I'm Straight, Right?

De: Romeo Alexander, John Harris

Narrado por: Michael Ferraiuolo

Can a best friend become a lover without throwing away years of friendship?

Sometimes, all love needs is a little courage.

Sloane: I know I can be a grumpy bastard, and I’m not the easiest man to deal with, but you’d think my best friend would trust me. We don’t keep secrets, even about our love lives. That’s what I thought until I found out Dean was seeing someone. I don’t like it...don’t ask me why. But there’s more to the story than I thought, and now I have to deal with feelings I didn’t even know were possible for me.

Dean: I would not recommend being in love with your straight best friend. I met Sloane in Basic Training and fell head over heels. Years later and a deployment under each of our belts, it’s still not easy. All I’ve wanted for six years, six fucking years, was Sloane. Maybe it’s time I moved on. I’ll never have the same feelings for anyone else, but I’ll never get what I want from Sloane, right?

After one slightly drunken night, will Dean and Sloane ever be able to get back to what they’d been, or has everything between them changed forever?

©2020 Romeo Alexander (P)2020 Books Unite People, LLC

Sometimes, the pieces just fit...

Once in a lifetime - if you're lucky - you find "The One". The one who makes you feel OK after a crappy day...who knows what you want/need even before you do...who sees something in you that even you don't see...whose voice and touch and mere presence makes you feel "complete". More than a friend or a lover - a soulmate. But what happens if your soulmate is your best friend - and you want to be so much more...but you don't think that they could ever want you, need you, love you...the way you want, need and love them

Dean and Sloane met in Basic and have been "thick as thieves" for 6 years now. So similar, but yet so different - they just "fit", like the last piece in the puzzle that was each other's lives. But, secrets have a way of tearing apart even that which fits together so well...

Loved this story - the use of 2 points of view really lets the reader "get into the heads" of the main characters...getting a glimpse of how they see things and a sense of how/what they feel. The need for understanding, acceptance, companionship and, yes, love is universal; you might just find yourself "walking in the shoes" of Dean or Sloane - or both - as they try to figure out who they are, what they are...and where do they go from here.

The first book of the series - this can be read/listened to as a standalone...but if you're anything like me, you can't wait to follow along to the next story in the lives of the men of Fort Dale!

Loved it!

I had fun listening to this audiobook. Bestfriend to lovers is one of the tropes that I always go for. I particularly liked how the friendship of Sloane and Dean was shown.

The narrator is one of my favorites. His voice is so captivating that I always finish the audiobooks he narrates in one sitting.

I recommend this book, the authors, and the narrator. I look forward to more of their works.

Love, love, love this series

Sloane and Dean have been friends for a long time. Their touchy, feely friendship raises questions by others, but ‘whatever; people can think what they want to think’ has been their motto. Then, one day, Sloane discovered Dean was keeping a secret from him, which lead to a BIGGER secret being divulged. Their friendship was never the same since, and Sloane couldn’t stop questioning everything he’s ever learned. ❤️

This was a great start to this series; it’s well written and has engaging characters. I’ve already listened to book three, so I know these books all overlap a little, giving you a peak into future books, or previous books. I love it when a series does that. Nowhere in this story does Sloane say what he identifies as, but I suspect he’s pan. Hearts, not parts. Labels aren’t necessary for everyone, but I don’t think it’s gay or bisexual, given things he discusses in the book. That’s just my two cents, though. ❤️

Michael Ferraiuolo does a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. He’s extremely talented. I love all the voices he creates, including ones with accents. I highly recommend listening to his work. He definitely made this book, which was incredible on its own, reach a whole new level of greatness.

Unrequited Love, or Is It?

Have you ever had feelings for someone that you just knew couldn't feel the same way you do? That's how Dean felt about his very straight best friend Sloane. Then one night in the midst of an argument his secret just popped out, and with that one little confession Sloane started thinking about Dean in a whole new light.

How Sloane had no clue that his best friend was into him is a mystery to me, or why he never questioned why he go so upset when Dean was dating. Regardless the narrator reads this story just beautifully. He gave the story extra depth and dimension. It's cute and sweet with little to no angst. I would definitely read/listen to it again.

Best Friends to Lovers

I very much enjoyed listening to this book. It’s probably one of the best depiction of demi sexual awakening.

Sloane being completely straight (or so he thought) found himself questioning his sexuality and the ‘weirdness’ of it all because no guy could do it for him except for his best friend, Dean.

I adore Dean. He’s the perfect balance for Sloane.

This book is low-angst, yet realistically written when someone is discovering a new part of himself that he hasn’t even thought about before. I, most of all, love the strength and bond of Dean and Sloane’s friendship and it was the foundation in which their relationship evolved to something greater.

Michael Ferraiuolo’s narration is excellent, as always. He brought life to this sweet story.

**thank you for the opportunity to listen and and provide an honest review**

Good but felt short

Good book but it's like it ends once it gets started I want more. Only credit worthy.

Excellent

I enjoy reading this book and can't stop until the end. truly love the book.

Enjoyable

I liked this mm story a lot, and of course it had amazing narration. But it is fairly short title and the authors seemed to be trying to cram quite a bit of subplot into this tale. There was getting to know co-workers, learning about family backgrounds, back stories on the MCs military histories, vignettes from current jobs, and all the current relationship stuff going on between these two very likable men. All of these story lines only serve to muddy the waters imo. I need more clarity as to who the MCs are and what their present day situation is.

One aspect I found very confusing was Dean's job. Was he a doctor? Was he a medic? Was he some kind of physician's assistant? If he was an actual physician, its pretty unlikely he would have been on the front lines, and he is depicted as having been there. Also, if the Army paid for his medical school he would have had to sign up for 20 years, and that doesn't fit the events in the story either. And while this may seem minor, the Army has Forts, but you are 'on post' when you are present *at* the Fort. (Army brat here! Can you tell? Lol!). Trust me, it is not a minor distinction.

So, while I liked this book and recommend it, I would suggest the authors either leave out the extraneous stuff or write a full-length novel (8-10 hours) where all of that background material can be fully explored. Do more research into modern Army life, the vernacular, the job descriptions, etc. If nothing else, read Army Wives; there is a lot of info for newbies in there! One other niggle: I think Sloane is meant to be demi-sexual and a lot of the reviews are describing this as a gay-for-you story. While it is that as well, I think this man's quiet-to-nonexistant sex life fits better in the demi-sexual continuum. It isn't especially clear, but that was the impression I walked away with.

Michael Ferriaiuolo does his usual outstanding job in the narration booth. He has such a versatile voice, his voice acting is great, and he sells the story effortlessly. His is a voice I never tire of, he is both gifted and a gift to his listeners! :::sigh:::

I do recommend this with the above reservations, and I am looking forward to the next installment of the series!

A+ performances making a subpar story actually good

I needed something to pull me out of my 90 hour plus fantasy book so of course I’d chose a crappy romance novel. They’re a guilty pleasure usually crappy writing and awful stories.

I want to lead with the fact that the writing is amazing considering it’s a romance novel. Change the audience and this could be a bomb tv or movie series. However I rate it so low story wise because the premise is pure utter fantasy. The straight guy you’ve crushed on suddenly realizing he’s not gay, but madly in love with his best friend. Mind you it’s in the title so I wasn’t shocked but it got to cheesy sometimes, but had a healthy balance of romance and fluff that helped cut that suspension of disbelief for me that I still enjoyed it and will read the other books.

Now saving the best for last. Michael Ferraiuolo is by far the best narrator I’ve ever heard in terms of character voices. Most voice actors have some over lap between characters no matter how long or in depth the book can be. I never questioned which character was talking and the emotions he portrayed had me believing I was listening to multiple actors! Gold star and A+++

5 stars easy

I fell into love with this series when I read this on my kindle. And buying this audiobook was a way better experience than simply reading it. The narrator brought the characters to life.