Title: Again
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Nick J Russo
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 2 hours and 3 minutes
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: Just a taste of a compelling relationship.
Reviewed By: Cassie
Blurb: Six years ago, Noah Wheeler went to meet his boyfriend, Dante Cerreto, at the airport, and his world ended. Dante was kissing someone else and claimed to be in love. So Noah took his heartbreak – and the sonogram pictures of their surrogate child – and closed the door on the big picture of what he thought his life would be, focusing instead on the piece of the dream he got to keep, being a father.
Now on vacation in Las Vegas, Noah accidentally runs into the Cerreto family, and then the man himself, and learns that not only was he deceived, but Dante was as well. Now Dante wants to make up for lost time, six years’ worth, and to do that he needs Noah, the only man he’s ever loved, and Grace, the daughter he didn’t know he had, to give him a chance at happiness. Dante’s going to have to take a crash course in communication and seduction, though. Noah’s not going to fall in love just to be broken again.
Review: I’ve probably said this a billion times before, but I’ll say it again: I LOVE a good second chance story. I dig watching two characters work together to stitch their lives back together, finding out where they can compromise to get back to the love of their life. The dance of negotiation and the sweet resulting reunion are just about my favorite things in a romance story.
This short is really just a quick bite of a reunion, but it’s pretty satisfying for all that. This audiobook clocks in at two hours and with the quick intro, spans about six years in the life of Noah Wheeler and Dante Cerreto. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and this short story mostly manages to do it all with aplomb. The only thing I really felt was lacking was a proper comeuppance for the orchestrator of Noah and Dante’s separation. But since the focus of the short is really on Noah and Dante’s reunion, it’s an understandable choice.
The characters are generally likeable and compelling, though Noah was by far my favorite of the MCs. Mary Calmes is well known for her alpha males, and Dante is definitely formed in that alpha mold. So much so, that I was a bit disgruntled by the distinct lack of groveling and some unilateral decisions Dante makes for both Noah and their daughter while Noah is sleeping. I would have liked to see them rebuilding their family together instead of Noah just getting told how it would be. That communication is, after all, my favorite part of a second chance romance. Of course, if it’s the alpha character that turns your key, fasten your seatbelt, because Dante will absolutely rev your engine.
Nick J. Russo gives his usual competent performance. He performs character voices and emotions well. He finds the comedy in the text and brings the tenderer emotions to life. I’m always happy to see his name on an audiobook because I know he’s a consistently outstanding narrator, and I have no complaints with his work here.
Overall, this book was a fun two hours. I may have wanted vengeance for the separation and a more communicative and cooperative spirit from Dante, but even without those things, I enjoyed the story. If you’re a fan of Mary Calmes’s other books (especially with those alpha male characters), you’ll want to add this book to your audio library.
You can buy Again here:
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