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nicola949's review
4.0
Daron's Guitar Chronicles Volume 1 is the first in a series of stories about the life of Daron, a young nineteen year old musician growing up in the 1980's in the world of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.
Check out the author, Cecilia Tan's video which tells a little about how this series of books came into being.
Ceclia Tan's YouTube
I actually listened so the audio version of this book and quite enjoyed the narration by Teddy Hamilton. His voice and inflections really seemed to suit the story and the character of Daron.
The story itself is part of a larger journey, and this book only covers a small part of Daron's life. In this first book, we are introduced to Daron and his struggles to find his path in life. With dysfunctional parents who he no longer really sees or talks to, he is out making it on his own. He is trying to get his band up and running while earning enough money to fund his college course. He is also struggling with his sexuality and everything that goes along with discovering who he really is and what he wants.
A large part of the story is taken up with Daron accepting a roadie gig with the band of a friend of his father's. As he travels the country he meets some interesting people and has some interesting encounters - from a couple of sexual exploits with men to being actively pursued by a girl also on the tour.
This is not a romance, this is a character driven tale that introduces Daron - he is sweet and insecure and a bit confused - and tempts the reader into the next book of the series where Daron's journey continues.
This is a relatively short book, at least I think it is. I have the Kindle version but listened to the Audio version which is just over 4 hours long (the audio versions always take much longer for me as my reading speed is heaps faster than the narration). But as usual it was a great way to spend my commute to work over a couple of days!
Get Daron's Guitar Chronicles Volume 1 from Amazon - it's FREE!
The audio version is only $1.99 from Audible.
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
Check out the author, Cecilia Tan's video which tells a little about how this series of books came into being.
Ceclia Tan's YouTube
I actually listened so the audio version of this book and quite enjoyed the narration by Teddy Hamilton. His voice and inflections really seemed to suit the story and the character of Daron.
The story itself is part of a larger journey, and this book only covers a small part of Daron's life. In this first book, we are introduced to Daron and his struggles to find his path in life. With dysfunctional parents who he no longer really sees or talks to, he is out making it on his own. He is trying to get his band up and running while earning enough money to fund his college course. He is also struggling with his sexuality and everything that goes along with discovering who he really is and what he wants.
A large part of the story is taken up with Daron accepting a roadie gig with the band of a friend of his father's. As he travels the country he meets some interesting people and has some interesting encounters - from a couple of sexual exploits with men to being actively pursued by a girl also on the tour.
This is not a romance, this is a character driven tale that introduces Daron - he is sweet and insecure and a bit confused - and tempts the reader into the next book of the series where Daron's journey continues.
This is a relatively short book, at least I think it is. I have the Kindle version but listened to the Audio version which is just over 4 hours long (the audio versions always take much longer for me as my reading speed is heaps faster than the narration). But as usual it was a great way to spend my commute to work over a couple of days!
Get Daron's Guitar Chronicles Volume 1 from Amazon - it's FREE!
The audio version is only $1.99 from Audible.
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
spaceyreader's review
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vampyrsoul's review
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tommythe13th's review
4.0
Very compelling tales of 80s rock and roll with a gay guitarist dealing with coming out.
kaje_harper's review
4.0
Take the word "chronicles" literally. This is the saga of one young man's life in professional music, extending now through more than 10 installments, each novel-sized. There is no strong HFN to each book, really, just ups and downs, successes and failures, friendship and difficulties, a little sex and drugs, and a whole lot of music.
Daron Marks is a song-writer and guitar player with enough talent to make it all the way to the top of the charts. He's also gay and in the closet, in the late 1980s as the saga opens. He has a few friends, and a drive to perform and see his music reach an audience. He had some early experience as a teen with a band led by a friend of his father's, but they left town and his relationship with his casually homophobic father is pretty sour. It's time to make his own way, and whether with another band, or creating his own, he has a musical voice that needs to be heard. But he's no lead singer to go solo. Finding the right people to create his vision is a challenge, and his business skills are pretty minimal.
This series is the story of a life. If you ever wished books didn't skip over chunks of time, or failed to show you what happened next, this is for you. If you love to see all the ins and outs of playing, and touring, and rehearsing, this is also for you. There is drama, but not melodrama, and much of it is low key, as Daron tries to figure out what he wants and needs from life. Frankly, he kind of sucks at figuring that out, but that's how life really goes.
Recommended for a great slice-of-life saga, but not if you need any kind of romantic or plot resolution at the end of an installment.
Daron Marks is a song-writer and guitar player with enough talent to make it all the way to the top of the charts. He's also gay and in the closet, in the late 1980s as the saga opens. He has a few friends, and a drive to perform and see his music reach an audience. He had some early experience as a teen with a band led by a friend of his father's, but they left town and his relationship with his casually homophobic father is pretty sour. It's time to make his own way, and whether with another band, or creating his own, he has a musical voice that needs to be heard. But he's no lead singer to go solo. Finding the right people to create his vision is a challenge, and his business skills are pretty minimal.
This series is the story of a life. If you ever wished books didn't skip over chunks of time, or failed to show you what happened next, this is for you. If you love to see all the ins and outs of playing, and touring, and rehearsing, this is also for you. There is drama, but not melodrama, and much of it is low key, as Daron tries to figure out what he wants and needs from life. Frankly, he kind of sucks at figuring that out, but that's how life really goes.
Recommended for a great slice-of-life saga, but not if you need any kind of romantic or plot resolution at the end of an installment.
ktomp17's review
3.0
This was an OK book for me. I felt it was written too conversationally rather than grammatically and it wasn't a style I loved. I found myself annoyed at times by Daron and his inconsistent nature--he's the manager and some times control freak but yet seems uncomfortable with making decisions. I do find myself curious about how things end up for Daron but didn't like him enough to justify paying $5 or $10 for extra volumes.
cameronjames's review
4.0
I liked this. There seemed to be something so captivating about Daron and his guitar. It was a fun read, whilst also being shocking, and sad at times. I'm hoping to continue the series soon!
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