Kept in the Dark

By: H.L. Day

Narrated by: David Walker

Struggling actor Dean only escorts occasionally to pay the bills. So, his first instinct on being offered a job with a strange set of conditions is to turn it down. No date. Don’t switch the lights on. Don’t touch him. I mean, what’s that all about? What’s the man trying to hide? Dean certainly doesn’t expect sex with a faceless stranger to spark so much passion inside him. It’s just business though, right? He can put a stop to it whenever he wants.

Then, Dean meets Justin - a scarred, ex-army soldier unlucky in love. Dean’s given a chance at a proper relationship. He can see past the scars to the man underneath. He’s everything Dean could possibly wish for in a boyfriend: kind, caring, and sweet. All Dean needs to do is be honest. Easy, right? But Justin’s holding back and Dean can’t work out why. But whatever it is, it’s enough to give him second thoughts.

They both have secrets which could shatter their fledgling relationship. After all, secrets have a nasty habit of coming out eventually. The question is when they do, will they be able to piece their relationship back together? Or will they be left with nothing but memories of bad decisions and the promise of the love they could have had if only they’d both been honest and fought harder.

©2018 H.L.Day (P)2019 H.L. Day

- 4 stars -

I believe this would be my first book that I've read written by H.L. Day, and I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed listening and reading this book. This was also a first time hearing an audio book narrated by David Walker as well.
*Spoilers*
-Storyline-
I found the plot and storyline to be really interesting and I liked both of the main characters. I thought they fit each other really well. I can kind of understand what other people meant about the characters needing a bit more depth, but I can't see where or what could be changed. Maybe the reason behind Dean wanting to be an actor? I'm not really sure.
I did like Georgia as a character, even though I felt she was a bit overbearing at times with how she was doing all these things to make Dean happy, invading his personal space, and being very overprotective of him. But I can see she had good intentions. I am also happy that she had her own happily ever after by the end of the book.
The one thing that lowered my rating would have to be when Dean found out about the Tuesday night's and broke up with Justin. I just felt it was a bit overdramatic and immature of him to do that and then completely avoid Justin without hearing what Justin had to say. Even I could understand why Justin had done it as he was just trying to help Dean out financially without making Dean feel embarrassed or ashamed about his lack of money. I can understand Dean was shocked as I would be to if I was in his situation, but he definitely could have handled it better. And then the way he lied to Justin about Jack? That was a bit too much for me to handle as Dean should have known that would seriously hurt Justin with all his failed attempts at dating and Dean being the first person to really see past the scars to who Justin really was. I can't imagine how betrayed Justin must have felt after that. I am really glad it had a happy ending though.
-Narration-
I thought the narration was absolutely fantastic. I could tell the story was based in London just from the way the narrator represented the characters. I did find it kind of interesting that at times, Dean's voice sounded kind of like Eddie Redmayne who played Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts movie. Especially during the part where Dean was saying along the lines of "I need to go" during the scene of when he broke up with Justin. I was not expecting that, but I really liked it. I will definitely be looking into other books narrated by David Walker.

Overall, I thought this was a great book and would recommend it to other people.

A great story begins with hot sex in the dark!

Dean, an actor, does a bit of escorting on the side, only a small number of jobs of which involve sex work. At one of these jobs he meets “J,” or rather doesn’t actually “meet” him, because the encounter takes place entirely in the dark, the pitch black can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face-dark. He’s not allowed to touch J, which is complicated even more by the fact that the sex is the most mind-blowing he has ever had. When Dean later meets scarred ex-army soldier Justin at the restaurant where he works, he begins to fall for him, though they both are harboring secrets that make advancing their relationship problematic.

This story went to a few places I wasn’t expecting, and to I few places I expected, but through it all I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by David Walker and a story that kept me guessing and committed through to the last minute of audio. The moderately high heat level was thoroughly enjoyable and well done… the characters extremely likeable and interesting… I loved it!

Excellent

I loved it! It made me laugh, cry and gave me goose bumps more than once.

Good narration of an addicting story

I had recently finished the e-book of Kept in the Dark when the audiobook was released so the story was very much still fresh in my mind. I think this was why the narrator choice caught me so off guard. I expected a voice that captured the youthfulness of Dean, especially when he first meets Jay and is questioning his choice to continue with an odd, but lucrative escort job. I had Dean’s tone and voice pictured in my head, and the narrator simply didn’t match up. That isn’t to say this narrator lacked talent because that simply wasn’t the case. He had a great voice with a rich tone and once I moved beyond my first impression, I was once again lost in the story of Dean as his feelings for two different personalities develop. I did like the narrator’s tone and pacing, delivering the appropriate emotions for each scene with an easy, enjoyable cadence. This author delivers angst so well and I was happy to get another chance to revisit a great story that has loads of chemistry and a good level of angst.

Great listen!

Kept in the Dark was sexy and very emotional. I understood how Dean could be torn between the two men in his life, each offering something beyond what he's ever known before. My heart broke for Justin, and I wanted him to open up to Dean. I wanted them to trust each other and let their feelings grow. I loved both of these men, and I was very happy with their story.
The narrator's performance was fantastic. I will definitely listen to more from him.

Exactly as I envisioned! Pure perfection.

Having already read, reviewed and loving this book, I was extremely excited when I was finally able to hear the audio.
As a lifelong fan of British television and film,
I can say that unequivocally, without a doubt, David Walker has absolutely nailed it.
From the grizzled Cockney accent of his agent, to the slightly more posh Dean and rough-hewn
smokey tones of Justin.
This audiobook was absolutely scintillating!
What else can I say other than it's simply lush!

Wonderful

This is a wonderful story about two men who find love with each other. It starts out with Dean being Justin's escort but it turns into so much more. This is my first book from H.L. Day but certainly not my last. This book is definitely going on my favorites list and I highly recommend it.
Narrator David Walker does an absolutely amazing job and I will definitely be listening to this book again and again. He really has a way of bringing characters to life.

Unusual, realistic, very good

This story drew me in from the first words, despite being recognizable in one way--it ends up being not what you think it will be. Whenever I want something real but not depressing (for too long), I opt for this story every time. It's sexy and contemporary, and it's hot some angst. It doesn't take you back and forth fifty times just to keep you engaged or to keep the page count high, the story is that good. Characters respond realistically to the multiple hands dealt them through an ultimately realistic story. This is not common in romance, but it exists here. David Walker is perfect.

Also quite steamy in a new way. Even so, sex isn't the main focus, even after that opener. True growth of characters.

Love found in the dark amid whispers

Oh my juicy lord, this audiobook was so hot! Dean is a struggling actor, he hasn't made big yet and he has no money, so he uses his good looks and begins escorting on the side to pay the bills. He doesn't particularly like it but he knows it is necessary to pay the bills, so he is ready to say yes when he's offered double his rate. The catch is that he has to go to a house, enter a bedroom completely in the dark, take off his clothes, lie down, and the biggest rule is never touch his client. The secrecy of the process makes for an unsettling situation, especially when all he knows is his client's whispered instructions and his addictive magical touch. Dean becomes obsessed with his mysterious client, even after his circumstances improve, and things get even more complicated when he meets Justin, a genuinely nice guy that makes his heart pitter patter, a military hero who was tragically disfigured while on duty. While we only get Dean's point of view during the story, it serves to put the reader right into the intensity of his emotions, and the fact that a lot of the action happens in the dark, makes for a very heightened sensation while listening to the audiobook. There were times where I got goosebumps, listening to the mysterious client whisper instructions to Dean, it was very sexy! I really enjoyed the performer's voice, he made every character sound distinctive, and it made for a really hot listening experience. I would definitely recommend it!

Great

I enjoyed this story so much. The storyline is interesting and intriguing with lots of problems that take time to work through but Dean and Justin work well together and make things work. I listened to this book on audible and enjoyed it very much the narration was good.