A MelanieM Audiobook Release Day Review: How to Deal (All Cocks Stories #3) by T. M. Smith and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Listening Length: 4 hours and 30 minutes

Jon Brennan comes from a long line of men in uniform; all born and bred to both bleed and wear blue. His family and the majority of his co-workers support him every step of the way, so he doesn’t need to hide the fact that he prefers men over women. Between the job and his larger than life, loud and rowdy half Irish, half Italian family, there isn’t much time for dating, much less finding a guy who can deal with the stress and demands placed on the shoulders of an NYPD detective.

Kory White is cocky and abrasive with most people, but it is all a facade he hides behind to keep his heart safe. As a child, Kory lost his mother to an act of violence. Soon after, he and his baby sister Kassandra were separated by the system. Kassandra was immediately adopted, but Kory spent the next 10 years cycling through foster homes before moving to the Big Apple. In an effort to keep everyone at a distance, Kory has meticulously built himself an alter ego: Hayden Cox, All Cocks cockiest model.

These two strong-willed men definitely prove opposites do attract. Both are stubborn and hard headed to a fault, Kory more so than Jon. But Jon is used to being in control, the one calling the shots, and Kory fights him at every turn. Just when it seems they have found a way to navigate the unchartered territory that is love, tragedy knocks on Kory’s door yet again. Volatile and strong, even in the face of adversity, both men refuse to give up on each other – or their love.

I came at How to Deal by T.M. Smith cold, not having read or listened to any of the previous stories in this series and that caused some confusion.  I had no idea what All Cocks was.  I had to go back to find out that it was a online pay for porn site and the series revolved around the porn stars working for the site All Cocks.  Its a great format, allowing the author to easily have as many characters as they want in a series and intertwine them as needed.  Here those couples and men from prior stories make appearances in sex scenes as well as continuing story lines as the porn stars have formed a family together.

There is a tragedy here that hits especially hard considering recent events.  I think the author has chosen to treat it in a timely and sensitive manner.  I liked that  aspect of this story.  And I liked the characters of Jon Brennan and Kory White.  Each is well-defined, supported by past history, and in Jon’s case, a large and boisterous Irish Catholic family.

The audiobook made the story or should I say the narration of Joel Leslie made the story for me.  I don’t think I would have rated it as highly had I just read it as an ebook.  Some of the phrases and sentences the author uses are just too cliche but out of the voice or many voices of Joel Leslie?  Where I started to cringe at an over-used phrase instead I swiftly moved forward, totally engaged in the drama unfolding in my mind as I listened.  It didn’t matter whether Joel Leslie was inhabiting the body of the matriarch of the Brennan clan, the fierce Irish granny who’s ire is to be feared, or the Captain of the NYPD force, with the NY accent and imposing character, each person is so easily defined by their voice.  Its a tour de force of acting.

This includes the relationship between  Jon and Kory. Joel Leslie captures it just right.  His inflections, the tones of voice, the differences between the characters in their backgrounds?  Its all in their voices and it makes them so believable.  I easily lost myself in this story and this couple.

How to Deal (All Cocks Stories #3) by T. M. Smith and Joel Leslie (Narrator) is a wonderfully engaging story as narrated by Joel Leslie.  It pulls you into the couple and the drama that is their lives.  It also makes me  want to know what happens next in the series.  Where will T.M. Smith take these characters and this series next?  I believe I will wait for the next audiobook to arrive and find out then.  It wouldn’t be the same now without the narration.

I highly recommend this audiobook and the narrator.  Its a perfect way to lose yourself in a story that  hot, and touching and romantic.

Cover art works for the book and characters

Sales Links

 iTunes | Amazon Audio | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 5 pages
Published November 4th 2016 by TTC Publishing (first published November 27th 2015)
ASINB01M8Q3AXI
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesAll Cocks Stories #3