More than Everything

Family Collection

By: Cardeno C.

Narrated by: Ezekiel Robison

Time might not heal all wounds, but with two motivated and strong-willed men on a campaign to win him back, Charlie will get more than he ever thought possible.

As a teenager, Charlie "Chase" Rhodes meets Scott Boone and falls head over heels in love with the popular, athletic boy next door. Charlie thinks he's living the dream when Scott says he feels the same way. But his dreams are dashed when Scott unexpectedly moves away.

Years later, Charlie meets brash and confident Adan Navarro, who claims all he wants is a round between the sheets. After eight months together, Charlie is convinced Adan returns his love. But when the opportunity comes to be open about their relationship, Adan walks away.

Time passes and life moves on, but when Charlie learns the only two men he's ever loved are now in love with each other, his heart breaks all over again. Scott and Adan tell Charlie they want him back, but Charlie doesn't know if he can trust two people who have hurt him so deeply. Time might not heal all wounds, but with two motivated and strong-willed men on a campaign to win him back, Charlie will get more than he ever thought possible.

©2013 Cardeno C. (P)2016 Cardeno C.

Emotional and heavy at times, fantastic narration.

Would you listen to More than Everything again? Why?

Yes, I would. As emotional and angsty as it was at times, the story and the characters really drew me in and kept me engrossed throughout the book.

What other book might you compare More than Everything to and why?

Any other book in this series, they all have the same feel and narrator.

What does Ezekiel Robison bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought the characters to life, literally. I could always tell how each person was feeling by the tone he gave them.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What's wrong with the title of the book?

Any additional comments?

Charlie Rhodes is in his thirties, going through the motions in life. Work, sleep, eat… he loves to dance, always has, but his love of dancing is the only love that has stayed with him through life. Charlie has loved two men, his high school sweetheart Scott, and a college lover Adan. When push came to shove, both men walked out of Charlie’s life without as much as a backwards glance. When his sister is killed, Charlie becomes the sole guardian for his young niece and nephew. In a strange twist of fate, it’s this traumatic time in his life when love reappears.

Scott Boone realized he was in love with his best friend and neighbor, Charlie Rhodes, the night of prom when instead of wanting to kiss his date; he wanted to rush home and kiss Charlie. The two make promises to each other that can only be broken at such a young, tender age. And that is exactly what happens when Scott moves to Nevada to be a closer to his little sister.

Adan Navarro is a player. He meets them, beds them, then gets up and walks away. Something is different about Chase Rhodes from the start though. Adan finds himself watching, admiring, wanting more for the first time. But when push comes to shove and Chase needs Adan to voice his feelings, he too walks out of Chase’s life.

The three points converge when Charlie moves to Nevada to care for his sister’s children after her death. The only two men he ever loved, the men that left him alone and killed Charlie’s need to be loved, roll back into his life like a tornado, threatening to destroy Charlie emotionally. It really is a small world after all when the two loves of one man’s life wind up together.

The story is told mainly through Charlie Chase Rhodes POV as he puts together a scrapbook of his life. The good, the bad, the ugly and the happy ever after Charlie feared he would never have. From the first day he looked out his bedroom window and fell hard for Scott, to the day Scott left him alone and broken hearted. Meeting Adan and going from skeptical to happy that his heart was big enough to love another man, only to be broken in half again when he too walks away. The death of his sister, one of the hardest times in Charlies life, a time that morphs into so much more when Scott and Adan walk through his front door and stake their claim, refuse to let Charlie go ever again. Oh he fights them, every step of the way, makes them prove that they love him and won’t ever hurt him again. What Scott and Adan give him is love, commitment, security and a family… it is more than everything.

Narrated by Ezekiel Robison and I really enjoy his style of storytelling. It took me a few minutes to get used to the voice he gave Charlie. He is flamboyant, full of life and energy, the kind of person you want to be around because his joy just spreads over everything. The twist on that, what really sold me on the choice of tone for Charlie was how Robison really brought Charlies pain to life after losing both men. Having the ability to convey that pain and hurt by literally bringing down Charlie’s voice much in the way CC brought the character down for a while there. Adan is the most accretive character so it made sense that Robison gave him a deeper, more commanding voice. Scott is the glue that holds them together, his tone was more neutral, and again fitting the way the character was written.

There is a good deal of angst and drama in this story; heartache and pain. But the balance is the happy times Charlie has with Scott, the two of them learning about and exploring their sexuality, together. Adan charging into Charlie’s life like a bull in a china shop, only to find temperance through Charlie. My favorite aspect of the story was the semantics of their relationship toward the end. Scott and Adan are very successful with their law firm, could afford any of the riches life has to offer. But what they want, what makes them happy is to support Charlie and the kids, create a safe place for them, become a family and build a home.

Definitely a must listen story, I’m certain it would read just as good. But the narration really brought each character to life and gave them a distinct voice. Either way, I highly recommend.

Another great narration for this book!

Charlie (aka Chase) is a dancer. He falls in love while still in high school with the boy next door and together they share all of love’s firsts. Charlie is devastated when Scott moves away to Las Vegas and their relationship slowly dissolves.

Years later, Chase meets Adan. Adan is a prick. No joke. He’s brash and crude and lacks compassion. But something about him turns Chase’s crank. They start a strange relationship that lasts months before Chase realizes that Adan won’t be seen in public with him because he’s too flamboyant. He’s crushed. Though Adan comes to his senses, it’s too late. Chase has moved and can’t be found.

Years later, in a bizarre set of circumstances, Charlie inherits his sister’s kids when she dies tragically and ends up confronted with not one but both of his past loves. He has to decide what he wants and can he really open himself up again to hurt and pain in order to risk love.

**

This was my least favorite in the series. I never quite felt the three men coalesce into a relationship. I saw that they could. Charlie definitely loved both of them and they loved him and each other but I didn’t get enough time to see them as a proper triad to really judge.

Adan also really needed to do a lot to make up for how much of an asshole he was and I didn’t feel he groveled enough. Charlie is so sweet – he deserves a lot of groveling!

I did love that all three ended up together, however and though it wasn’t my favorite, I still enjoyed it quite a lot.

4 of 5 stars

Audio
Ezekiel Robinson is becoming one of my all time favorite narrators. His voice is so easy to listen to! He does a great job – especially here – with giving each guy a unique voice without going over the top. I loved how he did Salina’s Bronx accent! Highly recommend this narration and so glad this book is finally in audio format!

Narration 5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars

Fantastic

The performance and story is so great. It had me laughing, crying, & pacing in my room. It's a great gay romance. There is some explicit parts, but it's fantastic and great

Very recommendable!

*** Audiobook provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Ezequiel Robison managed to capture Charlie's campy charm and it was really enjoyable to listen to the voices for both Scott and Adan, too. This is a light, fun audiobook, with just a little angst and some hot scenes thrown in for good measure. Very recommendable!

Rating: 4.5 Stars!!!

Magical

It was real. It was loving. It spoke to my heart. Needed every laugh I've had, every awwww moment, every bit of warmth and tender revelation. Such an amazing listen. If you haven't experienced this one narrated by Ezekiel Robinson who really knows how to shift character in voice and personality, you're totally missing out. Get it now. It's magical.

This Book is More Than Everything

I Absolutely Totally and Completely LOVE this book. Everything About it is perfect. I read this book a while ago and when I saw it in Audio I decided to give it a try instead of just re-reading it. I Loved how it Is from Charlie/Chase's point of view and how he goes back n forth thinking back on how things in life played out. His Love for Scott and then afterwards his love for Adan. And then the love all three men finally find together.This book just wants to make you smile, laugh, and ugly cry. It Hurts your heart in good & bad ways, you will be happy and Angry, and Seriously Every Single Feeling in between.. Just Everything, All the Feelings in this book..
Audio - I haven't listened to this Narrator Ezekiel Robison before.. But I have to say his voices for all three men sounded Perfect to me, so good, he Really brought these characters to life and made this book so much better!! This is a must listen to if you have the chance to get this book. I will be searching out more narrations from him in the future for sure.

What a ride!

Any additional comments?

I loved the different views and the narrator did an amazing job of separating the characters.

Great job by author and narrator

Any additional comments?

I hadn't read this story, prior to listening to the audio book, merely because I rarely read menage. My brain doesn't always wrap around three people being able to find happiness together. Not that I think it can't happen, but just that often things like jealousy and growing pains are often glossed over. However, I need not have feared with CC writing this one.

This wasn't a "normal" menage story. Three people connecting at the same time, etc, etc. No this was about two very distinct men, falling in love with the same person, then finding a way to push that man away, and finding each other later in life, before they were able to re-connect with their first love once again.

This seemed to me to be a very good channeling of what a relationship like this would look like. Adan and Scott didn't seem to fit together, despite being partners for a good period of time before they reconnected with Charlie/Chase and tried to bring him into their partnership. Charlie was their center, they just didn't know it until they found him again. It felt realistic to me that something was missing in their relationship, and until they brought Charlie (and his family) into the fold.

I appreciated that CC did not make this an instant reconnection. It took time, months for Adan and Scott to convince Charlie that this was what they wanted and needed. It wasn't an insta-re-love, if you will. Charlie had been hurt badly by these two men. For him to fall back in love with not one but both men would take time and patience on their part, which they were willing to give.

The narration by Ezekiel Robison has gotten better as he has moved through the Family series. His first book in this series was a challenge for me to listen to, the narration just didn't work for me. However, he has become a stronger, more varied narrator as he's continued through this series and I really enjoyed the range he portrayed in More Than Everything.

I laughed and smile almost the whole way through

If you're looking for a good laugh and a book that can keep a smile on your face almost the whole way through, with just a little bit of drama and heart ache this the book for you. I freaking love Charlie/Chase. He's so witty and caring. He never comes off to me as a whiney over dramatic character. Which is super important to me bc I've literally quit a book 5 minutes in bc I can't stand that.

The narrator did a fantastic job hitting all ranges of the voices both high and deep. He kept me engaged in the story and brought the cheery bright sunshine-ness that pours out of Charlie to life.

What would I change about this book though (even though it's still a 5 start read for me and I will be listening to it again soon) is that the sex scenes while steamy seemed a little lacking. I would have personally liked to have seen more idk..... hot factor especially between Adon and Chase. I would have also liked to have seen the office scene with Adon (I'm sure I spelt that wrong) and Scott actually followed through, and would have liked a more thoroughly explained flash back of how A&S met and got together. But still over all I absolutely loved the book.

it was ok

i like the book but it is not my cup of tea so i am glad that it is prt of my library and that is it