Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Until the World Stops 
AUTHOR: L.A. Witt
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 7 hours and 2 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2021
BLURB:
Their plan was perfect…until the world stopped.
After the navy boots him out, Tristan is screwed. Without an honorable discharge or a college degree, his job prospects are grim. If only he knew a service member who was willing to get married, make Tristan a dependent, and transfer his GI Bill. Such as, say, a former coworker who’s single, gay, and wants his family off his back about his refusal to settle down…and who maybe feels guilty for his role in Tristan losing his career.
Casey has never liked Tristan, but the plan is irresistible. In fact, it’s perfect. Now, Tristan has health insurance and a place to live, and he’s going to school. Meanwhile, Casey’s conscience is assuaged, and he’s still sleeping his way through town while his family is none the wiser. The guys stay out of each other’s way, and it’s all good.
Right up until a pandemic locks everything down.
Suddenly, it’s just Casey and Tristan…and maybe that’s not such a bad thing. In a time when they’re both desperate for strength, support, and human contact, they find them in the most unexpected place: each other.
But when feelings come into play, is it something real? Or just two lonely men making the best of terrifying times? And how in the world do Casey and Tristan tell the difference?
Until the World Stops is a 72,000-word, stand-alone gay romance.
A note from the author:
As the events of 2020 have unfolded, in particular the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve debated when and how to incorporate that reality into my work. It’s not something I want to make light of or capitalize on, but it has become a part of our lives, and one that doesn’t look to be going anywhere any time soon.
There comes a point when – if I’m to write about life – I need to write about the ugly parts, too. For that matter, writing is how I process the world around me, and as time has gone on, I’ve found myself needing the catharsis of looking this reality in the eye and putting it into words as best I can.
Most importantly, however, this is a time when we all need hope and even moments of peace. While pure escapism is important to me, so too is finding that hope and peace when everything feels so bleak.
So, it’s with that in mind that I give you a couple of guys finding a little bit of light when all the world feels dark.
REVIEW:
Tristan is getting the boot from the Navy without his honorable discharge. He’s pissed over Command over a FB post and as a consequence, he’s going to lose all his benefits, his job and he is pretty much screwed. Casey, his supervisor, feels guilty because he and Tristan got into it over the post which pulled Command into it and results in Tristan paying a very high price.
While out for a beer, Casey cooks up the idea of them getting married and he can transfer the GI Bill benefits to Tristan so he can get his degree and he can also have insurance as a dependent. He’s keen to stick it to the Navy for what he sees as a pretty unfair punishment. So they agree to the plan.
After more than a year of living together, Casey and Tristan aren’t exactly friends, but they are co-habiting without too many problems. But then the COVID hits. Tristan’s hours get cut from his low-paying job and they are forced to spend a lot more time together. As things go on, they are forced to figure out a new way of living together. And since they don’t feel comfortable being around anyone else, they eventually fall into a roommates with benefits relationship. But as time goes on, Tristan begins to really feel the imbalance of the relationship – he’s totally dependent on Casey and he feels like the only thing he can control is access to his body. But when things come to a head – both personally and at work, Casey has to decide what he really wants.
This is the first romance story I’ve seen that fully incorporates the current state of affairs of the world in it. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I really thought it was handled beautifully. All the nuances of how this has played out over the last year are surfaced in the story. The forced proximity and fake marriage/marriage of convenience were certainly well-played 😉 The sort of slow burn, discovery of feelings over the course of the quarantine were realistic. My observation is that people are either being drawn closer or cracks that might have existed but were tolerable when people kind of lived their own lives erupted into major fissures during COVID. Thankfully these guys had compassion for themselves and for each other while they dealt with the craziness. I loved how Tristan stood up for himself even when he really didn’t have much other than his integrity to his name. And obviously Casey is a more compassionate guy than he seemed to be or he wouldn’t have suggested the arrangement to start with. It’s a story of slowly growing feelings over time that I really enjoyed. They didn’t just jump into things together and when the chips were down, they really came through for each other. Definitely recommended.
As usual, Michael Ferraiuolo provided another great performance. There are quite a few voices in this story and a wide range of emotions. All were distinctive and well done. I swear I would listen to him read the phone book 🙂 Bravo and well done!
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Audible