Release Day Audiobook Review: Out of Character by Annabeth Albert, Performed by Kirt Graves and Joel Froomkin

06 July of 2021 by ButtonsMom2003

Out of Character By Annabeth Albert

Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, coming out

Released: ebook-July 6, 2021; audio-July 13, 2021

Publisher: Dreamscape Media / Sourcebooks Casablanca

Series: True Colors, Book 2

Length: 9 hrs, 58 mins / 329 pages

Synopsis

It’s friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers in this LGBTQIA+ Romance for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Pros of Cons who enjoy:

• Ex-best-friends falling in love
• Gaming, conventions, fandom & cosplay
• Nerd culture at its finest
• Learning how to be true to yourself

Jasper Quigley is tired of being everyone’s favorite sidekick. He wants to become the hero of his own life, but that’s not going to happen if he agrees to help out his former best friend turned king of the jocks, Milo Lionetti. High school was miserable enough, thanks, and Jasper has no interest in dredging up painful memories of his old secret crush.

But Milo’s got nowhere else to go. His life is spiraling out of control and he’s looking to turn things back around. Step one? Replace the rare Odyssey cards he lost in an idiotic bet. Step two? Tell his ex-best-friend exactly how he feels—how he’s always felt.

Jasper may be reluctant to reopen old wounds, but he never could resist Milo. There’s a catch, though: if Milo wants his help, he’s going to have to pitch in to make the upcoming children’s hospital charity ball the best ever. But as the two don cosplay for the kids and hunt for rare cards, nostalgia for their lost friendship may turn into something even more lasting…

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Another great book from Annabeth Albert!

Like Conventionally Yours, book one in the True Colors series, Out of Character had a lot of gaming jargon in the dialogue. I am so not a gamer – lol – but I still loved this book. Friends-to-lovers and second chance stories are two of my favorite romance tropes. While Out of Character was technically a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers it still checked off the trope boxes for me.

Milo and Jasper were best friends until Milo screwed up when they were in high school. Now Milo needs Jasper’s help but Jasper’s not too willing at this point. Jasper finally decides to help but Milo has to pay the asking price and do Jasper a favor. And that is the beginning of them getting their friendship back on track.

This was such a good book! Milo was truly remorseful for how he behaved in high school and as they spend more time together Jasper realizes how much he wants to have Milo back in his life. Milo is still coming to terms with being gay and he’s not ready to be out. He’s afraid of disappointing his mother and brother.

This story took me on an adventure into a gaming world that I really know nothing about but was fun to read about. I loved the way that Annabeth brought these characters back to each other. Milo had to face some difficult decisions but came through when it mattered this time.

Kirt Graves and Joel (Leslie) Froomkin are two of my favorite audiobook performers and they did a fantastic job with Out of Character. I didn’t listen to book one in the series – I read it, but after listening to this one I want to go back and hear their version of Conventionally Yours.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

True Colors Series

♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon UK ♥

book cover

About Author

Annabeth Albert

When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, Annabeth Albert is a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. Her popular LGBTQ+ romances include several fan-favorite and critically acclaimed series. She lives with her spouse and two children in Oregon. To find out what she’s working on next—as well as other fun extras—check out her website or connect with Annabeth on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify.

Author Links

A review copy of the ebook and audiobook was kindly provided by the publishers via NetGalley.