A Kind of Truth by Lane Hayes Audiobook Review

Rand O’Malley dreams of superstardom. He hopes to one day sing the blues like a rock god. Moving to New York City and hiring a new manager are steps to make his dreams a reality. But nothing moves as fast as Rand would like, and everyone has opinions, which include he keep certain pieces of himself quiet if he plans on making it in the Big Apple. Like his bisexuality.

Will Sanders is a gifted musician who dazzles Rand with his ability to coax gorgeous notes from an electric guitar one moment and play the piano like a professional the next. He’s a geek, but Rand isn’t concerned about Will’s pressed exterior clashing with his tattoos. His focus is music. Yet there’s something about Will that makes Rand think there’s much more to the quiet college student than he lets on. As Rand’s dreams begin to materialize, he’s forced to reconsider his priorities and find his own kind of truth. One that might include Will.

Length: 11 hrs, 7 mins

Narrator: Seth Clayton

Book 1
Buy Links

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
A Kind of Truth was absolutely fabulous! Rand sums up exactly who he and Will are to each other at the end of the book… “The geek and the rock star wannabe. The loud mouth and the quiet soul who speaks through music.” Fortunately for Will, Rand isn’t the stereotypical rock star who is looking to sleep his way to the top or through the groupies. Nope, once Will inadvertently catches his eye and then accidentally snares Rand completely with his occasional penchant for dressing up, Rand has eyes for no one else. Actually, until Will caught his eye, Rand had eyes for no one at all because he was on a mission to make his band, Spiral, the next big thing in rock and roll. Rand knows himself well enough to know that he has to keep busy and limit distractions if he wants to have any hope of fulfilling his dreams, and nothing compares to the level of distraction that a relationship brings – especially when his bisexuality could be an obstacle on his path to musical fame.

Although Will and Rand are just outside what I consider to be the typical age range for new adult novels, A Kind of Truth has a new adult angsty feel to it. Granted, the more we get to know Rand, the easier it is to understand why – his impulse control is severely hampered. I don’t mean that in a bad way because Rand isn’t malicious about it. Rather, it is more reflective of the exuberance of youth; a leap before you look mentality. While I believe Will is the younger of the two, he’s more cautious about his approach to life – with, as we come to learn, good reason to be so. These are two men who should not work and, based on Rand’s inner musings when they first meet, would not normally work because Will isn’t the kind of guy that Rand is usually drawn too. But their shared love of music provides a much sturdier foundation for a relationship than one would expect. In short, Rand and Will complement one another’s differences beautifully. And while their relationship is fraught with misunderstandings, a partner who does not listen (Rand), a partner who has a hard time making himself heard (Will), and outside forces on both sides set to keep them apart for their own gains, Rand’s impulsive nature and Will’s realization that he deserves to live his life for him, make for a bumpy, yet beautiful ride.

This is the first audiobook I’ve listened to narrated by Seth Clayton and I must say he did a wonderful job. He managed to annoy me perfectly when Rand was being obnoxious. He made me cry when Will gets caught in the crossfire. I laughed when I was meant to and I cringed in the same way. Clayton used little touches that made his performance even more enjoyable by making me feel as though I was listening in on Rand and Will’s life – scenes when a character is talking with his mouth full, spot on “happy drunk” scenes, acapella singing when Rand is moved to perform, and just his overall conveying of Rand and Will’s emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed Clayton’s performance and feel he brought Hayes’s characters and their story to life in a delightful way. A Kind of Truth was an enjoyable audiobook and I look forward to listening to Clayton again bring Hayes’s work to life in the next book in the series, A Kind of Romance.

Lane is a designer by trade who is extremely grateful to be spending more of her time these days doing what she truly loves...writing. She loves chocolate, wine, travel, but most of all, she loves books. Lane's debut novel, Better Than Good, was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist. She lives in So. California near the beach with her amazing husband, three teenagers & a gorgeous old Lab named Rex.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of A Kind of Truth (A Kind of Stories #1) by Lane Hayes, Narrated by Seth Clayton to listen to and review.