Narrated by Sean Crisden
American Fairytale is the second book in new-to-me author Adriana Hererra’s Dreamers series, which features four Afro-Latinx friends who live and work in and around New York. The story – a romance between a self-made billionaire and a social worker – definitely lives up to its fairytale moniker; it’s sexy and wonderfully romantic, the protagonists are compassionate, decent men, and while there are a couple of “uh-oh” moments, the author doesn’t overdo the angst, instead spending time on developing their relationship and showing us exactly why they’re so perfect for one another.
Social worker Camilo – Milo – Briggs is residential programs director at New Beginnings, an agency that works with disadvantaged people from all walks of life, and he’s passionate about helping to make life better for his clients. He meets handsome, charming and wealthy Thomas Hughes at a swanky charity benefit, and right from the start, they’re captivated by one another, the intense attraction that flares between them culminating in a swift but hot sexual encounter that leaves them both reeling. But afterward, Milo starts second-guessing himself, rattled because something that should have been just a bit of fun has started to feel like something much more intense – and he leaves the event without saying goodbye or expecting to see Thomas Hughes again.
(These guys clearly don’t read enough romance novels!)
Tom, the son of a white American soldier who moved to the Dominican Republic – where he met and married Tom’s mother – came to New York for college when he was in his late teens, and remained there. He and two friends set up an incredibly successful business over a decade earlier and have recently sold it – and Tom is taking his time in semi-retirement to take stock of his life and spend time with his four-year-old daughter, Libe. Divorced a year before, Tom is well aware of the fact that he neglected his relationship for the sake of his business, and wants to do better. For some time now, he has been looking into the possibility of sponsoring a project for abused women in honour of his aunt (his mother’s sister), and has finally decided which charity he wants to work with.
Milo is delighted when he learns New Beginnings’ residential program is to receive a two-million-dollar cash injection – but the last thing he’s expecting when invited to meet the agency’s new donor is to come face-to-face with the guy he’d had sex with at the charity event. Tom is just as surprised to see Milo again, and immediately sensing the other man’s discomfort, does his best to put him at ease, trying to convey to him that he doesn’t plan on saying anything about what happened between them at the gala. But he can’t deny that he’s pleased to see Milo and is keen to spend time with him; cautiously Tom suggests that perhaps they could have regular weekly meetings to discuss the progress being made on the shelter renovation to be funded by his donation, and even as he’s telling himself it’s a bad idea, Milo accepts, determined to keep it to strictly business.
Of course, it doesn’t quite turn out that way, and the meetings quickly turn into a sweet, romantic courtship during which both men open up a bit about their lives, their backgrounds and their dreams, each feeling that at last, here is someone who sees the real him, someone he can just be himself with, and for both of them, that’s a Big Thing. They’re wonderfully and refreshingly honest with each other, and although there’s the suggestion that openly being with Tom could endanger Milo’s career, the story doesn’t really go there; instead the conflict in the tale comes from the characters, who they are, and their respective situations in life.
And this conflict mostly centres around money. Or rather, around Tom’s inability to see that his desire to help Milo and make his life easier – a desire born of love and genuine concern – by throwing money at problems isn’t always the answer. I have to give real props to the author for the way she handles the issue of financial disparity in the book; and she does it without making Tom seem like a total git or Milo seem like he’s being needlessly stubborn, because we can sympathise with both their perspectives and neither is entirely right or wrong. Tom needs to learn that money can’t fix everything, and Milo needs to learn that it’s not weak to need – or accept –help.
Other huge sources of enjoyment in the story come from its exploration of cultural identity, meeting Milo’s diverse group of friends and all the discussions about food, music and community; and I loved Milo and Tom’s discussions about their heritage and family backgrounds.
Sean Crisden’s voice would be completely swoonworthy if he were reading the backs of cereal packets, but fortunately, he’s got much better material to work with here and he more than does it justice. His pacing is spot on, his vocal characterisations and differentiation are excellent, and I was really impressed with the way he moved so seamlessly into what sounded to me like flawless Spanish when called for. (It’s mostly simple words or phrases, and what’s being said is made obvious by the text, so you won’t miss anything if you don’t understand it word for word.) His interpretations of both Milo and Tom are fabulous; he captures Milo’s prickly snarkiness and Tom’s mixture of confidence and vulnerability really well and voices them so completely differently that there’s never any confusion as to who is speaking or as to the difference between narrative and dialogue. The current trend in contemporary romances told in dual points of view is to use two narrators, but I’m really glad that wasn’t done here, as using just one allows for a much greater consistency and cohesiveness throughout. Plus – Mr. Crisden shows that it just isn’t necessary if you get the right narrator! There’s a fairly large secondary cast, and although some of the characters sound a little similar at times – I’m thinking of Milo’s and Tom’s mothers – those characters don’t generally appear in the same scenes, so there’s no real confusion.
American Fairytale is a lovely, sexy and heartfelt romance between two people who are made for each other, but who nonetheless have to work for their HEA. With a diverse cast, wonderfully written familial relationships and friendships, insightful explorations of culture and identity AND a superb performance from Sean Crisden, it all adds up to an audiobook I have no hesitation in recommending.
Caz
Buy American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera on Amazon
