Dearest Milton James

De: N.R. Walker

Narrado por: Glen Lloyd

Malachi Keogh finds himself in a job he neither wanted nor asked for when his father, boss of Sydney’s postal service, sends him to the end of the business line, a.k.a. the Dead Letter Office. Malachi expects it to be tedious and boring, but instead discovers a warehouse with a quirky bunch of misfit co-workers, including a stoic and nerdy boss, Julian Pollard.

Malachi’s intrigued by Julian at first, and he soon learns there’s more to the man than his boring clothes of beige, tan, and brown; a far cry from Malachi’s hot pink, lilac, and electric blue. Where Julian is calm and ordered, Malachi is chaos personified, but despite their outward differences, there’s an immediate chemistry between them that sends Malachi’s head - and heart - into a spin.

To keep his father happy, Malachi needs to keep this job. He also needs to solve the mystery of the pile of old letters that sits in Julian’s office and maybe get to the bottom of what makes Julian tick. Like everything that goes through the mail center, only time will tell if Malachi has found his intended destination or if he’ll find himself returned to sender.

©2021 N.R. Walker (P)2021 N.R. Walker

One of the best feel-good stories...

This is one of the best feel good, low angst stories I've read in a long, long time. I could even see this being a movie. I also laughed out loud quite a few times, and I rare L y do that while reading a book. Just an all over great read. Wish the book was longer because I didn't want it to end!

As for the narration, Glen Lloyd is new to me, but boy did he do this story justice. Perfect narration for these characters, and you never had to guess which one was speaking. I'll definitely be following him to listen to more of his narrations for sure.

I loved this!

There was just the right amount of quirkiness to this story. I loved everything about it and Julian and Malachi were just perfect.

Lovely

It's difficult to be negative about this lovely story, great characters, narrator nailed it.

Sweet, funny and feels for days

My first narration by Glen Lloyd and adored him. Fantastic job brining this modge podge of characters off the page.

I’ve enjoyed the books by this author I have read and this one is a favorite. The heroes are so utterly perfect and the story just warmed my soul. It was a perfect listen for a cold winter day.

So so wonderful!!

Such a beautiful beautiful story! NR Walker is an absolute genius! Her writing and Glen’s narration are the perfect combo! Bravo!! 10 stars!!

A Love Story Within a Love Story

What a wonderful story and told by an outstanding narrator!

The author takes the time to establish both main characters - their appearance and their personas - and then gives us a slow-burn romance that takes place during the investigation of a set of lost love letters from the 1970s.

Malachi is out of options as far as his father is concerned and the postmaster assigns his son to the dead letter office in a last-ditch effort to give Malachi another chance. Malachi, a fabulous dresser and outstandingly OTT personality, immediately takes to the job and fits in with the others. He's also very attracted to the very brown (aka very boring) Julian Pollard, his boss. Julian never wears any color other than beige or brown but he has his reasons, as Malachi eventually discovers.

I loved the flirting, the banter, the coworkers' quirky personalities, and most of all I loved the love story surrounding the set of letters found addressed to "Dearest Milton James" in the early seventies. As I write this review, which I was going to give 4 stars, I realize it really is a 5 star experience. Not is the story superb but Glen Lloyd gave it the quirky funny purely Aussie dialogue that was just perfect for the moment and the sweet, romantic, sometimes sad moments surrounding what Malachi assumed was going to be a love story of the past that ended in tragedy.

One must listen to learn what they ultimately found out about the letters. No spoilers here. I'll simply say that for 6 hours of listening pleasure, this book is sure to be a top choice.

3.5/4 Stars

Things I wish were expanded on:
I wish that characters like Cherry and Malachi’s best friend were better fleshed out. This isn’t to say they didn’t have distinct personalities, but their friendships revolved around Malachi and being supportive to him. I also wish their had been more about the team’s backstory but that wasn’t as big a deal. They each had distinct personalities and didn’t need to be filled in in the same way I feel like Malachi’s close friends should have been. Finally, I wish we had seen more of Malachi’s relationship with his family (and learned about his father’s reaction to his and Julian’s relationship.)
What I liked:
Malachi’s rambling sessions. They were over-the-top and gave me secondhand embarrassment, but they also made me laugh sometimes. I liked how Julian’s moods were expressed in color and how he and Malachi were (attempting to) slowly get to know one another. I thought the narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life with distinct enough voices for many of the characters.
What I loved:
The letters. And the conclusion to that storyline which caused me to tear up and settle on four stars for my rating. Malachi and Julian were nice to read about but, perhaps because of the length of the book, I wished there’d been more… to them. Not a few days and an epilogue. But that Milton James storyline… those heart strings of mine were definitely being tugged. Oh, it was also reading about what happens to lost mail. I’d never thought about it. This was a light, angst-free read. I’d definitely recommend if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

Soooo Good!

Glen Lloyd’s narration just elevated this delightful novel y N.R. Walker, one of my favorite authors. Writing this review on my second listen, and am wiping tears off my cheek while commenting. Really needed a low angst, deliciously sexy, and good humored read. Perfect in every way!

Perfect!

This is just the no angst feel good story I needed! I am a huge fan of NR Walker’s stories and Glen Lloyd’s narration added just the right touch to this already perfect tale.

enjoyed it

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

📖 Story comment: Charming story with likeable characters.
**** my comments are kind of spoilery ****
Has all the elements i've come to expect from this author, had me smiling, tugged at my heartstrings, the results of the letters achieved an ending worthy of a hallmark movie and now I want to go work for the dead letter office!

🎧 Narrator comment: Glen Lloyd has done a good job on the narration, he suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in multiple formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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