Starting from Zero

Starting From Series, Book 1

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Michael Dean

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Justin Cuevas is going through a rough patch. A broken relationship, a scandal, and the demise of his band have shaken the aspiring rock star’s confidence. Working two jobs and sleeping on his friend’s sofa isn’t ideal, but Justin isn’t ready to give up yet. With a little luck, he’s hoping to re-launch his music career in LA with his new band, Zero. The key is to stay focused, and not get distracted by his past...or the sexy songwriter he can’t get out of his head.

Gray Robertson has written dozens of hits and worked with some of the biggest names in the industry. But he’s never met anyone like Justin. The younger man is fiery, passionate, and smart. A powerful voice for a new generation. Other than an unforgettable one-night stand and a passion for music, the two men have nothing in common. Or do they? Justin knows the out-of-the-blue challenge to write a quintessential love song is a huge opportunity. And it’s the ultimate test for someone who’s doesn’t believe in happily ever after. When sparks fly, Justin and Gray realize they have a shot something special if they start from zero together. Maybe even love.

©2019 Lane Hayes (P)2019 Lane Hayes

A steamy age gap opposites attract!

This is book 1 in the Starting from series and each book can be read as a standalone.

This was a great start to a new series.
I liked seeing Justin and Gray's relationship evolve.

The chemistry between them was fiery and passionate from the very beginning and I was rooting for them throughout.

The narrator, Michael Pauley does an amazing audio delivery and narration.

The sexy times were oh so steamy and Michael doesn't shy away from bringing all the heat to his narration.

kinda okay.

This story was odd. I almost felt like I should have read a story before this story. I even checked to make sure this was really book 1, a few times. It was hard to follow with all the past stories that actually seemed way more interesting than this one. I thought the love story was underdeveloped and a bit immature. The entire stoey was kinda blah. Well, except the narrator. The narration was pretty good, though the separation of voices were minimal so sometimes vocals were hard to follow. Not moving onto book 2.

I loved this audiobook!

If you follow my reviews at all (thanks if you do) then I'm going to sound like a broken record. I reviewed Starting From Zero as an eBook when it first released. It was a great read but now Michael Pauley's audio performance makes it even better. He does so many great voices in this one and when it comes to the sexy time – look out – hot as fire!

The following is my original review of the ebook:

I'm a relative newcomer to Lane Hayes books. I started with her Out in College series (3 books long so far) and loved all of them. Now comes her new Starting From series which is a spin-off from the Out in College series. No worries if you haven't read that series; Starting from Zero stands alone and is a complete story with an HEA.

The book is told in first person POV, alternating between Justin and Gray. Justin is an aspiring rock star with many problems. Gray is 18 years older than Justin but something just clicks for them. It starts off as an anonymous one-off but circumstances bring them together again and a relationship develops.

This story had a lot of secret keeping going on and that caused a fair amount of angst in some of the characters. I loved Gray, a successful, wealthy, older man who doesn't flaunt what he has. He started from humble beginnings and hasn't forgotten that. Justin was a bit all over the place. He has ADHD and that makes it hard for him to focus. He's determined to help his new band make it big and won't let anything stop him from making it so. He's not intimidated by Gray's wealth.

I really felt the connection between Gray and Justin and their sexy time together was WOW! The story made me smile in places, cringe in a couple and had all kind of feels going on. There are several intriguing secondary characters in Starting from Zero and I hope they get books of their own. I was particularly taken with Gray's former lover, Sebastian. He comes off as quite a jerk but I think he can be redeemed and would love to read his story. 😊

An advanced copy of this book was provided to me via IndiGo Marketing but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Boring

Totally boring. First time I didn't finish an audiobook. Will return it. It was almost impossible to get into the story.

Rock band. Bi.

These two were an interesting couple. One was a rock star want to be. The other has been through it already and ready to move to the next step. These two have to maneuver through the maze of what they want and if they can do it and work their world out.

Loved 😍 Gray and Justin's Story

Hot 🔥 🔥 and sweet and great narration. Well worth the credit. Moving on to the next in the series.

Very entertaining

I liked reading/listening Starting From Zero and am looking forward reading/listening other books in the series.

Michael Dean narration was good . I only wish he wasn't so OTT dramatic during intimate couple times as , to me , is a bit off putting.

Good story. Good narration.

Justin is an interesting character with some unique challenges. I could definitely relate to his squirrelly brain!

I think the author did a good job of building a relationship between the two main characters, and I am looking forward to listening to the rest of the character's stories.

The narrator did a nice job of creating distinct voices for the characters. I only had one or two quick moments of uncertainty as to who was thinking/speaking, but it didn't distract from the story.

Overall, an enjoyable listen that left me interested in the next book.

Loved it!!

This was amazing!! So beautifully written and Michael did an amazing job!!! I loved it so much.

Swoon Worthy

Swoon! Gah, I just loved Justin and Gray’s story. You know when you read a book, and it’s just so good and you have a smile plastered to your face? And you don’t want to finish because it will be over? This! This is one of those books! I loved it so much I also grabbed the audio, because amazing book, amazing narrator! Justin and Gray made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I loved their witty banter and their comfortable conversations they had with each other. Their chemistry together was explosive and off the charts hot. They truly completed each other so well, and their story really gave me all the feels. I know this will be a book I re-read when I need a pick me up. I really can’t recommend their story more!

I loved their story in ebook, but this narration really made Justin and Gray's story even more for me.

lovely story.

I had been highly anticipating this book for a while now, Justin was a character that we'd met in a previous book, and I was dying for his story to be told. I was so excited to finally dive into it. It was so definitely worth the wait!

Justin had so much emotional baggage buried in his past, but I loved his attitude to life and his courage to meet things head on and overcome them. His integrity was amazing. Gray was just this amazing, kind soul. He and Justin fit together so well. In fact, I'd go so far to say that they're right up there amongst my favourite characters.

It's, of course, very well written, with a great storyline and plot. It's a passionate and emotional read, which made for a very nice romance. Also, loved meeting Christian and Rory again, characters from one of Ms Hayes' previous books. 

It is written in dual POV, which I do like, giving the reader much more of the thoughts and feelings of the main characters. The epilogue was swoon worthy and there's a puppy 😍🐕

I'm so hoping for more from this series, there were a couple of cracking secondary characters introduced in the story. Can't wait.

The narration was incredibly well done. First class listen 👍

Comment