Audio Review: Despite the Odds by Chris T. Kat – Narrated by Joel Leslie

Title: Despite the Odds (Odds Are: Book One)

Author: Chris T. Kat

Narrator: Joel Leslie

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Run Time: 3 hours and 20 minutes

At a Glance: Not only is Despite the Odds perfection, it is a short story of perfection. ADORE THIS!

Reviewed By: Amy

Blurb: Never judge a book by its cover.

Michael Campbell can’t hold a job for more than a few days. He’s lucky his foreman is giving him another chance with the solar panel project at an elementary school in Atlantic City. When he spies a man walking strangely in front of the school, Michael laughs, assuming he’s drunk or high. Little does he realize that Joshua Stone, a teaching assistant, has cerebral palsy, and he’s having a bad muscle control day. Taking a tumble right in front of the handsome construction worker is just his luck.

When Michael learns the truth, he feels bad for his cruel behavior. He offers to give Joshua—and his tricycle, the Racing Rhonda—a lift. Joshua accepts the help, and suddenly there’s a gorgeous man breezing into his life, turning his world upside down. But Michael has more issues than his inability to hold down a job, and neither man is sure if they’ll be able to overcome their fears in order to be together.

Review: There is nothing I like more than a redeemable character—Michael Campbell is that character. He seems utterly hopeless, but through the love and friendship of a man, he turns his life around. You realize through this book that he isn’t a slacker or a jerk; he has just never had direction. Despite the Odds has a lot of meaning to me, as I have a dear friend who has cerebral palsy and all he wants is to love and to be loved.

I can’t tell you how much I ADORE Joshua Stone. He is snarky, strong willed, and fiercely independent. He makes Michael a better man, and Michael just simply adores him.

There isn’t anything more that I can say accept this is a must listen. Not only is Despite the Odds perfection, it is a short story of perfection. ADORE THIS!

Narration: I think Joel Leslie does an amazing job with this narration. He kept the pace up and really portrayed Joshua perfectly with the slurring—it was slight but not so you couldn’t understand. This was perfect from beginning to the end. I listened to it twice.

 

 

 

 

You can buy Despite the Odds here:

[zilla_button url=”http://amzn.to/1Vpxy91″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon US [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B01ACAMNNO?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon Int’l [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Despite-the-Odds-Audiobook/B01ACAM7GW” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Audible [/zilla_button]