Strange Bedfellows

By: Cardeno C.

Narrated by: Ron Herczig

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

As the sole offspring of the Democratic United States president and his political operative wife, Trevor Moga was raised in an environment driven by the election cycle. During childhood, he fantasized about living in a made-for-television family, and as an adult he rejected all things politics and built a highly successful career as far from his parents as possible.

Newly elected congressman Ford Hollingsworth is Republican royalty. The grandson of a revered governor and son of a respected senator, he was bred to value faith, family, and the goal of seeing a Hollingsworth in the White House.

When Trevor and Ford meet, sparks fly and a strong friendship is formed. But can the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.

©2015 Cardeno C. (P)2015 Cardeno C.

Narrator made it hard for me to listen.

*DNF at 62%... the audio was killing me.*

Cardeno C. and I have a very tumultuous relationship. We have super high highs (Perfect Imperfections) and super low lows (A Shot at Forgiveness) and, honestly, not that much in between. I either LOOOOVE CC's books or I hate them. This is much more the latter.

Sometimes with audiobook reviews I talk about the audio at the end of the review because it isn't the main factor in how I feel about a story. However, in this case I MUST talk about the narrator first. Ron Herczig was a bizarre narrator for me. I liked certain part of his performance, namely the tone of his voice. When he was reading Trevor, I enjoyed the deep, raspy quality of his tone. However, I really hated the squeaky, and at times barely audible, voice of Ford. It sounded like a mouse or something, and it was actually difficult for me to catch some of the words because of the changes in volume when he switched from Trevor to Ford.

However, the most annoying this about the narrator for me was the way he stressed certain words that I would never think to accent. It was like, "We went to the... park... to buy some... dinner." There were these pauses throughout that threw me off, and he put emphasis on odd words in his sentences that made the whole narration feel unnatural. It was exceedingly hard for me to concentrate on the story, and I was listening on a long car trip with no distractions. In fact, it was so annoying that I couldn't force myself to listen to the rest of the story on the way home, and I decided to just call it quits.

In terms of the story, I just found that it stretched my imagination too far. The characterizations just didn't make sense to me. I didn't buy Ford's quasi in denial about being gay thing, but then me meets Trevor and it was like, "Heeeyyyy, I love penis!" I didn't finish the story but I wasn't overly impressed with the plot from what I listened to.

A miss for me,

**Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**

Great Story!

Any additional comments?

A beautifully romantic, sexy fairy tale with scorching hot sexy times and terrific dirty talk!

37 year old Bradford “Ford” Hollingsworth III has just started his first term as a Republican congressman, following in his grandfather and father's (a long time Senator and past presidential hopeful) esteemed political footsteps. Ford has spent most of his life trying to ignore the inner voice that tells him he'll never be happy with a woman because it would mean walking away from his family and his aspirations, but with each passing year it's becoming impossible. On one of the rare occasions when he can't handle the stress of life as an up-an-coming politician he picks up an anonymous bar hookup. But once the afterglow of a truly spectacular blowjob fades, and the lights come on, Ford is horrified to find his "anonymous" hookup is none other than Trevor Moga.

42 year old Trevor Moga is the only child of the current sitting President of the United States and his politically savvy wife. Trevor's childhood was spent filled with warnings about always being careful of his actions lest he land his parents in an above-the-fold article and family time being spent focused solely on the next election has soured Trevor on all things political. As an adult he has mostly eschewed politics and anything having to do with the world his parents live in.

Just as a side note, I loved Trevor's mother, and couldn't help but picture Emily Gilmore every time the First Lady had page time.

Of course Trevor is aware of Ford, mostly from when Ford's father would trot the family out for political press opportunities, and has always been drawn to the softness in Ford's expression and his genuineness, so when Trevor is given the opportunity to take Ford home, he does. After convincing Ford he has no agenda and they can just enjoy the night together with no strings or repercussions, Trevor determines to enjoy the time they have together, thinking it will only be for a single night.

Though neither expects to see each other again, Trevor can't get Ford, and the night they spent together, off his mind so Trevor seeks Ford out for another meeting. They begin to see each other whenever they can, in secret (of course), over the next seven months. It's helpful that Trevor is exceedingly rich, owns his own Gulfstream plane, and can afford the opulent, discreet hotels in which they meet.

Of course, neither expects to fall in love either, but they do. Seeing their relationship develop is so sweet and hot and wonderful. This is absolutely a sort of fairy tale, in the best possible sense, where all the obstacles are overcome, the lovers are able to be together, and the world is righted through the sheer will of their desire to be together. It's a fairy tale all right, and I ate it up with a spoon!

There is just something about this story - Ford's struggle to not disappoint his family, his constituents or Trevor...Ford's desire to be with Trevor, his struggle with self discovery and wanting to be honest with everyone about who he loves...Trevor's desire and pursuit of Ford...Trevor's defense of Ford by helping Ford's father...Trevor's realization that though his parents have an unconventional marriage, it doesn't mean they love each other less - these were all points that made what could have been a too-sweet romance a genuinely lovely story that has stayed with me long after I put it down.

Ron Herczig is a new narrator for me and boy, he makes the sexy times absolutely scorching!

However, he uses a kind of lazy tone that I didn't find appealing and his character voices are so close in tone that I was sometimes confused as to which character was speaking. It wasn't enough to put me off the audio, but it did diminish my enjoyment of the otherwise wonderful story.

The Story Has My Vote, but.....

I enjoy the worlds of Cardeno C. That there is always a happy ending and interesting characters keeps me coming back to these stories. I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed in the choice for a narrator this time around. I'd gotten used to Paul Morey even though I thought he was too old for many of the characters. I think Charlie David did a great job with the ones he narrated. And now that Greg Tremblay is on board, I would have loved to hear his take. But Mr. Herczig doesn't do it for me. His style is a bit grating and he has a tendency to go up and down when he speaks. I tried another book that he narrated and couldn't get through it. Since I love Cardeno so much I thought I would give him another chance. I'm afraid my conclusion is the same. He's not the worst but I think another could have done better.

Love the story, not crazy about the narrator

Ford Hollingsworth is a very closeted, conservative gay man on his way up the Republican Political ladder. He’s not necessarily ashamed of his sexuality, but he knows it’s political suicide to act on his desires, so he remains mostly – key word
“mostly” celibate.

Trevor Moga is Ford’s opposite. He’s out and proud, the only son of the current Democratic President. He and Ford meet at a political party but it’s not until they meet again at a bar that they hook up.

Their romance is fast in the sense that they are sexually combustive and do all they can to be with one another in that sense as often as possible. However, both want something more with the other but have a hard time seeing that as a reality.

**

This is a super sweet, terribly unrealistic book about two prominent members of politics coming together and the world – blessedly – leaving them alone. It’s wonderfully sweet and hopeful and gives a plausible if unlikely way for them to be together in the public eye.

The sex between them is super hot and the romance heart strumming in the way Cardeno excels at. I loved the vision of family as defined by the Mogas because even though it was heavily flawed in some aspects it really rang true that when the cards were down they were there for one another. (I sort of imagine this is life in the Clinton household – but we’ll never know if that’s the truth or not!)

I loved the emotion and the happy ending and really enjoyed this and all Cardeno C books!

Audio

I am a person who really doesn’t like to give negative reviews – especially when I love the book! I do have to say that this narrator is someone I might avoid in the future.

I loved his sweet and sexy bedroom voice and the dialog scenes he does are excellent. For that I was able to continue to listening to the book. However, the rest of the story is delivered in this cadence where he goes up and down and up again, over and over in a way that doesn’t make sense with what he’s reading. It’s very distracting.

I give the story a 4.5 of 5 stars and the narration a 2.75 of 5 stars – so an average of 3.6 stars

The narrator spoilt this great story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to a friend but NOT the audible version. I gave up listening and just read the book!

What other book might you compare Strange Bedfellows to and why?

I cant think of any books with a similar story line to compare this one .

What didn’t you like about Ron Herczig’s performance?

The narrator read the first 3 chapters(that is all I could stand to listen to) in what sounded like his "bedroom voice". Its was low and sultry even when the MCs where arguing!! I also feel that the tone of voice hardly changed and made the listen very boring.

Did Strange Bedfellows inspire you to do anything?

The book reminded me why I like reading this author's books. For me Cardeno C is an auto buy

Any additional comments?

I believe in giving people a chance but I think we best stick with Greg Tremblay or Renard Pasquale :)

Passionate, sexy and entrancing.

Would you listen to Strange Bedfellows again? Why?

Definitely! I just loved not only the way the characters were written, but the way Herzcig voiced them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ford. I loved how he came out of his shell with Trevor, and that shy side of his that turned into so much passion in the bedroom.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can's say, it would be a spoiler. It's fantastic though!

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

It made me need to go take a cold shower.

Any additional comments?

ord Hollingsworth comes from a long line of politicians for the Republican Party; as well he is a newly elected congressman. Public service is his legacy and he actually loves his job. What he doesn’t enjoy is having to hide his true self from the public eye. All that changes after a chance encounter with Trevor Moga in a dark, seedy bar.

Trevor Moga is the only offspring of President and First Lady Moga. He and Ford couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. Trevor is openly gay, proudly and with his families support even. He hates politics and everything it stands for, loathes the publicity that his parents status brings and he’s a democrat. Trevor starts to question all his staunch beliefs when he meets the sexy, shy, unassuming congressman though.

For the first time in both men’s lives they find themselves wanting more, wanting things they long since told themselves they’d never have. Trevor especially has to learn how to bend and accept the clout his parent’s lifetime of achievements can afford him, if needed. While it’s obvious the two have an electric chemistry and are slowly falling in love, the question remains… will Ford accept himself and allow himself to openly love Trevor? Or will years of denial and having the statement ‘gay is bad, gay is evil’ pounded into his head be the death of any hopes of a long term relationship.

Okay, Cardeno C is an auto buy for me. Right up there with Rhys Ford, Mary Calmes and Andrew Grey. There is nothing this woman can’t do, and her imagination is limitless. Stepping outside of her comfort zone where she has nailed the shifter world, CC has given us an outstanding story about the struggles that men of power have to face to be true to themselves. I really enjoyed the way she wrote both these men, showed their individual struggles to come to terms with what was happening between them. How they each set aside previous issues or beliefs to embrace their love and put their happiness first.

Herczig is a new narrator for me but I am absolutely in love with his voice! He has this sexy, gravely, bedroom voice that completely mesmerized me at times. Trevor is a very successful, confident man, and Herczig captured that flawlessly with his performance. Ford is quiet, shy and reserved, which was captured perfectly as well. But, Ford has another layer to his personality that only reveals itself with Trevor, and I really liked how CC wrote these emotions, then Herczig came in and gave them a voice.

The story and the narration are equally well done, conveyed and expressed. Passionate, sexy, entrancing and effortless. Definitely a must listen. I’ll keep this one on my I-pod for many a return visit with these two Strange Bedfellows.

Interesting story

This isn't a different topic. It's a political romance. President and Senator Sons fall in love. Now what I did find interesting and really enjoyed was the reaction of the conservative side when their son come out. I really love how the entire thing was handled. It's a pretty sweet story and Herczig does a fine job with the narration. Overall I found this quite enjoyable.

Trevor and Ford

Trevor and Ford give us a beautiful, slow-burn build to their relationship. They see the other, not their political affiliations, not their family names, not all their other differences, but who each other truly is. Trevor's growth from a man cynical about relationships to a devoted lover is wonderful. I liked that Ford doesn't lose his faith in accepting who he is. He is the kind of Christian I wish more authors would write. He struggles more with disappointing his family and losing his backing than with being gay. Trevor's support and desire to help Ford achieve his dreams made me smile but his adoration of Ford made him an even better guy to me.
Highly recommended author

Audiobook: the enunciation is good but occasionally the voices of the two main characters were difficult to distinguish from one another.

A nice romantic story

This Cardeno C romantic novel, narrated by Ron Herozig, was a pleasure to listen to. The MCs met started a sexual relationship and fell in love with each other along the way. They were completely smitten and didn’t let anyone/anything get in their way. That’s how I like the love to grow to be: at first sight, deep and steady as she goes. No bible thumping, conservative parents could separate them. The style was unique: a situation in a section of a a chapter was introduced midway and then the explanation of what led to it and how, followed. Interesting. Four stars, because it was a short story. And I like Cardeno’s novels

Good story, horrible narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend the PRINT/Kindle version of this book - it is a good story & not 100% predictable. It's not terribly deep & there's a bit of insta-love there, but I did really enjoy it. If you like a bit of politics & different perspectives on religion, along with romance & some steamy scenes, it's a good read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think I liked Trevor best, as I think he fleshed out & grew the most.

Would you be willing to try another one of Ron Herczig’s performances?

Never, ever, ever again. I even removed a couple audiobooks from my Audible wish list & decided that I'll only get them in print/Kindle. I couldn't even finish this audio book & had to switch to my Kindle about half-way through, the narration was so horrible. He sounded half-drunk, half-asleep & did not differentiate voices at all - I couldn't tell who was speaking & they all sounded like they were kinda lazily slurring their words. Hands down, worst narration I've ever heard - this is the first time that I couldn't finish the audio because of it, no matter how much I liked the story & author.

Outstanding

Really lovely story, I couldn't stop listening, had to know how it was going to end.
Loved the characters, and the way their story develops.
Also the narrator did an outstanding job, I'm not a native English speaker, so it is important to me that the narrator speaks clearly and quite slow (but not to much).

as good as the ebook

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B

Outstanding emotional funny brilliant!

This is another wonderful story by Cardeno C that has engaging and likeable main characters and interesting supporting cast. It's a voyage of self discovery, family, politics and most importantly love. The sex is hot, the dialogue witty and the narration enjoyable. Such a wonderful book, and lovely listen.