Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: After the Crash
SERIES: Small Town Hearts #1
AUTHOR: Emma Alcott
NARRATOR: J.F. Harding
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 6 hours, 58 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 19, 2019
BLURB:
Rule number one: Straight military men will always be straight, no matter how much you wish otherwise.
Rule number two: Being a billionaire won’t change that (probably).
Rule number three: The whole thing between you when you were in high school? It was only fantasy.
Rule number four: One-sided fantasy.
Rule number five: God, how great would it be if it was a two-sided fantasy?
Rule number six: Okay, getting off track.
Rule number seven: Hiring your hot high school crush is totally okay.
Rule number eight: If you don’t let your feelings get in the way, everything will be fine.
Marshall Lloyd is about to be very not fine. Not only is his high school crush back in his life, but he’s matured into a gruff, brooding, drop-dead gorgeous specimen of a man who makes Marshall’s wet dreams seem about as exciting as drying paint.
The only problem? Fox Fraser, the individual in question, is straight.
Super straight.
The kind of straight that would make a ruler jealous.
But if what Marshall sees when he looks in Fox’s eyes is to be believed, he’s broken, too. There are scars inside of him that no one notices. No one but Marshall. It’s not wrong to want to help him, is it? To hire him to take care of things around the house so he can get back on his feet? It’s just work. Work that leads to lingering looks. To prolonged touches. To…mmph.
It’s better not to think about it.
Marshall’s fantasies aren’t real. A guy like Fox would never pin him to a wall and do things to him like that.
Maybe.
Probably.
Right?
After the Crash is the first book in the Small Town Hearts series, which features heroes scattered across the rural United States who find love where they’re least expecting it. In addition to explosive chemistry, you can expect sneezing bushes, tea that tastes like hay, and a wet wrestling match that’s just boys having fun, Mom.
REVIEW:
Starting in on this book after I’d gone to bed wasn’t the smartest choice I’ve ever made. From that first minute I was seriously hooked and drawn into the story, captivated by the characters. Oh, how I wanted justice for Marshall when he was a teenager. Barely having recovered for that, we meet Fox present day, and I end up having my heart broken for him too. Raging at his insensitive mom. All in all, going to sleep wasn’t high on my list that night J
Marshall needs a change, and returning home to make peace with the past. He’s not the bullied weird kid anymore. He’s still gay, nothing’s going to change that. But having conquered the IT world he had the luxury to do whatever he wanted with his life. So he buys an old Victorian home and decides to stay there while figuring out his next move. Investigating a sneezing bush, he finds his high school crush and white knight; Fox. Now a man, deeply haunted by his time in the military. He offers Fox the position as groundskeeper and a room in the house in the hopes of chasing away some of the ghosts living within Fox.
The two get along right away and it’s not long until their duo includes the teenage son of one of their class mates. A teenager that’s not only gay and wears make up, but also one that wants to go places after graduating. Something his father does not approve of. The three of them get along from the start and mentoring Sam helped Fox in so many ways. I loved their dynamic.
Marshall and Fox were perfect for each other, there was this innate understanding between them that was just beautiful. They complimented each other and there was communication throughout. They both had issues and ghosts to deal with, but they never caused any drama. Personally I would have liked to see a few less sex-scenes and more time spent just being with each other for the sake of it, but that’s just me.
Emma Alcott’s way of crafting the story and J.F. Harding’s ability to make it come alive was incredible and I loved them both. This book was a great mix of sweet and fun, but also sad and very serious dealing with some very heavy subjects. I have to praise Alcott for balancing it just right, giving each section the room to be explored, never venturing too far in either direction into ridiculousness or too heavy and becoming a downer. It felt right.
I loved J.F. Harding’s narration, to the point where my next stop is Audible to scour his works for something else to listen to. He narrated with feeling, he made you feel Fox’s fear and anxiety to the point where you too wanted to huddle in a dark corner somewhere. He made you go through all the feelings, the good and the bad. He made you live the story with them. I also really appreciated his female voices, they sounded credible and not overdone.
The snipes and drop-bear story was hilarious, I was grinning so hard I had a difficult time not laughing out loud. Not that it would have mattered, for once, seeing as I was at home making lunch. It did however make it so much more fun cooking. I can’t understand how Harding narrated it all with a straight face, how he didn’t laugh his way through it. He narrated it brilliantly in any case.
After the Crash was beautiful and moving and I’m definitely going to look for more books by this duo.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: