Happy Place

Rainbow Place, Book 5

By: Jay Northcote

Narrated by: Hamish Long

A first kiss from a younger man leads to a sexual awakening...

George’s strict upbringing has left him ashamed of his sexuality. In his forties now, he's yet to come out or even kiss a man - until he meets Quentin.

Quentin has had enough of bad relationships with men who won't commit. Still raw from the last one, he’s not ready to try again. But George is sweet, and helping the older man get some experience might be a fun diversion.

Swept rapidly into a deeper connection than they bargained for, they face a dilemma. George isn’t ready to come out, and Quentin wants a boyfriend who isn’t afraid to be seen with him in public.

Can they find a way to navigate the unpredictable waters of their new relationship and find happiness together?

Contains: age gap, gay first times, sexual exploration, out for you.

©2020 Jay Northcote (P)2020 Jay Northcote

Well Done!!

This was my first audio book from Jay Northcote and I loved it. I have read several other books by Jay. It came alive for me. Fantastic! The story felt so real. I loved the age gap romance, George and Quentin were well written and endearing. Hamish Long did a fantastic job on narration. Well done all around!!

✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

I just love this series more with each book. The safe and happy place that the author created always leaves my heart happy. Love the May/December romance and coming out story line in this book. It was sweet & sexy all in one. Can't wait to see what's next.

Hamish Long is as always perfect for this series.

Amazing OFY age gap love story!

An amazing, well-written May-December romance with the perfect amount of angst, steam, starry-eyes and sweetness.

I loved the realness of this story, how everything wasn’t just perfect lust and connection from the first. This romance felt so genuine and authentic, like something that could happen to actual people, which made it a very appealing read to me. As a reader I got to cheer for Quentin and George as they stumbled, doubted or misspoke and sympathized with them as they struggled through some pretty awkward moments. And most importantly, I got to see them fall in love which was absolutely heartwarming.

George is a product of his upbringing, poor guy, and in some ways he’s in a prison of his own making because of that. He has carried around a big secret for most of his life and doesn’t appear to have any friends he can turn to in order to break free and be true to himself, which was pretty sad. I loved his bravery and how he handled his coming out though. Quentin is a wonderful character too. I could easily relate to his longing for a relationship, as well as his hesitancy to open himself up to heartbreak, again.

I loved how these two men fit into the Rainbow Place “community” and I especially liked Seb’s role in their story, though the glimpses we got of the other characters in the series were great fun as well.

Narration: Hamish Long again proves he's an amazing narrator and truly did justice to this wonderful love story. He manages to give every character, however small, a distinct voice and his intonation and pacing are perfect and made this audiobook into a wonderful listening experience. I love his smooth and warm voice, so pleasant to listen to and never grating, and his beautiful & clear enunciation.

Happy Place

I do love an older man finding his way. It makes my heart happy. His upbringing wasn’t conducive to being who he is so he went on like he was “supposed to”. He married a woman and obviously that wasn’t his journey but he did get one heck of a great kid out of it.

The first meeting is always my favorite and Quentin was adorable, I think right away I liked him because he might have thought one thing but he also gave George another chance. He isn’t close minded he might be guarded because of his past but he is unapologetically himself. I love this about him. As we get to know him and George I like that he did what he needed to do for himself. That made me respect him all the more.

George too takes a good look at himself. I really liked that he seeked out help to work through things.

This book is low on the drama which I love, but it was high on being who you are. I also really enjoyed getting to see some of the characters from the books before it gives us a really well rounded story you can’t help but root for these two.

Hamish Long is a great narrator and I want more, more, more books narrated by him. I enjoy the different tones he gives for each character it brings us so much depth to these characters.

Finding my own Happy Place

Jay Northcote has written a wonderful, touching fifth book in the Rainbow Place series. Jay captures the excitement and unique tension of two men-one younger out gay man and the other older, closeted man-as they grapple with a sexual attraction that becomes something much more serious. Hamish Long does a fantastic job of giving each of the characters-Quentin, George, Liv, Seb-such clear and distinctive voices. Hamish takes Jay’s wonderful word smithing and provides the perfect dramatic pacing. This story is so well-told as the reader follows the up and down of these two unlikely sex partners’ early relationship, the pains and fears of early budding affection, the frustrations of an out gay man in love with a closeted man. The beauty of Jay’s writing and Hamish’s brilliant narration is that the story and the people in it flow naturally. Nothing sounds forced or contrived. The worst part of this audiobook is that, when you get to the end, you have to say goodbye to characters who become so real to you. That is excellent writing on Jay Northcote’s part and brilliant dramatization on Hamish Long’s part. Excellent job!