Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Right as Raine

SERIES:  Aster Valley Book 1

AUTHOR:  Lucy Lennox

NARRATOR:  Michael Dean

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  8 hours and 45 mins

RELEASE DATE: February 2, 2021

BLURB:

Tiller:

As the first openly gay professional football player, I can’t afford to make any mistakes, on or off the field. And the absolute biggest mistake I could make right now would be to fall for Mikey Vining, my best friend, employee and, more importantly, Coach’s baby boy. I might fantasize about Mikey at night — every night — but actually touching him would be a serious personal foul. 

And falling for him? That’s completely out of bounds.

Mikey:

I’ve learned my lesson about falling for one of my dad’s players. They’re a bunch of spoiled jocks with more muscles than brains. I’ve spent years learning to keep my eyes, and my hands, to myself. But resisting the temptation becomes nearly impossible when Tiller Raine and I end up together in a small cabin in a remote Colorado town. 

Suddenly, there’s not much to do but look at each other. And talk. And hopefully, hopefully touch.

But what happens when our stay in Aster Valley is over and it’s time to return to the real world? Will Coach blow the whistle on our relationship? Or will Tiller admit there might actually be something he loves more than football after all?   

REVIEW:

In Right as Raine, Lucy Lennox creates a world you won’t want to leave.  Prepare yourself for a serious book hangover.  She invites you into the fictional-but-feels-so-real Aster Valley, Colorado, a small, snow-covered valley town with twinkling lights in windows and soaring, snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks in the distance, reflecting the warm glow of sunsets off snow.  She invokes images of a quaint, picturesque ski resort set in an adorable town laden with charming shops and holiday lights and decorations.  Basically a Hallmark movie set brought to life.

The twist here is that Aster Valley is a down-on-its-luck town, a bit derelict and deserted.  But thanks to Ms. Lennox’s magical world building, Aster Valley is no less vivid or appealing to the reader.  We can picture it as it is and all the potential for what it can be.  

Aster Valley is more than just cute shops and mountain slopes, though.  The heart of this small town is the colorful, diverse cast of characters that inhabit it.  We see everyone from the rock star Gentry Waites and his gorgeous occupational therapist husband Winter (from the prequel novella Winter Waites; definitely read that if you haven’t yet), to the twinky, adorably flustered, beleaguered spice shop owner Truman Sweet, to the Bill and Pim, the burly owners of the town diner, and their teenaged adopted son, Solo.  Aster Valley is brimming with varied, unique people, bursting with personality, who all coexist in a close-knit community.

World building is one of the things Lucy Lennox does best, but Aster Valley may exceed any of her prior ventures.  The incredible detail and inherent feeling of the place come through loud and clear.  Layer on top of this incredible world-building, the outstandingly written characters, brought to life with complexity and depth, and you’ve got an all-around, completely absorbing story that you’ll be addicted to long before you get to the last page.

Ms. Lennox is exceptionally gifted at creating and consistently delivering MCs who are relatable, believable and irresistible.  Here, we meet Tiller Raine, uber talented, Heisman trophy-winning wide receiver for the Houston Riggers, and Mikey Vining, Tiller’s live-in, long-lusted-after personal chef and youngest son of the Riggers’ head coach.  Both of these men are down to earth, generous and kind (and gorgeous).  They display an emotional bond built from 5 years together, accompanied by off-the-charts chemistry and an undeniable deep connection.  Nevertheless, Tiller and Mikey try to deny that they love each other and belong together romantically.  They do this for five. long. years.  That’s a lot of UST.

Tiller, in particular, is endearing and absolutely swoon-worthy.  Despite his talent, success, fame and wealth, he is down-to-earth, unpretentious and unapologetically himself.  Ms. Lennox took the closeted gay trope and turned it on its head in this story.  Mikey and Tiller keep their relationship a secret, not because Tiller is afraid of professional repercussions.  He is out and proud, but considerate and mindful that a public relationship with Mikey would have a detrimental impact landing disproportionately on the man he loves.  So they keep it a secret.  But even still, Tiller can’t help himself, unabashedly claiming Mikey in front of Gent and Winter and Mikey’s BFF Sam Rigby. 

Michael Dean narrates this audiobook and his vocal performance effortlessly communicates the complexity of Tiller and Mikey’s fears, vulnerabilities, love, and core beliefs and principles.  I don’t think I have ever not recommended a Lucy Lennox/Michael Dean audiobook because they are a perfect pairing, consistently delivering harmonious, accessible audiobooks. But here, in particular, Michael Dean’s portrayal of Tiller and Mikey is above and beyond because he explores all of the nuances of their characters, conflicted feelings and goals through the textures of the voices he gives them.

Michael Dean has narrated all of Ms. Lennox’s books to date so you’d think there’d be nothing new to hear.  Well, you’d be wrong.  Indeed, his Mikey voice is reminiscent of his other “twink” characters and Tiller’s voice, of his more gruff, masculine protagonists.  Yet the voices are not quite the same.  He’s thoughtful about how a character would sound and then infuses his narration of them with added vocal details like volume, pitch, inflections, and pacing to reflect the particularities of any given line or scene.  Every Lucy Lennox character is different, a feat unto itself given the sheer number of characters she’s created thus far.  Michael Dean matches that genesis character for character with a distinct voice for each.  Each character is different and that difference is made readily identifiable due to the varying emotional content and nuances he imbues in each one.

The intangible quality of Michael Dean’s narration makes this audiobook a must-have.  Sure, Ms. Lennox’s books are terrific on paper/screen alone, but you are definitely missing something if you don’t hear Mr. Dean deliver the extra layers to the story that you won’t otherwise experience or appreciate.  

I wish they sold medicine formulated to treat book hangovers, because I’ve got a serious case of one.  Adding insult to injury, the epilogue of Right as Raine provides a peek at the couple to be featured in Aster Valley Book 2, Sweet as Honey, and now April can’t get here soon enough.  There’s only one remedy I know for this current affliction.  Queuing up another Lucy Lennox/Michael Dean audiobook posthaste.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible

Amazon