Author: Lane Hayes
Narrator: Seth Clayton
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 8 hours and 29 minutes
Category: Contemporary Romance
At a Glance: I thoroughly enjoyed A Kind of Truth, enhanced by a very impressive new-to-me narrator.
Reviewed By: Sadonna
Blurb: Rand O’Malley dreams of superstardom. He hopes to one day sing the blues like a rock god. Moving to New York City and hiring a new manager are steps to make his dreams a reality. But nothing moves as fast as Rand would like, and everyone has opinions, which include he keep certain pieces of himself quiet if he plans on making it in the Big Apple. Like his bisexuality.
Will Sanders is a gifted musician who dazzles Rand with his ability to coax gorgeous notes from an electric guitar one moment and play the piano like a professional the next. He’s a geek, but Rand isn’t concerned about Will’s pressed exterior clashing with his tattoos. His focus is music. Yet there’s something about Will that makes Rand think there’s much more to the quiet college student than he lets on. As Rand’s dreams begin to materialize, he’s forced to reconsider his priorities and find his own kind of truth. One that might include Will.
Review: Rand is a young and rising musician. He’s left his home town with his bandmates, and they have come to New York to make it big. They’ve had a problem finding a guitarist who gels with the band and who also takes the music and their career seriously. Rand is the lead singer, the songwriter and the head of the band. He’s also really picky about who he wants in the band. Oh yeah, and he’s bisexual, but he’s been warned to keep that under wraps.
When he’s not feeling too good about the guitarist his band mates insist they hire—at least as a stop gap—he decides he really needs to become a better guitar player himself as a fallback position. He engages Will to teach him. Will is a student, but he’s a bit of a guitar prodigy. And, he needs the extra cash so he teaches on the side. Rand is in awe of his playing, and he also likes and thinks he might be attracted to the guy.
But Will has some secrets and surprises of his own. These surprises lead to a change in their relationship. It turns out that Will has a lot going on—student loan debt, family issues, and a few other insecurities that make things a bit more difficult for both of them. As Rand’s band seems about to take off, there are additional pressures from a PR woman, the band’s new manager and label rep, and the douchebag guitarist that Will never wanted in the first place.
When Will’s mom shows up, Rand gets a clearer picture of who Will is and why he does the things he does. But, that doesn’t stop him from wanting Will. He certainly doesn’t always get it right, and the stakes are certainly high for both of them if their relationship becomes public. Luckily, they both seem to have at least a few real friends who are looking out for them and truly want the best for them.
Embarrassingly, this is the first book I’ve read by this author, although I own a number of her titles. I’ve been wanting to read this book for some time, especially since the sequel has come out, so I opted instead for the audiobook, and I’m really glad I did. I thought Seth Clayton, who is new to me and perhaps new to audiobooks, did a fantastic job. I loved his characterizations of all the characters. I felt like he especially did a great job capturing Will and Rand. I really hope he is going to do the next book as well.
As for the story, I thought the author’s portrayal of two guys on the cusp of success, each dealing with different secrets and pressures while trying to figure out their relationship, was really well done. I found Will’s dealings with his family to be spot on. I’m from Indiana and I still live here. I have a LOT of gay guy friends. I know they did not have it easy growing up here, and certainly not in the 70s and early 80s. Rand’s impatience and nervousness about the potential of losing everything he’s worked his whole life for and his relationship with his band and his friends seemed very authentic.
The one disappointment I had with the story was the female characters. There are really only two in the story, and they are both horrible. I do wish there had been at least one remotely likable female character for balance.
You can buy A Kind of Truth here:
[zilla_button url=”https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-kind-of-truth-by-lane-hayes-7045-b” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Dreamspinner Press [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/A-Kind-of-Truth-Audiobook/B01F2708QG/” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Audible [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/a-kind-of-truth-unabridged/id1110474744″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iTunes [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://amzn.to/2aALjAF” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon US [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B01F26TERQ?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon Int’l [/zilla_button]
The Novel Approach Reviews 
Leave a Reply