What's in a Name?

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆
Hmmmm… I’m at a loss as to how to review What’s in a Name? It’s not a great book and it’s not a bad book, it’s just kind of lackluster. It had moments of levity and of seriousness, but aside from the main characters’ real names, it’s not all that memorable. I think Pat Henshaw attempted to pack several plot points in the novella in an effort to keep the story moving and the reader engaged, however, they weren’t fleshed out enough for me to really connect with Jimmy and Guy (no, that’s not his real name… or is it?). As a huge fan of well-written novellas, I wanted to love this audiobook, but I just didn’t. I’m not sorry I listened to it, but it didn’t come close to meeting my expectations beyond a few particularly entertaining scenes.

Sadly, this is one of those times when the narration didn’t bolster the story either. This isn’t the first of David Ross’ narrative performances I’ve listened to, and despite thoroughly enjoying his previous work, he failed to draw me into the story and keep me there this time around. Yes, there were a couple of scenes that had me stopping what I was doing so I could give Jimmy and Guy my undivided attention, but they weren’t enough to suck me into the story on a whole. Granted, the story itself couldn’t keep my invested and engaged completely, so I’m not sure how much of my impression of Ross’ performance is on it and how much is on the story. While Ross did create easily identifiable voices for the main characters, I think his performance lacked the edge I would have expected in the more suspenseful scenes, causing the characters to come off as too laid back and uninterested in what was happening to them.

What’s in a Name? is one of those audiobooks that entertained me for few hours, without leaving me bemoaning the lost time. It’s an enjoyable story that had its moments, but it’s not one of those audiobooks that will be cued up again for repeated listens. With that said, I am looking forward to listening to Redesigning Max to learn more about Jimmy’s friend, Fredi, and to see if there’s a noticeable improvement in Henshaw’s writing and if Ross found his voice for the series. A girl can hope.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free audiobook copy of What's in a Name? (Foothills Pride #1) by Pat Henshaw, narrated by David Ross to listen to and review.

Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book.

Jimmy decides its a bloody good idea to get dead drunk on his birthday after his boyfriend dumps. The bar tender picks him up and takes him home, just to make sure Jimmy is safe. But Jimmy doesn't know his name, he wears a different badge every day. When it becomes clear that Jimmy and the Guy have a huge connection, Guy gives Jimmy 7 guesses to get his name. Can't be that hard, can it??

Oh, I loved this!! Its so bloody cute!

We do only get Jimmy, and ya'll know how I feel about READING single person books. However, I've come to the conclusion I love LISTENING to single person point of view, especially if they are first person. Why its different, I've no idea, but there you go, just needed to say it.

I like Henshaw's writing, the way their mind works. I liked that I didn't get who was doing the damage to the coffee shop, that was a great misdirection!

It's mostly clean, but not a bad thing, not here. I LOVED that it was that way here.

Its not very long, hence the hang over tag, just under 3 hours, 80 odd pages but I don't think it needed any more.

And I DID get Guy's name before Jimmy did, honestly, I did!

David Ross narrates.

This is the first of his work, and indeed Henshaw's, that I've listened to. I hope it won't be the last. I enjoyed his voices for Jimmy and Guy, and everyone else too. They all came across clear and I had no trouble getting what I needed to know, from Jimmy, via Ross.

Ross' reading voice is clear and even, and very easy on the ears. I'd love to be able to continue with this series in audio, but this is the only one out yet. I'll wait though. I've found starting a series in audio, then switching to reading has a.....negative....impact on my enjoyment.

So, for a short book, it gets a surprising...

5 stars
5 star narration
5 overall.

**same worded review will appear on Goodreads, Booklikes, Audible.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Kobo, Dreamspinner Press and Barnes and Noble**

Jimmy is dumped by his cheating boyfriend on his birthday. He decides to drown his sorrows at the Stonewall Saloon, chatting with the bartender he has been getting to know over the time he’s been in town, asking about his real name since he always wears a different name tag. At the point he gets cut off, he also gets sick, then passes out and somehow wakes up with the hangover from hell then 7 dates to get to know his bartender bear’s real name.
The story is told from Jimmy’s point of view.
This book actually came out earlier this year and a follow up story, “Redesigning Max”, featuring Fredi from this book came out in July. I mention this because I enjoyed this story enough that as soon as I was done, I bought the second book and read it before going back to my review reading list!
I will admit, after the end of the first chapter, I was not sure what I had signed on for (this is a potential spoiler, but there is much more book than this!)since the main character had been cheated on, woke up in the bed of the bartender he was chatting with and then they have sex. However, then as I kept reading, I was happy to discover there was more to the story than moving from one lover to another! And in retrospect of both books, the author manages to write a very hot stories while not having overly descriptive sex scenes at all! The heat comes completely from the chemistry of the characters.
Jimmy is a self described twink with an awful birth name of King James, hence why he goes by Jimmy! He is intrigued by the bartender’s changing name tags and initially refers to him as A2 since he was wearing the same name as his ex. While pushing to know his real name, A2 suggests 7 dates for Jimmy to guess! They set it as a wager, but you get the impression that no matter who wins, they both will consider it a win!!! For most of the story, and for simplicity, Jimmy refers to him as Guy.
Jimmy’s two bestfriends, Felicity, who is also his business partner; Fredi, an award winning designer who has returned home, help move the story along when it is not just the two main characters. While Fredi got his own story, I will hope that Brian, who works in the one coffee shop Jimmy and Felicity own, gets his own story. Maybe even the young man who gets turned down when Jimmy shows up at the end of Guy’s shift – he seemed so sad as he left the bar! But how interesting is it that the author can write a supporting character in only a couple of paragraphs and you want to know more about them?
The setting itself is one of the characters, the Sierra Foothills, where the LGBT population has grown since the recession, moving from San Francisco and Sacramento. Part of the drama comes from the required, although not always welcome, mix of the original good old boys of the area with this growing homosexual population. The Sheriff has his own husband and kids, though, so tolerance wins more often than bullying.
I really liked the two stories, and if you like character driven romance with twinks and bears, I would recommend this book to you and it’s worth giving a try even if you don’t normally read about big guys with little guys! This was my first experience with this author, followed quickly by the follow up, but I will be watching for more!
Review by Diane
heartsonfirereviews.com

3.5 Stars “Okay. How’s this for a deal?”
He put down his knife and fork and leaned into the table, stabbing me with his eyes. “I’ll give you a week to guess my name. Seven chances. Every day you can ask a few questions, then come up with what you think my name is.\"
Jimmy and Guy have an auspicious meeting. Jimmy is getting hammered after his boyfriend dumped him, on his birthday no less, and Guy is the owner/bartender serving him. Having gotten hammered in a bar far more times than I can recall (in my youth) I really felt that Guy went way above and beyond in ensuring Jimmy was taken care of, and got home safely. Of course their attraction for one another doesn’t hurt, and hence the seven day deal is struck.
Needless to say, a lot of excitement happens in the following week. Not only do Jimmy and Guy get closer, and begin to fall in love, Jimmy and his partner in the coffee shops are subjected to hate crimes. Of course Jimmy and Guy think they know who is responsible, at least indirectly, but dealing with him is quite the adventure. And the real culprit turns out to be a surprise.
I enjoyed this story, and I liked both Jimmy and Guy. Based on the cover, I had a pre-impression that this book was going to be a little more hardcore than it was. It's a sweet, easy romance, with a small amount of angst and drama. My only complaint? I prefer more description in my sex scenes, but since that's a personal preference, I can't knock the author for not writing them that way. *grins* Jimmy and Guy are both fun, sexy, characters, and I enjoyed the premise behind the story. Of course, I guessed Guy's real name way early, but it was still fun.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

What can i say i think this is one of the worst books i have ever read. The main characters have no chemistry and aren't really developed, this story is very shallow. There are to many secondary characters and secondary plots for such a short story. We do get the name of \"guy\" at the end of the book and let met tell you it is ridiculous.
This book wasn't worth the money i paid and i'm really mad about it. I´ve deleted it from my e-reader.