From a Jack to a King

AUDIO REVIEW, there is a separate review from when I read this book.

Kenneth Obi narrates. And Mr Obi is growing on me for several reasons. As I see more and more books narrated by him, I can see his skill set growing. A quick search shows far more books that I expected, but the oldest is only November 2017, so he is still fairly new at this, and in the time since I listened to the other one he narrated that is in my library, I can hear a difference.

Obi's voice for Bay was. . . unexpected. I've no idea WHY, but that was my first thought. He sounds almost too young, but as I listened, I realised it fit Bay, PERFECTLY, it really did. I LOVED Bay's voice, I really did.

Obi's reading voice is clear and even, his voices for ALL the characters are clear and distinct enough for my crappy hearing to make them out. It was my only real criticism in the last book I listened to of his work, the voices were too similar for my crappy hearing to keep up. NOT so here.

The scenes for King and Bay getting up close and personal came over way more. . .what's the word. . . whats. . . .the. . .word. . . intense? maybe? I dunno, can't find that right word, and I hate not being able to do that, but they came across all kinds of different to when I read it. An AMAZING different though, cos Obi got out all the emotions that you don't always pick up when reading. The hitches and dips in the voices, the little noises, they don't always come across well on paper but HEARING them?? Oh yes Sir, intense is the right word!

I stand by what I said in my read review though! I would have liked, just once, while Bay and King are up close and personal, for Bay to have used King's given name, and not his "stage" name. That's all!

Watch out for Mr Obi, he's now firmly on my list!!

5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

Bay is an author that likes to Gamble. In a high stakes poker game, he wins a hooker for two hours and is surprised when the exact likeness of his main character is standing at his hotel room door.
Bay is shy but when he has to make public appearances he channels his inner Jack.
King is a famous porn star and a high price escort. He enjoys his job and makes good money. he has a secret too though and that keeps him from having a relationship.
Bay is a challenge to him. He wants to prove to Bay that he isn't as straight as he thinks he is.
This story is enjoyable. The characters are interesting, the storylines are fun.
I liked the narration and thought it brought the story to life.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is such a fun story! When famous author Bay wins a night with a porn star escort, he doesn’t expect a male porn star and he really doesn’t expect the porn star to look exactly like his most famous character.

King and Bay are an unlikely couple, but they are both brilliant characters who bring out the best in each other. With King’s help, Bay slowly develops his self-confidence and with Bay’s support, King finds himself able to manage a relationship for the first time. The slow burn chemistry between these two is very sexy.

This isn’t a terribly plausible book, but it is a highly entertaining read. From high stakes gambling in Vegas to sex addiction treatment in New York, the book avoids most porn star romance clichés and kept me guessing with imaginative twists and turns. I couldn’t help but love both King and Bay.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is my first Scotty Cade book, but will not be my last. I enjoyed the story, and the writing style very much.

Even though these two men were so different on the surface, they had some shared histories, and a clear connection. It was fascinating watching Bay grow into himself, and also allow King to reign in his persona and be Matthew. It is a very sensual read, with a building tension between them as Bay comes to realise that his feelings for King bring into question his assumed sexuality. His innocence was refreshing without being naïve.

It was fun to be immersed in a variety of worlds; from the glamour of Vegas poker games, to the porn shoot, the book signings, we had a glimpse of the outside, but also the quiet times were important too. A satisfying read with some big issues dealt with in a sensitive and informative way, as well as a hot and romantic story.


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of From a Jack to a King by Scotty Cade to read and review.

Bay Whitman is a successful author living in New York. During a trip to Las Vegas, he meets King Slater, a porn star and an escort. Meet isn’t the right word, Bay wins King at a poker game, and he doesn’t expect to have a super-hot gay man who’s the spitting image of his fictional hero Jack Robbins.
King Slater is a gay porn star and an escort. When he meets Bay, he doesn’t expect to meet a handsome and brilliant man who can risk his recovery.
None of them expected that this single game will change their lives for good.

From a Jack to a King is the first book I’ve read by Scotty Cade, and it won’t be my last.

I completely melted for Bay and King but not only for them. The author’s style was very good, dynamic and fresh, and the plot captivated me.

Bay had been bullied in his youth, and he wears the stigmata of this in his adult life. He lives almost as a recluse, shy and with a social life near to zero. His only passion is card games, poker especially, and he’s very good at it. But as a famous author, he has to do some “socialization” and promotions for his books, so he channels his inner Jack Robbins, his character, the one he created in his mind. Imagine his shock when Jack Robbins isn’t a fictional character, but a real man, a real hot man, who forces Bay to question everything in his life, starting with his sexuality. I totally adored Bay, he’s funny, very smart and adorable. I wanted to hug him when he was scared and high five him when he was confident.

King Slater is a porn star and an escort. He was also bullied in school when he was younger and had to deal with the aftermath of that in his adult life. He keeps a difference between his jobs and his real life. Being paid for sex is just a job for him, and he wants a real relationship, a real emotional romantic relationship. I loved King, I loved how strong he seems, how big and hot he is, but what I loved the most, it was his fragility. How behind the mountain of a man that he is, he hides the tall scrawny kid that he was.

The author wrote a good book, with an interesting plot. There’s two difficult topics in the background that the author didn’t develop much because it wasn’t the main plot, but whenever they were covered in the book, it was well done. The author took the time to research and respect it. It’s something that I appreciated, and I learned some things too.

I recommend this book, it was a good romance, a beautiful “straight-to-gay” book, which I enjoyed a lot, in addition, the sex was hooooooooot and very good.

4 OptimuMM’s for King and his Prince!

REVIEW BY: Amy of Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter - https://bit.ly/2MHnZR8

Going into 'From a Jack to a King', I wasn’t sure what to expect as this is my first time reading one of Scotty Cade’s books. And what a fantastic surprise it turned out to be. It is loaded with so much material and takes you on an emotional journey.

Bay is a famous author, and a recluse. He is shy, insecure and a completely non-social introvert. When Bay first created his character Jack Robbins, he made Jack into the man he wished he could be. Now that Jack is famous, and Bay has to deal with fans, he takes on Jack’s character to hide behind a “mask.” Even though he can appear to be confident and worthy of respect, Jack is not the true Bay.

King is a porn star and an escort. When Bay wins King’s services in a poker game, he knows he isn’t the type to use an escort. Heck, Bay can’t even remember the last time he had sex. It has never been a big part of his life. Then he sees King in his hotel doorway, and is absolutely amazed and in shock. Yes, the man is beautiful, but also King completely resembles the character of Jack.

King is everything Bay has always wanted to be. He appears to have a ton of confidence, and he is handsome, witty, sexy and charming. Of course, the fact that he finds King sexy confuses him. He has never noticed guys before.

Bay doesn’t tell King he resembles Jack, an imaginary character. By deciding to use King as further inspiration for Jack, Bay puts King in an awkward position for a multitude of reasons. King is unprepared when Bay’s fans recognize him as Jack.

When King realizes Bay doesn’t want to have sex with him, he feels slighted. He is used to people paying big bucks for him. Meanwhile, Bay becomes more and more confused about his attraction to King and isn’t sure if he wants to be with King, but knows he wants them to be friends. Here is where the real story begins.

A prominent theme in 'From a Jack to a King' is the effect bullying can have on people. Bay sees himself as the awkward, persecuted school kid called “Bayfairy.” This part is extremely well developed and well written. It is heartbreaking to see the real-life effects bullying can have on people. Scotty Cade does a fantastic job of entwining this issue into every part of Bay’s life.

Another brilliant theme is sex addiction. We learn King’s history with sex, what lead him to his addiction, his recovery efforts, and why he is okay with being a sex addict who has sex for money. This part is so damn touching as the author weaves the information into the story. It definitely makes King the complex man he is today.

These two men may appear to have nothing in common, but in fact share a lot. They are both completely dysfunctional, totally insecure, and use a created persona to hide their true selves from the world. By doing so, both men appear self-assured and confident. As time goes on, and they open up more to each other, their relationship slowly develops and helps them to get through their issues.

Bay and King should resonate with readers very well. I am elated to have discovered Cade’s work and can guarantee I will be reading more by him. If you are looking for a deep, complicated story, I highly recommend 'From a Jack to a King'. It is a journey of two survivors finding strength and love in one another. Scotty Cade couldn’t have done any better.