In the Middle of Somewhere

Middle of Somewhere, Book 1

By: Roan Parrish

Narrated by: Robert Nieman

Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in - not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel's relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he's a city boy through and through, and it's clear that this small town is one more place he won't fit in.

Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.

When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.

©2015 Roan Parrish (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

MY EXPECTATIONS WERE LOW & IT TURNED OUT FABULOUS!

Would you consider the audio edition of In the Middle of Somewhere to be better than the print version?

I don't particularly like print books. They give me headaches. That said, this writer got me so invested in this family - biological and found - that I am considering buying the sequel in print just so I don't have to dither around waiting for it to get recorded. It was that good. Ugh. Boys. My feelings. This author is one to watch. She's going places. You mark my words.

What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Middle of Somewhere?

The academia stuff rang so freaking true. I'm a grad student myself and I could relate so intensely to some of the crap Daniel h ad to go through. I'm not a PHD or anything but the drudge of having to slave to get what you want was visceral. Also, the author really captured that feeling of being looked at as being a "know-it-all" when really you just think things are neat and want to share. Oh and the sex. The sex was hot. The most memorable moment though? Definitely in the bathroom. You'll know it when you get there and you wont be disappointed.

Which character – as performed by Robert Nieman – was your favorite?

Ginger. Camp and delicious without being a hag. She was lovely and fun without being too far over the top.

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

Some things aren't to good to be true.

Any additional comments?

Rex is a frigging sweetheart. I wanted to give him all the hugs. I was left wanting more from a certain Mulligan family member and am very excited to see that they will be getting their own book as shall Leo and Will.

And did mention the hot sex? The sex was hot. Hot hot sex. The scene in the woods? Ngh. Lucky my earbuds didnt melt.

I want more

The most amazing story. TOTALLY GOT ENEVELOPED IN THIS WORK. I think u have a new favorite author and narrator. Kudos to both artists.

Good story...bad sex

So I kind of expected to hear some sex scenes in this book before I started listening, but I didn't expect so many...or for them to be so extremely cheesy. Honestly, I would love this book and give 5 stars all around if all the sex scenes were just taken out altogether. And this is coming from a gay man who enjoys a good erotic read.

Aside from the fact that this book was obviously NOT written by a gay man...the story itself, as I mentioned before, was fantastic. It is very relatable and natural. everything has a place and all the pieces of the puzzle just glide right into their places as you listen.

Honestly, if I end up listening to this again, which I probably will at some point, I'm just planning on skipping right through the sex portions because they really add absolutely nothing to the story at all. So just be prepared for that. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun love story.

Beautiful story, narration could be better

The story is heartfelt and lovely, and I very much enjoyed the whole thing. The writing and characters had me glued until the very end (I just want to reach into their world and give Rex a big hug!). And Robert Neimen's voice is perfectly lovely. However, he voiced the dialogue of all characters the same as the main character's first person POV inner monologue. This made it very hard to tell exactly when it would switch between spoken dialogue and Daniel's thoughts. And I would have preferred differentiation between the voices of the other characters so they sounded distinct from one another and the way the author described (Rex would have a deep and rumbling timbre for instance). Like I said, enjoyable voice, but there was room for improvement that would have positively impacted the listener experience.

brilliant

Any additional comments?

I’ve owed this book probably since the day it was released, simple because of the cover. Just breathtaking. But never got around to reading it. So when the audio came up, I jumped.

And so glad I did. What an amazing story between two people that have so much to give but because of childhood trauma’s, that never went away, never healed from. They never believed in a Happy Ever After would happen for them.

Rex, is this amazing brute of a man, that because of a situation when he was smaller, in size and age. He has vowed to let that never happen again.

Daniel, on the other hand is small naturally but growing up with brothers that hate him and what he is, a gay man, has learned a thing or two.

As Daniel navigates the new job, new life in a new State. Rex tries to help understand that Daniel is a person first and doesn’t need the coddling he wants to engulf him in.

Watching these two learn each other, the relationship and life is so brilliantly done that this audio book just flew by. I found myself driving the long way through the neighborhood so I could get an extra few minutes in.

Hearing the hardship that Daniel had to deal with was tough, but having to know that back story is what made this story so perfect.

The narrator did such an amazing job, all the voices, the moods, tones, just wow.

Very good

My only complaint is the story teller should have spoken in deferent voices for each character.

loved it

really great story and I love it read it about 20 times you won't be disappointed!

Great series, great narrator

This is written in first person present tense and can be difficult for some authors/readers. I think it’s done very well and after a few pages I didn’t think it felt odd at all.

I really loved the characters. Daniel is hysterical and snarky and insecure and sexy and wonderful. Rex is a simple yet deep (still waters and all that) and the perfect foil for the kinetic energy that is Daniel.

I loved how they came together right away and started building from that. What I didn’t like was the continual waffling. A simple, sincere conversation could have easily eliminated half the angst of this long (maybe too long?) book.

I also didn’t love the ending. After all the torment I really wanted them to end up in a more decisive place. Perhaps this is leading to a book two, but if not, I really wanted more for them. It just felt so wishy washy – and we had put up with a lot of torment for us not to get that glorious satisfaction of a solid HEA.

The side story of Colin, Daniel’s closeted brother, didn’t really lend itself to the story and only served to muddy the waters. Perhaps this is another book to follow, but if not – I’m not sure it was necessary here and definitely distracted from the focus of the book.

All in all I mostly really enjoyed the book, wished it was a bit more tightly edited and wished for a slightly more robust ending.


Audiobook

Robert Nieman is a favorite narrator of mine so I really enjoyed his interpretation of things here. He doesn’t do a lot of different voices, but his voice is a good one – especially for Daniel. Some of the lines that I’d maybe skimmed the first time around made me chuckle out loud while listening. I think this is a great way to enjoy this story.

4.5 of 5 stars

Hopeless romantic must read

Loved it more than I thought possible when it comes gay romance. Hot and hopeful. Sexy and sentimental. The narration is sultry and sincere. This is one of my new, all-time favorites. I’m actually going to buy the printed book for my husband. If you’re a sap like me you’ll love it.

Very engaging!!

Very credible characterization and plot.. Very well narrated. Makes me want to move to Michigan lol!