Whistling in the Dark

By: Tamara Allen

Narrated by: Meral Mathews

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York City, 1919. His career as a concert pianist ended by a war injury, Sutton Albright returns to college, only to be expelled after a scandalous affair with a teacher. Unable to face his family, Sutton heads to Manhattan with no plans and little money in his pocket, but with a desire to call his life his own.

Jack Bailey lost his parents to influenza and now hopes to save the family novelty shop by advertising on the radio, a medium barely more than a novelty, itself. His nights are spent in a careless and debauched romp through the gayer sections of Manhattan.

When these two men cross paths, despite a world of differences separating them, their attraction cannot be denied. Sutton finds himself drawn to the piano, playing for Jack. But can his music heal them both, or will sudden prosperity jeopardize their chance at love?

©2009 Tamara Allen (P)2014 Tamara Allen

Perfection.

Tamara Allen is one of the best writers of historical romance in my opinion. I have read everything she has written. The fact that she writes mm historical romance is just a bonus. She can weave a story like not many can. Her characters are rich with depth and she grabs a reader from the beginning and holds them enthralled in the romance she weaves between men when such a relationship was illegal. I always equate reading one of her novels like rich hot chocolate while curled up by a fire on a snowy winter’s day. Cliché yes, but that is how they make me feel. Her books are not erotica, as any sex is off page, but are romance in the best way.

This book is one of my favorites. My favorite is Downtime (which is a time travel/Jack the Ripper thriller); but this is a VERY close second. This is the story of Jack and Sutton, two very different men who have returned from WWI with PTSD and are trying to make it during the Depression. They find each other. Jack is a dreamer and visionary with a plan to “make it” by means of a new invention called the “radio.” Sutton comes from a very rich family, but has shunned it all to try and make it on his own in New York after the man he thought he loved threw him under the bus to save himself. There are bad guys and a wonderful supportive cast around these men. It is a wonderful ride and the narrator is fantastic. He really brings these men to life and his voice is intoxicating. Worth two credits!

Amazing

Such a well developed plot and characters! Whistling offers a whole spectrum of emotions that will keep you hooked until the end. The romance was so sweet & so beautifully written that I felt I was reminded of 30s and 40s movies. The extra characters were engaging and the narration perfect.

Had to switch to printed version

The narrator's voice is sweet and rich and lovely, but he barely differentiated between characters, and at chapter 23 I was so lost (even after rewinding twice) that I had to give up and purchase the Kindle version.

Charming historical m/m romance. 1920's NYC aura.

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

Yes, to anyone who enjoys historical romances in the m/m genre which are scarce.
This is a charming old-fashioned love story set in 1919 NYC with 2 hurting WW1 veterans who have an opposites attract romance.
Although the narrator felt very stilted in the beginning, after a while I became used to his cadence and liked his narration.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked both of the 2 main characters, Jack and Sutton were equally winsome and I went back and forth over the course of the audiobook having both as favorites.
I also loved loved the 1919 era storyline, and enjoyed the post WW1 and pre-prohibition time setting. Just at the beginning of the electrical age, and Jack's love affair with the new concept of "radio" was fun and interesting.

Which character – as performed by Meral Mathews – was your favorite?

I can't decide, I enjoyed both of the MC's very much. The were both engaging.
And I also loved Jack's friend Theo....he was a hoot. Would love to see a story with Theo.

If you could rename Whistling in the Dark, what would you call it?

Nothing comes to mind. This book is WW1, new radio, music, 1919 nyc. m/m sweet romance.

Any additional comments?

As I said before, at first listening to Meral Matthews, I didn't like his style of reading at all. It felt very stilted, with hesitations and pauses at strange times in sentences occ. But as the story progressed, and I got used to his style of reading, I came to the conclusion that he was the perfect narrator for Jack and Sutton's story.

Angsty but sweet

I really liked the narrator’s rich voice and overall enjoyed his performance despite some minor oddities (in a few dialogues he would pitch his voice a certain way to speak as one character and then use the same pitch to speak as another character). The story itself is a touch on the sentimental side but it’s kind of fitting for a romance set in the 20s. There were a few odd moments closer to the end (like you have to wonder how the crocodile is still at large and how Jack was able to do all those trips in the end and still outrun Sutton) but I still liked it.

narrator is flat and unskilled, check the sample

Story is good, but it was hard to listen to as an audiobook. Narration is incredibly bad and flat. Dialogue has no tone variation or emotion; the delivery is always one note even when the text outright says the character is speaking with a certain tone/emotion. This alone is bad enough for a one star review, but the overall performance is bad outside dialogue, too. The narrator has a sleepy, slow voice for the narrative and frequently pauses awkwardly mid-sentence.

I had to stop listening because the narration did not do this story justice. This is an emotional story, and I'd rather just read it. Off to Kindle I go!

Old fashioned. boring

Very predictable, too long. MM intimate scenes were so discreetly presented. I was never sure they happened. cCharacters were very well performed by narrator, using many different tones, but he really had a long story to keep going. Presentation of post WW1 New York was accurate and historically correct. Reasonably good to listen to, but I'll be glad to turn it back.

extremely immersive and detailed.

I don't review often but, I really loved this story. Out of all the historical romance I've listened to this particular story really developed the relationship between Jack and Sudden in a way I haven't seen done before. Other stories I know the love each other because they said it. But in this one you feel the love they have as if it was your own. All the characters are written with purpose and have very believable personally traits. and the world building was done quite well.

To hell & back again, oh my heart

This book is amazing. It was an emotional roller coaster and skillfully pulled me into its world. I felt like I was a fly on the wall, literally there with the characters. It was sweet & heart-wrenching & beautiful & suspenseful. The narration was very, VERY good. I'd never heard this narrator before, but I definitely do want to experience more from him.

good story, so-so narration

always love stories set during that time period. also nice that it was a graphic story