Pick this up, you won't be disappointed!!!

This audio book was by a 'new to me' author, Lydia Michaels and a 'new to me' narrator, David Allen Vargo. This is book 5 in the series of 8 books, called McCullough Mountain. Broken Man is the only M/M book in an otherwise M/F series.

When I looked up the author, I noticed that there were no other M/M books written by her, at least none that I found. I was a bit leary after that discovery but boy was I surprised at what a great job she did. All I can say is wow!!! I will definitely read any other M/M books written by Lydia.

The narration was spot on with unique voices for the characters. I especially liked when the thought was in the characters head and the voice sounded like it was in an echo chamber... There was no mistaking that it was a thought and not spoken words.

Luke, former college football star with career ending injury, straight maybe not so straight, home town boy.

Tristan, college graduate, friend/former roommate to Luke's cousin. Tristan left his Texas home, after his father gave him a beating after being found with his high school sweetheart.

This relationship formed by these two men was both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. This book contains all the feels. I cried ugly tears with this one, but don't despair there is a hard won HEA.

Something I found interesting is this series came out in 2015 but wasn't released in audio format until May 2022. I'd like to think that in the last 7 years that people's views of the LGBTQ+ community have changed and that we, as a society, are more accepting of people that are different from ourselves but I'm not so sure we are that enlightened. I think this book and the events within it are just as relevant today as they were 7 years ago. Love is love!!!

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Not a fantasy of M/M Romance....This is REAL!

So I had to do some research on this author about half way through the book. Although she is a prolific and award winning author, M/M Romance is not her focus. In fact, it didn't appear to me that she had any other M/M romances in her arsenal. So it was surprising, to say the least, that she even attempted it and even more surprising that she has such a firm handle on it. I kept thinking as I was reading, "Someone close to her must be gay. There's just no other way she could tap into the gay mindset so well." Here's what I loved about this book: It was real. Not a fantasy of M/M Romance. These were real people in real-life situations. Not a made-up phony idealized world that simply doesn't exist - which happens in a lot of gay romance novels. This is Book 5 of an 8-part family saga, and this one focuses on the gay son (a serious athlete and full-fledged hunk) and his struggles to understand who and what he is in a world he fears will reject him. I don't want to give anything away, because the story is too rich for me to try and retell. I think it's well worth listening to. It's perfectly fine as a standalone, but now I'm kind of interested in the other books in the saga too. The McCullough family really grew on me. I actually liked these people, cheered for them, cried with them, laughed loudly at them (some of them are crazy fun). They're solid people with good hearts and that's all I'll give away. The narrator, David Allen Vargo, gives a tour-de-force performance with his many character voices, smooth and clear diction, and great acting. He's very easy on the ear. I could listen to him all day. A fine book and a fine performance.

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Amazing story

McCullough Mountain is the new small town I want to visit! This is the 5th book in this phenomenal series and features Luke. He has come home to the mountain after a devastating, career ending injury that no longer allows him to continue to play football. Now a little lost, trying to get used to his new normal, he is find his way through each woman in town. Tristan was rejected by his family when he came out, and has now settled on the mountain. Taken into the McCullough family, he has an attraction to Luke and when they share a kiss, Luke's world is turned upside down. He is not interested in men, so why is taken with Tristan? The best way is to ignore it, right? But when that doesn't happen, the biggest secret that extends for years is created. What will come of their relationship? Will it stand the test of time? Michaels brings in all the siblings, some we have heard their story, others we are looking forward to. Some are coinciding and it makes the family interactions fun and exciting. This story is full of emotion, turmoil and love. It is frustrating and passionate and drove all of my emotions to the brink and back. Grab this series, it's is one that should not be missed.

David Allen Vargo tells this story with all of the emotions, bringing it to life. Luke is stubborn and confused, and Vargo tunes into his psyche, creating a voice that is realistic. Tristan is much more comfortable in who he is, but carries a hurt that is felt with each inflection Vargo uses. The effects used make the inner voices believable and feels like we are there with the characters. It's a fantastic listen.

loved this story

I read the book first, and it's such a heartbreaking story. it's so well done, spanning over the course of the whole series, overlapping scenes, which I enjoyed. the narration was good. I don't care for his female voices as much as some other male narrators. but since this was a MM story, it wasn't a factor as much. his mrs McCullough made her sound older than I pictured her being. not sure how I feel about the sound effects either. some will like it, but for me sometimes it felt a bit distracting.

Luke and Tristan Get a Well-Won Happy Ending

I, like most readers, love M/M romance, fully cognizant of the idealized depiction of a perfectly inclusive environment for its LGBTQ+ characters. A world where all men, women, and other-gendered persons are comfortable with their sexuality and have no worry about others not agreoing with how they’ve decided to live. ‘Broken Man’ tells an equally important story–one of internalized homophobia, homophobic violence, and toxic masculinity–along with the HEA of a romance novel.

Gritty and realistic, ‘Broken Man’ tells the story of a hard-fought happy ending between Luke and Tristan. Luke has such insecurity and low self-esteem that he is incapable of giving Tristan what he’s dreamed of his whole life–an open relationship with the man he loves. It takes several years and a near tragedy for Luke to finally vocalize his love for Tristan. There’s plenty of angst throughout the book, but ends on a satisfying note.

I’ve listened to a few David Allen Vargo narrations in the past. In ‘Broken Man’ some of his voices seem a bit strained, but overall his performance conveys the emotional nature of Michaels’ story well.

This review is posted voluntarily after receipt of a requested ARC.

Recommended.

What a sad world we live in…

This book hit me. My children have a friend who was raised in the church, who came out after he graduated college and had been, basically disowned by his family… he felt like until then, he couldn’t be himself. The McCullough family is an amazing group… and Luke fights the battle in himself because he has difficulty with who he is.

I love the way Lydia Michael’s write this. Love how this family loves regardless.. and how accepting they are. It’s not a genre I would always choose to read, but it’s so well done and full of… well real… that I couldn’t stop listening.

David Allen Vargo did a great job with the narration.

Profound and Emotional

I found myself angry, heartbroken and emotional for Luke & Tristan.The hidden love from the world was necessary to protect themselves from the cruelty in the world. Tristan accepted being gay from a young boy. For Luke it was some never allowed himself to think about. He had a reputation as a womanizer, so the thought of being gay he could not admit to himself. The obstacles and opinions of others forced them to hide their love.
Narrator David Allen Vargo brought so much depth, compassion, and expressiveness warranted to cherish this storyline and characters. I adored this book and highly recommend it.

Exceptional Story & Listen🎧 Riveting & Heartfelt!

Lydia Michaels penned another winner of a novel, one that not only captivated my attention the entire time, but tugged on my heartstrings as well. I am loving this series, the characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, a family that deals with everyday issues like we all do. Each book is written to stand on its own, each one features a different McCullough, they crossover in each other’s book and seeing them again is like seeing an old friend. The timelines may overlap and run concurrently, so you will see some events that may have already occurred in one of the other books, like a brief glimpse in time and from another person's point of view. The writing is fantastic and there are many layers to each story. This book is Luke McCullough’s story, his dream of making it big in pro football came crashing down when an injury left him unable to play again. He came home with is tail between his legs and a chip on his shoulder, he never wanted the small town life or to work for the family business. But his life takes an unexpected turn when a newcomer arrives in town and starts working for his family business. Tristan Hughes’ family broke his heart when they could not accept him for who he was and he needed to get as far from them as he could. After landing in Center County, he found a job with the McCulloughs. He and Luke hit it off right from the start and it did not take long for Tristan to make a move on Luke, but Luke is a straight man, has never been with or even looked at another guy. He does not know what to make of it even after he realized he enjoyed kissing Tristan. Afterwards, Luke is confused and winds up going on a bender, not a drinking bender but a womanizing bender. Tristan has always been into boys and has accepted that and he understands Luke is not there and may never get there. Is he gay, is he bisexual or is it just a “gay for you” type of relationship? Either way, he is not ready to come out to his family, he is also not ready to give Tristen up. The author makes these two work for their love and understanding, she puts their hearts through the wringer and the reader’s hearts too. Other challenges and obstacles come in their way, some close to home, another from a coworker and his hater’s cohorts. The emotions pour off the pages of this beautifully plotted story and straight into your heart. There is plenty of drama, some angst, heartfelt emotions, and some hot loving. I loved how supportive and accepting the McCullough’s are, also love the camaraderie amongst the family members, their Mom is a hoot too. Lydia Michaels, thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧 📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, David Allen Vargo is an entertaining storyteller and a versatile voice artist. This is only my second book of his and I am looking forward to listening to more of his book. His talent knows no bounds, he does an amazing job bringing the characters to life, humanizing them with their emotions and their personality. He has a complete understanding of the characters he portrays, gives each a voice that is a perfect fit for that character and sounds believable in every role he plays. He sets the perfect tone for the story, captures all the character’s emotions and has you feeling every single one. Thank you for another amazing listen and for enhancing this exceptional story to another level.

Rollercoaster of emotions for this story

This story put me through so many emotions. I listened to the audiobook and had not read or listened to any of the stories in the series. It works as a standalone, but there are many family members and friends in the story that are talked about. By the end of the book, I think I had the connections straight. This story is about Luke McCullough and Tristan Hughes,

The story and characters had so much depth that you couldn't help but feel for what they had gone through. Luke had always been attracted to females. He meets Tristan and tries to fight what he is feeling, but then eventually gives into the inevitable. Luke is so torn about his feelings towards Tristan that he doesn't want anyone to know that they are together, including his family. He feels ashamed and will only be with Tristan in private.

Tristan has always been gay. Just for being gay, Tristan was horrendously beaten by his own father while his mother looked the other way from this abuse. Tristan is understandably upset that Luke wants to hide their relationship, but would rather have a private relationship with Tristan rather than no relationship with him.

The story spans several years. It was so sad and frustrating that Luke continued to deny the relationship with Tristan and continued to hurt him because of that denial. It takes a drastic wake up call where Luke almost loses him completely for Luke to finally acknowledge him in public. There was an absolutely brutal scene in the book that is forever etched in my mind. It was gut wrenching. It takes a lot for the two to finally have an HEA. Even through all those ups and downs with the story, I did not want to quit until they had their happy ending. They definitely deserved one.

The narrator David Allen Vargo did a good job with the narration. He used a kind of echo feature when the character had an inner monologue. I did not really like his interpretation of Tristan's voice, but that is a personal preference. Each character had it's own different voice, which was appreciated.

Overall, I am glad I listened to this book. It was a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Luke and Tristan

Broken Man is Book 5 in the McCullough Mountain series and can be enjoyed on its own. This is a heartbreaking, heartwarming, powerful, love story about Luke and Tristan. Have tissues handy you might need them. I really enjoyed this book as Luke and Tristan figure out how they fit into each others' lives. Luke has a hard time accepting himself, but he loves Tristan and doesn't want to let him go. Tristan is tired of being Luke's dirty secret and knows Luke's family will accept him and their relationship. It was a long journey for Luke and Tristan to find their happy ending and discover that their love for each other was enough. I definitely recommend this book.
Narrator David Allen Vargo does an amazing job. He has the perfect voice for Luke and Tristan and really brings out the emotion of their story.