Book Review: Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne

Reviewed by Susan65

Title: Loud and Clear
Author: Aidan Wayne
Heroes: Jaxon/Caleb
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 93 Pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Release Date: May 23, 2016
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Jaxon is getting by fine, severe dyslexia or not. Being a cab driver means he doesn’t need to read much, and the job has its perks. The pay isn’t bad, the people can be interesting, and having memorized the city streets keeps him from feeling too stupid.

When he picks up Caleb, a quiet fare in a nice suit, Jaxon doesn’t think anything of it. Then he ends up driving Caleb home the next week too, and the next, and the next. Eventually Caleb tries to communicate—by writing things down. Turns out that Caleb has such a bad stutter he spends most of his time mute.

If only Jaxon had an easier time reading what Caleb had to say. But he’s interested in trying, and Caleb seems interested back. They discover that, with a little bit of effort, it isn’t so hard to make themselves understood. Especially when what’s growing between them is definitely worth talking about.

Review: Super sweet and short read. I love characters with disabilities and in this story we get two. Both have issues that were treated differently in childhood, and both were called stupid because of them. However, Caleb chose to “show” everyone that not only was he not stupid, but that he was better than those who ridiculed him. Jaxon, unfortunately, accepted that he was dumb. Both are genuinely good, kind people, and that is what makes this such a sweet story. Plus, there isn’t any on page sex and what there is “fades to black” at the very end of the book.

I am not a fan of YA and this one is pretty dang-on close. I was also hoping for a little more drama, a bit of angst, or something to exciting to happen. It is really just a straight forward, slow building romance between two men who each have issues to overcome, and who learn to overcome them together. I know many people who will fall all over themselves to read this story, because there is a market for these sweet things, so if fluffy is your thing than you will love this.

Overall Impression: I liked it

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*