Cub

By: Jeff Mann

Narrated by: Geoff Moonen

Not every gay teen yearns for fashion and popular culture. Some boys are pure country folk and like the feel of flannel and the smell of the farm. And they're neither lithe nor muscle-bound but stocky boys, the ones who develop hairy chests, arms, and faces years earlier than their peers.

One such seventeen-year-old is Travis Ferrell, shy among most of the other kids at school, but proud of his West Virginia roots. He has not yet admitted his passion for handsome guys - and his idea of what handsome is and what handsome does is not much different from him. Soon he'll learn that he's not unique; gay culture has a name for young men like him. Cubs.

Lambda Literary Award-winning author Jeff Mann has written a touching romance for the outsider in us all.

©2014 Jeff Mann (P)2014 Jeff Mann

Hidden Treasure

I actually cried! It was a sweet romance, just came across this book! Unexpected and sweet! Worth the read or to listen! Raised the same questions about accepting of all people! Racism and homophobia! The narrator Geoff did a wonderful job, I loved his southern accent! I don’t really know how to give a book review, but this book captured me from beginning to end.

great premise, okay execution

this is a story that deserves to be told and told well.
I love the idea behind this book but the narration is not great. there are gaps in the pacing. you can hear the clicks of the mouse at the start of a recording.
the story wants to be heartfelt but also kinky and I think it struggles to find the right tone at some points.

Amazing book!

I’ve have this book in my queue for a few weeks. Now I wish I had listened to it sooner because it was a beautiful, lovely story. Through the course of a school year and summer, this book gave rich details about the coming out process for the main protagonist, and his burgeoning relationship with another young man. I enjoyed very much the dialogue, which was enhanced by the narrator, Geoff Mooney. Geoff did an incredible job bringing Jeff’s characters to life. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew these individuals, their environment, their experiences. I felt like I traveled with them and had a privileged seat watching their love unfold. They story was filled both with euphoria and heart-break. I found myself smiling and then crying at times. In fact, three quarters into the novel, I was afraid of a devastating “twist”. I so hope there will be more about what happens to them in future books. I think I’ve discovered a new great writer - look forward to reading the next books - and a new narrator. One of the best books I’ve read (experienced) in recent times. GREAT!

Lackluster

I wanted to like this book, and at times I did, but overall it was an experience that just left me feeling slightly annoyed.
The bulk of the story is not that bad. Travis & Mike were both likable characters and I found their relationship & its progression to be pretty believable. There were a few jumps in the timeline, though, that had me wondering if a chapter had been skipped or something. And then ***SPOILER*** the ending was so abrupt that I can only imagine the author got to a certain point & just didn't know where they wanted to go from there, so they just ended it. I mean, I get that that's what often happens with relationships in real life, but I don't read fiction for the real life circumstances. How about at least some illusion of closure?
As for narration, the actor & his voices for the characters were fine. Distinct differences that made it easy to follow who was who & no over the top dramatics, but background noises were heard often & several of the transitions from one scene or chapter to the next were choppy. There were a few times that there was silence for so long that I actually thought my phone had turned off or something & was about to press play again when suddenly the announcement of the next chapter would come. Ultimately, the narration could've benefited from better editing.
Basically, this was a mildly entertaining listen & probably wouldn't have even warranted a review from me if the ending hadn't been so abrupt & unfinished. As it is, I'm glad this was an Escape selection (while it is still available) otherwise I would be requesting a refund of a credit.

It's good

Great story, feels real and natural. Good dialog and sincerely narrated, I hope we hear more about the main characters. Jeff Manns writing is consistently good.