Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Aisle Be There
SERIES: Runaway Grooms, Book 1
AUTHOR: Charlie Cochet
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 45 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2023
BLURB:
They say your wedding day is the beginning of your happily ever after.
But I’m pretty sure they never stood on a sweltering Florida beach getting ready to promise forever, only to change their mind at the last minute and be assaulted by a crustacean while fleeing the scene.
Once upon a time, I was a respected Navy officer. A guy who made a career out of managing chaos.
Now, I am the chaos, a groom on the run from my ex-fiance and his dad’s goons. Oh, and the guy driving the getaway car? That would be my ex-boyfriend, Jett.
Gorgeous. Brilliant. A guy I couldn’t help falling in love with 12 years ago.
The guy I realize I’ve always loved.
Did I mention he’s also a famous rock star on a sold-out summer tour?
This situation has disaster written all over it. But if I can manage the chaos, maybe I’ll get my happy ending after all.
REVIEW:
Aisle Be There is a fun, flirty, often silly, sometimes swoony, second-chance romance for high school boyfriends now reunited a decade later. Jett is an uber-talented singer who has trapped himself in the role as lead singer of his deceased father’s famous rock band, Queen’s Hart. He spends day in and day out doing what he thinks he should do, needs to do to carry on his famous father’s legacy. But it comes at the cost of Jett’s own dreams of writing and singing his own music. The life and laughter have disappeared from his life, that is until Gage Kingston crashes into his tent on a Florida beach wearing short shorts, pink flip-flops, and flamingo sunglasses.
If the surname Kingston sounds familiar, it’s because Gage is related to the Kingston clan from Cochet’s Four Kings Security series, and we get cameos from some of those characters in this story. Aisle Be There begins with Gage realizing on his wedding day that he doesn’t love his fiance, Skip (and let’s not even discuss the OTT ridiculousness that Skip has forced Gage to wear for his wedding tux). He panics and flees in a pair of boxer shorts with a borrowed credit card. The opening scene of the story is crazy bordering on eye-rolling lunacy. On the run, Gage serendipitously crashes back into Jett’s life, and Jett immediately seizes the opportunity and gets Gage to pose as his fake boyfriend. It takes a bit for the plot to settle, and then we start to learn about Jett and Gage as men, and see their still-present attraction and love for each other flare. The story gains momentum along the way – the second half is much better than the first. But overarchingly, Aisle Be There provides a sweet, enjoyable, low-angst romance with a solid HEA.
Any early struggles reading this book are immediately resolved upon listening to the audiobook. With Greg Boudreaux as the narrator, it was smooth sailing from word one. Boudreaux is hands down one of the best at his craft, and I am never disappointed when he’s at the mic. He could read me the phone book, and I’d eagerly sit with rapt attention. Boudreaux’s voice is hypnotic because it’s so authentic. He is a first-class actor and he fully immerses himself in every role he narrates. He is particularly in his element here with Gage, and his light British accent for Jett is apropos of Jett’s kind, vulnerable personality. Boudreaux accurately conveys the change in Jett’s demeanor and attitude as the story goes on, as Jett begins to experience joy and happiness with Gage at his side supporting his talent and dreams. Of course, we also get all of those small details that make Boudreaux inimitable – the talking with his mouth full, and the nuanced emotions affecting speech delivery like a chuckle or a stifled laugh. Even his performances for Jett’s geriatric bandmates – his late father’s BFFs – are spot on, with excellent accent work and perfect comedic timing. Boudreaux is just soooooo good – he makes Aisle Be There a better story through his engaged, invested performance.
While this isn’t my favorite of Cochet’s stories, I can’t fault the audio. At all. I enjoyed every minute of listening to Boudreaux work his vocal magic. Recommended.
RATING: 
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