Silence

by Shawn Bailey

When Andrew Lansky, a mild-mannered erotic romance writer, receives a phone call from his mother, his life suddenly changes. His old friend Richard Julian has been killed in a car accident in Mississippi, and the news devastates Andrew. He hasn't seen Richard in more than nine years. He had always planned to call him, but never did, and now he would never see him again.

With Richard gone, deaf twenty-four-year-old Brett Julian has lost the last member of his family, leaving him all alone in his world of silence. As another wicked twist of fate, Richard's old friend Andrew shows up for the funeral and repast, awakening long-dormant feelings within Brett.

After reconnecting with Andrew and confessing his hidden desires for the man, will Brett finally have a chance at happiness? Or will his life get messed up again because his deafness keeps him from hearing what Andrew's love has to say?

Gay / Contemporary / The Arts

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Disability

Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2013

About the author

Shawn Bailey hails from New Orleans, LA, where she works as a programmer and help desk administrator. Shawn loves mangas and anime. Her current hobbies are watching Japanese and Korean dramas, when she has the spare time. She’s also trying to learn to speak and read both Japanese and Korean. She’s also into Korean pop music and can often be found with her MP3 player attached to her head. Shawn is single and enjoying the heck out it.

Reviews

[Vio · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars
What to say? I didn't enjoy the romance, I found it difficult to feel anything. I'm sure the writing had something to do with it, wasn't exactly engaging, I was rolling my eyes a few times as well. Brett is 19, a strange boy he comes across as cold and juvenile. Andrew is 24, he's been given guardianship of Brett. He acted more like he was in his late 30's, the age thing got in the way it wasn't believable. It's not easy to feel empathy or form a bond when the writing keeps you at a distance. There is no emotional connection towards Brett and Andrew at all. Other readers may feel different and enjoy it more. It so did not work for me!

[Monika · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Hearts on Fire Review

2.5 Stars

2.5 Hearts

I’m not really sure how to feel about this story. While some of it was good there were things that didn’t work for me at all.

I loved Brett and Andrew. I thought the author did a great job at showing the emotion between them. I really wanted these two to get together as for Troy, there was something about him that grated on me from the beginning I had a hard time believing Andrew would be with him. I’m glad he wasn’t in the story very much that would have really pulled me out of the story. James was sweet and a great friend to Brett and if Andrew and Brett didn’t get together James would have been a perfect match for Brett.

Unfortunately there were things that I found hard to over look. First, it seemed totally unrealistic that Richard would make Andrew Brett’s guardian when the two of them hadn’t talked in a while. When Richard wrote the will why wouldn’t he have called Andrew and told him about the guardianship? I wanted to let that go but what 19 year old needs a guardian the way this guardianship was set up? Brett being deaf wasn’t reason enough for me, he’s wasn’t an invalid he’s a smart, healthy 19 year old that happened to be deaf. In my opinion that was an insult to the deaf community. I know it’s just a story and we shouldn’t be looking at it as real but there are some things that need to stay real and this is one of them.

Some of the conversations between Brett and Andrew had me shaking my head, they would start out talking about something serious, for example, Richard’s death and Andrew telling Brett “He didn’t suffer” then Andrew says “He and I used to play tennis too while we were in California.” I had to read that page a few times to see if I missed something. I thought Andrew was going to have a real conversation with Brett about losing his brother. Brett hadn't really shown much emotion about it yet, but it continues into something out of left field. Unfortunately I found it very distracting, it took me out of the story.

I’m disappointed in this story, I could see potential but it needed cleaning up and a bit of re-structuring in my opinion.

[~SexyBookWorm~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um Im not even sure where to begin. The STORY itself was good. But this is a prime example of write what you know.
The MC was deaf and apparently that means he cant drive and should live in either a group home or a sanitorium? The most common two questions hearing people ask me is can deaf people read and can they drive. OF COURSE THEY CAN!! Just for clarification, the only people who live in group homes are people who have DD or foster children. Deafness is not a mental disability. The character was 19 and was actually willed away to Andrew. How do you will away guardianship of an adult?!

Pretty frustrating because if the deafness aspect was taken away the book would have been a 4 star!

[Trisha Harrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story did not do much for me. I liked it when I thought it would be simple and they would eventually get together. But, then Brett brought James into it and I felt bad. They both cheated, even though I hated Troy it was still cheating on both Brett and Andrew's parts.

I would have given this a one. But something in me is feeling generous today and so it gets two. It was a shame, I was looking forward to reading this.

[Rellik · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was bland and read more like a list rather than a story. Hardly get to know the characters and what we know about them are not likeable. There was Brett who although was not really interested in James, kept him around as a reserve option in case nothing else happened with Andrew. Andrew was no better with how he treated Brett, super controlling and jealous when they weren't even in a relationship (reminded me of how people describe their crazy ex). Parts of the story also seemed like a quick fix. For instance, James sudden move just to get rid of the third guy, and Troy timely confession of his opinion on Brett.

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb has given a good description of the story. The parts which are missing is where both Andrew and Brett sleep with each other when they are seeing other men. I'm glad that Andrew broke it off right away after that. Brett's problem with the other boy was resolved in a too convenient way.

It's a nice, sweet story, although I wonder if a 19-yr old deaf is really that dependent.

[jules0623 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm still wondering why Brett needed Andrew to be his guardian at all. Yeah, he's immature, but he'd been deaf for a number of years, knew sign language, had a house all set up to accomodate his needs...

Didn't buy the story, didn't feel any chemistry. Not one for me.

[Jilrene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked parts of it, but overall it just felt like something was missing. The sex was clinical, and that clinical feel seemed to be throughout the book. I don't know how else to explain my thoughts. It's a very easy read, I read it straight through in a few hours.

[meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

tried sooo hard to finish... i stopped at page 117. it kept dragging on and the dialogue bugged me -_-

[Gabbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

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I admit I’ve been looking forward to reading this book. I’ve read several books by Ms. Bailey, and liked some more than others, but after I read the blurb for Silence, I was immediately intrigued and immediately requested to read and review it.

The blurb does an excellent job at describing the story. Andrew is a writer who lives in California. When he gets a call from his best friend’s lawyer who tells him that his friends has passed away and he’s needed in Louisiana because he’s in the will, Andrew drops everything and goes there.

What he doesn’t expect is that his friend has left his guardianship over his younger brother, Brett, into Andrew’s care. Brett is four years younger than Andrew and because he’s deaf and just nineteen, he needs someone to look after him. Apparently, his friend knew since Andrew’s grandmother was deaf, that Andrew would have an easier time with Brett and Andrew being a nice man, drops everything to take care of best friends’ brother.

I liked this book. Andrew shows a lot of character by taking on a complete stranger to help him out. He takes his responsibility seriously and he and Brett get along really well. I liked watching Andrew and Brett’s relationship evolve from strangers to friends. But, I will say that although Andrew likes Brett, I really wonder if he ever loved him. In my opinion, Andrew always seemed to see Brett more as a child than a potential lover. He’s conflicted by his attraction and feelings toward Brett throughout most of the book, and although I understood why he felt this way, their relationship seemed to be rushed toward the end of the book. I would have liked to have seen them really work at taking that next step in their relationship as well as seeing Andrew see Brett more as a man and as a partner instead of someone that isn’t quite his equal.

I liked Brett’s character and although he did have some bratty moments, I understood why Andrew’s wishy-washy affection towards him would totally drive him crazy. Although he has feelings toward Brett, there is also a friend of his that he develops the beginning of a relationship with, and in some ways, I would have almost liked Brett to end up with him. At least this man saw him as an equal and not some misbehaved child.

Andrew also has a love interest before he gets together with Brett. I did not like this man at all and wanted to shake Andrew for overlooking some of this horrible man’s personality flaws just so he could shack up with him. I admit, I was confused as to who I needed to root to be together…Andrew and Brett or Andrew with horrible Troy or Brett with James…

I will say toward the end of the book, I wanted Andrew and Brett to get together, I just wish the book had been longer.

All in all I did like this book, I just didn’t love it. I hate this because I wanted to so bad…maybe the author will revisit these characters in the future? If she does, I’d definitely want to read the rest of their story. There are some very sweet and tender moments between Andrew and Brett that I really enjoyed and I would recommend this book for any fans of Ms. Bailey’s and anyone who is looking for a story that has interesting conflicted heroes who end up doing the right thing just in time for their happy ending.

Silence is a complex read with interesting characters and a fast-paced storyline. It’d be a good book to read on a rainy day. It definitely gave me a couple of hours of escapism.

[Love Bytes Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Hearts Reviewed by Tara

Andrew Lansky receives a call that his good friend from his childhood died, a friend that he had not seen in many years. Rushing to the funeral he sees Richard’s brother Brett now all grown up and very handsome. Brett is twenty-four and deaf. Richard was the last living member of his family left and now that he is gone he has decided to pack up the old house and sell it. He had always had a crush on Andrew since he was younger and seeing him again makes him want to offer him friends with benefits type deal. After listening to his mother, Andrew offers to let Brett live with him since he was looking for a roommate anyway. Even though he is attracted to Brett he keeps him at arm’s length at first but when Brett finds out there was nothing between Andrew and Richard nothing can stop him. Soon they develop a romantic relationship and of course feelings get in the way. But not everything is picture perfect, outside influences come into play, but will it be enough to overcome or will it tear them apart?

I’m sorry to say this book did not speak to me in any way. I found the two main characters to be very self-centered and full of flaws. Andrew turned me off immediately. Although he was nice and didn’t make Brett feel bad for being deaf, he just fell flat for me. I kind of felt that he knew straight off the back he was going to sleep with Brett and just use him to keep house. In the end he did show some shining moments of being nice but I felt no spark between the two beyond lust and if it had been in the real world I would say they wouldn’t last more than two minutes together. Brett annoyed me. He was bratty, very cocky, and just stupid at times. He couldn’t resist his best friend James because he was blond and his tastes ran to anybody tall blond, and muscular. I mean if you are truly in love would you really just cheat because the guy was so your type. I mean Andrew fit his type perfectly that should have been enough to stem off any attraction to James or at least make it bearable. What I didn’t understand was they had been friends for a while and all that time they never made moves towards each other, now all of a sudden Brett is with someone then boom I want you. The other character that grated me was Troy. I know that you weren’t supposed to be able to stand him but really if he had fallen off a cliff I would have been glad. The sex was hot between the two but that’s about it. The way it reads kind of distracts from the story as well since it didn’t have a good flow. I do like other works by the author but this one for me just didn’t float my boat.

A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!

[Maria (aka Fashionta) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for Confessions from Romaholics

Review at Confessions from Romaholics



This is a story about two young men learning to accept what they both want from each other. Andrew receives a phone call that informs him of the loss of his good friend, Richard. Rushing off to Louisiana grief stricken, he struggles to keep it together through the funeral. However, it’s after the funeral he finds himself in for a shocking life change.

In his will, Richard has asked Andrew to become his young brother Brett’s guardian. Brett is nineteen and has lived in a very silent world since he was 13 and became deaf after getting contracting a particularly virulent case of the measles. Amazingly, both take to the new changes quickly and easily, with almost no fuss.

There seems to be a hidden attraction between them, though Andrew refuses to acknowledge it. Rather, he believes that Brett isn’t gay and is just playing with his emotions, even when Brett throws out every hint he can at Andrew. It backfires instead, causing Andrew to look elsewhere for relief. Enter Troy.

Troy is nothing but a complete waste of chromosomes. He is rude, manipulative and conniving. He tried to drive Richard and Brett apart when he dated Richard just before he died, and seeming to not need any time to get over Richard, he moves on quickly to worm his way into Andrews’s life, essentially driving a wedge between Andrew and Brett. He’s been a bully most of Brett’s life and continues to be a thorn in Brett’s side to this day.

Brett’s only break is when he can spend time with his friend James. There, friendship takes a turn when James makes his feelings known. Brett is not getting anywhere with Andrew, despite Andrew’s apparent deepening attraction to Brett. He attempts to see how things might go with James.

It’s a huge confusing mess, really. The breaking point, a thunderstorm, brings Andrew and Brett together. It’s sweet. But the story itself is lacking finesse. It had great potential, but the flow just didn’t move me. I ended up struggling trying to connect to the characters. I give this 3 couples. It had its cute moments between Andrew and Brett: little stolen moments. It just didn’t work for me. But I’m sure others might find it enjoyable.

[Dale Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

good quick read with two likeable central characters, Andrew and Brett. Brett is the younger brother of Andrew's childhood best friend, Richard. Richard had just been killed in an accident. Richard was Brett's only relative. Brett is for the most part totally deaf, except for some loud noises. Understandably Brett is a bit lost. Andrew's mother seems to be a bit of a matchmaker and suggests that Andrew ask Brett, who is selling the house he grew up in, to move in with him nextdoor. The start of their relationship is not totally smooth due to some miscommunication and Troy who wants Andrew and James who wants Brett.

[Rosebee · Rating 1 out of 5]

A 19 year old deaf man is as fully functional as a 19 year old hearing man.

News flash! Deaf can drive! Studies show they're safer drivers than hearing as they're not distracted by the radio, phone conversations, etc.

This author did NO homeowrk about the deaf or Deaf culture (the capital D is important).

Not only were there the deaf/Deaf issues, the auithor was writing a 19 yr old & 24 yr old as if they were 11 and 40! Run far away from this book!!

I regret every penny I paid for this book.

[Ivka_s_knihou · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think the blurb was awesome. i was intrigued. but the book didnt live up to it. maybe because of writing style. i dont know. i just didnt feeling it and it was kind of scary. there is 19 years old deaf kid. he lost his parents, now his brother. he didnt have anyone in his life and its like he is completely emocionaly removed from these facts. for him they just died. life goes on. nothing faze me. i was a little dissapointed.

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard dies and asks his friend Andrew to care for his deaf brother. Andrew already knows sign language so it wasn't complete without reason. But Andrew soon realizes that Brett could be more than a ward. Andrew is careful to do the right thing but it leads to some problems. It takes a lot to work things out.

[Katalina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out really well but turned out to b rather hard to follow. Andrew and Brett are attracted to each other yet they start seeing other people, it doesn't seem to focus much on them and many sections of this story seem to be missing

[Birte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this story, but for me it's was too bland and written in a way that makes me assume the author was bored immensely while writing it. I felt no connection whatsoever to any of the characters and I have no idea why the two MC hooked up with each other in the end?

[Ericka Walden · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5** Didn't really get into this one. ...
always felt like I was waiting for "something" more....

[Becky Condit · Rating 4 out of 5]

See Trish's 4 1/2 sweet pea review on April 10, 2013 at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....

[Auraya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked none of the characters... :/