Companion Required

By: Brian Lancaster

Narrated by: Richard Reynolds

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Successful CEO Kennedy Grey thought he had his life planned out nicely—until he hired supposedly straight Kieran West as this year’s holiday companion.

For the past five years, CEO Kennedy Grey has advertised for a gay male holiday companion to join him on his single annual break. Although Kennedy claims to be neutral in his choice, he has certain non-negotiable requirements. Applicants must be between 21 and 25, nonsmoking, social drinker, either versatile or passive, and able to pull off the role of dutiful boyfriend in front of his clutch of gay friends. What does the candidate get out of the deal? An all-expenses-paid holiday and five grand in cash at the end, more if the candidate exceeds his expectations—a safe enough addendum, because for the past three years no one ever has.

Kieran West sits in a quiet corner of the coffee shop, trying to finish an assignment. At 29, he is single once again. By now he should have settled down. But when his girlfriend of three years gives him an ultimatum—ring or road—he chooses the road. Worst of all, he has no qualms about doing so. As for his finances? Saddled with a string of outstanding student loans, he is struggling to finish his master’s while also supporting his brother through university. Losing his work at the estate agents’ could not have come at a worse time. Then he overhears the man at a nearby table recruiting for a job that pays a cool five grand. What does he have to lose?

©2020 Pride Publishing imprint of Totally Entwined Group (P)2022 Pride Publishing imprint of Totally Entwined Group

Fun Fake-Boyfriend, Straight-to-Gay Story

I really enjoyed this story. I love gay awakening/gay-for-you type stories, so I snapped this one up when I came across it. It's a very low-angst, fun story of a businessman who basically gets his life turned upside down in the best way by the "straight" man he hires to be his holiday companion. Heat factor is only 2/5 for me. Not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind if you're hoping for long, scorching sex scenes.

Story Premise Has Potential But Is Boring *DNF*

I was really excited about the premise but ended up being let down. It started off okay with the parents but once they finally got to the cruise it was fairly boring. There really wasn’t a lot of time spent of truly developing the chemistry and relationship between the two characters, in fact I felt like Kieran had deeper moments with Kennedy’s dad than with Kennedy himself. It also seemed to focus alot on the ex, and not in an entertaining or even angsty way that moved Kennedy and Kieran forward, and then more on the intricacies of Kennedy’s business and the Sloan guy who works for him that he honestly should just fire instead of playing these round robin games with him. What type on intelligent, successful CEO would keep someone in their inner circle and workings of their company they couldn’t trust.l? It makes Kennedy seem incompetent. Frankly by the time we got a little romantic movement between Kennedy and Kieran I didn’t even care as much and it felt abrupt after taking so long and not a lot of real moments of connection leading up to it. I ended up giving up about halfway through. The narrator did a fine job with the monotonous material he had to work with. I give the story 2/5.