What made the experience of listening to Dare to Hope the most enjoyable?
Gabriel Simenson and Micah Solo have developed a friendship, bonding on their shared despair at losing something really important: Gabe lost his boyfriend Gio, Micah lost his team and his leg in an ambush in Iraq. Despite their growing bond and mutual attraction, there is something missing, and they find it in their counselor, Tristan Brennan. But the three men have issues to solve before managing to make their relationship work….This was a heartbreaking story. We have three beautiful men who meet and fall for each other, but achieving their HEA is not going to be easy. On the one hand, we have Gabe, who is still recovering from the loss of his boyfriend Gio. Gabe feels guilty to feel attracted to both Micah and Tristan, and he has to learn to let go of his past and his memories of Gio before having a chance at a future with the men he loves. Micah is suffering from PTSD, and he feels unworthy of love, as his body is deeply scarred and handicapped after the bombing. It is going to take a lot of support and love from his two lovers to help him get over his terrible memories. As for Tristan, although he seems to be the more balanced of the three men, his position is not easy, on the one hand because he does not want to interfere in the relationship which is already developing between Gabe and Micah, and on the other hand his position as their counselor makes his feelings somehow unethical. Although the story is nice, what made this book really worth 5 stars was Joel’s narration. He masterfully conveys deep feelings and emotions through his performance. He provides each of the main characters with their own voice, making them easily recognisable without being previously introduced. But he also manages to create and maintain particular accents and nuances for the secondary characters, which are not few, making the listening experience an utterly enjoyable one.
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I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher