Leaning Into the Look

Leaning Into Series, Book 6

De: Lane Hayes

Narrado por: Nick J. Russo

Grant Kostas made a career based on his looks before joining his family’s real estate firm. He may not love his job, but he’s better at sales than he thought. And when he’s poised to bring in the biggest account of the company’s history, even his father is impressed. Unfortunately, the extra attention highlights Grant’s personal life. His parents accept he’s gay; they just wish he’d meet a nice Greek man.

Miles Harrison is a fabulous redhead going through a rough patch. Between getting dumped by his long-term boyfriend and finding a new place to live in the city, he’s nearing his wits end. He’s not sure why he thought rooming with his boss’s friend was a good idea. Miles has had a crush on Grant for years. However, he knows attractive people aren’t always pretty on the inside.

As the two men grapple with external problems, they form an unexpected bond of friendship and trust that feels like the real thing. The only way to know for certain is to let go of fear and lean into the look.

©2018 Lane Hayes (P)2018 Lane Hayes

Love the story, excellent narration!

I always like returning to this group of characters in the Leaning Into stories, they’re such a wonderful group of friends who are there for each other and support one another even when at times they might not think what you’re doing is a good idea.

This author is really good at crafting characters with depth and who are very easy to care about. With Miles, at first glance you might just think he’s just one of those guys who is a bit over the top—campy when he’s in the mood for it, snarky when it’s needed (or when it’s not). But often that’s really a protective mechanism for him…particularly when what he’s protecting is his heart. He’s happy with his chaos, which is quite the opposite of Grant who is someone who needs his calm. With his stereotypical big Greek family (if you’ve seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you’ve got the idea), and the pressure he feels to succeed and make his father proud—he’s really putting stress on himself, and at times he’ll just go along with his family just to keep the peace.

Miles and Grant clearly have chemistry together. Not just physical either (though holy wow are they insanely hot in that arena!)…they also click as friends, easily becoming each other’s rock and support. They slip into the roles of lovers and more like those roles were made for them—and they for each other.

There were some points that my attention did drift a little, and I really wish we could have had some of the story from Miles’ point of view. I think having insight to his mind and feelings on a deeper level than what Grant saw would have helped me become more immersed in their story.

Even given that, Leaning Into the Look was still a 4.5-star read for me, and I know fans of the series will really enjoy Miles and Grant together like I did. You could read this as a standalone, but I strongly feel you’ll enjoy their story a lot more if you read the other books in the series first since they both do appear in the other stories, but you’ll also get the background for the other couples that appear in this book. This story is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

The narration: Nick J. Russo does another excellent job with the narration, continuing to give the characters of this series distinct voices that are consistent and make it easy to tell who’s who. I particularly enjoyed his voice for Miles, and the emotion he expressed with Miles’ exuberant personality. Steady pacing and great voices along with the consistency within the entire series for all of the characters made the narration 5 stars for me.

Take control

This is book #6 in the Leaning Into series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. For reader understanding, and too avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this amazing series in order.

Grant & Miles know one another through mutual friends. One night, when Grant is at a party for friends, he needs Miles help. Following that night, he realizes how much Miles really could be.

Miles has always wanted Grant for himself. When he gets his chance he goes with it like a freight train without brakes. Later, when he and Grant discover there could be more, he wonders if he should have looked at this with caution.

Nick J Russo has the narration by storm. I love his voice, it is very soothing. I also love the changes in inflection and nuances that just make it more than just reading would have been. What a great edition!

The long awaited story about Grant was not just everything I wanted. It was really just a great read. There is humor, heat, & happenings. I love how Miles is the perfect balance to Grant. I loved it so much and it fits so well with this series. I also really loved the audio narration.


***This audible version was provided for an honest review only.

5 stars = I freaking LOVED this audiobook!!!

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

Since getting to know Grant a little better in Josh’s book, Leaning into Touch, I was excited to cue up Leaning into the Look. Being as I didn’t read the blurb beyond learning it was Grant’s book, my excitement ratcheted up when I realized Miles was being positioned as his love interest. Normally, I would have carried on and enjoyed the ride, catching up with the other couples while watching Grant find his Mr. Right, but I HAD to run over to Audible to skim the blurb to make sure Miles had indeed been tapped for the role. I’ll admit to engaging in “goody, goody” hand claps and a massive grin before resuming the audiobook. I’ll also admit to having my exuberance dashed just a bit when Eric revealed why Miles was back on the market, even more so when he revealed he’d discarded his signature fashion accessories. Poor Miles. Yet I sallied forth, knowing that Lane Hayes would make it all work out in the end. And I was not disappointed, not one bit.

While it becomes apparent as the story moves forward that Grant’s friends know him very well, with most of their circle having had front row seats to more than one of his low points, Hayes has managed to keep Grant even more of a mystery than I ever expected. For the most part, Grant appears to be a dutiful Greek son whose life choices have been guided by and for his family and the family business – with Steroid Steve from Leaning into Touch being the break in that public persona. But as Leaning into the Look is told from Grant’s point of view, giving us access to his inner thoughts and demons, it becomes obvious rather quickly that how he presents himself to those outside of his family and inner circle of friends is one heck of an act. To put it simply, the boy is a mess. And that turns out to be something he has in common with Miles – the disparity between the public persona and the inner turmoil is tremendous and unexpected. Few people would suspect a former underwear model would have self-esteem issues, but Grant’s head is a minefield of self-doubt. That Grant sees a kindred soul in Miles, someone who is by no means perfect, yet is perfect for him, is what made their love story so believable for me. Listening to these two navigate a relationship they agree not to have yet can’t seem to avoid was a delight.

Also unexpected was the level of heat that Hayes unleashed this time around. I’ve found each of the couples’ bedroom gymnastics to be steamy, but Grant and Miles seemed to raise the bar… a lot. Maybe it was the naughty nature of their first hookup or the secret nature of their continued liaisons, but the sexual chemistry between these two was just so much hotter than the previous couples – and that heat was ratcheted up by Nick J. Russo’s performance. Russo always does a wonderful job at the mic, but he shined at capturing both men’s vulnerabilities, strengths, and sensuality. I actually had to stop the audiobook while listening to it at work because it got steamier than I expected… and I listen via earbuds, so it’s not like anyone was going to overhear. Cold drink and a fan, anyone? I was particularly impressed with how well Russo conveyed Grant’s frustration and desperation the night Tom showed up for dinner. Hayes penned one heck of a come-to-Jesus scene and Russo proved he was up to that challenge. Seriously, that scene wouldn’t have played out half as exciting in my head had I read the book instead of listening to the audiobook. It was so well done, I wanted to give Grant a standing ovation after he lost it. I’m already looking forward to listening to Leaning into the Look again… and again… and again. This entire series is on my re-listen list as I love spending time with the guys and watching them find their other half and right now, Grant and Miles are my favorite couple.

Superb!

I simply adore this beautifully written series and the stories featuring this diverse group of friends. Each story is superb, with plenty of feels and humour woven into the storylines. Eric and Zane, Nick and Wes, and Josh and Finn are all loved up. Now it’s Grant’s turn to find his soulmate. Except he’s already met him. Miles is just fabulous, but Grant has been doing his best to avoid talking to Eric and Nick’s work colleague for months.

My heart went out to both Grant and Miles as we discover more about their pasts. We’d had glimpses of their characters in the previous stories. I always thought Grant was the quiet one, rather aloof at times, almost the odd one out in the group of friends. He’s a successful real estate agent and a former underwear model. He’s now dealing with an overbearing father and a business colleague who wants more than a working relationship. I loved how Grant rose to this challenge, asserted himself, and stood up to both of these men. I also loved the angst this caused along the way, not only for Grant, but also for Grant and Miles as a potential couple.

Grant and Miles have very different personalities and physical features, but they just clicked. Yes, it was a little awkward at first, but their exchanges were often humorous. They moved from acquaintances to roommates quite easily. Their friends with benefits routine was fooling no one apart from themselves. I love how Lane Hayes leads them down this path and shows them falling in love, even though the characters are reluctant to admit it to each other. Their wonderfully steamy bedroom sessions made it clear their connection was more than just physical.

It was great to see the other couples are still very much in love and leaning into each other, as well as taking part in this narrative.

Superb narration from Nick J Russo as always. He provided great character voices with a range of emotions, perfect pacing and great storytelling of this fabulous story.

Perfect!

Lane Hayes writes emotionally rich stories. This narration brought another layer to the story that made the book even better. Nick Russo brought each character to life, giving depth and believability to the smarmy Tom, blustery Pappa, snarky Miles, and shy Grant. Highly recommended.