How Not to Sin

Lovestrong, Book 3

By: Susan Hawke

Narrated by: Michael Pauley

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

One regular guy who happens to be a preacher....

Reverend Dr. Gabe Samson doesn’t think he’s better than any of the people in his church, so please don’t put him on a pedestal. While he’s never hidden the fact that he identifies as bisexual, he’s never acted on it either. Gabe isn’t happy to learn that the sole reason he was hired to pastor the LGBT-friendly church was that the ruling elders wanted a safe poster child for inclusivity - in other words, they wanted the rainbow flag without letting it fly. 

Plus one easygoing, new-age kinda guy....

Seth Thomas owns Holistic Healing, a metaphysical shop and yoga studio. He’s never really been a relationship kinda guy, but only because he hasn’t met the right man yet. Seth is laid back and goes with the flow. When fate drops a hot preacher in his lap, why wouldn’t he accept the gift? 

Equals a pair of men who click from the start.

The two men find it almost too easy to get together, especially Gabe, who is fully embracing his bi side for the first time. Nothing in life is simple though. While Gabe and Seth are busy falling in love, they face an anti-gay hate group, a divided church, and a ruling elder who is hell-bent on sowing discord. Between Gabe’s patient wisdom and Seth’s snark, the pair fight the growing drama with the strongest weapons in their arsenal: love and humor.

©2019 Susan Hawke (P)2019 Susan Hawke

Change for the better

This was an good story. Seth and Gabe are great together with a united front for change.

Might not be everyone's cup of tea,but it was mine

With the first 2 books of this series, (How Not to Blend and How Not to Tuck), I felt that my 3 stars was a matter of taste & that others might love it. For this book, I think my 4-star might be a 3-star for others, depending on personal taste.
I enjoyed Gabe and Seth's relationship, their banter, general conversations and getting to know one another. They had a sort of whirlwind relationship, but even though they still probably had a lot more to learn about one another, their love and respect for each other felt totally believable. I was also totally sucked into the portion of the plot involving a bigoted church member and his family, (one member being involved in a previous book and the main character of a future book).
Some might find this book a bit preachy, not just because one of the characters is literally a preacher, but because there's a LOT said about this character's feelings about religion, interpretation of the Bible & Christianity in general, along with multiple discussions between characters. However, although I can appreciate that the sermonizing might be a turnoff for some, I feel that it was important for the story, to understand Gabe & other characters in the book, (not to mention that part of what was being said was the idea that we need more love and less hate, less using religion as a weapon). One way that I think helps to deal with mentions of religion in books & characters, if you're not into real life religions like Christianity, is to imagine that the characters are living in a paranormal world & that this is that world's religion. (As a side note, I did find it relatively unrealistic that so many side characters, who were past or future main characters of the series, were also associated with Gabe's church. It does take place in a fictional small town though, so there's that).
Onto the narration - I enjoyed the narration throughout this book - there were a couple side characters whose voices didn't do it for me, but they weren't in it enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the narration for me.

I love MP but not this book

Was given this by Leslie Copeland from Lescourt group.

#mm #firsttime # chancemeeting #instaattraction #instalust #instalove #instachemistry

Bi pastor meets gay yoga instructor. A snow storm brings them together when they are forced to have a sleep over. The pastor had never actually been with a man before but knew he wanted to. They had great chemistry right from the start and it was sweet at first but then they seemed to fall too quickly and the pastor was all too eager to go full speed ahead on having sex for the first time. Didn't seem very realistic. Even if he was eager, one would think he would still be nervous but he wasn't at all. 🙄
Having to listen to bigots repeatedly use their religious beliefs to be total asses got sickening. There were whole sections where they were just ping ponging bible verses at each other and various hate crimes. The romance seemed to play a very small background part of a story mostly just about a prejudiced town spewing hatred the whole time. 🙄 2 stars is being generous.

I always love anything read by MP/MD

Love Gabe and Seth!

Gabe and Seth appear to be so different with one a preacher and one a holistic store owner but underneath, they discover how alike they are. Even as outside forces threaten their relationship, they work together to strengthen their relationship.

Everyone deserves to love who they want

I received an ARC of this audio for my honest review. This story is about a Preacher Rev Dr Gabe Samson and a Holistic Healer Seth Thomas. This was a great story about two men who fight to be together in a town where some feel their love is a sin. They handle all the anti gay hate in stride. The narrator did a great job with each character.

How Not to Sin is great!

This is a great addition to the LOVESTRONG series. Yoga teacher Seth and reverend Gabe should be an odd match, but they are actually perfect for each other. Gabe's sense of humor lets him appreciate Seth's snark, and the way they care so deeply for each other almost immediately is heartwarming. This story features a fun, supportive, and sexy romance growing in the midst of a hate being stirred up by a horrible person in Gabe's church. Harold Danvers first appeared in How Not to Blend, and his evil homophobia is even worse here. He goes to great lengths to spread his agenda of hate and intolerance. Luckily, Gabe and Seth have a great group of supporters, and many of them are members of the church.
There are some scenes when I feel like the teasing goes on a bit long when a serious conversation needs to happen, but that doesn't detract from a very good story. I love the way the author, through Gabe, offers so many strong arguments against those attempting to use a few verses from the Bible as an excuse to condemn others. This storyline is handled well, without making the reader feel preached at. I appreciated this book.
The narrator's voice was heartfelt and impressive. He brought to life all the feelings in this story, good and bad. I never hesitate to listen to a book featuring his performance, and he fit this story well.

Loved

I loved this book. the story and the characters are wonderful. I love a story that doesn't preach at you and just puts out good vibes.

Michael Pauley does a great job with this narration. I haven't had a problem with any story that he narrates. S. Hawke does a great job each time, but this might just be my favorite of her books.

Hit home for me

So, I was raised Catholic and even though I don't go to church and I have ideas that might not be supported by my religion, I still consider myself a person of faith. Maybe I am guilty of picking and choosing what I want to believe about God, but I choose to pay attention to the parts of the Bible that talk about not judging and loving one another. I know that there are others like me, but I know there are people who use religion to hurt others. That theme is often used in LGBT+ books when parents kick their kids out, or like in this book, protesters crash events screaming about sin instead of love. So I always find it refreshing when a book features a God who loves instead of hates. (Though you will find both kinds of religious people in this book.)

Needless to say, I definitely relate to Gabe. He is a minister at a Presbyterian Church attended by some of the main characters in the previous books. In addition to his duties at the church he uses his minor in counseling to run the anger management group. I'd like to think his acceptance of others who don't practice the same faith or any faith mirrors my own. When his car breaks down and Seth rescues him from the cold, he doesn't try to preach or get him to go to church. He respects Seth and his yoga studio/holistic business. And Seth is a non believer who doesn't feel the need to argue against religion. Both men are just good guys who want to help others, in whatever way they are called to do it, and without pushing an agenda. The rescue turns into an overnight visit and the development of feelings and carnal thoughts.

Of course, not everything can be sunshine and roses as these two find their way together. Some members of his church only wanted the bisexual preacher there as a token of their acceptance of LGBT people and never expected him to actually find interest in a member of the same sex. When the very annoying and hateful Harold Danvers, wants to pull their church out of the Presbyterian faith, and to rebuke homosexuality things really start to get crazy. Harold is the father of the boy who bullied Grayson in book one. Harold is the father of a possibly gay son who harasses others because he knows he won't ever be accepted.

The town of Rockford Bluff has had it's anti-lgbt members, like Harold, but up until this book, the bullying took place on the down low. They might have spewed hate from the comfort of their living room, but ultimately I felt like all the characters felt like they had a safe space in their town because in fact, there seems to be a decent amount of LGBT people and allies. Harold might have been pushed to the edge by worries about his own son, or seeing Gabe with Seth, but suddenly there is property damage and painted slurs. A Westboro-like group is suddenly protesting outside of the church. I feel like Gabe and Seth had the roughest start of all the couples because of the microscope they found themselves under.I probably spent too long discussing the hate that Gabe and Seth had to face, but it is so hard for me to see what I believe in twisted. It is so hard to see humans treat other humans so horribly. And yes, that does play a part of this story, but the love that grows between the two men is stronger. The love they get from their friends, like Larry/Honey, Dottie, the icky boys, Shaw, and Grayson (to name a few) is also stronger than what some close-minded people think.

I love all the books in this series but I have to say that this one hit close to home with me. The narration by Michael Pauley was great as well. I definitely recommend this book and the whole series. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Ejoyed it!

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Seth and Gabe. They clicked right away and you could feel their connection. They are well matched.
This story is full of humor, heart and love. There is some angst but it's more from outside influences and not between these two men. As always Michael Pauley does a fantastic job of bringing these voice to life!

Tolerance vs Hate

The synopsis does summarize the book quite accurately but I want to expand on the humor in the book. Ms. Hawke brings snarkiness to a whole new level while keeping the adorableness of the characters. I’m thinking about the scene with an elderly woman, crystal phalluses, and enough humor to have me laughing out loud in a parking lot. Fortunately it was empty although I would have willingly put up with a few side looks. I’m not a new age person, but I find it fascinating that crystals vibrate at different frequencies. See, learning something new every day.

What I am familiar with is hate and there is plenty of that in this book. An elder in Pastor Gabe’s church played a major role in Book 1 of the series and he’s back again with a vengeance. Gabe is fighting to keep the church inclusive while this man is fighting to keep it exclusive, claiming God does not approve of homosexuality. The biblical arguments went a bit over my head as for years I’ve seen the book as a weapon to be wielded. The author’s liturgical knowledge was strong and deftly handled well. Did it change my position on religion? No. But I don’t think it was meant to. I adored Pastor Gabe who is walking a tightrope between the two factions of his church. I also adored his secretary Dottie who was the largest of tigers, protecting those she sees as her own.

I loved Seth’s easy acceptance of Gabe and his life. He embraces his role as boyfriend with great enthusiasm because although he’s had other relationships, none of them compare to what he’s found with Gabe. I’m not necessarily sold on new age stuff either, but I do believe in meditation and the benefits of yoga. So although there was lots of angst surrounding the church and the religious storyline, the relationship between the two men was fun and cute.

This is another great book in the Lovestrong series and I have to give a shout-out to Michael Pauley for his brilliant narration. His portrayal of Andy’s Gam Gam and the secretary Dottie was wonderful. He carries the voices from previous books and provides a stead performance. A great listen.

Awesome

I loved this audiobook.
Really great writing, great narration.
I can’t wait to listen to more.

Love is Love...Love wins!

I love this new contemporary MM romance series from S. Hawke, and this third book in the series was quite exciting. Michael Pauley does an excellent job of bringing the characters and their situation to life.
I love how Pastor Gabe is very head on with the church elder who is bigoted and trying to cause trouble, and I love how much he emphasises the importance of love over judgement and the value of being yourself as God made you.
I like how mellow Seth is and the meet cute as he rescues Pastor Gabe from the snow. Following as their relationship develops and the tension in the church community escalates, I love how their strengths seem to complement each other perfectly.
Highly recommended for all contemporary romance lovers and S. Hawke fans everywhere. I'm eagerly anticipating the fourth book in the series in audio.

A story I warmed to as it went on

When I first started listening to this I worried I would struggle with Seth's character. The way he spoke about the ladies in his yoga classes was rude and unnecessarily cruel. But I liked Gabe and the plot so I persevered and I did end up liking Seth.
The narration surprised me. I've enjoyed books by Michael Pauley before but here I often found it difficult to work out who was speaking even though the MCs voices started out completely different. He does perform the story well and with gusto, though.

Love the dynamic

I Love the dynamic of her characters, and each book keeps getting better and better as the series continues. Im glad I kept going. Can't wait for the next!

Another hit :)

Ms. Hawke has another hit series! This time, it focuses on Gabe (he featured in Book 1) and Seth (from Book 2). Gabe is the 'poster LGBT' pastor - hired because he's bisexual and perceived to be non practicing. However, the joke's on the church leadership, because when he meets Seth, they begin to see each other- and he's no longer practicing; he's virtually perfect, lol!. Both men experience homophobia, especially from some church members, but they prevail, especially with support of their friends. I really enjoyed the story.
The narration by Mr. Pauley is well done. He has really good timing/pacing and and is great with the characters. A good way to experience the story.
I received a copy a for review. The opinions expressed are voluntary.

Brilliantly fun

Having read the book I knew the story but having Michael Pauley bring it to life is another treat and I can’t wait to dive in to the next in the series.

Loving the clergyman 🌈

A hippie gay man and a man from the clergy. I enjoyed the theme since is the first time I have read one without a dark taboo which is not my like. This is a fun and reflexive romance. Seth and Gabe are such a great couple, hot chemistry and complement each other in so many ways. I hate bigotry so I clapped when the bad boy from the book got what he deseved. The grandma scene was just hilarious. Awesome book. I didn’t have to read the other books in the series to read this one.
Great narration with the different voices and notes. 👍🏼

Fun, flirty with a strong story line

I am loving this series from Susan Hawke, highly entertaining with a plot that holds your attention and characters that you feel a connection to.
The relationship between Seth and Gabe is wonderful to witness as two quite different men come together with an obvious attraction and connection between them. Whilst Gabe is a pastor at the local church, it is an LGBTQIA+ inclusive church and he is not one to push religion onto anyone. As someone non-religious, it made for easy reading, no turn off throughout as I enjoyed every aspect that Susan covered, with Seth promoting crystals and their healing powers in his yoga studio too.
The main story line of the book actually brings our MC's and the community together which is wonderful to read, as well as an important event for one of our previous couples. We get a lot from characters from previous books as well as introductions to new people. There's a lot of entertainment but also support and love that shines through in character interaction and the important moments.
Michael, yet again, knocks it out of the park with his narration. One of my favourite things is the variety of voices that Michael Pauley is able of creating and holding across a series. He's capable of bringing a smile to my face or a tear to my eye, perfectly conveying emotion regardless of the situation and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this outing. Cannot wait for the next one!!

I'm loving this series!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.5 stars
🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level: 3.5
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration: 5

I'm loving this series!!

I loved Susan approach to an openly bisexual reverend! She's taken great care to craft this story and it shows in these great characters and how they face the hatred, bigotry and homophobia poising their town, Gabe's church, and their lives. 

Gabe happens to be bisexual and happens to be a pastor. He finds himself hired as a poster boy for inclusivity in the LGBTQ community of his small town but is 'encouraged' not to act on his bisexuality or he may no longer be the pastor. After this ridiculous shock, an adorable kismet of events happens and Gabe finds himself quickly falling for Seth. Seth's a fun and cheeky yoga teacher and Gabe and Seth are great together! I loved their banter, sexy times and strength and they stand together to face the new bigotry that has risen in town. 

I really enjoyed seeing familiar faces around town and learning more about the other awesome characters. I'm loving this series and look forward to many more stories in the Lovestrong series!

As ever Micheal's narration is perfection!! Brilliant dialects, characterizations and story flow. Although I must his voice for Larry is a bit painful to listen to. It's so different from all other voices I've heard Micheal bring to life that I can't imagine how he managed such a deep throaty voice without hurting himself. I'm interested to see if he kept up this voice for the entirety of Larry story, as I think that would be an extraordinary feet!!

Susan and Micheal are a perfect match and this series in a winner for me!!

Thanks for reading!

Love triumphs

I love this book and how it tackles difficult subjects of hate and religion in such a clear and at times humorous way. Dr Gabe Samson has never hidden that he identifies as bisexual. The church elders, and one in particular, made assumptions about this which they had to face. Seth is a wonderfully sarcastic character. He finds the fun in life wherever he can. Gabe and Seth compliment each other and work well as a couple. Standing by each other when trouble from the hateful people start.
Although this is the third book in the series it can certainly be listened to on its own. The characters from the previous two books do make an appearance but I did not feel I was missing anything information. I will say that after listening to the other characters I really want to know them and their story so I will be catching up with both books asap.
I love Michael Pauley’s narration. He gives the story such vitality and spirit. Each character has their own personality which he gives such vivacity to. A pleasure to listen to.