The Fire

Love in O'Leary, Book 4

By: May Archer

Narrated by: Michael Pauley

Jamie

Parker Hoffstraeder is gorgeous, cocky, and totally irrational. He also broke my heart when he left town 11 years, four months, and 28 days ago.

Not that I’m counting.

I don’t mind admitting it: I was young. I got burned. I learned my lesson.

But the guy swaggers back into O’Leary like he owns the damn place, and suddenly, I’m expected to welcome him to my town...to my life - like nothing’s changed?

Yeah, that I mind.

It’s only a matter of time until he’s gone again. And there’s no way I’ll give him a chance to take another piece of me when he goes.

Parker

Jameson Burke is the most arrogant, infuriating human on the planet. He’s also taller, broader, and impossibly hotter than he was before I left town.

But, whatever. It’s fine. I can handle it.

Coming back to O’Leary was supposed to be like coming home. I hadn’t realized that there’s no statute of limitations on how long your first love and former best friend is allowed to hate your guts or how much bad luck can befall a person in a short time.

But, I can handle that, too...or at least, pretend to.

When Jamie and I are thrown together in a blizzard, though, everything changes in the space of one single, scorching night. Suddenly, I’m dreaming of a future I can’t have, and he’s stuck in a past he can’t let go.

It feels like we’re playing with fire, and this time, I’m the one who’s gonna burn.

©2019 May Archer (P)2019 May Archer

Love always finds its way home

Where do I begin with this book? 🤔 I have so many mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I liked it .. on the other hand, it frustrates me to no end. Let’s start with a synopsis. 😁

Parker and Jaime were childhood sweethearts. They loved each other madly and deeply. However, they broke up when Jamie pushed Parker away so that he’d have a chance at better life in a big city. Seven years later, the wayward lover has returned. But Jamie seems to have moved on with a new boyfriend and Parker’s bar literally got burned down. Without hope and nothing else to anchor him in O’Leary, Parker decides to leave the small town for good this time. Until he got stranded in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm and Jaime was the one who rescued him. Will these two stubborn lovers be able to reconcile once and for all?

It was truly gripping and enthralling in the beginning. I loved Parker’s snark and Jaime’s stubborn and wry humor. ❤️ And I liked how things gradually start to develop between them again. However, I got a bit tired and frustrated if the constant push and pull and unending misunderstandings. 🤦‍♀️ How hard it is to just talk? 🤷‍♀️ Seriously, the misunderstanding continues until the very last page just before the happily ever after. I just wish I saw more of the romance and affection between the two of them. The saving grace is the snark and humor and the lovely narration of Michel Pauley. He did a good job with this one. 👏 I really enjoyed listening this book. 🥰 I think if you like second chance romances and like a lot of conflicts with your romance, this is a good listen. ☺️


3.75 love always finds its way home stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟



Audio rating

Story - 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 3.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

My favorite in the series.

I absolutely love this series. Parker and Jamie are my absolute favorite. I love reading/ listening to friends to lovers. I found myself many times laughing out loud. This book has it all. Laughs, heartache, and love. Oh and Michael Dean’s voice is beyond amazing. He did an amazing job with Jamie and Parker. Highly recommend this book and series!

yet agian

I've heard all the books in the series and was very satisfied with them. the narration is great on all of them I would love to find a place like that to live. great narration.

great story, narrator not so much

love this story and May Archers style of writing but I am over this narrator, does he have to always in the thousands of books that he narrates make one character whiney? this story is about 2 strong men but now it sounds like a valley girl in distress and his rendition completely put me off. Honestly every MM book sounds the same now.

Great Story *slight spoilers*

But the narrator was not so great. Yes, I really really like the previous narrators, so I really worked to decide was it the switch or did I just not like the new one. I just really felt the narrator made Parker sound very flamboyant, and nasally. When he did Jamies voice while in a Parker chapter he gave him a deep voice, but during the Jamie chapters he gave him basically the same voice he gave Parker. He also seemed very stilted, breaking every sentence up into parts. Saying approximately 4 words, pausing unnaturally, and then finishing the sentence. I did think he did the female characters better than the original narrators and towards the end, he seemed to do less of the stilted Captain Kirk way of talking. I did like how he was able to make his voice crack, or gasping words during emotional scenes, but it didn't make up for the stilted speech and nasal, whiny, flamboyant voice of Parker, although Parker could absolutely be whiny at times, in which it bothered me less during those scenes. But the whiny tone was constant, not just when he was whiny.

The story itself was sweet, and I absolutely LOVED the ending. I love love love O'Leary and wish I lived there, with their quirky residents and silly holidays and the love and support the townspeople gice each other. Reminds me of Gilmore Girls town a little. I have been waiting for Parker and Jamie's story for several books and I wasn't disappointed, although I really expected Brian to be evil, but liked how it turned out. I do wish more attention was spent on Jamie's motivation for the remodel of his house, it felt a little rushed and I think May could have spent more time discussing why/how Parkers involvement changed Jamies way of thinking. I totally got the Kitchen issue, but I would have liked more emotional information for Jamies motivation for painting the non damaged rooms, and maybe some scenes of them working together on the house. It was briefly touched on, but I think it would have brought the reader into the storyline and the emotional impact that work had on both the characters more fully.

The couple, as all the couples, are sweet and adorable, which, while unrealistic, I don't care. I love them like that. I really truly felt Parker feeling overwhelmed at his entire life falling apart, and the narrator did do an excellent job of his breakdown and emotional state, but that was also due to her excellent writing of that scene.

It absolutely broke my heart in the previous book when the bar was burning and Jamie rushed to Parker, held him and called him baby. I think we have all been angry at someone but when we are worried or scared for them, we forget all our anger. That previous scene was excellently written as well.

Overall, excellent book as usual, emotional, especially at the end, I cried like a baby. The narrator was ok, better than many but nothing as good as either of the previous ones, especially Iggy, I absolutely adore Iggy, but Iggy and Alex (I think that is his name) make auch an unbelievable team. I listened to all of Eden Finleys books with them, and Iggy in Anna Zabo's books, and they are just absolutely a great team together.

Love continues tow grow in O’Leary

This is the first book I’ve heard narrated by Michael Pauley. It took the first three chapters to lose a “fidgety” feeling his enunciation caused. Happily, by the Chapter 4, he settled into the story, allowing this listener to do the same. I am ready to begin Book 5 of the Love in O’Leary series with excitement and a wee bit of sadness, as it appears to be the final of the series. What a lovely series!

Second Chance To Get It Right

Great second chance romance based in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and their business. MCs were childhood sweethearts that have been apart for several years but a snowstorm might be just what it takes for them to get their act together. May Archer is a new to me author that will be added to my TBL/TBR list. As always Michael Pauley’s narration was superb.

Coming home

Coming home is never easy and then to get snowed in together. I love this story! Jamie and Parker are amazing together! Michael Pauley once again does a fantastic job narrating!

Jamie and Parker are complex, wonderfully steamy!

I really enjoyed how the narrator really got these guys and brings them to life with just the right nuances.  

A moving second chance romance where communication and trust and the theme.  I really enjoyed getting to see these MC's find their way to forgiveness, honesty and trust.  Finding the reason for their split years ago was so sad and so poignant.  Motives so beautiful and yet so heartbreaking.  It was terrific to get to go back to O'Leary and be there for a time.  There are so many little jewels in this story of keepsakes and future dreams that will warm your heart for a long time.

Jamie and Parker are complex and wonderfully steamy together.  i loved their history of friendship and love and their chemistry was amazing. The characters were really we crafted and the dialogue was wonderful.  I loved their banter.  Supporting characters were just terrific and we got to experience a bit of O'Leary magic with  the Lilac Day festivities. This was an emotional and fun read and i am so glad i took the journey.

This is the fourth book in the Love In O'Leary series and i am looking forward to reading the next one!  

old love ♥️

It's review time 🎧
The Fire: Love in O'Leary, Book 4 (Unabridged)
By May Archer
Narrated by Michael Pauley
Narrator score🎧 ; I will admit that though I adore and love Michael pauley and he did an excellent job with the book (as absolutely always!) It was a bit difficult in the beginning with the sudden change of narrator's ... but don't get me wrong he is an incredible narrator.

Level of steam🔥: the book was hot. Very much so even. It didn't took them a long time but they know each other from childhood and it felt natural. And about time even. I loved it.

Level of anxiety and sadness0😱😢: this book is laced with sadness loss and death... but yet again i would not call it a sad story.... it's sadder than the other ones ... but it's as good.

The book itself📖: it's a book laced with personal history of two people. Everyone in the town knows they love each other. But a lot of things happened. The love story is sweet and complex and very human. The way that this author describes feelings is very accurate and I love it. The book was very good and full of emotion.