Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Blind Faith
SERIES: Blind Faith #1
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
NARRATOR: Michael Pauley
PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books
RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2019
LENGTH: 5 hours, 11 minutes
BLURB:
Starting a new job in a new town, veterinarian Carter Reece makes a house call to a very special client.
Arrogant, moody, and totally gorgeous, Isaac Brannigan has been blind since he was eight. After the death of his guide dog and best friend, Rosie, his partnership with his new guide dog, Brady, isn’t going well.
Carter tries to help both man and canine through this initiation phase, but just who is leading who?
REVIEW:
I read Blind Faith about four years ago, back when I was just starting out this wonderful m/m journey I’ve since travelled. Now some 1500+ m/m books later and many adventures; everything from building houses and mending relationships to sailing the seas and battling pirates. I have fought werewolves bent on revenge and toured the world with bands playing music. My eyes have been opened and I have learned so much and met so many wonderful people (fictional and real). It’s been humbling experience to say the least. So when I had the opportunity to go back to where it all started – for me, and re-visit Carter and Isaac I was so happy. I couldn’t wait to see these guys again.
Blind Faith is a typical Walker story – in the best of ways. It’s sweet and engaging with wonderful characters and side characters that are easy to fall for. Carter is the new vet in town, taking over when the current vet is retiring. Contrary to common practice, this vet makes house calls to a select few customers. We meet Mrs Yeo and her cat Mr Whiskers, both elderly and with failing health, but then we meet Isaac and Brady. To say that they were far from what Carter expected is putting it mildly. To start with, Isaac is the same age as Carter and drop dead gorgeous. He’s also rude, insistent and completely ignoring his new dog Brady. And completely blind. So why he was ignoring his guide dog yet having a standing vet appointment Carter could not fathom.
I loved this story a lot. It was sweet and tender and it all just worked. The relationship between Carter and Isaac developed slowly and organically. I love it when characters get to know each other before jumping directly into a serious relationship. Personally that’s when I get the most invested. Being there for that initial getting to know you, the building attraction, beating heart and sweaty palms. It’s thrilling and wonderful and Walker gave us that and more with this story.
One of the things I’ve come to realise by reading m/m books is that this genre (at least from my experiences) is much more open and including. One of my absolute favourite tropes is reading about people with different disabilities, mental or physical. They humble me, inspire me and make me grateful for what I have. Reading about blind main characters, or characters in wheelchairs is something I never came across before finding this genre. But in this genre everyone is celebrated, everyone gets their happily ever after. This genre sees beyond the physical and into the persons beneath. So not only was Blind Faith one of the first books that resonated with me in this way, it’s a wonderful love story start to finish.
Michael Pauley did a fantastic performance of this book. He captured the essences of both Isaac’s standoffishness but also the shyness and uncertainty. Equally he also captured Carter, his need to help, the curiosity of all things Isaac and not the least love of animals. Pauley made them both come alive and feel real. He made you walk beside them in the rain, petting Brady and feeling that thrill of falling in love. I know that this is a book that I will come back to more than once as it truly stands the test of time.
RATING: 
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