Louder Than Words
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Derrek is a local teacher in Clearwater, Florida. He frequents a nearby coffee shop before work every morning, where he finds himself enraptured with a young barista, Alex. But Alex never seems to notice him, even when he’s handing Derrek his morning coffee.
After weeks of hiding in his corner under the pretense of working, Derrek finally gains enough courage to ask Alex on a date. He’s crushed when all he gets for an answer is complete silence. He thinks it’s the end, until he finds out that Alex has a disability that has paralyzed his vocal cords.
Sign language is Alex’s way of communication, and it’s something that Derrek knows little to nothing about. With renewed determination, Derrek asks Alex to teach him sign language. Derrek wants to be able to talk to Alex, to tell him how he really feels, and find out if Alex feels the same.
But more than anything, he longs for a relationship that goes deeper than just words alone.
Louder Than Words is an 18,000-word novella.
Customer Reviews
Good, but Needed MORE . Loosely Concluded.
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ FOUR-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
> > Judging a Book by it's Cover > Looking Deeper First-person.
First person narrative style from Derrick's perspective. He's a Physics teacher crushing on a Starbucks barista. Since first laying eyes on the "punk rock" barista, as his best friend Bryant calls Alex, Derrick has made the coffee shop a part of his daily routine. But an eager and overly enthusiastic dinner proposal stuns Alex just long enough to assume it was a flat-out dismissal. Derrick then learns that Alex is mute and the silence was not so much a shunning and makes it a goal to better be able to communicate with him.
The structure starts out a little stiff, but improves as the story moves along. The timeline hops and skips forward to give this barely 50 page novelette more of a suggested time line. The chemistry is mostly friendly with some overtures, flirting, and innuendo. One fairly sexy little scene. Dialogue and interaction is good. The conflicting element was unimpressive, as was it's resolve. Predictability was a non-issue. The conclusion was NOT solid are barely enough to consider being called an implied HEA or HFN. It was much more a "to be continued", in my opinion.
I think if this story were reworked into something closer to 120 - 180 pages that it would be much more fulfilling and more "future" could be provided to satisfy the reader's curiosity about what becomes of his schooling, dreams of becoming a vet, living arrangements, and more. If it were lengthened and added to, I would suggest it as I did enjoy the characters and their compatible nature.
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Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.075 ~ Stars: 4
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⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from Embrace the Rainbow and the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐