☊☊☊☊☊ Audiobook: After Ben by Con Riley ☊☊☊☊☊
Written by:
Narrated by:
Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
The Blurb…
A year after the sudden death of his longtime partner, Ben, Theo Anderson is still grieving. The last thing he’s looking for is a new lover. But as Theo soon discovers, sometimes life has other plans.
While Theo experiences a powerful physical attraction to fellow gym member Peter, it’s his new online friend, Morgan, who provides the intellectual challenge to make him come alive. Morgan is witty, brave, and irreverent, and Theo is ready to take the plunge… until he discovers Morgan might be half his age.
Theo’s late partner was significantly older—enough to strain Theo’s relationship with his family—and the potential of another relationship being cut short leaves him gunshy. Theo needs to lay Ben’s memory to rest, reconcile with his family, and rekindle neglected friendships if he’s to start afresh with a new lover. But Theo isn’t the only one with a past.
His biggest challenge, in living after Ben, might not be his to face.
So what did I think?
I read this book back in 2012 and loved it – 5 stars and straight onto my Favourites shelf! So when I found out the audio version was available there was no doubt that it was time for a re-read (well, really it was a first-time listen).
Because I had read and loved this story so much I was looking forward to listening to the audio version. I was nervous though, worried that the narration would not do justice to the story. I needn’t have worried, JP Handler, did a great job of bringing Theo’s story to life.
This is a wonderful story of someone’s grieving and reawakening process as Theo mourns the loss of the love of his life but then finds he can finally open his heart to love again. It is a story about love and friends and families. It also has a strong message about abuse and people in need, with a number of characters being involved with a shelter.
The book starts about 12 months after Ben’s death. It is jam packed full of flashbacks – flashbacks of Theo’s time with Ben and flashbacks of Theo’s past 12 months.
Theo has closed himself off from most people, apart from his assistant Maggie, but it is the arrival of some new people in his life that sets him on the road to recovery – his interns, his new friend Peter and his online forum friend Morgan.
I’m not going to say much about the story itself, accept to say that it is engaging and emotional and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was also very impressed with the narration, particularly the gorgeous Italian accents of Ben and his brother Marco, which were so sexy.
This audio book comes highly recommended. It is not a fast story, at times, at least in the audio version, it can be a little slow, but it is heartbreaking and heartwarming and so worth the journey. This still stays a 5 star read for me.
At the time of writing this review, the audio book is only $1.99 from Audible so go check it out!
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The Seattle Stories
- After Ben (book #1)
- Saving Sean (book #2)
- Aiden’s Luck (book #3)
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To find out more about Con Riley and her books visit her website.
Buy After Ben from Amazon
