Reviewed by Sadonna

 

TITLE:  Baxter’s Right Hand Man

SERIES:   The Baxter Chronicles

AUTHOR:  Lane Hayes

NARRATOR:  Nick J. Russo

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  8 hrs and 3 mins

RELEASE DATE:  June 27, 2022

BLURB: 

The movie star meets his match….

Pierce

Welcome to Hollywood, baby! Perhaps you’ve heard of me. I play Baxter, the adventure-seeking, crime-fighting hero, adored by fans around the world. Nice gig, right? My job has its perks for sure—private jets, a chauffeur, and the best tables at the fanciest restaurants in town. It’s nuts!

Downside—it’s hard to know who you can trust.

But I trust Lorenzo. He’s funny, sweet, and very real.

Look, I’m not in the market for anything serious. Between my greedy brother and the old man who claims we’re related, I’m a little wary, but I could use a friend.

And a sexy distraction.

Lorenzo

What is happening here? Major movie star, Pierce Allen wants me.

Me!

I don’t get it. I’m too fabulous and he’s too famous.

No, wait. He wants something from me, like my help and maybe my body. This should be a no-brainer. However, closing the last chapter on a long-term relationship has left me feeling a little fragile, and the last thing I need is to risk another broken heart.

But I’m too intrigued to walk away. I can play the part of Pierce’s “right-hand man” and keep things light and friendly. No problem.

I’m way too smart to fall for a movie star.

I hope.

Baxter’s Right-Hand Man is a MM, bisexual romance featuring a sexy, slightly egotistical movie star and the adorable diva who brings him back to reality.

REVIEW: 

Note:  This is the second book in this series and contains major spoilers for Book 1.  That being said, it can work as a standalone – but I recommend the previous book with is a delight also.

Pierce Allen is one of the biggest stars in the world.  He plays action here Baxter, the creation/alter-ego of Seb from the first book in this series.  He make a bit of a faux pas at an awards show – namely not leaving with this date (who he was set up with courtesy of the studio).  Seb is furious and decides to spruce up Pierce’s image with a family feel-good story.  The other part of that story is an elderly gentleman names Jasper Gowan who claims he is a cousin of Pierce’s mother – who has passed away in the not too distant past.   Pierce’s family is not something he really wants to think about, but he knows he has to do it. He’ very skeptical that this man is related at all, but it’s a great puff piece.

He’s kind of a jerk to the man who happens to be at Mr. Gowan’s house when he arrives for the meet and greet.  That man, Lorenzo, calls him on his BS.  He clearly doesn’t like Pierce, isn’t a fan and is very protective of Mr. Gowan.  Pierce is convinced that this man is not at all related to him. He decides to prove it.  But Lorenzo is not about to help him hurt an old man. Then there is Pierce’s brother who just wants a free ride – however he can get it.  It’s a recipe for disaster!

Pierce finds Lorenzo charming – mostly because he challenges Piece like very few people do.  He’s certainly not fawning all over him nor asking for anything.  They build a sort of tenuous friendship – turns out they both have a dearth of friends.  As they spend more time together, sparks fly.  The chemistry is surprising to both of them.  They are definitely building something.  Then things get a bit out of their control and it’s not clear that they will be able to maintain any sort of relationship.  Until Pierce has enough 😉

Well this was an absolutely delightful listen 😀  I really enjoyed the first book and this one not only lived up to it but perhaps even surpassed it.  The story was perfection.  I could not have loved Pierce and Lorenzo more.  Then there was Mr. Jasper Gowan.  He and his beloved David provide a poignant historical context that made the romance between Lorenzo and Pierce all the more sweet.  Carmel?  Absolutely swoon-worthy.  While there is a lot going on this story with Pierce and his fake dates, Lorenzo and his protective guarding of Mr. G, Seb trying to get what he wants and Pierce’s horrid family trying to make a buck, underneath it all is a connection between these two very different souls who are looking for something real.  Pierce’s life is make-believe with his bona fide movie star status and Lorenzo is the one person who will just tell him the truth. He doesn’t want anything from Pierce.  Which is weird for him.  Lorenzo can’t even imagine why a huge star would want to have anything to do with him, particularly after their less than stellar introduction and he was right to be wary of Pierce’s motives – although Pierce never lied about it.  As they start to get closer, it’s clear that they are both products of their upbringing and while it may not be apparent to others, they both carry some deep-seated beliefs about themselves that aren’t really true.  It’s wonderful to see them realize that they really do work.  If only it weren’t for the prying public.

Nick J. Russo does an absolutely spectacular job with this narration.  The story starts out great and he is able to level it up with his fantastic voice performance here.  His Lorenzo is so believably unsure.  Pierce can be arrogant, although he’s hiding hurt and some insecurity behind the movie-star mask he wears. His vulnerability was perfectly voiced here.  Mr. Gowan was a lovely elderly gentleman whose reminiscence and story brought a beautiful historical reality of same-sex couples through many decades.  Everything about these characters was just spot on.  A beautiful marriage of words and performance.  Highly recommended.  I’m positive it’ll be on my best audios of the year list 🙂

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Audible

Amazon