Bolt-Hole

By: Amy Lane

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Terrell Washington's childhood was a trifecta of suck: being black, gay, and poor in America has no upside. Terrell climbed his way out of the hood only to hit a glass ceiling and stop, frozen, a chain restaurant bartender with a journalism degree. His one bright spot is Colby Meyers, a coworker who has no fear, no inhibitions, and sees no boundaries. Terrell and Colby spend their summers at the river and their breaks on the back dock of Papiano's. As terrified as Terrell is of coming out, he's helpless to stay away from Colby's magnetic smile and contagious laughter.

But Colby is out of college now, and he has grand plans for the future - plans Terrell is sure will leave his scrawny black ass in the Sacramento dust until a breathless moment stolen from the chaos of the restaurant tells Terrell he might be wrong. When the moment is shattered by a mystery and an act of violence, Terrell and Colby are left with two puzzles: who killed their scumbag manager, and how to fit their own lives - the black and the white of them - into a single shining tomorrow.

©2013 Amy Lane (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Another Amy Lane winner

If you could sum up Bolt-Hole in three words, what would they be?

Different than any Amy Lane book, she took a chance on an interracial relationship and I think she succeeded!

What did you like best about this story?

different than your normal m/m formula

What about Nick J. Russo’s performance did you like?

He did a great job with the voices, true entertainment, not just reading!

Who was the most memorable character of Bolt-Hole and why?

Colby

Any additional comments?

Amy always writes outside the box! great audio and book!

Love it

Great narrator loved the storyline character development was interest. I not confusing, however I did enjoy the book and will be listening to more from the author

"You were my best homework assignment ever."

Any additional comments?

SPOILERS...

I am so happy with myself for giving this story a try. Talk about an interracial bromance ❤️

Colby 💖 Terrell

I loved that Colby was the younger man but seemed to have more experience sexually, more comfortable in his own skin, and seemed a bit more wiser than Terrell because it made Terrell somewhat endearing.

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨 "Kids get blowjobs behind bars T. Men look their lovers in the eye." 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

I won't lie, Terrell did bother me a bit with his woe-as-me attitude but the fact that he took the time to understand and reflect on both sides of the issue of racism made me appreciate at him and his line of thinking.

Colby is AMAZING! I loved everything about him. His patience, his heart, his love for Terrell. He's the type of guy that's one in a million!

💖 "Let's go have our self a domestic partnership day." Colby, Colby, Colby 💖

Special moments:

**The first time Terrell and Colby made love
**Colby playing Motown music for Terrell

There are many more special moments but those two were the ones that really squeezed my heart.

This is a journey through a love story between two men who are different in almost every way. Add in a crime mystery, humor, likeable and unlikeable supporting characters, with a fantastic narration, you have a making for a superb story.

"What did the ghost say to the Vampire. Oh Christ what? Don't try to hypnotize me, I can see right through you." Ha ha...

I didn't want the story to end, I wanted to travel around the world with Colby and Terrell to see how their relationship strengthens and witness their growing love for each other.

-sigh-

A lovely love story indeed!

So good!

I only have good things to say, awesome story, wonderful narrator. Loved it all! I haven't read very many interracial books in the mm genre. I highly recommend Bolt Hole.

I loved the story

Where does Bolt-Hole rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a new author but I definitely like her style and this audiobook is right up there with the ones I love to listen to again.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved that the two main characters are from two totally different back ground. Terrell from poverty, hatred, no family support because he is gay but this didn't stop him from getting a college education. Colby from a middle class loving and supported family that don't care that he is gay and he have a master degree, but both are working in a dive bar, they become friends then lovers and plan a life together to go off to see the world!

Have you listened to any of Nick J. Russo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't, but I would love to check out others performances by him.

Who was the most memorable character of Bolt-Hole and why?

Colby, because he showed Terrell what true love is really about

Any additional comments?

no

I listen to this again and again

Terrell is a journalist who can’t get a job in his chosen profession because of his race. He works at a restaurant as a bar tender, he’s angry, he’s lonely and he can’t see anything but bleakness for the future of a gay man from the ‘hood who can’t possibly be “out”.

Then one day a sociology major named Colby starts working at Terrell’s restaurant and now, suddenly, there seems to be hope on the horizon. Colby is everything Terrell isn’t, he’s out, he’s white, he’s optimistic, he is a bright and shiny star.

Turns out that Terrell is everything Colby ever wanted in a man and Colby wages a slow but steady courtship of Terrell over the course of a year, gradually reeling in his prize.

In the meantime there is some drama at the restaurant that puts Terrell, Colby and their friends in danger, and it takes several acts of heroism for Terrell to see that Colby is worth breaking out of the closet for.

Amy Lane – queen of Angst – packs a punch with this one. It is not her most “angsty” story but – wow! – does it have its fair share. There is something so rewarding in watching Terrell slowly unfold, like a flower facing the sun under the bright light that is Colby. Colby has had it easy, but he takes nothing for granted. It could only be someone so essentially good that could show Terrell’s there is more to life than pain and suffering and show him the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Their love is intense, and their sex scenes are absolutely scorching. The side “mystery” is well woven into the love story and helps to shape the characters without detracting from their romance.

I loved Moira and though Percy is kinda an a-hole, he has his moments, too. I also thought that though Gi-Gi is not a person anyone would really want to emulate, Terrell was able to see that she did, perhaps, save his life, even though we abhor her methods.

In the audio version Nick J Russo (who also did Racing the Sun) does an amazing job with Terrell’s voice and really excels at the kid-from-the-wrong-side of the track narrations. I really like his narration style and enjoy the quality and tone of his voice.

I highly recommend both the book and the audio version and give both a 6 out of 5 stars.

white savior

whooooo boy is this story racist. the narration is fantastic but the author makes some poor choices. Lots of black stereotypes, lots of uncomfortable chocolate fetishization, paints black folks in a real gross light. I just don't think it's appropriate for a white author to include so much use of the n-word or the word nappy. Or describe black characters as having bad teeth and ratty hair.

Half ass, lazy, irresponsible

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Helen Keller, as she is today.

What could Amy Lane have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

She could have made an effort to meet a black person before attempting to create a realistic impression of one in this story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Nick J. Russo’s performances?

Maybe, and by 'maybe' I mean not a chance. His rendition of the stereotypical "black dude" was ridiculous the say the least, but in his defense, the garbage he was tasked to read left him very few options, "white boy."

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger, disappointment, nausea, diarrhea.

Any additional comments?

Note to the author: Do your homework next time before attempting to create an effective impression of an ethnicity you are not familiar with. This cannot be accomplished by simply collecting all the stereotypes in your limited repertoire and expecting free thinking, intelligent people to buy it. Not every black man is named Terrell Williams or Tyrone Washington or Marcus Jenkins, or Willie Johnson. Despite what you saw on TV in the 70s, they don't often address their Caucasian mates as "white boy," and most of them love and prefer being black, find it beautiful, and would not choose to be anything else, even if given the opportunity. They also certainly do not all secretly pine for the charity and pity of "white boy" with the chocolate fetish. This book was a miserably lazy, outright ignorant, offensive failure--the worst of all 40+ I have finished in the past several months. Read at your own risk. Can't say you have not been warned.Enjoy!!!