Strong Enough

By: Melanie Harlow, David Romanov

Narrated by: Joel Leslie, Bruce Cullen

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

I wasn't looking for Derek Wolfe.

I wasn't looking for anybody. All I wanted was to start a new life in America. But when I found myself stranded here with no place to go, he came to my rescue, offering me a place to stay.

He's smart, successful, and sexy as hell - I can barely sleep knowing he's right down the hall. And when the chemistry between us explodes one night with fierce, fiery passion, it's hard to deny there's something real there.

But he does. He says he was drunk. He says it was a one-time thing. He says he's not into guys and what we did meant nothing.

He's lying. Because it happened again, and again, and again. And it's better every time. I know we could be good together, and I want the chance to try, but I'm done hiding. If he's not strong enough to admit the truth, I'll have to be strong enough to walk away.

©2017 MH Publishing (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Mr. Roggers

The plot was so-so.... they fell in love with each other really fast- less than 6 months.....my biggest issue was the guy who narrated the American sounded like Mr. Rogers and I'm sorry no one wants to hear Mr. Rogers having s*x.

Please Redo this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this book, but Bruce Cullen's portion of the narration was so bad and totally did not suit Derek's character at all. honestly please redo this with just Joel Leslie.

Exquisite audio MM romance

Fabulous narration brings this fabulous story to life. Plot and major feels round out this audio treat. Great characters.

Sweet MM Romance with sexy Russian accent

Free-spirited Russian shakes up 'set in his ways' Californian - this makes one explosive coupling! The characters were excellently developed and keep the story engaging. The story is very emotional and heartwarming and the chemistry of the couple is tangible. I like the double narration - it fits the characters. Overall a very enjoyable read!

Absolutely love this book

I loved reading this book, it is a very nice, sweet story, the audio is great. I have truly enjoyed it.

Really enjoyed this story.

It took me quite awhile to get used to Bruce Cullen's rendition of these characters but I finally did. He has a wonderful voice, very sexy, but the Russian accent took a bit to get used to. Joel Leslie was smooth as always-Russian accent included and I can anyways listen to whatever he does. The angst over the GFY was not so heavy that I wanted to skip ahead to avoid the torture. Very sweet story.

это хорошо (it’s good)

I didn’t check the copyright date but this is about a closeted -mostly to himself- American falling for a Russian guy who winds up needing a place to stay. I started out being frustrated at the denial, but it wound up making sense.

For the most part, I liked the story. Both characters are quite likable. The most culturally discordant note was when Derrick (sp? …audio) held up paid vacations as something very American, when the US is known worldwide as having one of the lousiest vacation and leave policies in the modern world. The biggest structural flaw was the timing of the last couple chapters. The authors seemed to forget Maxim had a 6 month visa and never mentioned dealing with it. As a minor quibble, I would have thought Maxim would pop out more Russian in the heat of the moment, despite being otherwise proficient in English.

I rather liked these guys for each other. It’s possible the younger Maxim was the bigger catch as he encouraged Derrick to make better choices. The authors established pretty well that the relationship was not about a sugar daddy, which was good. (Not that it’s a bad choice if that’s your thing, but it wasn’t the right choice here and establishing that was important to the story.)

Audio. I thought it was pretty good. Maxim was read with “Russian accented English”. Derrick’s voice was described as low but his voice narrator was more midrange and not particularly resonant. This didn’t affect my enjoyment but I did think about it enough to mention it in case other readers find either of those things (accent, off pitch) grating. I want to say the small bits of Russian were pronounced well but I speak only small amounts of English accented Russian, so I might not be the best judge. Again, it didn’t bother me.

My review sounds more negative than I mean for it to be. It was mostly good. A slightly steamy (3/5 for heat) explicit on page m/m romance. (It comes close to pushing consent boundaries a couple times but winds up being ok there, I think.) I liked the lain couple, I liked their friends, I think they’ll be happy. If you’re looking for a low trauma story, pick this one up.
это хорошо.

What a surprise for me

Any additional comments?

I took a chance on a "new to me" author because I like Joel Leslie's narration. Glad I did. I liked the story, however, Bruce Cullen's voice was a little stiff for me. Story is a sexy, romantic, love wins all, which worked for me :)

audio version is wonderful

great book made even better by joel and bruce. hope to find more by this author

Strong Enough!!!!!!

Loved it. Maxim was gorgeous and beautiful. Derek took some getting use to with his hot and cold feelings, which was understandable though frustrating. Steamy love scenes, who doesn't love those? Joel Leslie's narration was great.Bruce Cullen however, not so much. He sounded like he was just reading instead of performing, so his narration needs some work. I recommend this beautifully written book.