Clara’s Verdict
The third book in Jax Calder’s Unlikely Dilemmas series lands with the confidence of a writer who knows exactly what her readers want – and then delivers it with a few extra surprises to keep them honest. The Unlikely Spare gives us Nicholas, a prince whose party-boy reputation masks considerably more depth than anyone suspects, and Eoin, an undercover agent tasked with protecting him while pretending to be his bodyguard. The forbidden-romance-plus-conspiracy premise is well-worn territory, but Calder executes it with enough wit and enough genuine emotional stakes that the familiarity feels more like comfort than repetition.
I’ve been watching the LGBTQ+ romance space expand into royal and suspense territory with interest, and Calder is one of the writers doing it with proper craft. The chemistry here is immediate and addictive, the plot twists are actual twists rather than the telegraphed variety, and the humour lands consistently. A serious crowd-pleaser.
About the Audiobook
The Unlikely Spare is Book 3 in the Unlikely Dilemmas series, and while the connections to the preceding two books add texture and pleasure for existing fans, the novel works as a standalone experience – the central romance between Nicholas and Eoin is fully self-contained, and the context is established efficiently.
Nicholas is the prince everyone assumes is irrelevant – too far down the succession to matter, too fond of a good time to be taken seriously. Eoin is the agent with a chip on his shoulder and a professional obligation to maintain distance. As threats to the royal family escalate and the two men are thrown into increasingly close quarters, the attraction becomes impossible to ignore. The plot has genuine movement: there’s a kidnapping with a twist nobody sees coming, the involvement of Eoin’s brother adds a satisfying complication, and the question of Nicholas’s mother – and what she really represents – gives the emotional arc proper weight. At twelve hours and forty-seven minutes, the pacing allows the relationship to develop organically without stretching patience.
The Narration
Gary Furlong narrates, and he is an excellent fit for the material. He handles the comic moments with lightness and the emotional beats with genuine sensitivity, and he differentiates the two leads clearly enough that you’re never confused about whose internal monologue you’re in. Romance audiobooks live or die on the chemistry the narrator can conjure between characters in a single voice, and Furlong does this consistently well. The twelve-hour-plus running time never feels like a burden under his management.
What Readers Say
The book has a perfect 4.5 average from a small but enthusiastic sample of ratings. Readers who had followed the series from the beginning were particularly delighted: “Loved this book as much as the first two in the series,” wrote one reviewer, singling out the kidnapping plot twist as genuinely unexpected. Another found the chemistry “instantaneous and incredibly addicting” and praised a particular scene in a maintenance shed with considerable enthusiasm. One reviewer – identifying themselves as a grumpy/sunshine trope devotee – felt the relationship arc slightly outpaced the suspense elements in the second half, but still rated it four stars and described it as “a great romp and very, very funny.” Multiple readers praised the sense of continuity with earlier characters from the series and flagged Calder’s Playing Offside as a natural next read.
Who Should Listen?
Perfect for fans of Jax Calder’s existing work, obviously, but also for anyone seeking LGBTQ+ romance with a suspense backbone and genuine humour. The series rewards reading in order – start with Book 1 for the full experience – but this novel is accessible enough to serve as an introduction. Recommended for listeners who enjoy enemies-to-lovers dynamics, royal settings, and plots that actually deliver on their mystery elements rather than treating them as backdrop.
Listen to The Unlikely Spare on Audible UK – find it here.
