Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Clang
SERIES: The Riley Brothers #2
AUTHOR: E. Davies
NARRATOR: Michael Pauley
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 6 hours, 43 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 23, 2018
BLURB:
“I can’t let you face this alone.”
“I don’t know. I’m just lonely.”
Summer barbecues and his brothers’ renovations keep blacksmith Jackson Riley happy, but he’s missing one thing: a relationship. Sweet, sexy Chase helps him with his dating profile and catches Jackson’s eye instead. When they trade skills and time, the embers are stirred into a flame of passion. Jackson wants a family tattoo – something Chase’s skilled hands can deliver. But Jackson worries when Chase asks him to forge a sword. What could he need protection from?
“I don’t have a family.”
Tattoo artist Chase MacLeod can’t stop running from his past. When he thinks he’s escaped, a letter arrives that throws everything off balance. The fencing lessons he’s taking bolster his confidence, and his new flame Jackson steps in and defends him. Then, Jackson makes an offer to open his home and heart to him. Chase must find the courage to face his past.
“Just tell me if they’re gone for good.”
Chase wants to stick around and redefine the meaning of family, but the enemy fights dirty. Will Jackson’s protection be enough to help Chase stand up for himself? Or will Chase’s scars forever close his heart? Despite their best efforts, Chase’s worst enemy might just be himself.
Clang is a steamy, stand-alone gay romance novel with a HEA ending and no cliffhanger.
STORY REVIEW:
Hmmmm….. I struggled with this one. On the one hand I really liked the pairing and totally fell for the romance, even if it was a bit too fast for me.
I liked both men and instantly wanted them to be happy. They made such cute friends and then when it turned into more they were HOT together. I liked that even when they messed up, they owned it and talked about it. Chase had secrets but my heart broke constantly for how he had been treated in the past. I so wanted Jackson to show him love. And he did in a very slow but meaningful way.
On the other hand, Chase’s backstory and the big angst issue didn’t really gel for me. For all the build up, it was very anticlimactic and Jackson was just toooooo perfect in his acceptance. Maybe I needed a bit more explanation of the past to really understand the familial behaviors. Or maybe I needed the conflict to be harder to overcome based on what I had already expected with the backstory that was provided. Or maybe it was just me putting unrealistic expectations on the story based on my assumptions while reading. IDK. But in the end, something just didn’t sit right with me.
I do want to end on a positive note. I am so hooked on these brothers and OMG can we have Thomas’s story on audio ASAP because I NEED IT NOW! I mean, yes, I can cheat and read the book, but that’s no fun!
NARRATION REVIEW:
I love Michael Pauley as a narrator for highly emotional and highly sexual books. It is just perfect for his style and he really did bring this story to life. I sincerely hope he continues to narrate the remainder of this series even if he did switch up some voices this time so that they didn’t quite match with the first book. This was a very enjoyable listening experience.
RATING: 
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