Out of the Shadows

Dreamspun Desires, Book 20

By: K.C. Wells

Narrated by: Finn Sterling

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

Can he step out of the shadows and into love's light?

Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to Jamaica Plain in southern Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that's how he'd like it to stay.

Josh Wendell has heard his co-workers gossip about the occupant of apartment number one. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment's kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.

When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?

©2017 K.C. Wells (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

How did this happen?

I'm actually really bummed.

I usually enjoy Finn Sterling's narration and this, for the most part, was no exception. Sterling uses distinctive character voices for every character, he has good pacing, he has good timing, he adds just enough emotion to his performance...this was shaping up to be a 5-star narration for me.

And then one of the main character's voices changed.

The character voice for Josh literally changed throughout the production. Josh's voice started out normal, and the change was subtle at first. But then it got progressively higher in pitch until, by the end, the character sounded like what I would imagine it would sound like if Mike Tyson and Mickey Mouse had a love child.

I honestly do not understand how it is possible that Sterling didn't notice, or how this got through proofing without someone acknowledging, "Dude, you changed Josh's voice. What's up with that?"

Talk about disappointing. If it weren't for that I would be raving about this - the story is sweet, low angst, nice characters, a little heat...too bad Josh's voice became my main focus taking away from the rest of what would have and could have been an awesome audio.

Cute story

3.5 stars across the board

This will be short and sweet. The story was very cute, and the characters were likable. However, things seemed to come just a little too easily throughout the tale.

The narrarator wasn't bad. However, the voice he chose for Josh, one of the MCs, almost made this a dnf for me.

My heart went out to Christian

Josh works on tiling and other construction. He is working on an apartment for a man when he realizes the man is locked in the bedroom. After Christian falls in the bathroom Josh rescues him to see him covered in scars.

Christian is worried that the friendship they built through closed doors will be over once Josh sees him but it only intensifies but can Josh convince Christians his scars are only skin deep and no one will notice as much as he thinks. Can he get Christian to come out of the shadows for him?

I enjoyed this story a lot. It is an M/M take on beauty and the beast set in real life scenario. K.C.Wells has created several interesting characters and the plot is interesting and keeps you pulled in. There are also a few more characters I would love to see stories.

Finn Sterling did a good job on narrating this story and bringing the story and characters to life. I will admit I didn't like Joshes voice it was a bit high pitched and squeaky for me not what I would imagine a sexy construction worker to sound like.

A LOVE STORY

I can't tell you a lot of the book with out ruining it. I LOVED the story. I wish the narrator had used a different voice for Josh, but oh well.

Beauty is only skin deep love lies within the soul

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I sure would. It's well written, well told, intriguing and so engaging that I got lost in the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The way Josh slowly pulls Christian out of his shell, re-introduces him to the world and shows him he can live life outside his self imposed prison.

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

He gives the characters life with specific tones and inflections for Josh and Christian, subtle nuances that ensure the reader (listener) is always aware of which character is speaking.

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

Beauty is only skin deep, love lies within the soul.

Any additional comments?

Wells has written such a great story here that kept me engaged and intrigued throughout. I especially enjoyed listening to Josh slowly pull Christian out of the tiny world he's resigned himself to living in. He proves to the gun shy, withdrawn, beautiful man that he is more than just the scars.

I do so enjoy the Dreamspun Desire stories, they remind me of the old Harlequin Romance novels that my mother used to read to me when I was learning to read myself. Yes, I got a healthy dose of love at a young age, perhaps that's why I'm such a hopeless romantic myself.

love the story, love the narrator

I adore this story line it shows about great tragedy, but at the end you find a person who can make it better.

Heartwarming

I really, really love this book. It's definitely on my list of repeat listens. Listening to this story is heartwarming. It's sweet and low angst.

Hearing what happened to Christian and how he lived for the past years is heartbreaking. I love that Josh sees Christian's beauty from the inside.

The narrator is new to me. I enjoyed listening to his voice. He did a great job.

Overall I think that this is an amazing book and I definitely recommend it.

love

this story is a beautiful story it is one of my favorite stories because it is a story that if you don't think you look the same or look like you feel like you're secured in your own skin this is a good book to listen to I know it's not the same as you being fat or over way or have something wrong at the February but I think this book is one of the best books to read because it shows you that love comes and always and always possible so please give this book a try

Great story, good narration

I loved loved loved loved this!

This was so much fun!

Both Christian and Josh are fun and interesting characters. Josh cracked me up with his bluntness and Christian won me over with his willingness to trust Josh.

I loved how flirty and fun and willing to laugh at themselves these guys were with one another. Their dialog felt authentic and really helped to make the story more plausible.

While I thought Christian’s transformation from complete recluse to “out on the town guy” was ridiculously easy, I appreciated that so much of his pain was internal and that viewed with adult eyes it might be easy to peel away.

The smexy times were nice, I wish there’d been more of them, but it felt appropriate for this series.

I was so enthralled with this I couldn’t put it down and while I was looking forward to reading it – it still managed to surprise me with how much I enjoyed it!

Highly Recommended!

4.5 of 5 stars


Audio

Finn Sterling is a good narrator. He handles the timing and emotions just fine. I really, really loved the voice he chose for Christian and while I thought that Josh sounded more like an elf or a teenager than fit his personality, it was okay enough.

I enjoyed this and recommend it.

4 of 5 stars

Overall 4.25 (rounded to 4.5) of 5 stars

Not convinced the on this narrator

I love the story, it's got all the warm fuzzies I love from K.C. while also bringing light to something not many people really think about, the inner turmoil of someone so scarred.

I think I would prefer to read this myself and imagine the voices of the MC's. I keep getting pulled out of the story when Josh's voice comes up. I think its personal preference however.

Enjoyable story but the wrong narrator

The characters in this story are well drawn. We learn about how Christian became disfigured as the story progresses. It was lovely to see him step out of the shadows as Josh gives him the confidence to face the world. Unfortunately I don’t think that the narrator handled Josh well. He made him sound like one of the Muppets which spoiled this for me. He did well with the other voices so it is a shame that he didn’t hit the mark with Josh.