Cheap Heat

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first—ghouls in a gym-slash-startup? But *Cheap Heat* won me over in under an hour, thanks to Mayne’s ability to balance snark with genuine emotional stakes. The audiobook’s real strength is its narration: Ferraiuolo’s performance as the ghoul, Elias, is a revelation. He doesn’t just *sound* surly; he sounds *tired* of humanity’s bullshit, which makes his rare moments of vulnerability land like gut punches. DiCosimo’s Leo, meanwhile, is all chaotic energy, the kind of guy who’d poke a bear just to see what happens. Their chemistry is electric, especially in the early chapters where their bickering feels like a contact sport. That said, the pacing stumbles slightly in the middle. The workplace subplot—while hilarious (a sentient treadmill? *Yes.*)—sometimes overshadows the romance, and a few of the side characters blur together. But the production itself is flawless: the audio levels are crisp, the emotional beats are well-timed, and the rare paranormal sound effects (a ghostly whisper here, a distant howl there) are used sparingly enough to avoid gimmickry. My only real critique? I wanted *more* of the ghoul lore. Mayne teases a richer supernatural world, but the focus stays tightly on the central duo—which, honestly, is fine when they’re this compelling. If you love enemies-to-lovers with bite (sometimes literal), this is a must-listen. Just maybe don’t start it at work unless you want to laugh-snort during a meeting.