Genre: LGBTQ+ Romance {open}

Published: May 9, 2023 by M.A. Wardell

Format: Audio via Spotify (Kirt Graves) 

Soundtrack: Lay Me Down- Sam Smith

Woo, this was a delight to read. It was VERY spicy (detailed with multiple scenes) and funny with cheeky banter. M.A. Wardell know his genre well and theaudiobook had The swish of text message exchanges and commentary by five-year-olds enhancing it. Told by a single POV, I felt fully immersed in teacher Marvin Block’s head while he fell and lusted after sexy single dad Olan Stone.  

The audio was excellent. It takes a highly gifted narrator to make this level of spice feel tender and affectionate and not cringe, and Graves nailed it. Between Wardell’s writing and Graves’s narration, the intimacy felt well intimate, loving, and fun to read. In some books, intimacy can overtake the plot, but there was a real balance. The relationship and the intimacy escalated at a tandem pace. Olan did not have the same bedroom experience as Marvin, but he had much to teach Marvin about adulthood, a microtrop I tend to adore. Olan’s direct communication skills were a sharp contrast to Marvin’s (at times a bit convoluted) inner monologue. While both brought baggage to the relationship, their contrasting way of dealing with it brought conflict that felt authentic and not forced. 

There was a lot Yiddish idioms and I felt they added to Marvin’s bright personality. While at times I was very frustrated with his behavior, Marvin’s messy insecurities and work-in-progress nature were endearing. His actions felt relatable, and Wardell’s approach to the topics of anxiety, avoidance, and alcoholism brought depth to this otherwise funny rom-com.. 

I did have trouble finding this book on Libby, but it is on Kindle Unlimited, and the audio is available on Spotify! I look forward to reading his other books and hope these two make another appearance in his books because I enjoyed them together so much!

⭐️3.5 /really liked it

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