Mine

By: Mary Calmes

Narrated by: Caleb Dickinson

Trevan Bean has a job that's going from illegal to frightening, a boyfriend who may not be in his right mind, and a guardian angel who might actually be evil incarnate. Add to that the reappearance of his boyfriend's estranged family, death threats, kidnapping, and the struggle of saving money to realize a dream, and Trevan has a lot on his plate. But Trevan is up to the challenge: he promised Landry a happily ever after, and Landry's going to have it if it kills him! It just might. Landry Carter was a broken doll when they met two years ago but has grown into a partner who can stand at Trevan's side... most of the time. Now that Trevan's life just got scary - and Landry just got himself kidnapped - Trevan has to hope Landry's love stays strong through this newest challenge, because the happily ever after won't happen if Trevan has to go it alone.

©2012 Mary Calmes (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

Good starting of a new series for me.

Wouldn’t have thought these two would have worked out. Glad they are happy for now.

Incredible

I read Mine when it came out a couple years back and jumped at the chance to review the audio when it became available. Unfortunately, I stopped listening to audio for a bit and this one got pushed back. I wish that hadn’t happened because I adored it this time almost as much as I did when I read it.

Mine is another great story by Mary Calmes with unique characters thrown into a situation they aren’t able to control.

Here we have Trevan Bean and his boyfriend Landry Carter. I enjoy love stories where we get to see the men fall in love but having a story where the couple is already established and face adversity together can be even more enjoyable.

Trevan has a dangerous job working for criminals and Landry has some emotional issues. I loved how well the men knew each other and how Trevan dealt with Landy when he has a fit. At first I was kind of annoyed by Landry and his immature attitude, but by the end of the story I understood why he had the issues he had.

Even though it’s Trevan who works with criminals, it’s Landry’s family that cause problems. Landry’s brother shows up and convinces Landry to come home for a visit. The reunion is bittersweet because Landry’s family is standoffish and cold compared to Trevan’s warm clan.

The danger felt real here and I liked that Trevan couldn’t do anything but sit back and wait for the police to handle it. It wouldn’t have been realistic for him to get more involved in the investigation.

Another great story by one of the best authors in the genre.

Narration Review:

I’ve never listened to anything narrated by Caleb Dickinson before and it appears he only has four narration credits on Audible so far. I’ve heard better but I’ve also heard far worse. He was pretty good and nailed Trevan’s voice. However, at times Landry came off as whiny and unlikable, which added to my annoyance with the character.

I liked the other narrators used in Calmes’ books better than Dickinson, namely Sean Crisden, Greg Tremblay and Tristan James, but that doesn’t mean Dickinson isn’t a great narrator. I think he’ll only improve from here and won’t hesitate to listen to him again.

Hot, Needy and a Runner

Trevan Bean is man who knows what he wants and he wants Landry Carter. Trevan is a dominate man who is set in his ways. Landry needs structure and a hand to hold. This story tells how they got together and how they make it work with twist and turns all along the way. Join them on this journey of running a business, reuniting with family, kidnapping and dreams coming true of owning your own restaurant.

Narrator: Caleb Dickenson
I really enjoyed his deep voice and his narrating style. Rough and lighthearted.

wow

Landry and Trevon's relationship is pretty intense.
Tre is kind of a saint. Landry is a bit on the neurotic side, and can be as he said it "bratty". You would think that would be totally annoying in a story but the way Trevon handles him, with such care and patience, is actually really endearing.

The plot and action in this story is enough to keep you wanting more as well. I like the Trevon is kind of doing illegal things, but he's not so far gone.

This is just a really great story and the title works both ways for each man.

Narrator Wasn't for Me

I believe the writer did a wonderful job of setting up the plot lines and relationships in the story. This is a complex bit of work. I will also admit I really didn’t like the first half or so. Laurent was just unlikeable and yet the story seems to be set up to push him and Damen together. O_o Yeah….I couldn’t see that. I’m starting to glimpse that there is more going on with Laurent than appears. I really don’t believe that Laurent is that cold and cruel. I will have to read the next book to find out if I’m right about that. Damen seems convinced by everyone’s surface appearance yet that is what got him in trouble before!

The characters are well crafted. I could see the slow development of Laurent as a person in the story. Damen, as the story’s point of view, was a bit easier. He did fill out more and grow as the story continues. I am beginning to glimpse how these two men could fit together. This shows a true talent for storytelling in the author.
The book can be really detailed with parts of the story and not so much in others. Most of the sex/rape scenes are skimmed over which is good. I must admit the author did a good job in detailing this world and its people, bringing this world to life.

Overall it was a bit of a heavy book. I will say in parts I was just glad to get through. Yet I did enjoy the book and believe that these parts I had trouble with also set up for everything else in the story to come. The book is the foundation for the rest of the series. I just think some readers will be turned off by the detail and length in which not much seems to happen. It can get a bit dry but if the reader pushes through I believe they will enjoy the last half of the book more. The action starts to pick up and we start seeing little cracks in how the world is perceived by Damen. How, Damen, may be wrong about a lot of what he believes. Excellent writing and overall solid read.

Re-read: I actually did the "reading" via audio. I still believe in how I reviewed this as an overall story. I will add to it that the audio wasn't as good as I had hoped. The narrator's voices for each character weren't always the easiest to tell apart and so it made it difficult to always know who was speaking. I (personally) also thought the "dryness" of the narrator's voice didn't sit well with me. I was left kinda bored where I wasn't with the ebook.