Q*Pid
- Narrated by: Rudy Sanda
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 10-30-18
- Language: English
- Publisher: Tantor Audio
- Get this Audiobook for the reduced price of $7.49, when you buy the Kindle edition first.Learn more
- Can a computer program understand love better than the human heart?
Archer, the AI at the dating service Q*pid, realizes humans don't always make the best choices, so it begins making some unconventional choices for them.
Fox Kincade is the last of his group of friends to be single, so he's delighted when he discovers a new match in his Q*pid app - one that, according to the new AI wizardry, should be the love of his life. Instead of the woman he's expecting, he's paired with Drew Larsen, a shy, somewhat nerdy PhD student who has also grown discouraged with romance.
Drew and Fox have little in common - aside from the fact that they're both straight. Or so they thought. But as the guys get to know each other, they realize Archer might have the right idea. Their path isn't smooth, because both need to overcome every idea they have about themselves and what true love might look like. But with the help of Archer - and some friends who have stuck with Fox and Drew through the thick and thin of their relationship trials - they might find their way into each other's hearts.
©2018 Xavier Mayne (P)2018 Tantor
Cat gives this one 4 Meows...
I will admit this started slow. I was tempted to not finish but I did like the concept and Archer and his quirky neighbor lady. Fox finally grew on me as the story progressed.
There are some really cool characters in this book. Fox has a friend that wants updates on his sex life, and his wife usually is right there for the video chat. She is intrigued when the guy shows up and Fox agrees to meet for a drink then they continue meeting as friends.
Archer is a real sweetheart and I adored his elderly tenant and how he always had her favorite imported sausages "just laying around needing cooked" I liked that he was open when he male match came and he took the chance to reach out if not anything but for a friend and out of curiosity as to why the machine matched him with a man.
I also liked the Machine itself as a character. I would have liked a little more on it, but I guess the match and romance did need to be up front. The story is extremely well written, intriguing and fun.
The narrator Rudy Sanda was new to me. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about the narration. I did not like Fox's voice at all. I think maybe if Fox and his friend's voice was switched it may have worked more for me. The pacing was good though and all in all, once the story picked up so did the narration.
If you like Gay For You you get a double whammy as it's Gay for You for both characters. It is a good slow burn as well, and lots of humor.
By day I work as a writer for a large tech firm in the US Pacific Northwest. By night I'm the author of the Brandt & Donnelly Capers series, as well as standalone works such as Husband Material and The Accidental Cupid. I like to write about men who've always considered themselves straight falling in love with another man. Oh, and I like readers to laugh, not cry. You can now count me among the refugees from academia. I was a professor at a public university in the American midwest for a decade before returning to the high-tech industry. Tenure was nice, but so is getting a paycheck that actually pays the bills! I miss teaching, which is why you'll find vocabulary in my works that you won't find in most romance novels (crenelated! gantlet! obstreperous!) because if you can expand minds while exciting the senses, why not?