The Beautiful Things Shoppe

By: Philip William Stover

Narrated by: Michael Dean, Kale Williams

"This sweet gay contemporary hits the spot." —Publishers Weekly

Their collections may clash but their hearts are a perfect match.

Moving to eclectic New Hope, Pennsylvania, and running The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a dream come true for elegant and reserved fine arts dealer Prescott J. Henderson. He never agreed to share the space with Danny Roman, an easygoing extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful knickknacks.

And yet here they are, trapped together in the quaint shop as they scramble to open in time for New Hope’s charming Winter Festival.

Danny has spent years leading with his heart instead of his head. The Beautiful Things Shoppe is his chance to ground himself and build something permanent and joyful. The last thing he needs is an uptight snob who doesn’t appreciate his whimsy occupying half his shop.

It’s only when two of New Hope’s historic landmarks—each as different as Danny and Prescott—are threatened that a tentative alliance forms. And with it, the first blush of romance. Suddenly, running The Beautiful Things Shoppe together doesn’t seem so bad…until Danny’s secret threatens to ruin it all.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.


Seasons of New Hope
Book 1: The Hideaway Inn
Book 2: The Beautiful Things Shoppe

Not as cute as it thinks it is.

This pains me to say, I am always searching for male authors in this genre - hoping to see myself actually represented. Yet like other male authors, Daryl Banner being another write the same story that already exists, as if to say: I can do it too. instead of telling a fresh version of the story, Stover doubles down on old, old school formula romance, with seemingly no interest in being a new voice.

There is little to recommend in this book. Another tiny town utopia inhabited mostly by gay couples and a thriving indie business community. One guy, Danny, seems like a happy-go-lucky oaf, but is in fact a trust fund baby who wants to make it in his own selling 20th century kitsch. The other, Prescott, is an uptight fine art & antiques dealer who actually came from a hardscrabble life.

Without a concern for understanding how vintage and antiques dealers actually work, Stover creates friction based on circumstances that should lead to romance. It’s very forced, and the one moment where things could take a turn, a sweet scene outside a condemned building, Stover stays on course, continuing the unnecessary roller coaster made worse by Danny’s roommate, a woman named Lizard. I feel confident that one would be hard pressed to find a woman named lizard.

The narration should have been helpful, Kale Williams is a top notch talent who stumbles through a tiresome trans Atlantic accent for Prescott, and an unfortunate turn at Polish that both narrators botch. I generally try to avoid Michael Dean - his characters always sound the same, and this book is no different.

Finally, there is no heat in the book. While I normally think there is too much sex in most of these books, it’s noticeably absent here. I would even call this book timid. Eventually we find our guys tangled in a painful misunderstanding trope where somehow Prescott is the one doing the damage control, which makes no sense. Highly disappointed that I used a credit.

Loved it

can not believe this love story take place in Pennsylvania in the state I was born and raised wow

Just wonderful!

What a sweet, lighthearted, HEA audiobook! Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. It's not often we get the privilege of dual narration from favorites Michael Dean and Kale Williams either. So take advantage!

All the Feels!

This book is extremely well-written and narrated. It is hilariously funny, interesting, and has a believable plot with likable characters. Highly recommend!

Funny and sweet odd-couple romance!

Fussy antiques dealer, Prescott J. Henderson, is horrified to find himself sharing shop space with retro collectible-kitsch dealer, Danny Roman. This lovely odd-couple / enemies-to-lovers romance is low on angst and high on sweetness. There are some delightful small-town characters, a villainous snob, and plenty of petty and serious squabbles to keep things interesting. Ultimately this is a feel-good character study of two very different people from very different backgrounds - no spoilers but I loved how both weren’t exactly what they seemed to be. Consummate narrators, Michael Dean and Kale Williams, provide a great contrasting voices for the characters!