Somewhere in the Middle

An MM Age Play Story

By: Karyn Rose, Kian Rhodes

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

When Jade first stumbled into the BDSM scene, he was drawn to it in a way that he didn't understand. In a way that he didn't really think anyone could understand. He was an adult, a decorated military man with a chest full of medals and a skill set that made him a lethal enemy, so why was he suddenly fascinated by the thought of finding a lover that he could call Daddy? Then, when he finally had the opportunity to surrender his control in the way he ached to do, why did it feel like he was forcing a square peg into a round hole? Was there more to being a little than he'd thought? Or was there something else keeping Jade from finding his happy place?

Sweet story

Really enjoyed the story. Romantic with a bit spice of kink. Slow emotional development between main characters kept me interested in listening the whole time. Unfortunately the Virtual Voice hurts the story -would be nice to listen it with actual emotions.

The good, the bad, and the moral dilemma

The good…
This story was good. If it was narrated by a human who did even an average job, I’d be giving this book a solid four star review.

This AI narration was scary good. The voice sounded natural, for the most part. It got the inflection right more often than it got it wrong. It was far better than the first artificial voice narration sample I listened to, maybe six months ago. Makes me wonder/worry where this technology will be six months from now. This AI narration, even with its mistakes, was better and easier to listen to than the worst human narrations I’ve heard.

The bad…
Even when a computer reads your book, you need an audio proofreader. There was an entire “chapter” of a list - “chapter one, chapter two, chapter three…..”. No content. Just a minute or more of that list.
There were several more instances of repeated chapter titles within the book. There were places where a human would have recognized the author intended a stuttered or aborted word, but the computer read it as the letters on the page, and it came out weird. A human would recognize the gentle placating “shh”, but the computer delivered a sharp, short sound. Nitpicking? Yes. But in a way, no, because it changes the character of a passage. The intended feel or meaning of the scene is changed. That’s no small thing.

The moral dilemma…….
This technology is very good. It is only going to get better. Soon all my little complaints will have been worked out. The virtual voice will sound as organic as a human narration. The AI will learn how to read the context, perhaps to alter when voicing different characters, for sure to better capture the mood of each sentence and scene.
Soon it will not be a matter of human narration being superior quality. They will be equal.
Economic factors make using the AI voice very appealing for authors trying to dip their toes into the audiobook space.
Assuming these titles are also sold for less than human narrations, the same economic factors will make them appealing to customers who want to listen to books without breaking the bank.
This technology has the potential to eliminate an entire industry of voice actors, and all the support people associated with producing audiobooks. I don’t feel good about helping pave the road to their loss of livelihood and the loss of an art form.

My review of this book… it’s good. I enjoyed the writing, the characters, the storyline. It feels like it’s part of a larger universe. I think I’ll go look for more books by this author and/or set in this world. I also think I’ll try to find a digital or print copy to buy. I liked it enough to read it again.
I will not, not now or in the future, pay money for computer narrated audiobooks. I will listen for free, if they are offered that way. My great objection is not with the quality. I will, however, save my money for human narrations, to support the actors and producers, and to thank the authors for continuing to make that investment in people.