Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for an audiobook written by Leta Blake and performed by John Solo. SMOKY MOUNTAIN DREAMS is a bittersweet heartbreak of a book, with a solid love story and intriguing plot. I enjoyed every minute of Mr. Solo’s rendering of this complicated love story. I’ve always loved Leta’s stories, because they feature hardships and big choices. Check out THE RIVER LEITH, WILL & PATRICK GET MARRIED, and PICTURES OF YOU for more hard-won love stories by Leta Blake.
Scroll down to catch my review and enter to win a backlist book from Leta Blake in the giveaway!
About the book:
After giving up on his career as a country singer in Nashville, Christopher Ryder is happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee. But while his beloved Gran loves him the way he is, Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. Even when he’s center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
Bisexual Jesse Birch has no room in his life for dating. Raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother, he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
The audiobook is 14 hours and 47 minutes long. You can catch a snippet of it here: SMD Sample from Leta Blake on Vimeo.
My Review:
Christopher Ryder is an out-gay country singer working at Smoky Mountain Dreams, a family-friendly resort in the Tennessee mountains. He’s happy there, but wishing he could find a forever man to share his life with, even though he knows this will cause strife with his family–dysfunctional as they are. Wanting to create a special Christmas gift for his beloved gran, he reaches out to Jesse Birch, a local jeweler who does custom work. Jesse is a sexy man, and Christopher is stunned to learn he’s an actual fan of Jesse’s performances. Christopher’s mostly the understudy to a regular at SMD, who also happens to be a solid drunk and often needs Christopher to stand in for him. Growing up making himself invisible to stay out of his zealot step-father’s ire, Christopher feels seen by Jesse and basks in his admiration.
Jesse is a hard-working father of two who is raising his kids with the help of his in-laws. His wife had a tragic car wreck several years ago and is in a chronic vegetative state. He’s wanted to pull the medical care for years, to let her go naturally, but her sister holds an old Power of Attorney papers and refuses to let her sister go. The legal battle was decided years ago, and mediation is going nowhere, so Jesse visits each week, dutifully, though their children haven’t seen her since the last brain scan showed no signs of activity.
Jesse’s more than attracted to Christopher; and that feeling is mutual. Learning that Jesse is bisexual turns Christopher on, and they begin a tentative courtship–not that it’s easy. Kids, in laws, and Jesse’s wife all make it complicated. But mostly it’s the kids. Jesse’s daughter, who’s 12 and awkward, is struggling with the idea that her dad could love anyone besides her mama, and has a creative plan to bring their family back together. Still, Christopher is patient, and Jesse is learning that loving someone is more than just caring for their physical needs. He recognizes the tremendous guilt he harbors for the way his marriage soured, and allows Christopher to be the bright spot in his rather bland life to this point.
These guys have a penchant for risky sex–mostly in places that are out in the open. That made for some fun and “better you than me” moments. There are also some really intense moments, like Christopher standing up to his bigoted relations and holding Jesse to task over not telling him the whole truth regarding his marriage–and how it’s not legally over… The audio is fantastic, and had me engaged throughout. I almost didn’t mind my commutes, knowing I’d spend more time with that textured voice relating Christopher and Jesse’s mutual heartbreaks and mutual passion. I cried, y’all! They go through a lot in the several months together, but the end is happy, and Christopher finds a loving home, with Jesse and his family, for the first time in his life.
Interested? You can find SMOKY MOUNTAIN DREAMS on Goodreads and Amazon (US or UK) or Audible (US or UK).
****GIVEAWAY****Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a backlist book from Leta Blake.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!
About the Author:
Author of the best-selling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.
You can find out more on her website, Facebook, twitter and Patreon.
