A crazy ride

I received this audio book as an advanced listener.
Why entitled this review 'crazy ride'? Well because Shaw and North cases take you to some ridiculous places. Some will make you laugh and some despair. It is always interesting.
You need to have read/listened to the original series to understand Shaw and North's dynamic and some of the recurring characters. The backdrop to the story is North and Shaw learning to accommodate one another as we delved into the world of gay romance writers. Bitchy much!! As for North's uncle Ronnie - you will have to listen to find out.
Lastly, I am pleased that Gregory Ashe has managed to keep Charlie David as narrator as he inhabits his characters so well that the translation from the book doesn't miss the nuances.
Are there some more challenges ahead for North and Shaw? Well we'll have to get book 2 to find out......

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Enjoyable Story, annoying narration

l kinda think Gregory Ashe broke me when he employed Tristan James for his Hazard and Somerset series. Now, I find I measure other narrators of Ashes work to Tristan James standards. I'm not a fan of Charlie David's narration. He's fine with narrating character dialogue but everything else is a bit stilted. There was also a very annoying repeated mispronounced word- the story was set in a King Arthur themed hotel. Tintagel, an English village connected to the Arthurian myth, was the name of one of the rooms at the hotel. Tintagel is pronounced 'Tin-tahhh-jull', but the narrator said 'Tinta-gel'. This kind of pronunciation is easy to check before narration. It was like nails on a blackboard each time he said it.
Apart from that, the story of a murder at a Gay Romance convention amused me greatly. Ashe clearly used the story to have a dig at the ridiculousness of the con circuit, the outrageous behaviour of readers, and egotistical crazy authors. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the content was true as lots of stuff has happened at GRL that people in the MM community know about! It's why I'd never attend!
The relationship between North and Shaw continues to be dysfunctional. both of them have so much baggage that it will probably take the whole of this new series for them to end up on the same page! Fun, good writing, shame about the narrator.

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North and his Shaw

Indirection (noun) – lack of straightforwardness, indirect action, lack of direction

Shaw’s note – like the time North got wasted at a Sigma Sigma party and tried to walk home and got stuck in a hedge for two hours until I found him

North’s note – better example: or like the first time Shaw used a Dab Pen and got lost inside his own sweater

Erryn’s note – I had to go look up what a Dab Pen was (thank you Google)


I adored the Borealis Investigation series and was sad to see it end. At the time, there was promise of more and this author tends to write prolifically when he zeroes in on a couple worthy of his attention. Shaw and North are such a couple. Although their respective arcs felt complete after the last book in the previous series, a few cracks let daylight through, so I wasn’t surprised to see my two favorite private detectives back. They’ve put the slasher behind them and are busier than ever with the business – especially the work they’re doing for Shaw’s father. They’re not getting rich, but things are at least comfortable.

When Shaw is approached by the organizer of a gay romance convention, Queer Con, to help solve the threats to the con, he grabs the opportunity because it’s something new. Something shiny. And he gets to pull out his manuscript about gay library sex (and a debate about whether you can return a book you’ve uh, you know…if it’s library hardback and you’ve cleaned it. (Hint – no ahem way.)

I have heard a few stories about cons over the years and have attended a few myself (although never a gay romance con, despite having always wanted to.) I’ve heard rumours about things going on behind the scenes, but I’d like to believe nothing as extreme as what’s going on in this story. That being said, I wonder how much is imagination and how much is rooted in those rumours. I was never quite sure.

Now, along with murder, there is a lot of humor in this book. Like at some points I laughed out loud (not common for me) and a couple of times, I actually snorted. Usually at Shaw’s antics. I can never quite figure him out. He seems almost ditzy at times and at other moments, he has great ideas. That being said, I’m firmly in Camp North. Shaw would drive me nuts. Sometimes I wonder why North puts up with him. Then Shaw does something super sweet and I think, yeah, I get it. Or he does something ridiculous (the red pen incident) and I think, OMG, I’d lose my, uh, stuff..

There is a lot going on in this book. Not just the con. And Shaw and North are in for a nasty surprise when they try to take down a criminal. North’s past might not be as clean as he’d thought.

Okay, and through all this, I had Charlie David. I adore him and his narrations are always brilliant. He has the couple nailed, and did a good job with the secondary characters as well. Obviously there are more books to come in the series and I can’t wait. And although you can listen without having enjoyed the last series, I would recommend tossing it in to the mix – if only for the sheer entertainment value.

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The Borealis Boys are Back!

North and Shaw are back in Indirection, the first book in Gregory Ashe’s new four part series Borealis: Without a Compass, which sees them moving into a new phase of their lives – as both romantic partners and partners in a growing, successful business. All the things I so loved about them in their first series – their crazy chemistry, their frequently hilarious (and frequently bonkers) banter, their great friendship and deeply-rooted affection – are still here, and it’s nice to see them (mostly) happy and in love while at the same time, they’re hitting the same speed-bumps we all hit when it comes to juggling the demands of work and home - and a number of previously unresolved issues are starting to rear their ugly heads.

The business is going well; Borealis is making money and a name for itself, but it's clear straight away that both men have different views as to where it should be going and what cases they should be taking. When the woman who runs Queer Expectations – a gay romance book convention – turns up with tales of threatening emails and begs for their help, Shaw is chomping at the bit to take the case and get out of their current rut of corporate drudgery. North isn’t wild about the idea – they’re slammed with other jobs and – but, well, he’s putty in Shaw’s hands, and of course they take the case.

The case is pretty bonkers, with North and Shaw getting the run-around several times over, and then again when one of the big-name authors at the convention is poisoned in front of everyone. Setting this story at a romance convention is very meta and there's definitely some fun being poked at the prejudices held about the romance genre (and, it has to be said, m/m readers in particular).

If I have a complaint it's tthat at times it's all a bit TOO crazy; there's too much going on and it was difficult to take it all in. But there are also some lovely, tender moments between North and Shaw that show how much they care for each other - and others in which the cracks are starting to show.

North's awful "uncle" Ronnie continues to menace in the background; we find out exactly what his hold over North is, and all I can say is it's going to get worse before it gets better. (IF it gets better. Please!)

I really enjoyed Charlie David's performances of the first three Borealis books and was pleased to see he's back for this new series. He's an excellent vocal actor and he's completely nailed North and Shaw, from North's sometimes exaggerated grouchiness to Shaw's wide-eyed (not at all) innocence, and his comic timing in their banter is spot on. I noticed quite a few mispronunciations here that should have been picked up, however which is a shame in an otherwise excellent narration.

Looking forward to more!

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Enjoyable Story

A well written story with and interesting  concept.  The characters are likeable and the narration is very good.

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