David, Renewed

What a sweet, sexy and sentimental book! I just loved this so much! This is kind of a mutual hurt/comfort story about two guys who’ve had it a bit rough. David’s ex is really an asshole and he (later) really turns out to be more than just a bad break up. Jackson’s family makes his life hard and makes him feel inadequate. Together, with the help of their wonderful mothers, the two find their place in life and love.

I thought the romance was sweet, organic and sensual. The bit with David’s ex was a bit OTT but… it also reminds us that this stuff can happen in real life and it pays to be safe.

The stuff about the houses was interesting too. Having been a homeowner, I could relate to the never ending list of fixes and thought that having a new handyman boyfriend would be any homeowner’s secret fantasy!

I loved David’s mom and that David was unapologetic about it and that Jackson appreciated it too. The solution that they find at the end is perfect and we get a lovely sense of the coming couples (I’m talking about you Gil!) in future books.

If you want a fairly low angst, high romance story – this is for you!

4.5 of 5 stars

Audio

Michael Pauley is an excellent narrator. He has a great sense of timing and emotion and knows how to give the right emphasis on words and phrases to really draw a listener in. I liked the voices he selected for David and Jackson and felt the females and other secondary characters were excellent as well.

This is a great way to enjoy this great story.

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.75 (rounded to 5) of 5 stars

Great interaction with friends and family. Enjoyed the feeling of a real life setting with the background characters, plus neighbors.

One of the few I couldn't put down. Enjoyed it from beggining to end. The writing and narration were fantastic.

I have to admit , I was a bit reluctant about picking up this audio book . Usually these "gay" romance books are very poorly written and have razor thin written characters . I was very pleasantly surprised to find this book completely engrossing.. The characters well thought out and the story well conceived. I found myself enraptured by the pure romance of this book. My heart was full of love for these two characters that I was rooting for them the very beginning. The writer paced the story very well and did not rush anything to get to the more "erotic" stuff. I highly recommend this book to any and all looking for a story of inspiration and love. Rob -Kips Bay, NYC

I absolutely loved listening to this story!<br/><br/>I loved Michael Pauley's character voices, which felt spot on and not at all over the top. I loved his pacing, his timing, and the emotion he infuses into the dialogue and story.<br/><br/>This is absolutely going into my re-listen auto-rotation.<br/><br/>This just worked for me. The characters are all sharply written, the dialogue, the scenes, the sex, the side plots...everything was just absolutely lovely. I loved David and Jackson, and their relationship was such an organic build. It never felt too slow, and it just thoroughly entertained me from start to finish.<br/><br/>I loved the HEA and really, really hope Diana Copeland will continue this as a series.<br/><br/>Absolutely recommended!

A wonderful low angst love story. Higley recommend for those who like sweet hurt comfort stories.

Very satisfying and entertaining. like most romances it is a bit predictable but it is also told with enouph skill to incorporate moments of suspense and excitment, and leaves you happy at the end.

The story might be fine, but I couldn't survive to the end.

He sounded like he was only capable of tiny breaths through what I could stand listening to. The sharp intakes of breath are what did me in, not so much the story. And both main characters sounded like they were whispering and Extremely sad the entire time.<br/>Felt a bit like a soap opera.<br/>I'll avoid this narrator in the future.

This is the second time round for me and this book. First time I read, but I had forgot when I signed up for the audio.<br/><br/>Anytime I see this authors name pop up, it’s an auto yes for me. And since I see it so rarely, I didn’t even look at the title, just said yes.<br/><br/>Okay, the bad first, and I may have said this in my written review? I feel we ended to abruptly, I need more closure to these lives. Maybe we will get a second one, someone else’s story?<br/><br/>All the good, David has found he out of sorts, he’s long term relationship came to an end when he found to the BF cheating on him. He bought a home in his childhood neighborhood, but the home is a disaster. Luckily, with the help of his mother has found a handyman and his friends that can put him and the home to rights.<br/><br/>But, the old BF isn’t done with David, and as the story unfolds so does the BF.<br/><br/>I love these people, from David, Michael, Jackson, and the rest of the crew. His mother and even the sister and of course the dogs! All of them add a perfect combination of heartwarming, heart ache, lessons learned and family dynamics. Of course, with a HFN ending.<br/><br/>The narrator, has done a wonderful job capturing all the feeling that run through this tale. From the high levity, to the scary.

So this was my second Diana Copland book. I didn't even realize she was the author but I just sort of gravitated to it. What really got me interested was Michael Pauley who is an AMAZING reader. His portrayal of characters, and the way he reads just makes it very enjoyable. the story was good, and I really hope to see more from these two~