Out of Control

North Shore Stories, Book 3

By: Lynn Van Dorn

Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo

Tomasz has been in love with Nik for as long as he can remember. Nik is gorgeous, intelligent, and sexy, and even Tomasz's parents like him. He's perfect for Tomasz, and Tomasz is perfect for him. Their love is meant to be and will be epic enough to make angels weep.

There's only one problem.

Tomasz is just a teenager, and Nik is a decade older. And Tomasz is college-bound for a university halfway across the country. And Nik sees Tomasz as only a kid. Also, Nik is kind of a mess. A scorching-hot mess, granted, but the man has issues. Deep dark ones.

So maybe there are a few problems. But there's nothing Tomasz can't overcome to make sure their happily ever after comes true.

Nik and all his baggage don't stand a chance.

Out of Control is the third novel in the North Shore Stories series. It's got "the grumpy one and the sunshine one", lots of found family, a little bit of particle physics, far too much food, and the happiest of happy endings.

©2022 Lynn Van Dorn (P)2022 Lynn Van Dorn

Loved it

I am glad he got his own story
I love how all the characters come together
love the narrator too he always does a great job

Loved It

I love this series. Each book telling a story of survival, where a character finds his HEA, and starts healing from traumatic experience. I enjoyed every story very much and I think that it is important to read previous books before starting this one. Nick and Tomasz finally getting their story and I loved following their relationship grow and develop while Nick getting his s**& together and Tomasz getting what he always wanted and figuring out it is only the beginning. Narrator did a great job with the story and voices. This was a perfect listening experience.

Nice age gap! Loved it!!

Out of Control was an excellent listen. I had read the other books in the series when they were first released and had forgotten somethings. So, with that being said, you might want to catch up with those first. I loved Nic and had a somewhat dislike for Tomasz, but as I got to know him, things changed for me. I really liked the character building and growth of Nic and Tomasz. Nice age gap with lots of angst. Michael Ferraiuolo did a phenomenal job with the narration. Each voice clear and distinct. Overall, an excellent listen.

BOOK OF THE YEAR

I am drained in the best possible way. Lynn took us on a emotional, heartbreaking, and wonderful journey. Filled with laughs, pain, errors and victories. Nik and Tomasz were more that I could have even hoped for. Spectacular. There are no other words to explain how much I loved and just FELT this story. Absolutely wonderful. Gahhh. Also, if there was a way to love Marek and Ryan even more, this book managed it -definitely will be rereading their story ASAP- Amazing Amazing Amazing

Narration was spectacular but I wouldn’t have expected anything else from Michael.

Emotional, angsty, and romantic

Tomasz and Nik's story sucked me in, ripped up my heart, and lovingly taped it back together again.

Tomasz and Nik's journey was emotional, incredibly angsty at times, and very much worth the pain. Their romance was the quintessential grumpy-meets-sunshine story, and boy did the two of them carry my heart on the ups and downs of their relationship. I won't lie--the weight of Nik's unhappiness sometimes threatened to suffocate me, but for every ounce of sadness he carried, Tomasz had equal amounts of hope and positivity. It would have been easy to write off Tomasz's attraction to Nik as a simple teenage crush, but what he was actually feeling was so much more than that. It made the excruciatingly long wait to turn eighteen bearable, because when Tomasz and Nik finally came together there was no way it was going to end with a quick fling.

I didn't expect Nik and Tomasz to settle into a relationship easily, and they didn't, but even during their most awkward times I felt the strength of their connection. The two of them had a lot to learn about themselves and each other before they could be what they needed, and it was both beautiful and painful to watch them stumble along the path to get there. Nik had so much pain buried in his past, and he held so much of himself back for fear of getting abandoned. The more I learned about what happened to him, the more convinced I became that Tomasz was exactly the right kind of man to love him the way he needed. I don't think there's anything Tomasz wouldn't have done for Nik's happiness, and I don't mean that in a weird codependent way, just as an expression of pure and unconditional love. Tomasz may have needed outside help for some aspects of their relationship, but I never had any doubts that he would guard Nik's heart with his life.

If the first part of this book was all about the chase, the second half was about testing the limits of Nik and Tomasz's love. After going through so much just to get their romance off the ground, it gutted me that Tomasz and Nik would have to go through the pain and heartache of a long distance relationship while Tomasz was in college. I think those months apart were probably the darkest of the entire book, because I could see how much Nik was hurting and he refused to reach out for the help he needed. I was incredibly relieved when Tomasz came home to snap some sense into him, because much longer and I'm not sure what he would have been coming home to. I don't want to say much about the solution Nik and Tomasz found to keep their relationship intact, because spoilers, but I thought it was a satisfying compromise that offered a path for both men to pursue their careers and personal happiness.

There's a lot more I could say about the elements of this book--like the way kink played a much larger role in Nik and Tomasz's relationship than I expected, or how excited I was to see more of Malek and Ryan--but in general I just really loved the emotional storytelling. Everything Nik and Tomasz experienced resonated with me, and it made their happily ever after even more fulfilling.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

Narrators are magical

This story needed to be in audio form for me to truly enjoy it. Michael's performance helped emerce me into the story and connect with the characters. Tomasz was a dear boy that really was trying to grow up too fast in order to be with Nik. I know he's feelings were valid, but he was also selfish for openly pursuing Nik when he was a teen. I felt bad for Nik he had such a terrible childhood that left him deeply traumatized. I'm shocked he as able to lead such a normal life.

An age gap that won't be for everyone

Lynn's stories are usually some of my absolute favorites. I don't have any experience with the previous North Shore stories but didn't find that a hinderance with this one (though knowing Marek's story ahead of time would've been a bonus). I enjoyed Tomasz and Nik's story and thought that these two forged quite a beautiful relationship. The age gap that most likely won't be for everyone is that Tomasz is eighteen, most definitely a mature eighteen year old, but still eighteen. While he most certainly wanted to take the best care of Nik, his youth does come up and a bit of that teen selfishness shines through. It's not done consciously or out of malice; just for the fact that being that young you don't know what you don't know. I think the big turn for me came when Marek sat Tomasz down and made him face some truths about his relationship with Nik. It seemed like a real lightbulb moment for him and I think there was a shift in his focus that was more on what he could do for Nik rather than just having Nik for himself. Though he does majorly kind of mess up later on and doesn't understand what he does wrong until Marek sets him right again. Nik's past broke my heart and he has plenty of good reasons for feeling the way he does. I am so thankful that he found that bakery and Marek as a result.

I highly enjoyed this story but I just couldn't fully connect to all the characters which is why I gave it four stars. I don't know if it's because of Tomasz' youth or just that some of the side characters felt a bit cold. Truthfully, I can't put my fingers on it but it's definitely a different feel from the Oleander Chronicles which is a series I absolutely love.

If you're looking for an age gap story that's a bit off the beaten path, then I think you'll enjoy this one. There's a lot of exploration of a new relationship, or maybe it's better to say an exploration to a new side to an established relationship. Just keep in mind that Nik's backstory is a bit dark and Tomasz is just a ball of sunshine to show him how worthy of love Nik truly is.

Disturbing

I know pain and hurt but not to this degree. This story was extremely difficult for me as a person, so make sure you have an open mind if you decide to give this book a credit. with that said, the movie star I believe his name is Ryan is extremely annoying with a lot of cockiness because I guess he's a movie star and he thinks his caca doesn't stink. Even though he had a big heart, it still doesn't excuse his demeanor. The narrator Michael is phenomenal. He is one of my favorite narrators of all time besides Aiden Snow. I don't think I could continue these books if it wasn't for Michael.

Kink Done Correctly

I absolutely loved this book and the relationship between Nik and Tomasz. This has been a perfect depiction of true love and giving your partner what they need. The road isn't easy for these two, but they work hard to make their relationship work and don't give up on the other. Narration is perfect with clear distinction between characters. Highly recommend!

Not what I was expecting

Audio performance: 5 stars. I always love everything Michael F. narrates. His voice is a delight and he can pull off all kinds of accents.


**Warning of spoilers**


I'm one of those people who read all sorts of things they would never approve of in real life and Forbidden Romance + Age Gap is my favorite trope combination! Unfortunately, I couldn't root for the main couple at all this time. Many things tasted bitter in this story. For one, an 18-year-old boy should never have to be a grown man's emotional support. Tomasz was too young to bear the weight of dealing with serious trauma, let alone learn how to inflict pain (something he didn't enjoy) to give his partner the release he needed. To make things worse, his parents and brother didn't mind at all that he was giving so much up to support Nik, it didn't seem to be an issue to them. So, that really bothered me, among other things.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the first few chapters, when Tomasz was still pursuing Nik. His wit and good humor were adorable, and Nick trying to resist temptation and be respectful of the family who cared so much for him was great to see. At that point, I was expecting to fall in love with the couple.