Reading the Signs

By: Keira Andrews

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

This hot-headed rookie needs discipline - on and off the field.

As a teenager crushing on Jake Fitzgerald, his big brother's teammate, pitcher Nico Agresta decided he can never act on his desire for men. Nico is desperate to live up to his Italian American family's baseball legacy, and if he can win Rookie of the Year in the big leagues like his dad and brother did, maybe he can prove he's worthy.

At 34, veteran catcher Jake just wants to finish out his contract and retire. His team doesn't have a prayer of making the playoffs, but who needs the stress anyway? Jake lost his passion for the game - and life - after driving away the man he loved. He swore he'll never risk his heart again.

Then he's traded to a team that wants a vet behind the plate to tame their new star pitcher. Jake is shocked to find the gangly kid he once knew has grown into a gorgeous young man. Tightly wound Nico's having trouble controlling his temper in his quest for perfection and needs a firm hand. Jake fights to teach him patience and restraint on the mound - but when the push and pull explodes into the bedroom, can they control their hearts?

Contains mature themes.

©2016 Keira Andrews (P)2020 Tantor

A feel good low angsty gay sports romance

I always enjoyed books by Keira Andrew but this one has to be one of my favorite. It hits some of my favorite tropes like childhood crush, hurt/comfort and age gap. Greg did a fantastic job narrating this one. The confusion and angst from
Nico is so heartfelt. Greg has one of my favorite female voices and this book is highly enjoyable. The D/s play is light but sexy AF. Definitely one of my favorite of the genre.

Loved it!

This story is hot and sweet and going onto my all time favorites list. If you love dirty talk you will not be disappointed. Greg Boudreaux nails the narration as always.

Best damn sports MM ever!!

Phenomenal!! The character build of Nico and the discussion between him and his family left me in tears. This whole book was perfection!!

Awesome read!

This is one my favorite books from Keira! I love Nic and Jake's relationship and the kink aspects are amazing!

Excellent sports romance

I have a confession: I enjoy Greg Boudreaux/Tremblay as a narrator but I don't think I've ever genuinely enjoyed one of his audiobooks. Something about the quality of the books he narrates really doesn't do it for me. I have a similar problem with Keira Andrews; I typically like her work but I'm not crazy about her narrators. Finally the two have combined, and the result is a sports romance which is sweet and entertaining, if a bit formulaic. And yes, I'm aware that "Beyond the Sea," another collaboration between them that was released recently, but I don't enjoy gay romances starring straight men, so I'm gonna give that one a pass. Luckily this was originally released in 2016, before M/M romance authors apparently decided that gay men aren't sexy enough to be the protagonists in their own genre.

Ok, down off my soapbox I come. The book focuses of the characters of Jake, a closeted gay baseball player at the end of his career, and Nico, a closeted gay baseball player at the beginning of his. They knew each other as children, and Nico had a crush on the much older Jake, a friend of his brother's. Nico's brother and father are also well-known baseball players and Nico feels as though he has a lot to live up to. As a result of his homophobic father and the pressure he feels, Nico is far more closeted than Jake, who at least can admit his sexuality to himself. There's a bit of a light BDSM subtext to their relationship, which I have to admit I was sort of dreading because it's not my thing, but it's done well and it's actually pretty hot, and this is from someone who typically finds audiobook sex scenes really awkward. So, extra points to Andrews for accomplishing that feat.

I liked the baseball stuff a lot, including the interaction with their teammates (actually I could have used more of this). I also really enjoyed Nico's family drama, dealing with a somewhat bigoted father and grandmother. There's a way to put homophobic characters in a book and there's a way NOT to do it, and this book does it well. It never turns them into cartoonish villains the way other LGBT books do. I liked Nico and Jake's developing feelings toward each other.

A few things didn't work out as well for me. Nico has issues surrounding his deceased mother, and I feel like that subplot could have been scrapped altogether, because it had the tendency to dissolve into melodrama. Another subplot involved an ex-teammate and ex-friend of Jake who he had feelings for, which was well done insofar as it was mentioned, but I feel like it could have been developed more than it was. It appeared in the book so sparingly that every time it did, I thought to myself "Oh yes, that's a thing that's happening, too." And the circumstances that first ignite Nico and Jake's relationship are so out of left field (ha!) and out of character for Jake that it's almost immersion-breaking.

Altogether though, I was happy with the book, and I'd gladly listen to it again. Greg Boudreaux's natural voice sounds just a smidge too proper for me, but since the book is in third person and Boudreaux's character voices are always on point (especially his female voices), it's a definite five star narration from me.

Hot Damn

What an amazing steamy book, holy crap, I just could not get enough. The author for sure knows their baseball, I really enjoyed how in tune the writing was with the realities of baseball. The performance was top notch, Greg Boudreaux always delivers he is one of my top five narrators. I am not one to break down the books chapter by chapter with major spoilers without the alert. So if you're looking for a good super hot steamy MM romance centered around the world of baseball, are into age differnce and a bit of dom/sub play - do not miss out on this book.

Adorable

Really enjoyed this one. I will definitely check out more from this author. Narrator is one of my go-to’s, so loved that too.

Wonderful Story Beautifully Performed by Boudreaux

Adorable!

A lovely pairing of these two macho sporty guys. Keira Andrews does a wonderful job of incorporation of the D/s element into their relationship, and dealing with Nico's anxiety issues. The references to the homophobic stigma of baseball players, and the family drama surrounding the guys' coming out is wonderful. I love the support the friends, the team, and the Canadian fans show!

And the audio is beautifully performed by Greg Boudreaux.

Make The Catch

These are two men who have had their own struggles with who they are and how it fits into their careers. From the beginning they balance each other out and bring something positive. I like seeing the relationship develop. There are some tough moments in the book as they face things both together and separately and you can see their growth and strength in those moments.
I listened to the audio version and really enjoyed it.

Intriguing Listen

I enjoyed this story, first time listening to this author. Narration was amazing Jake and Nico was good together even though Nico was a little childish at times.