Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: The Loner
SERIES: The Vers Podcast, Book 1
AUTHOR: Riley Hart
NARRATOR: Sean Crisden
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 21 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023
BLURB:
Declan:
As a founding member of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I’m “The Loner”—quieter than the others, and except for them, I don’t let myself get too close to people. Most of them just let you down anyway, or maybe it’s just that something about me chases people away.
Infrequent no-strings-attached hookups have always worked for me. Who knew my favorite one would become such a popular movie star? But Sebastian Cole and I made it work, meeting up whenever he was in Santa Monica and in the mood—until he called it off when he got a serious boyfriend. A boyfriend he later found in bed with another man.
Now, Sebastian is back in California, taking a break from acting. He needs a friend, and for whatever reason, he decides that should be me. We’ve known each other intimately for years, and yet, we’ve never spent much time together with our clothes on. When he starts taking me places, it feels suspiciously like dates…and surprisingly, I like it.
Despite our differences, Sebastian’s lonely like me. The more we hang out, the more I realize I’ll never get enough of him.
A loner dating a celebrity doesn’t make much sense. I don’t know how to be someone’s boyfriend, let alone be in the public eye. But to call him mine, I’ll need to leave the past behind and finally allow myself to move forward with him.
The Loner is an opposites-attract romance about a movie star rethinking his career and a bar owner/podcast host who isn’t fond of most people. Expect Southern California sun, swoon, found family, and once-in-a-lifetime friendships.
REVIEW:
Riley Hart kicks off her inspired The Vers Podcast series with The Loner, a virtually no-angst romance between an emotionally scarred loner, Declan, and a superstar actor, Sebastian Cole. Hart accomplishes a notable feat with her telling of this opposites attract, famous guy/ordinary guy romance: she deftly weaves an absorbing love story with a completely improbable pairing, without having the plot turn on the actor’s fame and how the attendant intrusiveness can serve as a wedge between the couple. Instead, we get an absolutely delightful, sweet romance between two endearing characters as they travel the long road to falling in love.
From hookups to friends to forever-loves, the progression of Declan and Sebastian falling in love is seamless. Love comes more readily to Sebastian than Declan. But the beauty of this story is watching Declan’s grumpiness and determined isolation slowly break down under Sebastian’s non-threatening, sunshiney presence. Their dynamic is fantastic, and I couldn’t stop smiling whenever they were together. Sebastian is beyond adorable, especially in his babbling and their witty, sometimes silly, banter. I found myself laughing out loud frequently throughout the story.
The backbone of this series is the four childhood BFFs that make up The Vers podcast: Declan, Parker, Corbin, and Marcus. Their tight bond, goofy behavior, and playful banter will captivate you. Hart is at her best here in her colorful, vivid characterizations of these four friends and Sebastian. They quickly show their distinct personalities, yet Hart also shows how they seamlessly fit together as a found family unit.
Sebastian, for all his fame, is a sweet, down-to-earth guy who’s been pining after Declan for the better part of a decade. He sadly realizes that he’s rich in money and fame, but bereft of any real friends. Despite being squarely in the public eye, he could easily be seen as a loner in his own way, albeit perhaps unintentionally. Sebastian wanted Declan from the start and (unintentionally) waited for him to come around. I loved all the smiles and warm fuzzies this story produces.
Sean Crisden narrates the audiobook of The Loner, which is a refreshing switch from Hart’s usual narrators. Crisden is a skilled vocal performer. He’s technically proficient, and his character differentiation here between Declan and Sebastian is distinct and consistent throughout. He deftly and intuitively captures their personalities. His pacing is generally good, although, in a few spots, he rushes or gives the words a tempo that doesn’t match what the scene calls for. One of the things I like the most about Crisden is the raw, grittiness in his voice. That deep, smoky, gravelly timbre can’t be faked. It is a natural component of his voice, and he uses it to its full devastating effect.
Oddly, Crisden gives that bass pitch and husky tone to Sebastian. It’s a strange choice, in my opinion, because I hear Declan as having that deep rumbly voice, delivered with a slow cadence, minimal inflection, and dry humor. Sebastian, I hear with more of a middle-pitched voice, with more energy and life to it, especially when he gets into his internal perseverating. So Crisden’s choice to give Declan the higher pitch, lighter tone voice doesn’t seem fitting. Similarly, he gives Sebastian the low-pitched deep tone, and it ends up undercutting Sebastian’s sunshiney, natural, down-to-earth personality.
Other than the pitch and tone issue, which admittedly may just be a “me” thing, Crisden does an excellent job. His performance is locked in, invested and effective in bringing these colorful characters to life. Like so many of Hart’s other stories, The Loner exemplifies her talent for delivering authentic yet different M/M romances that are easy on the ears and warm for the heart. I highly recommend The Loner.
RATING: 
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