Before the Call
A Small Town Hearts Novel
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Before the Call
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Narrated by:
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Michael Ferraiuolo
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By:
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Emma Alcott
About this listen
Rule #1 Don’t fall for the ridiculously hot straight guy
Rule #2 Especially not if he’s your best friend
Rule #3 Extra-especially not when you’re supposed to be his private tutor
Rule #4 Oh, god, but those eyes
Rule #5 Okay, maybe eyes are fine if you don’t look south
Rule #6 Don’t look south
Rule #7 You looked south, didn’t you?
Rule #8 Are you even listening?
Gabe Mitchell isn't listening. What's worse, ever since he moved back to the small town he thought he'd left for good, he's turned into a habitual rule breaker.
Falling for his straight best friend, Clark Summers? Check.
Falling for his straight best friend, Clark Summers, who also happens to be his newest mature student? Check.
And don't you dare get him started about what's going on down south, because Gabe doesn't need to check that to know he's in deep.
It's a good thing Clark's missed him these last four years, and a better thing that he's willing to do whatever it takes to have Gabe back in his life, because rules are about to be broken. All of them. And Clark’s only rule? The one about being straight? It might just end up broken, too.
Before the Call is the second book in the Small Town Hearts series, which features heroes scattered across the rural United States who find love where they're least expecting it. In addition to friendship that turns red-hot, you can expect to find generous servings of vanilla ice cream that are anything but vanilla, interesting “tutoring” techniques, a nerd who's head over heels for the best friend he can't have, and a jock who loves his Dork even after years apart.
©2019 Emma Alcott (P)2020 Emma AlcottListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Before the Call
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dee Slate
- 29-03-20
Really enjoyed it :)
Loved the story - slow, but sure path to love :) There is so much to enjoy about this book - humour, friendship, family and heat. If I had learnt math the same way Clark did, I'd be an engineer! There is a bit of seriousness dealing with catfishing, which only adds more depth too the story.
Really enjoyed this standalone addition to the series.
As always, MF does a great job with the narration - I love listening to his performances and this was no exception. He manages to deliver a full cast of characters so seamlessly that it's sometimes hard to remember that it's one person.
Excellent way to enjoy the story :)
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Belinda Zamora
- 30-03-20
Friends to lovers, slow-burn
Really sweet and steamy story about the sometimes long and winding road to romance and HEA.
Full of heat, laughter and a wonderful sense of family and small town community.
Michael Ferraiuolo did a wonderful job single handedly bringing an entire cast of characters to life.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- headinabook
- 28-03-20
Wonderful hug in a book.
Friends to lovers, long time crushes, I love this trope when it’s written well and this book is so very well done.
I really enjoyed Clark and Gabe they are such fun, steamy and perfect together, as they find their happy ever after. The secondary characters are just hilarious and full of mischief and drama. This is a fluff book lower next and high and heat full of good feelings. It’s a hug in a book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pixiebell
- 21-03-20
Small Town Friends To Lovers ❤️
This is the second in the A Small Town Hearts Novel Series by Emma Alcott and can be read/listened as a stand-alone.
It’s an enjoyable story of two reunited friends to lovers, adorkable Gabe, a high school maths teacher, who comes back to his home town and his best friend and secret crush, Clark, a high school dropout, who works in the mines, and has had to take on the roll of substitute dad to his siblings after his father passed away to help his mother.
I really enjoy this author’s writing style, it’s well written and easy to read yet her characters are well rounded and developed.
I look forward to listening to more of her work.
Michael Ferraiuolo was flawless as usual and brought individuality emotion and empathy to each character.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- alias11
- 31-03-20
Sweet second-chance, GFY story
This is a very sweet, slow-burn, small-town, friends to lovers, gay-for-you love story. There is friendship, love, some geekiness, some awkwardness, some funny moments, and sweet emerging love. I loved Gabe and his funny dorkiness, and Clark and his selfless caring for his siblings. This story didn't have the level of angst and drama as the first in the series, just a little centered around incorrect assumptions of small-town bias and a near-kidnapping and pursuit of a teenager by an older man. This is only book 2, but so far I am really loving this series.
The narration was great, and it was easy to tell the various character voices apart.
I received an complimentary copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 21-03-20
🎧 LesCourt Reviewer 🎧
Before the Call (A Small Town Hearts Novel Book 2) by Emma Alcott. This was a slow burn friends to lovers romance. This story develops nicely. A good combination of world building and character development.
The Narrator Michael Ferraiuolo did a fantastic job bringing these characters and stories to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erryn Barratt
- 30-03-20
The jock, the dork, and the Werther’s
I enjoyed the novel After the Crash so when I saw Ms. Alcott was releasing another book, I leapt at the chance to listen to it. This time she used Michael Ferraiuolo as her narrator. I adore Michael and have high expectations when I listen to his performances. He was as good as I expected, and I especially adored his high school teenagers – male and female. The contemptuous and entitled note was perfect. Reminded me of all the twits I had to deal with back then. Of course his great performance was because he had a great text to work with.
I’m gong to repeat what I said about the last book – don’t pay too much attention to the blurb. I hope listeners aren’t put off (I find them confusing, although maybe it’s just me). Basically this is a gay-for-you first-time best-friend-to-lovers book. There are plenty of tropes in those nine and a half hours, but it worked.
Gabe escaped his small town in for two reasons. He was gay and he was in love with his straight best friend. Since he could do nothing about either of those things, he left Missouri and headed to the left coast. Portland, Oregon would be far enough away, right? Yeah, except his crush on his bestie never really went away and upon graduating with a teaching degree, the only job he could find was in his old hometown. He knows teaching math in a town where kids either get out or go to work in the lead mine will be a challenge, but he’s up for it. And if that means he runs into Clark and they take up where the friendship left off, that’ll be okay, right?
Of course there are tons of complications. Like Gabe is teaching Devin, Clark’s younger brother. Or their men’s best friend Peyton and her nosy ways. Or Clark’s many many many younger siblings. Throw in a little dash of crime, meddling old biddies, and you’re set for what turned out to be a very enjoyable book. I loved how the getting together of the two men in a romantic way was almost accidental, but man did I cheer. I wanted Gabe and Clark to find their happily ever after and although there was drama, it didn’t much center around them. It was like their coming together made everything bearable. Made everything right.
I’m hoping there are more books in the series and I hope they are narrated by Michael. Well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KR Phoenix @ Books, Tattoos and Tea
- 03-04-20
Sweet, Sexy and heartwarming!
🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.5 stars
🔥🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level: 4
🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration: 5
Sweet, Sexy and heartwarming!
I loved this one and couldn't help but fall for the characters.
I love Emma's writing style and how they manage to create sweet, wonderful and caring characters that can't help but weave their way into your heart. I loved the batter between these too and felt this was a beautiful and somewhat epic (3 years in the making) best-friends to lovers/second chance romance!
I loved the Dork and his Jock and I loved how Clark embraced his sexual awakening quickly and with no real reservations. He was honest and forthcoming with his care for his best friend and realized he's cared for and even been in love with him for years and years. Their connection is so sweet and will give you all the feels and "heart-eyes"!
I also felt for Clark's brother and his challenging and somewhat traumatizing situation and I hope he gets a HEA in one of Emma's future books.
I'm loving this series and can't wait for more from this powerhouse author and narrator pair!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Arconyte
- 31-03-20
Adoorkable
Love the dorkiness and the both MCs and everything !!! Narration was amazing ! Creating writing from a favorite author :)
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- choccygrl
- 29-03-20
Enjoyable
Enjoyable reunited friends to lovers story.
This had an adorable character in Clark, a high school dropout who had to take on the role of Dad to all his brothers and sisters when his dad died. When his high school best friend returns to teach at the local school, Clark realises his feelings for Gabe are more than just best friends.
Added to their romance is an issue with Clark's brother Devon (trigger warnings for this at the end of the review)
Gabe was a positive addition to the school and help with Devon's issue. However his internal voice was exhausting.
Similarly to the first book in this series, I found the sex became to much once they started. Considering how often they were around young children they didn't mind sneaking off for sex in the living room or the back of the truck. Clark didn't consider himself gay but took to the sex like a champ and the baby endearment was dropped all the time during sex which didn't fit with how they were the rest of the time.
Overall an enjoyable story. And well narrated.
TW: catfishing of a minor, grooming, attempted abduction.
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