REVIEW BY: Christie

TITLE: A Kind of Truth

SERIES:  A Kind of Stories #1

AUTHOR: Lane Hayes

NARRATOR: Seth Clayton

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 8h 29m

RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2016

BLURB:

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, for example that he should 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.

REVIEW:

Okay, so this book was fan-flipping-tastic! It is easily in my top 5 favorite books of the year so far. If you have read it, then you know how good it really is. But imagine this, the book is even better when read by Seth Clayton! In a recent review, I wrote about how a narrator and author duo was a dream team (and I still believe that). But, when these two paired up, they basically formed the perfection coalition. That’s totally what I’m going to call them from now on, by the way: The Perfection Coalition. Please feel free to join me in using this term for the duo that is Lane Hayes and Seth Clayton.

Rand has moved to New York with his band in hopes to make it big. And, after hiring a manager, they do start making a name for themselves. But, that’s not enough. One of their problems is that they need a new guitarist. Rand is much better at singing than playing the guitar, and he knows it. They end up auditioning a gazillion people and finally settle on Terry, a fairly talented musician. But, there’s something about Terry that bothers Rand. The other band members talk Rand into letting Terry stay on, but it still rankles him. So, he decides to take guitar lessons and try to get better at playing, in order to fire Terry later on.

Queue Will Sanders, musical prodigy. Rand is a little thrown off kilter when he meets Will, mostly due to the fact that Will is stunningly gorgeous, seemingly very nervous, and quite shy. However, when Will plays, Rand is basically struck stupid with awe (and of course, lust). Well, after the first music lesson, the two decide on a schedule for when to meet so Will can tutor Rand on how to improve is guitar playing. But, Rand also wants to get to know Will much better and try to draw him out of that shy little shell he seems to live in.

There are things our singer doesn’t know about Will, and the young prodigy would like to keep it that way. The problem with that is Rand is nosey, and has a tendency to be single-minded when it comes to certain things. And, Will is most definitely on the receiving end of Rand’s single-mindedness now. Finally Will relents and the two form a tenuous friendship. But, can it go any farther? Will Rand finally break thru the walls that his tutor has erected around himself and his heart? What about the band? Do they really have any hope of breaking into the music scene? What about Will’s secrets? Can they stay secret for much longer, after meeting Rand? To know the answers to these questions, you absolutely need to read this book.

Will and Rand both stole the show for me in A Kind of Truth. Both for different reasons, but also because their interplay as well. The push and pull, as well as acceptance and support from both of them to each other is really fantastic.

Lane Hayes knocked it out of the park with this phenomenal book, and Seth Clayton was not only the icing on the cake, but the secret ingredient that made an already fantastic book into a magnificent one. The emotions written by Lane, and conveyed by Seth, then felt deep down into my soul made this book infinitely more than just a story. The Perfection Coalition is now absolutely on my immediate buy list. As they should most certainly be on yours.

Well done, Lane Hayes and Seth Clayton. You are both amazing, and I am in awe of your massive talent.

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