Level Hands

Bend or Break, Book 4

De: Amy Jo Cousins

Narrado por: Cooper North

When it comes to love, there's no such thing as smooth sailing.

Rafael Castro is so far out of his element he can't even see it anymore. Carlisle College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from his Dominican Republic roots.

The only thing keeping him attached to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a knife-like boat. Now, two years later, on the wings of a rowing scholarship, Rafi is attending Denny's elite college.

Even before the excitement wears off, Rafi is struggling with classes and fending off rumors that Denny's family, not Rafi's talent, won him his spot. To quash the gossip, Rafi tries to steer clear of the man he wants. A plan that evaporates in the fire of renewed attraction.

But Carlisle's academic pressure cooker has Rafi barely treading water. And when a family crisis hits, both Rafi and Denny must pull hard to keep their relationship from capsizing in rough waters.

Warning: Contains a surly Dominican-American guy determined to show no weakness, a golden boy who knows his soft spots, some seriously dirty bachata dancing, and an excellent excuse for voyeurism in the locker room.

©2015 Amy Jo Cousins (P)2016 Insatiable Press

Words in Spanish

Cooper North is very easily becoming one of my favorite audiobook narrators. That said, this book, with a Latino character providing the main POV, was a problem for me. Even though my primary language is English, I am Latina. The pronunciation of the letter H in the word “hermanito,” made me flinch as if I’d received a physical blow. And every single time he said, “Jesuscristo,” felt like nails on a chalkboard. I love Amy Jo Cousins writing and want to reiterate that Cooper North is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators, but this right here … this hurt.

Hardly worth the time or money

Somehow, despite the promising premise - two already in love out jocks on a pretty gay-friendly team - this story turns into a cliché. The grumpy, self-pitying, cowardly macho top tries his hardest to resist real love, and the smart, caring, brave bottom manages to melt his defences. The happy ending almost saves the story, but I only made it that far because I was bored, liked the prequels and paid 13 bucks for the book. Plus, the narrator's voice is really nice to listen to.

A little dated

This story just wasn't for me. The writing is good and the narrator was really good but the story just felt... behind the times to me.

Kind of a disappointment after the first volume

After the first book I need this series, I was really excited to hear more. The second volume wasn't as good as the first and they've gone down hill from there for me; lacking substance and interesting story lines.

Hum drum

Long chapters of boredom. By chapter 7, I was ready to stop listening to this story of scared-to-death, indecisive, Rafael Castro. I listened to book 1 and book 2 and was not impressed. I kept wanting more to happen with these characters such as a healthy development of a sexual relationship between the two main characters and there was nothing. I skipped book 3 because the preview didn't interest me and decided to give book 4 a chance. Another let-down which is strike 3 and I'm done. I will not bother with the other books of this series.