Hide and Seek

Stories from the Sound (All Cocks Stories), Book 6

By: T.M. Smith

Narrated by: Mackenzie Brennan

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Truths come out and trust is put to the test. Can the All Cocks family find the happiness they deserve?

Dusty Anderson left his hometown in Justin, Texas, for the Big Apple not long after graduating high school with dreams of becoming an actor. A year later, no closer to realizing his dream but pretty damn close to being broke, he comes across a flyer in a local gay bar that provides a solution to his dilemma.

Six years later, Dusty has all but forgotten his dream to be an actor. The family he gained when he went to work at All Cocks and the job itself are enough for him - for now, at least.

David Thompson is barely 21, high on life and starting his second year at NYU as an art student. Now that he is old enough to enjoy the city’s night life, David finds his first crush at a local hot spot in the village, The Monster Bar. Young love is laid to rest, though, when David comes out to his mother and older brother...with disastrous results.

A tragic incident at the hands of David’s brother changes the course of all of their lives and brings the two together, but is it coincidence or fate? Regardless of unlikely circumstance, Dusty is inexplicably drawn to David, who suddenly finds himself alone in the world. Protective of David from the start, Dusty realizes his extended family at All Cocks and his best friend Kory will not understand this new relationship. Fearing the worst, Dusty plays a dangerous game of hide-and-seek, risking everything to keep David safe and sheltered.

But hiding can only last for so long, and David and Dusty aren’t the only ones dealing with uncertainties. The Dimir men find that the one thing they’ve longed for might be within reach and Dusty’s father, Dean, arrives in town unexpectedly with secrets of his own.

Note: This book was previously released in the All Cocks Stories series. This book is intended for mature listeners due to adult content.

©2016 T.M. Smith (P)2020 T.M. Smith

David and Dusty

Hide and Seek is Book 6 in the Stories from the Sound series. This is an emotional story about Dusty and David. David is in a coma after being beaten half the death by his homophobic brother. Dusty is drawn to David and sits and talks to him. When David wakes up and is ready to be released Dusty takes him in. I love how protective Dusty is of David, they have such a wonderful connection. I also love how they call each other D. Although they have to confront what David's brother has done, to more than just David, Dusty and his work family make it through together. And though David lost his blood family he gained so much more with Dusty, a true family. This is an enjoyable series and I recommend it.
Narrator Mackenzie Brennan does a fabulous job. He has a lovely voice and really brought the characters to life.

Dusty's secrets finally revealed.

I was so happy to be back with the All Cocks crew after so many months from listening to the latest book. I admit I was a bit nervous about the narrator’s change, also because Mackenzie Brennan is a new to me narrator. But I did love his performance! It was clear, paced right and with the right amount of emotion portrayed.
And the book has so many emotions! And so many things happening! Really, I feel like Dusty and David need at least a year of vacation and super boring life to get past everything that happens to them (well, mostly to poor David, really) in the span of the book.
I loved Dusty’s protectiveness and David’s resolve to go on with his life and not let anything bring him down anymore.

Fantastic

Hide and Seek is the sixth book in the All Cocks Stories by T.M. Smith. If you have not read the previous books, do yourself a favor and go read them and join me in my addiction. These characters in the series are intriguing and endearing, fun and sweet and can get very very steamy.

In this book, we get the story of Dusty and David. Dusty is caring and protective, drawn to David, even though he is a stranger, in a coma, and the brother of someone who brought pain and destruction to his "family" at All Cocks. David was a victim of his own blood family... luckily he is finding out what real love is in Dusty's arms. Their journey is full of emotion, sweet moments, steamy interactions and a strong sense of family and love. This story had me smiling, laughing a loving these characters. I can not wait to read the next book in the series.

Mackenzie Brennan did a fantastic job as narrator.   Clear and smooth recording, enjoyable voice performance.  

Good story

This was a new to me author. I really enjoyed the story. Dusty is really sweet, he’s got a caring and protective personality. He’s drawn to David. David’s family is a piece of work! This was the first narration by Mackenzie Brennan, well done.

Raw and Emotional

This is book 6 in the series and can be listened to as a standalone.

I loved listening to Dusty and David l's story.
It was an emotional and heartfelt journey. Their bond and connection they shares was so beautiful.

There is brief mention if homphobic violence and the author did a great job handling it.

The characters were likeable and well fleshed out and the writing style appealed to me.

I absolutely love this series and recommend listening to them if you enjoy real and raw stories.

The narration was enjoyable and engaging as well.

Angel in my Dreams

Mackenzie Brennan did a really good job with this narration and bringing the story to life. Enjoyable voice to listen to.
Definitely would help understand the back story and characters if you listen to all the books an in order. I think it's worth getting to know all the couples and characters that make up this unconventional family. A true Brotherhood.
Dustin and David a sweet story of Love and deep emotions that comes from a very tragic start. The attraction between these two is so fast and deep, enough to last a lifetime.
A coming out Horror story turned Love and strength story.
throw in Victor and the other models and a father showing up to end up with a man and it's an entertaining story ending of course with a wedding.... Well worth the credit and your time to listen.

Emotional Story

This is a very emotional story. Everything that David went through is absolutely heart wrenching. It's a miracle he even survived and then had to face an uphill battle to work through everything that had happened. Dusty is an incredible man, his support for David was unwavering and he was there for him every step of the way. These two really deserve their HEA. I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audio book.

Okay but I don't think this works as a standalone

Hide and Seek is a bit harder for me to review. Initially, I jumped at the chance to try a new-to-me author and narrator. The blurb sounded interesting and different, with a promise of angst and heat. Unfortunately, while this story is said to work as a standalone, I think my enjoyment was significantly hampered by not reading the full series. The author does attempt to summarize the events leading up to Dusty and David finding one another, but I think being invested in the entire storyline and array of characters is necessary to really appreciate their portion of events.

Dusty and David meet in an interesting way and their bond becomes very deep early on. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, but given the scenario in Hide and Seek, I hoped it would make sense. While I understand how their connection originated and solidified, I had a hard time believing in them as a couple. Things just seemed too convenient, I suppose, and I wanted to see their bond deepen and develop on-page rather than read a brief summary of all the things the couple and characters faced off-page. The more I reflect on my thoughts, the more I believe my lack of investment was likely due to trying to jump into this series so late in the game. There are simply too many storylines referenced throughout Hide and Seek, as well as appearances by secondary characters who play important roles in Dusty and David's lives. Ultimately, I felt like I was always on the outside looking in.

While I don't know that the Stories from the Sound series is a complete match for me, I do think those readers who have read the series would enjoy this audiobook. The narrator for Hide and Seek fit the characters and pace well, and his performance was very good. I definitely would listen to more from Mackenzie Brennan in the future and would recommend the audio version to fans of the series or this particular title.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***