Clara’s Verdict
There is something genuinely joyful about a series that manages to be both funny and quietly educational, and PAH! – the third instalment in Cora Rose and E.M. Lindsey’s Deaf Hearts series – pulls it off with considerable charm. Roman is one of those characters who starts out thoroughly aggravating and ends up completely winning you over, which is exactly the kind of redemption arc that keeps readers glued to a series through multiple books. The chemistry between Rome and Dex simmers with real tension, the deaf community representation feels respectful and well-researched, and the cat-café-owning trio in the background provide the sort of chaotic comic relief that makes a romance genuinely fun rather than merely steamy.
It is rare to encounter a romance series where the world-building around community and culture feels as carefully considered as the central love story. This one does, and it does so without becoming a lecture or losing sight of what readers came for: two deeply imperfect people who are absolutely right for each other eventually figuring that out. Running at 8 hours and 10 minutes, this is a brisk, satisfying listen that rewards fans of the earlier books whilst remaining emotionally coherent even as a standalone entry point into the series.
About the Audiobook
Rome – a deaf man carrying deep wounds from a previous relationship with a hearing partner – wants nothing to do with Dex, the charming gym owner who can’t seem to keep his distance. The attraction is immediate and mutual; Rome’s resistance is fierce and understandable. When Rome vanishes for three years without a word, the question of whether he can earn back Dex’s trust – patient, sweet-natured Dex, who made Rome work for every inch – becomes the emotional engine of the novel.
Cora Rose and E.M. Lindsey have built Deaf Hearts as a series that centres the deaf community not as backdrop but as a living, breathing world with its own humour, frustrations, solidarity, and cultural identity. PAH! deals unflinchingly with the way audism – prejudice against deaf people – shapes Roman’s self-perception and his ability to accept love from a hearing man. His initial resentment towards Dex is not mere stubbornness; it is the product of real hurt, and the authors give it sufficient weight that Rome’s eventual openness feels genuinely earned rather than conveniently plotted.
The cat-café-owning trio – described by reviewers with varying degrees of affection and bewilderment – provide consistent comic relief throughout, and the crossover characters from earlier books give the novel that satisfying quality of returning to a place you know. This is Book 3 of the Deaf Hearts series; beginning with Book 1 is recommended.
The Narration
Zachary Zaba handles the narration, and it is a good fit for the material. The banter-heavy exchanges between Rome and Dex come across with genuine comedic timing, and Zaba navigates the emotional shifts – Rome’s prickliness, his vulnerability, Dex’s patient warmth – without lurching between registers. The supporting cast, including the eccentric cat-café trio who generated significant reader enthusiasm in reviews, are rendered with enough distinction to feel like individual characters rather than background noise. The romance genre makes specific demands of a narrator – you need to carry the tension through extended slow-burn sequences without losing the thread – and Zaba handles that well. This is the sort of narration where you forget you’re listening to one person and simply get pulled along by the story.
What Readers Say
PAH! has been warmly received by UK listeners, with reviewers awarding it five stars across the board. The consensus is that Roman’s redemption arc was handled with genuine skill – one reader noted that “it speaks volumes about these writers that they could actually make me change my mind about a character.” Several listeners highlighted the series’ originality, with one describing the premise as “completely different to anything else I have read.” The representation of the deaf community drew specific praise: readers mentioned learning about deaf community culture in ways that felt organic to the story rather than didactic.
The secondary characters – particularly “Michael the groundhog” and “toothy Dennis,” two figures who appear to have lodged themselves permanently in readers’ memories – generated considerable affection. Multiple reviewers mentioned laughing out loud throughout and immediately wanting the next book in the connected series. One reader described devouring the book and praised the writing team’s ability to make a morally complicated character sympathetic without ever minimising the harm he caused.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Audible UK.
Who Should Listen?
If you enjoy romance novels that combine genuine emotional depth with real humour, or if representation-forward LGBTQ+ fiction is your corner of the bookshelf, PAH! deserves a place in your listening queue. The series handles deaf identity and community with a specificity that readers who are part of that community have praised highly, whilst remaining thoroughly accessible to hearing readers who simply want a beautifully constructed second-chance romance.
Ideal for fans of slow-burn second-chance romance, enemies-to-lovers dynamics, and stories where the world around the central couple feels as fully realised as the love story itself. Start with Book 1 of Deaf Hearts if you’re new to the series – then work your way here. Rome and Dex’s story is worth the journey.
