Title: Running to You
Author: Andrew Grey
Narrator: Jack Richmond
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Length: 7 hours, 8 minutes
Home, love, and possibilities he never imagined are waiting for Billy Joe to claim them. But first he needs to escape the horrors of his past.
A twisted act of cruelty and prejudice drives Billy Joe from his Mississippi home, and he makes it as far as Pennsylvania—where his car breaks down just as the year’s first snowstorm blows in. Fortunately, Carlos is there to lend a hand.
Carlos is no stranger to hardship. His family rejected him for being gay, but with determination, he put himself through school and became a librarian. Carlos sees the same willpower in Billy, and he wants to help Billy and his son succeed in a new life that is very different from the one they left behind. With his support, they start to adjust, and before long, both men want more than encouragement from each other. They want the chance for a future together, but their families have other ideas… and Billy’s will stop at nothing to get what they want.
I liked Billy Joe and Carlos. These were just two every day men, trying to improve their lives, their situation and creating a new life for themselves. They were both great fathers to Billy Joe’s son and thanks to their families, had learned how not to be a parent. The story is full of great supporting characters who come together to create a family with Billy Joe and Carlos. The relationship between the two men was comfortable from almost the very beginning. They just seemed to make a life together without a lot of effort and thought.
No one writes children into stories like this author. He’s able to utilize them to create the perfect dynamic without letting the story be overwhelmed with their presence. Children always enhance the relationship but don’t detract from the story. He’s also woven quite the story in this one that shows some truly negative aspects of humanity, issues that are usually hidden but happen every day in our world. And, because this is fiction, people get the punishments they deserve and Billy Joe and Carlos get their HEA.
The narrator of this audio is Jack Richmond. I don't believe I've listened to him before, and I struggled with him this time. His pacing and timing was very slow and just hard to listen to. He did give character voices, but it felt like the emotional dialogue was a bit monotonous. There was at one point that a character had a line that was screamed. The narrator just read the line in a normal tone and I was thinking really, that was the character screaming? And the reality is, Billy Joe is from Mississippi, maybe he was so supposed to talk so slow, but it was hard to listen to. Though I'm not one to ever adjust the speed of the narration, if you're struggling with it, maybe adjust to a higher speed to help.
Though there are some tough issues in this book, it never overwhelms the story and it has a sweet HEA! I've both read and listened to this story, and I truly enjoyed it more when reading it than listening, but if you're new to this story, I'd recommend listening to a sample before making your decision about which medium you choose. Honestly, choose one because it's a terrific story with wonderful characters who truly work to make a better life for themselves.
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars (I'm not taking rating away because of the poor performance, lol)
Performance: 3 stars
Story: 4.5 Stars
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