Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back

By: Joe Cosentino

Narrated by: Chase Johnson

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

On Cozzi Cove at the New Jersey shore, handsome Cal Cozzi's seven bungalows are open for summer and love.

Mario and Harold are brothers and college students who happen to look alike, but couldn’t be more different: Mario is searching for love, and Harold is searching for lust. Josh and Greg, a wealthy older couple, are matchmakers for their son, Christopher.

When it comes to Connor, the maid, packed with muscles and a roving sponge, anything can happen. Opposites attract as wild Tim with the secret past meets shy Mark, and porn star Chuck Caliber connects with Sean, a virgin romance novelist.

And what will happen when computer-game designer Arthur has a midnight sea rendezvous with a merman? Even married Cal faces an emotional upheaval when a gay bashing turns into something quite unexpected.

What secrets and passions lie in magical Cozzi Cove?

Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back contains adult content suitable for mature readers only.

©2016, 2017 Joe Cosentino (P)2018 Joe Cosentino

Feel good with a touch of heartbreak

I loved the premise of this book – a group of seven cabins on the Jersey Shore, LGBT-friendly. This particular week, all seven cabins are filled with an eclectic group of gay men. The operation is overseen by Cal Cozzi, assisted by his able and horny assistant, college student Connor.

While listening, it was hard to keep track of all the new arrivals and I found it easier to write them down. If you can’t, though, no worries. At the end of the first chapter, Connor and Cal review all seven cabins and their inhabitants.

Eclectic is the perfect word for these men and as they form acquaintanceships, friendships, and even romantic relationships, I found depth in these characters.

There were over-the-top moments, such as when the married couple freak out because their son is bringing home Julie (who, for the record, disappears completely without another mention).

The four-way (not in the way you think) between the college students was cringe-worthy. Way over the top in the silliness and miscommunications. I get it – trust is an issue. It got to be a bit much.

Another thing that niggled was how Cal met Michael. Michael shouldn’t have been walking around less than an hour after the ‘incident’. I’m not saying every law enforcement procedure needs to be followed, but the lack of care in applying them was glaring.

Finally, the physical descriptions of the men. Sure, it’s fun to hear every piece of clothing they are wearing – colour and all. It was the physicality of the men. I didn’t count, but I think ‘pectoral’ was used at least 10 times in the first two chapters. I get it – most of the men are buff. I don’t need the constant repetition.

Okay, on to what I loved.

Cal. All is not as it seems, but his desire to create a safe space for his guests is admirable. For him, meeting the young Michael is a turning point, and I love the growth in his character.

The mysterious hunk and Sean the novelist. They both have significant insecurities and huge baggage, and yet they work through it.

I adored Arthur the clumsy trainwreck. Anyone who has stumbled – physically or emotionally – through life – can relate to him. His story was unusual, his happy ending uncertain, but wow, when it came? Blew me away.

Finally, there are Mark and Tim. I don’t want to ruin their story, but by the time Mark is introduced in the first chapter, it is clear what his destiny is. And I’m tearing up now as I write this, even more than a week after listening to it. Be prepared – it’s an emotional wallop and a reminder of the power of love when all else is lost.

Chase Johnson is an amazing narrator. There are more than thirteen male voices and he made each distinct. This was important because there were many, many changes in point-of-view. Without the visual of a page break, it was sometimes difficult to orient myself. The cute transitions when one person saw another and the POV shifted is something I haven’t seen very often.

I went back and forth between a 3 or an 4. 3 because of all the irritations which often pulled me out of the story. In the end, I settled for an 4. Between Mark & Tim’s tale and Cal & Michael’s, there was some great storytelling, and providing so many happy and satisfying endings must have been a challenge.

But I got what I had hoped for – a special romance.

Love boat on Land

Audio review Chase Johnson is new to me narrator, but I loved this performance. I loved all the different voices for each character and the emotion he brings forth.

Where do I even begin? Bouncing back is the story of a resort called Cozzi Cove, run by Cal Cozzi. It Is also about the guests for this summer's season as well. In one Cabin we have Mario( remember him from infatuation?) and his twin Harold. We have a wealthy Gay couple whose son is coming for a visit as well. We have an OCD writer, a porn star, A man on his deathbed, a young waiter on vacation and a reclusive middle-aged gamer and a mermaid. ( I will let you read and see if the Mermaid is real.) And we have some regulars as well. Cal's sister Taylor, Carla, who runs the seafood restaurant in town and Tommy that owns the bar. Quite a cast of characters. The story is like love boat on land. There is a lot of different things happening and each romance is either funny or serious or a bit sad. I will warn you there will be tears so grab some tissue.

I'm not going into detail about any coupling as that would be spoilers so I will let you grab a copy to see what all goes on. I will say each storyline is fabulous. Though this isn't a mystery, I sat on the edge of my chair wondering who was going to fall for who and if it was all going to be happy endings.

If you like a lot of angst, some humor, love, sadness,(be sure to have a couple of boxes of tissue handy and some hot sensual man-sex I highly, highly recommend this book. I loved all of the Joe Cosentino's books, but I think this is my favorite to date! I am ready for book 2!

Can’t get past Ch 2

The writing is god awful cheesy. I just can’t get through it. The setup of the cast of characters was only slightly hooking so I don’t have any real reason to forgive the ridiculous descriptions and cliche phrasing. Moving on.

Narration is amazing

This is a complicated book to narrate with over 10 different characters and voices to maintain, Johnson does an amazing job with it and truly made the story come to life. The story itself is a little bit OTT, crazy fun, sad and heartbreaking a true emotional roller coaster. Having been born and raised in NJ some of the references irritated me and just didn't fit but overall it's a good listen.

A Gay Fantasy Island

Joe Cosentino has created a gay fantasy island on the Jersey shore. Every summer, gay men from all walks of life vacation in Cal Cozzi’s bungalows for fun, romance, and self-discovery. Cozzi Cove has a magical influence on all the guests, and even on Cal himself. This book is full of humor, love, intrigue, and fantasy. I felt like I had an enchanting vacation on the beautiful beach that is Cozzi Cove. Chase Johnson did a good job at bringing the story to life.

A superb novel, masterfully narrated.

I first visited Cozzi Cove a little over a year ago when Cozzi Cove : Bouncing Back was first released as an ebook. It was on my reread list, but I had yet to return to this magical place. The discovery that this delightful story is now out in audiobook format gave me a new way to revisit old friends and it was more than I could have hoped for. It’s an entirely different experience listening to a wonderful novel. With the help of superb narration and voice characterisation you can become totally absorbed and just let the magic take you away.

Cal Cozzi has inherited seven bungalows from his deceased father, around a picture perfect cove on the New Jersey shore. It abuts the town of Cozzi Cove, named after his great grandfather, the original founder. Cal, with the support of his husband Lance, has run the resort as a gay friendly getaway for a few years, but things have changed in the last twelve months. Cal has a reckoning coming, and his sister Taylor, and best friend Tommy, are determined to push him in the right direction. An attempted nighttime mugging forces Cal to re-examine his life and leads to changes he never saw coming.

As the occupants arrive, and book into the bungalows, we meet a delightfully varied group of vacationers. Some are looking to make changes in their lives, some are looking for love, some for lust. There are beginnings and endings, love and loss, laughter and tears, coming over the course of the week, and no one, not even Cal, will be the same again.

Mario and Harold are twin brothers and college students who couldn’t be more different. Mario is looking for love and it seems Harold is determined to thwart him at every turn. A one or two night stand is all Harold is up for, and Connor, the maid, is more than willing to meet his, and any and all guests needs! Josh and Greg, are a rich, older married couple determined to be matchmakers for their son, Christopher. Opposites attract as Tim with a secret past, and lust on his mind, meets sweet, shy Mark, and porn star Chuck Caliber connects with Sean, a virgin romance novelist. Shy, clumsy computer-game designer Arthur can only go out at night due to a skin condition, so what chance does he have to find companionship or love? The appearance of a gorgeous merman, swimming in the cove at night, seems too fantastical to believe, but this magical place might just have plans for Arthur as well.

There were many times I had to tap pause whilst listening to this story; often because I was giggle-snorting at Joe’s wit, double entendres, and absurdist humour. At other times I was moved to tears by the journey of characters I’d come to love. In the hands of Chase Johnson’s narration, Cozzi Cove : Bouncing Back was a unique and wonderful listening experience that I highly recommend.

Romance, Humor, and Clever Characters

What made the experience of listening to Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back the most enjoyable?

It was written in a very cinematic style, where different stories intertwine, and flow seamlessly from one to the other. It is full of humor and clever dialogue. I enjoyed following the main storyline of Cal, the owner of the bungalows at Cozzi Cove, as well as the stories of the various guests. I thought it was masterfully constructed going from almost campy humor to pathos to spirituality, all woven together very naturally.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cal, the MC -- though Connor, the sex-starved maid, was a close second.

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

One of the things I loved about this book was that it made me laugh out loud at one moment, feel fulfillment the next moment, and then well up in tears the next.

Any additional comments?

The narrator did an excellent job at bringing each character to life.