Reviewed by Tidal
TITLE: The Dating Game – Audible Edition
NARRATOR: Matthew Lloyd Davies
AUTHOR: Jay Northcote
PUBLISHER: Jaybird Press
LENGTH: 3 hours and 6 minutes
BLURB:
Five sex-free dates—how hard can it be?
When they were at uni, Owen always had a bit of a crush on Nathan. But Nathan was apparently straight, and Owen was too busy with other guys to take his crush seriously.
When Nathan moves back to Bristol after a year away, Owen hears that Nathan has come out of the closet, and he propositions him. Nathan doesn’t want to be just another notch on Owen’s bedpost, though, so he challenges Owen to prove he can be serious: five dates before they have sex.
Owen doesn’t think that sounds too difficult. He’s expecting Nathan to find his charms irresistible anyway. But as they grow closer, Owen begins to care more about proving himself to Nathan than he does about getting him into bed.
REVIEW:
Owen and Nathan used to be friends at University. Owen was hot for Nathan then but at the time he was straight, Owen also had a reputation for being a bit of a tart. A year later, they meet and there is an instant attraction there but Nathan does not want to get hurt; he also does not want be a flavor of the day. Owen agrees to the five dates without sex. At first, he thinks it will be a piece of cake but he finds that it is not going to be as easy as he thought. When Owen agreed, I thought he would ask Nathan if phone calls and text messages counted but he did not ask that.
This challenge sparks Owen’s creativity. He manages to come up with fun dates so he and Nathan can really get a chance to step out of their comfort zone and get to know each other as well as get the obligatory five dates out of the way. In the space of those five dates, they both learn a lot about each other and themselves.
I love books written by the English; they use a broad vocabulary that paints a beautiful portrait. I reviewed the audible version that was narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies. Between the descriptive writing and his lovely performance of the material, I was smitten by the story. I loved the way it moved and the appropriate tension. It was steamy and saucy but at the same time, it was sweet and I do not find that mixture very often in a way that is convincing. It is a beautiful story and I found myself rooting for Owen and hoping that he would not shoot himself in the foot and blow it.
I must admit hearing the book in audio form really has me looking at unabridged audio books in a different light. I was very pleased with, “The Dating Game”.
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