Never by Tara Lain Audiobook Review

Wendell “Wen” Darling lives in a world of shoulds and musts. Left to care for his brother and sister by his dull drudge of a father and wacko irresponsible mother, he suppresses his creativity, slaving in an ad agency seventy hours a week, letting his no-talent supervisor take the credit.

Then his bosses blow the campaign for their biggest client and Wen gets a chance to shine—but only if he can find the artist who painted a wild, glorious wall of graffiti in the subway. Hiding behind a pillar at 2:00 a.m., Wen comes face-to-face with the scarlet-haired, elven-faced embodiment of his divergent opposite—Peter Panachek, the flighty, live-for-today painter, singer, and leader of the rock group the Lost Boys. Everything Wen takes seriously, Peter laughs off, but opposites attract, even if their kisses always lead to battles. Peter’s devil-may-care persona hides a world of secrets, self-protection, and hidden fears, until the day a drug dealer, Vadon Hooker, threatens everything Wen holds dear. Guided by the mysterious Mr. Pennymaker, Peter has to choose between facing responsibility or burrowing even deeper into Neverland.

Audiobook Details
Length: 6 hrs, 41 mins
Narrator: Kale Williams

Book 4
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes


Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
Having thoroughly enjoyed Sinders and Ash and Driven Snow(still scratching my head, wondering how I missed the release of Beauty, Inc. on audio), I jumped at the chance to review Never. Even though I have wishy-washy feelings toward Peter Pan that depend entirely upon its production, Tara Lain has won me over with her modern, m/m spin on the age-old classics, so I dove in without hesitation. Guys and gals, I have no other way to say it, I absolutely adored Never. Of the three Pennymaker Tales I’ve listened to, it’s my favorite. I won’t tell you how many times I listened to the final chapter simply because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Wen, Peter, Wen’s brother and sister, the Lost Boys, Tink, and Neverland.

For some, the opening scene might not be as attention grabbing as it was for me. You see, back in the day, before I realized how cutthroat the industry was and how thin-skinned and ill-suited I was for such a career, I had fanciful ideas of a career in advertising. Fortunately for me, I realized it was not meant to be before I ever got out of high school. But because of that, I was already connecting with and feeling for Wen and the frustrating “I told you so, but I can’t say it and not get fired” position he was in. I was feeling stabby for him and those feelings merely intensified as I learned more about Wen and his raising of his siblings, especially how that began long before his parents died. So, I was obviously pleased when Peter entered the picture and went against his instinct to run in order to help Wen out. That Wen and Peter are complete opposites merely adds flavor to the story as they both annoy and fascinate one another, all while falling in love – even if neither wants to admit it and all their friends and family can see it.

Keeping in mind that Never is a modern-day take on Peter Pan, parts of the storyline are predictable, while others are well-telegraphed, and yet… Lain and Kale Williams still managed to keep me glued to my Kindle and Echo Dot while I listened to the audiobook. I started the audiobook at work, listened to it in the car on the drive home (it’s only a 10-minute drive, and no, I couldn’t wait until I got home), and cued it up on my Dot as soon as I set my bags down and got the dog back inside. The only time I turned it off that night was when I had to do something that required my complete attention. Williams has done a fantastic job narrating this series and although it’s been a while since I listened to the first two books, I had to look them up to confirm it was the same narrator because I didn’t get that pang of recognition I tend to get when I’ve listened to a narrator several times. That’s not a bad thing, it simply means that Williams has done such a good job of creating character voices that I didn’t have an “Oh, that’s so and so from book x!” moment. I have narrators I love because I instantly recognize their voice and others are favorites because their range is so vast that I don’t always realize what other books they narrated until I look them up on Audible. Kale Williams falls into that second category and I cannot wait to go back and grab Beauty, Inc. to listen to while I wait for the next release. Some days I love Peter Pan, some days I don’t, but I cannot imagine a day when I stop loving Never because Lain and Williams did such a wonderful job on it. Yep, it’s my favorite of The Pennymaker Tales yet.

TARA LAIN writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Erotic Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, and Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. Readers often call her books “sweet,” even with all that hawt sex, because Tara believes in love and her books deliver on happily-ever-after. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. Her love of creating book titles comes from years of manifesting ad headlines for everything from analytical instruments to semiconductors. She does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog (who’s a little jealous of all those cat pictures Tara posts on FB) in Laguna Niguel, California, near the seaside towns where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says that on her tombstone, it will say “Yes!”

Connect with Tara

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Kale Williams lends his voice to bring to life romance books of all stripes. Known for his distinct characterizations and natural intimate storytelling, he is as comfortable with the cowboys on the prairie as he is with the cops of the big city, from the slow burn to the hot steam to the HEA.

Love is love is love.

Connect with Kale

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free audiobook copy of Never (The Pennymaker Tales #4) by Tara Lain, narrated by Kale Williams to listen to and review.

Driven Snow by Tara Lain Dual Media Review

Young Snowden “Snow” Reynaldi is brilliant, beautiful, and alone. Though he’s shy, weird, and tolerated by the NorCal University students because he’s a renowned whiz at chess and helps put the school on the map, that doesn’t keep him from dreaming of the object of his desires: Riley Prince, championship quarterback.

When Riley needs a physics tutor, Snow jumps at the chance, and their relationship heats up—but Riley has to come out of the jock closet to get anywhere. Meanwhile, Snow’s one true friend and mentor, Professor Kingsley, marries a woman who secretly wants the chess tournament glory and money for herself. Soon after, the professor collapses and Snow finds himself underwater—literally. In a car!

Seven frat brothers from Grimm College rescue Snow just in time for his life to get even worse, and Snow discovers the one relationship he always wanted slipping away. With evil looming at every turn, Snow must survive if only to prove he’s the fairest of them all and regain the trust of his handsome prince.

Audiobook Details
Length: 6 hrs, 45 mins

Narrator: Kale Williams

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
ARe  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Audiobook Review

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
As a rule, I don’t read many modern day takes on classic fairytales – at least not those that make themselves known as such. However, as I’ve recently discovered and enjoyed Lain’s Love in Laguna series, and I found the chess-themed take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to be intriguing, I decided to give Driven Snow a chance. After spending close to seven hours being entertained by Lain’s writing and Williams’s narration, I’m very glad that I did.

Keeping in mind that this is a m/m variation on Snow White, Lain creates an interesting and entertaining cast of characters that Williams does an excellent job of bringing to life. The young grand master and chess player, Snow, was an immediately likeable character for me. He’s modest in his intelligence and skill, and uncomfortable with his beauty (which is commented upon regularly), thus making him a shy yet vulnerable character I couldn’t help but adore. That he was pining for the football team’s quarterback and got the chance to tutor said quarterback, well, I was hooked. Even knowing that this is based on a fairy tale, and knowing that the two will end up together, I found that I was just as enchanted as Snow was when he discovered that his attraction to Riley was not unrequited. Their courtship was sweet and angsty, with just the right amount of steam for two college students with limited experience – one because of his nerdom and one because he’s in the closet. As would be expected, the villainess is appropriately over-the-top in what she does to thwart Snow’s path to winning the upcoming chess tournament. And yet, I found it utterly amusing that the organizers of the tournament cared only about Snow’s chess playing skills and the attention he would bring to the sport, and didn’t give a whit about the accusations made about him. Lain’s writing and Williams’s narration had me chuckling, giggling, laughing, sighing, cringing, and falling in love with Snow, Riley, and the wonderful cast of characters who kept me entertained and engaged while I listened to Driven Snow. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next installment in the series, as well as going back to snag Sinders and Ash for a listen.

Ebook Review

Sarah – ☆☆☆
I have to confess that I requested this book before reading the blurb because Tara Lain will always be one of my auto-buy authors – so I only have myself to blame for not really enjoying this modern re-telling of Snow White. I’m not a fairytale fan. With the exception of Shrek and The Paperbag Princess, I’m not even really a fan of modern twisted fairytales. This is a modern new adult m/m retelling of Snow White in an American college setting. For obvious reasons, the characters in this story are cliché and the storyline is predictable.

Tara Lain is a personal favourite because I love her original, detailed characters and the wonderful emotion she packs into each book. Unfortunately, I struggled to feel any emotions for Prince or Snow. True to the fairytale, the baddies are evil and our heroes are nearly perfect. There were some clever moments and I liked the value placed on Snow’s intelligence as he competed with the Evil Queen character for the title of chess grandmaster.

I don’t want to pass too much judgement because this book does what it says on the tin. My reservations are personal: I should have read the blurb and avoided the fairytale.

TARA LAIN writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Erotic Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, and Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. Readers often call her books “sweet,” even with all that hawt sex, because Tara believes in love and her books deliver on happily-ever-after. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. Her love of creating book titles comes from years of manifesting ad headlines for everything from analytical instruments to semiconductors. She does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog (who’s a little jealous of all those cat pictures Tara posts on FB) in Laguna Niguel, California, near the seaside towns where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says that on her tombstone, it will say “Yes!”

Connect with Tara

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Driven Snow (The Pennymaker Tales #2) by Tara Lain, Narrated by Kale Williams to read or listen to and review.