Audio Review: Relay by Layla Reyne, Performed by Nick J. Russo

06 August of 2020 by ButtonsMom2003

Performance: 5

Story: 5

5.0Overall score

Great story, great narration!

Relay By Layla Reyne, Performed By Nick J. Russo

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports, Swimming, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, second chance

Released: Audio-July 21, 2020; eBook-March 28, 2018

Publisher: Self-Published

Length: 7 hrs, 13 mins / 279 pages

Synopsis

Captain is not a title Alejandro “Alex” Cantu takes lightly. Elected by his teammates to helm the US Men’s Swim Team, he proudly accepts the role, despite juggling endless training, team administrative work, and helping out on the family farm. And despite his ex-lover, Dane Ellis—swimming’s biggest star—also making the Olympic Team.

Dane has been a pawn in his celebrity parents’ empire from crib to pool, flashing his camera-ready smile on demand and staying deeply in the closet. Only once did he drop the act—the summer he fell in love with Alex. Ten years later, Dane longs to cut his parents’ strings, drop his too-bright smile, and beg Alex for another chance.

Alex, though, isn’t ready to forgive and forget, and Dane is a distraction he doesn’t need on his team, until an injury forces Alex to accept Dane as his medley relay anchor. Working together, their passion reignites. When Dane’s parents threaten reprisal and Alex is accused of doping, the two must risk everything to prove Alex’s innocence, to love one another, and to win back their spots on the team, together.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Great story, great narration!

With no Olympic Games being held this summer due to COVID-19 the timing for the audio release of Relay couldn’t be better. I love watching the swimming events on TV and the next best thing is reading/listening to romance books with Olympic themes.

I haven’t read a lot of books by Layla Reyne but those that I have read I’ve loved and Relay is no exception. She writes in several different MM romance genres and is well known for her romantic suspense books. She also wrote a fantastic foodie romance called Dine With Me that I really loved.

Nick J. Russo did his usual great job with his performance of Relay. His voice is pleasant to listen to and the various voices he uses makes it easy to distinguish the different characters. I understand that he’ll also be performing the sequel, Medley and I’m really looking forward to listening to it.

I love second chance romance stories and this one is really great. It’s been 10 years since Dan and Alex connected at a summer training and things ended badly so Relay also has a bit of an enemies-to-lovers feel to it, especially in the beginning.

The story touched me in a lot of ways. Dane is kind of a poor little rich boy and once it was revealed what his parents were doing to him, I wanted to give them a piece of my mind. In the beginning his teammates aren’t fond of him and that just made me sad.

Alex has his own troubles juggling a lot of things. His mother is sick so he’s trying to earn money to help with expenses for his family. He feels a great responsibility as captain of the men’s Olympic Swim Team. His feeling towards Dane impact his leadership at first, and how the team treats Dane, but he finally steps up and puts things right.

There are some really tense moments when Alex’s eligibility for the team is in jeopardy but it’s a romance so things work out in the end. I really wanted to listen to Relay straight through but I started it too late in the evening and had to save a few chapters until the next morning. It really is a great story and I’m so glad I listened to it.

Story: ♥♥♥♥♥

Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Scorcher

Changing Lanes Series

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Teaser Graphic

About Author

Layla Reyne

Layla Reyne is the author of Dine With Me, and the Fog City, Agents Irish and Whiskey, Trouble Brewing, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart pounding romance.

You can find Layla online via the social links below, or in her reader group on Facebook—Layla’s Lushes, or on BookBub and Amazon.

Author Links

Nick J. Russo

Author Links
Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Audible