Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Cravings of the Heart
SERIES: Trials of Fear #6
AUTHOR: Nicky James
NARRATOR: Adam Gold
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 12 hours, 1 minute
RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2022
BLURB:
A relationship with his brother’s best friend had only ever been a dream.
A chance reunion with his brother’s childhood best friend leaves Arden hungry for attention. He’s always loved Iggy, despite their vast age difference, but he didn’t know Iggy was gay until now. His family wouldn’t approve. His brother wouldn’t approve. Plus, Arden isn’t in a position to have a relationship.
Arden’s phobia is slowly killing him and consuming his life, and he doesn’t see a way out. He’s desperate to break free, but every day is a losing battle. It would be an impossible thing to hide, and when Iggy finds out the truth, could he love him the same, or will he decide Arden is too much to handle?
Cravings of the Heart is a hurt-comfort brother’s-best-friend age-gap MM romance with moderate angst. It is part of the Trials of Fear series but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.
REVIEW:
Seriously folks, I’m afraid I’m starting to lose street cred. Judging by my reviews of Nicky James’ novels, readers are going to assume all I ever award books are 5 heart/star ratings. I assure you that’s not even close to true; I’m actually very selective. It’s just that Her Majesty of Tortured Souls is a magnificent writer. And in the case of Cravings of the Heart, Adam Gold’s narration is the cherry on top of a story about Iggy’s love for Arden as Arden struggles to stay alive.
Rare phobias are the unifying theme in the Trials of Fear series. In this instance, Arden suffers from cibophobia – a fear of food – that arose after a tragic event in his life. The fear consumes him and he can only tolerate a small handful of foods. It greatly affects his health. He’s an outcast in his large family for being gay (his parents are deeply religious and homophobic), his interest in fashion design, and his disordered eating. They see Arden as weak and useless and he is filled with self-loathing. His parents barely tolerate him. But as much as he’d like to eat, the truth is he’s too afraid. He’s terrified. He’s embarrassed to be weak and fearful, and is ashamed at losing control.
Iggy is the best friend of Arden’s older brother, and Arden has had a crush on him since he was an adolescent. They haven’t seen each other in many years but when they run into each other again, sparks begin to kindle. It amazed me how much goodness Iggy has in his heart to support someone with problems of Arden’s magnitude. He sticks by his side even before they are involved much. Clearly, Iggy is smitten to want to proceed forward with this relationship. He wishes Arden could see himself as the beautiful man Iggy sees him as. His devotion and patience seem immeasurable. It’s evident Iggy loves Arden long before he realizes it himself.
From the very first paragraph, you can tell Adam Gold is going to deliver gold. He distinguishes himself as a voice actor, not just a narrator, by adding something special to fully engross his listeners in the story. His voice inflection, variations in pace, and emphasis on emotion make his delivery natural and conversational. But it’s more than that which sets him apart; he uses several specific techniques to enhance the audiobook. First, he uses thoughtful, brief pauses in his speech to convey appropriate emotion. Next are his unique voices over the phone. It actually sounds like the character is speaking on the phone. I can’t quite explain it but I love it. He also laughs when the character laughs. These little things make a big difference.
Mr. Gold makes Arden and Iggy’s intimate scenes so sensual, the words spoken with breathlessness, tenderness, and reverence. His voices vary greatly from one character to the next. Mickey’s unique voice, the Colombian accent for Mickey’s mother, his female voices, and that of an east Indian character are all on point.
Cravings of the Heart is not to be missed. It exists in a shared world but is completely standalone. Come along on Arden’s journey to gain control over his fears and not let them control him, and Iggy’s gentle caring for the man he loves.
RATING: 
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