Narrated by Kirt Graves

Resisting You, the second book in E.M. Lindsey’s Things We Never Said series about a group of single dads, is a welcome return to form after the slightly disappointing series opener, Knowing You. Resisting You is an enemies-to-lovers romance between a haughty surgeon and a nurse in which the ‘enemies’ part is very well done (it’s so refreshing to find an enemies-to-lovers story where the leads actually dislike each other rather than simply labouring under silly and/or easily resolved misunderstandings).

We met nurse Frey Millie in Knowing You, where he became a good friend and confidant to Lane and introduced him to the group of single dads who get together regularly. Frey has been raising his six-year-old son, Rex, alone since his ex-husband bailed not long after Rex was born; complications following the birth left Rex profoundly deaf, and the ex wasn’t prepared to parent a child with a disability. Frey is a great guy; he’s smart and funny and insightful, and he’s damn good at his job – although he’d enjoy it more if he didn’t have to deal with the arrogant and surgeon, Doctor Renato Agosto – aka Doctor Dickhead, aka Doctor Douche – every day. Agosto seems to be on a mission to make those around him either miserable or terrified, and his frequent caustic put downs have been known to make his residents cry. Seeing it as his mission to cut the infuriating doctor down to size, Frey has taken to playing pranks on him – harmless ones like cutting holes in his socks or trying all the legs of his scrubs together – and he’s been storing up his acerbic remarks, writing them down in a book he keeps at home and often entertains the other dads by reading them aloud.

Renato finds Frey every bit as infuriating as the reverse. He knows exactly who is pranking him – although he has no idea why – and makes no apologies for refusing to mollycoddle the residents; they do a tough job and need to be resilient – the last thing they need is someone who isn’t prepared to tell it like it is. Frey might drive him up the wall, but he can’t help noticing that he’s absolutely gorgeous or that he’s very well-liked, and is friends with everyone – except him.

Frey and Renato rub each other completely the wrong way, even as the sparks that fly between them indicate there’s more than simple animosity thrumming between them. But they’re both so entrenched in their mutual dislike that they refuse to admit that there’s anything more going on – until they stumble across each other at an old cinema in town (where Frey goes to hide out when his well-meaning friends send him out on ‘dates’ and where Renato goes to listen to the voice of his late husband – whose last acting job was doing voiceovers for cinema trailers and announcements) and very slowly, they start to get to know each other and to break down the walls they’ve both erected to protect themselves.

This is slow-burn romance at its best. Frey and Renato give in to their physical attraction before they admit to themselves that there is more going on between them than just sex, and their move from enemies-with-benefits to reluctant friendship and eventually to falling in love is beautifully done. They’ve both got a fair bit of baggage; Renato lost his husband in a tragic accident and has struggled, for a long while, to come to terms with both it, and the way their relationship was going, and Frey has been reluctant to date since his husband left – he doesn’t want Rex to get attached to someone who doesn’t stick around, but has also come to think that maybe he’s not worth someone sticking around for.

Speaking of Rex… I’m not normally the biggest fan of children in romance novels, but he’s an absolute stand-out in this book and it wouldn’t have worked so well without him. I know the author takes great care with their disability representation, so even though I don’t know any children who are deaf and can’t say whether the rep is accurate from experience, I trust E.M. Lindsey to get it right – and more than that, Rex is a totally believable six-year-old (with an obsession with wedding planning!) – mischievous, loving and sometimes bratty – and I loved the way he and Renato click so easily.

Kirt Graves’ excellent performance is superbly characterised, clearly differentiated and expressive. I admit that I wasn’t too sure about the subtle Italian accent he gives to Renato to start with. But it grew on me, and the deep, slightly gruff tone used for his dialogue works well to convey the air of sadness that often surrounds him. Mr. Graves’ portrayal of Frey is equally good – a higher pitch and more upbeat manner reflect his essential good humour, but there’s a sense of tiredness behind it; Frey is a life-and-soul guy on the outside, but inside, he’s exhausted – he has a demanding job and being a single parent is hard, especially given Rex’s health challenges – and that comes through really well in the parts of the story where he feels he can let his guard down and be himself. I loved everything about Resisting You – the characters, their wonderfully emotional slow-burn romance and the fabulous narration – and am more than happy to  recommend it.

Note: This is book two in a series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone.

Breakdown of Grade: Narration – A-; Story – A-

Running Time: 7 hours 53 minutes