Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Following the Rules

SERIES:  The Script Club Book 1

AUTHOR: Lane Hayes

NARRATOR:  Alexander Cendese

PUBLISHER: Self-published

RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2021

LENGTH: 4 hours and 50 minutes

BLURB: 

The geek, the jock, and a new set of rules…

Topher-

My friend’s brother needs an academic assistant and I need a job. Problem…jocks are my weakness. Seriously. I lose my ability to speak coherently around muscle-bound hotties. Oh yeah, I lose my inhibitions too—not a good look for a guy with a genius IQ. So what am I going to do about Simon? 

Simon-

Finishing college isn’t high on my list of priorities, but my future in professional football is looking bleak. I need a plan B or C, and I could use some help navigating life as an undergrad. Topher is perfect. He’s also a little strange…but in a good way. And I like the way I feel when I’m around him—as though anything is possible. Maybe if we follow our hearts, we’ll find what we’re looking for. But that means changing the rules…

Following the Rules is a MM, bisexual awakening romance starring a lovable nerd, a cool jock, and some extracurricular fun. 

REVIEW: 

I don’t think I’ve read a Lane Hayes book that I haven’t liked. Following the Rules, the first book in her new Script Club series, is no exception, although I will say that it has a different feel to it than many of her other books. Topher is a genius. Simon (older brother of Topher’s BFF George) is a jock. Never the twain shall meet, right? Wrong. In true nerd/jock trope fashion, these two men improbably romantically fit together.

It’s a strange confluence of events and personalities that brings Topher and Simon together. Simon has been cut from his pro-football team after suffering 3 concussions. Simon has discounted his value for anything other than football so he spends every day waiting for the phone to ring with an offer to get him back in the game. In the meantime, he’s taking classes to finish his degree and some of them are presenting quite a challenge. Enter Topher as his tutor.

Topher has a thing for jocks, and a thing for Simon in particular, that disables his ability to coherently socialize in his presence. Yet at the same time, Topher has a quirky sense of humor that intrigues Simon. Even though Topher is presented as an awkward nerd, he is not the shy, retiring type. In fact, he’s willing to take risks and sexually, he unabashedly asks for what he wants and is willing to explore anything Simon wants to. The dichotomy is unusual; you don’t typically see a nerd presented in that way and I applaud Ms. Hayes for breaking with stereotypes.

Simon displays what a jock looks like when knocked off his game. He’s vulnerable and his self-confidence has been shaken. On top of that, he’s not sure who he is without football, but there’s a part of him that’s afraid of the health consequences of rejoining the game again.

Simon and Topher thrive on each other’s simple, straightforward companionship and honesty.  Simon can’t quite get a read on Topher, though, and Topher is still holding back so they agree to use imaginative role-playing scenarios to break through Topher’s nerves.

Over the course of the book, both Simon and Topher change, as do their priorities. I really enjoyed both of these men and how Ms. Hayes gave them dimension without falling into the stereotypes. They have a sweet, playful relationship with definite chemistry. I would have liked a bit more depth on the emotional connection, but otherwise, it’s a fun, easy read that will leave you smiling.

Alexander Cendese is on the mic for the narration of the Following the Rules audiobook.  I hesitate to call him simply a “narrator” because while he is, he’s also more than that.  Mr.  Cendese brings experience as a TV and Broadway actor to the recording booth.  You can hear it too, how he shows his acting chops through the narration.  He doesn’t just recite the lines on the page.  He gives an invested vocal portrayal of Topher and Simon, inhabiting and breathing life into the characters.

Mr. Cendese’s narration, across the board, carries sharpness along the edges and vibrant energy that works extremely well in portraying a slightly arrogant, snarky jock, especially one who’s flirty and has a good sense of humor, like Simon.  He gives Simon’s voice a lower pitch but with a bit of a bounce to it.  In contrast, Topher’s voice is higher, with an almost nasal quality.  You can hear in his voice a tightness that’s reflective of his anxiety and nervous energy. 

Mr. Cendese discerns humor in the text and is able to capture and deliver it perfectly.  This is an area where Mr. Cendese excels, especially with deadpan humor and sarcasm.  We see it with Simon’s snark and attitude, but that vocal quality and characterization also work well for Topher.  It picks up on his “geekiness” and his almost stream-of-consciousness musings.  Further, Mr. Cendese is able to use it to round out Topher’s character through his voice, infusing him with warmth so he doesn’t come across as stiff and uptight.   

When you play Simon and Topher off each other in dialogue, Mr. Cendese’s skills shine.  In the first few scenes with Topher and Simon, their conversations have a bit of a frenetic air to them, with Topher practically vibrating with nervous energy and Simon befuddled by his behavior and trying to figure him out.  Mr. Cendese’s delivery of this dialogue elevates what was funny in the text to pure hysterical comedy when you hear it played out.

Typically, Mr. Cendese’s faithful execution of the voices for the two main characters is spot on, with clear, consistent distinction between them.  Here, surprisingly, his delivery lacked the consistency he usually demonstrates particularly in narrative portions toward the latter part of the book.  At times, Topher’s voice slipped down a bit in pitch and lost the nasal quality, blending with Simon’s voice.  It wasn’t entirely clear who was speaking if I picked up listening in the middle of a chapter.

Otherwise, Mr. Cendese provided an expressive, engaging vocal performance that brings to life the short, sweet nerd/jock love story of Topher and Simon.  Ms. Hayes’ writing never lets me down and paired with Mr. Cendese’s narration, you have a thoroughly enjoyable audiobook.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

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