with a roller-coaster of emotions and both Jay and Seb have shown good growth over the course of this trilogy.

Narrator comment: I enjoy Piers Ryman as a narrator. I had no problem distinguishing characters, understanding accents or feeling the emotions of the story and he's really added to my whole enjoyment of the trilogy.