Moment of Truth

Moments in Time, Book 2

By: Karen Stivali

Narrated by: Robert Nieman

Collin expected to spend another summer fixing cars and working at the college pizzeria. Instead, he's living in a beach house on Fire Island, waiting tables at a hip seaside restaurant and for the first time since he and Tanner got together, they can publicly be known as boyfriends. Being "out" takes some getting used to, but with the help of new and old friends, Collin is happier than he ever imagined. And more in love. But newfound freedom brings unexpected challenges, and when friends get flirty, old insecurities arise. Moments of doubt and jealousy threaten their happiness, and Collin and Tanner must confront the truth or risk losing it all.

©2015 Karen Stivali (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

Awesome sequel!!

Any additional comments?

Through Robert Neiman’s narration of Karin Stivali’s Moment of Truth, book two in her Moments in Time series, it felt as if I were right there with the characters as they learned to navigate a new relationship.
I feel as if through the marriage of author and narrator they portrayed just what it’s like to be a 19 year old, having a boyfriend and coming to grips with losing your family because you came out to them. To fully immerse yourself in this latest installment it is very important that you read the first book in the series, Moment of Impact.
As spring semester ends Collin and Tanner find themselves spending their summer on Fire Island, both working for the same local restaurant where Tanner has been a waiter for the past few summers. Collin is equal parts nervous and excited. Although Tanner has assured him that they can be out all summer, Collin is just coming to terms with being out. The idea of being his best friend Tanner’s boyfriend, let alone having a boyfriend, is a little overwhelming. But Tanner means the world to him and so he goes with trusting his heart.

Tanner and Collin rent a giant home on Fire Island with friends. Which proves fun with all the different personalities. Of course when you have that kind of mix there is bound to be some conflict and drama.
Example: One of their housemates, Maggie, flirts outrageously with Collin making him uncomfortable even as he brushes her off. Then there’s their mutual friend from school, Wendy. Although she can only come up on weekends she is seeing housemate, Dex, who is very wealthy and…..let’s just say he pretty much spends most of his time at the beach or lounging around the house. And there are the few others who are there but don’t really play such a big role in the story.
Having been happy to learn that Robert Neiman, who narrated book one, was also doing this book, I knew he would do a tremendous job at conveying all these different characters and their charms. I was not wrong, he really makes them shine! Neiman was also able to make me feel Collin and Tanner’s pain as they dealt with some major drama during this story. It was genuinely heartfelt.
During Moment of Truth Collin and Tanner both grow more, sexually. They take their relationship to the next level. And the steam factor here is off the charts! Though they may have many sweet and tender moments, they also have sexual heat that totally comes through in Neiman’s narration.
The Moment of Truth is portrayed in a very real and honest way. Stivali has an art of writing that just rings true and with Robert Neiman narrating, the story absolutely comes to life.

Collin and Tanner are like every young couple trying to be together while navigating unfamiliar feelings: Jealousy, self-doubt and hurting the one you care about the most.

Having had to deal with some real relationship issues throughout this tale I felt that by the end they had both pulled through the bumps stronger than ever. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series.

Nice continuation of story with great narration

(Potential small spoilers included near the end.)
We met both Collin and Tanner at school where they went from friends to lovers and Collin faced the monumental task of coming out to his ultra conservative family. Now it’s summer and Collin and Tanner are together for the summer on Fire Island and finally enjoying being an “out and proud” couple. But…
Wendy and Maggie are two women from Tanner’s past that are currently still causing trouble for the couple. And there are yet more women Tanner meets at work that pokes every jealous bone in Collin and makes him feel insecure. Finally, there is a guy at work hitting on Collin and when he makes his move, Tanner is there to witness it.
**
I really, really like Karen Stivali’s writing. It’s engaging, erotic, and believable. I really like Collin as a character and his relationship with Tanner is both tender and erotic. I was delighted that they boys got to move their relationship further both emotionally and physically and am psyched to see Collin embracing being gay more and more fully.
What I really didn’t like was the teen-agey angst and drama being played out in the beach house. I particularly didn’t like Maggie and Wendy and their contribution to the story.
I know that when a story like this is broken down into parts rather than being served up as an entire novel each “section” has to have it’s own hurdles and problems. What I hope for is that each section will be an evolution in the relationship and not a recurring battle of “will this relationship work?”. I think that Collin’s virginity, his newness to being out, his battle with his conservative up-bringing and his newness to being a “boyfriend” could have provided enough conflict to move the story forward without throwing in a potential relationship-ending episode of almost cheating that we see with Jason.
I was grateful that the episode with Jason is brief and quickly resolved and I sincerely hope the next installment will focus more on making the relationship work rather than questioning whether it should be a relationship at all.
I will definitely read part three as I am totally captivated by their story and I do recommend this book and the series, even though it was painful to see the boys in so much pain.
4 of 5 stars

Audio
I like Robert Nieman as a narrator. I find his voice soothing and he allows me to really be in the story, not distracted by the narration. He doesn't do a lot with the voices but that isn't needed here, really, anyway. His range and emotion suits the time period and age of the MCs and I think this really adds to the enjoyment of this series.

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4.5 of 5 stars