It was touch and go

Deep breath, this is my first review for a book that I haven't read before.
I might have missed things because I could not listen for over nine hours without getting distracted. But I have to admit it was easy to get back to it quite easily. The best time for me to listen is in the car when I am alone. I took that chance.
For the characters, I really really liked Justin, but for two thirds of the book I wanted to smack Micah for his attitude, for being such an a$$ towards Justin and his team mates and for lying to his mom and sister.
The story is a classic, Micah is attracted to guys but he wants his dream to play professional baseball come true to help his mom and sister after their father left them with no money. When he gets to know the physio therapist of his team, he tries his best to stay away from the gay and out man, but the more he gets to know him, the more he wants him. They come to the workmates with benefits conclusion but every time someone points out their more than friendly way he denies any involvement with Justin. For Justin Micah becomes more of a friend while they work together and meet up secretly for really hot sex. But when he over and over has to lie to cover for Micah, he begins to doubt that they will ever be more than two men enjoying their bodies with no emotional connection.
I was impressed by the medical detail to injuries acquired by playing baseball. The banter between the team mates was entertaining and fun. I loved that most of the team mates had no issue with Justin being gay and that they kept the homophobe team players in check. Micah was sticking out like a sore thumb, keeping to himself, not getting involved in after game team building. His insecurity and his hot/cold behaviour towards Justin were insanely grating on my nerves because I could hear that he had feelings for Justin but denied it. I am glad that in the end he got his priorities right.
James Edward Jones has a great voice and I loved the way he narrated the book. He is definitely someone I would love to hear more off.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great addition to the series!

Honestly, this was a hard listen for me. The story was amazing ( as usual) and the narration was top-notch. My problem with this story is that I love a sympathetic character. Give me all of the tenderhearted, sweet boys!
However, Micah was such a prickly person! I had a really hard time connecting with him because of that. I do appreciate his redemption arc, but I can't say he's one of my favorite characters.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Satisfying!

Micah’s story was emotional! Love Micah and Justin hard! I usually really enjoy sports romances but I loved this one. I felt there was a lot of authenticity in it. James Edward jones did a phenomenal job with his narration, fantastic!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Micah grew on me

I haven’t read the other books in this series, yet and didn’t feel lots. I did have a hard time with Micah as he was so far in the closet, and so very paranoid that someone was going to find out he was gay. At times he was plain mean and the thinks he said to Justin wanted me to smack him. I understand that it’s different/harder for an athlete to express their sexuality then the average person. It’s still not fully accepted. There are kids still to this day, that are kicking them out and/or doing horrible thinks to them. Anyway, what I hated was his internal dialogue about sleeping with women when he had to turned my stomach. I’m sorry you could have just said no. What I also didn’t like is the constant, who you sleeping with , we should go pick up some chick, why don’t you ever want to go out, etc. sometimes it’s just none of your business. I do like watching these two finally make a move into friends with benefits to more, especially when Micah needs taking care of. I loved Justin from the first time he walked on page. He was sweet and really cared about the healthy and well-being of his players. He took real good care of them making sure small injuries don’t evolve into possible career ending injuries. But athletes don’t always tell the truth on how they are doing. I enjoyed getting to see behind the curtain so to say, and seeing what they put no only their body through but mentally as well. It’s heartbreaking what they will do/suffer through for a chance at the big leagues. In the end, our MCs turned out to be perfect for each other. I need to go back and read the other books in the series.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Life happens when you're busy making other plans..

A revamped quote from Allen Saunders we credit to John Lennon. This was the main theme of "Touch & Go". We could also directly say life is a series of touch & go moments....the decisions we make are how we end up where we are.

I totally disliked Micah from book 1. I skipped book 2 because I didn't think I would be interested in Lowell and Brent but now I am rethinking this 🤔 As bad as Micah was in this one it sounds like he was worse in book 2 so I know to keep better perspective of him should I decide to check it out. Justin was amazing... he did all he could to support Micah even as Micah was at the top of his douchebagness. My God! I wanted to smack him on the head a few times...lol...but once he got his head screwed on right he was a great guy....even to manage to repair past relationships. What's so sad is that Micah probably could have been a great guy all along. It really appears that his @ssholery stemmed from the fact that he had to hide himself..his stress of anyone seeing or hearing or thinking about him being gay was so bad it made me feel just as stressed!

James Edward Jones is a competent performer; he didn't necessarily add but he didn't take away from my listening experience.

4 starz - worthy of a repeat listen

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Very Enjoyable

Touch & Go is Book 3 in The Midwest series. It can be enjoyed as a standalone but it was nice to see characters from the other books in the series. Micah, a closeted minor league pitcher has one goal, to make it to the majors. Justin, the team's out physical therapist, has no desire to go back into the closet, but when Micah comes around for some stress relief, he can't help but give in. I really enjoyed Micah and Justin together. I also enjoyed watching Micah come to terms with his sexuality. And realizing that he doesn't have to hate his friends for being their true selves. I recommend this book and series. 
Narrator James Edward Jones does a marvelous job. 

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great story!

Wow! This series just keeps getting better. Micah and Justin were made to be together. I also loved the narrator! I would highly recommend!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Finally

I have kinda hated Micah in the first two books and I´m happy that I finally like and understand him!
Justin is just wonderful and amazing. Anyone would love to have a boyfriend like him!

I really like James as a narrator.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent addition to the series!

This is a great enemies, of a sort, to lovers book. It is a sports, baseball, book. It had an excellent storyline and it is awesome to see characters come into themselves. Way to go!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Micah's Redemption

I went into this book with with low expectations. Though I’d enjoyed the first two books in this series, they both both featured the main character of this tale in a pretty irredeemable way. Micah was depicted as a toxic, closeted loner with a lot of internalized homophobia, an overwhelming desire to realize his dream of becoming a major league picture, and little regard for anyone or anything else.

That’s basically true here as well. Though there are romantic moments in the beginning of this tale, no real redemption begins until his “midnight of the soul” toward the end. There are some explanations made. They do make the character a bit more sympathetic, but the fact is, for the most part Micah is a hard guy to like. Even when you understand his background and his point of view, it’s clear that there’s still a ways to travel before he’s going to be a likable character.

On the other hand, Justin, his main love interest, who we met briefly in book 2 is a pretty likable guy from chapter one. This book actually starts at about the same time as book 2 and just follows different characters ending with a few chapters beyond the ending of the second book. It also introduces us to the characters that book 4 concentrates on.

This book doesn’t actually suffer from the literary flaws that bothered me about book one. I went back and re-listened to book two as part of my process in developing this review. Some of the flaws that I picked up on in my first pass at that material, were not as pronounced upon my second exposure. Though I think book 2 is my favorite in the series so far, book 3 does a better job with rehabilitating it’s main character than I expected. It’s eminently readable and fans of the earlier books should definitely give it (and Micah) a chance.

Though the couple here start as “just sex” it’s clear that the story is more about the “feels” and while the sex is satisfying, it’s not the main focus of the story.

One particular part that I enjoyed here was the shaving scene. When I was in middle school I read the short story Espuma y nada más (Just Lather, That’s All) by Hernando Téllez. Since then I’ve always had a bit of a shaving kink.

As with the other books, this one is narrated by James Edward Jones. He once again does a credible job as narrator. The pacing is good, and the main characters voices are different enough that the dialogue sections are clear with the voice acting adding slight shades of personality to the characters. Though the naughty bits here are less significant than in the predecessor, Mr. Jones does a good job with those sections as well.

***Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful