Us

By: Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Jacob Morgan

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated?

Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He's living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves - Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There's just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.

Jamie loves Wes. He really, truly does. But hiding sucks. It's not the life Jamie envisioned for himself, and the strain of keeping their secret is taking its toll. It doesn't help that his new job isn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped, but he knows he can power through it as long as he has Wes. At least apartment 10B is their retreat, where they can always be themselves.

Or can they? When Wes's nosiest teammate moves in upstairs, the threads of their carefully woven lie begin to unravel. With the outside world determined to take its best shot at them, can Wes and Jamie develop major-league relationship skills on the fly?

Warning: contains sexual situations, a vibrating chair, long-distance sexytimes, and proof that hockey players look hot in any shade of green.

©2016 Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

BRAVO BRAVA AND WELL DONE🤗

Any additional comments?

I loved this. I wish that people could really be understanding and respectful of each other's right to choose. I loved this story so much!!! These are great listens that can be enjoyed over and over again⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️⭐️

14 people found this helpful

4 Stars

Any additional comments?

I've had the audio for this for a while, but haven't listened because 1. I was sort of disappointed in the story (my fault - see below) and 2. I find I am not a big fan of dual narration and getting multiple narrator character voices for the same character.

However, I had bought this and it was sitting in my audio library mocking me, and I didn't have anything else to listen to that was grabbing my attention so I thought, "Why not?"

And...I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed the narration. It didn't change the way I felt about the story overall, but I did have a good time listening.

So, my initial disappointment in this story is entirely my own fault.

You see, my interpretation of the end of HIM - oh wait, SPOILER ALERT if you haven't read HIM - turn away! - was that since Wes's coaches, team owners, and PR guy knew about him being gay that he would be discreet around town, but be out with his teammates, etc. like he'd been in college. Not so the case.

Not only is Wes firmly in the closet to his teammates and the world at large, but he's dragged poor Jamie into the closet with him. Jamie is not introduced as the love of Wes's life, as his partner, but rather his "roommate", and Wes is determined to keep his orientation and his relationship with Jamie under wraps until after his rookie season so the media doesn't make everything about his sex life, but focuses on his playing. And his playing is fantastic! He's having the kind of rookie year hockey players dream about and pray for. Professionally, things couldn't be looking better. But the pressure is ever present and the extended time away from Jamie is starting to chafe.

Jamie, on the other hand, is having a hard time having moved to a different country and climate than what he's used to, being without his close knit family around, being alone most of the time as Wes is constantly on the road, and having to hide their relationship when Wes is home like Jamie is a dirty little secret that no one can know of by keeping their relationship entirely within the walls of their apartment, and to top it off, Jamie begins having a hard time at his job when another coach displays a seriously bigoted and racist attitude.

All of this wouldn't be so hard except neither Jamie, nor Wes, is communicating with each other about what's happening in their lives. They're basically just trying to get through the next few months of Wes's rookie season with the hope that it will all soon be over and they can stop hiding. But they aren't really talking to each other, and it's taking a real toll on their relationship.

But you know the truth always comes out, and when it does it creates even more tension between the two.

Personally, I was frustrated by the first three-quarters of the story. Well, frustrated might be generous, to tell the truth I was pissed. I felt like all the good, happy, warm feelings I had from HIM were washed away in this ocean of doubt, miscommunication, and unnecessary angst. It was only the final quarter of the story that got the boys back on track and got me back to my happy place.

And all of that is completely my own fault. Because I built up a HEA at the end of HIM that wasn't reality and was then disappointed in the way it was turned around for US. That's not the book's fault. It's mine.

The reality of this story is it's really about a new relationship and a learning curve. The boys love each other just as much and they grow in their relationship, learning to communicate, and being there for one another.

Though it didn't hold the same excitement and wonder for me that I had for HIM, in the end this follow-up has romance, sexy times, humor, some hurt/comfort, and more Jamie and Wes. And that's always a good thing.

In the end the narration is top notch and I enjoyed listening to the boys navigate their relationship and (hopefully this time) get their HEA.

11 people found this helpful

FAVORITE

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

Yes, I read this originally & enjoyed it - if not more listening to it again on audio

Have you listened to any of Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

not yet

Any additional comments?

There is just something great about this series, I am not one for re-reads or re-listening, but this series is one of the few I love and go back to. Great narration, All the stars an more

11 people found this helpful

Put a Smile on my Face!

So happy! The second book of a new favorite couple for me! This m/m romance picks up where the last story left off. This time with thier friendship and love solid, the focus is on external challenges of being a gay couple and finding acceptance.

Jamie and Wes are well-developed characters who will easily steal your heart with thier charismatic personalities. Once camp friends and then lovers, the two are now young adults building a life together.

The narration was once again perfection, conveying these characters' personalities and emotions. The dual narration brought the story to life. It was absolute entertainment!

Now I can't wait for Blake's story.

5 people found this helpful

Beautiful, Sexy, Heartwarming-a MUST LISTEN

Up front-if you've never listened to a male/male romance audiobook, Him and Us is where you start. The only problem is, I don't know what other audiobooks can match up. These aren't just my favorite m/m romance, they're my favorite romance audiobooks-period. Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy have created this universe of characters that makes me want to devour every book related to Jamie & Wes, even an honest to goodness real paper book (which I almost never do, but gladly did for Us)! The horror! :-D

Us picks up where Him left off. Jamie and Wes are struggling to create a life together in private as a couple, and in public as roommates. Fear of discovery and the ruin of Wes's hockey career haunts them. I won't retell the story because discovering it is the best part. Like Him, you get all the steamy hotness, tender romance, hot hockey guys, new characters from Wes's team, some Canning magic, and some big surprises (both good and bad).

Jacob Morgan and Teddy Hamilton bring these characters to life and just grab your heart. Their voice acting abilities are top notch and I can't imagine these characters voiced by anyone else. They hit every emotional, sexy, shocking moment with precision.

This book gives you perspective about life and love and everything in between. You can't choose who you love, but you can choose HOW you love. Jamie and Wes do it best.

THIS IS A MUST LISTEN!

4 people found this helpful

EVERYTHING about this was PERFECT!

I wish I could give this book 10 STARS!

I've been waiting for this book to be released on Audio because after listening to HIM I just couldn't imaging this story without the wonderful narration! I'm so glad I waited. This book was beautiful! There is nothing better than finishing a book feeling completely fulfilled and having a very happy heart. I honestly didn't think this book could be as good as book 1 because how could it compare to perfect... I WAS WRONG, it was everything HIM was and maybe even more.

The beauty of this story is the love shared between these two people. Wes and Jamie have the kind of relationship I love to read about. It is so real and normal and honest. They have their ups and downs and they don't always deal with them in the best way but that is what makes there story feel so real to me. No matter what life throws at them, they find their way through it because they just can't imagine life without each other. In this book they have a few obstetrical to overcome that I think most gay couples must face but they deal with these situation by being realistic about what will help and what won't. I think that is a huge part of what I love the most about this story. They know that there will always be "those" kind of people and instead of giving them the satisfaction of feeling like their opinion matters, they both have the attitude that you can't change people and the only thing that matters are the people in their lives.

I love the writing in this book, I love the narration of the audiobook. I loved how HOT this book is and I loved that these authors have written such an amazing characters. Characters that feel like friends and now that I finished I'm wondering what they are doing now. I really hope there will be more of Jamie & Wes to come.

The narration choice for this story couldn't have been better. These guys are PERFECT for Jamie and Wes. And if you read this story I'm sure its awesome but really the narration makes this 10 star book a 11 star audiobook.

This is a MUST LISTEN, whether you love M/M or you have never listened to M/M, This story will change your listening preference and leave you wanting more just like it and sadly so far nothing even comes close (for me anyways). I know this is a review of nothing but I loved this and I loved that but honestly this book just left me feeling happy so I can't help but to say it over and over.

17 people found this helpful

#Wesmie FOREVER!

Absolutely loved it! #Wesmie FOREVER! I'm embarrassed that it took me this long to listen/read Us (especially since I've read both books in the spin off WAGS series), but it was everything I could have hoped for and more. Jacob Morgan and Teddy Hamilton are two of my very favorite narrators and they truly shine in this duet. They completely embody Wes and Jamie and bring a vulnerability and passion to both of these characters. Morgan is sinfully sexy as Ryan Wesley, but he also guts you with his incredible performance. You can hear every quiver in his voice and the desperation and grief are almost palpable. Hamilton also gives a stellar performance as Jamie, portraying all the confusion, frustration, and anger so well as Jamie struggles to find his place in this new city, new job, and new relationship. There really couldn't have been two better narrators for this audiobook.

Us picks up pretty much where Him left off and listeners/readers are able to witness the triumphs and struggles of this new couple. The happily every after is tested and it's the honest portrayal of these stumbles and missteps that make this story and its characters so endearing. I think everyone can relate to at least some of the fears and insecurities these two face and it only makes the story more powerful. Add in an amazing and hilarious cast of secondary characters (oh, Blakey I love you so!) and of course the ever incredible Canning clan, and you have pretty much a perfect book. I loved Ryan's teammates (green gingham forever!) and I already know that I will be doing a re-read/listen of Good Boy and Stay. There isn't much else I can say about the story that hasn't been said before, but this truly is such a wonderful love story. This duet is worth a hundred credits! Don't miss it!

2 people found this helpful

M/M perfection

This is a fabulous audiobook. The dual narrators are both awesome and very much bring the parts to life. The story is about how hard it is to live together and make a relationship work and there are so few stories about that. It's realistic, sweet, hot and satisfying. It will definitely be a repeat listen.

2 people found this helpful

Great follow up to Him

I fell in love with the characters from HIM. Their love story was so great and reeled you in, it was great to see how they handled their very public lives and their private relationship. I loved seeing so many accepting people in their lives. Wes’ teammates came through as well as Jamie’s family. The narration was the best Teddy and Jacob brought all the feels.

1 person found this helpful

So good

I love this book!! I love their chemistry and their friends. Teddy and Jacob, I could listen to them all day! Love their voice and really enjoyed it!

1 person found this helpful

Could've been better.....

Think I'll leave my review at 4 stars. Yes, it was lovely to listen to Jacob and Teddy again, reprising their roles as Wes and Jamie BUT I don't know, they just seemed to give off a bored vibe sometimes, and guys....can I please just stress that a French Canadian guy whose name is Gilles is not pronounced Giles or Gills. Gilles is really quite simple to say, honestly. And yes, I hold my hands up and admit to copious tears during the latter part of the story...just goes to show you what a big sap I am!!

1 person found this helpful

I loved this book

The characterisation and storyline was great. The way the relationship between Wes and Jamie developed was lovely. The narrators brought the story alive.

Loved the story and narration

I have to say that I didn't want to let Wes and Jamie go! !

Overall good but I struggled to follow the POVs

A good story. It had the predictable character beats of a romance novel, but everything was well set-up and nothing felt contrived. The exploration of depression was extremely well done - the fact that it was shown rather than you simply being told was excellent.

I did have a slight issue with the performance in that I often lost track of the POV, and sometimes got confused about why the characters were where they are. This was a bigger issue in book one when the characters had more similar settings, but it took me until half way through book 2 to realise why - the two voice actors didn't voice their own characters during the other character's POV chapters. The consequence of this was four voices for two characters and since both of them put on a gravely voice for the "other" character, it was closer to three voices and my my brain associated the gravely voice with being a specific character (i.e. you had the POV talking to a gravely character in every chapter).

My only actual complaint about the writing was that the internal dialogue of the main characters was often very objectifying of their partner - e.g. "who I want to fuck", "where I stick my dick" and "the fact I like dick". During book 1 these were in the context of exploring sexuality, but when they continued into book 2 when it was about exploring the relationship - it felt at odds with the narrative and after a while I started thinking "no, who you love". That said, I never realised there was an equivalent to 'shouting at the TV' for audiobooks... so that was an experience.

Great Book

Loved this book. Great story and really great narration. Shame it had to finish! Thanks

Brilliant follow-up to "Him"

Love it! I've now lost count of the number of times I've listened to it.. I enjoy the narrators too.

Loved it.

A nice, kind of modern take on gay life. a few twists that I had expected but well worth a listen.

Happy

Wes and Jamie face new obstacles together in this story which threaten to tear them apart. I LOVE this audio so much and can't praise the authors or narrators high enough. One of my all time favourite stories.

it will put you to sleep

ive never said this about a book before but its boaring nothing really happens in this book its just a day to day record of a guy couples live with a hospital trip and a proposal at the end