Training Season

De: Leta Blake

Narrado por: Michael Ferraiuolo

Can a cowboy’s firm hand discipline this feisty figure skater - on and off the ice?

Matty Marcus fears he doesn’t have what it takes to achieve his Olympic dream. His self-esteem is at an all-time low after figure skating coaches and skating judges have told him he’s not skinny enough, good enough, or masculine enough to win.

Matty wishes he could afford the kind of coach he needs, a top-notch one who specializes in keeping their skaters focused. But those coaches are ridiculously expensive, and Matty is financially strapped.

Until a lucrative house-sitting gig brings him to rural Montana.

And to Rob.

No one has ever looked at Matty the way rural cowboy and single dad Rob Lovely looks at him. No one has ever touched him, loved him, and healed him from the inside out. No one has ever made him feel so valuable and adored. Worthy. Strong.

No one has ever taught Matty how to fly. Or how to lose.

Rob might be a cowboy who knows nothing about figure skating, but after only a few months, he’s trained a new kind of bravery into Matty’s soul.

However, to achieve his Olympic dream, Matty will have to face the ultimate test. Has he truly learned what it means to win - on and off the ice - during his training season?

Training Season is a MM romance with a feisty, flamboyant figure skater and an easy-going dominant cowboy, opposites attract, hurt-comfort, single dad, winter holiday highlights, love beyond reason, multiple steamy scenes, and a well-earned happy ending. This book contains BDSM elements.

©2013 Leta Blake (P)2017 Leta Blake

A galaxy of stars

What did you love best about Training Season?

A galaxy of stars for Michael Ferraiuolo's performance of Leta Blake's Training Season. Lovely story, authentic settings, wonderful characters, and intelligent writing. Highly recommend this one.

MM Cowboy/Skating Romance

I very much enjoyed this read. I loved the figure skating, and I am bummed it was my first, but also it was nice, because I did enjoy it so much. First, you have Matty, who I just adored. He was such a fun character was also super driven and just had so many layers. Then you had Rob who was just wonderful for Matty! They fit in every way that you would not see and it was perfect. I loved Rob's son and the time that Matty got to spend with him skating. I also like that once they got together, while they both knew it may be hard it did not deter them, and it just made the story that much more real. This book has all the feels for sure. A definite read, and I will definitely be continuing their story.

so full of angst

There is a lot that I loved about this book, but I think itvwill be a long time before I ready to listen to it again. The first half is great. The second half is painful as all get out. if you like angst, you'll LOVE this. There is so much pain in this book. Heartbreak in multiple forms.

The book does have a hfn ending (there is a sequel, not yet in audio). Getting to that ending, though, is HARD. I think all the angst was a bit over the top, to be honest, but your mileage may vary.

The narration is competent, if not inspired.

HEA - But You Are Going to Work For It!

What did you love best about Training Season?

The chemistry between Matty and Rob was scorching. The narration was really good!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rob because when Matty was falling apart or playing games - Rob knew what he needed(in and out of bed).

What about Michael Ferraiuolo’s performance did you like?

The ability to capture the personality of the character in his accent/voice.

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

No, It was a great book but the angst level was to much for a "one sit" listen. It is a long audiobook and I had to break it up into several sittings.

Any additional comments?

If you are looking for a light, carefree romance this is not for you. But if you like your romance hard-won and angsty - this is the book for you!

Amazing story and superb narration!

After reading Leta Blake’s Slow Heat and loving it, I rooted around my Kindle looking for more of her stories and found Training Season, which I hadn’t read. I was about a third of the way through when the audiobook came out, so I stopped reading and started listening from the beginning instead.

Training Season is a lengthy story with a compelling plot, wonderful scenes and dialogue, and splendidly drawn characters. It’s an amazing audiobook that really bowled me over. In fact I listened to the last few hours well into the early hours of the morning because I couldn’t sleep until I found out what happened to Matty and Rob. There were lots of tears, as well as plenty of laughs along the way, and so many lovely feels because of these two very different but perfectly matched guys. I adored them both! Rob definitely lived up to his name—Lovely! And Matty, oh my heart went out to poor Matty and his ice skating dream.

The intimate scenes were smoking hot and loving throughout. I liked the way light bondage, spanking, and breathplay brought them closer together and demonstrated so much about their feelings and the connection and trust they shared. The scene in the corn maze came as a surprise, but boy oh boy, it was a sizzler! The story is so much more than a collection of sex scenes. It’s a beautiful romance that develops over the time in Montana and doesn’t fade when they are apart. Knowing Matty would have to leave in six months time added some delicious angst from the start.

I’m a fan of Michael’s audio work, but his narration of this story was simply superb. Outstanding, I’d say. There’s a host of characters and he portrayed each one remarkably. He’s one of the few male narrators who can make women sound like actual women. His voices for Margaret, Donna, and the host of other females were distinct and each depicted in a way to match their personalities. The same is true of the men. I LOVED Rob’s husky, sexy, commanding voice and I just broke when he and Matty were saying goodbye. Matty, Ben, Elliot, Matty’s father, and Justin were all unmistakeable. I also liked how Ben’s voice matured over the time they were apart. I sincerely hope Michael is chosen to narrate book #2.

A Fantastic Narrator And Story!!!

Any additional comments?

Because this is an audiobook I am going to break it into 2 parts first the narration. This is the first time I have listened to a book done by Michael Ferraiuolo. I am unfortunately very selective on the sound of the voice when it comes to audiobooks. And Michael is mid-range for me but what I did find out is that he is an incredible narrator. He gives this book life and each character has their own voice (meaning you know who is talk at all the times) and that is very important in an audiobook. So even though his voice isn’t my preference, because of the quality of what he does he goes onto my very good narrators list now.

This is the first book in The Training Season Series. What a tremendous book the writing was amazing. The characters were well developed and thought out. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters fantastic. Matty Marcus and Rob Lovely are the MC’s of this book. There was humor, skating, cows, broken ice?, Olympics, lots of sexy moments, a teenage son, a purse and so much more in this book. I thought that this book was fantastic the length was great and there was a lot of detail and substance. You may find yourself needing a box of tissues too. I can highly recommend as a great read. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

It was so great revisiting this story!

Any additional comments?

Leta Blake's Training Season has long been a fan favorite. And for good reason. The story of Olympic figure skater Matty Marcus and rancher Rob Lovely is one that many have read over and over again. A superb romance, fabulous characters, and so much emotion are just a few of the reasons why this book is so popular. Hearing it made revisiting Matty and Rob just as fantastic as I thought it would be, especially because of Michael Ferraiulo's narration. I don't know that anyone could have brought this story to life quite like he did.

From Rob's husky, sexy drawl to Matty's sassiness, Michael definitely captured their personalities. Neither man is easy or straightforward and Ferraiulo did a wonderful job with each, making them stand out and stay true to their characters. There are a number of secondary characters sprinkled throughout the book that play pivotal roles, many of them female, and unlike most other male narrators, Ferraiulo does a remarkable job of giving each of them--Margaret, Donna, and others--their own distinct voice. Really, the whole thing is just brilliantly done. The cadence, the emotions portrayed, especially the intimate moments that are fraught with intensity and feelings, are so memorable. I give the narrator all the kudos especially for the voice for Ben. He deftly handles him when he's younger and then changes the voice as Ben matures. Truly wonderful work there!

I'm so glad that Leta Blake had Michael Ferraiulo bring this book to life and gave it the justice it deserves. I can only hope he's already on board to do book 2!

Training Season (Training Season, #1) by Leta Bla

What did you love best about Training Season?

I first read this book last year and was absolutely blown away by it. It's a subtle read, there's nothing in it that, at first glance, is really groundbreaking. But I think it's the subtlety and the reality of it that makes me love it so much. I received a copy of this audiobook as a reward through the author's Patreon, so maybe that means I'm a bit biased, but honestly, this was such a great audio experience of a book that I already loved.

Matty is such a wonderfully complex and flawed character. He and Rob are amazingly sweet and perfect and heartbreaking to read. Their story is one that, from the beginning, is tainted with a little sadness and regret, as Matty's time in Montana is limited and Rob's world is centered there. It's hard to see how an HEA is possible, but they jump right in with both feet and no regrets and no holds barred, and their love for the other is tangible. I teared up a bit when I read this book the first time, but listening to some of the heartbreaking scenes brought them to life. I was bawling like a baby, sitting in the parking garage at work, not wanting to stop listening. (My coworkers asked me that day if I was ok. It was hard to explain that my heart was breaking for fictional characters.)

What about Michael Ferraiuolo’s performance did you like?

Michael Ferraiuolo does a great job of narrating this book. His voices for Rob and Matty are on point and his pacing is perfect as always. He gives the words feeling while keeping them distinct and easy to follow.

Any additional comments?

There is a HEA/HFN by the end. No worries there. If you want to stop reading Matty and Rob's story at the end of this book, you definitely can and be left satisfied. Though I don't know why you'd want to. Their story continues in Training Complex.

Reviewed by Annie L for OMGReads Blog

Real good

Only thought that the story dragged a bit, could have been an hour shorter. Enjoyed it.

4.5 Stars

Any additional comments?

Michael Ferraiuolo rocks this narration! He brings out Matty’s stubbornness and desire and Rob’s strength and comfort. His character voices are on point and, quite simply, enhanced my listening experience. This audio was fantastic!

I absolutely adored, loved, cherished, cheered, and cannot extol enough eighty-five percent of this book.

Part Three and some of Part Four devastated me. Devastated. Me. I felt as though Leta Blake ripped my heart out, chopped it into little pieces, threw it in a garbage disposal, turned it on, and then laughed while I bled out on the floor. And I was going to skip it when listening…but I couldn’t stop listening to Michael Ferraiuolo!

I usually loathe when a story has the whole “but it’s necessary for us to break-up/separate” storyline… So, frankly, kudos to Leta Blake for writing that and still getting me to love Matty and Rob.

I can only hope Michael Ferraiuolo is going to come back and narrate Training Complex too!