Training Complex

Training Season Series, Book 2

By: Leta Blake

Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo

Can Rob help Matty defeat his inner saboteur for good?

It’s summer in the city and figure skater Matty Marcus is still desperately in love with Rob Lovely. Although he misses the thrill and pressure of competition, he couldn’t be happier in their new life together, so he doesn’t understand why he’s secretly indulging in his eating disorder again and requesting harder, more intense BDSM scenes. Matty’s scared he’s losing control, and he has to believe that Rob, as always, will save him.

Rob is equally crazy about Matty. He finally has the vivacious man he adores in his arms every night. But taking it to the limit has always been the name of Matty’s game, so Rob’s love must be stronger than Matty’s self-sabotage. Even when Matty’s inner demons try to take control, Rob is committed to find their way back. Together.

Loving Matty isn’t always easy — but for, Rob it’s always worth it.

Training Complex is an MM romance about a feisty, self-sabotaging former figure skater and the steady, strong man who loves him. It features opposites attract, hurt/comfort, domestic discipline, chastity play, and a heartfelt and epic happy ending. No cheating, no threesomes, and no breakups — just two amazing men fighting for their love!

Content warning for disordered eating, misapplied BDSM, and mental health issues.

©2015 Leta Blake (P)2020 Leta Blake

An Olympian Conclusion

This is an immensely emotional and arousing conclusion to Book One “Training Season.” Leta is an excellent storyteller and Micheal delivers another gifted narration.

Loved Matty and Rob!!

This was sooo good!! I absolutely loved Matty and Rob! This is the sequel to Training Season. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started it because while I had read the first, I hadn't read this one. The author address so many issues, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, etc. She did a great job with them. This was fantastic!! Michael Ferraiuolo does such a fantastic job with the narration, he has turned into one of my favorite narrators.

You are my North Star

Ah!!! I was so nervous when I started listening this book because Training Season is one of my very favorite books and I loved Matty and Rob. So I was kinda scared about the sequel but should have never doubted because this is brilliant.

Both Matty and Rob are starting a new chapter in their lives. Matty is enjoying his new life as a figure skating coach while Rob has also settled living in a big city being a physical therapist. Everything seemed perfect in the beginning but they both found out that concrete jungle has done a number on them already. Rob is yearning for the life back at the country and Matty is stressed and having eating disorders and playing a dangerous game in their bedroom. They both love each other so much but is it enough to overcome the biggest hurdle of their life?

Sexy and romantic but quite angsty at time. Oh .. that bittersweet angst that wrench your heart. But it was all worth it in the end. It’s always very difficult to write a sequel for an established couple who’ve already achieved HEA in the previous book but I believe Leta Blake nailed it. And of course, that eargasmic performance of Michael Ferraiuolo made this story even more enjoyable. Loved it! Can’t recommend both books enough.

5 You are my North Star stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Audio rating

Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Impressed as always with both author and narrator!

You know how an audiobook you listen to leaves its mark on you, so when a sequel pops up, you get all anxious because, hello, expectations? That's what was happening with me right before I started listening to Training Complex, the second book in the Training Season series from Leta Blake and narrated once again by Michael Ferraiuolo. Training Season was such an amazing audiobook, so I had mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension. My expectations were...yeah, "high" doesn't even begin to cover it. But boy, oh boy, did Blake and Ferraiuolo surpass them. I loved seeing how far Matty and Rob had come as a couple, but my heart also clenched tightly in my chest knowing that there were still hurdles in front of them. Rob was such a great source of love and support for Matty, offering patience and understanding to the man he loved most. Blake has penned a moving and inspiring story of love of self and for someone else, and Ferraiuolo never ceases to amaze, bringing this story and these characters to life once again. Five-plus stars!

(Just a quick note that Training Season must be listened to before Training Complex.)

So heartbreaking!

Matty andRob make a cute couple, but it is understandable that they face new problems now that both their lives are going through so many changes! This book (along with the first one in the series) was a rollercoaster of emotions and heartbreak, paired with an amazing ending full of hope. I really recommend it. The narrator was great and the way in which the story was told helped me really get lost in it.

Fantastic

I loved this in ebook format when I read it a couple of years ago and loved it! The audiobook format is so good and brings these characters to life in a new way. LOVED Ferraiuolo's narration of this novel and will definitely be one I listen to again.

Enjoyed it despite annoying MC

First off Michael Ferraiuolo is such a superb narrator. Without him I probably would have bailed. At the end of book one I was really hoping that Matty would grow up. I really don’t think that happened. I didn’t see the maturing that I was hoping for. He just remained an annoying brat. I wish him well in his marriage to Rob. That guy has the patience of a saint. I want him for myself. It was disappointing because I would have liked to have seen a bit more personal growth. Soto was a very interesting side character. I would like to know more about his relationship with Todd.

Eating disorder drama was overstuffed.

Finally found a Leta Blake book I didn't like.

How disappointing.

I gave this 4 hours of my time and about 40% through with the book before I gave up.

Its just nowhere near as good as the first book.

I really didn't like all these conflicts and dark situations happening one right after another. It was too much, too quickly. I felt like the romance was drained was too often and the sparks just didn't fly as strong as they did.

This far into a book and I felt like my time was not being respected with these pacing issues of nothing really happening for too long. There was so many dialog scenes that just felt more educational then for story. I know what eating disorders are, most people learn this in highschool, i really don't need a rundown of elementary lessons of what a eating disorder is.

The Erotic scenes also were not fun either, just didn't have as much feeling to them. I didn't really like that it sometimes even felt kinda sad, i didn't like where the book was going.

There was just way too much internal torture for my liking and too little time alleviating it that it was becoming such a turn off.

Also the whole focus on eating disorders was overwhelming. The plot was really heavy handed and barely strayed from anything other then to focus on that. I needed variety or something the break up so much of the eating disorder talk.

Im glad I quit, I feel like at this stage I'm so frustrated with the writing being so slow and dry, even if it did pick up at this point, I wouldn't feel like it was worth it.