Scratch the Surface

De: Mary Calmes

Narrado por: Tristan James, Tim Paige

Sometimes things look one way, but when you scratch the surface, there's more than meets the eye.

Jeremiah Wolfe has always done what was necessary to survive. When a rare night off finds him with the chance to make a quick buck, he jumps on it. A meaningless one-night stand is simple and easy, so he steps into the hotel room - as he has many - without expectation. But the man behind the door is a surprise, as is the instant connection that builds along with passion and a glimpse of his heart.

Cameron Gallagher has never been accused of being spontaneous. He's always been the careful one, so inviting a stranger into his bed on the lure of his gorgeous smile and warm brown eyes isn't only out of his comfort zone, it's entirely out of character. Surprisingly, when he wakes in the morning alone, it's not regret he feels, but the need to find the man who held him in his arms all night.

When they're brought back together, each man believes it's more than luck. They feel as though they've gotten a second chance. Sure, love at first sight is just a myth, the stuff of romance novels, but the more they scratch the surface, the more they realize they've got a shot at something lasting.

©2021 Mary Calmes (P)2022 Tantor

So Good!

I'm convinced Mary Calmes can't do anything wrong. I have loved every books she's put out and this one is no different. Even narrators I typically dislike (not these I love Tristan) don't bother me when reading her work.

Smooth enjoyment

I don't know how to truly convey how I felt about this story/listen as I often find "insta love" trite and unbelievable - but I believe Mary Calmes pulled this one off beautifully. Two very interesting main characters and back stories but I think it was Mary Calmes' prose that made this story/listen seamless and beautiful. She seems to have the gift when writing dialog and interactions that show you who the characters are without having to explain it to the reader.

I always love both narrators - Tristan James always just does it for me to be honest - and I think their voices just added to the beauty of the story.
It was pure smooth enjoyment and I think one of her better novels.

Good story

The only thing I really disliked was the narration for Jeremiah, he sounded like a robot.

Cute and light

It was a cute, sweet story but the first narrator’s voice sounded like ai it was weird. I am assuming this was one of his first projects or something because I have listened to him on other books and he didn’t sound this way but outside of that I liked the story. Low angst. They moved quickly but it was clearly one of those ‘when you know you know’ stories. I love how Cam took care of Jer when he needed it although it was hard to accept the help. I love how honest they were with each other instead of keeping secrets. I want more like this. Definitely checking out this author’s books.

story good, a bit rambling

I like the characters and there's some plot going on, which I always appreciate when there's romance. There is waaaaaay too much detail at times that should be chopped out, like unnecessary/unwanted conversations between characters that don't add to tone or character development or plot.

cheesy

I can not decide if the writing of this book was cheesy or the narration. This book was good but, not as enjoyable as some others. It was a nice light read.

Great story. Slightly confusing narration.

Great narrators but there were many times when I couldn’t tell the difference between the two main characters.

Awful Narrator

Can’t believe someone could read like that, had to be computer generated for Jeremiah. Just awful. I almost gave up.

Wonderful Read and Listen

I was so happy when this book came to Audible I first read it on Kindle and it was just one of those really sweet feel-good reads. Ms. Calme never disappoints. I love listening to Tristan James he's got a very soothing voice and Ive purchased many books because of the fact he was the narrator. I've also listened to several books Tim Paige has narrated and found him equally pleasing. But those two narrating together is just... WOW!!! They should really consider doing more together. I really got a feel of who both MC's were through their duel POV's and their voices didn't come across as mismatched to where I felt the MC was an entirely different character. Well done gentlemen!
Oh and Ms. Calme still hoping/waiting for third installment of House of Meadoc.

enjoyed it

📖 Story comment: good pace, likeable characters, entertaining story.
Enjoyed this one, despite "insta-love" not being one of my favorite tropes, somehow it works for these characters. I liked that we get a lot of background information on both the MC's, that they are just "good guys" and that Cameron's character is adult enough to understand Jeremiah did what he needed to survive as a teenager and didn't hold it against him.

🎧 Narrator comment: Up front: i'm not a fan of multi narrator performances for M/M. With so many talented narrators around now who can give each character their own voice, (for me), multi narrated books are unnecessary (because you can end up with 4 sets of characters voices instead of 2).

I picked this title up because Tristan James is one of the narrators, he can be a narrator you either enjoy or don't. Personally, I love him, I find his tones soothing, he has good timing and inflections, and he brings these characters to life.
Tim Paige has the same skill set as far as, timing, expression, intonation and bringing characters and a story to life. Both narrators have done a stellar performance of each character’s chapters and POV. Either would have a good choice to perform Scratch the Surface in its entirety... that being said... the characters "styles" are generally similar and flow closely enough between the two narrators that the change of voice with the alternating chapters didn't knock me out of the story.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3⭐] • 5 enjoyed it [4⭐] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]