Stay with Me

By: S.E. Harmon

Narrated by: Michael Stellman

Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

Private investigator Mackenzie Williams' newest client is everything he's looking for in a guy--charming, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. There's only one itty bitty problem: the guy's not exactly gay. In fact Jordan Channing is looking for a PI to follow his fiance. The smart thing would be to thank Jordan for his time, turn Mr. Perfect away (don't let the door hit you on the rump, thank you very much), and forget he exists.

Of course Mackenzie has never been accused of doing the smart thing. Being a smart aleck is more his MO. Relationships aren't up his alley, never have been. So why's he so inexplicably drawn to his new client?

Jordan has always been the high achiever, a man who lives in a focused, controlled, and carefully constructed manner. But for the first time in his life, he has to admit the impossible: another man is getting his engine running on all cylinders. Despite Jordan's denial, it's not long before he can no longer resist the strong undercurrents pulling them together. Now Jordan must decide if he can go against everything he's ever known to have the only love he's ever wanted.

©2014 S E Harmon (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

A Good Story...

I love sarcasm and the principle character, private investigator, Mackenzie Williams is one smarta** who could be my friend. There is a lot going on in this story and you have to pay attention to the narrative of the past to understand Mac in the present time. I found Mac's love interest, Jordan, to be very interesting if not a bit unrealistic...but it works for this story. Harmon did a great job telling this story with humor, wit, and the fear of love. The narrator, Michael Stellman, did a good job with the vocal inflictions for the most part. The only reason for a four rating is during the telling of this story, it dragged a bit--particularly in the middle and I am not sure if it was the story or the narrator. Either way, it is a good story that I would recommend...

I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK. GREAT NARRATION!!!

Any additional comments?

This was a great listen. Let me say first I am a book hopper. If I get restless or irritated with a book or character I will flip flop between books. Then calm myself and go back. I couldn't do it with this one. Every aspect was really interesting. Annnnnddddd I love when a young man is a bit confused as to why he is attracted to a man. It's so hot when he accepts it. REALLY REALLY HOT🔥🔥☄️☄️☄️🔥 I loved this book but I would have really loved it if Trevor could have seen that Mac found a better MAN. It's the woman in me. Definitely a keeper. 😘😍😘😍😘😍😘😍

Good listen

This book reminded me a lot of Dani Alexander's Shattered Glass (which is also available on Audible and I highly recommend it) without the cool crime adventure. The main character, Mack, is a wise cracking PI with abandonment issues. He has not been lucky in the love dept. He falls for the "straight" client and thus embarks on a GFY story; with an a**hole ex thrown in for good measure. The writing a narrator were engaging enough to hold my attention. Since not much else is going on in the story, it could have been really boring. But I am a fan of sarcastic characters, so I enjoyed it. The narrator, did a good job conveying the emotion of the story, but lost a star because all the characters kind of sounded the same. I like diversity in the voices and didn't find it in this narration. Still worth a listen.

Jordan 💗 Mac

My goodness! The misunderstandings Jordan and Mac had were enough to make me want to pull my hair out!!!

I was so worried there would be no happily ever after and Mac is a nut! An adorable, off the wall, crazy in his own thoughts nut! I couldn't help but love him.

Jordan was so freakin confused I wasn't sure which way he would turn and I hated how he treated Mac at times but it was an entertaining ride to see how these two would overcome the misguided and somewhat heart aching tribulations they faced.

Great audible!

Great story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the audio was good except for the delay. You can hear the narrator stopping and starting. It was annoying at first, but you get use to it

What did you like best about this story?

The struggle through the whole book.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene at the car!

Intelligently written and superbly read

The romance develops slowly and contains just the right mix of storytelling and descriptive sexual encounters. No silly drama and no pointless meandering. Michael Stellman has a wonderful voice, perfectly pitched for both main characters. It’s a pleasure to listen to and not at all “dumbed down”. Although it’s not as elaborate as others I’ve rated 5* I give it that because of this combination.

I knew you were the one when you get my sarcasm

OMG! 😱 How much I loved this audio! 😍 It had been such a long time which a great audio has grabbed me by the balls and demanded to be listened to whenever I can throughout the day! 😁 This was really really good! First of all, if you have been following my reviews for a while, you know I’m not a big contemporary fan. And second, I am not that into straight dudes freaking out when they find out they might be as straight as they think. But this book just worked for me. 💜


Mac, a former police officer now turned PI, is a firm believer of “nothing lasts forever” ideology. After all, his own mother had run away with a younger man and abandoned he and his family. Mac also had a notorious streak of turning his closest friends to his lovers and breaking up with them in the end. But Mac is fairly happy with his life, he has a very dry and rather inappropriate sense of humor, a thriving PI firm of his own and a best friend/PI partner who listens (rather reluctantly 😂) to his bone dry snarks. That is until he met Jordan, straight as arrow Jordan who hired Mac to follow his fiancée who is a woman. 😏 Mac knows it’s not a good idea to start anything with Jordan even if the spark between them is as hot as molten lava. 😉 Jordan has never doubted his sexuality until he met Mac and Mac had that “been there, done that T-shirts of dating closeted men. But there’s just something about Jordan that makes cynic Mackenzie can’t help but fall hard for him. 😁 And MAC soon found out his insecurity and trauma of being left behind is way worse than Jordan having to deal with his new found sexuality. However, these two men definitely have their works cut out for them if they want a happy ending with rainbows and unicorns and a white picket fence. 🌈🦄😉


If you ask me if this book is perfect, I have to say it’s not. But the romance and chemistry between Mac and Jordan just worked for me. 😊 For example, as a true hopeless romantic, I would have preferred Jordan to call off the engagement as soon as he met Mac but then this story wouldn’t be realistic anymore, would it? 😁 Instead we get a slow-burn, sweet, intense and beautiful romance between Jordan and Mac and how they had to navigate their differences to find a balance that works for them. And Mackenzie just worked for me! 😱😍 The guy is snarky as hell and his sarcasm is bone dry. 😏 But that’s what made me relate to him and fall in love with his character. And his inner monologues are just hilarious! 😂👏 And did I say the sex was hot? Sweet baby Jesus, was it hot! 😱🔥 It was smoking hot! 🔥 Like panty-melting, a shower-needing, feeling-hot-and-bothered kind of hot! 🔥 S.E. Harmon definitely knew how to make the love scenes sizzling! 😉 And Michael Stellman did a terrific job narrating this story. 👏 I think Mackenzie’s voice is definitely made for him. ❤️ I would have loved an epilogue for these two but I’m happy with how things ended. Now I can’t wait to dive into the second book of PI guys because well, I’m now hooked, aren’t I? 😁



5 I knew you were the one for me when you get my sarcasm stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️








Audio rating

Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 4.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many People Loved this... Not my Favorite

Mac is a PI hired by Jordan to spy on his girlfriend, who he thinks is cheating. He is super attracted to Mac and the two end up in this very long, drawn out on again/off again romance that ends up in a very unsatisfying HFN.
In the middle of all that there is lots and lots of witty banter and really hot GFY/first-time-with-a-man sex… lots of it.
**
I never understood the relationship Jordan had with his girlfriend/fiancée/ex. Does he even like her? Why is he with her? Why is she so easy to abandon? Why is he spying on her? Why would he go BACK to her?
I got really, really tired of the “I love this”, “I can’t do this”, but “I love this”, but “I’m not gay”, but “I love this”… etc. There was a lot of funny dialog and hot sex but the emotional connection needed to make me feel something for either MC just wasn’t there.
The writing was good but it really could have been a shorter book. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were fun, including the secondary characters. I did not love the romance and felt it was mediocre at best. The sex was way hot but maybe (dare I say it?) almost too much.
2.5 of 5 stars

Narration
Michael Stellman did a fine job with the narration. He didn’t do anything really special with any of the voices or the emotions but managed to read in a way that the story was the focus and not the narration. 3/5 stars

Overall Impression:

2.5 stars – It was okay

Gay-for-you with smouldering chemistry

If you could sum up Stay with Me in three words, what would they be?

Funny. Sexy. Enjoyable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really loved Mackenzie. The story is told entirely from his POV, and he has exactly the kind of sense of humor that cracks me up. He's sarcastic, a bit flakey, and prone to pop culture references. There were times when his tendency to jump to conclusions with regard to Jordan frustrated me, but the drama was never drawn out that much so it didn't get to the point where I wanted to slap him for being such a drama queen.

Also, every time he referred to himself as a butt-slut, I laughed.

What does Michael Stellman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved the tone of his voice. He kind of reminds me of Castiel (a character I love to bits ) from Supernatural. Pace was just right and he injected just the right amount of emotion so the narrative wasn't monotonous. I do wish he'd given Jordan and Mack more distinct voices because there were times when I had a hard time telling which one of them was speaking, but it wasn't so bad that it lessened my enjoyment of the story. I just had to make sure to listen carefully and keep track of the dialogue so I wouldn't have to rewind the scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh in a number of places just because of Mackenzie's inner voice and thoughts.

Any additional comments?

Will definitely be waiting for more from S.E. Harmon and Michael Stellman.

Totally Believable

If you could sum up Stay with Me in three words, what would they be?

Believable, Funny, Sexy

What other book might you compare Stay with Me to and why?

I'd probably have to compare it to the Holmes and Moriarity Series by Josh Lanyon. Both of them cover the real struggle of falling in love when you've been burned before, and all the other issues that come with life.

What does Michael Stellman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice was perfect for the character.

Who was the most memorable character of Stay with Me and why?

Mackenzie. He was funny, and sarcastic, and had so many issues.

Any additional comments?

I usually can't get behind the 'straight guy turns gay' or 'gay for you' stories because they're so implausible. Going from so straight to jumping in bed with a guy. But 'Stay With Me' wasn't like that. There was confusion, and hurt feelings, and uncertainty. It was completely believable.

Terrible

What would have made Stay with Me better?

This is perhaps one of the worst cliché romantic stories I've ever listened to and have finally given up. The 1 dimensional characters, the overused plot pre-fab (the failed-romantic lead who despite being an idiot of epic proportions captivates the attention of the object of his affections) and the anticipated set-ups finally got to me. Not worth listening to!

Loved it

I enjoyed this great story. loved the characters. Jordan was so hot. Great narration. The narrator had lovely sensual voice.

fantastic!

I absolutely loved this book. the relationship between Mac and Jordan is beautifully written.
It is funny, emotional and heartwarming. Can't wait for book 2!

Funny: a narrator in the closet

The story was nice but not as amazing as other Harmon novels. What went wrong with the sound? Did nobody check it before release? In the 'overall' rate I rated technical quality.

Stalking Michael Stellman

I've got to admit but if I had been reading the book, I probably would have struggled. The story is quite slow, good but slow. The narrator though, is absolutely excellent. His voice and character adaption is just brilliant. I'm finding myself serching for books with this narrator, I think I could listen to him read his shopping list.

If you love slow burn, sweet sexy stories, then you'll love this audio. I would definitely read more from this author and certainly listen to more from Michael Stellman.

Takes a while to get in to but worth it.

I was a bit disappointed by the first two chapters but it was well worth the wait. I liked the characters and the sex scenes are great. The story is strong and I was there through the tougher times. I would recommend it.

Loved it!

Narrator was brilliant.
Story was complex, funny, interesting and well-written.
Nice HEA, wish there was a sequel or epilogue to say how they worked out.