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rellimreads's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been listening to Nothing Special series and Prescott was mentioned several times and it was obvious he had a book.
This was OK, but not great. Preston’s “before” life gets a lot of page time - which was nice, but highlighted how rushed other parts felt. Ric’s issues were understandable but also way OTT to be resolved so quickly. I think the fact that there were no chapters from Blair’s POV hindered my ability to connect with him as a character and to feel like he was a solid/loved member of this grouping.
There were a lot of well written/hot sex scenes - but the relationship aspects felt very insta and skimped on in comparison. A character would internally say he was in love and then talk about how hot he was for the other guy. (That’s not love.). There were also all these nicknames that were kind of odd - Strawberry? I mean, the story explains it, but it just didn’t work.
I’m not sure I would have finished it if I hadn’t listened to a few of the Nothing Special books and wanted the back story. Especially since it really isn’t one. Day is in here for about a minute and it’s a plot point that was sort of left hanging - but not in a compelling way. You Can See Me didn’t really contribute anything to Day’s story or the Nothing Special series to this point.
I acknowledge it’s possible that if I came to this story all on its own, I wouldn’t have been as disappointed. It doesn’t purport to be part of the Nothing Special series, but it’s hard for me to separate that out now that I’ve listened to Nothing Special and Embracing His Syn.
This was OK, but not great. Preston’s “before” life gets a lot of page time - which was nice, but highlighted how rushed other parts felt. Ric’s issues were understandable but also way OTT to be resolved so quickly. I think the fact that there were no chapters from Blair’s POV hindered my ability to connect with him as a character and to feel like he was a solid/loved member of this grouping.
There were a lot of well written/hot sex scenes - but the relationship aspects felt very insta and skimped on in comparison. A character would internally say he was in love and then talk about how hot he was for the other guy. (That’s not love.). There were also all these nicknames that were kind of odd - Strawberry? I mean, the story explains it, but it just didn’t work.
I’m not sure I would have finished it if I hadn’t listened to a few of the Nothing Special books and wanted the back story. Especially since it really isn’t one. Day is in here for about a minute and it’s a plot point that was sort of left hanging - but not in a compelling way. You Can See Me didn’t really contribute anything to Day’s story or the Nothing Special series to this point.
I acknowledge it’s possible that if I came to this story all on its own, I wouldn’t have been as disappointed. It doesn’t purport to be part of the Nothing Special series, but it’s hard for me to separate that out now that I’ve listened to Nothing Special and Embracing His Syn.
bitchie's review against another edition
2.0
This is very rambling, and very ranty, so read on with caution, and apologies in advance.
This, just, gah! So many good reviews, and I feel so let down! I love a good menage story, and I love hurt comfort, but this story was just all over the place.
Pres was at the top of his profession, when he lost his sight in a car accident. He wallowed for a while, but he finally got his shit together, and found his way back into a career, as a food critic, rather than as a chef. Only, once he's finally getting his life back together, his fiance dumps him, she didn't sign on to be married to a blind man.
Cut to a few years later, he's doing his food critic thing, he has an awful girlfriend who only wants him for his money, and he is constantly feeling sorry for himself. Ok, I get it, he lost his sight, but other than that, he seems to have everything. He's rich, he's good looking, he still manages to work in a field he loves. No, it isn't perfect, but it could be a whole lost worse. I find it hard to believe he couldn't find a decent woman (or man!) to love him and see him for him. Must be that "poor me" vibe the guy sends out.
Then he meets Ric, and Ric is great. He feels a connection with Ric, and he hasn't been attracted to men since college. So after an awful breakup with the gold digger, Pres and Ric start something up. Ric talks about how he doesn't want to make love until it's that- love, not just sex. So they wait. A whole week. Apparently, a week is all it takes to know you're in forever love.
And all it takes to walk away from that forever love is one stupid little prank played on Ric by Pres. Pres is so desperate to make Ric see he's not just some blind guy, so he takes him out on his yacht Ric doesn't tell him that he can't swim and that, so when Pres pretends to fall overboard, Ric freaks out, dumps Pres hard, and won't listen to any of Pres's explanations and apologies. Talk about juvenile! After having a conversation JUST THAT MORNING about they were going to screw up, but they had to talk things out, not just walk away.
After a month, Pres meets Blair, a hot young escort who just so happens to be just finishing up his own prestigious chef training, so he and Pres fit together nicely. If only Pres didn't love Ric. Personally, after Ric's behavior, I wouldn't want anything to do with him, but love is love. Even if it was just a week.
So a few months later, when Ric comes grovelling back, Pres is ready to forgive and forget. But then he slips and falls in his kitchen, and That's some soap opera shit right there.
So there is Pres and Blair, and they make it clear that they want Ric, and they want a three way relationship. Only all these conversations came out of left field, because they took place off page. The reader doesn't get to see them at all. But Ric just jumps right in with it, and they become a threesome.
Don't ask me when Ric fell in love with Blair, or when Blair fell in love with Ric. I guess if Ric and Pres can fall in a week, Ric and Blair can fall after a growling conversation in the hallway, right?
So they form a menage relationship in about three minutes flat, their family and friends and coworkers don't even bat a freaking eyelash, Ric gets fired for....taking time off and comforting his boyfriend in the hospital? but then gets offered a dream partnership from the doc that worked on Pres, and they all live happily freaking ever after. The END. Thank god, because I had to totally force myself to read the last 60% of this book.
Oh forgot, the endearments and the sappiness in this book drove me nuts. Gorgeous man, sexy man, beautiful man, my man, (lots of "**** mans") darlin, sweetheart, baby, Bear, Strawberry, Sunshine. And lots of crying. LOTS of crying.
I keep thinking of things that bugged me. What happened to Leo? Pres has a friend, a very close friend from college, Leo. On hearing how depressed he sounds, Leo drops everything and flies in to see him. Apparently they used to mess around in college, and Leo had always wanted more, but Pres didn't. But now, sad and blind and alone, Pres suddenly starts dry humping Leo in the middle of the night, and when Leo stops him and says he's seeing someone, Pres gets all upset and walks out, thinking he'll probably never talk to Leo again. WTF, they were such close friends for so long, and Pres just drops him like that, because he didn't return his advances? After he drops everything to come see him because Leo knew how down Pres was? What an ass!
And Blair. He showed up at the halfway point of the book, and in the end, we really learn nothing about him other than that he's a chef, he worked as an escort (the non sex kind, genuine escorting only) to pay his way through school, and he likes you to call him a slut. But don't treat him like just a fuck toy, because then he'll get all pissed off and try to sneak out in the middle of the night. But seriously, that's all I saw him as, a fuck toy. I couldn't really see what he brought to the relationship, other than a mouth on the dick of the guy being fucked.
This, just, gah! So many good reviews, and I feel so let down! I love a good menage story, and I love hurt comfort, but this story was just all over the place.
Pres was at the top of his profession, when he lost his sight in a car accident. He wallowed for a while, but he finally got his shit together, and found his way back into a career, as a food critic, rather than as a chef. Only, once he's finally getting his life back together, his fiance dumps him, she didn't sign on to be married to a blind man.
Cut to a few years later, he's doing his food critic thing, he has an awful girlfriend who only wants him for his money, and he is constantly feeling sorry for himself. Ok, I get it, he lost his sight, but other than that, he seems to have everything. He's rich, he's good looking, he still manages to work in a field he loves. No, it isn't perfect, but it could be a whole lost worse. I find it hard to believe he couldn't find a decent woman (or man!) to love him and see him for him. Must be that "poor me" vibe the guy sends out.
Then he meets Ric, and Ric is great. He feels a connection with Ric, and he hasn't been attracted to men since college. So after an awful breakup with the gold digger, Pres and Ric start something up. Ric talks about how he doesn't want to make love until it's that- love, not just sex. So they wait. A whole week. Apparently, a week is all it takes to know you're in forever love.
And all it takes to walk away from that forever love is one stupid little prank played on Ric by Pres. Pres is so desperate to make Ric see he's not just some blind guy, so he takes him out on his yacht Ric doesn't tell him that he can't swim and that
Spoiler
his lover of several years drowned after falling off a boatAfter a month, Pres meets Blair, a hot young escort who just so happens to be just finishing up his own prestigious chef training, so he and Pres fit together nicely. If only Pres didn't love Ric. Personally, after Ric's behavior, I wouldn't want anything to do with him, but love is love. Even if it was just a week.
So a few months later, when Ric comes grovelling back, Pres is ready to forgive and forget. But then he slips and falls in his kitchen, and
Spoiler
hits his head just right, and gets his sight back.So there is Pres and Blair, and they make it clear that they want Ric, and they want a three way relationship. Only all these conversations came out of left field, because they took place off page. The reader doesn't get to see them at all. But Ric just jumps right in with it, and they become a threesome.
Don't ask me when Ric fell in love with Blair, or when Blair fell in love with Ric. I guess if Ric and Pres can fall in a week, Ric and Blair can fall after a growling conversation in the hallway, right?
So they form a menage relationship in about three minutes flat, their family and friends and coworkers don't even bat a freaking eyelash, Ric gets fired for....taking time off and comforting his boyfriend in the hospital? but then gets offered a dream partnership from the doc that worked on Pres, and they all live happily freaking ever after. The END. Thank god, because I had to totally force myself to read the last 60% of this book.
Oh forgot, the endearments and the sappiness in this book drove me nuts. Gorgeous man, sexy man, beautiful man, my man, (lots of "**** mans") darlin, sweetheart, baby, Bear, Strawberry, Sunshine. And lots of crying. LOTS of crying.
I keep thinking of things that bugged me. What happened to Leo? Pres has a friend, a very close friend from college, Leo. On hearing how depressed he sounds, Leo drops everything and flies in to see him. Apparently they used to mess around in college, and Leo had always wanted more, but Pres didn't. But now, sad and blind and alone, Pres suddenly starts dry humping Leo in the middle of the night, and when Leo stops him and says he's seeing someone, Pres gets all upset and walks out, thinking he'll probably never talk to Leo again. WTF, they were such close friends for so long, and Pres just drops him like that, because he didn't return his advances? After he drops everything to come see him because Leo knew how down Pres was? What an ass!
And Blair. He showed up at the halfway point of the book, and in the end, we really learn nothing about him other than that he's a chef, he worked as an escort (the non sex kind, genuine escorting only) to pay his way through school, and he likes you to call him a slut. But don't treat him like just a fuck toy, because then he'll get all pissed off and try to sneak out in the middle of the night. But seriously, that's all I saw him as, a fuck toy. I couldn't really see what he brought to the relationship, other than a mouth on the dick of the guy being fucked.
evethingiread's review against another edition
4.0
This book is like a rollercoaster telenovela with so many plots and twists that it leaves you baffled. Although it's not precisely part of the Nothing Special series, it serves as a prequel of sorts, connecting us to Day, who's Prescott Vaughn's ex-lover from college. Reading it for the second time, it's still highly entertaining, and the sheer amount of stuff happening in this book is mind-blowing.
Prescott Vaughn, a famous chef, loses his sight in a car accident and goes through a series of dramatic events. He's initially kind of bisexual, but as the story progresses over several years, we see his connections with Day from the Nothing Special series. Prescott's life is a wild ride—he loses his fiancée, becomes a successful restaurant reviewer, and then meets Rick, a doctor who saves him from his manipulative ex-girlfriend.
Prescott and Rick start dating rapidly, forming a deep connection. However, a dumb mistake by Prescott leads to Rick leaving him, swearing never to speak to him again. Lonely and yearning for connection, Prescott meets Blair, an escort, and they develop a profound love. Yet, they both feel that something is missing, and it turns out to be Rick.
The pace of this book is lightning-fast, and it feels like a first draft where you throw everything into the story and plan to go back and edit. Despite its far-fetched and crazy elements, it remains one of my favorite stories. The narrative is highly entertaining, and the hot and steamy scenes are a definite highlight.
When I initially read it, I gave it three stars due to its over-the-top nature. I always thought it needed some refining, but regardless, it's a book I keep returning to so I changed it to 4 stars. The sex is fantastic, and the story, while chaotic, is undeniably entertaining.
———-
Am so confused
Prescott Vaughn, a famous chef, loses his sight in a car accident and goes through a series of dramatic events. He's initially kind of bisexual, but as the story progresses over several years, we see his connections with Day from the Nothing Special series. Prescott's life is a wild ride—he loses his fiancée, becomes a successful restaurant reviewer, and then meets Rick, a doctor who saves him from his manipulative ex-girlfriend.
Prescott and Rick start dating rapidly, forming a deep connection. However, a dumb mistake by Prescott leads to Rick leaving him, swearing never to speak to him again. Lonely and yearning for connection, Prescott meets Blair, an escort, and they develop a profound love. Yet, they both feel that something is missing, and it turns out to be Rick.
The pace of this book is lightning-fast, and it feels like a first draft where you throw everything into the story and plan to go back and edit. Despite its far-fetched and crazy elements, it remains one of my favorite stories. The narrative is highly entertaining, and the hot and steamy scenes are a definite highlight.
When I initially read it, I gave it three stars due to its over-the-top nature. I always thought it needed some refining, but regardless, it's a book I keep returning to so I changed it to 4 stars. The sex is fantastic, and the story, while chaotic, is undeniably entertaining.
———-
Am so confused
evaxo's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
I liked Ric, but wished we'd have seen more of Blair and his relationship with Pres, as well as how P&R showed they loved him after he felt like they only wanted him to suck their dicks. Considering they never wanted to fuck him, went to a milestone activity together without waiting for him and didn't check on him after he spent 5hrs in the bedroom alone, I'd personally doubt the love there too. Some words were used and sex was had, but after that I didn't truely feel they were all equals in the relationship. More falling in love with Blair would have been nice, I loved his character.
I wasn't too keen on the twist, felt it was unnecessary. The main character being blind made this book unique & added representation, showing how his men loved him regardless. Giving him his sight back (not even partially but completely) made the whole arc of him being blind completely pointless, it felt like the writer didn't think a) they'd last if he remained blind or b) it couldn't be a happy ending if he's blind, both pretty detrimental to readers with sigh loss who may have related to the MC. I would have rather he'd regained some vision so he could see his lovers, but still have the challenges of being visually impaired yet his men stand by him.
Overall I enjoyed it, listened to the audio version, the narrator was excellent. Some aspects were far fetched and the love/lust were instant, but the characters were decently developed and likeable, emotional aspects were well written and the spicy scenes were hot.
I wasn't too keen on the twist, felt it was unnecessary.
Overall I enjoyed it, listened to the audio version, the narrator was excellent. Some aspects were far fetched and the love/lust were instant, but the characters were decently developed and likeable, emotional aspects were well written and the spicy scenes were hot.
diana8524's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
raynebair's review against another edition
3.0
I think there was way too much time spent on the relationship between Ric and Pres and not enough on Pres and Blair. So when they got together, it didn't feel right. I would have liked to see how Blair and Pres came to decide they wanted a menage with Ric. I got invested in Pres and Ric, and even though I knew they would eventually be three with Blair, I felt like I missed something.
I did however like the fact that it wasn't all peachy and happy at the beginning. Rick and Pres had such a strong connection, that Blair felt left out. And I liked that. I liked that it took work for them to find cohesion and not just two with an extra. It's not perfect in real life, and it was nice to see those imperfections come through in this story.
I did however like the fact that it wasn't all peachy and happy at the beginning. Rick and Pres had such a strong connection, that Blair felt left out. And I liked that. I liked that it took work for them to find cohesion and not just two with an extra. It's not perfect in real life, and it was nice to see those imperfections come through in this story.
gatun's review against another edition
4.0
You Can See Me
Author A.E. Via
Narrated by Sean Crisden
Publication date Jul 13, 2021
Running time 7 hrs 16 min
If you have read A.E. Via’s Nothing Special series you know who Prescott Vaughan is. If you haven’t, You Can See Me is still a love story that stands on its own. Prescott was a celebrity chef with his own TV shows and cookbooks. Five years after losing his sight in a car accident, Prescott is a restaurant critic and his joy of creating his own food is gone. You Can See Me is a romance that matches Prescott with two very different men.The way that two men evolve to three men is believable because the author has put so much work into building the characters of Prescott, Ric, and Blair. Sean Crisden does a lovely job. It is easy to tell the many characters apart because he creates individual voices for them.
Tantor Media provided a copy of You Can See Me in exchange for an honest review.
Author A.E. Via
Narrated by Sean Crisden
Publication date Jul 13, 2021
Running time 7 hrs 16 min
If you have read A.E. Via’s Nothing Special series you know who Prescott Vaughan is. If you haven’t, You Can See Me is still a love story that stands on its own. Prescott was a celebrity chef with his own TV shows and cookbooks. Five years after losing his sight in a car accident, Prescott is a restaurant critic and his joy of creating his own food is gone. You Can See Me is a romance that matches Prescott with two very different men.The way that two men evolve to three men is believable because the author has put so much work into building the characters of Prescott, Ric, and Blair. Sean Crisden does a lovely job. It is easy to tell the many characters apart because he creates individual voices for them.
Tantor Media provided a copy of You Can See Me in exchange for an honest review.
reading_rainy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
2.5
I usually enjoy Via’s brand of OTT cheesy man love, but this was MELODRAMATIC times 1000.
Questionable plot
0 to 100 insta-love
Medical miracles
Loads of crying
Sunshine/strawberry nicknames
Overreactions by everyone
Formulaic and uninspired, emotionless sex
Questionable plot
0 to 100 insta-love
Medical miracles
Loads of crying
Sunshine/strawberry nicknames
Overreactions by everyone
Formulaic and uninspired, emotionless sex
jenlouisegallant's review against another edition
2.0
It lost a star when the author cured him of his blindness. It was a good steamy read otherwise.