A Charm of Finches

Venery, Book 2

By: Suanne Laqueur

Narrated by: Darren Eliker

"I swear. Give me one more chance and I will make the most of it."

Ex-hustler Javier Landes is asking for his third chance at love. The third time proves to be the charm when he meets a Manhattan art therapist named Steffen Finch. What starts as casual and curious deepens into a passionate relationship—everything Jav has ever wanted, and everything he fears losing.

Stef's business card reads Curator & Sailor. His creativity and insightful nature have made him into a talented therapist, the one to call for tough cases. His professional success can't conceal a deep desire to connect with someone, but Javier Landes is the last person Stef expected.

Geronimo "Geno" Caan is Stef's most challenging case. Shattered physically and mentally after a brutal sexual assault, Geno learns to let art express what can't be spoken aloud. But as Geno's attachment to Stef intensifies and spills onto Jav, the boundaries between professional and personal begin to blur.

Over the course of a year, Jav, Stef and Geno form an unexpected and unconventional triangle, revealing how men make love in times of war and how love is a great wisdom made up of small understandings. The long-awaited second book of the Venery series, A Charm of Finches is an epic tale of survival and secrets that will stay with you forever.

Contains adult themes of sexual attraction and sexual violence, written in adult language.

©2017 Suanne Laqueur (P)2023 Suanne Laqueur

A Masterclass in Writing and Narrating!

Interweaving storylines done at his finest. I am in continual awe of Suanne’s storytelling. I didn’t think I could love a book more than An Exaltation of Larks, but A Charm of Finches has stolen my heart and will remain there forever. If you love audiobooks this series is one of the best! Darren Eliker does so many characters but you would never know they are all him. His accents are flawless as well!

Stunning

This book was profoundly heartbreaking and utterly beautiful in its devastation. I am so incredibly thankful I decided to buy this book. I 100% would recommend. This book has become one of my top 5 books. I would definitely caution anyone before reading or listening to check those trigger warning because you will find out very quickly in this book if it's something you can handle or not. If you can I promise you, you won't regret it.

All the stars!

I read this book when it first released and have been waiting anxiously for the audiobook. I am thrilled with the finished product. The narrator did an excellent job bringing all these great characters to life. This story is complex and important with more layers than you can imagine. The difficult subject matter was handled beautifully by the author who is a master storyteller. I can't say enough good things about the entire Venery series, and this book in particular. Well worth the credit! .

Truly magnificent

I’ve read the book a few times, and this audiobook will most certainly follow suit. The writing, the dialogue, the respect for every single character, and the sensitivity with which Ms. Laqueur addresses the subject matter is positively profound. This book is exquisite on so many levels. It is not to be missed. Such a treasure and a gift to all who read and listen to it. It has my highest recommendation. Now on to the audiobook hangover.

Extraordinary and MUST READ/LISTEN

Everything about this book blew my mind. Highs and lows abound. Suanne Laqueur and Darren Eliker are a dream team

I Loved It!

Fabulous! This is one of my all time favorite books and I have been waiting for the audio version since I read it the first time. This audiobook did not disappoint! The narrator, Darren Eliker, could not have done a better job. He is truly talented and his performance brought these beloved characters to life. Suanne Laqueur is an amazing writer and combining these two talents is a treasure.

I felt everything <3

Javier is from book one. He, Stef and Geno are the main characters, but this book is full of wonderful characters from all different ethnicities and ages. Javi starts as a high-end prostitute for women. He wants more from life, a real connection to someone. Javi and Stef are bisexual men. During the book they meet and fall in love. It is an epic beautiful romance. I loved them loving each other so much I could hardly stand it. It's wonderful to see Javi finally get what he deserves. Geno is brutally sexually assaulted. It's realistic and graphic. I cried several times during this book during the painful road to recovery. Stef is one of Geno's therapists. I fell hard for Stef. He is an AMAZING man. If all of us cared as much as he did, there would be no problems in the world. I can't even explain how special this book is. It's worth more than the rating I can give it. On a 0-to-5-star scale, I'd give it a 100. Not often can someone write something that goes to such dark places and handle it so gracefully. Some parts are tragic, but the final emotion of the book is that it's glorious. I had feels on top of feels. I had tears of empathy and tears for how moved I was by the beauty of some scenes. The three main characters are such wonderful men. They feel like real people and will stick with me for many years to come. Sometimes when it's the parts inside their heads, the writing almost seems poetic. There are so many stories within this book. Some of the side characters even come with huge emotional backstories of their own. Everyone kind of comes together to make a family. This is deep and moving, and I give it all the stars.

Superb!

When I sat down to write my review for An Exaltation of Larks, I knew I couldn't begin to do justice to how magnificent that book was. It's no surprise that I am finding myself in the same position right now, even after sitting with my emotions for several days. I keep coming back to these thoughts: This series is spectacular, this book is SUPERB - one of the best I have ever read, and Suanne Laqueur is an extraordinarily gifted author. She is brilliant with words, worlds and characters, and with the manner in which she ties you to the emotions of a story.

A Charm of Finches is heartbreaking, dare I say "gut-wrenching" at times, but there is so much healing and hope and so much love in this story. The way the lives of the characters in the Venery world intertwine is a thing of beauty, and I am fully invested in every single one of their stories. This book, this SERIES, feels so significant, and I am forever changed for having read them.

I both read the e-book and listened to the audiobook, and I will definitely listen to this entire series in audio again. Darren Eliker's audio narration is exceptional. He feels and conveys every emotion of this story, and it was evident in his performance. It was truly impressive!

Amazing!

Easily one of the best books I've ever read. As a librarian, that's saying a lot. The writing was perfection and the narration truly brought these characters to life. Bravo! I was literally so sad for it to be over. It broke my heart into a million pieces but I loved every single second of it. I savored this story little by little because I knew it would give me the worst book hangover. How can I just go on to read something else after reading this wonderfully written and produced book??? Thank you for making this into such an incredible audiobook.

Emotional rollercoaster

A strangely perfect combination of heaven and hell in one book, narrated by an exceptional actor. I'm in awe. I wouldn't change this experience for anything in the whole wide world.