Perfect age gap, hurt comfort, brother’s bff ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cravings of the Heart is another brilliant installment in Nicky James’ Trials of Fear series. Each story focuses on a different MC battling a phobia and finding love.

This time we are faced with cibophobia, the fear of food. The disorder is slowly killing 20 year old Arden and no one in his life seems to know or really care. No one, that is, until his older brother’s best friend, Iggy. Oh my gosh, if ever there was a perfect, patient, supportive partner, Iggy Rojas would be it. His fierce loyalty and determination to truly understand Arden’s pain thoroughly warmed my heart throughout the story.

Nicky James handles mental illness with amazing sensitivity and care. She teaches us the ins an outs of a condition as she crafts her characters. I understood Arden… I felt every blow to his ego and every crushing disappointment. I worried as he seemed to vanish with nothing to keep him tethered. And then I rejoiced when his boyhood crush, now 29 year old Iggy, came back into his life.

Iggy is strength, patience, and love personified. He is written with emotional depth and maturity. He sees the chaos that is Arden and also sees the wonder that lies within. Through Iggy’s eyes I fell in love with Arden a second time. I was captivated by how Iggy saw our broken, starving boy. Arden’s is a raw, dark, painful story… and Iggy is his shining light. Their story touched me deeply, made me think and ultimately cheer… and that story will stay with me!

As always, Adam Gold delivers a flawless performance for this audiobook. He fully captures the suffering, the seeming hopelessness, and the subsequent love between these main characters. He creates distinctive voices for all involved and he even adds realistic sound effects for things like emergency radio and phone calls. Listening to him narrate is a truly enjoyable experience.

Coupling Gold’s talent with a stunning Nicky James story, I knew I was in for a wonderful time. Cravings of the Heart delivered that and so much more. I recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful, intelligent, well researched, sensitive, hurt comfort story with excellent narration! Five stars all the way!!

Happy listening! 😊💖

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nothing can beat hard work, dedication, and Iggy

I read this book when it was first released and I'm sticking to my guns that Adam brings everyone to life in a whole new way. I don't know how he does it but a;ojgr'opsifg . there are some characters that are same'sy and if you hear the other books sometimes they sound similar but pish posh its still great,

There are references to both Grey and Ireland ( and he shows up) as well as some of the other guys like Finn and Rory. I absolutely love Iggy, so much so my car is named Iggy, short for ignis instead of Ignites like our man here.. there are quite a bit of familial homophobia that can be and was a bit triggering. mainly the dad . shocker. there is one more book left in this series and I'm gonna cry again when its all over knowing how it ends.

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Great Story Overall

I LOVED the connection between Iggy and Arden, i loved how their relationship blossomed.

I did NOT like FOUR HOURS of focus on Arden’s eating disorder. Once we got to the point of Arden and Iggy figuring out what the disorder really was and working towards treatment everything focused on their relationship so much more. The disorder became a side piece to the story instead of the main focus and the story became much more palatable to me.

The narrator, Adam Gold, is new to me and is VERY talented. The way he was able to switch his voice for Iggy and some of the other side characters was very impressive and I will keep an eye out for more books by him.

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Beautiful story

I loved the story and Adam did a great job. I have one more book to read in this series and I’m so sad! I wish there were more!! But alas’ all good things must come to an end. Highly recommended!! I’ve added them to my favorites 😁

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So Good!

Each entry in this series tugs on my heartstrings in a different way and Cravings is no different. Seeing Arden's phobia impact more and more of his life was heartbreaking. Watching Iggy's kindness and compassion help Arden heal himself was heartwarming. Seeing Arden and Iggy overcome and grow together kept me hooked on this audio. Even the unlikable characters (ahem, Arden's family) kept me engaged as I day dreamed of a smackdown or two 😉 Adam Gold is a fantastic narrator for this series, who brings both the big and subtle emotions to life. His performance is truly excellent. Well worth a credit!

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Excellent story!

Another piece of art by Ms Nicky James.
The talent of Ms James is unparalleled; she does her research, has her books edited and the world-building is on point.
Arden’s problem is exposed at the right time; Iggy is the boyfriend any mother would want her son to have; loyal and authentic.
I recommend this book. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

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My heart...

I loved this entire series. Each of them took a swing at my heart, but I swear... this one just broke it, then repaired it slowly. Shit. Had me bawling at 3 a.m.

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Awesome book

Wow how to explain how awesome this book and the research Nicky James did to make this series. I’m 61 years old. I suffered from anorexia/bile Mia from age 16-34. I so totally identify with Arden. Though his eating disorder was very different from mine, a lot of the fear and panic were very close. I only wish there were more Dr. Kelly’s in the world. I was sent to an awesome eating disorder ranch in Az. It helped me some but the counselors were not that great. Non of them dealt with anxiety. I come from an extremely religious background that beloved if the doctors or counselors weren’t Godly they were of this worldly mindset. It’s really sad that I was stuck in that mentality for many years. I’m now 61 as I said. Though I eat healthy exercise daily and still love God…. I do struggle slightly with body image. It’ll never go away but when someone makes up their mind to be healthy and move out of the fear with really healthy support that is not stuck in the church it’s amazing how life can be fulfilling. This book in my eyes was written by or received advice from someone struggling in that fear/anxiety arena. I really enjoyed it. I loved Arden and Iggy romance/friendship. I love that Arden’s brother Phoenix became a big supporter of him. Most of all I love how Nicky James showed that if one counselor doesn’t help keep trying others. Like I said I wish there were more Dr. Kelly’s in the world. I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough. So worth the time and money. The narration was superb. Best ever and thank you goes out to Nicky James for writing an incredible book.

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Another stellar performance

THE WRITING:
This series just gets better and better!!!
Cravings of the Heart is the 6th book written for the Trials of Fear series and I’m happy to learn that it’s not the last.
As with all of Nicky James’s books, her attention to detail is outstanding, her character development is on point and her commitment to educating her readers about Mental Health is commendable.

For years, Arden McMillan suffered in silence with an eating disorder – more on point, from Cibophobia, a fear of food. This has affected his life, but his family seem to ignore or just turn a blind eye.
Iggy Rojas, ousted family friend, sees Arden after 10 years and immediately knows that something is not right.

I absolutely love Iggy. His patience and love for Arden, his commitment to help him admit his problem and seek out help is just beautiful.
Arden’s strength in the face of bullying and denial from his family is heartbreaking.

Cravings of the Heart can be read as a standalone, although we do meet previous characters from the series… but why not read the entire series!!!
IT’S AMAZING!!
Mrs James hints at an event in the next book that will have readers guessing and wanting to read the finale (note that this is not a cliffhanger, but more a whetting your appetite ending).
I can’t wait to read the next book!!!!
Thank you for another 5-star read Mrs James!!!
💜💜💜💜💜

THE NARRATION:
Sigh. Adam Gold has done it again!!! With each addition to the series, Adam makes my heart swoon just a little more!!
I loved his Arden. The sassiness was spot on!!
The emotions that Adam projected in his deliverance had me believing every word. I felt, rather than heard Arden's story.
I loved Iggy's accent!!
Great job Adam!!

I'm looking forward to the finale!! I can't wait to hear Adam's range of talent on display throughout an entire book!!

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Nicky James and Adam Gold are a dynamite pair

Seriously folks, I’m afraid I’m starting to lose street cred. Judging by my reviews of Nicky James’ novels, readers are going to assume all I ever award books are 5 heart/star ratings. I assure you that’s not even close to true; I’m actually very selective. It’s just that Her Majesty of Tortured Souls is a magnificent writer. And in the case of Cravings of the Heart, Adam Gold's narration is the cherry on top of a story about Iggy's love for Arden as Arden struggles to stay alive.

Rare phobias are the unifying theme in the Trials of Fear series. In this instance, Arden suffers from cibophobia – a fear of food – that arose after a tragic event in his life. The fear consumes him and he can only tolerate a small handful of foods. It greatly affects his health. He’s an outcast in his large family for being gay (his parents are deeply religious and homophobic), his interest in fashion design, and his disordered eating. They see Arden as weak and useless and he is filled with self-loathing. His parents barely tolerate him. But as much as he’d like to eat, the truth is he’s too afraid. He’s terrified. He’s embarrassed to be weak and fearful, and is ashamed at losing control.

Iggy is the best friend of Arden’s older brother, and Arden has had a crush on him since he was an adolescent. They haven’t seen each other in many years but when they run into each other again, sparks begin to kindle. It amazed me how much goodness Iggy has in his heart to support someone with problems of Arden’s magnitude. He sticks by his side even before they are involved much. Clearly, Iggy is smitten to want to proceed forward with this relationship. He wishes Arden could see himself as the beautiful man Iggy sees him as. His devotion and patience seem immeasurable. It’s evident Iggy loves Arden long before he realizes it himself.

From the very first paragraph, you can tell Adam Gold is going to deliver gold. He distinguishes himself as a voice actor, not just a narrator, by adding something special to fully engross his listeners in the story. His voice inflection, variations in pace, and emphasis on emotion make his delivery natural and conversational. But it’s more than that which sets him apart; he uses several specific techniques to enhance the audiobook. First, he uses thoughtful, brief pauses in his speech to convey appropriate emotion. Next are his unique voices over the phone. It actually sounds like the character is speaking on the phone. I can’t quite explain it but I love it. He also laughs when the character laughs. These little things make a big difference.

Mr. Gold makes Arden and Iggy's intimate scenes so meaningful, the words spoken with breathlessness, tenderness, and reverence. His voices vary greatly from one character to the next. Mickey’s unique voice, the Colombian accent for Mickey’s mother, his female voices, and that of an east Indian character are all on point.

Cravings of the Heart is not to be missed. It exists in a shared world but is completely standalone. Come along on Arden’s journey to gain control over his fears and not let them control him, and Iggy's gentle caring for the man he loves.

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