Love Comes Silently

Senses Series

By: Andrew Grey

Narrated by: Max Lehnen

Caring for a loved one with cancer is tough. Doing it alone is overwhelming - especially when that loved one is a child. But ever since Ken Brighton's partner left him, Ken has spent his days at the hospital with his daughter, Hanna, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the mysterious care packages that appear for Hanna don't qualify, but they bring a spark of hope into his and Hanna's tired life - and so does Ken's neighbor, former singer Patrick Flaherty.

For two years Patrick hasn't been able to focus on anything but the life he should have had. An injury robbed him of his voice, and the idea of introducing himself to new people intimidates him. But over the past months, he's watched as his neighbor nursed his sick child, and once he meets Ken, Patrick starts to crave a life with him-a life he isn't sure he can have.

Ken doesn't realize he's fallen in love until the doctors send Hanna home, saying there's nothing more they can do: Hanna will either recover or succumb. Ken's heart is set on a new beginning - with both Patrick and Hanna. But Patrick's silence leaves Ken wondering what Patrick wants.

©2012 Andrew Grey (P)2013 Dreamspinner Press

5 Stars

I thought this book was a very beautiful story and Max did very well narrating it. It was touching and really pulled at my heart strings. A definitely good buy.

Great Story

One of the best stories I have read in a long time. Love to read a story that touches my heart and this one did.

Heartwarming

Any additional comments?

It was a sweet heartwarming story with romance thrown in. Any story that can bring me to tears is a great story. the narrator did a good job with telling the story and having a unique voices for each character. :)

One of my least favorite narrators

**2.5 stars**

Audiobooks are extremely subjective. When you read a book yourself, you have your own idea of how the character sounds, but when you have an audiobook, the will of the narrator is forced upon you. This can be hit or miss, and I have really visceral reactions to some narrators. A few narrators have made books that might have been mediocre into absolutely fabulous reads. I have also had the opposite experience. This is one of those.

I kept trying to place the age of the narrator of this book as he was reading. I even attempted to look him up online mid-book to see what I could find out about him. I finally guessed his age to be around 65, though I never got confirmation. The narrator has that ever so slightly wobble to his voice and kind of a formal accent that gives his voice an elderly feel. That is not a good nuance for this book. The narrator read this book more like a children's book than an adult M/M romance and I actually cringed at the sex scenes. It felt like watching my grandparents have sex. It really took away from the story for me.

Now, the story itself was cute, if a bit melodramatic. I thought that the romance was sweet and I love a character with a disability. I had some issues with the pacing of the story (it felt very slow, but that might be an issue with the narrator again) and the lack of a story arc. I also had some slight issues with the character of the child, but I am pickier than most on that because I have a daughter about the same age and I know exactly how a kid that age acts. In addition, the way Mark was kind of forgotten about towards the end of the book bothered me (what happened with him??).

Though this book is a big hit with all of my friends, I just wasn't feeling it. I think it had potential, but whether it was the narrator or the content, it just missed the mark.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

In love with this story

upon reading the synopsis, I expected tears to well up. THEY FLOWED! I can never get myself into a book, but love Andrew Grey's novels. The love and passion that are well detailed are much greater than any Hollywood production could provide. An audiobook is a great way to go if you are one to enjoy the freedom of imagination. Two thumbs and two big toes way up!!! looking forward to more of Andrew Grey!

loved the book

could have had a different person for the voice, but overall its a great book.

Good story but....

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really liked the story but I was having a hard time with the voice telling the story. It was hard getting into it. I'll have to go back and read the story .

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Patrick. Silent but so lovable!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

They way he read it totally threw me off. It was strange. He didn't read it like he was the characters, but like he was telling the story. I didn't feel the characters.

Needs a different narrator...

If you could sum up Love Comes Silently in three words, what would they be?

Short, sweet, satisfying

What was one of the most memorable moments of Love Comes Silently?

When Patrick writes his story for Ken

Did Max Lehnen do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Not really - I've listened to several audiobooks performed by him, and there are certain qualities in his voice that make him one of my least favorite narrators. The inflections he uses are often unsuitable to what he's saying, and his tone is pretty uniform throughout.

Who was the most memorable character of Love Comes Silently and why?

Patrick. He's a very strong person to have overcome what he has, and have the courage to go on.

Average writing, subpar naration

I only made it through about half the story before I had to give up. The writing of the dialogue especially just felt rather juvinile and unnatural to me. It didn't help that the narration was quite flat. I haven't heard any otger audiobooks using this narrator so I'm not sure if this is typical of him or not but he didn't seem to put as much emotion or flare into the narration as I've become quite spoiled to by other narrators in the MM romance world. The plot seemed to have a lot of promise and I was hoping for better, maybe with another narrator it would have been bearable...

My new favorite Andrew Grey

What made the experience of listening to Love Comes Silently the most enjoyable?

I have read or listened to a LOT of Andrew Grey titles. I love that so many of his are available for audio. He is a go to comfort listen or read for me because his characters are real, they deal with adversity in a mature way, and they are relatively low-angst, while still offering a complete and rich story. Love Comes Silently is no different.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Patrick, of course. I love that he silently (hah!) does so many good things for Ken and Hannah. I love how he is with Hannah. I love how he is with Ken. My heart breaks for him as he thinks he isn't good enough for Ken to want.

Have you listened to any of Max Lehnen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my second one. I like it even better than the first. I listen to enough audiobooks that I have favorite narrators. I was a little disappointed when In Search of a Story was not by one of my favorites. Max Lehnen was an unknown but I quickly discovered his style is perfect for the story. Unlike many narrators, his voice is not distinctive and so he melts into the background and the story becomes the focus. That opinion was reinforced as I listened to Silently.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Cry of course. It is an emotional story.