See Me

Lightning Tales, Volume 3

By: K.C. Wells

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Adrian DeSoto spent most of his time in high school being bullied and beaten up, simply because he was perceived as gay. Always slight, effeminate, he was the perfect victim for guys like Martin Cavanaugh, one of the high school jocks. When it all got too much, Adrian was faced with two options, one more devastating than the other. Eleventh grade saw a new Adrian, one who hid his fears and pain behind a mask in a bid to survive.

Eleven years later, and Adrienne is one of the top drag acts in Orlando. She's fierce, funny, and exuberant. A face from the past gives her a shock, and after that there's only one thing on her mind - revenge.

Marty Cavanaugh has a particular kink. He loves it when a drag queen goes down on him. But that's as far as it goes. He won't admit to himself what's under that tight fitting dress. And then he meets Adrienne and his whole world goes into a tailspin...

Warning - Contains men in drag, honey! You have been warned.

©2016 K.C. Wells (P)2017 K.C. Wells

Attitude in spike heels and a dress

I loved this book. It is a rare glimpse into the world of drag queens behind the false eye lashes and sequins. It is also a glimmer of hope and getting even for the nerdy, gay and oddball kids who struggled in high school. It is a fun romp as well as a bit heat breaking. Adrienne/Adrian is a small, geeky and artistic kid in high school who grows up to become a gorgeous drag queen. One of his teenage tormentors, Marty Cavanaugh, shiws up at the supper club where Adrienne works. Marty has a kink involving drag queens and pursues Adrienne not knowing she is the Adrian he knew, and carried a torch for, in high school. They realize who they are and what they have always meant to each other and both of their lives are changed forever.

A must read. Read All in the series

Awesome storyline. Loved your handling of such a sensitive topic. Loved checking in on old friends.

Enjoyable story, great narration

Where does See Me rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As always, Joel Leslie gives a stellar performance. This made for an engaging audio experience.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the story developed - from understanding where Adrian and Marty came from to Adrian dealing with bullying by developing his alter ego, Adrienne. When Adrian encounters one of the bullies, he takes his revenge on him (Marty). However, Adrian feels bad about that and seeks Marty out to apologise. They realise that they have always been attracted to each other and they decide to date. The story flowed well.

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

Joel Leslie's talent shines through all his performances and this is no different. He made this okay story into a treat.

Who was the most memorable character of See Me and why?

Adrienne :) and the other queens. Joel portrayed them extremely well, very realistically.

Any additional comments?

Joel is a true artist and he definitely deserves the recognition he has for his performances. It is always a treat to listen to him, even when the books is not exactly my cup of tea.

A story about the masks we wear

Would you consider the audio edition of See Me to be better than the print version?

To survive bullying at school, Adrian DeSoto had to develop a second skin, a tough one, and that experience helps him to become a very successful Drag Queen, Adrienne. But what happens when a face from the past turns up in the audience while Adrienne is performing? Will Adrian get his revenge?
This is an entertaining story about a boy who was bullied at school, and decided to fake tough to survive. Adrian learnt to develop a façade of immunity to the jocks who torment him. Years later, this ability and his wonderful voice have helped him to become Adrienne, drag Queen extraordinaire. One night, during his one of his acts, Adrien spots a familiar face in the audience. It is Martin Cavanaugh, one of the jocks who made his teen years a living hell… But one he had always had a crush on. When Martin gets obsessed with having a date with Adrienne, the Drag takes the reins and humiliates Martin in front of the audience. But revenge is not sweet, it leaves a bitter taste for Adrien, who decides to look for Martin and apologize… Only to find that he was not the only one hiding a secret crush. They decide to give themselves a chance and… they get a very sexy and happy HEA. In short, the story is ok, but there is too little detail in the building of Adrien and Martin’s relationship. They go from virtual strangers to being in love in no time at all. It is not credible because we do not see it. Besides, the change in Martin is too fast, too big. He moves from homo jerk to out-and-proud without hesitation or drama. I should have imagined that for someone so deep in the closet, coming out should be a bit more traumatic. On the other hand, Adrian/Adrienne is a great character, I really enjoy both his personalities. In the end, it all comes down to the fact that both characters wear a mask, one with pride, and the other with shame. Their chance at happiness is showing their real selves and hoping the other one accepts them the way they are
Joel’s performance is outstanding, as always. It always amazes me the wide variety of registers he achieves, for example, how he can make Adrian and Adrienne perfectly discernible from each other, while retaining some common characteristics. He brings characters and histories alive with his voice, every single one of his books I’ve listened so far has been an entertaining experience. He makes me cry, he makes me laugh, he even makes me blush…. And I love it.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

Sweet, sexy, and sassy story. Great narration too!

As a fan of both the author and narrator, I jumped at the chance to review this book for the Audio Review Tour. As usual with Joel Leslie, the narration felt spot on. The softer tones used for Adrian were great vs. the harder voice of Marty.

The story itself was really good. I was thrown off a bit at the beginning when the pov was from a main character in the previous book and not one of the ones in this book. But it was good to see a glimpse of Adrian from a neutral perspective as he navigated the bullying years of high school. If I had heard it from Adrian himself, it might have been harder to forgive Marty for his actions, or rather, inaction during that time.

The main part of the story starts when the previous couples from the first two books double date at a drag club where they meet Adrian/Adrienne almost a decade after he left town. He is fabulous and fierce and there are barely any traces of the boy he’d been before. He’s kind of new at the club so he is slowly making friends with the other drag queens. After a few weeks a frequent customer comes in that the others all know and warn Adrienne about. All the warnings in the world can’t stop the shock at seeing his old high school crush and bully.

Marty is living a lonely life. His only excitement is going to the drag club, but he still hides who he is and what he really wants. His bullying of Adrian in high school was more watching his friends pick on the smaller guy, not taking any real action himself. He had his own share of problems at home. In an ideal world, he would have stood up for Adrian but we all know peer pressure is a real thing, and parental pressure too. It’s easy to be annoyed with Marty but especially after learning what he was struggling with it’s hard to hate him.

Adrian isn’t feeling the love right away though and through Adrienne he enacts a little bit of revenge. I don’t feel angry that he did it so much as some of the other people in Adrian’s life do at witnessing it. I admit to being a little petty at times. But I’m glad for those characters for making Adrian (and me) see what he did was wrong.

Both men have a few regrets about their actions in the past and the present. And when they get the courage to talk to each other, they manage to work through hard feelings to admit an attraction still exists for them. The story doesn’t really focus on their relationship after as much as it did the obstacles both needed to get past. Family still presents a few problems for Marty but it only feels like the issues were touched on and not completely resolved. That’s probably down to it being a novella vs a full length novel. A few loose ends didn’t feel tied up, but I really came to love Adrian and Marty. They were sweet and totally hot together. There are great side characters also, from the previous MCs to some of Marty’s co workers. I definitely recommend the story and the audio for sure. It was a great author/narrator combo.

4.5/5 Stars

A strong 3.5

I wanted to love it, but too much unnecessary dialogue. The narrator was a little shaky but I got used to it. I really wanted love it but towards the middle I kept fast forwarding.

Memorable, strong story and good narration

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the switch in narrators from Rob Drex (first 2 books in the Lightning Series) to Joel Leslie, who tends to be hit-or-miss (sniveling/over emotional voices). But in this case he matched the story/characters and was a hit for me.

Again, I liked how characters from previous books were interwoven and the drag queen identity brought a vibrant, interesting facet to the story. Marty's bully-turnaround journey reminded me of L.C. Chase's Pulling Leather where bull rider Scott struggles to accept his identity and make amends for his past actions.

I appreciated the slow development of Adrian's and Marty's relationship, but there were some big gaps in time along the way and I would have welcomed more of their story instead of cutting ahead.

Enjoyed this story

Any additional comments?

3.5 - 4 Stars

I liked this story, it's one of forgiveness and growing as a person. Both Adrian and Marty have issues that need to be addressed and both learn a lot from each other, about standing up for who you are and about love. Adrian was severely bullied as a teenager and Marty was a part of it and it certainly left a lasting impression on both men. Adrian has become an incredibly strong person, confident and proud and a total Drag Queen star so imagine his surprise when he discovers Marty in the audience. 

Marty doesn't have an easy life, he hides who he really is and lives a very lonely life. He doesn't have friends or even connections to other people. He does have the Drag shows though, but when he gets called out one night it makes him question and re-evaluate who he really wants to be. I really did feel bad for him and his struggles even though I didn't really expect to. I think he really has a good heart, but he thinks his family expectations matter more than what he feels and wants. 

I liked the relationship these two build once they sort through their issues, they seem to really bring out the best in each other. They both have felt an attraction to the other since their ill-fated high school days and it's sweet to see it finally work for them. I loved the confidence that seemed to grow in both men as well. I would have liked to see more in the growth of their relationship, I felt like the story did jump ahead a bit, but in the end I was happy with the way it all turned out for them. I think Joel Leslie does a great job bringing this story to life and giving it the right amount of feeling. Overall a great an enjoyable story to listen to! 

Over Coming High School

This story is like the full circle from high school crush to adulthood relationship. There is also dealing with past mistakes and coming to understand their effects. We see how realistically we are often blind to what is the truth when we are younger. It also a story of surviving our youth and thing as an adult. And finally it is about forgiveness and being able to move forward in new ways.

Unique story with 5-star narration!

A bit of enemies to lovers, a touch of coming out, a dash of revenge for high school bullying…and a WHOLE lot of drag queens. Did that get your attention? Good, because See Me is a great story that made me smile, laugh, shake my head and hit me in the feels with Adrian and Marty. There’s some great supporting characters with Adrian’s friends from high school as well as a whole cast of drag queens with some distinctive personalities.

I can’t express enough how much I adored Adrian/Adrienne. I was so upset for him as a teenager, and later so proud of him for turning everything around. He becomes a sassy, funny guy—no matter whether he’s Adrian or Adrienne—and I was glad to see him stick up for himself. Marty fell into the trap that a lot of high schoolers fall into—peer pressure to conform—and as a result winds up treating someone he actually cares about pretty crappy, all because he doesn’t want to admit who he really is. I get the whole conformity thing when you’re that age; almost no one wants to stick out, even if that means doing the wrong thing. This story is a great example of just how hurtful—and dangerous—that attitude can potentially become.

As adults, things are much different, and the tables get turned. It doesn’t make what Adrian does right, even if it does make him feel better…at least for a little bit. Both he and Marty get to experience bullying from both sides, making it easier for them to understand each other. Once he and Marty can see past it all, and come to terms with the past (both long ago and recent), things finally change between them and their relationship slowly evolves. I like that it’s not rushed, and everything flows naturally with their relationship. The drag aspect gives the story a whole lot of uniqueness, and made this an intriguing read.

Though this story is part of The Lightning Tales series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. If you haven’t read the other books in the series, See Me will surely pique your interest for the other books like it did for me. See Me was a solid 4-star read for me, and I would recommend it for any fan of M/M romance. It is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and M/M sexual content.

The narration: Once again Joel Leslie does a terrific job. Separate, distinct voices for all of the characters that remain consistent throughout the story made it easy to follow along. He did an amazing job demonstrating the emotions of the characters through their voices, and I was easily pulled into this story right from the start. 5 stars for the narration, this was a great way to spend those five plus hours ;-)