Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Showstopper
SERIES: Vino & Veritas
AUTHOR: Regina Kyle
NARRATORS: Cooper North & Iggy Toma
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 8 hours and 17 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2022
BLURB:
I swore I wouldn’t do this again. Mix sports, school, and sex. But right now the only thing standing between me and the NHL is six feet of frenemy packed into a pair of form-fitting jeans that have me thinking all kinds of things I shouldn’t. Mostly how to get him out of them.
I don’t just want Kolby. I need him. Because I’ve got to pass this theater class–yeah, I said theater–if I’m going to keep my spot on the team. When tutoring sessions turn into dates-not-dates over Shipley Cider at Vino and Veritas, I realize it’s going to be harder than I thought to keep my hands on my stick and off of Kolby. Worse, I think I might be falling for him. But I’m not ready for that. I want to keep this thing between us on the down-low for now.
But Kolby hates secrets. Especially his own . . .
REVIEW:
Adam Serrano is a college hockey player who has transferred to Moo U. Kolby is a theater major who is on scholarship at Moo U. One of his many jobs is at the registrars office. When Adam can’t get into the class he wants and he’s stuck in an improv class, things don’t go well. First he has NO desire to be the center of attention – in anything but hockey. Kolby’s experience with jocks isn’t great and he not sure what’s gong on with Adam. He thinks there’s a vibe there, but he’s not sure what it is.
When they next meet it’s at the bookstore – Vino & Veritas – another one of Kolby’s jobs. Adam is looking for a birthday gift for his mom and Kolby helps him. He also puts in a gay romance to Adam’s package. Adam had though Kolby was gay or at least bi, but Kolby confirms it. Adam admits that he’s bi, but that he isn’t out to his team. Kolby is ok with that. For a while.
Most of Adam’s new team are good guys. They get along well with one exception – and that guy is kind of a homophobic jerk. But the rest of the team put him in his place and also he doesn’t live with the guys so they don’t have to put up with him that much. He is the one guy that Adam doesn’t trust with his secret. But when Kolby and Adam start seeing each other on the DL and that guy makes some homophobic remarks within Kolby’s earshot and Adam doesn’t defend him, things turn frosty. Adam knows he really has to come up with something to win Kolby back. And he does – in a dramatic and public way.
Turns out the team is fine with Adam’s orientation. Kolby and Adam are now together in public as well as private. Adam finally shares with Kolby the reason he’s been so reluctant to be out and what has happened at his last school. But it turns out Kolby has some secrets too. After a Thanksgiving spent with Adam’s perfect family, Kolby still doesn’t come clean and then his past sort of slaps him in the face. Unfortunately this little “surprise” is the impetus for another very big conflict between them. It’s not clear that this time, it’s something that can be overcome with a grand gesture.
So I really liked the performance of this audiobook by Iggy Toma and Cooper North. In fact, the stellar performance helped me overcome my real distaste for much of the story after the Thanksgiving break. Both of these narrators are consummate professionals and I appreciated their acting chops with the ups and downs of this relationship. I’m actually glad I listened to this book rather than read it because of their wonderful abilities to really bring the characters to life.
I loved both Adam and Kolby and they were very believably written as young men working on finding their place in the world. They both had a lot riding on there college experience and they are both worried about losing all they have worked for. Their chemistry was good and they spent time getting to know each other in every sense of the word 😉 I also give an extra half-star to this rating for all “The Good Place” references – particularly in Chapter 2 🙂 since it’s one of my favorite TV shows EVER! Kolby has been through a lot and he’s guarded because of it. Adam has been through a lot as well and then he feels like he has to relive that nightmare experience again. His feelings were warranted. They both had to reveal their insecurities and vulnerabilities in order for them to move forward with their relationship.
The thing that I did not like and that I didn’t believe was the sister. Her actions and then waiting so long to actually try to do anything about it really rubbed me the wrong way. Not believable considering everything else she had done before that and how all of the sudden she’s ready to just let Kolby take on responsibility for her and her actions. She was not likable at all for me and I just wanted her gone. For me, that whole situation just about derailed the story. Thank god Kolby and Adam were able to pull things back from the edge. The epilogue also went a long way to making things right.
RATING: 
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