Don't Twunk with My Heart

Loving You, Book 2

By: Renae Kaye

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Kee Smith isn't sure who he is anymore. He knows who he used to be - the ignored gay son who chose a blue-collar job just because no one expected it, the submissive bottom who enjoyed large, masculine jocks who put him in his place, the sleek, fashionable twink who partied all night. But after his ex-boyfriend hit Kee and called him names, Kee retired from the social scene.

Back after a year's hiatus, Kee still doesn't know where he fits. His friends say he's a twunk - a twink who put on muscle and turned into a hunk - but Kee is searching for somewhere to belong. Instead of going back to his usual type, Kee hooks up with twink Tate Stevens - a fashion-industry professional who works the image hard. It proves to be the best decision he's ever made, and not just because he's starting to regain his sexual confidence.

With Tate, Kee can open up about his fears and confusion without ridicule. Tate has his own fears about putting on weight and getting old. It will take work to make a relationship of opposites succeed, but they begin to realize the compromises will be worth it if they can be together.

©2016 Renae Kaye (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

So glad we have a new narrator!

So, Loving Jay was the first book I read by Renae Kaye and it’s what got me hooked on her as an author. We get to see Jay a lot in this story and it was great to see him and Liam still going strong.

In this book we see two gay men dealing with aging – wait, you say – angst?. Nah, not really. There is some, for sure. A bit more than in Loving Jay. Kee has some scars and Tate does as well, but their issues are treated fairly easily and without a lot of OTT drama. I liked that. A lot.

I really appreciated that these guys talked to one another. For the most part they had their issues but they talked them out.

The physical times are super hot and yet, especially for Kee, at times touching as well.

It’s liberally laced with loads of humor and very Australian, but that’s what we expect from this author and she delivers in spades.

I had to look up the choreographer – Yanis Marshall – as he referenced a couple of times in the story and I recommend you do because – YOWZA – way hot!

I really felt these guys connected and made the other whole. It’s a very touching and sweet story, with not a lot of angst, but enough to drive the plot and keep you turning pages. (I didn’t love the casual almost rape near the end and how it was sort of brushed off, nor did I love how Jay was portrayed a little bit more bitchy than I remember him, but the “epilogue” more than made up for it!)

Highly Recommended

4.5 of 5 stars


Audio

Yay! I’m so glad the author decided to go with Joel Leslie here! I think these books feel so “Australian” and to not have somebody with an accent just feels weird. In addition, Joel is so GOOD! He’s great at giving characters a unique feel so that it’s easy to know who is speaking, and he’s great at giving us emotion.

One thing I’ve come to really appreciate about good narrators like Joel, is that they ADD to a story with their interpretation of the story. So, it’s important that they “get” the story and can “emote” appropriately. Joel times his stories expertly and really helps to bring a listener into the action.

Highly recommended!

5 of 5 stars

Overall, 4.75 (rounded to 5) of 5 stars

Another hit for Renae Kaye!

I loved this book when I first read it on release day and it's even better in audio! Thanks for giving us such lovable characters and thanks for getting me hooked on Yannis Marshall again!

Charming

This story was actually very sweet. It's been a long time since I've read a Renae Kaye novel, and I really enjoyed Don't Twunk with My Heart.

Not as big a fan of Joel Leslie's performance in the audio edition, but hey, I already knew his Australian accent would drive me bonkers lol.

Fun and lighthearted

This could have been a very heavy book. Both of the main characters, Kee and Tate have some serious issues they are dealing with but Renae has done a great job of turning a potentially angsty story into a fun loving, light hearted story.
Joel Leslie did a great job with the narration of this story. He did a great job giving each character a distinctive voice!

Oh my God!

This was a great second book, the only thing I didn’t like was how quickly the character got over his eating disorder. It seemed very serious and with no counseling and just eating slightly more with his boyfriend he cured a lifelong mental illness.

Other than that it was quite good and the football scenes were hysterical!