Not Knowing Jack

By: K. A. Mitchell

Narrated by: Jason Winters

Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Bartender Tony Gemetti has it all: a rich, hot boyfriend, a McMansion in the ’burbs, and unlimited sex in an expectation-free zone. He thought that was all he ever wanted out of any relationship - until Jack begins making excuses for frequent disappearances. Realizing he has more than his libido and enough drawers for his T-shirt collection riding on this relationship, Tony figures it’s time to find out what’s going on.

Jack Noble has spent his life hiding his real self behind a carefully created image. With Tony, he finally knows real freedom, real happiness. Now a past of buried secrets and lies is closing in, and no matter how hard he tries to stop it, the truth is tearing through. Once Tony learns what kind of man Jack really is, he won’t stay. Jack’s sure of it. Suddenly the past shows up in a completely unexpected way, testing the boundaries of their old, coasting-along-on-fun relationship. Tony indeed finds that Jack isn’t the man he went looking for, but it’s too late. There’s too much at stake to just walk away. First, though, he has to make sure there are no lies left for Jack to hide behind.

Warning: Listeners should be free of any heart condition that may be affected by a hero with an overactive imagination, painful back stories, and hot sex in a variety of athletic positions. Neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for any sudden or frequent urges to have children with Tony Gemetti.

©2010 Samhain Publishing (P)2014 Insatiable Press

One of my favorites.

I love this story so much. Jack & Tony are an established couple who haven't quite got around to saying the words I love you or maybe even realizing it themselves but it's clear they do from the beginning. There is a lot this couple hasn't talked about and it's starting to become an issue when unresolved problems from Jack's past return with a vengeance. While Tony may appear at first glance to be more immature, it's really Jack's inability to deal with any kind of problem or conflict that is the biggest issue. All through the story tho it's clear they love each other and why they continue to work until they get their happy ending.

I bought the audiobook because I love the book so much. The performance was very good and I love it nearly as much as the print version. The only quibble I have is that the voice characterization of Jack (and Sean) was a bit too stereotypically effeminate for what I thought would match the character. It's not too dramatic but I did notice it during certain scenes.

Great Plot!

This is one of the more interesting plots for this genre I have read. Great characters and hard to ‘put down’. I agree with other reviewers that the narrator is just okay, but he doesn’t detract from the experience at all. I think I am just spoiled with the amazing narrators out there now that are more actors than readers. I am very picky about narrators and this book is definitely worth the credit. It would have been amazing with the right narrator though.

Great story but not loving the audio, sadly.

If you could sum up Not Knowing Jack in three words, what would they be?

Tony and Jack are introduced in Regularly Scheduled Life, book one of the Ohio series, and I fell in love the with the flirtatious bartender, Tony, then and there. Tony has got to be one of the best characters ever developed in a gay romance novel, and I still say “everyone needs a Tony in their lives”. He is a big kid at heart, but is loyal to a fault. There is no one you can trust to have your back more than Tony. Jack learns this the hard way, after he treats Tony like crap and kicks him to the curb, twice, on the same day.

What other book might you compare Not Knowing Jack to and why?

Regularly Scheduled Life

What three words best describe Jason Winters’s voice?

No emotion for excitement, sadness, hurt feelings, or anger…it was all kind of monotone and it really got to me. I’ve come to expect a lot more from my audio’s and when all I get is a reading and not a performance it just ruins the experience.

If you could rename Not Knowing Jack, what would you call it?

Excellent name.

Any additional comments?

My main issue was the tone of voice used through out the reading. Using a calm tone when the words spoken were “Jack said icily”. An icy tone of voice is not similar to one you would use when speaking to a toddler, and that is what I got.I will not be listening to any more by this narrator.

Disappointing

The main characters in this story were supposed to be older - near 40 - but you definitely couldn't tell by the dialog or by the actions of either of them.

I'm read characters who were in high school who came off as more mature.

The narrator - Jason Winters - he just made the story worse. I could hardly tell the difference between the two main characters. And wow - he made everything sound whiny.

Loved it!

There’s just something in the way that KA writes that just makes their characters shine -even when they are entitled and cocky-
We have Jack, successful chef, with a lot of secrets. And his live-in boyfriend Tony, absolutely lovable, sweet, perfect, and a bleeding heart.
This is an established couple -which are tricky- but this just works. When real life and big problems descend on them we get to see them react and truly test their relationship.
Brandon and Sarah were extremely adorable.
Plus we get to see Shaun and Kyle from book 1.

Make it Stop!!!!

I'm sorry, Jason Winter's is making this book impossible to listen to, there is no difference between any character voices, nada.

I would have liked to hear the rest of this book, I can't, just can't.