Joshua's Rainbow

Rainbow Key, Book 1

By: Victoria Sue

Narrated by: Darcy Stark

Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Rainbow Key - an idyllic island retreat off the west coast of Florida. Think wedding destination, white sandy beaches, lurve…except at the moment Joshua is struggling to pay the electricity bill, they’ve no paying customers, and even if they did they can’t afford the repairs from the devastating hurricane that struck three years ago – and to top it off they have to take in Daniel, a grumpy businessman who has been ordered by his doctor to take some time off before he has a heart attack from too much stress.

Funnily enough, Daniel owns a very expensive hotel chain that has been trying to buy the island for the past two years. Not that Joshua knows that yet, and boy are sparks gonna fly when he thinks he’s been set up.

Of course, sparks of a different kind are also soon flying between them.

Then there’s Matt who just got let out of prison, Charlie who ran away from home, and Ben, a famous model until a devastating house fire destroyed his face.

Welcome to Rainbow Key – held together by love, family, and sticky tape.

©2018 Victoria Sue (P)2018 2018

Narration really made this an exceptional story!

Wonderfully heartfelt story about love and finding your home. I love this story! Joshua and Daniel are wonderful characters that will become men you hold in your heart.

Narration really made this an exceptional story for me. i had enjoyed the kindle version, however the audible version is wonderful. i felt that i was experiencing the book again for the first time.

This is a delightful story that is so beautifully written and the narration will touch your heart.

Joshua’s Rainbow

Joshua’s Rainbow by Victoria Sue
1st book in the Rainbow Key series. Contemporary M-M romance.
After suffering a panic attack, Daniel agrees to unplug at a small hotel on an island off the west coast of Florida. Daniel is worried about the lack of amenities but the first meal is wonderful so he decides to stay a bit longer. Daniel soon starts a relationship with Joshua and realizes the group is special and but under pressure by unscrupulous owners.

An emotional teeter-totter between Joshua and Daniel plus Matt, Charlie, Ben and the situations each has gone through in the past (tragic m-m situations). Load the current insecurities anyone can carry and it’s a bog of attempted emotional healing.
The author isn’t afraid of the tragic but remember this is a romance so of course, we are going to get an hea - for the main couple at least. You’ll have to read the rest of the series for the supporting men.

🎧 I alternated between a paperback copy and the audiobook narrated by John Solo. The narration was well done with distinct voices for the two main male characters and the emotional depth each went through. The most comfortable speed for this for me was 1.4 which was slightly faster than my preferred 1.2.

Love is the greatest forgiveness

Wow, this is one powerful story. 😱 It really blew me away. ❤️ First of all, from the blurb, you think that you are going to get a feel-good, low-angst, fluffy story. Well, you are not getting fluffy. What you are going to get is a meaningful and heartwarming story with amazing depth which will explore the ugliness and beauty of the humans and the society. 😊



Joshua is a very fascinating human being for me. It simply broke my heart to learn what he had to go through before he even became 18. The world can be a cruel place and humans even crueler. This story teaches us the importance of love, forgiveness, family and most importantly, acceptance. His life changed for the better when he was rescued by Clive and got to Rainbow Key where you can be just as you are. Now Joshua dreams of giving home to misfits and outcasts like him and running a successful hotel that will benefit everyone who works at the hotel. And just when he thought love is not for someone like him, a dashing and kind man who attracts to him like a magnet arrived to his rundown hotel.

Daniel has been simply living until now. After his parents passed away in a sudden accident, he’s been investing his life in making money and expanding his business empire. Home is not the place but the people you love. But the thing is despite being 40, Daniel still hasn’t found his “the one and home” yet. After collapsing at an event due to over-working and stress, he was instructed by his best friend and personal doctor to go on a vacation where he can completely rest his body and soul. Thus the story of our Rainbow Key island getaway begins.


When these two love-starved men met, both thought they are not good enough for each other. 😁 And when they finally hooked up, they both thought the other person wanted only a vacation fling. The ridiculous thing is because the truth is very far from it. 😁 They both want a serious relationship where they can utterly commit to and love each other. As they started to find their common ground and things started going well, Joshua’s ugly past fast caught up to them. Now Daniel must show Joshua how love can heal anything.

The story really blew me away. It was interesting, enthralling and most of all, authentic. And the love making scenes? Though not plenty, they were smoking hot! 🔥 The second thing that blew me away was the narrator Darcy Stark. 😍 I was very skeptical about listening to him because well, I have never listened to any of his audio before but boy, the man can narrate! 😱💙 His performance of Joshua and Daniel was so vivid and powerful and his female impersonations really fascinated me. Great job choosing the narrator Victoria Sue. 👏 I’m sure I’ll definitely listen more of him. I love how everything worked out in the end. It was a very heartwarming and beautiful HEA. I hope to see more of these two in the upcoming books in the series. 😌 A great book and a lovely narration! 💗 Thoroughly enjoyed it! 👍



5 love is the greatest forgiveness stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




Audio rating

Story 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Narration 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing!!

So when I read this book I was in love! Victoria Sue has a way with words that I just absolutely love. Josh and Daniel are just prefect for each other. Now this is the first time I have listened to Darcy Stark and I got to say that it isn't going to be the last. Darcy does an amazing job in bring these characters to life. I can hear every emotion that each character is feeling. I can't wait to hear more by Darcy Stark!

Wonderful start to this series!!!!!

I was pleasantly surprised with this audible as I had never even heard of this narrator before. I thoroughly enjoyed this narration. This book, in my opinion, was a wonderful start to this series. I felt like I was introduced to all of the characters but none of them overpowered the two MCs at all. I was able to get just enough of their back stories to look forward to their turn at being an MC while feeling like the main concentration was on Daniel and Josh. I felt an instant connection with Josh since I have always been heavier than I should be and to see the relationship between him and Daniel grow was beautiful. I enjoyed this story line alot, even more than I expected to. I found myself wishing this island was somewhere I could go for relaxation, frienship, and so I could give Josh a big hug. I can't wait for the rest of this series to be available on audible, I may have to read them before that :)

Gay is just another word for love

Daniel’s grandmother said those words to him when he was just a boy, trying to understand a concept of why hate exists in the world. His Gran had wise words, even perceiving back when he was a small boy that he was most likely gay. He’d known nothing but unconditional love from her, his parents, and his older sister Callie. When his parents were killed by a drunk driver when he was only seventeen, Callie completely reorganized her life to care for him, ensuring they would stay together. His devotion to his sister, his niece, and her husband is total and really sweet.

He has a good life. He’s a successful property developer and owns a chain of resorts. Despite the success, he has what he thinks is a heart attack in front of a roomful of people and when it’s discovered it is only a panic attack, his doctor orders him to take a month’s rest. Daniel is a driven man, though, and the thought of a month off work makes him squirrely. He figures a week will do and then he’ll resume his hectic schedule.

All those plans are shot out of the water when he arrives at Rainbow Key. On an island, the resort is gay-friendly, encouraging families to come and not worry about being treated derisively just because they don’t look like what society believes is a ‘normal’ family. The idea is wonderful but the execution is a little off. The resort is in a state of disrepair and Daniel sees a business opportunity. He’s attempted to buy the island before, planning to turn it into another in his chain of resorts, but he’s never been successful. Now that he’s here and is able to discover the circumstances of the place, he can put in place a plan to acquire the island.

Those plans are also blown out of the water when he meets Joshua. The young man is responsible for the running of the resort and although he’s doing the best he can, he’s clearly out of his depth. The former owner, Clive, has died and Joshua has taken over but without proper funds to fix all that’s broken, he’s not in a position to take on too many guests. Unless he begins to make a profit, he’s going to lose the place. He might be able to cope on his own on the mainland, but he’s made himself responsible for a group of misfits who call the island home and he has no idea how they’ll cope without him.

Clive was a good man with the best of intentions. As Charlies tells Daniel, “Clive brought broken things home and tried to fix them. Joshua carried on with that.” Joshua’s backstory broke my heart and I loved Clive for trying to help the young man get back on his feet. While Daniel’s family had loved him unconditionally, Joshua’s family had rejected him and left him to fend for himself. To say his time on the street and afterward was rough is an understatement. So many young men and women are tossed out by their families because they’re gay that it’s not even a new story but it’s heartbreaking every time. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact there are parents out there who don’t love their children unconditionally.

Joshua isn’t the only ‘broken’ person on the island and each story pulled at my heartstrings. I think, though, it was Charlie who I felt the most kinship toward. He has ‘tactile sensitivity’ and it has made life intolerable for him. He can’t accept touch from people he doesn’t know without it causing physical pain. I can’t fathom not being able to receive or offer a hug. Joshua found him quite by accident but has provided a home for him and although he hasn’t flourished, he has settled into a routine that works for him.

All the other misfits have their own stories and all want to stay on the island.

With everything Joshua endured as child and teenage, it’s not surprising he doesn’t have any self-esteem and believes himself unlovable. He can’t conceive of why a man as successful and intelligent would be interested in a loser like himself while Daniel’s can’t conceive of why a young and attractive young man like Joshua would be interested in an older man like himself. Both men have been hurt by careless people in the past and it makes it hard for each of them to trust both themselves and the other man. If any two men were more suited, it’s these two.

An opportunity for the resort to drum up some business lands on Joshua’s lap and although it could make it difficult for Daniel to eventually acquire the island, he digs in and helps Joshua make the event work. When a tragedy happens in his personal life, he’s forced to leave and his departure leaves Joshua devastated. I felt his pain as acutely as if it were my own, probably because I understand what it’s like to lose someone I trusted and who I had thought might become someone special.

This is a romance, though, so there’s a happy ending and a little something extra that warmed my heart. Oh, and the cuddling. *sigh* The cuddling…

I loved Darcy Stark as narrator. He handles all the varied voices really well including Mabel, Clive’s elderly sister. This is the first book I’ve listened to narrated by him and I thought he did a great job. He also has narrated books 2 and 3 – Charlie and Ben’s stories. I have them cued up and can’t wait to listen to them. I enjoyed this book so much, I have high hopes for the next two.

A wonderful start to a new series!

I read and reviewed this book when it was first released in February 2018 and now I've had the opportunity to listen to this wonderful story performed by Darcy Stark, who is a new-to-me narrator. I have to say that his voice is perfect for this book (and I hope he does the rest of the series).

The various voices he does for the wide range of characters were spot on (no I'm not British but I couldn't think of a better term to use 😊). Darcy Stark brought the story back to life for me. I'm not a re-reader of books as there are just too many great books in my TBR for me to take time to re-read something – even if I loved it. However, listening to a book I've already read is a different story. I'm always eager to see how the narrator interprets the different characters. I thought by listening to a book I'd already read that I would be able to listen with half and ear – and that is the case with some books, but not with this one. Darcy's voice was so compelling I found myself just as engrossed in the story as I was when I first read it.

I highly recommend this audiobook and I will be looking at more books performed by Darcy Stark.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author but no review was required.

What follows is my original review of the book when it was first published:

Once again, Victoria Sue's wonderful prose had my emotions all over the place. I laughed and cried and felt lots of things in between the laughter and tears.

Daniel is a successful businessman but his health is suffering and his doctor has ordered him to go for a vacation/rest on Rainbow Key. When he checks the place out before leaving he finds that his company has tried to purchase the island in the past.

Josh/Joshua was given the task of trying to run the hotel on Rainbow Key as self-supporting after the owner died. He had two years and they were almost up. There is no way he will be able to keep the hotel from being sold.

When Daniel and Josh meet there is a spark of attraction but Josh has a terrible inferiority complex about his looks and Daniel is 20 years older than Josh and feels that there is no way that such an attractive young man could be interested in someone as old as he is. Both Josh and Daniel are keeping big secrets from each other that they feel will cause the other to want to run from a relationship.

These two have quite a few obstacles to overcome on the way to their HEA but I always trust Victoria Sue to get her men there. This story had me reading way into the early morning. With 40% of the book left to read at 4:00 A.M. I finally had to put it aside to sleep but I picked it back up first thing after I woke up and didn't stop until I was finished.

Joshua's Rainbow touched my heart in so many ways. Josh has assembled a cadre of misfits who live with him on Rainbow Key. They are people who needed rescuing, just like he did 5 years ago, and he will do just about anything to keep them all safe and together.

I have learned so much from reading M/M romance books and they have helped me to become a better, more accepting person. I grew up among people with various physical disabilities, which taught me tolerance but I never knew much about other types of disabilities and had no exposure to members of the gay community (at least not that I knew of). Reading stories like Joshua's Rainbow has broadened my knowledge and taught me to look beyond the obvious when meeting new people.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

I surprisingly loved it

I will say, I'm very picky with narrators, and this one took a little getting used to, but by the end of the book, I was sold!

Josh(ua) and Daniel have fantastic chemistry, the not-so-surprise villain was also joined by a villain I didn't see coming, and the ending made me very happy. Can't wait to start the next one!

Beautiful Story, Darcy Stark is Wonderful

A beautifully written hurt/comfort story with a delectable age gap, Joshua’s Rainbow is the first in Victoria Sue’s Rainbow Key series. Narrator Darcy Stark’s rich, warm voice pulled me in right from the get-go, and this story flew by much too fast. Luckily for me, there are two more episodes to come and I can’t wait to listen to them.

I really enjoy the compelling backstories Victoria Sue develops for her characters, and the powerful connections she establishes between them. When Josh and Daniel click, damn do they click!

These are wonderful characters and I challenge anyone not to fall in love with Joshua. After everything he’s been through in his life, he still has such a huge heart - I couldn’t wait to see him get his happily-ever-after. And slightly flustered, overworked Daniel needs to re-prioritize, and watching him find something of value in his life is very rewarding.

The way Daniel breaks down Joshua’s walls and helps him overcome his fear of intimacy is very romantic. And I love the way he shows his support of Joshua’s continual journey of recovery. Josh is a strong man and he’s working hard to make a new life for himself and others who need a safe place.

Victoria Sue always tells an amazing story, and she gives me everything I need in a romance with Joshua’s Rainbow. It's wonderful, and I’m moving right on to Charlie’s Rainbow which is also narrated by the wonderful Darcy Stark.

an audiobook copy of Joshua’s Rainbow was provided to me for the purpose of my review

Beautiful story, good narration

This is lovely story about overcoming family betrayal, creating a family and finding love/acceptance. Joshua has had an unhappy past, but due to one act of kindness shown to him, he is trying to help others who have had troubled pasts. Daniel, a hotel magnate, is forced to go on holidays for his health. He finds himself at the hotel Joshua is trying to run. Both men are somewhat damaged - Daniel less so - but together, they begin a tentative friendship fueled by a mutual attraction. Both men had their insecurities which, of course, lead to misunderstandings, but they were not protracted. I really enjoyed the story.
The narration was solid; Colin Darcy differentiated between the characters and he kept me engaged throughout. It's definitely a good way to enjoy the story.