More than Everything

Family Collection

By: Cardeno C.

Narrated by: Ezekiel Robison

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Time might not heal all wounds, but with two motivated and strong-willed men on a campaign to win him back, Charlie will get more than he ever thought possible.

As a teenager, Charlie "Chase" Rhodes meets Scott Boone and falls head over heels in love with the popular, athletic boy next door. Charlie thinks he's living the dream when Scott says he feels the same way. But his dreams are dashed when Scott unexpectedly moves away.

Years later, Charlie meets brash and confident Adan Navarro, who claims all he wants is a round between the sheets. After eight months together, Charlie is convinced Adan returns his love. But when the opportunity comes to be open about their relationship, Adan walks away.

Time passes and life moves on, but when Charlie learns the only two men he's ever loved are now in love with each other, his heart breaks all over again. Scott and Adan tell Charlie they want him back, but Charlie doesn't know if he can trust two people who have hurt him so deeply. Time might not heal all wounds, but with two motivated and strong-willed men on a campaign to win him back, Charlie will get more than he ever thought possible.

©2013 Cardeno C. (P)2016 Cardeno C.

Emotional and heavy at times, fantastic narration.

Would you listen to More than Everything again? Why?

Yes, I would. As emotional and angsty as it was at times, the story and the characters really drew me in and kept me engrossed throughout the book.

What other book might you compare More than Everything to and why?

Any other book in this series, they all have the same feel and narrator.

What does Ezekiel Robison bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought the characters to life, literally. I could always tell how each person was feeling by the tone he gave them.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What's wrong with the title of the book?

Any additional comments?

Charlie Rhodes is in his thirties, going through the motions in life. Work, sleep, eat… he loves to dance, always has, but his love of dancing is the only love that has stayed with him through life. Charlie has loved two men, his high school sweetheart Scott, and a college lover Adan. When push came to shove, both men walked out of Charlie’s life without as much as a backwards glance. When his sister is killed, Charlie becomes the sole guardian for his young niece and nephew. In a strange twist of fate, it’s this traumatic time in his life when love reappears.

Scott Boone realized he was in love with his best friend and neighbor, Charlie Rhodes, the night of prom when instead of wanting to kiss his date; he wanted to rush home and kiss Charlie. The two make promises to each other that can only be broken at such a young, tender age. And that is exactly what happens when Scott moves to Nevada to be a closer to his little sister.

Adan Navarro is a player. He meets them, beds them, then gets up and walks away. Something is different about Chase Rhodes from the start though. Adan finds himself watching, admiring, wanting more for the first time. But when push comes to shove and Chase needs Adan to voice his feelings, he too walks out of Chase’s life.

The three points converge when Charlie moves to Nevada to care for his sister’s children after her death. The only two men he ever loved, the men that left him alone and killed Charlie’s need to be loved, roll back into his life like a tornado, threatening to destroy Charlie emotionally. It really is a small world after all when the two loves of one man’s life wind up together.

The story is told mainly through Charlie Chase Rhodes POV as he puts together a scrapbook of his life. The good, the bad, the ugly and the happy ever after Charlie feared he would never have. From the first day he looked out his bedroom window and fell hard for Scott, to the day Scott left him alone and broken hearted. Meeting Adan and going from skeptical to happy that his heart was big enough to love another man, only to be broken in half again when he too walks away. The death of his sister, one of the hardest times in Charlies life, a time that morphs into so much more when Scott and Adan walk through his front door and stake their claim, refuse to let Charlie go ever again. Oh he fights them, every step of the way, makes them prove that they love him and won’t ever hurt him again. What Scott and Adan give him is love, commitment, security and a family… it is more than everything.

Narrated by Ezekiel Robison and I really enjoy his style of storytelling. It took me a few minutes to get used to the voice he gave Charlie. He is flamboyant, full of life and energy, the kind of person you want to be around because his joy just spreads over everything. The twist on that, what really sold me on the choice of tone for Charlie was how Robison really brought Charlies pain to life after losing both men. Having the ability to convey that pain and hurt by literally bringing down Charlie’s voice much in the way CC brought the character down for a while there. Adan is the most accretive character so it made sense that Robison gave him a deeper, more commanding voice. Scott is the glue that holds them together, his tone was more neutral, and again fitting the way the character was written.

There is a good deal of angst and drama in this story; heartache and pain. But the balance is the happy times Charlie has with Scott, the two of them learning about and exploring their sexuality, together. Adan charging into Charlie’s life like a bull in a china shop, only to find temperance through Charlie. My favorite aspect of the story was the semantics of their relationship toward the end. Scott and Adan are very successful with their law firm, could afford any of the riches life has to offer. But what they want, what makes them happy is to support Charlie and the kids, create a safe place for them, become a family and build a home.

Definitely a must listen story, I’m certain it would read just as good. But the narration really brought each character to life and gave them a distinct voice. Either way, I highly recommend.

YES!!! Another Cardeno C. 5 Star Book!

Cardeno C has become a favorite M/M author, but I also find his work frustrating because too many of his stories are just one good final rewrite away from excellence AND they don't get that rewrite. Also his work bizarrely comes & goes from Audible and isn't released in order.

HOWEVER, More than Everything is one of the Really good ones that keeps me coming back for more!

The performance is excellent, Ezekiel Robison's best one yet. Charlie/Chase is narrated just as the character is described without ever becoming a caricature. Scott & Adan have completely different voices and sound like the men the are. The women even sound female.

The story builds across a long period of time but keeps your attention for the whole journey. By the time all the strands are twisted together their relationship seems absolutely reasonable as well as incredibly sexy. I love how in his best books Cardeno makes the most unrealistic premises Completely viable!

More than Everything is not only dangerously hard to stop listening to, it is a book I will keep re"reading". Is it perfect? no. Is it worth 5 stars & a credit? YES!!!

Ezekiel Robison is great

Any additional comments?

I absolutely adored this story. I was completely and totally entranced from page one. I loved Charlie's perspective and his snarky asides. I'm a real sucker for that kind of character, and Cardeno writes them perfectly.

There are some narrators who are bad, some who are okay, some who are good, and a few who are great. For me, Ezekiel Robison is great. I have consistently been impressed with his narrative skills.

It's just that he uses such great characters voices to draw me into the story. Then his narrative flow is so spot on and pitched so well that I am immediately immersed in the story. Listening to him is a real experience; one to be enjoyed and savored.

Robison is also particularly good at taking the extra steamy scenes that Cardeno C. does oh so well, and ratchets up the heat making the sexy times super sultry and delightful to listen to.

I could wax on for a while...but I'll refrain. Instead I'll tell you to buy this audio. Seriously. Go.

Recommended!

Another great narration for this book!

Charlie (aka Chase) is a dancer. He falls in love while still in high school with the boy next door and together they share all of love’s firsts. Charlie is devastated when Scott moves away to Las Vegas and their relationship slowly dissolves.

Years later, Chase meets Adan. Adan is a prick. No joke. He’s brash and crude and lacks compassion. But something about him turns Chase’s crank. They start a strange relationship that lasts months before Chase realizes that Adan won’t be seen in public with him because he’s too flamboyant. He’s crushed. Though Adan comes to his senses, it’s too late. Chase has moved and can’t be found.

Years later, in a bizarre set of circumstances, Charlie inherits his sister’s kids when she dies tragically and ends up confronted with not one but both of his past loves. He has to decide what he wants and can he really open himself up again to hurt and pain in order to risk love.

**

This was my least favorite in the series. I never quite felt the three men coalesce into a relationship. I saw that they could. Charlie definitely loved both of them and they loved him and each other but I didn’t get enough time to see them as a proper triad to really judge.

Adan also really needed to do a lot to make up for how much of an asshole he was and I didn’t feel he groveled enough. Charlie is so sweet – he deserves a lot of groveling!

I did love that all three ended up together, however and though it wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.

4 of 5 stars

Audio
Ezekiel Robinson is becoming one of my all time favorite narrators. His voice is so easy to listen to! He does a great job – especially here – with giving each guy a unique voice without going over the top. I loved how he did Salina’s Bronx accent! Highly recommend this narration and so glad this book is finally in audio format!

Narration 5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars

Heartbreaking romance

Would you consider the audio edition of More than Everything to be better than the print version?

No they're both excellent

What was one of the most memorable moments of More than Everything?

When Charlie opened the door to what could either be a dream come true or a nightmare.

Which character – as performed by Ezekiel Robison – was your favorite?

Charlie he's so sweet

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I loved it

Any additional comments?

First let me say normally I'm not a big fan of first person narration but in this book it worked. This is a tastefully written M/M love and loss story with more than just sex.

Magical

It was real. It was loving. It spoke to my heart. Needed every laugh I've had, every awwww moment, every bit of warmth and tender revelation. Such an amazing listen. If you haven't experienced this one narrated by Ezekiel Robinson who really knows how to shift character in voice and personality, you're totally missing out. Get it now. It's magical.

Excellent book about second chances

This was a really interesting book with the way it was sort of laid out as a photo album.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I really didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

There were a lot of different biased and intense situations that were faced in this book and that's what made me love it. The fact that some people can see a person for who they are and not who they love or how they dress. The fact that yes, even if you care for someone, that doesn't make things easy in that relationship. And of course, everyone makes mistakes and we all wish we'd handled a situation differently than we had.

However, in this book, all three men get the chance to face what happened in their past and try to fix it. There is a lot of sweet romance along with angst mixed in as young love doesn't always work out and sometimes we aren't ready to share a part of ourselves when we know that it's ridiculous to try to hide such a big part of ourselves.

Each of the men go through a lot of growth because of what they go through in the book and it's just great to follow along.

The narrator did a great job of adding that little something extra and keeping the audiobook interesting and made me not want to turn it off.

Overall, a great book, great narration and can't wait for more from both of them!

I received a free copy of this book to read for Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.

Second chance with a twist

There is nothing I love more than a 2nd chance and this one was one of the best I've read. I really loved the way the story was told and how it all played out. It had all the feels and just enough sass and angst. I also appreciated that they just didn't forgive and forget but didn't punish them for an extended amount of time. Robinson does a good job with the narration.

Charlie, Scott and Adan

Oh lord, what a wild, crazy ride! I have not laughed out loud so many times in one book. I have not cussed out loud at the characters so many times. Charlie/Chase is wonderful and I would love more of him and his guys. Scott is the epitome of the perfect first love. He is sweet, protective, and adores Charlie. Losing each other to distance and youth leaves a hole in both of them. Meeting Adan sparks something long forgotten in Chase and he opens himself up to love again. Why? For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what he saw in Adan. The man was a nightmare. Arrogant, homophobic, and a complete jerk ninety-nine percent of the time. He was the one I cussed at most. When they have their inevitable parting Chase is left with a second hole. Meeting both Adan and Scott again as an established couple was a sucker punch. Charlie's reaction was justified, but Scott and Adan's determination to win him back made me cheer. Adan's confession and apology had me wanting to smack him and hug him at the same time. He obviously had some intense self-contemplation and tons of personal growth to bring him to where he was a viable adult. I was most surprised by what a terrific dad he was. The three of them made wonderful parents and built a beautiful family.

Audiobook: fantastic narrator

Super audio.

Great storyline. I loved the characters and how they had grown throughout the years. From boys to men. Narrator did a great job.

Sweet, fun and hot!

Fun idea to tell a story from a scrapbook with photos.
It is a good story. Heartwarming and sweet and a lot of fun too.
Ezekiel does a great job making the story come to life!

as good as the ebook

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B

Absolutely brilliant...

I loved listening to this story and when enough time has passed I will also read the book. I just loved the story of lost love and then found again. The heartfelt struggles between the characters and the self doubt of love...sigh!! This author really knows how to write a story.

I would highly recommend this audio, it's just so good.

Great Story

As usual with Cardeno C you won't be disappointed with the story line and the sex is visual and hot

Believable tale of love, third time lucky

Where does More than Everything rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed this one and can see myself listening to this again. Engaging story, even though it ripped my heart out halfway through. But I knew this would happen in advance (read the blurb) and so was prepared for the heartache, and absolutely loved how the threesome came together in the latter half of the book.

What other book might you compare More than Everything to, and why?

I'm always a little unsure about MMM since I can't fathom how not to be jealous of the third person and worry that someone is always a little less loved than the other pair, so I don't have many other MMM to compare to. That said, as a gay fiction novel, it was very enjoyable and as good as any other Home/Famliy book Cardeno C has written.

Did Ezekiel Robison do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

He did - Charlie was completely different from Adan and Scott (who only very rarely sounded like each other), although I couldn't quite fall in love with Charlie's sometimes-too-whiny voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would definitely read the book all in one go, maybe not listen to all in one go.

Any additional comments?

Cardeno C is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and a go-to-read/listen for me.