Hummingbird Heartbreak

The Gold Brothers (Gold Brothers Series, Book 1)

By: Max Walker

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Dusty Gold

College is weird. One second you're studying for a huge exam in integrated physics and the next you're secretly drooling over the sexy rugby player living in the dorm next door. The second after that, you're sharing a bed with that same Insta-famous jock, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what in gay heaven caused such a miraculous and terrifying thing.

Maybe inviting him to stay at my family's house for the summer wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had?

Brandon Reed

I freakin' loved college. I loved being able to play rugby the most; losing myself to the game, watching the crowds in the stadium grow bigger with every win. Rugby gave me an escape. Then Dusty Gold springs into my life. After we end up as surprise roomies, a spring busts on his bed and we go from roommates to snuggle buddies.

Snuggling somehow turns into staying with him over the summer at his family's animal sanctuary. Soon, I find myself falling hard for the handsome and shy nerd. I've got a messy past, though, and Dusty's got a bright future. Will my ghosts ruin us before we could ever really begin, or will we both get a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a happy ending?

Contains mature themes.

©2020 Max Walker (P)2021 Tantor

I don’t like Dusti

Dusti is so mean to Brandon and where is the trust for Brandon. Dustin was to dramatic and hurt Brandon to much and I don’t like Dustin. And Brandon’s family was no better than Dustin either.

enjoyed it

📖 Story comment: easy pace, likeable characters, relatively low drama
I enjoyed this story up until the final act when Brandon's "secret" was revealed and Dusty (in my opinion) overreacted - what happened to trust? - that Dusty takes the word of an Ex over talking things out with Brandon felt wrong and kind of killed my enjoyment of the story.

🎧 Narrator comment: For me: Greg Boudreaux can do no wrong. He suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable performance and he bought the story to life.

-------
📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 6
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
-------

good characters

I am really a sucker for the big brawny guy falling in love with the little nerdy guy. this was all of that. the story was good although there were a couple story threads that were dropped and never explained but in general the characters were very well developed and I thought the narrator was really good. plus the steamy romantic scenes where much more developed than some of the other romance novels I've read. I will be reading more of this author.

magnificent

keep it up, bro! we all need more of this great writing! when is your next book?

Great story

Hummingbird Hero. what a great story. a fire, save a cat, roommates and an animal rescue. Twins!!! looking forward to listening to book 2. just so sweet!! well worth the credit and your time to listen....

Very romantic and interesting!

It was a wonderful love story! Very interesting tale. I was very excited to see how it would end.

Teenage Angst Overload

Won't listen or read again. Greg B is always a pleasure to listen to, but this is my least favorite of Max's books after reading about 8. It was really hard to like Dusty (from the beginning he's whiney and immature... and that never changes) and it felt like Brandon was with Dusty because of his own insecurities around his family kicking him out at 16. The big reveal was a let down... who believes a stalker ex over a guy who has done nothing but be solid? I think Brandon should have dumped Dusty, and called his parents on the carpet for kicking out a 16 year old instead of taking him to get help.

Brandon makes this worth it, but he deserves better

like other reviews said, the story was good up until the reveal. Dusty completely overreacted and him believing Brandon's crazy ex over everything that happened and after what Brandon told Dusty about him. Suspension of disbelief was just gone and I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. The reveal wasn't Dusty's secret to be upset about. He had no right to demand something like that before Brandon was ready. Believing known toxic ex? That's insane and absurd. Especially given how much Brandon tried to do things right.
I get being new to relationships, but that just gave the ick.

Great read

Really liked the book overall and narration. I always enjoy Greg’s narrations, and he does a great job bringing the story off the page with the characters. This is my first read with Max and I enjoyed the way he created his characters and their interactions.

I do have some feedback as a reader for the plot and characters. There was a scene early on in the book when they first get to the sanctuary where Dusty is talking to his mother and there have been threats on the sanctuary. This never really went anywhere or was never addressed, so I was a little confused by that.

Additionally, it has mentioned a few times by Brandon that he has anger issues. However, in a later scene he tells Dusty that he has improved and come along way in processing things and managing his anger. This didn’t really make sense to me as the reader because in the previous chapters he had gotten into two fights with physical altercations and even in one of them Dusty received a blow to the head. It kind of felt disingenuous and borderline manipulative by Brandon when he’s trying to apologize because we, as the reader, didn’t really see his improvement with his anger.

Overall, it’s a great story with great narration. The characters are relatable and Max does a great job of making you fall in love with them and their story.

Great Narration, Okay Story

I'm not sure why this story left me feeling indifferent because there were parts that were wonderful. Brandon's character sounds truly gorgeous and athletically talented while Dusty was the iconic studious nerd. Their attraction to one another seemed unlikely to me for some reason, but not beyond belief. Dusty was a skeptic in all things potentially positive, especially in trusting Brandon's affection and desire for a serious relationship. The supporting characters were good people, with the exception of Brandon's ex, Luther. He's a destructive chaotic force with bad timing. I have 13 other books by Max Walker in my audio library so I'm a definite fan of his work.