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Sleigh Bells and Second Chances
- Love in Mission City, Book 3
- Narrated by: Michael Dean
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
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Sleigh Bells and Second Chances
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Summary
Ryan
The moment I landed in that war zone, I knew I'd made a big mistake. I wasn't a soldier, and my good intentions almost got me killed. Being wounded and shipped back home to Canada was both a blessing and a curse. I’m safe now, but I can’t stop thinking of the men I left behind. My therapist claims Healing Horses Ranch will help heal my wounds—physical and mental—but I'm not sure how much tranquility and wholesome fresh air I can take. Until I meet a beautiful, shy man who makes moving forward seem almost possible. Can I let go of the past and reach for a future with Simeon?
Simeon
I've made peace with being different from the folks around me. I love my home in Mission City, and if anyone needs something fixed, I’m the guy they call. When the owner of the therapy ranch hires me for a big project, I’m excited to get started. I always work alone, but one of the patients keeps hanging around, and I can't bear to send him on his way. I can see how much he's hurting. If helping me helps him, that's a win for us both. As we share the work, something about that wounded man draws me deeper and deeper in. I'm no therapist, and I have my own issues, so am I a fool to be thinking about a future with a guy who's likely to leave once he's healed?
Sleigh Bells and Second Chances is a slow-burn, age-gap, hurt/comfort, mid-angst, gay romance novel with a shy handyman, a reckless former gamer, a precocious borrowed kid, and a therapy dog named Tiffany.
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What listeners say about Sleigh Bells and Second Chances
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- S Veldhuis
- 30-10-24
Charming
A really good narrator who really fits the characters well. I particularly enjoyed the voice used for Simeon's grandmother.
Story - 4 stars. A very good story centred around two struggling MCs who slowly help each other to heal a little more. The people around them (all from the previous books) are lovely and give them all the space and support - all very low angst. It could have been a bit shorter if there was less detail about the many others and their families, which could perhaps have made Ryan and Simeon's story more intense. The slow burn fitted them completely.
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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
- Mari Cardenas
- 11-11-24
Enjoyable!
4 Stars!
Simeon was adorable. He'd gone through so much because of his parents and being bullied because of his stutter that I just wanted to hug him and make it all better. I liked Ryan as well, he seemed great for Simeon. This was a slow burn romance, as in they took until the last third of the book to actually make a move. Was it worth it? Yes, they were sweet together. I just would've liked it better if the progression had been more gradual.
I also think the other couples mentioned and their kids and pets kind of overtook the book. It was just too much description for my taste. It wasn't that I didn't like them, I just wanted more Simeon and Ryan.
The narration was top-notch. Michael Dean's voice is very pleasant and he brought a lot of emotion to the audiobook. I especially liked how natural and respectful he was with Simeon's stutter. That was definitely a high point for me.
Overall, an enjoyable book to listen to. Recommendable!
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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
- Trio
- 08-11-24
Lovely Hurt/Comfort Slow Burn Romance
Sleigh Bells and Second Chances is a lovely slow burn romance from Gabbi Grey. I'm used to her shorter novels where there's usually an insta-attraction, followed by steamy hot romancin', so this was an absolute pleasure. Grey does a nice job with the gradual build up in this romance, and there are some heartfelt hurt/comfort moments with each of these characters.
The audio version of Sleigh Bells and Second Chances is nicely performed by Michael Dean.
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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
- Anne M
- 09-11-24
Sweet mutual hurt/comfort
Story = 3.5
Narration = 5 stars
I normally love this author's books but this was really hard for me to get through. I am glad I made it til the end cause it was super sweet but I found it so draggy. The plot is very uneventful and repetitive in the characters routine and I understand the reason why but I zoned out and had to stop multiple times to read something else and relisten to alot I zoned out on.
I felt like Ryan's fear could have been better explained. I felt like I was just waiting and waiting for info and it got really frustrating when I was half in and still didn't really understand what was going on. It definitely needed more info up front to keep interest.
I will say I loved the world and the side characters. Simeons grandparents were wonderful especially. The animals and children add alot of sweet moments. I loved that both the main characters were struggling in their own ways and there was mutual hurt/comfort. It really felt like the 2 were meant for each other and they were both wonderful men. My one complaint with their relationship is that it was snail pace slow. I'm all for slow burns and becoming friends first and I know they both had their probs to get through but I think the author could have gave us some earlier breadcrumbs. The relationship was definitely rushed at the end.
The author did do a great job with portraying acurately and sensitively Simeons stutter and social anxiety and Ryan's war ptsd.
Michael Dean is always a pleasure for me to listen to and he outdid himself with this. He expressed all the emotions and brought life to the story. He portrayed both of the main characters struggles perfectly and respectfully. He also gave all of the characters even the side characters their own voice so it made the story easier to follow and it was great to listen to this even when the story dragged the narration got me through.
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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
- SH
- 11-11-24
A slow burn romance
A lengthy, slow-burn, age-gap romance featuring two lonely guys - a wounded veteran (Ryan) and a shy handyman with a stutter, Simeon, who work together on a big project at the Healing Horses Therapy Ranch. “If helping me helps him, that's a win for us both.”
Couples from previous books also feature in this story as the two guys become friends, then eventually lovers. You don’t have to read the other books in the series to follow this book.
If you usually like Michael Dean’s narration give this a go.
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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
- Lesetiger
- 12-11-24
Slow burn romance
This is a slow-burning romance between two people who have both been through a lot and are trying to live with their injuries. One is traumatized by the war, the other had problems with his parents and his social environment.
I found Simeon very charming, he has his heart in the right place. But his stuttering has caused him to develop social anxiety. Ryan, on the other hand, is struggling with trauma after returning from the war and hopes to get the help he needs at the Healing Horses Ranch. And that's where the two meet.
Ryan and Simeon are a really good match and it takes a long time for the two of them to finally do something together and bond. It took a little too long for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I like slow burn romances, but it took a bit too long here. Perhaps this was also due to the fact that the author had a lot of familiar couples from previous books appear in the story. On the one hand, this was nice because I'm always happy to see characters from previous volumes again, but on the other hand, she also devoted a lot of time to them. I would have preferred to learn more about Ryan and Simeon's relationship here.
I loved the sweet moments with the children and the animals.
Michael Dean narrated the audiobook and, as always, he did an absolutely brilliant job. He has a very pleasant voice, he portrayed Simeon's stuttering very well and respectfully and he portrayed the emotions comprehensibly. In general, I thought he chose a suitable voice for all the characters and he read very entertainingly. Highly recommended!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- TheBookFairieUK
- 02-11-24
Sweet low angst found-family slowburn romance
The Love in Mission City books consistently supply warm fuzzy feels and this one treads a carefully balanced line managing to have plenty of emotional content and character development whilst still being low-angst. Yes, the MCs have traumas that they are working through, or with, and that low key hurt/comfort is at the heart of the book, but even more the Mission City books are about found family and a sense of community that I really enjoy. While the story has fewer elements of war, horses, and Christmas elements than I anticipated from the blurb, it compensates with delightful quantities of cute dogs and meddling pensioners so I still count it a win. It's surprisingly lengthy, and the relationship between the protagonists unfolds at a slow burn, with minimal spice but lots of sweet moments. It's narrated beautifully by a favorite voice artist whose soothing tone feels like a warm hug.
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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
- SGB
- 06-11-24
A swoony slow burn
Okay this def won me over in the end. This was a really sweet slow burn romance audiobook and my first from Gabbi Grey! It definitely made me want to go back and read the first two books in the series.
Simeon is a shy handyman, who is working on renovation projects at the therapeutic ranch where Ryan has gone to heal & recuperate. Though Ryan is more naturally social, he has major pain and ptsd from his time spent in a war zone and finds an easy comfort in spending time with Simeon and helping on his projects. As their friendship blooms, Ryan begins to have an attraction to Simeon and when they kisses for the first time is was just so cute & sweet. Especially because Simeon is a virgin and never thought anyone besides his grandparents were ever love him due to his stutter.
Speaking of Simeon’s grandparents- they are amazing!! It’s so nice to read books where the main family members are openly supportive of the LGBTQ+ main characters. I absolutely laughed out loud at many moments from Simeon’s grandmother 😂
My only complaint is that I would’ve preferred if Ryan had been written as a member of the RCAF and had injuries due to that experience. Without that official affiliation, his injuries just felt a bit pigeon holed into the story just to get the hurt/comfort trope in play imo.
That being said, everything else about this story was just LOVELY! And Michael Dean did a fantastic job with the audiobook narration.
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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
- zoe pappa
- 28-10-24
Wonderful book
What an amazing and heart warming story. I adore slow burn romances and hurt/comfort is one of my favorite things to read about. Both Ryan and Simeon were extremely relatable, I connected with both of them instantly and I wanted them to be happy together. I loved them as individuals and I loved them as a couple too. They were both so kind, truly wonderful people. The way they took care of each other and everybody else in their lives was beautiful. And I really liked how well they communicated and supported each other. Beautiful writing, wonderful characters and a heart warming romance. I loved every moment. And the demisexual representation was great.
The narrator did a brilliant job voicing the characters, especially Simeon. And the audio quality was great. I loved it! It's a fantastic book.
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