Starting Point by N.R. Walker Audiobook Review

After going past the point of no return and finally reaching breaking point, the only thing Matthew Elliott can do now is start over.

Matthew Elliott is a recovering man. As an ex-cop and ex-fighter, his new job teaching kids at the local community gym about drug awareness and self-defense, is a little bit of both. His new focus on helping street kids is helping him heal, and with Kira by his side, he's making strides.

Brother and sister, Rueben and Claudia, are homeless kids and they're very much alone. As they strike a chord with Matt, he does everything in his power to help them. But when Ruby and Claude need more help than he bargained for, it stops being about work, and starts being about home.

The day he met Kira, Matt's life changed direction, and it's only now he realizes that everything he's been through was a lead up to this. It was never about endings. His life, his purpose, was just beginning.

Audiobook Details
Length: 8 hrs, 23 mins
Narrator: Sean Crisden

Book 3
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
Now THIS is the almost perfect ending to the Turning Point series. I say almost perfect simply because I’d love to see more of the story past the epilogue, but it certainly lived up to its title of Starting Point because it finally closes the book on a big part of Matt’s past while setting him and Kira up for the rest of their life together. Fair warning, this installment pulled on my heartstrings quite a bit and I found myself shedding tears more than once, but I also found myself laughing at twice as many scenes. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of heart pounding action as well.

For as much as much as Matt drove me bonkers in Breaking Point, it made the progress in his healing – both physical and mental – even more apparent. I loved that Matt was so committed in getting better and sticking with his counseling, especially when he felt as though his therapist was judging him. Matt still got stuck in his head and second-guessed himself a lot, but his self-awareness grew over the course of the novel, thus enabling him to see when he began to fall into his old patterns of negative thinking and he could redirect himself to break that cycle. His desire to get better, to vanquish his inner demons so he could have a long, happy, and healthy life with Kira was admirable. Just as admirable was his desire to do what he could to help Ruby and Claude. Even though he’s the only one who cannot see it, Matt’s work at the center fulfilled him in a way that being a cop didn’t – it gave him a chance to make a difference one kid at a time. Matt has learned the hard way that he cannot save the world, but he knows he can still save lives by making a difference in the lives of the kids’ who show up at the fight club. While I could have done without how realistically life treats kids like Ruby and Claude, it kept me glued to my Echo Dot as I prepared for the worst to happen, hoped the best would happen first, and waited on bated breath as the story played out in both heartwarming and heartbreaking ways. Walker excels at keeping me on tenterhooks.

I must say that as impressed as I was with Sean Crisden’s narration in the first two books, he blew me away with Starting Point. Matt is still dealing with a lot of guilt he’s taken on from Point of No Return and Breaking Point, and it’s so clear to hear it in his voice, as is his determination to get better. Even more striking is how the narrator strikes a balance between Matt’s feelings of powerlessness and acceptance when the vertigo hits him hard. Matt knows there’s nothing he can do about the vertigo, but he doesn’t have to like it either. What really surprised me though, is that the author shifts the point of view from Matt, who’s been our narrator for all three books, to Kira. I was not expecting the shift in perspectives, and not only was it invaluable to the series, but Crisden made the change so seamless that it took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. This isn’t because the voices used were similar but rather because as the other main character, Kira has been front and center throughout the series, so I didn’t initially recognize that we were in his head and not listening to him speak. And I loved that we got part of the story from Kira’s perspective because it signaled that it was no longer just Matt’s journey (it hadn’t been for a while) and it gave series fans a chance to see Matt through the eyes of someone who loves him because Crisden made sure that was in Kira’s voice, the love he has for Matt and how important Matt is to him. Walker and Crisden did a fabulous job on Starting Point, making it a perfect ending to the series and beautiful beginning for these two men.

Also Available in the Turning Point Series

Book 1
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Point of No Return Audiobook Review post.

Book 2
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Breaking Point Audiobook Review post.

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words. She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things... but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since...

Connect with N.R.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

I have been a professional voice artist since 2006 (wait, people pay me for this?) but my history extends further than that. As a child, I was known as “Radio Man” for the articulate, listenable qualities within my voice. I don’t know any other kid who took quite so much pleasure in standing up and reading out loud Tikki Tikki Tembo or Bunnicula for their class.

This lead to an early pursuit of performing and I performed for nearly a decade with the prog rock band Divided Sky as vocalist and guitar player. I have expanded my abilities into on-camera acting, appearing in numerous commercials and films including M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. I was even fortunate enough to act in and choreograph the combat sequences in Le Meduse Rouge.

I continue to grow, develop and refine my talents in an ongoing effort to find fulfillment by drinking of my creative well. I also train in several martial arts and do my best despite the lure of my bed and apple pie to stay in excellent physical shape.

Connect with Sean

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free audiobook copy of Starting Point (Turning Point #3) by N.R. Walker, narrated by Sean Crisden to listen to and review.

Breaking Point by N.R. Walker Audiobook Review

A fight for what’s right becomes a fight for his life.

As guilt plagues him, Matthew Elliott’s world begins to spiral out of control. The harder he holds on, the more it slips through his fingers, and he’s helpless to stop it.

Entering into the underground cage-fighting scene, he starts out fighting for what’s right. The deeper he gets, the more guilt consumes him – the more pain he takes for his penance, and he’s soon fighting for more than justice.

He’s fighting for love.

He’s fighting for his life.

The third edition has a new cover and has been re-edited, though no new content has been added.

Audiobook Details
Length: 7 hours
Narrator: Sean Crisden

Book 2
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
Breaking Point returns us to Detective Matthew Elliot as he embarks upon his biggest investigation since the Tomic case, quite possibly of his entire career. That’s a little bit of a spoiler, but as it’s something you learn very early in the book, I’m okay with disclosing it because it weighs heavily on my review. Before I devolve into what is going to come across as a gripe-fest, let me state clearly that I absolutely loved this audiobook. The tension came from an entirely different source this time around, but I was still glued to my Echo Dot, listening intently because I needed to know how things were going to play out for Matt. Knowing that there’s a third book in the series only alleviated my fear that Matt wouldn’t make it out alive, but as I haven’t read the blurb for Starting Point beyond the mention of Matt recovering, his survival was the only outcome I was certain of when things started getting dicey in Breaking Point.

There are two main sources of conflict in the story, one external and one internal. The external source was the undercover investigation Matt embarks upon. This part of the storyline produces a level of action and suspense similar to what we saw in book one because of the criminal elements and the danger inherent to his job. The internal conflict nearly drove me nuts. Why? Because I was too far into Matt’s head, feeling his sense of isolation, his guilt, his anger, his fear, and his anxiety. Between Walker’s wordsmithing and Crisden’s performance, I felt as though I was being dragged down Matt’s rabbit hole, whether I wanted to be or not – and I didn’t want to be. The rational side of my brain is screaming at Matt, “Why haven’t you taken any time in the past year to discuss the possibility of undercover work with Kira?!?!?” Wondering more than once why he wouldn’t let Kira know there was an ongoing investigation without telling him the details, especially after I got the impression that it was Matt’s decision to keep it a secret from Kira, not a mandate from his boss. Matt’s internal conflict trampled all over my last nerve because it’s so well done and feels so real.

As a reader, Matt’s withdrawal and sense of guilt over lying to Kira seems overblown. His internal insistence that he’s no longer a cop – while he’s working undercover – is absurd and annoying and reeks of self-pity, but I suspect that’s the point. Matt’s isolation from all members of the force puts a huge strain on a man who is used to constant camaraderie. This, in turn, puts a strain on his relationship with Kira. And while, to an outside observer such as myself, it seems overdramatized, I worry it’s not and that far too many in law enforcement find themselves in similar situations. With that said, I still wanted to smack Matt Moonstruck style and tell him to snap out it. Contradictorily, the psych student in me was fascinated by how Matt’s guilt surrounding Kira’s abduction in book one resurfaced in some extremely dangerous ways. And while the story is told from Matt’s point of view, I still found myself wanting to pull Kira aside to tell him to stay strong, not to give up on Matt, and to THINK about who the man he loves is at his core!!! I was irrationally annoyed that Kira didn’t figure out what was going on, while wanting to comfort him at the same time. And then, when everything went down as it did and the fallout from it, oh, my heart hurt for both men. Not surprisingly, I was exceedingly pleased when Yumi made her dissatisfaction about the investigation known at the end of the book (hehe). It’s odd not to say the ending was perfect when reviewing an N.R. Walker book, but not only does Matt’s story continue in book three, he also paid a really high price to close his investigation and it left me conflicted. Because of that, I am, for once, very happy that I’m a tad behind on my reviews as I have the audiobook for Starting Point cued up to listen to next.

Regarding the narration, I was very pleased to see that Sean Crisden had reprised his role as Detective Matt Elliot. Crisden did such a good job in creating voices for the main cast of characters in Point of No Return that I cannot imagine someone else at the mic. The narrator not only expresses the despair and darker emotions Matt experiences this time around, but Crisden also makes Kira’s worry, resignation, and anger so obvious that you cannot miss it in a single word. However, I must admit that the snicker-inducing jock strap shopping scene was even more entertaining in audio versus reading it. Yet none of it compared to the level of emotion shown when Matt and Kira finally reconnect or with what happens in the final chapter – something I’ll leave as it’s meant to be, a surprise for other readers. Now I’m off to listen to Starting Point because I must know if Walker has given these two men the happily ever after they’ve earned with their blood, sweat, and tears.

Also Available in the Turning Point Series

Book 1
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our Point of No Return post.

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words. She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things... but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since...

Connect with N.R.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

I have been a professional voice artist since 2006 (wait, people pay me for this?) but my history extends further than that. As a child, I was known as “Radio Man” for the articulate, listenable qualities within my voice. I don’t know any other kid who took quite so much pleasure in standing up and reading out loud Tikki Tikki Tembo or“Bunnicula for their class.

This lead to an early pursuit of performing and I performed for nearly a decade with the prog rock band Divided Sky as vocalist and guitar player. I have expanded my abilities into on-camera acting, appearing in numerous commercials and films including M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. I was even fortunate enough to act in and choreograph the combat sequences in Le Meduse Rouge.

I continue to grow, develop and refine my talents in an ongoing effort to find fulfillment by drinking of my creative well. I also train in several martial arts and do my best despite the lure of my bed and apple pie to stay in excellent physical shape.

Connect with Sean

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Breaking Point (Turning Point #2) by N.R. Walker, narrated by Sean Crisden to listen to and review.

Point of No Return by N.R. Walker Audiobook Review

Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives—a smart, tough, closeted gay man. When he falls for his gym instructor, it’s not his colleagues he should be worried about finding out…it’s the bad guys.

Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives. He's been labelled the golden boy of the Fab Four: a team of four detectives who've closed down drug-rings all over the city. He’s smart, tough and exceptionally good at his job.

He's also a closeted gay man.

Enter Kira Takeo Franco, the new boxing coach at the gym. Matthew can't deny his immediate attraction to the man his fellow cops know as Frankie. But in allowing himself to fall in love with a man known to his colleagues, Matthew risks outing them both.

Matt and Kira work to keep their relationship and private lives hidden from Matt’s very public life, fearing it would be detrimental to their careers.

But it's not the other cops who Matthew should be worried about finding out his deepest, darkest secret… it's the bad guys.

Audiobook Details
Length: 4 hrs, 38 mins
Narrator: Sean Crisden

Book 1
Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
To begin, I have to say that I freaking loved that BOTH men were in the closet. I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a m/m romance in which both men were in the closet; maybe a ménage romance, but I have yet to think of one in the past week as I’ve listened to Point of No Return several times. Even though Matt seems to lose sight of the fact that Kira is also in the closet – likely due to his past failed relationships where his partner was forced back into the closet with him – he is not the only one with something to lose if their relationship is discovered by their co-workers. The other part of Matt’s being in the closet that I thought was an interesting angle to the story was WHY he was in the closet. He wasn’t concerned that his partner or close colleagues were homophobic, but rather that his being gay would define him rather than his record. It certainly made me think and I could definitely see this as being a valid concern, especially in his career.

As for the story itself, Walker packs one heck of a punch in Point of No Return – actually, quite literally when it comes to Matt and Kira’s meet cute. The opening scene was quite effective in showing the reader the kind of man and detective Matt is all while providing the needed background information for the romantic suspense threads of the story, without it feeling like an info dump. Because the story is told from Matt’s point of view, we get to see just how hard his physical attraction to Kira hits him (no pun intended), but we have to wait a bit to learn that the attraction is mutual. Walker does a great job of balancing the secret romance with Matt’s demands as a detective, capturing the disappointment and frustration that comes with dating a person whose job requires them to be on-call for emergencies. While I figured out the twist relatively early, I credit that with being a reader of romantic suspense and psych student, and not a detective who’s watching his CI deteriorate to the point that his information is questionable. But even knowing the twist didn’t prepare me for the direction the story went, and I found myself caught up in all of the detectives’ distress when the bad guy made his move. I won’t go into what happened because potential readers or listeners deserve to take that rollercoaster ride with no warnings, but I absolutely loved how it played out – both professionally and personally for Matt and Kira.

Now for the narration. I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying Sean Crisden’s narrative performances before, but he was perfect in Point of No Return. The voice he uses for Matt is ALL COP. By that I mean, there was no doubt in my mind that I was listening to an overworked but determined detective trying to find his way through the muddy waters of a complicated case all while walking a personal relationship tightrope. Crisden made me feel Matt’s emotions – his frustration, his confusion, his need, his anticipation, his happiness, his fear, his stark terror, his relief, his I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude, and his love. And Crisden does a great drunk Matt voice that I found myself grinning at because Detective Matthew Elliot is an amusing drunk. I got sucked down the rabbit hole with this audiobook and went back for repeated trips as I found myself queueing it up several times this past week. I thoroughly enjoyed Point of No Return and hope that book two, Breaking Point, will be available on audio soon as I want more of Matt’s story.

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words. She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things... but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since...

Connect with N.R.

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Sean Crisden

I have been a professional voice artist since 2006 (wait, people pay me for this?) but my history extends further than that. As a child, I was known as “Radio Man” for the articulate, listenable qualities within my voice. I don’t know any other kid who took quite so much pleasure in standing up and reading out loud Tikki Tikki Tembo or“Bunnicula for their class.

This lead to an early pursuit of performing and I performed for nearly a decade with the prog rock band Divided Sky as vocalist and guitar player. I have expanded my abilities into on-camera acting, appearing in numerous commercials and films including M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. I was even fortunate enough to act in and choreograph the combat sequences in Le Meduse Rouge.

I continue to grow, develop and refine my talents in an ongoing effort to find fulfillment by drinking of my creative well. I also train in several martial arts and do my best despite the lure of my bed and apple pie to stay in excellent physical shape.

Connect with Sean

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Point of No Return (Turning Point #1) by N.R. Walker, narrated by Sean Crisden to listen to and review.