Crossing Borders

By: Z. A. Maxfield

Narrated by: Tobias Silversmith

Two dudes walk into a bookstore.

Tristan knows he's got issues. His latest ex-girlfriend knows it too. He can't blame her for dumping him - even though she gets her brother to do it for her. Since he can't stop staring at said brother's package, he figures it's about time to put a label on those issues. He likes guys.

He heads to a local bookstore with what he's sure is a foolproof plan to find someone to show him what he's been missing. But who should crash his little adventure? Officer Michael Truax, who gave him a really expensive ticket back in high school for skateboarding without a helmet.

Michael has been trying to catch Tristan for years, to give him a second ticket. Suddenly faced with "Sparky" all grown up and looking to get laid, Michael's protective instinct kicks in - and presents him with an opportunity that's hard to resist. After all, the kid must know what he's getting into, so why not?

But when a man with a plan connects with a man with a hunger, the result is nothing short of explosive.

©2015 Z.A. Maxfield (P)2016 Z.A. Maxfield

Narration put me off

Cute first time story; funny and heartwarming. Unfortunately the narrator reads too quickly and doesn’t seem to take the book seriously. Stopped listening half way through and I’m really disappointed. Guess I’ll have to re-read it with my own voice in my head.

Sparky

Like the book. Michael seems old-fashioned for his young age. Tristan is nice as has a lot of heart. I wished audio books have sound effects

Sweet, insta-love, with hot sexy times!

Any additional comments?

Okay, so here's the skinny. This was actually one of the first M/M stories I ever read, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I loved the whirlwind romance between nineteen year old Tristan and twenty-seven year old Michael.

That being said, sometimes it's a good idea not to go back and revisit some stories.

The intensity of the insta-love was jarring to me with this read. The same points I loved when I first read this years ago now make me cringe a little.

But I still love the sex scenes, and the terrific family dynamics, and how much Michael and Tristan love each other and work to be with one another.

The narration itself was good, except I really didn't like the voice used for Tristan. Tristan is described as a sort of punk-skater-boi with long hair who has been banging chicks left and right before he comes to terms with his homosexuality and the voice Tobias Silversmith uses is...delicate. Almost feminine. It didn't match up with my idea for how the character would sound and that took me a long while to stop trying to force my expectation of the voice and just enjoy the narration.

I really liked Silversmith's range, tone, and emotion. Once I stopped trying to backseat-narrate I really enjoyed it.

If you like a super-sweet insta-love romance with an age difference between lovers and some really hot sexy times you should check it out.

Just ok

This is one of my favorite authors. However, this book seemed geared for a younger audience. I almost didn't finish but I'm no quitter, determined to find the good in every book. The narration was fine, but a little too preppy for my taste. I had to skip most of the hotness because the sex voice just made me cringe.

Love hate

I tend to enjoy Maxfields novel and get them whenever I’m in a rut of sorts. Can always depend on the squishy mushy love story her books promise. I recommend reading the book by itself and staying away from the audiobook. The performance is awful. The narration is like a Q-List voice actor with next to zero talent reading. No emotion, no actual acting.i knew within the first 2 minutes it was going in my dusty and unused DNF file. I’ll read it on kindle without the obnoxious- if not sassy- tones of post nasal drip. Seriously... it made me go BWB and say I literally can’t even with this.

The narrator makes everyone sound snobbish

The story was good but the narrator wad clippy & gave the carators a snobby old family vibe throughout.

Good book

Loved the story, read it before. The narrator just didn't bring the characters to life for me. He was great but I didn't feel it. I also thought he read it too quickly. It wasn't the speed on my device either.
Overall a good listen.

Great book, Skip the Audio Version

If you could sum up Crossing Borders in three words, what would they be?

While new in Audio Books, this story was originally published over 10 years ago. I mention this only because some of the prominent issues in the story are no longer relevant, and there are a few pop culture references 1990's.There's great character development, intense chemistry, and both guys are really likable. Loved the humor woven into the story, especially from the younger siblings.

How could the performance have been better?

I actually purchased the audio book by mistake, having forgotten I'd read the book years ago. Totally wrong narrator for the story. This was one painful listen that I endured only because I remembered how really good the story was.

If you could take any character from Crossing Borders out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I'd like to have thanksgiving with the whole family, wouldn't miss the chance for tofu duck for anything!

couldn't get past the narration

I have read and enjoyed this authors other work, but this book was one of the few times I didn't finish due to poor narration.

So Much Fun & Silversmith's Narration is Spot-on!

Hahaha, kudos to the reader who had the brilliant idea to create a shelf for "ejaculations galore" because Crossing Borders definitely belongs there! These two boys have a lot of sex, and Z.A. Maxfield never repeats herself. 10 points for creativity 😏.

Seriously, I truly enjoyed the story - Tristan is a fascinating character and Mafield has a blast with him. Such a clever opening scene, and Michael's dogged pursuit of Tristan is so much fun to watch. Creative, unique, and very funny, Crossing Borders is wonderful.

The audiobook is performed by Tobias Silversmith and I always enjoy his narration. He brings the sweet with Tristan, and Michael's older, protective vibe really comes through. Nicely done!