Lover

Publisher's Summary

Life has not always been kind to Shannon Dupree. On the outside, he's carefree and fun loving, but when it comes to his past, he's evasive and secretive. Running away from emotionally bereft parents at just 15, Shannon escapes life with them but steps into the waiting arms of the devil.

Rory Landers is a rising star at the Bureau. His personal life, however, is nothing to write home about. He hopes to take his limited relationship with Frank Moore to the next level when they finally solve the Langford murder case, but that doesn't turn out as planned. On the plus side, he meets free-spirited college senior Shannon Dupree.

Rand Davis finds himself 40-something and single when his partner of more than a decade is unfaithful. Taking over the Cold Case Squad frees up some of his time, and Rand welcomes newfound friendships within the Langford-Moore family circle. He thinks relationships are not in the cards for him until he meets an agent with an attitude and a vivacious blond that make him want so much more. 

Past, present, pain, and suffering collide, ushering in the possibility of a life and love worth fighting for. Although their personalities couldn't be more different, their three hearts beat the same. Shannon, Rory, and Rand learn the definition of love, commitment, and strength, and if they allow themselves, the trio will find all that and more - in each other.  

NOTE: This is the sequel to Survivor. The stories should be heard in order.

©2018 TM Smith (P)2018 TM Smith

Lover

~ 5 Stars Book & Narration ~

I really enjoy reading the stories that T.M Smith puts out, no matter how many main characters we get, whether it’s MM or MMM. They are all just fabulous, well rounded, thought out stories. With this one, I really do believe you need to read book one Survivor first or you will be a little lost and confused as to who the characters are and how they came to be at this point in the story and series. But, this book is a great addition and second installment to this full storyline. There are a few parts that had me a little confused at times and a few twists that I didn’t fully understand until the storyline was laid out completely. But this book was really interesting and it will definitely keep you guessing as to what will happen next. I think this author did a great job with the suspense and mystery aspect of this book, and was happy that it wasn’t just a sappy romance with no substance. This book had a really solid premise and plot especially with it being an MMM book and giving us three main characters instead of just two.

Shannon, you can’t help but completely fall in love with him. His background and what he had to deal with after he came out to his parents was horrible and will make you feel all kinds of emotions while reading it. Even though he still has fears to conquer and deal with daily, surviving that ordeal just made him so much stronger as a person. Shannon is someone you just want to hug and keep safe and close to you. He is totally adorable and I love that Rory and Rand totally dote on him, they all have a great connection and chemistry with each other.

Rory, I loved that Rory fell in love with Shannon first. He gave his all in their relationship right from the start, even knowing that Shannon had parts of his past he was holding closed off from everyone, he made sure not to push, knowing that Shannon would tell him when the time was right. Rory is the one who brings these men together and I thinks he’s the glue that will keep them together long term. I was really impressed with how his character was written. He’s sweet towards Shannon, but still has a rougher, snarky edge when it comes to his time with Rand.

Rand, his character was fun to watch. He feels an instant connection to both men, but being the standup honorable guy he is, he is very hesitant to act on any of his desires with either of the other men. I really liked seeing how all three guys fell in lust and love with each other, being so different but loving each other in their own ways. I really liked that even though Rand has a more dominant and strong type personality, he didn't push any of that onto Shannon and just became really sweet and a teddy bear when it came to him.

Audio – Nick J Russo, Another outstanding narration. I really enjoyed his voices for the first installment of this series and was really looking forward to seeing what he would give us with this one. He really made Shannon and Rory and Rand come to life. I really think he did a great job keeping all their voices different and making sure that they were on point with each characters personality and traits. He did a really solid job with his vocal performance on this book, and would highly recommend Lover, as well as book one Survivor in audio format.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic narration!

Story: 4 Stars
Narration: 5 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars!

First of all, I can't stress enough that you need to read Survivor before reading Lover. Not only are there recurring characters that we met in book 1, but the series follows a certain line and you'll be lost otherwise.

Lover is told from Rory, Shannon and Rand's perspectives, and spans over several years, showing us some of the experiences that made them who they are in the present. The book focuses mostly on the case both Rand and Rory are working on and that ends up being connected with Shannon, so the MMM portion isn't explored until the last 30% of the story. That doesn't mean there aren't some very sexy scenes between Rory and Shannon, who are in a relationship, or that we aren't privy of the sparks flying between Rory and Rand, or the attraction blooming between Shannon and Rand. It was good seeing it come to fruition, I just would've liked it to be a bit more developed. Still, I think the three of them fit well together and each brought something the others needed into their relationship.

The case was interesting and I loved all the detail in the investigation. I kind of figured who the other bad guy was almost from the start, but it was still nice to have it confirmed.

I liked most of the characters, both main and secondary, some of which we already met in book 1 like Taylor and Frank, who I loved catching up with. I adored Connie and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing more of her and Rory, Shannon and Rand in Blair and Manny's book.

The narration was amazing, just about as good as Mr. Nick J. Russo has me used to. Each character had its own distinctive voice and they were all great! He managed to imprint the different scenes with the right amount of emotion, without going overboard and his tone is pleasant and easy to listen to.

All in all, definitely an audiobook (and series) you don't want to miss!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

WOW!!!

T.M. Smith and Nick J. Russo have teamed up to bring this fantastic, pulse pounding, grab-you-by-the-feels, intense, gritty, raw, and smoking hot tale to brilliant life.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

They’d been dancing around each other for months

This beautiful, emotional, heartfelt, and at times heart wrenching story revolves around three men, Shannon, Rory and Rand. Shannon and Rory are an established couple when Rand comes along. The three men have different personalities, but together they are better men.

I’ve just started getting into MMM relationships and I have to say this one was different than the few I have read/listened to in a great way. Lover is a slow dance between Shannon/Rory and Rand, and I LOVED it.

I really liked the little side romance with Connie and Claire.

I recommend reading the first book in the series before this one. It will be well worth it!

Nick J. Russo does another wonderful job. I loved Rands voice, I could listen to him all day long. Nick J. Russo does a great job with the emotional parts and giving each character a different tone bring them to life. His voice is smooth, clear, and pleasant to listen to.

This Series is AMAZING!

After how much I enjoyed the first book of the series, I was worried that I would be disappointed with the second book of the series. I was NOT! This series got even better with this book!
You first meet Shannon, Rand and Rory in the previous book. Rand is a police officer that worked on Taylor's parent's murders (in Survivor), Rory is the FBI agent sent to follow Frank and Shannon is a former lover of Taylor. Shannon and Rory meet and begin dating while Rory and Rand are working together to solve a serial killer/missing person's case, but all three men are drawn together. But Rand was cheated on before, and Rory and Shannon are in love. Can they all come together to form a relationship? And all while coming to terms with Shannon's past, and cutting some loose ends with Taylor's parent's case.
I absolutely love this series. The world building that has gone on in this is amazing. Characters are all pulled together and done so in a way that is not only believable but also in a way that is creative and well thought out. You can't help but feel drawn to the characters, and into their story.
I can't recommend this series more! This is a MUST read!

Loved It!!!

I am screaming "Loved It!"
The story in Lover was so well paced. The characters were awesome and they didn't just fall into an insta love relationship. I am so enjoying getting to know this author's work.

Will there be another book in the series?

Nick J Russo is one of my favorite narrators and he did not disappoint with his performance in this story. The characters all have distinctive voices and he brings them to life.

Great read

I was given this book by request for my unbiased review.

A great second book in the series I want more!

At fifteen Shannon ran away from home into what seemed to be a loving perfect relationship to turn into a nightmarish hell he barely escapes. He and Taylor become best friends and like a second family.

Rory thought he and Frank would step up their relationship once the Landers case was solved but when it became obvious Frank and Taylor were in love it left him out. But he met Shannon and things began looking up for both of them.

Rand is fortysomething and single when he finds his longtime lover cheating, he takes on the Cold case unit and begins working with Rory and his team. But some old cases may come to backfire and bring the devil back to Shannon's doorstep.

I am loving this series, It is the second book in the survivor line. I really think you do need to read the books in order since we meet all of the characters in the first book plus we get more of Frank and Taylor as well. I am a character-driven reader and I love every single character in this book. There are lots of them too! The mystery of Shannon's past is sad and there are a few twists that are bone chilling. The heat between the three men is amazing.
If you like ménage, May/December, hot Detectives, mystery/suspense, twists, and some hot man-love this is for you!
I really liked this book a lot and Nick J Russo really brought the characters I already loved to life. I enjoyed his voice and the way he added so much character to the story. I will definitely listen again.

Great hurt comfort

I definitely enjoy this series. I thought book 1 was amazing and really heart wrenching at times. This had some of that same emotional pull but didn’t feel as tightly presented as book 1.

I’m not always a big fan of ménage and it has to be done right for me to enjoy it versus think it’s ok as far as the romance goes. For me – the chemistry and the hurt/comfort was right on target for this throuple – however, I didn’t always feel they were equal partners and that Rand sort of felt like a addition rather than integral to the overall success.

Perhaps if the story had gone on longer or the throuple had developed sooner I might feel differently – but we get to see these guys acting as a unit for only a very short time and while it has huge potential – I can’t say it’s more than HFN for me.

The writing/editing/pacing seemed up to the author’s usual standards and I think fans of her work will be pleased.

Recommended.

4 of 5 stars


Audio

Nick is awesome as always. He manages to keep each of the distinct voices in the throuple separate as well as unique and fitted to their character. He handles the emotions and drama well and makes their smexy times absolutely smolder!

I absolutely adore listening to this narrator and I always know he will not only do a writer’s words justice but that he will – in many cases – add to the overall experience and make it better!

Highly recommended!


5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars

loved it!

I listened to both "Survivor" (Book 1) and "Lover" (Book 2) back to back and found myself completely invested in the characters and outcome of both stories. "Lover" was my favorite of the two.
All the characters in both books felt very real and I loved that both Taylor (Book 1) and Shannon (Book 2) had a strong and loving support network.
Nick Russo did an excellent narration of both titles, with all characters distinct and consistent in both books.

Menage

Love Nick Russo's narration, he truly gives all three guys a voice and conveys their story so well.