Serenading Stanley

By: John Inman

Narrated by: Tyler Stevens

Welcome to the Belladonna Arms, a rundown little apartment building perched atop a hill in downtown San Diego, home to the city's lost and lovelorn. Shy archaeology student Stanley Sternbaum has just moved in and fills his time quietly observing his eccentric neighbors, avoiding his hellion mother, and trying his best to go unnoticed... which proves to be a problem when it comes to fellow tenant Roger Jane. Smitten, the hunky nurse with beautiful green eyes does everything in his power to woo Stanley, but Stanley has always lived a quiet life, too withdrawn from the world to take a chance on love. Especially with someone as beautiful as Roger Jane.

While Roger tries to batter down Stanley's defenses, Stanley turns to his new neighbors to learn about love: Ramon, who's not afraid to give his heart to the wrong man; Sylvia, the trans who just wants to be a woman, and the secret admirer who loves her just the way she is; Arthur, the aging drag queen who loves them all, expecting nothing in return - and Roger, who has been hurt once before but is still willing to risk his heart on Stanley, if Stanley will only look past his own insecurities and let him in.

©2013 John Inman (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

What Sweet Music They Make...

Where does Serenading Stanley rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Way up there...

What was one of the most memorable moments of Serenading Stanley?

When they saved Sylvia.

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

I didn't hear Arthur's voice in my head, but Tyler's rendition is perfect. He does a wonderful job telling this story.

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

Many of Stanley's experiences mirrored my own. Not all of them good. They took me back to some very vulnerable times that I would not want to repeat. I certainly laughed out loud but teared up some, too.

Any additional comments?

John Inman has quickly become one of my favorite authors and I hope that his entire catalog of stories become available through Audible. With good narrators of course.

Surprisingly Charming

What did you love best about Serenading Stanley?

For a gay romance novel, this little tale is not devoid of charm. The oddball setting and the likability of the characters, combined with decent writing peppered with erotica plus an occasional sprinkling of true wit render it disarmingly appealing. I found myself rather touched.

Fun, but ultimately as mentally nutritious as cotton candy

I enjoyed the book mostly. The characters were a bit stock. The protagonist (Stanley) is painfully shy and falls in love with a seemingly unapproachable hunk. The difficulties ensue, and the psychological dynamics are handled fairly well except the resolution is fairly saccharine and pat. The reader is very effective.

good start

Would you consider the audio edition of Serenading Stanley to be better than the print version?

have not read it so can't answer

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Roger and stanly is very interesting and the story of sylvia I wanted to know more and the relationship between her and pete needed more focus. I did find stanly's complaining a little to much after awhile and the fact that he just kept thinking roger was not serious, even naked he still had issue's

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

I I have heard other stories he's performed he's one of the best reasons to listen to this.

Who was the most memorable character of Serenading Stanley and why?

Arthur :) however sylvia is a close 2nd

Absolutely lovely!

I was driving down the road, listening to the audio book, with happy tears streaming down my face. Darn you, John Inman! This was a musical comedy, just without the music. Quirky characters, wonderfully brought to life by Tyler Stevens. His voices were wonderful, and I loved each and every character, from Stanley to Sylvia. Whenever I read a John Inman, I always think "this one is my favorite". Well, this one definitely was! I think The Boys on the Mountain was his best book, but Serenading Stanley was my favorite, which I know makes no sense...

too many similes

Listening to this novel was challenging like climbing a steep mountain wearing flip flops. But I liked the overall story and narration.

Entertaining but annoying

Would you be willing to try another book from John Inman? Why or why not?

John Inman's writing was clever and the characters were interesting. However, the main character's, Stanley's, insecurities just got to be too much. At points I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep listening. Also, the character Roger says shyness is a medical disease like kleptomania. Certainly, social anxiety is medical, but shyness itself is more of a legitimate personality type. To me it would have been more romantic to have Roger accept Stanley for how he is than to compare his personality to a medical condition. Although, Stanley does obviously need lots of therapy for his deep seated insecurities and should probably address that before getting into any relationship. It was too weak a plot element to hang the story on, and it just got annoying.

What about Tyler Stevens’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed the narrator, Tyler Stevens. He did a great job at distinguishing the characters, and his narrating was lively and interesting. It suited the story very well. I would gladly listen to another book narrated by him.

Do you think Serenading Stanley needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. Absolutely not.

A little too much

This is a sweet, comfort read if you don't mind paranoid, insecure geek meets Greek god and just can't accept that he is worthy of attention. On the surface, I love the concept, but not so much in this execution. The best part of this book was the narrator, who is fabulous and really took what I thought was a mediocre story and brought it to a new level. He also took Arthur, a minor character, and stole the story with his interpretation of an overweight drag queen with a heart of gold. Stanley's insecurities became a bit much at about the 50% mark and Roger was just too good. So it was more like a Cinderfella fairy tale than any realistic read. It is fine for what it is.

The Angst Ruined it.

Would you try another book from John Inman and/or Tyler Stevens?

Yes.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting was the colorful supporting characters, and the humor. The least interesting was the main character, Stanley. His angst had him coming across as too stupid to live.

What about Tyler Stevens’s performance did you like?

You always knew which character was speaking without tag lines.

Do you think Serenading Stanley needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Maybe, but with a different publisher. This could have been a five star novel across the board; doubtless, some readers enjoy angst-ridden tales, but I do not. Maybe Dreamspinner Press needs to do some housecleaning within its editorial staff.

Any additional comments?

No.

A bit OTT, but a lot of fun

Welcome to Belladonna Arms, home to the city’s lost and lovelorn and possibly the craziest bunch of people you'll meet in a long time.

Stanley's had enough. He wants to be his own man and not being controlled by his overbearing mother any longer. He's a graduate student at college for Christ’s sake. So said and done, he moves into Belladonna Arms, an apartment building in downtown San Diego. A building that houses a variety of colourful characters that you can't help but fall for. But fair warning, do watch out for the brownies hanging on your door, they might just contain a magical extra ingredient that makes you want to fly.

Inman writes some awesome mysteries that will leave you breathless (yes, I'm still reeling from Sunset Lake from three months ago), but he also writes books that are the total opposite. Books you can't take seriously, with ridiculous plots and OTT characters. But you know what? Sometimes that's exactly what you need. And You know this going in to these books. Serenading Stanley is no exception to that. It's not a masterpiece, and it's not a book will lose any sleep over from going over the plot again and again. But this was a book that should be read / listened to for pure entertainment. To meet and fall for some awesome characters. Possibly you'll thank your lucky stars for the "normal" neighbours you have - or it might you wish for other ones. Either way, it will keep you entertained.

Tyler Stevens was a good choice of narrator for this book. He fit all the different characters and their personalities; he made you see them in front of you. He made them real. I also believe his fits this kind of story perfectly. His voice is made for the younger characters, and the more humorous stories. He brought this book to life and it was easy to fall into the story and moving into Belladonna Arms right alongside Stanley.

Listening to Serenading Stanley was a really pleasant way to spend an afternoon. It was sweet, not too serious and I generally just had a great time these past few hours.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.