Heartsong

Vino & Veritas

By: A. E. Wasp

Narrated by: Chris Chambers

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

"It just figures that the first guy I'm bringing back to my place is cute, single, and totally off-limits...."

Sean Anderson has spent his life waiting to get the hell out of West Virginia. His plans got derailed when his dad shipped him off to "pray the gay away", but he's over it, ready to prove that he's a grown-ass man who can take care of himself. Of course, he'd have a better chance convincing himself if he could stop lusting after his grumpy roommate.

Army veteran Cooper Hill returned to Vermont minus one leg and one career, but determined to build a new life. When an army buddy asks Cooper to keep an eye on his nephew, a junior at the local college, Cooper can't say no. He's expecting a sheltered kid. What he gets is a gorgeous young man whose brilliant poetry gives voice to everything Cooper's been trying to express. He wants Sean more than he's ever wanted anything. And somehow, miraculously, Sean wants him too. 

But wanting each other isn't the same as being good for each other...especially when past pain threatens to write its own verse in their song.

Contains mature themes.

©2021 A. E. Wasp (P)2021 Tantor

Overpolitical

Young, naive Sean has a lot of questions about being gay. Cooper has a lot of answers that mostly involve getting offended very easily and lecturing Sean about why he's a bad person. I've been unimpressed with every entry in the Vino and Veritas series (with the exception of the first one, Roommate) and after this one, which started out very promising, I'm finally going to just give up on the whole thing. Even books in the series by authors I like (such as A. E. Wasp, as it happens) just feel like reading an epic Twitter thread written by someone with blue hair who calls themself queer and spells the word "woman" with an X. No thank you.

Here's an example: Sean and Cooper go to the titular bar/bookstore, and Sean makes the mistake of casually referring to it as a gay bar. Cooper immediately pontificates (and I'm quoting): "First of all, it's not a 'gay bar,' it's just a bar that makes a point of being welcoming and inclusive to people of all races, sexes, genders, and gender expressions. Got it?" Ok dude, chill out. 99% of the world would call Vino & Veritas a gay bar, INCLUDING ME and literally every gay guy I know. In fact, I'm actually slightly insulted at the implication that there's anything wrong with the phrase "gay bar," so points off for that, Ms. Wasp. Also I think it's interesting that a gay man wouldn't include "sexual orientation" in that list (and include race for some reason), but I guess we're actually pretty far down the hierarchy of identity politics, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

I've been out of the closet for about twenty years now, and I never thought I would say this, but I'm actually jealous of straight people who get to read romance novels that actually focus on the romance. Lately it seems like every book I read or listen to is a treatise written by some know-it-all straight woman trying to educate me about the LGBT community. I get that the actual audience for these books consists mostly of straight women, but I honestly can't help but feel a little insulted that someone is trying to lecture me about my own thing. And I can't imagine that it goes over well with the straight women being targeted, either, but I guess they sell ok. I'm not going to return this audiobook because, you know, it's like the sixth book I've bought in this series that had the same problem, and caveat emptor and all, but I am going to Amazon.com to get them to delete it so it doesn't clutter up my library.

Incidentally, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the unbelievably good narration by Chris Chambers. There's no need for a dual narration when one person can play both roles so convincingly. He's so good I'm going to search for another book he's narrated to cleanse my palate.

Ohhhh my god!

This book is amazing! Now I have purchased all of the audio books in the series and I’ve been disappointed by a few of them. But this book

Has blown me away! I’m going to try to put it as succinctly as possible. Yes, each main character has a “personal demon” and the author does amazing job of laying them out quietly and expertly BUT without the angst that same authors insist on beating you with ….
I don’t want to post any spoilers so I will just say you have to listen to this book! The story is perfect & the narrator is fantastic!!

I have to make a point also about the way the author ends the story .. like life …there’s not a quick fix, the journey of living isn’t a straight road . Such a great book !!!!

May to December

AE Wasp wrote an excellent book, I did not read it prior to listening but was hooked on it.
Sean is a sweet guy who has trauma in is past he does not realize it influences his realatuonships, friends and lovers, are not really there. Cooper is finding himself again after loosing his leg and retiring from the military. Both men have their strugged with accepting themeselves.
I found myself immersed in the story and absolutely enjoyed this narrator Chris Chambers. Spot on and caprivating.
Trigger: PTSD

Touching story indeed

It never occurred to me that PTSD comes to many people and not just war heroes and here is a story that handles it perfectly. It's dramatic but beautifully written and the narrator is great and I love the country drawl. I will watch out for more of A E Wasp. 💕