More Than Friends: A Gay For You Short Story

More Than Friends, Book 1

By: Aria Grace

Narrated by: Douglas Dale

Length: 1 hr and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Tired of moping around after the breakup of his long term girlfriend, Ryan knew he needed a hookup to get him out of his funk. When he met Drea, he hoped she might be the one. But when he felt more chemistry with her gay cousin, Zach, Ryan felt more confused and terrified than he had in his life. He wasn't gay but he wanted to be with Zach. How could it possibly work? Book one of the More Than Friends series.

©2012, 2014 Aria Grace (P)2014 Aria Grace

good

I can hare some static in the beginning. And also some light/heavy breathing which is distracting.

Monotonous narration

The story was ok for such a short one, but the narration was terrible. I don't think they could have found anyone who sounded more bored with what he was reading.

More Than Friends

Cute Short story. Ryan meets Zach after going home with Zach’s cousin for a one night stand that doesn’t happen. They become friends and the relationship evolves from there. I’ve re-read this book a few times already and I liked getting to listen to the story this time around. The narrator was ok. A little monotone at the beginning but I think once I got used to his voice I didn’t really notice it anymore. And I definitely need to listen to book 2 next, to finish off their story.

Meh.

Any additional comments?

2.75 stars out of 5

Though this has good narration by Douglas Dale, this Gay-For-You short story didn’t feel like it was fully developed.

One of the things that bothered me were rapid-fire POV changes that made it a little hard to follow along – even with the different character voices. If I moved my attention from the narration for even a couple of minutes I got lost and had to back-track.

All in all it’s a quick listen that I think may have been better if it had been a bit longer.

Sweet.

I love these characters. this was an amazing gay for you romance. can't wait for more.


Kathy Banks

Short Fantasy

Hot gay boy seduces hot "straight" boy. Sans complications or nuance. A quickie. There it is!

Well written and narrated "Gay For You" type story

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

Yes I would, the narration fit the written work well.

What did you like best about this story?

The way they became friends before they became lovers.

What does Douglas Dale bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

There were emotions evident behind his words when necessary in the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How friends can become lovers.

Any additional comments?

Ryan is in a bit of a funk after breaking up with his girlfriend when he meets the outspoken and lively Drea at a party. He winds up spending the night on her couch and winds up feeling more of a connection with her cousin, the gamer and all around smart geek Zach, than he does with the girl he hoped would lift the fog in his head left after the break up.

Ryan and Zach become friends and start spending more and more time together studying and playing disc golf, but Ryan doesn’t recognize his attraction to Zach until it is almost too late. He continually tells himself and Zach that he is not gay, they can be friends, but he is not gay. Me thinks though doth protest too much.

What I loved most about this story is how you could tell from that first stare that Zach was completely attracted to Ryan. But he never really pushes the issue until Ryan opens the door. They become friends before they become lovers and that aspect of the story made it more believable when the romance unfolded.

This was my first audible with Douglas Dale, but I’ll find something else of his soon. I could always tell when there was a change in character, mood and setting by his changes in tone, nuance and inflection. There was emotion behind his words when there was emotion written into the story and that always makes for an enjoyable listen.

I’ve both read and listened to this story and enjoyed both variations. I’d recommend to anyone that likes a believable and well written ‘Gay For You’ type story.

Flirty short story

Young guy who thinks he has a low sex drive realizes that there may be another explanation when he gets an unexpected offer. The story is a pretty simple romantic fantasy. Not bad but not a lot to it, though it’s nice that the characters interact in various environments before hooking up. The hookup feels a little rushed but it’s fine for a fantasy.

Steam: Med. M/M on page which is straightforward and a little to easy. But hey, it’s a fantasy.

Narration: Low key/dry. Not lacking inflection, but tone is more “reading a textbook” than “flirty romp”. Audio is clear but there is some background static, and in a couple clips, there is background chatter. The spacing between recorded clips is a little uneven. Quality is not bad enough to give this a pass, but noticeable enough to make me realize what I *don’t* usually hear in audiobook recordings.

Easy exit out of the closet/short story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It was a little tough to swallow ( no pun intended) how easily the closet was a thing of the past, but decent story. The book felt more like the intro to a story. I would have combined books 1 & 2

Would you recommend More Than Friends: A Gay For You Short Story to your friends? Why or why not?

No. I think my friends would dislike the brevity.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes. It was a little "dry". But yes, ,the narrator did his job.

Do you think More Than Friends: A Gay For You Short Story needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes. This was only an intro. You need the other 2/3's of the story. Books 1 & 2 should have been combined

Boring

Sorry It was just boring. Nothing more nothing less. The narrator was just ho-hum. Wish it was more to the story on a whole.