Groundskeeping has a whole new meaning!

Enjoyable, low angst story about overcoming adversity - from bullying to PTSD - and creating a new life for oneself.
Marshall and Fox knew each other from high school (Fox saved Marshall from a bunch of bullies). Both men are home to heal (Fox from PTSD, Marshall to confront his past).
I loved the banter, snark and humour in the story, especially when dealing with touchy subjects like PTSD, domestic abuse (Sam). I enjoyed the story.
The narration was so much better than I hoped for! JF Harding absolutely got Fox :). It was so much fun listening to him as Sam when he first mentions 'groundskeeping' as a euphemism. And the scene with the snipes? priceless!
Overall, all the characters are well performed. Loved it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

🎧 LesCourt Reviewer 🎧

After the Crash by Emma Alcott. This story develops nicely. A good combination of world building and character development. I really enjoyed Fox and Marshall's characters.
The Narrator J.F. Harding did a fantastic job bringing these characters and story to life.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Snarky, Sweet, Sexy & JF Harding is Spectacular!

Opposites attract, gay for you, first time, a wee bit of angst, and a whole lotta sensual and erotic sexy-times, After the Fall is just about perfect! I’m thoroughly impressed, and anxiously awaiting the next book in the Small Town Hearts series by Emma Alcott.

The audio edition is performed by J.F. Harding and he is spectacular. His sweet and nerdy Marshall will melt your heart, and his gruff and growly Fox will melt your… well, your other bits. Fans of Harding narrating MM romances will not be disappointed!

The first thing that struck me about After the Fall was how incredibly clever it is. One look at the précis and you can tell this isn’t your average romance, and Alcott carries that humor throughout the book. The main supporting character, Sam, has just about the best snark ever, and the dialog is creative, funny, and witty the whole way through.

Wonderful characters and a fantastic story, romance fans are going to love After the Fall!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Romantic Friends to Lovers

This is the first in a series by a new to me author Emma Alcott, and I throughly enjoyed it.
It’s a slow burn romance between Marshall who has returned to his home town from Silicon Valley to take a year’s sabbatical, and face his past after making his life successful and Fox, who has returned home after being discharged from the Airforce with PTSD, but Fox is straight..until things change.
The characters were really likeable including, Sam, and the author dealt with the serious issues of PTSD and parental abuse in a very sensitive and informative way.
I will definitely be looking out for further audiobooks by this author again.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Adorkable and sweet

This first in the series is adorably sweet and has some laugh out loud moments but also deals with some serious issues in PTSD, flashbacks, nightmares, bullying and parental abuse.

The characters are quirky and adorkable all with their own issues that make them a team, a family that together is perfect and invincible. This is the first book I have listened to by this narrator and is the first book I have read by this author and I will be reading/listening others when they come out, her style of writing in insightful and intense yet with enough humour to keep it from being too dark, I found it to be fantastic, a must read.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Wow! Emotional and well narrated

Wow! What an emotional read this is!
Fox and Marshall knew each other in high school but life has gone in vastly different directions since Fox stood up to Marshall's bullies. Fox has serves in the Air Force but come out permanently changed by his experiences and Marshall has come back to town after deciding to take a year off from his multi million dollar tech company.
It is heartbreaking reading Fox's current life and the past that he constantly lives with in nightmares and flashbacks. He's so strong in working through panic attacks and pressures that he has in dealing with people and situations. Marshall appears to him at the perfect time and just sits with him, enabling him to get through that moment and rekindle their friendship. Marshall is perfect in offering patience, acceptance and understanding, never pushing for more than Fox can give. The two end up living at Marshall's new home when Fox is in need of somewhere to live and work to occupy his time and mind.
This is a slow burn relationship with a lot of heat between them when it does spark. The friendship that blossoms is really beneficial to them both as each have a past they want to work through. We even have another character come in that gives Marshall a chance to tutor and Fox the chance to protect and teach. It brings all three people closer together and gives a real family feel. The author really brings to light how tough war is for those who experience it when fighting but especially the possibility of physical and mental disability, and for those around them. It was hard to read in places but so worth experiencing it with the characters.
I cannot recommend this story enough. It's so heartfelt and emotional. Fox's PTSD is hard to deal with on a daily basis and Marshall finds how affected they both will become when they grow closer. I'm excited to see where Emma Alcott will take this series next.
This is the first time that I have head J.F. Harding narrating and I was blown away with how he narrated everything that both men go through in this story. I felt right there with Fox as he was going through all of his PTSD moments and his emerging feelings for Marshall whilst Marshall wants to offer as much support as possible whilst also being there as much as he can for his new student. Definitely a narrator that I'm looking forward to hearing more of in the future after he's done such great work with the characters, emotions and storytelling.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great book

I thought I’d take a chance with this book, and I’m glad I did. It was great! Delicious relationship build up, I was engaged throughout and loved the story and the characters. This is up there with the best M/M romances, and so much better than the underdeveloped cheesy stuff out there. Great narration too.

Other pleasant surprises I’ve had in the M/M genre are L.J.Hayward with Where Death Meets the Devil, and Alice Winters’ In Darkness series. Both have a bit more action thrown in as well as the romance, though.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful story and characters

I loved this story and especially the way all three main characters (Marshall, Fox, and Sam) helped each other to be their best selves. I love the way Marshall reached out to Fox in the bush scene, even before he knew who he was. Marshal knew what it felt like to be anxious and alone, and he was always ready to help someone else. Yet, even with all his money and success, he still had uncertainties and frailties and I really liked that he wasn't perfect. He might be better off emotionally than the other two, but he still had some issues, and that made him easy to relate to and more human. And then there is Fox. His mother was an absolute nightmare. How awful to suffer PTSD like that and have one's family not understand or empathize in the least! I loved that he was willing to do for Marshal what he wasn't able to do for himself when he went to the hospital. This is just a great story of people supporting and helping and loving each other...basically filling in the cracks in each other's armor and helping them to heal. I definitely recommend this story whole-heartedly.

The narration was great. I loved the voicing of Marshal's playful nature and Sam's snark, and the expression of Fox's angst and pain made me really feel his emotions. Mr.Harding really brought these characters to life.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook at my request and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

An enjoyable narration

Alcott's debut series is truly not to be missed. Marshall and Fox are beautifully written and are engaging characters. Harding's narration brings this book alive and creates a broad range of emotions. Truly one that should be at the top of your TBR!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Emotional

A great start to this new series from Emma Alcott, After The Crash shows how you can pick up the pieces after suffering trauma in combat. Fox is an absolute sweetheart struggling with PTSD after serving in the Air Force, he doesn’t get support from his family so when he stumbles across Marshall in his time of need it really changes his life. I think the PTSD was covered very well and I really got the sense of the suffering Fox was enduring trying to cope with what happened.

The romance is super sweet, I loved how Fox just totally owns his feelings and isn’t shy about telling Marshall how he feels. Marshall is an absolute delight and when things take a turn later in the book he really steps up and takes on the new challenge 100%.

I look forward to the rest of this series.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!