A Kind of Truth

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Seth Clayton

Rand O'Malley dreams of superstardom. He hopes to one day sing the blues like a god. Moving to New York City and hiring a new manager are steps to make his dreams a reality. But nothing moves as fast as Rand would like, and everyone has opinions, for example that he should keep certain pieces of himself quiet if he plans on making it in the Big Apple. Like his bisexuality.

Will Sanders is a gifted musician who dazzles Rand with his ability to coax gorgeous notes from an electric guitar one moment and play the piano like a professional the next. He's a geek, but Rand isn't concerned about Will's pressed exterior clashing with his tattoos. His focus is music. Yet there's something about Will that makes Rand think there's much more to the quiet college student than he lets on. As Rand's dreams begin to materialize, he's forced to reconsider his priorities and find his own kind of truth. One that might include Will.

©2016 Lane Hayes (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

perfect

Any additional comments?

I was on the fence about getting this audio, for one simple reason. I’m not a rock god/star/music/ whatever you want to call it fan.

And the blurb definitely suggests it’s all about music. But I enjoy Lane Hayes books and I enjoy the narrator and it wasn’t very long so I jumped in.

So as the title suggest, this is book one, so a lot of characters and building of parts, places, where they fit in. Not overly complicated, and we absolutely focused on Rand and Will mostly, but we did get a fair share of the other band mates and the boyfriends and girlfriends that will be tagging along.

Rand was a rebel is whole youth, so him making a band and moving to NYC would be a natural progression in his life. He was able to bring band mates with him to NYC but they lost one along the way, and that’s where the trouble/drama starts.

Will, left home to go to NYC, now about to graduate he has some decisions to make. About his life, his future and whether to bow under the pressure of his father and family.

Rand and Will have this insta connection I’m not sure they realized to start. They both knew, and the reader knew something was going on, but what? So as the meeting continued and we learned more the time together was more special.

The twists that were thrown at them along the way made for a great tale, and by the end even though they got the HEA they wanted you can feel, that maybe we haven’t seen the last of those two bad guys?

A+ narration, unforgettable characters

I'm very happy with this audiobook!!!!!!
It wasn't perfect... the narrator, Seth Clayton, while giving some charachters like Tim and Benny identifiable voices, has the MCs sound practically the same... there were a few times where I was confused by who was saying what. Seth also has some odd stops and starts in his sentences, which are noticeable throughout but not anything that bothered me, it just seemed odd.

Now the bonus points....

#1. HE SINGS!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a couple lines here and there but that was a first for me!!!! Holy crap!!!!! It's awesome!

He also adds in all kinds of goodies, expected and not. At one point he speaks while eating a cheeseburger and it sounds realistic and later he speaks while eating m&ms and they sound different and totally believable!! How?! And it doesn't even say Rand is doing that, it's just natural and feels right and keeps you in the story. Very cool!

He's also fantastic with expressing emotions when people are speaking... going from soft to yelling to excited to happy... it's all there and it's all conveyed.

OH, and his George?! He is INCREDIBLE! He somehow perfectly sounds like a middle aged friendly New Yorker.. you can HEAR his smile! There has to be a real life inspiration for that voice because it's just perfect!

The narration truly makes this story even more enjoyable. I love a lot about this book and while the story isn't perfect, add in this narration and it gets 5 stars from me.

I look forward to the audio of the rest of the series, even though no one can top Rand & Will <3

Fishnets and Lipstick & Guitar Heroes - 5 Stars

Welcome to a world where "Lipstick, fishnets, and sequins [are] optional.” As Lane Hayes takes you on an amazing journey and gives you a fantastic story! This is the first story in a new series by Ms. Hayes, the series is perfectly called "A Kind of" and this book focuses on several "Kind of Truth's".


Rand O'Malley is a character we met back in a previous series when he was a support character and Seth's best-friend. We didn't get to learn much about him back in Better Than Safe other than he had a band and appeared a bit high strung. Well now we get the full scoop and wow, what a story it is - Rand is a very complex guy with a dream of being a Rockstar and a plan in place to make his dreams come true. What he doesn't plan for his meeting William who literally rocks his world.



William "Will" Sanders / Billie Sanders is a self proclaimed band geek and if you didn't know better by the amount of names he has you might think he has multiple personalities. He doesn't. What he does have a several aspects of his life neatly compartmentalized -- so much that when the parts start to mesh, Will has trouble dealing with the consequences. William is a prodigy in music, he can make multiple instruments do his bidding and bend notes and harmonies to create unique musical masterpieces. When Rand is in need of emergency guitar lessons, Will is recommended - and as soon as Rand meets Will he is enamored and drawn to him, causing him to act like a bit of a spazz at times as he works his way into Wills heart.

When Rand is out at a local club one night after a show and sees a man in a blonde wig, fishnet stockings, makeup and a sexy dress - he can't believe his eyes when he realizes the sexy man dressed in drag is his guitar tutor. This also brings out a bit of a protective side to Rand as he asserts his claim on Will - ends up literally following Will home and then passing out in Wills cramped apartment. From that moment on, things are never the same.

I loved this story! It was the perfect mix of humor, angst, romance, passion, hot sex, innocence, rebellion, and drama while watching two characters find themselves and each other and fall in love. Perfection! An awesome start to a new series and I cannot wait for the next book! I highly recommend this book. As for the audio, wow! I loved the narrator. Seth Clayton did a fantastic job bringing life to this story, he gave personality and nuances to each character that added another layer of perfection to the story! I truly hope he will be narrating all the stories in this series!

I leave you with a conversation between Rand and Will that I loved:

“You’re missing the point that the glitter and eyeliner is what got me here. It’s why you’re in my bed now, Rand. The part of me you like the most isn’t the real me.”

“I think you’re like a caterpillar outgrowing his cocoon. You have these wings you know how to use, but you don’t, because the bright colors make you nervous. You’ll figure out on your own that you’re the one who’s kinda like magic.”





Review Copy of A Kind of Truth provided by the Publisher, Dreamspinner Press for an honest Review.

Story and Narrator were fabulous!

Would you listen to A Kind of Truth again? Why?

Yes, loved the characters, storyline and narrator.

What other book might you compare A Kind of Truth to and why?

I haven't read anything like this in the M/M genre. This was awesome, the hot rocker, and the cute nerdy musical prodigy.

What about Seth Clayton’s performance did you like?

He was amazing. Loved how much he put into the performance. You could feel that he really loved doing this. He was superb with Rand's voice. Loved how he did the singing towards the end of the book. Fabulous!

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

Upcoming rockstar and the Geek!

Any additional comments?

A few reviewers commented that Seth Clayton is a new narrator. Well I though he was terrific and can't wait to hear more from him.

Lovely story

This book was lovely and I enjoyed the narration.
I liked both MCs, especially Will, and I was happy with the ending. Rand got on my nerves with his choice to not tell Will certain things, especially the ones regarding Leah. Leah's part in this story was bigger than it should be and went too far. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Worth the purchase

This story ticks so many of my boxes, and then some. It’s well written, and tugged at all my heartstrings. You will love Will and Rand. If you don’t, we can’t be friends.

Best Narrator EVER

Seth Clayton put his all into this performance. He changes characters smoothly and is as animated as a scene requires.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story through Clayton's voice.

Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance

Story Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Narration Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Overall Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Story Review:

Lane Hayes is one of my favorite authors when I want an utterly captivating love story. She is my go to when I am searching for two characters with depth and a connection that I can feel in my bones. A Kind of Truth upheld Ms. Hayes as a master storyteller and romance writer and I fell in love right along with Rand and William.

This was not the rock star story I was imagining. There was little debauchery and tons of fidelity and romance. William and Rand were captivating together and I loved seeing their true selves slowly revealed. I loved learning what made them where they were but even more, I loved seeing them learn each other. I enjoyed watching them turn from strangers, to friends, to more. Their story was not always easy, but it was perfect in that it fit their personalities and left me sure in their longevity. They were perfect for each other and I was swept up in their romance and totally satisfied with their ending. I hope to see more of these men in the upcoming books in this series.

Narration Review:

This was my first time listening to Seth Clayton as a narrator and I will be listening to him again. This narration started out a bit rough but Clayton quickly found his stride and really brought this story and these characters to life. I think his narration added to my enjoyment of this book and I hope he is the narrator for the rest of the series.

5 stars = I freaking LOVED this book!!!

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

A Kind of Truth was absolutely fabulous! Rand sums up exactly who he and Will are to each other at the end of the book… “The geek and the rock star wannabe. The loud mouth and the quiet soul who speaks through music.” Fortunately for Will, Rand isn’t the stereotypical rock star who is looking to sleep his way to the top or through the groupies. Nope, once Will inadvertently catches his eye and then accidentally snares Rand completely with his occasional penchant for dressing up, Rand has eyes for no one else. Actually, until Will caught his eye, Rand had eyes for no one at all because he was on a mission to make his band, Spiral, the next big thing in rock and roll. Rand knows himself well enough to know that he has to keep busy and limit distractions if he wants to have any hope of fulfilling his dreams, and nothing compares to the level of distraction that a relationship brings – especially when his bisexuality could be an obstacle on his path to musical fame.

Although Will and Rand are just outside what I consider to be the typical age range for new adult novels, A Kind of Truth has a new adult angsty feel to it. Granted, the more we get to know Rand, the easier it is to understand why – his impulse control is severely hampered. I don’t mean that in a bad way because Rand isn’t malicious about it. Rather, it is more reflective of the exuberance of youth; a leap before you look mentality. While I believe Will is the younger of the two, he’s more cautious about his approach to life – with, as we come to learn, good reason to be so. These are two men who should not work and, based on Rand’s inner musings when they first meet, would not normally work because Will isn’t the kind of guy that Rand is usually drawn too. But their shared love of music provides a much sturdier foundation for a relationship than one would expect. In short, Rand and Will complement one another’s differences beautifully. And while their relationship is fraught with misunderstandings, a partner who does not listen (Rand), a partner who has a hard time making himself heard (Will), and outside forces on both sides set to keep them apart for their own gains, Rand’s impulsive nature and Will’s realization that he deserves to live his life for him, make for a bumpy, yet beautiful ride.

This is the first audiobook I’ve listened to narrated by Seth Clayton and I must say he did a wonderful job. He managed to annoy me perfectly when Rand was being obnoxious. He made me cry when Will gets caught in the crossfire. I laughed when I was meant to and I cringed in the same way. Clayton used little touches that made his performance even more enjoyable by making me feel as though I was listening in on Rand and Will’s life – scenes when a character is talking with his mouth full, spot on “happy drunk” scenes, acapella singing when Rand is moved to perform, and just his overall conveying of Rand and Will’s emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed Clayton’s performance and feel he brought Hayes’s characters and their story to life in a delightful way. A Kind of Truth was an enjoyable audiobook and I look forward to listening to Clayton again bring Hayes’s work to life in the next book in the series, A Kind of Romance.

Lane Hayes + Seth Clayton = Perfect Escape

I can't get enough of Lane Hayes's words and Seth Clayton's narration of her books. They provided the perfect escape from reality. Highly recommend it.