Crimes of Passion

by Jack Harbon, Kevin Free (Narrator), Ron Butler (Narrator)

Press play on this funny, sexy short story about rival true-crime podcast hosts forced to play nice and work together when, in reality, all they want to do is kill each other.

Emery Thompson hates Calvin Chamberlain. From the way he acts like he’s better than everyone to the way he moves through the world thinking his podcast is the cream of the crop, every little thing about the man gets to him. Even that dashing, oh-so-confident smile. He’d rather be caught dead than be around the man any longer than necessary—or admit that last part out loud.

Calvin Chamberlain hates admitting defeat. It’s hard enough losing sponsors for his historical crime podcast while obnoxious pop culture ones like Emery’s only gain more, so it’s a particularly cruel twist of fate when a late fan’s request for a collaboration with Emery lands in his lap. He’s in no position to turn down the plea, and with no way out, Calvin reluctantly agrees.

But keeping things purely professional turns out to be a challenge when these two make it to the studio. Their chemistry crackles through their microphones, and soon, their numbers begin to skyrocket. Can these two make a killing off what they once thought was a death sentence—and more importantly, will Calvin and Emery give into the heat of passion?

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Novella, Queer, LGBT, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers

3 pages, Audible Audio

First published May 26, 2022

About the author

Jack Harbon (she/they) is a nonbinary transfem author writing everything from romance to erotica to horror—or sometimes a mix of all three. If she’s not scribbling down notes on one of her thousands of book ideas, she’s shopping for yet another doll to add to her collection, crocheting, or watching scary movies. Follow her on all socials @JackHarbonBooks!

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Umm this was SO GOOD! I loved how this centered around two true crime podcasters and was about their rivalry. I really loved how this centered around true crime podcasts and how we got to hear snippets of their shows. We also got to know both Calvin and Emery as people and why their podcasts were important to them. They had a little bit of animosity towards each other, but they had to collaborate on a show for a fan and I loved how they bantered and grew closer! Sure they still had moments where they fought, but they slowly opened up to each other and I really loved the development of their relationship. This was a novella, but I had so much fun and wanted even more from the story and the couple!

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fantastic romance novella! We are following two rival true crime podcasters who are forced to collaborate on a new project. Their banter was so cute and the podcast element worked so well.

Besides an amazing story this audiobook was next level! The voice actors did such a great job and had really believable chemistry. I honestly forgot I was listening to an audiobook and just felt like I was eavesdropping on this couple. The audio had a full cast and production with music and sound effects which just added to the immersion.

I highly recommend listening to this m/m ownvoices romance!

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio - 5 +++ Stars
Story - 3.5 stars

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Jack Harbon read and I really enjoyed it. The full cast made it feel like a real podcast. And even though I don't listen to any podcasts regulary I loved that element. This was a cute rivals to lovers romance that was a quick listen for me while getting ready for work. Calvin and Emory had good chemistry together and this is a fun one for the true crime podcast fans. I have no complaints!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

True crime podcast + M/M + ROMANCE+ rival to lovers ? ABSOLUTELY YES. This was a good quick Audiobook. And the narration was great.

[nick (the infinite limits of love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caution: do not read this book while you are using dumbbells because you might accidentally drop them on your foot because you’ll laugh so hard

Crimes of Passion was a fantastic audiobook experience. If you follow Jack Harbon on Twitter, you know that he has one of the most fun personality and his sass and wit came through in this novella. I had a grand time listening to it. 

Both Emery and Calvin have true-crime podcasts but they could not have a more different approaches to tackling the cases. In fact, they have such different personalities that they don’t get along outside of the podcast too. Emery is the more boisterous, sassy, and vibrant one while Calvin is more reserved and stoic. When a late fan requests a collaboration between them, they set aside their animosity to come up with a cool project. And you know what they say about opposites attract! 

Listening to Crimes of Passion is a pleasure because of the banter between Emery and Calvin. Even though they seem like polar opposites, the back-and-forth between them is witty, full of humor, and entertaining! I was dying of laughter and at one point, I had to pause my workout because I was wheezing and nearly dropped my dumbbell. There are so many punny jokes. I WEPT. Also, the bald jokes! I was living!

Because that banter between them was so fun and because we get to see them connect and come together to discuss this case, their romance worked for me. It’s very much a look at the early stages of a relationship, so don’t go in expecting a full-blown one. Remember, this is a novella! I wouldn’t hate it if Jack ever decided to write a full-length book about these two.

The podcast format was well-used in this full-cast audiobook production. I love a good audiobook that takes the listening experience to a whole other level with sound effects. It makes reading an even more immersive process. I highly recommend you try one of these Audible books one of these days just to see what it feels like. The audiobook was also very narrated by Kevin Free and Ron Butler. They both did the characters justice and acted their voices out.

If you want something quick to listen to while doing some annoying chore you don’t love, listen to Crimes of Passion! It’s the perfect way to make the time go faster!

Content notes: discussions of true crime/murders

Relationship disclosure: Jack Harbon & I are mutuals on social media
 

[Bree Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this audiobook was SO GOOD! It was short with a little bit of steam, a lot of humor, fantastic banter, and a lot of great messages. And can we talk about the acting? The audiobook readers and production made everything better. It makes me wish ALL audiobooks were like this one.

If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, like me, you’re going to love all the tidbits that are included in this.

If you love grumpy sunshine and the irreverent character that brings out another side to a more reserved love interest, you need to read this. It’s perfect for readathons or to read in between longer books.

Thank you so much to Jack Harbon for sending this audiobook for me. I don’t often read review copies because my backlist tbr is sooooo long, but Jack is one of a handful of authors who I will drop everything for. 💖

[alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5] the immersion!!! the ambience!!! i know it’s unreasonable to want this level of quality and editing in every audiobook that graces my ears, but the full cast, sound effects, etc. are serving top-tier chinese audio adaptation vibes (speaking of which, the sheer number of episodes i have to catch up on is enough to give me a heart attack lol), and this has done nothing but whet my desire for more of the like in the english realm 😩

as often is the case with novellas, i found myself wishing certain details were more fleshed out, but i still found this tale of circumstances bringing together two true crime podcasters who hold a certain distaste for each other’s existence a delight!

and Calvin better be thanking his lucky stars that Emery took him back 😤😂

[Hannah B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨He called him Caillou 💀💀💀✨

I wish it this was a full book! I’d be so down for chapters being transcripts of the podcast, with each one talking about a different killer or crime. The humor was impeccable and I was giggling (read: snorting) throughout. I wheezed at the Caillou and the Milk Duds name calling 😮‍💨

The audiobook production was super cool and it really felt like I was listening to podcasts. Some of the applause and other things were trippy but I enjoyed them. It felt like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder production.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶*/5

*They went three rounds but you saw nothing 🚪🚪🚪

[b.andherbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional audiobook experience, the dual narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life, both as their "on-air podcast personalities" and as their actual character. I loved the interspersed podcast bits, and almost wished the true crime story they were telling was something I could listen to!

If you love opposites attract, having to work together with your rival, and snarky banter leading to hot hookups, this is a great choice for you!

CW: talk of murder (for podcast purposes); death of a minor character that brings the two rivals together; discussions of racism in the industry

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rival true crime podcasters collaborate in memory of a fan and end up falling for each other! This was excellently produced as an audiobook and delivers a short but sweet gay romance that follows the grumpy/sunshine trope with an uptight academic type, and a carefree jokester. But both share a passion for researching and discussing true crime in a way that tackles the criminal justice system and the mistreatment of Black people in America. It's not very long, so some readers might wish for more character/relationship development, but given the time constraints of the format I thought it was an excellent romance with a side of social commentary. If you've been looking for a way to try out Jack Harbon, this is a great option! Though his typical fare does get much steamier. After this, go check out Meet Cute Club for a full length novel! Thank you to Jack and Audible for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Harbon struck comedic gold with the novella! Everything about this was perfection starting with the title of the story. Crimes of passion is the perfect description of what could happen had the podcast not worked out between Calvin and Emery. LOL

The banter and jokes were TOP NOTCH! I nearly split my side way these two cut up in the studio. The entire time I listened to Emery I pictured a mix between Billy Porter and Todrick Hall. That should also tell you everything you need to pick it up. But in case it wasn't enough, this is a full cast audio production! What a treat. Then add the discussion on correlating self-worth with the work you produce, and it hits home.

Tropes: enemies/rivals to lovers, grump/sunshine, workplace romance, banter

[dreamgirlreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars
This was a great introduction to Jack Harbon’s work! Excited to read more books by them

[Dawn 🫶 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25

While the idea for this book was super cute, I just didn't like the characters, I really don't feel like it was believable that they would end up together, there just wasn't enough of a small backstory for me to really enjoy this book but other than that I loved the idea and plot just a little bit better on forming their relationship would have made this one 4 stars

[Moraa · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 million stars! this was fab fab fab!!🤩

The production quality was excellent and the narration was TOP TIER. Between Kevin Free and Ron Butler I’m not sure who voiced Calvin but oh my god I was ready to lay down my life🥵🥵🥵

That aside, I loved the premise of the story and the dynamic between the MCs and basically everything about this (I’m gushing but what else is there to do?!!) Also, Emery’s sass was EVERYTHING. I’ll definitely be checking out more of this author’s works!!

Audiobook included with my Audible membership.

[Charlotte (Romansdegare)]

More adventures in my Audible subscription. This one's a little tiny morsel of a romance, clocking in at only 2 hours and 40 minutes of listening. I was skeptical about the possibility of fitting any sort of romantic arc into that time, but I did feel that this one mostly delivered on that tough task. Overall, I liked the *way* the author made it work- through a really distinctive prose style and a thoughtful approach to the way each MC's job informed his character. 

The basic setup is that Emery and Calvin are ... not exactly rival podcast hosts, but two podcast hosts who work on a similar topic (true crime) and have a bit of disdain for how the other one approaches the subject. Calvin's podcast started off as a serious, academic deep-dive into the lives of murderers and their victims, but has recently pivoted to the topic of the criminal justice system, and particularly injustices against Black Americans- a pivot which is losing him sponsors and listeners. Emery takes a more irreverent approach to true crime, but he has his own understanding of how to position his work in a moral and ethical way, and that was really interesting to listen to. 

A request from a late fan, delivered via her mother, sees them stuck collaborating on an episode together. This was the main element that didn't work for me- it seemed like kind of a stretch that a woman's dying wish would be a podcast collaboration between two random hosts? It felt like there could have been a more grounded way to get the two MCs to work together, but that setup was dealt with right up front and didn't really appear again.

Listening to Calvin and Emery work together was really fun, and the "immersive audio experience" shone in the podcast taping segments. Honestly I could have listened to hours more of their podcast. Not just because it was engrossing, but because it was such a clever way to fit a lot of information in about the two men: who they are, how they think about the world, and how they interact with each other, all while having them just going about their jobs. You could totally see the ice melting between the two of them, and the slow process of them gaining a respect for each other's approaches to the topic, as they collaborated over something they cared about. 

A lot of reviews mention the banter between the two MCs, and that absolutely is where this narrative shines. But what was really cool, for me, was how their evolving conversational rapport almost stood in place of what, in a longer book, would be a slowly-developing romantic arc. Calvin and Emery go from viciously funny banter between rivals, to alluring conversational chemistry, to an honest-to-goodness fight full of verbal barbs, and finally to a nuanced ability to verbalize their understanding of themselves and of each other. And each one of those four registers felt like a carefully-delineated variation on the same thread. There was just enough difference between each conversational mode to give the narrative arc development and movement, and just enough similarity to give the couple a coherent through-line. I love when writing style can do a heavy lift structure-wise, and I found that very fun to listen to.

It's just too hard for me to give this a star rating, mostly because an < 3 hour radio play feels like such a qualitatively unique thing? It doesn't feel fair to dock stars for the short format, because that's very much what I knew I was getting into, but it's also hard to feel like this has the impact of a full-length narrative, which is what I'm usually sitting down to review on here. Anyway, my personal dithering aside, I thought this was well-done and would absolutely recommend picking it up for a quick listen. 

[Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I wanted to listen to Emery's episode about Lily killing 3 men! Calvin you grinch I agree with your standpoint. I still wanted to hear about Lily's story though. Won't be hard on Calvin because he did manage his own contribution to the industry by focusing on police brutality. Having Calvin and Emery together was chef's kiss!

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 Stars!*

[Angi Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t sleep on Audible originals. I loved having the 2 main characters exchange dialogue. This is how I would would more audiobooks to be delivered.
It was a cute story!

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This was a really well voice acted and enjoyable story. Due to the length I felt like the story wasn't fully fleshed out.

Still a super fun romance about rivals.

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this on my Audible and I’m trying to get through some of my backlog. I liked aspects of this. The banter was good, and the studio scenes where both narrators voiced their parts in real time was great! However, the narrative parts where it slips back into standard dual narration was a little odd, when compared to those other parts. It’s not really full cast narration, but the parts that were . . . were really cool. It is a little short to have a full romance arc, especially when you have the true crime stuff taking up so much space. I did like the social commentary, and Calvin’s apology for being truly hurtful to Emery was good, but I would have liked more space for that side of things.

[Hemmel M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading romance, you always come across the same characters and plotline. This one was different. I liked it, although I felt distanced from the well developed characters. Add to that a scene of mental heath issues that made me wonder why it was not mentioned in the rest of the story, and I decide on a 3 star rating.

This is a radio play, with a big cast and sound effects. It was well done except for one issue. The story includes tracks from the podcast they record in a studio. So why do I hear so much surrounding noise? A creaking chair will be removed from a sound studio. And, I kid you not, there is never someone typing in the studio during a recoring.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun little listen. I loved the premise of this book with the true crime podcasters and that and this audio performance was top tier 10/10. It was a good to get to know the authors works and will check out more in the future

[aarya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Read via audible plus (narrated by Kevin Free and Ron Butler).

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more he rejected him, the more his mind cleared. If only he could get his heart to fall in line.

Now this was deeeeeelightful. Wonderful little audio short about two true crime podcasters who hate each other having to team up for a project. Emery and Calvin maybe don't hate each other, but the animosity is there, and it made for some absolutely scorching banter. Jack Harbon writes such witty and enthralling character dynamics, and this was no different. I listened to this while cleaning, and the 'con-descending' line almost made me trip over my mop. They were just so good together, and I loved how that animosity was thawed by humour and begrudging respect for what they each did. Emery was a fucking delight; he had me laughing so much. Same for Calvin's morbid humour. And I loved how this explored podcasting, the ethics of true crime, and Calvin's experience when he pivots to exploring social justice, police brutality, and racism.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Ron Butler, Kevin R. Free and a full cast and... omg. This is the kind of story that makes you glad audiobooks exist, because I couldn't imagine experiencing this any other way. The podcast sections were the absolute BEST, with the sound quality and everything. And that way, you got to hear how much of a difference it made when they both did their shows on their own, and the off-the-charts chemistry when they did their show together. I loved that there were actors even for minor characters, because it made it feel so vibrant and alive. (Also shout out to Sound Guy Dean, I love him.) Kevin R. Free especially did an amazing job; I just couldn't get enough of it.

Serious kudos. Fingers crossed for Jack Harbon to get himself some more Amazon $$$ and do more of these.

Content warnings: discussion of murders, gore, cannibalism

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This was cute! It’s a short story so I feel like I really didn’t get to know the characters and I keep confusing the two, that being said I liked the romance and the things discussed(violence against women, police brutality). Overall an enjoyable read.

[Tori - Novel Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

This novella was so good!!! I love the collab for their podcasts and that’s how they are forced together.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great audio production! Emery and Calvin have some hateful banter and both have separate podcasts. When a longtime listener of both of their podcasts ends up passing away, her mother shares she would have loved for Emery and Calvin to be cohosts together. Pushed to work together and combine their podcasts for a few episodes, Calvin and Emery realize they have fun together and are the perfect pair!

This was such a fun time. I loved the snippets from both podcasts, hearing the on-air banter was so great and then getting to know both Calvin and Emery once they’re off-air was just as good. This was a short, novella-length listen that just flew by. I didn’t want it to end since I was having such a great time listening! Definitely recommend!

[Deborah's Bookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this book with low expectations, and this easily surpassed them. It took a turn I didn't expect and it was a pleasant surprise.

However, I found it too fast paced and too much was changing at the same time that it did not allow the reader to digest what is actually happening and form opinions.

Unfortunately, it is not a book I would recommend to a friend or that I'll think about often which is the reason for the 3stars.

[ReadingTilTheBreakOfDawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love audible originals to try new to me authors. Something short and just enough to get a small taste of the author's style.
Crimes of Passion was a fun little rivals to lovers, opposites attract, forced proximity set in the true crime podcast world. I'm a huge fan of true crime and to get little snippets of podcasts throughout the story was fun and kept me interested in the main story between Calvin and Emery.

The acting and performances from the narrators was great and the overall production really pushed this novella. I didn't feel super connected to the rivals turned lovers since I didn't feel their rivalry too much. I was just told it and so it wa. I would prefer to feel their tension in order to really grasp their newfound love. But that is a me problem and something I run into with novellas. Still enjoyed the overall story and the audio production and would definitely check out something else by Jack Harbon in the future.