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

Very Tiresome !!!!

Story was too long and very repetitive. Developed a dislike for 2 main characters. It was a struggle to finish. I kept waiting for the story line to improve & it never did. It feels like wasted time.
Definetely not up to genre par of authors like Mary Calmes.

Good read

This was a good read. I didn't care for the narration. He didn't put much into it.

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 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don't remember it. And really I should.

I don't write my reviews immediately after I'm done with the book. I save them up, until I have 5 or 6 to do, then set aside a few moments to write them all at one. Trouble is, even after reading the publishers synopsis, I don't remember the characters and the plot. I remember not hating it - 'spose that's a plus.

Enjoyed the "Stay"

I'm always so happy when there is a real story, with some complexity ,and a diverse cast of characters making for a fulfilling reading experience.

This was so much better than the usual thin plots and repetitive sex scenes common to so many other m/M stories.

Although someone switching their sexual orientation, with little background to explain it , might be hard to accept it's not impossible, so I went along with it and enjoyed the story.

A few comments about the performance. Spellman mispronounced words throughout the reading ( suffice was one he had trouble with giving it a "fuss" ending rather than the correct "fice" ending. He also accented the wrong syllables in words on occasions but nothing too disturbing..
STAY WITH ME held my interest all the way to its conclusion. I add this to the list of other S. E. Harmon stories I enjoy.

Solid Gay for You type story.

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

I would. It was a great listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jordan! I loved how he was uncertain but loyal from the start, finally figuring out exactly what he wanted and going for it without reservation.

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

He gives the characters a voice, that is something you don't get from just the written version.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it is SO long that was impossible.

Any additional comments?

Mackenzie Williams, or Mack as most people call him, is a former cop turned PI after an accident left him with a permanent injury and his then boyfriend in a wheel chair. Fresh off his latest breakup, Mack fills his lonely days with work, surfing and quick one offs with a hot surfer he’s known for years, Asher. Everything changes on his latest case when he and his best friend slash business partner Drew, spot what they assume is another investigator crowding their stakeout.

Jordan Channing is smart, sexy, funny and oh, wait, he’s straight, and engaged. Jordan is, in fact, spying on his fiancé when Mack wanders up to his car and just makes himself at home. So of course, Jordan hires him to follow Rachel. From the start Mack notices that Jordan is a little bit more flirtatious than a self-proclaimed straight guy should be, but Jordan brushes Mack off when he asks, stating he just needs a friend. But the sexual tension continues to grow until it reaches a breaking point and Jordan is the recipient of a lovely blow job on top of Mack’s desk.

The two begin a whirl wind affair that is absolutely wonderful, behind closed doors. Jordan struggles with his sexuality, but he is so drawn to Mack and his eccentric personality that he just can’t stay away. And as much as Mack tells himself it is all good fun, just a fling, his heart attaches itself more and more to Jordan with every touch, every kiss, and every passionate tryst. The problem is that Mack is his own worst enemy. He tells himself that he is not going to give up on Jordan, he wants to fight for what they are building, that is what his heart says. His brain doesn’t get the memo.

I really enjoyed the odd couple pairing in this book, the opposites attract aspect. Mack goes through a lot emotionally throughout the story, and it was at times annoying the way he would deliberately set himself up to fail or walk away when he should have stood strong. But you have to hang on until the end, because he tells you exactly why he is like that in the last 10 minutes of the book. Jordon struggles as well emotionally, but he has a lot thrown at him in a short time. He learns his fiancé is cheating, meets this insane guy that grates his nerves in all the right ways, and he is insanely attracted to him, he doesn’t quite know what to do with that for a while. There is this one line in the book that was so perfect, “I’m trying to figure out if I’m bi, or if it’s just you.” So Jordan takes a little while to figure out that it’s actually both.

The chemistry and the passion between these two is electric and white hot. I seriously thought my ipod was going to catch on fire a couple times. The one thing these two have absolutely no problems with from pretty much the word go is sex. Jordan is having a blast figuring out how his body works in relation to being with another man and Mack is loving every second of that journey. There were just a couple little hiccups for me. A couple times the story slowed and started to drag, it always picked back up, but in all honesty I think this book could have been a couple hours shorter and been just as good, if not better.

Narrated by Michael Stellman and I will say his voice is very young and energetic but every now and then, a couple of the characters bleed together. For the most part, I knew exactly who I was with at all times, but I’d like to hear a stronger change in tone inflections between characters. Overall this was an entertaining read. If you are a fan of Mary Calmes, specifically Jory and Sam Kage, then I think you’ll see some similarities in characteristics in this book.

A must listen for anyone that likes those different kind of love stories where that happy ever after isn’t handed to you, it’s earned.

Well rounded, beautiful

Great story, flawed character building was heart wrenching at times and sarcastic comical monologue to keep your head above the water giggling to yourself, and I enjoyed the narration as well

Lovely

I adored Mac and his massive amounts of sarcasm! I found his emotional baggage to be both really compelling and relatable. Seeing the good, bad and mundane of humanity, day in and day out, under a microscope like a PI, would give anybody trust issues. Lovely story, with hot sex and intriguing side characters. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

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. 😘😍😘😍😘😍😘😍

Abject means hopeless, NOT extreme!

Liked this quite a bit. However, the author seems to be under the incorrect impression that the word abject means extreme, not hopeless. Somehow her character experienced hopeless joy, admired someones hopeless beauty, and even more confusing, watched some one focus hopeless concentration. Other than that, sexy and fun. Never wanted to take my ear buds out.