Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: American Fairytale
SERIES: Dreamers #2
AUTHOR: Adriana Herrera
NARRATOR: Sean Crisden
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Audio
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2019
LENGTH: 7 hours, 34 minutes
BLURB:
Fairy-tale endings don’t just happen; they have to be fought for.
New York City social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs grew up surrounded by survivors who taught him to never rely on anything you didn’t earn yourself. He’s always dreamed of his own happily ever after, but he lives in the real world. Men who seem too good to be true…usually are. And Milo never ever mixes business with pleasure…until the mysterious man with whom he had an unforgettable hookup turns out to be the wealthy donor behind his agency’s new, next-level funding.
Thomas Hughes built a billion-dollar business from nothing: He knows what he wants and isn’t shy about going after it. When the enthralling stranger who blew his mind at a black-tie gala reappears, Tom’s more than ready to be his Prince Charming. Showering Milo with the very best of everything is how Tom shows his affection.
Trouble is, Milo’s not interested in any of it. The only thing Milo wants is Tom.
Fairy-tale endings take work as well as love. For Milo, that means learning to let someone take care of him for a change. And for Tom, it’s figuring out that real love is the one thing you can’t buy.
REVIEW:
American Fairytale is the second book in the Dreamers series. It can easily be read as a standalone as there isn’t much overlap between this and the first book.
Milo has dedicated his life helping people in need. He helps run a shelter for domestic abuse survivors and the foundation has recently gotten the donor of a lifetime. A donor who’s contribution will help the centre for years to come. The only problem is that this particular donor was the man he hooked up with at a gala not that long ago and hadn’t been able to get out of his head since. Their chemistry was instant, but what could the two possibly have in common?
I’m a bit unsure of Milo and Tom’s relationship. It felt like it was one sided at times or at the very least the power dynamic was way off. It felt like Milo had all the power and Tom was walking on eggshells hoping not to set Milo off. Sure Tom had more money than he could ever hope to spend, but money isn’t everything – which this book clearly shows. But at the same time the amount of money you have or don’t have shouldn’t be the defining factor of your personality or relationship. Sadly it felt like Milo had a hard time getting passed the fact that Tom was wealthy and because of that he had a short fuse when all things regarding money was concerned. It felt like Tom was always the one that was expected to compromise, it was Milo’s way or no way. I mean sure, Tom ordering food for Milo and throwing money at things without even talking with Milo was not okay. But neither was Milos constant jumping down Tom’s throat any time help of any kind was offered.
I never warmed up to Milo during these hours I spent with him and Tom. He was just too prickly and I’m sorry unreasonable. I totally get where he was coming from in regards to Tom kept throwing money around and in general not listening to his feelings and respecting Milo not wanting him to throw money on his problems. At the same time I also understand Tom. Watching Milo run himself to the ground for something he had so much of and was willing, eager even to share.
As you might have guessed there wasn’t a lot going on plot-wise and after a while it was a bit tedious to listen to them having the same argument over and over. It was credible and genuine, sure but I needed something more. Some genuine attempt at communication and some trying to work things out, trying to compromise, but we never really got that.
I saw, or rather heard, another side of Sean Crisden’s in this book. There’s a lot of Spanish thrown in all throughout, everything from single words to phrases and sentences and Crisden took them all in a stride without hesitation. He switched between English and Spanish seamlessly, and as a non-Spanish speaker his accent did sound really great – but I’ll leave its authenticity for you native speakers to decide upon.
RATING: 
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