Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Today
SERIES: Single Dads #2
AUTHOR: RJ Scott
NARRATOR: Sean Crisden
PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books
RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2019
LENGTH: 4 hours, 29 minutes
BLURB:
When the world labels a man and judges them blindly, is it possible to ever find love?
Firefighter Eric is on the front line, battling the threat of nature’s destruction in the California grasslands alongside his CalFire team. Focused and calm, even in the direst of situations, he has a strong affection for his fire truck, loves his career, and has best friends he can rely on. All he needs now is love, but that seems to be impossible to find. At his friend’s wedding. Eric falls in lust at first sight with the shy, slim, and sexy Brady, even if Brady isn’t the type of guy he usually goes for. What Eric longs for is an equal in his bed, not a smaller guy who might want Eric to role-play big strong firefighter every time they have sex. He wants to find someone he can be vulnerable with, someone who will love him for his soft heart and quiet ways.
Brady’s life plans grind to a halt when his niece and nephew lose their parents in a tragic accident, and he becomes a dad overnight. His Developmental Coordination Disorder rules his life, but he fights both DCD and the fears that chase him every day, to give Maddie and Lucas a home. Agreeing to go to a friend’s wedding is a decision he regrets long before he even gets there. But, he refuses to give in to his fear, even if he might do something that makes him a target for people’s comments and laughter. Meeting Eric, a huge man with a gentle voice and a flair for chivalry, he falls hard. Now, if only he can let himself get past his panic that Eric would never want someone like him, then maybe he could fall in love for real.
REVIEW:
Ever since I listened to Single earlier this year I wanted to listen to Brady’s story. I fell for this shy and reclusive man and wanted to know his story.
Today didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I liked it better than the first book but I still have some of the same issues. The relationship between Eric and Brady felt imbalanced and centred around Brady instead of the two of them. And even though it was Brady that made me pick the book up, I still wanted more Eric. I wanted to know him too, and not only as Brady’s love interest. I mean what were his hopes wants and dreams? Who was he more than a fire fighter? After listening to this book I still don’t know the answers to those questions.
I know that Brady had a disability that made him question everything and obsess over things in minute detail, but at times it was kind of exhausting and a tad uncomfortable being inside his head. Disability or not, Brady spent so much time questioning Eric and his motives, their relationship and every step that there wasn’t really any time for anything else. I didn’t feel their relationship, at least not beyond that first initial interest.
Sean Crisden really brought out Brady and all of his insecurities for the listener. At times I kind of wished he wasn’t as proficient at what he does as I needed some distance to Brady and his low self-esteem and the non-stop monologues where he dissected every move. But that’s just my preference, and also I think the first time I wished for less feeling and emotions from a narrator. Still, Crisden has many different voices that make it easy to follow the characters and distinguishing between them. His narration might just be the best part about this book.
Even though I liked the idea of the story and characters, it lacked something in the execution and I think this is where I leave this series and focus on other books by this author instead, like the one from last week. And until Without a Trace is released next year, I might just go back and re-listen to the first book again.
RATING: 
Narration: 4,5 hearts
Story: 3 hearts
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