Heart of the Race

De: Mary Calmes

Narrado por: Greg Tremblay

Varro Dacien spends his life riding toward the next adventure. Brian Christie, his best friend and touchstone, the one person who's always truly seen him, plays sidekick on these madcap adventures and subsequent trips to the hospital until he can't take it anymore. While Brian can see Varro, Varro has never caught on that he's breaking his best friend's heart.

Without Varro, Brian builds himself a life that's all about just getting by, doing his best to ignore the hole in his heart and his life. Without Brian to balance him, Varro pushes harder and takes more risks to reach that ultimate high. His job racing high-octane bikes on suicide-level courses makes it easy to get that rush...until it's no longer enough, and Varro realizes it's not the race but who's waiting at the finish line that truly matters. Now he just has to convince Brian to be there.

©2013 Mary Calmes (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

Just OK story; great narration

This is a short novella, that I'll be honest, I would not have enjoyed as much if Greg Tremblay was not narrating it. The story is OK, I like Brian, but I really didn't like Varro; he was a jerk throughout the book IMHO. Yes, I know this is a coming out/gay for you tale; but really, he just didn't get redeemed for me when he finally pulled his head out of his ass. The story is told from Brian's POV, so the narrator made him so engaging that I was pulled into the story and really enjoyed it.

An okay story made better by Tremblay

Any additional comments?

*** 3 racy stars ***Audio edition, narrator Greg Tremblay.2 hours 5 minutesOverall: 3Performance: 5Story: 3A sweet audio shorty in true Mary Calmes fashion. The plot points don't really make sense, or they kinda do in Calmes. You just have to go along with them. 
Varro and Brian has been friends forever. Ever since Brian watched Varro drive down the roof of Varro's house and crash into a tree (!). Apparently Varro was chasing the adrenaline kick very early on. Brian is a foster kid, and Varro's mother takes him in to live with her and Varro and his brother Nico. They all grow up together. Brian is gay and comes out to them early on and everyone is fine with it. Brian have fallen in love with Varro, though, and is carrying a huge torch for his best friend slash foster brother. Brian loves Varro so much that it's becoming painful to stay with him, and also painful to watch Varro race and gamble with his life over and over again. Brian knows that Varro has his heart, but where does Varro's heart lay?As always, I liked this more because of Tremblay's narration. He is excellent, and he gives such life to the characters through his voice that I can't but help feel the characters. And I'm a sucker for happy ending when it's a long time coming.

Sweet

Wish this could have been a much longer book. The main characters are lovable and you can’t rooting for them. As always Greg does an excellent narration!

Very generic

For a story that one of the MCs is a motorcycle rider, and a Mary Calmes story at that, it's very generic with no kind of detail to draw you in and make you believe that the story has a motorcycle rider in. Frankly Varro could have been anyone. So really there isn't much to the story which hurts the narration too since Greg didn't have much to work with.

This story was cute and annoying

What do I say? Brian was basically weak and an inconsiderate spineless person. All this I… I…I… Well “I” couldn’t believe it. This family took you in loved you which even allowed you to have a family. All he did was constantly hurt every member over and over again because he had stronger feelings for his “best friend”.

This man upset me at every turn to where I honestly did not think that he deserved to have his happily ever after. He acted in a way that his so called best friend felt that Brian hated him. Come on, what kind of friend is that, let alone a best friend?

What’s this epiphany crap? I thought he was gonna be like this is suppose to be my best friend. He shouldn’t have to tell me to hug him back. I’ve got to stop acting like this and be a real friend….. this is ridiculous. Is that what he did? No, he made things even worse. He eventually leaves again with zero intent on ever seeing V “his best friend” again. This because he he has no control of his “feelings”. He may not be about to control the fact that he has the feelings; however, he for dang sure should be able to have control over them and not allow his feelings to dictate his life. That’s exactly what he did. He allowed his life to be run by this 1 thing. His entire life, was run by the fact that he was in love with Varro.

And oh no! The audacity of this dude! You have no right to ask this of me?? What!? Are you kidding? She can most definitely ask. Now if she outright demanded, that’s different. That’s not what happened though. That didn’t prove she cared for 1 over the other more. All that showed was that she didn’t want her son to kill himself because his head isn’t completely in the task do to his (let’s just say it) longing for his friend. She knew what would help. She knew that her other “son” could continue his path just taking an alternate road. He was still working and earning money. And he still continued his education.