Leap of Faith

By: C F White

Narrated by: Piers Ryman

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes all you need is a little push.

Running from his shattered gymnastics career, Charlie Avrill’s one hope for redemption is the strange and colorful world of the circus. His skills should make him a good fit for seasoned performer, Darius Lungo. But Darius won’t compromise his high stakes act for just anyone.

Still mourning the loss of his performance partner who unexpectedly abandoned the show, Darius’s heart can’t take another temporary filler. No matter how perfect Charlie might seem at first glance. But the circus is dying, and Darius owes his bosses a stellar act to sell.

Putting their differences aside to recreate the star attraction, Darius and Charlie grow closer with each rehearsal. But Charlie’s only in the ring for a one-night-only performance and the circus is due at its next stop — off the island and into Europe.

Can Charlie push aside his fears and take the leap of faith to change his entire life? And, if he does, will Darius still be there to catch him?

Leap of Faith is a standalone age-gap, enemies to lovers, MM romance where the twists and turns don’t only happen in the ring.

©2021 C F White (P)2021 Audiobooks Unleashed

Great story. Great narration.

CF White has done a lovely job of illustrating the pageantry of a circus performance while also including the personal experiences of the audience and performers. Having been a both a dancer and a school athlete in a past life, I am particular about how performers and athletes are portrayed in books. This one hit the mark on quite a few aspects of life in front of an audience.

The romance had all the bittersweet experiences that you can expect from a book by this author, and the characters are all beautifully flawed. The angst of the romance and the emotions of the characters are expertly portrayed by Piers Ryman's narration. I look forward to listening to more stories by this author and narrator duo.

Loved the bk; the audio made me love it even more.

Loved the book and the audio made me love it even more.

I read this book with my eyes when it was first released back in March 2021 and I loved it. Often when listening to the audiobook of a recent read I don’t pay close attention to the story because I already know what happens. This was not the case at all with Leap of Faith.

Ms. White has found the perfect voice actor for her books. Piers Ryman does a great job with accents and distinctive character voices and I love listening to him perform words that I already love.

Other than my comments about Piers Ryman, there isn’t a lot that I could add that I didn’t already say when I first reviewed the book so I’m sharing that review below:

This story had my emotions all over the place. There’s mystery and suspense but mostly it was the developing relationship between Darius and Charlies that kept me on pins and needles.

The blurb lets us know that Charlie’s gymnastics career has ended but we’re kept in suspense and it’s quite a while before fully learn what happened. We also know that Darius’s performance partner has left the circus but why he left is not fully disclosed right away. These little tidbits are only part of the reason why I found this story so engrossing.

I also loved the rich cast of secondary characters. Charlie’s younger sister was a delight and she added an element that brought out a softer side of Darius. Carlos was an interesting character, one of those you love to hate type. His is the kind of character that I love to see redeemed at some point. Maybe another book set in this world?

I’ve come to really appreciate Ms. White’s writing style and her ability to keep me hanging on every word just enough that it’s not painful, but also to weave an excellent story while she does so. Leap of Faith is a standalone story, and the main couple gets their HEA, but the ending left things a bit open for more stories. I hope there are more books coming set in this world. (Note: the story continues as a serial on the author’s website after newsletter signup.)

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com (posting on Sept. 16, 2021)***

Solid story and performance

It took a little while for me to get into this one, but once I did it was enjoyable. The variety of accents Piers Ryman delivered and the ease with which he shifted between them was impressive.

This won’t make my list of most recommended, but I enjoyed the circus setting and the dynamic between the men. It’s worth the listen.

MM Age Gap at a Circus!

I grabbed this on release day because I consistently enjoy CF White & Piers Ryman. I also love age gap & unique tropes – CIRCUS! I’m thankful for other reviews that pointed out this was slow burn – because I saved it for a day when that’s what I was in the mood for.

Darius is turning 40 and while he thoroughly enjoys his life with Godeaux’s Travelling Circus, he pines for something more permanent in his personal life. He’s also quite the grump. While Charlie is in his early 20s, he’s definitely not a sunshine either. White really lets us get to know these two characters and their history and readers see how their lives actually intersected long before they met. I got to know and love Charlie’s family and the Godeaux “found family” which really helped with understanding the MCs better.

Once they get together (about 70% mark) – it gets pretty steamy, but they still struggle to communicate well on what they each want and need in life and from each other. Obviously – ROMANCE! – they do finally work it out. I liked the epilogue in terms of Darius & Charlie’s relationship, and while not a cliffhanger it did kind of open the door to more story.

Note: White commented on another review that she IS continuing Darius & Charlie’s story in a serial on her website called, “Encore!”. Chapter 1 is even in audio. (also, if like me you find it when you need a little more caffeine in your system, scroll down to the bottom & read “up” or you’ll end up reading chapter 2 before you listen to chapter 1.)

Narration:
I again enjoyed Piers Ryman’s performance. I really liked his growly, grumbly voice for Darius. He did a good job with all the other voices as well. It was easy to listen to and kept the various characters consistent in my mind.

Wonderful

This book sucked me right in and didn’t let go. It was such a fun listen the narrator is fantastic. The story is thrilling and romantic. I love the circus aspect it made for a very fun setting for a story.
Want are you waiting for? Run away with the circus!