Locked in Silence (Pelican Bay Book 1) by Sloane Kennedy #LGBT #Audio #RGRGiveaway #Review #MM #Angst

Erryn reviews ‘Locked in Silence’ (Pelican Bay Book #1) by Sloane Kennedy. The ebook was published September 13, 2017.The audiobook version of this story was narrated by Michael Pauley, released on December 1, 2017 and is 8 hrs and 55 mins long.

***Check out the giveaway at the bottom of this review for a chance to win a $5 gift card***

Why I read this book: I have listened to every book by Sloane Kennedy.  When this audiobook came out, I was one of the first to buy it.

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I’ve spent years hoping someone would finally hear me. It’s easier not to try anymore…
Ten years after leaving his small Minnesota hometown in his rearview mirror for what Nolan Grainger was sure would be the last time, life has decided to throw the talented musician a curveball and send him back to the town he lived in but was never really home.

At twenty-eight, Nolan has traveled the world as a successful concert violinist with some of the best symphonies in the country. But success breeds envy, and when Nolan’s benefactor and lover decides Nolan has flown high enough, he cruelly clips Nolan’s wings. The betrayal and ensuing scandal leaves the violinist’s career in shambles and with barely enough money to start fresh somewhere beyond his vindictive ex’s powerful reach. But just as he’s ready to get his life back on track, Nolan gets the call he’s been dreading.

After a stroke leaves his father a partial invalid, duty-bound Nolan returns to Pelican Bay and a life he’s spent years trying to forget. When he’s forced to use the last of his own money to keep from losing the family home, desperation has him turning to the one man he’d hoped never to see again…

Even if I could speak, there wouldn’t be anyone there to listen…
Pelican Bay’s golden boy, Dallas Kent, had the quintessential perfect life. Smart, gorgeous, and popular, the baseball phenom was well on his way to a life filled with fame and fortune. But more importantly, he had a one-way ticket out of Pelican Bay and far away from the family who used love as currency and whose high expectations were the law of the land. But a stormy night, sharp highway curve and one bad decision changed everything, leaving Dallas with nothing.

Because the accident that took his parents, his future and his crown as the boy who could do no wrong, also stole his voice.

Despised for the horrific wreck that ended the lives of two of Pelican Bay’s most respected residents, Dallas has retreated to a secluded stretch of land where he’s found refuge in a menagerie of unwanted animals that don’t care that he once had the world at his feet or that he’ll never speak again.

But when the quiet, bookish boy he wasn’t allowed to notice in school suddenly reappears ten years later at Dallas’s wildlife rehab center in desperate need of a job, Dallas is thrust back into a world he’s worked hard to escape.

Dallas’s silence was supposed to send Nolan scurrying, but what if Nolan ends up being the one person who finally hears him?

Will two men who’ve been fleeing from the past finally come home to Pelican Bay for good or will the silence drive them apart forever?

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Book Links: Audible | Amazon  | Add to Goodreads

 

 

My Review: 

Every Sloane Kennedy audiobook is an auto-buy for me.  Since listening to Redemption – the first book in her Protector series – I have been hooked.

Locked in Silence is the first book in her new Pelican Bay series and I have to admit I’m already hooked.

Ten years have passed since Nolan Grainger and Dallas Kent were in their senior year at the high school in Pelican Bay.  Both had secured promising futures and had plans to leave the small town in their rear-view mirrors.

Fast forward ten years and things have not gone well for either man.  Nolan has traveled the world as a vaunted violinist, but between his father’s stroke and his own disgrace, he has come home to lick his wounds and help his parents get back on their feet.

A little critter brings him into contact with Dallas most unexpectedly and after another chance encounter, it is Nolan who voluntarily approaches Dallas, the former golden boy.  Dallas never bullied Nolan, like most of the other kids in the high school, but neither did he defend the young nerd who was a musical prodigy.

Their relationship as adults is fraught with landmines, but the attraction invades their every interaction.

And, despite Nolan’s desperate situations, at least he hasn’t been locked away for the past 10 years.  Dallas has carved out a life for himself, convinced this is as good as it gets.  Nolan’s entry into his life, however, shakes him from his torpor.

Both Nolan and Dallas are gentle souls.  Dallas’ care of the animals in his sanctuary is poignant as he often takes in and cares for creatures who have been neglected as he has been.  Understanding that time is finite, he treasures his interactions as he nurses, rehabilitates, and either releases animals back into the wilderness, or cares for them until the end.  Nolan shares that inability to walk away from someone in need.  In the end, the town he had always felt was an anvil around his neck, provides him with the man who gives him love like he’s never known.  The animals in this book are as alive as the human characters and just as endearing.

Forgiveness is the prevailing theme in this book – from dysfunctional parents, seemingly-cruel siblings, former lovers, or bullies (former and present), a lot of people have hurt Dallas and Nolan.  There were times I wondered if they could overcome the pain and grief.

Love can sometimes heal as well as bring joy.  People can redeem themselves by changing to become better people and sometimes even evil people get their comeuppance.

This is a beautiful and painful tribute to two beautiful men.  Whether by disability or false accusation, they thought they were destined to be alone for life.

I’m so glad they were wrong.

And Michael Pauley?  I don’t think I can ever say enough good things about this talented narrator.  I love him.  He brings Dallas to life even though the man is locked in silence, unable to speak.  The emotions evoked by Dallas’ frustration at being unable to communicate like others is heightened by Michael’s ability to give Dallas language and emotions.  Great job.

 

My Rating:

10/10 Points of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars

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This giveaway ends on December 17, 2017 at 11:59 PM CST. GOOD LUCK!

Website | Facebook | Twitter: @sloane_kennedy | Goodreads

Although Sloane Kennedy always dreamed of being a writer as a teenager, she didn’t take the plunge until March of 2015 when she released her first novel as an independent author. Since then, she has released more than 20 books including the Amazon best-selling “Barretti Security” series, “Finding” series, “Pelican Bay” series and “Protectors” series. While she initially began writing M/F romance, she found her true passion writing gay romance and nearly all of her most recent releases reached the #1 spot on Amazon’s Gay Romance bestseller list and several have made it to Amazon’s overall bestseller list. Sloane was born in Germany and grew up in Virginia and Wisconsin. Although she currently lives in Wisconsin, the place where she has always felt most at home is Seattle and many of her books take place in the Emerald City. Although she is unmarried, a menagerie of 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 2 chickens keeps her busy enough and 3 young nieces take care of the rest of her free time. Sloane loves being able to share her passion for romance with readers and she is truly humbled by all the support she’s received from fans and fellow authors alike.