Lover

Survivor, Book 2

By: T.M. Smith

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

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

Great continuation of the first story

This book was great 😊
I loved the first book, and this was a great continuation of the first book, which later evolved to its own story.
We get to follow the birth of a love between 3 wounded strong men, that learn to trust, respect, love and care for each other. The 3 of them forged a strong bond through the hardships they go through.
Great work of the narrator as well, smooth voice, lovely and easy to listen to. Would highly recommend!

Frank,Taylor and friends are back!

What was the real reason FBI agents were assigned to Frank, Taylor and Taylor's family?

Can FBI Agents Rory Landers and Connie Gonzales and Detective “Sergeant Randall Davis track down and capture a serial killer in Washington that they’d dubbed the Columbia River Killer?

What's a throuple ?

M\M HEA book 2 of 3 Reading book 1 first is recommended Frank,Taylor and friends are back!

Lover: Survivior, Book 2

I love reading all of TM's book but hearing them brings new life to the stories.

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

Love It!

The beginning of this story overlaps somewhat with the first book of the series, Survivor, but focusing on three characters that were introduced in that one, Shannon, Rory, and Rand. We learn so much more about these characters and get to watch them come together. First, Shannon and Rory as a couple are spectacular but when they finally admit their feelings for Rand it takes it to a completely different level, it's just so special. More than anything I love watching Shannon get his HEA after everything he went through. The narrator again did an amazing performance and I can't wait for the next one! I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audiobook.

Fantastic Story

The is the second in the series and I loved this audiobook! TM Smith brings characters alive with the writing and Nick lends them voices!

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.

I love thruples

Narration: Another spot-on narration by Nick J. Russo. He’s wonderful to listen to, and he makes the rhythm of the book come alive. The quality is perfect, and I think he’s one of my new favorites!

Story: This is a series, and you need to read book one first!
I had to listen to book two after hearing book one. I normally stick to audiobooks at work so I don’t go through them too fast, but I had to listen to this over the weekend at home as I unpacked…I just couldn’t wait!

We meet all three characters in book one—Shannon, Rory, and Rand. I wasn’t so sure about Rory in book one. He broke FBI rules he shouldn’t have and hurt Frank’s feelings. But I think he redeemed himself here. Again, T.M. wrote the story following a long time-period showing the love building over time. I’m a big fan!

Here we have a new bad guy, but we know Shannon is running from the start. The underlying story tore at my feelings, pulling me back and forth. At one point, I was even wondering if Shannon was his real name!

Shannon seems like a lively kind of guy on the outside, but on the inside, he’s a hurt guy who just wants a normal life that has someone love him without hurting him. The story starts with him leaving the abuse that caught him at 15, three years before. Then we skip some time and Shannon goes off the rails a little, having fun and enjoying men for a bit. We learn that he’s gotten serious about life and focuses on his future with the support of his best friend Taylor (MC from Survivor 1). And that’s when he meets Rory, and finally Rand.

Rory is an FBI that we met in Survivor 1. He’s working a missing person’s case that turns out to be a lot more sinister. He met Shannon through Taylor and Frank and starts a relationship with him. There’s a slow burn from the two figuring things out. Shannon is still love-shy, and Rory is getting over his feelings for Frank. But it’s a sweet romance with a twist because they both meet Rand and start having feelings for him as well.

Rand is a local cop that was a part of the case in book one and he’s brought onto the task force for the backstory in book two with Rory. The travel and close quarters brought Rand and Rory closer to start, but Shannon is never far from both of their thoughts.

There is no real cheating in this…the thruple evolves over time and in an organic way that’s sweet and believable. The case is intriguing and keeps the reader interested in that part as well as the romance parts.

I have two weeks until my audible credit renews…yeah, book three will be what I use that for!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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!

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!