Outing the Quarterback - Reviewed by Trix

Outing the Quarterback

By: Tara Lain

Long Pass Chronicles #1

Published by: Dreamspinner Press

Will Ashford lives in two closets. He meets his wealthy father’s goals as both the quarterback for the famous SCU football team and a business major, but secretly he attends art school and longs to live as a painter. And he's gay. But if he can win the coveted Milton Scholarship for art, he’ll be able to break from his father at the end of his senior year.

In a painting master class, Will meets his divergent opposite, Noah Zajack. A scarred orphan who’s slept on park benches and eaten from trash cans, Noah carefully plans his life and multiple jobs so he has money and time to go to art school. Will's problems seem like nothing compared to Noah's. Noah wants the scholarship too and may have a way to get it since the teacher of his class has designs on him, a plan Will isn't happy about.

When a gossipmonger with a popular YouTube channel finds evidence that Will is gay, the quarterback’s closet doors begin to crumble. Hounded by the press and harassed by other players, Will has to choose. Stay in the closet and keep his family’s wealth, or let the doors fall off and walk out with nothing. Nothing but Noah.


Trix’s Review:

3.75 stars

I'm a big fan of Tara Lain and sports-themed m/m, so I was eager to read this one. OUTING THE QUARTERBACK marks several departures for Lain, some of which I enjoyed more than others. Several of her other books are set in the art world, but this is her first to deal with sports. While she is clearly most comfortable with the art class sequences, the football vignettes are believable, and I enjoyed the contrast between the two environments. Her two leads are definitely different from the instantly lovable guys who tend to populate her stories. Will's compulsion to stay closeted leads him to a spiraling series of lies, as well as the tendency to commit iffy behavior and then cover it up with money. While Noah is more sympathetic thanks to his honesty and his tormented past, his annoyance at Will's behavior causes him to act prickly and cold towards him, occasionally lashing out. As the characters warmed to each other, I eventually warmed to them, but it did take time.

One change saddened me, however. One of my favorite things about Lain's books is her penchant for creating multifaceted female characters, from SPELL CAT's Lavender to DECEPTIVE ATTRACTION's Angel to Mary Beth from HEARTS AND FLOUR. Anyone who reads m/m regularly will know that this is a rare and welcome thing in the genre. So, I was heartbroken to see that Will's girlfriend, Tiffany, is a one-dimensional, exceptionally bitchy gold-digger with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. While her annoying presence heightens the urgency of Will's situation, I can't help but wonder what the book would have been like if Tiffany had resembled one of Lain's more admirable women. Luckily, there is a wonderful female character in Evangeline, sister of Will's teammate and best friend Jamal, who agrees to be Will's "beard" for some very specific reasons of her own. In fact,Jamal's whole family was a highlight of the story for me, which makes me very excited about the Jamal-centric sequel, CANNING THE CENTER.

While the final third of the book suffers from some iffy copy-editing, the diverging plot lines come together in a satisfying way. I was glad to read OUTING THE QUARTERBACK, though there are several other books I'd recommend first to a Tara Lain newbie. I am curious to see how the series will progress, and I applaud Lain for stepping out of her comfort zone.

Starling - Reviewed by Trix

Starling by Racheline Maltese and Erin McRae 

Series: Love in Los Angeles #1

Publisher: Torquere Press

Be careful what you wish for...

When J. Alex Cook, a production assistant on The Fourth Estate (one of network TV’s hottest shows), is accidentally catapulted to stardom, he finds himself struggling to navigate both fame and a relationship with Paul, one of Fourth’s key writers. Despite their incendiary chemistry, Alex’s inexperience and the baggage they’re both carrying quickly lead to an ugly break-up.

Because the stars aren't benign.

Reeling from their broken hearts, Alex has an affair and Paul has an ill-advised reunion with an old flame. Meanwhile, the meddling of their colleagues, friends -- and even the paparazzi! -- quickly make Alex and Paul’s real life romance troubles the soap opera of the television season.

But while the entertainment value may be high, no one knows better than Alex and Paul that there are no guarantees when it comes to love in Los Angeles.


Trix’s Review:

3.75 stars

The story is written in the present tense, which (along with the multiple POVs) I found distracting in the beginning. In their blog tour for the book, Maltese and McRae revealed that they used it for a reason; scripts are written that way, and they wanted to amplify the Hollywood setting and feel of the story. Admittedly, after a while I couldn't imagine the story told in the past tense, though it still felt awkward at times. The style does give you a feeling for the hectic day-to-day feeling of life on the set of a nighttime soap. On the other hand, for me it tended to tamp down the emotional factor of the romance. Alex is a very mercurial young guy who, confused by the sudden changes that stardom has induced in his life, tends toward rash and reactionary decisions about love. Paul, meanwhile, has had much more emotional baggage to deal with, and his guarded reactions can make him hard to decipher. Maltese and McRae's use of the present tense is great for immediacy, but there's so much emphasis on the play-by-play of life on and off the set that it feels almost journalistic at times, with a journalist's emotional distance. There are some heartrending situations in the past and present of the story, but some (such as an implied suicide attempt in Paul's youth) are merely touched on. Likewise, Alex and Paul's biggest confrontation happens so suddenly that I spent most of the second half of the book wondering if I missed something. Alex's inconsistent decision-making is understandable coming from a confused young guy who is suddenly famous, but some of it doesn't ring true in the context of the story. (Alex spends most of the first half worried that bloggers and paparazzi will see him with Paul, so he seems too carefree in the second half of the book to be credible.)

There are quite a few characters in the mix, many of whom have been involved with each other on and off the set. (I don't want to spoil too much by revealing more.) One purely platonic presence is Alex's housemate Gemma, who manages to be a sympathetic and interesting presence in spite of having a fairly thankless role in this installment of the story. (If I never see another scene in an m/m book where the straight best girlfriend watches TV with her pal on another dateless night while jealously asking him nosy questions about his sex life, I'll be happy.) On the blog tour, the authors have implied that she'll have her own success and happiness in the end, and I would like to see that.

 In spite of my issues, I did find STARLING entertaining. The authors do give you a feel for the behind-the-scenes of a series, and I was thrilled to see as much attention given to the staff writers' room as to the soundstage. DOVES, the forthcoming second installment, will apparently pick up the action a year and a half later, and I'll be fascinated to see how that time has affected the characters and their relationship.

Ride-Off - Reviewed by Trix

RIDE-OFF (Polo series #2) by Mickie B. Ashling

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Finally reunited, Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell put family and obligations aside, preferring to remain in seclusion on Ned's estate to get reacquainted. Unfortunately, reality can only be held off for so long, and they return to Texas to reclaim the life they put on pause. Trying to strike the right balance between business, family, and romance requires ongoing effort, and the challenges begin shortly after they arrive.

At the top of the list is Bandi, Konrad's son, and his desire to play polo. A close second is Conrad Sasha Fawkes, Preston's actor son who's struggling to succeed on Broadway. And last, but certainly not least, is Paloma, the fiery Argentinean beauty Preston sired after a passionate tango.

Blending the interests and needs of three grown children is difficult at best and almost impossible when agendas collide and old secrets are unearthed. The situation comes to a head when the family gathers in San Antonio for Thanksgiving, throwing Preston and Konrad into a maelstrom they must weather as best they can, or they'll face a major ride-off that could throw the game before it even starts.

Trix’s Review: 3.75 stars
It had been a while since I read FIRE HORSE, the first installment of the series, so I worried that I would be lost here. It turns out that that didn't matter as much as I thought it would. While the complex saga of Konrad and Preston's reunion and romance is certainly a factor, RIDE-OFF concentrates on the lives of their children. So, while reading the earlier book will definitely help, RIDE-OFF can stand alone somewhat. Even with earlier knowledge of the characters, keeping track of all the storylines can be daunting at times. (It's especially confusing in the beginning when Sasha is still referred to by his given name, Conrad.) The intrigue also leads to some clunky plot exposition, where a lot is told rather than shown. (This was my main issue with FIRE HORSE as well.) Even so, Ashling's writing style is engaging, and the various plot threads did hold my attention.

Ashling's books are often very intense and angst-ridden throughout. RIDE-OFF ebbs and flows in that regard. It opens with a flashback to a cruel act of violence that may very well put some readers off, though it is integral to the plot. The story then backs off from physical threats for most of the book (until the events of the final third or so), concentrating on subtler relationships among this not-quite-blended family. Sasha is just coming to terms with Bandi's new place in the pecking order, and Paloma's re-emergence onto the scene complicates things even more. While I thought Bandi's role diminished as the book went on (though I could very well imagine another story to follow), Paloma and Sasha were both really compelling. Sasha's best friend turned love interest, Jeremy, was my favorite character by far: lovable and multifaceted, he falls into (and livens up) the family dynamic without missing a beat.

The use of BDSM is more problematic than in Ashling's other books. Konrad and Preston use resistance role play in the bedroom to address certain traumas, and, as Melanie of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words points out in her review, the way they do it (no safeword, other precautions not taken) definitely raises red flags in a "don't try this at home" sort of way. Since Konrad and Preston have such limited on-screen time in this installment, the whole BDSM aspect seems a little bit tacked on in the first place, especially since the scenes escalate to near-violence and then resolve to post-coital cuddliness very quickly. Since the scenes were infrequent, this seemed more of a curiosity to me than anything else, but I understand why some BDSM-savvy readers would be upset.

RIDE-OFF won't appeal to everyone, but it's refreshing to see a book that has too much going on instead of too little. While the couples' relationships resolve in satisfying ways, other story threads are open-ended enough that I won't be surprised if a third volume emerges in the Polo series. I'm curious to see what will happen to the members of this sometimes maddening but always diverting dynasty. 

That You Are Here - Reviewed by Trix

That You Are Here by Meredith Allard

On the outside, handsome, successful attorney Andrew Whittaker has everything in life. On the inside, he has everything too, only he doesn't know it. He hides the love of his life, Mark Bryce, from his family and everyone else where he lives in Portland, Oregon. Soon the weight of the secret becomes too much for Andrew. After wrestling with himself and his place in the world, he must decide how he's going to live-with or without Mark.


Trix’s Review: 3.75 stars
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't felt so outraged at a character's treatment of his love interest since Jesse dragged Adam's heart around in Erica Pike's A LIFE WITHOUT YOU. Mark is the perfect boyfriend, kind and attentive. Not only does he make Andrew's lunch, he brings it to him at work when he forgets it. Have I mentioned that he's a Paris-trained baker famous for his chocolate raspberry tarts? (Mmm, chocolate raspberry tarts...sorry, lost my train of thought there.) Total strangers see what a treasure this guy is, and anyone (male or female) would date him in a heartbeat. Yet Andrew, his live-in lawyer boyfriend, repeatedly denies their relationship in public and even to his own family. While this seems a little far-fetched in supposedly tolerant Portland, Allard does establish plausible reasons why Andrew would behave this way. Andrew's ultra-conservative father has made his beliefs known, as have his bigoted law-firm bosses. While Andrew is overworked and preoccupied, that doesn't excuse his cold behavior to Mark. I found the story difficult to read sometimes because of this. Luckily, most of the other side characters are very sympathetic, which makes the second half flow more smoothly. While I was a little disappointed that external events drive Andrew's change of heart more than any realization he comes to on his own, they lead to a satisfying ending.

This is an atypical m/m story in certain ways. The physical intimacy is limited to a couple of kisses. The Portland setting is nearly a character in itself, with Allard opening most chapters with descriptions of the city and its neighborhoods. (These are interesting, but can get pretty verbose.) She experiments with different styles, sometimes breaking the fourth wall to address the reader. The climactic confrontation between Mark and Andrew is presented as a play within the book, delivered as stage directions. I found these switches rather jarring, but I did admire Allard's willingness to try something different. I'd give 3.5 stars for the first half and 4 stars for the second, so I'll average them out to 3.75.