Realize

Men of Hidden Creek Season 4, Book 2)

De: Susan Hawke

Narrado por: Nick J. Russo

"What we have can’t be faked."

Max Jackson’s life is pretty close to perfect - except that he’s secretly in love with his straight best friend and roommate. He’s got his dream job and a family he secretly pretends are his own. But they aren’t...no matter how much he might wish it were true.

After the tragic death of his wife, Parker Wilson didn’t have time to wallow in grief - not when he had two young children to raise. He’s not looking for romance or a new partner. He doesn’t need one anyway...he has his life-long buddy Max to help him through every struggle.

When Parker loses his job and can’t afford his daughter’s pricey insulin, Max suggests fake marriage for insurance coverage. Since he’s already a second parent to Parker’s cute kids, it should be easy...until the marriage becomes a little too real.

Welcome to Hidden Creek, Texas, where the heart knows what it wants, and where true love lives happily ever after. Every Men of Hidden Creek novel can be enjoyed on its own, but keep an eye out for familiar faces around town! This audiobook contains dad jokes, a pair of kids that will steal your heart, and more heat than a Texas summer.

©2019 Susan Hawke (P)2019 Susan Hawke

Realize will melt your heart! 💖

This Review is for both E-book 📖 and Audible🎧 formats. An ARC was provided free, by LesCourt for the e-book and the audible I purchased. The opinions expressed are solely mine. 💋

The book: Realize: Men of Hidden Creek S.4 Bk.2
• Susan Hawke - author
• Nick J. Russo - narrator
• 269p. KU • 7hrs 48min Audible • Contemporary • Standalone • Happily Ever After • In A Series • Third-Person Narrative • Dual POV •

The romantic theme:
• Best Friends • Hurt/ Comfort • "Gay for You" • Demi-sexual

The read:
• Heavy Tones, BUT Not Heavy Angst • Good Pace • Made Me Smile • Sweet and Endearing • Sexy

SteaMMy Swordplay:
• 3 out of 5⚔⚔⚔ - I have a whole new appreciation for Ferris Wheels!😍

Story ingredients:
• Grief • Fake Marriage • Witty Banter • Illness • Adorable Children •

MC#1 is...
• Parker • Single Dad • Superhero Geek • Hot • Sweet • Straight?

MC#2 is...
• Max • Parker's Best Friend • Solid Fam Ties • Strong • Devoted to Parker's kids • Gorgeous Hunk • "raging, flaming, totally homo type of gay at the glittery end of that (Kinsey) scale." - quote from Max himself


This was a joy to read and listen 🎧 to. Thanks to the writing style of S Hawke, that I geek out over on the regular, and the narrator doing such a good job, I was immersed in the story without coming up for air til, "The End."

The characters drew me in and I became a part of the moving landscape, able to feel and experience every high and low, happy, sad, jubilant, and exquisite emotion as my eyes 👀 and ears👂took in each word.

Max and Parker's friendship spanned decades, and Max's family treated Parker as one of their own since he had no family, save his two small children, Cindy and Teddy.

Though Max and Parker were the MCs, Teddy and Cindy stole the show and completely melted my old lady heart.💗 Add in two precious furbabies, a quirky Aunt with pink hair and mad fort building skills and you have one wonder-filled story.

Even though this is part of a series, it definitely can be read on its own.

4.75 forever-family-stars✨✨✨✨•✨

An emotional connection was required

Max and Parker were each anothers rock from childhood. When life changed drastically for Parker, Max stepped up and didnt hesitate to be his shoulder of support.
As their needs changed, so did their relationship and for Parker , an emotional connection was what he required most.
This is a fantastic, slow burn, best friends to husbands/ lovers story with adorable children and great supporting characters.

The narration was great and each character was brought to life well, even the children.

Sweet friends-to-lovers romance

I'm still fairly new to the Men of Hidden Creek series, having only listened to the first audiobook in this series's latest season, but that certainly didn't take away from my overall listening enjoyment of Realize, the second audiobook for season four. Written by Susan Hawke and narrated by Nick J. Russo, this was a sweet story about two best friends--one who loses his wife and the mother of his children and the other who steps in and becomes the greatest source of support for his best friend and his two godchildren. But this is also more than just a friends-to-lovers story. This is also a story about family and friendship and overcoming the odds for as long as someone has your back.

After losing both their house and his wife to a horrible fire, Parker Wilson and his two children, Cindy and Teddy, were taken in by Max Jackson, Parker's best friend. Three years later and the two twenty-year-olds have created a true home for the now eight-year-old Cindy and six-year-old Teddy. When Parker loses his job--and along with it his health insurance--he isn't sure how he can afford to pay for Cindy's expensive diabetes medication. The one possible solution? That Parker and Max get married so that Parker and the kids can get on Max's health plan. It shouldn't be too difficult to be fake husbands, right? But what if one--or both--of them starts wishing that what they shared was real?

Susan Hawke, as usual, never ceases to bring me in with her beautifully written love stories, and she's done it again with this Men of Hidden Creek contribution of hers. Aside from the heaviness in the beginning of the book, this is a fairly lighthearted read with Max and Parker working like a well-oiled machine when it comes to taking care of Cindy and Teddy. There's Parker trying to figure out his sexuality, but there isn't any unnecessary drama attached to it, thank goodness! With Nick J. Russo doing yet another stellar job as narrator, the story is truly brought to life and made for one of my favorite listening experiences this year. Realize is an audiobook not to be missed. Five stars! ♥

Best friends to lovers Realize

This book started out with so much tragedy, such heartache was heartbreaking. Parker and his kids needed love to rebuild and Max was the perfect person for that. This is a heartwarming romance filled with adorable kids, family silliness, cute moments, a few life lessons, and of course all the love. It was a very enjoyable listen made better by Nick's narration.

Heart melting

I love single parent, best friends to lovers and some hot chemistry between the characters. This has it all!!!
No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
Good dialogues
Well described characters that’s developed in to realistic personalities
Steady building of the storyline with a HEA

Narrator:
Clear pronunciation and read with feelings

4 stars overall