REVIEW BY: Christie
TITLE: In Another Life & Eight Days
AUTHOR: Cardeno C
NARRATOR: John Solo, Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: The Romance Authors
LENGTH: 3h 40m
RELEASE DATE: July 26, 2016
BLURB:
In Another Life
At age 18 Shiloh Raben is tired. He no longer has the energy to deal with mean classmates, inner doubt, and fear of familial rejection, so he takes a razor to his wrist. When he wakes up in the hospital, Shiloh meets Travis Kahn, the EMT who saved him and didn’t leave his side.
Travis is handsome, smart, and funny – the type of guy Shiloh would never be brave enough to approach. But his near-death experience has an unusual side effect: The life that flashed before his eyes wasn’t the one he had already lived but rather the one he could live. With visions of a future by Travis’ side, Shiloh will find the strength to confront his fears and build a life worth fighting for.
Second edition.
Eight Days
Childhood family friends Maccabe Fried and Josh Segal have always gotten along despite having nothing in common. Maccabe is an athlete with dreams of playing professional baseball. Josh is an aspiring architect with dreams of being with Maccabe. Despite all odds, both dreams come true.
Maccabe and Josh fall into a long-distance romance, which is everything Josh thought he wanted. But after years of hiding from the world, Josh wants to bring their relationship into the open. When Maccabe refuses, Josh is faced with a tough decision: stay with the man he loves or live the life he deserves. No matter the choice, somebody’s bound to get hurt. Thankfully, in the season of miracles, there’s always hope for a happy ending.
Second edition.
REVIEW:
So, what did I think when I saw that there was an audiobook that included not one but two Cardeno C stories, and was narrated by both John Solo and Nick J. Russo? “WANT!! *grabby hands*” So, I got. And, enjoyed myself immensely.
In “In Another Life” as narrated by John Solo, Shiloh is a teenager at the end of his rope. Kids at school are picking at and bullying him, and his insecurities are waging war on his psyche. With all of this going on, realizing he is gay was basically the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. He simply couldn’t cope or deal anymore. Fearing rejection from his family in reaction to coming out, Shiloh did the only thing he could think of to escape the situation: slit his wrist.
After coming to in the hospital, he meets Travis, the EMT who saved him, and realizes how different his life could be in the future. Especially if he had Travis there with him. While recovering from his suicide attempt, Shiloh comes out to his parents, who actually take it much better than he thought they would. So, yay for that and them. And, between bouts of wakefulness, Shiloh dreams of a far off future with the sweet and caring Travis and what it could be like.
I must confess that In Another Life was a bit confusing and hard to follow for me a few times, but it was still a sweet and heartwarming story of beautiful what if’s and possibilities. I very much liked how his parents took the news and dealt with his coming out. Each one reacted in a different way, and it was really cute. Especially the dad’s.
In “Eight Days” as narrated by Nick J Russo, Maccabe and Josh have always known each other, and over the years formed a friendship. They really are opposites in their interests, yet gravitate toward each other like opposite sides of a magnet. Eventually they come to realize that they are attracted to each other and begin a secret, long distance relationship with each other.
After years of keeping their relationship (and sexuality) a secret from not only their families but the rest of the world, Josh wants to come out. But, he also wants to announce his relationship with Maccabe. The thing is, Maccabe is an aspiring pro baseball player and feels that there is no room in that sport for a gay player. He urges Josh to reconsider and stay quiet, thinking that things can remain the same and noone will get hurt.
In Eight Days was most definitely my favorite of the two stories, and one that I plan to listen to over and over again. Often. The way Mccabe and Josh’s relationship changed over the years from acquaintances to friends, from friends to… well, more as they grew, not only up physically but together and into a couple as time went by, was heartwarming and lovely. As they came to what seemed like their conclusion, my heart heart did flip-flops and cartwheels, it seemed. Such a great story!
And, may we talk about our phenomenal narrators for a moment as well, please? John Solo and Nick J Russo, you both did an outstanding job! Not only did you narrate your respective stories, but acted each role superbly and brought life into the characters Cardeno C crafted. Thank you, gentlemen, for sharing your wonderful talents with us all.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: