Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Sticking It

AUTHOR: K. Vale

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 74 Pages

BLURB:

When a fraternity dare backfires, gymnast Dane Christakos thinks the guy he’s hot for is about to stab him in the back. Instead, cute computer geek Adam Kennedy comes to Dane’s rescue. A steamy encounter in a fast-food parking lot has Dane thinking he’s finally found Mr. Right.

But can Adam let go of his insecurities after a failed past relationship? Dane will have to work hard to wear him down. Persistence has made the muscle-bound athlete an Olympic hopeful, but with a little luck and a lot of charisma, Dane hopes to win both the guy and the gold.

REVIEW:

When Dane gets photographed by his frat brothers while doing a gymnastic routine in his underwear, he’s worried that the seemingly harmless joke could affect his Olympic hopes. Flashing his tighty whities while doing a handstand on the horse may seem like nothing, but he can’t risk making a bad impression on any coaches or selectors with Rio only a year away.

Adam is the new guy at the frat house, who Dane has been crazily crushing on ever since he first saw him at a party. When Adam helps Dane make the photo disappear, Dane is even more drawn to the other man. But Adam has experienced what it can mean to be “out and proud” and that’s not something he’s ready to try again. He might be attracted to Dane but attempting to carry on a secret relationship with a frat brother seems scary and impossible.

Firstly, I should note that this story was originally written for a Love Has No Boundaries event. It was only half the length of this expanded edition. So, as we frequently pull our hair and moan that we want those LHNB stories to be longer – here it is. The author delivered, I hope everyone who asked for it buys it. Because honestly, this book is brilliant.

Dane and Adam are perfect together, and not in a fake, make the story easier to write way. The way they interact, both verbally and physically, was absolutely engaging. They didn’t “click together”, they sparked and not just sexually but with well written young guy humor too. However, since I brought up the sexual aspect, wow did these two have crazy chemistry. It wasn’t all sex though, there was also a madly beautiful romantic gesture from Dane as he attempts to woo Adam. But again – wildly romantic yet perfectly gauged to scream college boys.

I wasn’t crazy about the plot jumping forward one year. I felt like the two guys just got together and then they’re a happy couple that has been together for a year. With Adam so worried about the reactions of people finding out that the previously “straight guys” are now gay, I would have liked to watch that play out. If only to see his fears put to rest. But I was so (so, so) excited that we got to see Dane at the Olympics. And not just a brief epilogue but several chapters. I can only assume that this is where the author expanded the story. So often books will mention an event like this, one you really, really want to experience with the character but you are left only imagining what happened next. Well I can assure you that this book doesn’t disappoint in that regard.

Normally I’m not a huge fan of novellas but I’m a sucker for college stories so I couldn’t resist giving this one a read. The fact that I rated a book of this length so highly was a surprise even to me. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with them but at the same time I think the author has to work harder to really impact the reader. This is my first K. Vale experience but I’m eager to check out some more of what she’s written. Definite bonus points for the awesome warning in the front of the book, for referencing bacon during sex and for teaching me about the horrors of dribblage.

RATING: 

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