Lost in a Moment

Trials of Fear, Book 5

De: Nicky James

Narrado por: Adam Gold

When the only person Grayson has to lean on is his straight best friend, what could go wrong?

After a horrific accident and an amputation, Grayson isn’t sure where to turn. Not only is he an emotional wreck, but his problems seem to be getting worse, not better. When his childhood best friend insists he come and stay with him for a while, Grayson isn’t sure how to feel. He’s been crushing on Beck since they were teenagers, and it’s never wise to fall for a straight guy.

Beck’s apartment only has one bedroom and one bed. What could go wrong?

Lost in a Moment is a hurt comfort, best friends-to-lovers, GFY MM romance with moderate angst. It is part of the Trials of Fear series but can be listened to as a stand-alone.

©2019 Nicky James (P)2022 Nicky James

Very Well Done and Worth A Listen

This series is so good and Lost In The Moment is another intriguing entry. Watching Beck and Gray struggle towards each other and work on overcoming their challenges kept me riveted. Nicky James does angst so well but always delivers the HEA. Adam Gold is a fantastic narrator and his performance kept me engaged throughout. This is definitely worth a credit and I will be re-listening!

Perfection

I knew I loved the story because I read the book but the narrator did amazing. In all of the 400+ audiobooks I’ve listened to in the last two years not a single one has included effects like kissing sounds and only one has had a realistic phone call effect. Perfection

I’ll never look at time the same way again

Phobia: an extreme or irrational fear or an aversion to something

Chronophobia: a persistent abnormal and unwarranted fear of time or of the passing of time

I always start out my Nicky James reviews saying how much I love Nicky James…so I’ll do it again. She makes me think – which I like. She makes me feel – which I adore. She makes me sit in my discomfort – which I love. She challenges me – which brings me back to her books, time and time again.

The Trials of Fear books had been especially challenging. What would it be like to live with a crippling phobia? Whether being afraid of sleep, or of touch, or anything else…how would I survive? I have aversions to things, but no actual phobias. I’m lucky to be able to avoid certain things, but the world won’t come to an end if I have to face them.

Nicky’s characters? She puts them through hell. Take Grayson – a terrible accident has left him physically unable to cope with day-to-day living – at least for now. He needs help and, of course, his parents are there to take over. But he knows going home will be a disaster, so when his best friend Beck waltzes in and declares Gray can stay with him, then all is not lost. Now, there’s the small problems of the stairs, the clutter, and – oh yeah – the lone double bed.

I found Beck adorable. A pack rat, like myself, he’s an antiquities dealer who travels around the province of Ontario looking for treasures. Most wind up in his store – but the overflow, and some of the truly priceless pieces, wind up in his apartment over the store. Oh, and the Beatles. His cat, parrot, and the two fish whose lives are forever in jeopardy because of the cat. As an animal lover, I enjoyed how much of a role the pets played. I want a Ringo of my own.

Now, Gray’s had a crush on Beck just about as long as they’ve known each other. And Beck’s been oblivious. Even when it’s pointed out to him by his awesome employee Maria, he still doesn’t see it.

Until the moment he does. He goes into a panic and freaks out. Because he’s not into guys. Right? Yeah…except the attraction he’s feeling for Gray. Now, this is a gay for you story and those can be tricky. Nicky’s story? Worked brilliantly.

Gray’s chronophobia, of course, gets in the way. I loved how the phobia was weaved seamlessly into the story, and I have to say, I’ll never look at time the same way.

Needless to say, I loved this book. Had all the hallmarks of the other phobia books along with two awesome heroes and a cameo by Krew. (yay!)

Adam Gold narrates these books and I think he does a stellar job – his voice is just perfect for these and I’m so grateful for the bang-up performance. Can’t wait for more James/Gold collaborations and, of course, I highly recommend the book.

When Trauma + Friendship Leads to Much More

One of my favorite tropes is Gay for You / Bi Awakening so I have read a metric ton of them. When I saw that Nicky James had one in her Trials of Fear series, and it was a best friends to lovers story as well, I couldn’t grab at it fast enough. Now it’s an audiobook narrated by the amazing Adam Gold and it’s even better!

After a horrible accident leaves Grayson physically broken and temporarily homeless, his best friend, Beckett, takes him in. His straight best friend… with a tiny apartment and only one bed! Oh and did I mention that Gray has been in love with Beck for over a decade? Unbeknownst to Beck of course.

Now ordinarily such a story description could imply just another cheesy romp but NOT in the hands of Nicky James, the queen of angst and exploring mental health issues in romance stories. In this story, she leads us through the harrowing experience of fear and hopelessness as Grayson tries to survive his tragic ordeal. We are then expertly shown his gradual mental decline in such a way that we can’t help but ache for him as we see just how tortured he has become. The aftermath of his accident is brutal. Thank goodness there is Beck.

Beck is fiercely devoted to his best friend Gray, but he’s only thought of him as a friend. As their physical proximity starts to awaken feelings Beck has never had before, we get to hear his self questioning. I loved how intimate of an exploration we were shown, both of his thoughts and their new physical relationship. And when the two begin to move beyond a platonic friendship, things get steamy.

Sadly, despite the support and love of his friend, Gray’s issues rule his life. Soon Beck can’t help but see that much more is going on and he doesn’t see what to do. Can their friendship survive? This book will make you care.

Adam Gold’s portrayal of both MCs made this a wonderful way to spend 10 hours. His moody, intense voice for Gray, and the lighthearted voice for Beck made these characters real and the experience truly immersive. I thank him, and Nicky James, for the fun way he brought us the comic relief we needed periodically. Long live George and Ringo!

This story works effortlessly as a standalone, so if this is where you start the series you’ll be just fine. But please take my advice, treat yourself to others when you’re done with this one. Each book highlights a different couple and a different lesser known phobia… and Adam Gold delivers stellar performances in every one.

I eagerly await the audio release of the next one. Thank you Nicky James and Adam Gold for a wonderful way to use a credit!

Happy listening! 😊💖

This series just gets better and better

THE STORY:
Lost in a Moment is the fifth installment in Mrs. James’s Trials of Fear series, but it’s titled as book 4 as Fearless was written as a companion book to the series.

Nicky James is without a doubt my favourite author. Her writing is beautiful and her storytelling is amazing. She writes about topics that are near and dear to her heart with the hopes of enlightening her readers about mental health.

Throughout her Trials of Fear series, she introduces us to some not-so-known phobias.
This book had me at the edge of my seat from the very beginning as we watch Grayson battle with Chronophobia (a fear of time or passage of time).
As with all of Mrs. James’s books, she takes us on a rollercoaster ride with our emotions and when I pick up one of her books to read I know that I’m in for the ride of my life. Lost in a Moment did not disappoint!

Lost in a Moment ticks a few boxes for me.
Best friends to lovers (tick) and GFY (big tick).
If you’re following her Trials of Fear series, or if you want a MM romance with a lot of heart and story that wrings the emotion out of you, then Lost in a Moment is definitely the book for you.

Note: All the books in Trials of Fear are standalone, so you can one-click with confidence if you haven’t read previous books.

THE NARRATION:
What can I say about Adam Gold's narration that I haven't said before??
Firstly, I love his Beckett!! Adam's voice perfectly matched Beck's quirky personality!!
The feels and emotion in this narration had be listening straight through. Forget RL, I could not put this audio book down!!!
It was great visiting with Gray, Beck and the Beetles again.

Congratulation NJ & AG on another great collaboration!!!

Loved it

This friends to lovers romance is everything I love about this series plus fantastic narration. Once again, Nicky James shines light on a rare and life crippling phobia brought on by circumstances. This book broke my heart but then slowly put it back together once more as the characters learned how to deal with the new direction their lives have taken. It's angsty in all the right places and the love is so real. Love doesn't fix everything but the support the characters give one another is what makes it special.
The narration is fantastic. So believable. So heartbreaking. You could feel the characters come to life. Adam Gold is doing amazing things with this series.

Loved!

Lost in a Moment is an amazing addition to the Trials of Fear series. I am a huge fan of best friends to lovers stories and this gives me all the feels I could wish for.

Grayson and Beckett have been best friends for forever. Gray is gay and has been crushing on his straight friend for years. When a traumatic event has Beckett taking care of and caring for Grayson lines begin to blur.
Handling this new dynamics in their relationship is tricky. I appreciated the honest emotional reactions both characters showed.

Both Beck an Gray are stronger than they imagine and value what they have together. I really loved Grayson and Beckett together. Their road was bumpy, but they made their way back each other no matter what.

Adam Gold does an outstanding job of bringing this story to life!

So good

This was such an amazing story in a fantastic series. Each book focuses on a different phobia and in Lost in a Moment, Grayson suffers from chronopobia, a fear of time. I found this book very interesting and I loved the development of a relationship between Grayson and Beck.
Adam Gold is a fantastic narrator. He did a wonderful job with this one.

All the stars

This book has always held a special place in my heart and I am so glad the narrator was able to do it justice. It was a very fulfilling experience to be able to hear the words come to life. Very heavy subject but the author manages to tell the story in a way that doesn’t make it feel like trauma for traumas sake. Highly recommend!

Finding connections a second time through

Soo i have read this book back when it first came out, i connected to Grey as i did most of Nicky's boys. But for some reason this second time through with Adam leading the charge i realized i was more like Grey then i thought. and it was a little triggering. both of us being anxious about time ( him having a fear while I just have anxiety) pining over our straight best friend . and living with them. Yup this hit a little too close to home XD, and i loved it even more the second time around. i cant get enough of these boys there stories and where they go and knowing what comes later I'm very excited for what comes next.