Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: To Whom It May Concern
SERIES: For Him, Book 3.5
AUTHOR: A.M. Johnson
NARRATOR: Kirt Graves and Aaron Shedlock
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 2 hours and 40 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2022
BLURB:
To whom it may concern,
I can’t be sure what you’re into. That being said, if you like sexy and sweet romance with a whole lot of quirk, keep reading…
Ever since Clay Saxon’s parents passed away a year ago, he’s been stuck in a rut, running their business, and suffering from the worst writer’s block ever. But when Syrus Albie, a.k.a. yellow sweater guy (you’ll see), walks into The End Book Store, Clay’s mundane little world turns to sunshine.
I don’t want to ruin it, but I can definitely say, when an introverted-as-hell narrator finally meets his favorite author and crush, all of his usual protocols go up in flames.
Set in the For Him world, this stand-alone is the perfect introduction or addition to this steamy MM collection.
Sincerely yours,
A.M. Johnson
REVIEW:
To Whom It May Concern is a novella set in A.M. Johnson’s For Him universe. It focuses on Clay Saxon, a writer/bookstore owner, and Syrus Albie, a voice actor. Clay is a client of Anders Lowe’s literary agency, loosely tying him to the prior series books where Anders appears. (There’s also an attenuated connection between Syrus and the characters from the previous For Him books. Donovan, one of the MCs in book three, Dear Mr. Brody, has a brother, Owen, whose boyfriend is Shane, Syrus’ cousin.)
I’m a book nerd (as if my constant reading and reviewing didn’t give that away 🤣), so I love that the romance in this story revolves around books. Syrus and Clay meet in Clay’s bookstore. Ironically, Syrus’ favorite book, the fictional The Branches Between Us, is authored by – you guessed it – Clay. After Syrus discovers this, he offers to buy the audiobook rights to the book. The negotiation and subsequent making of the audiobook serve as the vehicle for the development of Syrus and Clay’s relationship. Their interactions are best featured in their sweet, adorable, flirty email exchanges.
I loved the development of the connection between Syrus and Clay as they navigate their way through unchartered waters. They both have their own emotional roadblocks to break through. Clay’s is more trauma-induced, as he is still reeling from the tragic death of his parents a year ago. His life moves along yet he’s still struggling, and his writer’s block evidences his struggles to engage with his own emotions.
Syrus’ hesitance is not event-driven by the pervasive, unpleasant experience of personal interactions. Syrus is quirky, socially awkward and introverted. He doesn’t know how to date nor does he feel the need to do so. Yet with Clay, he discovers he feels more and wants more. He discovers there’s joy and meaning in having feelings, and in particular, how it changes his view and experience of sex and intimacy.
The audiobook rounds out what is already an excellent story through the solid vocal performances of Kirt Graves and Aaron Shedlock. This pair of narrators voiced the second book in this series, Not So Sincerely, Yours, and they recreate a similarly immersive experience here.
Mr. Graves uses his easy demeanor to bring Syrus to life. He has a characteristically gravelly edge to his voice that he smooths out a bit here, leaving just an edge of wryness bordering on disinterest, which mirrors Syrus’ personality. Notably, I’ve previously commented on Mr. Graves’ tendency toward flat narration without much variation in inflection, emphasis and pacing. It’s a steady, even, moderated delivery. It doesn’t work well in many circumstances. However, here, it matches perfectly with Syrus’s tone and speech cadence. Syrus has social skills challenges. His reactions to and interpretation of events are akin to someone with high functioning ASD/Aspergers. Mr. Graves’ almost-monotone delivery of certain parts of Syrus’ narrative highlights that aspect of Syrus’ personality. He provides this in contrast to Syrus and Clay’s interactions later in the story when Syrus pushes himself out of his comfort zone and starts to feel emotions and attachment to Clay.
Mr. Shedlock shines here in his invested vocal performance of Clay. He really embraces the dynamics of the scenes here, giving texture to the emotions of the characters. His voice has a sultry, husky tone that oozes sexiness and charisma. Yet he delivers it with ease and full engagement with Clay’s personality. We hear Clay’s vulnerability but paired with his bravery to push himself to emotionally open up to Syrus, this beautiful, unique, perfect man for him.
I highly recommend the To Whom It May Concern audiobook. It may be short, yet it is nevertheless impactful. It pairs Ms. Johnson’s sweet, sexy, well-written story with two skilled, impactful vocal performances . It’s an all-around satisfying, enjoyable listen.
RATING: 
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