Harley Chase has become a new favorite narrator. I had only heard him in one other book but he took a book I loved and brought these characters to life in the most perfect way! Eli and Colby had distinct voices and you could always tell who was talking whether that was in the chapter being "their" chapter but honestly throughout the whole book! I loved Colby's slight southern twang and Eli's younger more energeic voice. They were so perfectly the way I heard them in my head when I read the original story in e-book.

This story is so special! What the author accomplished in under 150 pages was to me so amazing! Each MC had depth within their back stories and helped you fall so instantly in love with them. As someone who genuinly doesn't love instant love these two were something else. You couldn't help but hope they found their HEA. Their chemistry was felt all over the page and I will say even more so brought to ear by Harley. This book was such a great take on sex work as well as love after loss. These two souls were meant to find each and I just adored getting to hear their love story broght to life!

“The Husband Experience” was a short, sweet, and spicy story that kept me entertained and invested in the characters throughout, thanks to the brilliant narration by Harley Chase!

The relatively short length of the book makes it difficult to fully flesh out the characters, but given this limitation, I think it did okay. The fact that one of the MCs works as a “boyfriend for hire” sadly wasn’t developed much, and the complexities of working within this industry were entirely omitted. The grief aspect of the story added a nice counterbalance to the otherwise often cheeky (or sexy) mood of the book. I found it really impressive how organic the chemistry and development between the two MCs felt, despite the spice already appeared fairly quickly in the story.

Surprisingly, this was my first encounter with the narrator Harley Chase, and he did such a great job with this story! The characters were easily distinguishable, his diction and speech were clear and easy to understand, and the emotional tone was convincingly and appropriately conveyed throughout - and on top of it all, his voice was just pleasant to listen to 😊🎧

Chase’s narration of The Husband Experience brought the characters to life and was ultimately what helped me enjoy the story.

This was a great quick listen/read that was full of angst, and growth, and grief that all leads to a beautiful love. Eli and Colby are absolutely adorable and perfect for each other and they are surrounded by love from friends and family. There is also plenty of steamy spice to complement the storyline.
The narrator did a wonderful job with great pacing, and voice acting.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley. This is a very sweet novella, is it a literary masterpiece? No, but that’s not what it’s meant to be. It was just a very refreshing MM romance with sweet southern charm and a smattering of kink. The MMCs are perfectly suited for each other in quirky ways. The narration was easy to follow and overall an enjoyable listen

This had a lot of promise and if longer I think it would have filled much more of it's potential.

Unfortunately because it was short the smut overpowered the cute romantic moments and I found myself wanting more of them to see the characters develop their relationship.

The two main characters were intriguing and if given more time to share their stories I would have cared more for them. This did feel very insta-love which was off putting as I would have preferred a slower burn.

Overall, this has potential but unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor media for the free alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I absolutely loved the dual narration. I loved the pacing I loved the spice, I loved the vulnerability of the 2 mcs. It's not often we see male sex workers in books especially MM romances and I am here for it. I obviously wanted more which always means it was written and read perfectly.

Can't wait for more in the series

Suggest picking it up if you read open door mm romances.

This was a solid read for a novella! Colby lost his husband 3 years ago and has not dated since. He decides to hire a "husband" for the week so he can get back in the saddle. They spend a week at his luxurious beach house in Florida.

At first, I did not care for Eli's character. He claimed to be the "best" boyfriend at the agency because he is able to make his clients relax. However, he was focused on having sex instead of acting like a husband. For $50K, he should have done a better job giving the client what he paid for. Later on, he let his walls down and allowed himself to be taken care of by Colby.

Colby was the ultimate book boyfriend. He was so sweet - he prepared breakfast in bed for Eli, brought Eli to the bookstore to buy his favorite books, etc. He lived to take care of his companion.

This book was light, low on angst, and had a happy ending. Loved it!

This book is a insta love MM romance that tells the story of a grieving widow man and a man that works for essentially an escort agency. I sadly DNF’d this book with a hour left because it was very lacking of the character personality that I believed could’ve been present if the book was slightly longer.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

loved it soooo much. such a sweet short listen.

I wish the characters were developed more.

This was cute even the second time around. The narrator definitely brought the story to life and I fell in love with these characters all over again. To feel their love grow from where they started a strangers to where they ended up. Precious, loved it all. And while this book isn’t too long, it didn’t feel rushed and overall just a don’t read and audiobook.

Thank you to RBmedia, the author and NetGalley for an audio ARC in return for an honest review

Well, here's my honest review...but the author probably won't like it.

Reasons I requested this book - I am a newcomer to the romance genre because I was previously under the misapprehension that everything in this category was all Barbara Cartland and flowers etc. But then I discovered books like The seven year slip and Keeper of enchanted rooms and it changed my perspective. The only way I am going to read this type of book is if it gives me something other than romance. By that, I don't mean sex, I mean a cross over with another genre, such as fantasy, magical realism or historical fiction. This book, unfortunately, didn't even give romance let alone anything else. It offered nothing but sex and absolutely no storyline at all. I didn't want to be scathing but this is one of the worst books I have ever read. I don't even know why I finished it. There was absolutely no payback with the ending. The plot can literally be summed up in one sentence: A grieving widower hires a fake boyfriend for a vacation, unexpectedly falls for him and they have lots of sex...and I mean a LOT of sex! Graphic sex scenes are not my bag. I wish I hadn't requested this book, it was a waste of my time. Just to be clear, I have no problem with sex scenes in general, but this book was categorised as 'Romance'?!? I have no idea why, there is no romance at all, as far as I can see.
There is a saving grace though - the narrator Harley Chase did a sterling job with what he had to work with.

#TheHusbandExperience #NetGalley #GraphicSex

I got this one on audio and it was a quick and fun read. I loved the grief aspect and the way the relationship unfolded. It did feel like it was missing something but I assume that's just because this is a novella introducing the series.

A round of applause for my first ever audio ALC please! 👏👏

The narrator, Harley Chase, was completely new to me, but he did a fantastic job. I loved Colby’s southern twang and Eli’s smiley tone - it gave them both a distinct personality right from the start. And since this book is a lot of sex (and let’s be honest, those scenes are hard to narrate well), I was pleasantly surprised by his skill. Not once did I cringe! He brought energy and enthusiasm to the narration without going over the top!

The story itself…well. I’m very glad I went in knowing it would be insta-everything - which is normally a trope I shy away from - because that kept the eye rolling to a minimum. It worked for me here because of the book’s short length and its honest focus on physical connection from the get-go. It didn’t pretend to be something it wasn’t, which I appreciated, especially since it’s an arrangement/escort setup, so <i>duh</i>, it’s all about the sex initially. But what really caught me off guard was how something that started off centred on lust turned into something incredibly romantic and swoony.

Ngl, it took me a little while to warm up to Eli and his petulant outbursts in the beginning, but Colby had me immediately. His gentleness and fierce protectiveness were such a winning combo.
I loved their connection - the kinky sex layered with the tenderness of two very starved people just needing each other. That vulnerability - especially Colby’s - gave the story surprising emotional weight and I ended up rooting hard for them to find something real 🥰

3,5⭐️ for the story, 5⭐️ for the narration, so 4⭐️ for the whole thing and now I really wanna read Beau’s and Trevor’s story 🥹



<i>Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the chance to listen to this ALC, this is my honest opinion!</i>

An insta-love novella perfect for a commute.
Colby is still healing and trying to dip his toes back into dating after the loss of his partner. Eli, a PhD student moonlighting as a doting boyfriend/husband/lover for a companionship agency, is no stranger to playing the role of a perfect partner.

When the two meet at the beach for a “Husbands” week getaway, sparks fly—and they both fall hard 😉.

There’s definitely more smut than plot, but as long as you go in expecting that, you’re in for a fun, steamy ride.

Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Rating Reasoning - There wasn't much bad about this book, but there was nothing that really made it stand out to me.
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

📖 What It’s About:
Colby is finally ready to move on after the death of his partner three years ago. On a glowing recommendation, he turns to an escort-adjacent service called The Boyfriend Experience, shelling out $50K to hire a "husband for the week." After just four days of steamy encounters—complete with a strong emphasis on primal play—feelings start to develop between him and Elijah, the man he hired.

❤️ What I Loved:
Elijah.
I listened to the audiobook ARC of this one, and honestly, the narrator made Elijah shine. I’m not sure if he comes across this well in the written version, but in audio form, Elijah’s wit brought much-needed levity to some of the more intense scenes. He was genuinely likable and even relatable. Bonus points for being a fellow book lover—this author definitely knows her audience!

The Flow.
This book was short and sweet—about four hours long—and the pacing was solid. While a few scenes could’ve used a little more breathing room, it didn’t hurt the chemistry between the characters, which was clearly there from the start.

The Spice.
This was my first M/M romance, and I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a vague worry it might lean too heavily into overly "masculine" dynamics, but the rougher edges of Colby were nicely softened by Elijah’s warmth. Their intimate scenes were well-balanced and worked surprisingly well for me.

😬 What Didn’t Quite Work:
The Conflict (or lack thereof).
Besides a few early mentions of other "boyfriends" and the origin of the service, the entire book takes place in a remote location, with nearly every interaction happening between Colby and Elijah. That made it clear early on that there wouldn't be much external drama, and sure enough, there was no real third-act breakup or deep emotional conflict. It sidestepped the “we can’t talk about our feelings” trope, but maybe too much. I didn’t mind the low-stakes vibe while reading, but afterward, I couldn’t shake the feeling that... not much actually happened.

Colby’s Voice (in the audiobook).
No issues with Colby as a character, but the narrator gave him a very distinct accent that bordered on distracting. At times it worked and flowed naturally, but in other moments it veered a little too far into cringey territory. The accent seemed thickest at the start and evened out over time—possibly because the same narrator voiced both Colby and Elijah and had to switch back and forth often.

Final Thoughts:
A quick, spicy, and character-driven romance with good chemistry and low drama. Great if you're in the mood for something light and sexy, especially in audiobook form. Just don’t expect a high-stakes plot or much external tension.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Husband Experience by Maya Jean is book one in the Sweet Southern series. Let me just say, I clearly didn't read the description correctly, and I am happy I didn't! I really enjoyed this book. I rarely read MM romance, but this one is done so well. I wish it were a little longer. The cover art is very eye-catching. I will look into book two in this series.

The audiobook is narrated by Harley Chase, who did a good job telling the story and bringing it to life. He was easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 2x speed.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•MM Romance
•BDSM
•Novella
•Fake Dating

Thank you, NetGalley, and Tantor Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I am doing a ALC review for The Husband Experience, book one of Sweet Southern Series.

The audio is done by Harley Chase.

This was about Colby who lost his loved one and just needed a connection to get his life started back up. In comes Elijah up for the challenge. They spend a week together with plan of walking away from each other after that.

Such a sweet romantic book, that a few tears might have slipped out.

This was my first book of Maya Jean. I will definitely look into reading/listening to more of her books.

This heartwarming novella tells the story of Colby, a widower looking to get back into the dating scene, and Elijah, the man he hires as his fake husband for a week.  Colby’s longing for a connection,while Elijah’s thinks this is an easy paid vacation.What was meant to be a simple arrangement quickly  becomes something  real for both men.Both men are what the other didn't know they were searching for.
There is lots of chemistry,tender moments, playful humour, and emotions.  There is a perfect balance of spice, laughter, and loss.
It is a short but beautiful read.The novella shows that love can find us even in the most unexpected ways.
Spice-🌶🌶🌶
🎧-Harley Chase ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a cute, fun book. It is pretty short, so it is more of a novella. It is a steamy, insta-love story. You will definitely enjoy this book!

While Colby and Eli are probably my least favorite of all the couples (they’re short and spicy while the others aren’t), Harley did a great job bringing both characters to life. Notably the “big” scene in chapter 8 was delivered naturally and with all the emotion needed for the characters. Very excited to hear Trevor and Beau next!!!!