Falling for Raine by Lane Hayes; Narrated by Joel Leslie

The perfect duo, Lane Hayes' writing and Joel Leslie's narration, meant Falling for Raine was a fantastic listen.

From the blurb:

The gentleman, the hot mess, and a little British adventure…

Raine

Moving to London is scary and daunting, but I desperately need this job–and a redo. Okay, so I may have oversold my qualifications. That shouldn’t be a big deal, though. I mean, being an assistant’s assistant seems easy enough, and I’m a fast learner.

Hold up!

I’m already in over my head with spreadsheets, new pronunciations, and temperamental appliances. And just as I’m mentally preparing to face going home early, the big boss offers me an opportunity I can’t refuse. And I definitely should because Graham Horsham is an infuriating, complicated grumpy bear with a razor-sharp tongue, a wickedly dry sense of humor, and…I like him far too much.

Graham

I’ve been bamboozled. I’m not quite sure how I ended up with an assistant who spills coffee daily, wears wrinkled shirts, and chatters nonstop. He can’t stay, but I don’t want him to go and that’s madness. The Horsham Group is closing one of our biggest deals ever and I won’t jeopardize it. This one is personal.

Yet so is Raine.

He’s a breath of fresh air—silly, impetuous, lighthearted, good-natured, and…quite lovely. I like him more than I want to admit. For some reason, I can let my guard down with him. It’s unnerving and probably unprofessional.

But not to worry…I will not, under any circumstances, fall for Raine.

Falling for Raine is an MM, age-gap romance featuring a British gentleman, a desperate but adorable American, and a UK adventure!


Jacquie's Review:

An addictive listen with a great mix of grumpy/sunshine, steam, and a slow burn romance - I'm calling it a slow burn because it takes Graham a while to get there with his feelings.

So sweet that his name is Raine, but Graham refers to him to his sunshine, or similar things along the way.

Joel is great at accents, though quite often Graham seemed to veer off into Welsh to my ear, which is fine. I love that accent.

I adored Raine with his endearing charm, ability to make friends anywhere, and just a touch of klutzy behavior. He was brave and sweet, able to see his flaws, but never gave up on what he wanted.

The brief epilogue was lovely and if the author wanted to return to this world, I wouldn't mind Sanjay's story!


Alyssa P's review:

Lane Hayes' books set in England are romantic and beautifully captured. The protagonist, Rae, seems younger than his age due to his positive demeanor and desire to learn a new job. He meets Graham, the head of a new company, and their dynamic is immediately sparked. The book is simple, well-written, and enjoyable to read, making it one of my enjoyable reads. Narrator, Joel Leslie, did a perfect job! His accent range for Graham and certain words he says was fun and accurate!

Falling for Raine is currently available as an audiobook, e-book and paperback, and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription

We have a teaser!

What in the hell was going on? It was as though I’d entered an alternative universe. Everything looked the same, but it was different.

Of course it was Raine.

I studied him shaking hands with everyone in the shop as I shrugged on my jacket. He was…hypnotic, addicting—a cross between an inappropriate dinner party guest and a fistful of forbidden sweets when you were on a diet. He didn’t fit in this world I’d carefully constructed, yet I kept inviting him in and forgetting whatever reason I’d concocted for this to make sense.

Like now.

“Perhaps you’d like to try something on.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets so I wouldn’t be tempted to touch him.

He widened his eyes and sidled close, whispering under his breath, “Are you nuts? One shirt here costs half my rent. Unless…oh, no. Oh, no, no, no!”

“What?” I demanded, pulling him with me outside.

“Are you going daddy on me?”

“Excuse me?” I furrowed my brow, stopping under the eaves where rain sluiced off the roof and fell like a curtain around us on two sides.

“Slow your roll, G, I’m not looking for a meal ticket, and I’m not taking hand-outs. I can be talked into bedroom daddy kink, but if you want me to call you Daddy—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you daft man. I do not want you to call me Daddy,” I growled just as a well-dressed man stepped onto the mat next to me, pausing for a moment to close his umbrella and dart a quick look between us.

Raine pursed his lips, then burst into laughter when the man entered the shop. “Ha! You should see your face. I was kidding.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I huffed, my lips twitching.

“I’ll be good, Daddy. Don’t spank me.”

“Don’t test me.” I pretended not to notice him fanning himself with a slack-jawed expression as I gestured toward the pub on the next block. “If we stay under the eaves, we’ll stay dry, but we’ll have to hurry.”

“No need. I bet they sell umbrellas in there.”

I squinted at the tourist shop at the corner on the opposite side of the street, its windows papered with Union Jack memorabilia. “That’s crap, Ray-n.”

“So what? It’s fun crap. My treat.”

He sprinted into the deluge, dashing into the tourist shop while I stared after him. What was he doing? Now he’d be wet and stuck with a tatty tourist umbrella that would undoubtedly flip inside out at the first gust of wind.

A crack of thunder spurred me into action. I borrowed a sturdy umbrella from Ives and Harris with the promise to return it as soon as possible, then walked down the street to find Raine.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d managed to make a friend in under five minutes. He stood in front of a wall stuffed with tartan throws, holding two compact umbrellas and chatting up a salesman. It took a bit of persuading to convince him he didn’t need the blanket—however, I couldn’t talk him out of purchasing two Union Jack umbrellas. I warned him that they were poorly made, but he didn’t care.

We squabbled all the way to the pub, argued over what to order, who was paying, and where to sit before finally settling into a table for two at the window. I frowned when he beamed a sunshine smile my way.

“Stop being so happy,” I teased, cradling my glass. “It’s miserable out there.”

“But it’s warm and yummy in here,” he countered, sliding his calf along mine under the table. “And you’re cute when you’re cranky.”

“I am neither cute nor cranky. I’m—okay, never mind, I <em>am</em> cranky. If we’d come straight here, we could have avoided the queue and had that corner booth.” I pointed at the booth currently inhabited by a gaggle of noisy businessmen. “Do you ever listen to reason?”

“Have you met me?”