The Gentleman

By: Dianna Roman

Narrated by: Joshua Macrae

Cameron Fairway has a secret.

Before he shares it with the world, he's determined to build the confidence he wants to live life as a gay man and the experience hell need to snag Mr. Right. For that, he requires a mentor--someone experienced. Someone with manners. Someone discreet enough to be able to mix business with pleasure under the watchful eye of his fathers empire--a gentleman. Pete Carver is without a doubt that man.
Pete Carver has a problem.

Pete doesn't mix business with pleasure because there is no pleasure in business. There's only order and discipline if you want to succeed. When the boss youngest son approaches him with a proposition that rattles every one of his sensibilities, Pete is determined to get to the bottom of the ploy. Because that's all it can possibly be--why else would the ruthless John Fairways son proposition a straight man in his father's company? The apple can't fall far from the tree.

* This story contains the following elements: slow burn, hurt/comfort, awakening, homophobic/racist parent, familial emotional abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder

©2024 Dianna Roman (P)2024 Dianna Roman

Good read

Good read. I wish there was more info on the MCs OCD. But overall it was a good read

Love Love Love!!

I’ve loved all books from Dianna Roman and this wasn’t the exception! Beautiful sweet story of Cam and Pete!

Loved Pete and Cam

Well, Dianna has done it again! Every time I read one of her books, I say it's my new favorite. And this was no different. Cam and Pete are complete opposites but are perfect for each other. As soon as I started, I couldn't put it down. This will definitely have you going through many different emotions throughout the book, but it is so worth it. If you haven't read it, give it a try. You won't regret it.

The narration was really well done.

Cam and Pete are so sweet

Love this book.
I read this when it first came out. This audio version made me fall deeper in love. Cam and Pete so endearing.

Good story. Good narration.

Pete and Cameron are two surprisingly self-aware individuals. They haven't quite figured out everything in their lives, but they do know who they are. I get a bit annoyed with how many stories have very clueless characters. I was pleasantly surprised by Pete and Cameron. I could relate to Pete. OCD has some social pitfalls that are difficult to manage unless you learn to be comfortable in your own skin. Which Pete certainly has. The narrator does a wonderful job of portraying Pete's confidence and Cameron's earnestness. Both characters are a treasure, and I look forward to reading more stories with individuals like them in Dianna Roman's books.

Ocd rep love story

I loved this book. I love seeing the representation that I rarely see in books. The narrators were spectacular and honestly I don't think I could love this book more.

Perfection!

I love Pete and Cam so much. They are perfect together. Cam’s sweet and sensitive heart and Pete’s protective and unleashed.

Joshua Macrae did an amazing job and I couldn’t think of a better choice for this audio.

Surprising sweet story💕

Wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, but was surprised at how sweet this story turned out to be. It had my favorite tropes bi awakening, baby gay, possessive mmc and all the sweetness between the two mmcs. Narrator did a great job as well. Looking forward to the next book on audio 💕

Amazing!

I don’t think I can describe how much I absolutely LOVED this audiobook. The MCs were both fantastic, I loved the side characters (well, the not evil ones), the plot was great. Nothing was overdone or dragged. There was no lull. The spice was fantastic. And man oh man, did Joshua Macrae absolutely nail it! He’s a new to me narrator and I look forward to more from him. He perfectly portrayed both MCs so well. I already can’t wait to listen again.

Pete is unbelievably adorable, listen now!

This book comes so close to five stars, Roman's approach to Pete's OCD feels real while taking just enough license to let the story fly. Cam is a bit unreal at times, but still endearing, and is an ideal foil to Pete's overly organized world.

Let's talk narration. I wasn't familiar with Joshua Macrea, but he won me over quickly. He has moments where he gives Kale Williams vibes, and others where he channels the lighthearted snark of Jonathan Carson of instagram fame, the guy who reviews Zillow listings. Overall he navigated a wide world of characters including children and very grumpy men with ease, five stars!

Bi-awakening/gay for you stories can be tough to believe. There has to be a moment where the heretofore straight guy suddenly wants to physically be with another man - something that should be completely foreign to him. Roman nails the concept here, utilizing elements of Pete's OCD to have him nearly paralyzed in the moment, then left completely obsessing over what happened. The unpleasant work life is utilized well, without going overboard, until it kind of does.

The plot balances Cameron who is stuck in a cold, appearances matter family, desperate to feel close to anyone, versus Pete, our guy who just needed out of his tight knit family in the styx for a life he could control. This slow burn story allows Cam to find acceptance and care first with Pete, then Pete's family, opening a world of the connections he craves. Pete learns that he has cut himself off so completely that he is unaware of just how lonely he had also become. Cameron is a willing partner is exploration, and also understanding of Pete's OCD.

How does Roman miss that fifth star ? First, she gets caught up in repetitive use of actions, the one that took me completely over the edge was how many times there was a puff of air from one of them, Cam puffs, Pete puffs, sometimes awake, or sometimes in pleasure. Stop the puffing, it is just lazy not to find other ways to describe something. Second, the book is simply too long. Sometimes we get story overlap as the other guy picks up from his perspective in a new chapter. Things should get more exciting when we really see Cam's father in action, however Roman takes the story on a side journey that, while well intentioned, meanders and doesn't serve the overall story as well as it should for the time invested.

That aside, there is so much to enjoy here, highly recommended!