Fearless

An Age Gap MM Romance (Trials of Fear, Book 4)

By: Nicky James

Narrated by: Adam Gold

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Krew doesn’t need a daddy or a guy twice his age. Yet, somehow, he ended up with both.

Free-spirited Krew likes his men willing and disposable. One-night stands are all he’s looking for. Love has only ever hurt him. The last thing he needs is Max, a man more than 20 years his senior and a widowed Daddy Dom. 

Krew is not a boy. He doesn’t like spankings or kink. And he most certainly doesn’t date. 

But one night of fun won’t hurt anyone, right? 

It’s just a game. 

Until emotions and feelings sneak in where they don’t belong. 

If the walls around Krew’s hearts crumble, Max will see the broken man at his core. Will he be able to handle all Krew hides from the world and teach him there is nothing to fear about love?

Fearless is a hurt-comfort age-gap mild Daddy/boy-themed MM romance with mild angst. It is part of the Trials of Fear series but can be listened to as a stand-alone. It was originally marked as a companion novel but has been integrated into the series as Book 4. There is no new content.

©2019 Nicky James (P)2021 Nicky James

A steamy age gap, hurt/comfort romance

Max and Krew wete raw, relatable and so emotional together.

The chemistry between them was intense, palpable and undeniable from the start.


This was a sweet and steamy hurt/comfort, age gap, daddy boy romance.


Adam Gold performed an emotional and heartfelt narration

Krew’s HEA

Phobia: an extreme or irrational fear or an aversion to something
Philophobia – the fear of falling in love or forming attachments of any sort

I have thoroughly enjoyed Nicky James Trials of Fear series, and so was especially anxious to pick up this book. I loved Krew – especially in book 2. His affection and caring for Rory – who feared sunlight – was touching. Well, they were, uh, special buddies on occasion, and Krew trusted Rory to watch his beloved cat. But then Rory met Adrian and those salad days of no-strings-attached sex came to an end. Adrian and Rory don’t share.

Krew continued undaunted. He works in a gay bar as a server so he’s got his pick. But never more than one or two nights, and always at the other guy’s place. Wouldn’t want the guy getting feelings. Krew runs from feelings like crazy.

I remembered the scene in a previous book where he ran away from an older man and hid in the back of the bar. Of course this book gave me the opportunity to see Krew’s side of the story. Man, he ran from Max? I’d be running toward such a fabulous man.

Max has a bit of a tragic backstory which I won’t get into, but he’s been alone for a long time and not really looking. Then he sets eyes on Krew and his world tilts. He rescues Krew, and takes on an almost father-like figure. A daddy. But Krew’s not into that stuff. He doesn’t need a minder. He doesn’t need a daddy. He needs a good hard you know what and then he can move on.

Except Max seems to be the one man he can’t forget, and when Max moves to town for an extended period of time, Krew has a decision to make – hold out or indulge? And if he indulges, what about all those pesky emotions? There’s also the massive age gap. Twenty-eight years is nothing to sneeze at. It means Krew is often on uneven ground, but perhaps that’s where he needs to be?

Krew is, of course, damaged. I LOVE damaged heroes and Nicky does damaged like no one’s business. I cheered for Krew, especially when he confronted his demons. I was angry for the people in his life who’d hurt him. I’ve faced other cruelties in my life, and I think that made Krew even more empathetic to me.

But the love of a good man… Max is persistent. Max is patient. Max is willing to wait for Krew to get his head out of his rear end. And Krew eventually does and I got my sparkly happy ending.

I can’t rave about a Trials of Fear book without gushing over Adam Gold. His narration for this series (for all the Nicky James books he does) is brilliant. I loved his super deep voice for Max and that Krew was light but not flighty. He completely nailed this book, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Krew gets his HEA

Krew we’ve been aquatinted with for a few books. Adam Gold’s narration really made Krew so much more enjoyable to listen to!

We get Krew’s backstory and it’s as sad as you’d think. It makes him not trust love.

Maxwell enters his life and basically takes a wrecking ball to his notions about love. How he always thought he should keep everyone at arms length. Maxwell has a sad backstory as well. He’s ready to try love again. The voice Adam uses for Maxwell is SO sexy. I loved it.

NGL, I wished Krew’s parents suffered some consequences. Sadly, they skated by. Ugh. Those parents!

Maxwell and Krew needed each other and their HEA was sweeter than expected. Loved the narration.
I look forward to the next book in audio. Adam does excellent work on this series. Highly recommend!

Angsty age gap romance

It took me a few chapters to get into the story of  bartender and older businessman Max but I soon became invested in their lives.

I enjoyed the was their relationship grew and evolved. Their story was well paced and had great flow.

This story had a bit of everything. There was joy and fun but also sadness and angst.

I especially enjoyed the narration. The voices for Krew and Max seemed spot on to me.

Another amazing book

I absolutely loved this book. Adam Gold nailed Krew! He is sassy, mouthy, and flirty. He has got to be one of my favorite characters ever. I love they way he’s working through his phobia. Maxwell is so patient and loving. It’s a great match.

Loved it

I loved Krew in book two in this series and was so happy that he got a book. Max is an amazing character and he's the only one who can help our fearless boy fall in love. It's a wonderful story full of Krew shenanigans in the middle of this high angst series, perfect palate cleanser for what's to come next in the series. Nicky James is a wonderful author who can write anything and Adam Gold has an amazing range and does the emotion so well that he really brings these characters to life.

Krew!!!

Listening to Adam Gold narrate is an experience. An immersive experience. He draws you into the story word by word, line by line. His narration style makes you feel like you are part of the story. It’s akin to listening to a play and hearing your favorite characters brought to life. His narration of Krew and Max’s story was no different than his past storytelling of this series.He nailed Krew’s awesomeness and was the epitome of kindness and patient as Max. If you’ve been listening (reading) along in the Trials of Fear series, Krew really needs no introduction. If you haven’t, you should because all the stories are amazing. Krew grabbed at me, and so many others, when we first met him as Rory’s best friend in “Shades of Darkness”. I fell for his fierce, sassy, sweet and dazzling personality. As we could all see his outrageous flirty behavior helped guard his heart and kept others at arms length. Until Max. Max with his nurturing and kind personality, he was the perfect match for Krew. And he let Krew know that every day as he tried to bring down his walls. My heart broke for Krew’s past hurts. I loved seeing Krew find his happy ever after and loved visiting with some of our favorite Dewhurst residents past. Listening to Krew’s story reminded me how much I miss visiting with Rory, Adrian, and of course Ireland and Raven. I have a feeling there is a re-listen of their respective stories very soon! I couldn’t recommend Krew and Max more!

Loved it!!

THE STORY:
It's no secret that Nicky James is one of, if not, my favourite author.
We met Krew in Shades of Darkness (book 2 in the Trial of Fear series) where he stole our hearts with his sassiness.
When I heard that Nicky James was writing this companion book, I was over the moon.
In Fearless, Krew is paired beautifully with the very sexy silver fox Max.
It's been too long since Max has had someone to care for but as soon as he sees Krew, he knows what Krew needs.
Krew has a type.. and it's definitely not a daddy-type.
This book is not your typical daddy kink book... Krew would not allow it!!
This book is a beautifully written May/Dec book with a bit of "boy" element introduced.
Mrs James is known as a slow-burn author, but of course, Krew dictated the speed of this book, and boy did he ever. This story is filled with humour (thank you Krew), sassiness, emotion, heartbreak (of course, we're talking about Nicky James here) and lots and lots of love.
I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy from the author and have read it twice before release day... it is that good!!!
Mrs James has assured us that there is more to come in this series, and I for one, can't wait for the next installment.
**Although this is the 4th book in the series, it can be read as a standalone**

THE NARRATION:
OMG.. I loved this narration. I knew going in, that this audio would be a fun listen.
Adam Gold did Krew justice. Krew's voice was sassy and so full of emotion!!
Max's voice was so growly, and sexy, and yum!!
And Rigger?? He was fun too.

I am so glad that NJ found Adam Gold as he has become a favourite narrator of mine. Adam evokes SO MUCH EMOTION into his reads, you can't help but become immersed into the story.

Loved it!!

Krew doesn’t want or need any type of love or emotional connection until he has a night with the older Max. That one night changes everything. Fearless is a little less angsty than most Nicky James books but this one still has many feelings. My heart broke once we learned what Krew’s childhood was like. I very much enjoyed this companion novel..
Adam Gold did a wonder job narrating this story!

So So Great!

This audio just blew me away. I loved the book when I read it, I love everything Nicky James writes, but Adam Gold just elevated this to a whole other level. He is just in a class all by himself as a narrator. He brings such emotion, he embodies the characters, he submerses you into the story--its not just an audiobook, it's an experience. His voice for Krew and Max were spot on, his inflections were perfect, he laughs, he sighs, he growls, he whispers--he acts out the story to just make it wonderful. He is just a fabulous narrator!

This was such a wonderful story. It was packed full of laughter, sweetness, steam and some intense emotions. I just adored Max and how he worked to understand Krew and was so attuned to his needs and helped Krew realize he is worthy of Love. Between the emotions and the feelings there was also so much laughter and snark in this book, it is Krew after all, but Max went toe to toe with his humor and the banter between them was so good! Max adored everything about Krew and it shines through in all of their interactions. There was also a lot of great sexy times between the two as well as wonderful intimacy that I felt in my heart as I was reading. 5 amazing stars for this book!!

Krew is the most precious thing everrrrr

Ohhh-kaaay!

Krew was simply perfect for the very first time, but now, listening to him on audio is a whole new level. The narrator does an amazing job with this series and I LOOOOVE it so much - both the series and the audio version of it. Perfect.

Krew's voice and his sassy behavior comes through so easily and it's so funny and real, and ohmygod, beautiful. And Max! Wow.

Really, really loved listening to this.

Intense and emotional

Story: Nicky James' trademark are always intense emotions and complex characters. This story completely fits the bill on both accounts. I am really impressed with the skill with which the book was written and the whole idea for the MCs' relationship.
Both characters have amazing personalities and are presented amazingly well. We get deep into their heads and the book is very emotional throughout, gripping the attention from the get go.
It was a huge pleasure the read this book. It's difficult and very emotional, but oh so good.
Narration: Adam Gold's performance in this one is pure... wait for it... GOLD! The narration amplifies the emotions to the n-th degree, making it all even more visceral. The characters are brought to life in the best way!

A fantastic, angsty treat!

Krew's story was such a treat to listen to, and I thought Adam Gold was the perfect narrator to bring his and Max's story to life. From Krew's vibrant, bubbly energy to Maxwell's stern, dominant presence, he captured their essences and made me feel like I was in the room with them as I listened along. 

I thought it was interesting how Krew was intensely in denial about his phobia of love. He talked a big game about not wanting to be tied down to anyone, to the point where I was genuinely unsure if he realized how the scars of his past continued to affect his choices. That strong denial was what made this romance tug particularly hard on my heartstrings--I knew Max and Krew were getting serious, but also that there was no path forward for them until Krew confronted his fear once and for all. At times, I wanted to keep living in the bubble Krew and Max had made for themselves. Their chemistry was fire, their companionship so content and warm and safe that if I had let myself, I could have blocked out the need for any sort of character growth and basked in the happiness they shared. It made me so proud to see Krew be brave and step out on that ledge, and even though I wasn't expecting a happy reconciliation with his parents, it was still heartbreaking to see how they reacted when Krew finally showed up to get some closure. Regardless of how they reacted, what mattered most is that Krew was able to break himself out of the destructive habits from his past. His and Max's story may not have had the conventional happily-ever-after with swoony declarations of love and flowers and confetti, but I walked away no less certain that they were deeply, romantically in love and invested in spending the rest of their lives together.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions. 

Beautiful & Amazing 💞💞

Absolutely Brilliant couldn't stop listening to this amazing journey we go on with Krew & Maxwell these two together are simply captivating and hot the banter, fun simply flow through and pulls you along and doesn't let go Adam Gold as done another fantastic job of bringing these two to life its emotional and entertaining but so beautiful if you are loving this series try this one you won't be disappointed recommend so much 💞💞

Emotional

Even though this story ends on a positive note I was heartbroken most of the way through. Krew is such a brazen personality on the outside while being totally unconfident inside. He is snarky and his attitude is fun. His childhood is totally heartbreaking. And even though Max has declared he is not going to get into another relationship his attraction to Krew seems almost instant. Krew falls into a relationship with Max before he realizes it and it is from there these two really entertained me. I love the Thanksgiving dinner. I enjoyed Krew’s constant whining to Rory. I enjoyed his examining his feelings and actions. I love the bunny pj’s. This story is fun and sad and was made so real by the narration of Adam Gold who did a fantastic job of timbre and pitch to create totally unique characterizations.

beautiful powerful and stunning performance

listening to Adam gold bring nicky James's beautiful words storyline and characters to life was absolutely fantastic I loved every minute of it

I felt every word and emotion what krew and max were going through there was laughter seriousness heartbreak and heartwarming moments everything was just perfect the story the characters the words and the performance