Edge of Living

By: H.L. Day

Narrated by: Chris Humphreys

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sometimes, death can feel like the only escape.

It's been a year since Alex stopped living. He exists. He breathes. He pretends to be like everyone else. But, he doesn't live. Burdened by memories, he dreams of the day when he can finally be free. Until that time comes, he keeps everybody at bay. It's been easy so far. But he never factored in meeting a man like Austin.

Hard-working mechanic Austin has always gone for men as muscular as himself. So, it's a mystery why he's so bewitched by the slim, quiet man with the soulful brown eyes who works in the library. The magnetic attraction is one thing, but the protective instincts are harder to fathom. Austin's sure though, that if he can only earn Alex's trust, then the two of them could be perfect together.

A tentative relationship begins. But Alex's secrets run deep. Far deeper than Austin could ever envisage. Time is ticking. Events are coming to a head, and love is never a magic cure. Oblivious to the extent of Alex's pain, can Austin discover the truth? Or is he destined to be left alone, only able to piece together the fragments of his boyfriend's history, once its already too late? 

Trigger warning: Please be aware that this story deals with suicidal ideation and other dark themes. If this is a subject you find uncomfortable with, then this book is not recommended. Despite this, there is a guaranteed HEA.

©2018 H.L. Day (P)2020 H.L. Day

Edge of Living

I didn’t know what I was getting into when I bought this book. I knew it was MM, but that was honestly it. I fell in love with the cover and the title.

It was slow going, but I was intrigued by Alex. I just had this feeling something happened. Not to say there has to be something to happen for people to feel as he did. I just got the impression it was something big.

I was blow away as the story unfolds my heart felt so sad. Austin is the shining light, the way he accepts Alex for who he is. I would have had wayyy too many questions and never could have kept my mouth shut.

I was emotional by the time the ending happens. I just fell in love with these characters.

The narration was great; I do wish sometimes we could have had a little bit of separation between the characters. Sometimes I got confused it if was Alex or if it was Austin but other than that, I loved the narrators voice.

liked this so much

i liked this very much i found it to be an engaging story filled with well written characters and a great plot.

MM Hurt Comfort

This was a beautiful, beautiful book. Alex is so broken and sufferings from a trauma he endured from his previous love interest. He is broken and it is difficult to read how dark his thoughts get and how much he has endured and is still enduring. Austin just wants to get to the know the beautiful worker at the library, but he becomes so much more. Alex is not Austin's usual type, but he is drawn to him, and wants to get to know him, the problem is there is not getting to know someone who is a shell of who they used to be and is only living to finish up something important to them. Trigger warning regarding suicidal ideologies. It is a tough read, but it is a beautiful story and one I believe you should read. You will fall in love with both Austin and Alex and want them to get there HEA, which they do in the end. I loved this book and the only reason it is short a star is due to the prompt ending. I wanted more. I wanted to see what they went through or see what was to come in the future. Narration was performed by Chris Humphreys and he did an amazing job.

Wonderful

I enjoyed this story. It was emotional and exciting. The storyline was great full of adventure. The characters are perfect together. With Alex's pain can Austin make everything all right! In the end they get there Great ending. I listened to this story on audible and th narration was great.

soul searing

What an emotional heart rending story
I don't know how Al survived after the devastation he suffered. I was so glad he found Austin and they melded so nicely. Lots of happy and sad tears and empathy. Great ending. I'd love more of Austin's brother and his friend!! I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a great job.

DNF

I very rarely do not finish a book. Even when they aren't great, I am invested in the outcome. I kind of do want to know what happens with this one, but nope. I am calling time on this one. The skeevy neighbor is ridiculous. I'm sorry but even IF the police won't do anything, I would still go. And no joke I would complain long and loud to the building management. So I don't want to even finish listening to this. I know depression is hard (I've had it) but you aren't automatically a spineless victim.

Beautiful and Poignant

Edge of Living is a beautiful and tragic book with a happy ending. It does deal with some difficult and horrific subject matters, so please read the trigger warning in the blurb.

I was at first unsure about this book. The prologue was incredibly melancholy and I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but by the time I had finished chapter one I was hooked on this story. Alex is a man who’s been shattered. His entire world has been destroyed and he has no idea nor desire to fix it. Until the day he meets Austin and everything begins to change slowly. Soon romance blooms between Alex and Austin, and the hope for a future slowly begins to bloom.

I don’t want to delve too deeply into the plot and give away any spoilers. H.L. Day does such a wonderful job with revealing all the puzzle pieces of Alex’s broken life that I just can’t ruin it. It’s such an enthralling and gorgeous book that had me both tearing up and laughing from sheer relief at the outcome of certain events. Throughout the book there’s such a strong sense of love and tenderness that outweighs all the sorrow, and it’s that love that leads this book to it’s wonderful happy ever after.

The audiobook was narrated by Aldric March who has a lovely voice. Aldric voiced all the characters perfectly, and made each character sound distinct so it was easy to tell who was who throughout the narration. He also poured so much emotion into his performance that I felt every feeling that characters went through. It was incredibly well done.

I highly recommend this book. It’s beautiful and touching with a lovely romance, steamy sex, and two characters who are able to overcome unimaginable obstacles.

Buckle up for an emotional ride

A gut wrenching roller coaster ride of emotions. This story will show you some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows I character can go through.
Very well written and highly developed characters take you on a journey of post trauma and finding light at the end of the tunnel.
Opposites truly attracting from a rough mechanic to a quiet librarian, the ups and downs will keep you riveted to the story.
A must read if you love happy endings for less than perfect emotional characters.

Edge of Living...

This book made me think about the inside of a person and the mind. There were a couple of surprises that I was not prepared for, but that's why they call them surprises. I was gifted this book and took it on gratefully, having read this author before. I enjoyed it as much as it tugged at my sensitivities and again. reminded me of how trauma can affect people. So this was a brains and emotions read.

All the feels

This book takes you through a roller coaster of highs and lows emotionally. There’s angst and tears and trauma. There is even a note of suspense as the timelines and stories are pieces together. But there is also pure love and moments of joy and a sincere message of hope.

There are definite triggers here so the book won’t be for everyone. But it was absolutely beautiful.

And the talent of the narrator! I very very rarely rate a book above 3 stars. 3 is I really enjoyed it. But the narration pushed this one into a solid 4 meaning I truly loved it and will likely repeatedly listen to it.



- note : I was gifted a copy to review. But that in no way affected my opinions of the book.

Emotional and gripping romantic thriller!

This was my first H.L. Day novel but it definitely won’t be my last! When gentle and friendly Austin falls for quiet Alex, he doesn’t realise that Alex has been through incredible trauma, mistaking his withdrawn nature for shyness. The budding relationship is tender, in contrast to the slow reveal of the brutal events that have left Alex suicidal. This is an incredibly well written and paced story, the tension carefully ratcheted up. It was deeply moving and utterly gripping!

Deeply moving

Prepare your heart! Day’s deeply emotional and heartfelt story make so many emotions flow. A story within a story, I found myself completely engrossed in this book. March’s narration is riveting and kept me locked into this book. Truly not for those who are sensitive to this subject matter, it is a book that will make you feel.

Emotionally harrowing

What an emotional gut punch the author has delivered with this story.
Ahh, my heart broke for poor Alex and I feared for his life.
He suffered a horrific tragedy and it left an indelible stain upon his soul, one he very well likely will never erase.
He barely has a tenacious grip on reality, he's not living, simply existing and going through the motions.
Austin was such a gentle giant who sensed how timid and desperately on the edge Alex was.
So he initially befriends him in the hopes of it becoming more.
He stealthily snuck in past all of Alex's defenses before he even knew what hit him, leaving him bewildered.
He was so kind, understanding and infinitely patient with Alex, never pushing for more than he was willing to give.
In spite of all of Austin's best efforts, Alex finally makes the decision to simply be done with the exhausting process of life and his secrets very nearly have fatal consequences.
Fortunately, Austin is able to swoop in and save the day.
The author's portrayal of emotional and psychological damage were spot on,unflinchingly realistic, and left me in a shambles, utterly devastated before ever so tenderly restoring me and rendering me whole one again with their oh so very hard fought for and very well deserved HEA.
Aldrich March is a new narrator for me and he did an incredible job.
His narration was spot on and absolutely put me in the right frame of mind for this wonderful book.

A tight grip and a gentle caress to the soul

It's a little strange to say - regarding the theme of the book - but I enjoyed the listening and loved the book! H.L has a great sense to grab my heart by the emotions and don't let it go until the last sentence. I was really curious about Alex's past though I knew deep down it was horrible and I was really concerned about his mental well-being until the very end even though I know it will be a happy ending. The dosage of information was perfect, I haven't got bored even for a minute. I adored Austin even if at some point I could slap him (I think it's my kink with one of the MC's in every H.L book XD) by being too patient with Alex and not adding two and two together earlier.
Aldric March was a new to me narrator and it took a while until I used to his voice and style but he did a good job with the narration.
In overall I highly recommend this book.

P.s. I love the cover!

Best kind of torture

Story: When you encounter a story that makes you hold your breath 80% of the time, for me that’s perfection. This amazing story kept me on edge all the time! I loved the characters, but most of all I love how emotionally charged and challenging it was! It’s not for the faint of heart, it’s not for people easily triggered by trauma, but it is definitely a perfect book hangover inducer. The best kind!
Narration: I really liked the narrator’s voice and characters differentiation. It was easy to follow the story.

Fabulous listening

I make no secret that this is my favourite book from this author, heartbreaking I listen to this and was surprised at how Aldric March delivers this he has made it his own ( its great to have a English man to listen to) Alex is a carefree young man until the night everything changes. That's all I'm posing because of spoilers but when he meets up with Austin who is like a dog with a bone Austin is by his side at every opportunity, this author takes you on a heartbreaking ride. Definitely one that I would recommend.

Sad but beautiful!

I really enjoy this audiobook. I'm normally not so keen on drepressed characters but the back story of Alexender made it more interesting (which is a bit terrible to say thinking about it).
Even if Alexender's story doesn't come as a surprise the suspence is real all along the way. The caring character of Austin brings sweetness in the stragic story of Alexender's life.

It's my second book from H. L Day. Really different from the first one (Exposed, I highly recommend) but good as well.

Really nice narration! At some moments it wasn't really clear which character was talking but not often and the emotion and pace were here. It's a bit confusing but I think the narrator is Chris Humphreys as indicated on the cover and not Aldric March. In any case I'll gladly read other of his narrations.

All together that was a really nice audiobook! I give it 4 stars only because it's not my favorit book theme but this is personal and doesn't reflect on the quality of the book itslef.

as good as the ebook

The story is always 4-5 stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, I’m over the half, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B

A must listen

Omg I love this! It ripped me apart and put me back together!!!! I didn’t cry but I never do. I’m sure it’s a crying book. I loved it soooo much. It was perfect.

The building tension is gripping

First of all I have to point out that there are triggers in this story. If you are triggered by the threat of suicide then this is not for you. However, if you can get past it then this is a story in which the tension builds, slowly at first and then you realise that things might not turn out the way you hope and the tension is almost unbearable. Hang in there, it’s worth it. Aldric March is an excellent narrator. He is easy to listen to and gives each character a distinct and suitable voice. You won’t be disappointed if you buy this book.