How to Catch the Boss

Chester Falls Novella

By: Ana Ashley

Narrated by: Nick Hudson, André Santana

Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

I’m in love with my brother’s best friend.
Have I also mentioned he’s my boss?

Working with Ryan is a daily reminder of what I can’t have. 
But how do I tell my heart that?
When we’re trapped together in a log cabin, in the snowy mountains of Lydovia, just before Christmas, I realize my feelings might not be completely one-sided. 

Ryan’s afraid of losing my brother’s friendship, but how can I go back to not being with him?
How do I make him see that what we have is worth the risk?

Caution! Contains:
Excessive pastry consumption
Food-themed underwear
A voyeuristic deer
A meddling royal family 

How to Catch the Boss is a 30k MM romance holiday novella set in the world of Chester Falls. 

This novella can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, although it will be better enjoyed as part of the Chester Falls series since it contains recurring characters.

©2020 Ana Ashley (P)2023 Ana Ashley

Snowed in with the boss

This is such a cute novella. It’s not overly short which I appreciated and the context was perfect
This is Ryan’s story and I was happy to get it.
The characters are amazing and the story is sweet with a touch of humor. They have a voyeur that will make you die laughing!
The narration is amazing. Nick does an amazing job as usual but the addition of Andre as the second voice was a good choice. I’ll be look for more of his narration!

If you like men that cook, sweets…especially pastry, A voyeuristic deer
A meddling royal family, interracial romance, snowed in with one bed, and brother’s best friend….oh! Sweet holiday romance! You will love this

Such a sweet listen!

I love this sweet story! It is fast but such an amazingly sweet Christmas story. Yes it is July but Christmas is July. I love Ryan and Luca! They are just so sweet. Then Nick Hudson and André Santana has done an amazing job. André Santana is a new narrative and I love it. They both bring these characters to life. Amazing!

loved Mrs. Nosey Deer

I seriously loved Ryan and Luca!! They were both so oblivious!! Ryan is best friend’s with Luca’s brother and has been in love with him since they were teenagers. Ryan is also Luca’s boss. When Ryan decides he’s getting away for a bit, he goes the Royal Prince’s cabin. Luca has also been sent there with the mission to drop off some Christmas decorations. When these two finally get together, it’s explosive, hot and steamy. I seriously loved this story. I loved Mrs. Nosey Deer!! So funny! This was the perfect Holiday story!! Christmas in July!!! Nick Hudson and André Santana did a fantastic job with the dual narration! Well done. Overall, a fantastic listen! The pacing was nice as it was over was too soon!

Ryan and Luca

How to Catch the Boss is a beautifully written holiday story about Luca and Ryan and a wonderful addition to the series. Luca and Ryan have known each other since they were teenagers. Ryan is Luca's brother's best friend and also happens to be Luca's boss. I love how their friends get them together and put them in a situation where they can confront their feelings for one another. It seems being isolated in a cabin together is just what Luca and Ryan needed. This is such a heart warming story and I'm glad Ryan and Luca had the courage to tell each other how they feel even though they feared telling Santi, Luca's brother. I love Santi's reaction when he finds out. Definitely recommend.
Narrators Nick Hudson and André Santana do an amazing job together. I wouldn't mind if they did more collaborations together in the future.

How to catch a boss

This was a fun short story I really enjoyed listening to I really liked the Christmas vibes and them getting together after such a long road avoiding their feelings

Sweet+Fluffy as Lydovian Apple-Cinnamon Doughnuts

What a delightful little snow-capped holiday excursion to Lydovia. Luca and his boss and brother's longtime best friend Ryan finally get for Christmas what they've secretly always wanted - each other. Or maybe it's only a secret from one another. How it all unfolds in a snowy mountain cabin is genuinely sweet and low/no angst, with some humor (the boxers alone...) and enough heat to melt the snow right off of the roof.

Narrator Nick Hudson has been delivering engaging performances across this series, and I look forward to hearing more of new-to-me narrator André Santana's work in the future. Both do a nice job here, though sometimes I couldn't detect a whole lot of vocal distinction between characters. I think the audio would've benefited from their having done a duet rather than dual narration because their voices are quite different, which could've been a strength had they narrated jointly rather than both voicing all characters in alternating chapters.

"How to Catch the Boss" can easily be enjoyed as a standalone, though it all may be more meaningful having read the previous books in the Chester Falls series since characters overlap (plus, it's a great series). I received a free review copy of this audio book (and an advance reading copy of the e-book previously) and have left this honest review voluntarily.

Luca & Ryan

Luca and Ryan have know each other for years, but Ryan felt Luca was off limits. They need a chance to really talk to make anything work. Best friend's little brother; everyone but each other knows they like the other. Ugh, "over and out." Not used in the military.

So sweet

Ryan & Luca grow up together. Luca's brother Santi has always said that everyone is to keep their hands off of his little brother. In addition, Ryan is Luca's boss. Everyone around them knows that Ryan & Luca are attracted to each other, but they don't see it & think that they are the only one that has feelings for the other. So, with some outside manipulation, the boys end up at the cabin during a snowstorm & they finally see what everyone else sees. But then Santi comes to town & Ryan thinks he has to walk away from Luca. They were so very sweet together & this was a sweet addition to this series.

Sweet and hot Christmas novella.

I loved this sweet Christmas novella in the Chester Falls series, which actually takes place in a cabin in Lydovia.
Ryan is Luca’s boss, and his older brother’s best friend. They have grown up together and have been in love with each other without the other knowing. Plus, Ryan is wary of messing things up with his best friend by taking things further with Luca.
A sort of intervention by Lydovia’s freshly wed princes finds them alone in a cabin with all the time to sort out their feelings.
A short, sweet and sexy story, fun and easy to read!
Nick Hudsan is always a guaranteed wonderful listening experience, and André Santana, a new-to-me narrator, was a great choice for the dual narration!

I love these guys

The whole series about Chester Falls is one of my favorites and hearing it brought to life is so much fun. Ryan and Luca are two of my favorite characters, right up there with Ben and his boo and as well as Charlie and Kris. Stuck together in a cabin in the snow? What do you think is going to happen!?! These two deserve their HEA. And I loved the addition of Andre Santana as Ryan. He and Nick Hudson did a great job bringing these guys to life.

Wonderful!

WOW! this is not only a wonderful addition to a captivating series, but also has an amazing performance made by Mr Hudson and Mr Santana. The story of Luca and Ryan was set in the same world of the rest of the series and it is a beautiful story about boss/employee, brother's BFF's romance with all the angst and misunderstandings this situation could mean. A nice treat masterfully narrated. Loved it so much!

Short sweet story but narration is lacking

If you’ve read How to Catch a Vet, you’ll recognize that one of the protagonists there, Santiago Torres, is the older brother of Luca and best friend of Ryan, the couple featured in the novella How to Catch the Boss. Santiago may not appear much here, but he plays a pivotal role in the relationship between Ryan and Luca.

In contrast to most of the Chester Falls series, How to Catch a Boss takes place entirely in Lydovia. I enjoyed the different perspective, especially because the novella otherwise relies heavily on tropes - brother’s best friend, boss/employee, stuck in a cabin in a snowstorm at Christmas time, age gap, forbidden romance. Misunderstandings about mutually held attraction underline the plot here, and Ashley does a nice job maintaining the UST until Luca and Ryan give in. That relationship progression felt a bit rushed despite their long history. I think the characters could have been fleshed out more, and perhaps a larger story about them would have facilitated that.

As for the narration, Nick Hudson narrates Luca and Andre Santana narrates Ryan. I typically enjoy Hudson’s narration, but he has a very distinctive stop/start pacing and upward inflection that is more pronounced and distracting here. That may be because of the alternating dual narration with Santana, whose vocal performance couldn’t be more different. Santana’s portrayal of Ryan is very different from Hudson's in just about every way. His voice is too high-pitched and thin for how I pictured Ryan (deeper, fuller voice). The transitions between chapters is particularly jarring.

That being said, Hudson captures the emotions of the scenes well, as does Santana although he is a bit less successful at it. Overall, the audio experience felt disjointed. I would have preferred Hudson to narrate the entirety.

How to Catch the Boss itself is short and sweet, and definitely an enjoyable, holiday romance. It's particularly impactful in my opinion and the audio doesn't help, so I liked it better on text alone.

Brill

This is a brilliant novella and it’s fun to see Ryan get his man though he needed a push and some matchmaking for it to happen. As they were both clueless to each other’s feelings. Brill narrating by both Nick and Andre.

Heated romance in this great series

This is a really sweet novella from the Chester Falls series featuring two clueless men who have known each other forever. Ryan is Luca's boss as well as his best friend's brother so he has many reasons, so he thinks, to not pursue anything with the younger man. However, a plan is set in motion by their friends to bring the two men together at the very romantic setting of a log cabin up in snowy mountains.
Attraction and tension is clear right from the start between these two and its entertaining to read them be oblivious to what the other man is feeling. Though its a short story, I really like how things developed. The story flows and keeps moving, keeping the reader and characters on their toes as conflicting emotions battle with what will make the men truly happy. There is a lot of fun to be had along with hot moments in between snow fights and Christmas decorating.
Just as good are the group of men who have become their friends and are mischievous in their planning and loving in their support.
A great addition to the series that fans will love and can also be read as a stand alone.
This is the first time I've listened to a story with two narrators and while I loved the voices that they provided for Luca and Ryan, I was jolted out of the story just for a moment every time we start a new chapter and switch POV.

Super sweet and Christmassy!

How to Catch the Boss was such a sweet listen. I’m a sucker for brother’s best friend and boss stories - and this had the two in one! Throw in a Christmassy setting and you’ve got me sold!

I loved both Luca and Ryan’s characters. The fact that they’ve known each other for so long and had feeling for so long too just made me melt with happiness when they came together.

A great, sweet listen enhanced by the narrators - I’m not normally the hugest fan of audiobooks that have 2 narrators, but Nick Hudson and Andre Santana both knocked this out the park. Thoroughly enjoyed!

loved

I love anything narrated by Nick and I've just found another narrator I will enjoy immensely. the story is quick but doesn't feel like anything is missing and the laughs are well worth it

Snowbound with his boss in a remote cabin...

Luca has been in love with Ryan since he was sixteen years old, and now Ryan is his boss. Ryan has been best friends with Luca’s brother Santi since they were teenagers, and has been in love with Luca for almost that long. He’s never told him or acted on it, fearing losing both of them. Things finally come to a head during a snowy weekend just before the Christmas holiday in Lydovia, and some of my favorite tropes are involved: snowbound/trapped together in a remote cabin, only one bed, best friend’s brother, etc. Though part of the Chester Falls series, this novella-length story takes place entirely in Lydovia. It’s the perfect length listen for a weekend drive at just over 3 hours, and the dual narration by Nick Hudson and Andre Santana works very well here.

Wonderful Christmas novella

The story :

This sweet romance was so much fun, brothers best friend and close proximity all packaged up together in a very enjoyable novella.

Luca and Ryan are so likeable but so oblivious, even with the very strong chemistry vibes. Vibes that lead to some scorchingly hot sexy times which usually included some hilarious themed underwear. Ryan’s phone calls with this mother had me laughing out loud and the descriptions of the gorgeous sweet treats had my stomach rumbling.

The Narration:

Nick Hudson and André Santana both provide an enjoyable listening experience. Their tones and accents for the characters are similar and they are a good fit for the characters

Fantastic short holiday romance

This was short but super sweet and a little steamy. I didn’t even mind that it was talking about Christmas as I was listening to this for the first time in July. The characters were loveable, the plot was great and it was a wonderful love story with elements of friends to lovers, brothers best friend, forbidden romance and close proximity.

The narration was great. Both expressed the emotions perfectly and brought the story to life. I give it 4/5 stars simply because while both narrators gave distinct voices to the side characters, they used the same voice for each of the MCs so although we get the narrator change between each chapter/pov change, they still don't distinguish between the 2 characters in conversation which I always find a little disappointing. I'm also not a huge fan of duel narrations but I didn't let that effect my rating cause that's just my own preference and not really having anything to do with their talent. I totally understand the authors choice for the duel 1. Wanting to let Nick finish what he started and 2. Wanting to let a person of color narrate the character that was a person of color. It totally made sense.

Very enjoyable sweet romance

I really enjoyed this addition to the Chester Falls audio library, and I loved the dual narration. The switching between the two narrators was seamless and did not interrupt the flow of the story at all. Luca and Ryan were so adorable, hiding their feelings until well-intentioned friends threw them together. I loved Charlie telling Luca to look for "the look" in Ryan's eyes, and Santi's acknowledgement and acceptance was so sweet. There is nothing quite like two stubborn men realizing that what they are so afraid of is really no big deal. Communication, openness, and honesty are always key. I loved the guys picking out the ugliest, most mismatched decorations so Charlie would feel like it was a Chester Falls Christmas.

The narration was excellent by both Nick Hudson and new-to-me Andre Santana. They really brought these characters and this story to life.

I received a free review copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.