PANSIES Spires Universe, Book 4

Strong and distinctive accents are no obstacle to narrator Cornell Collins, who fully commits to the variety of voices in this romance set in Northeast England. Most notable is the voice of Alfie Bell, a wealthy gay Londoner with traditional Northern roots. On a visit to his seaside hometown of South Shields, Alfie becomes smitten after an exhilarating one-night stand, only to realize that Fen, the troubled man he's fallen for, is a former schoolmate whom Alfie bullied relentlessly. A romance rife with combative chemistry follows, and Collins smoothly transitions between Alfie's gruff, contrite affection and Fen's more softly accented defiance. Without shying away from the complex emotions inherent in the plot, Collins delivers a hopeful, captivating performance with a powerful sense of place. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2020]