Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Backstroke

SERIES: Olympic Passions #3

AUTHOR: E. E. Grey

PUBLISHER: ForbiddenFiction

LENGTH: 393 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 25, 2017

BLURB:

Nik isn’t looking for love when he takes a summer internship at Hot Shot Sports magazine─in fact, it’s the last thing on his mind–but when Tiernan, a handsome Olympic hopeful, offers a distraction from the stress of life, he has to decide if he wants to take full advantage, or if he’s just using Tiernan as an excuse to forget about his problems. After a disastrous Olympic trials four years ago, Tiernan is determined to stay focused this time around. He can’t afford any distractions, but the cute photographer documenting his Olympic progress might just be worth the risk.

REVIEW:

Not having read the first two, I’m glad that this one could be read as a stand alone. I didn’t feel lost. This was a good book. Full of hope, chances at love, and sadly, stuff that makes life rough. All the good stuff.

Sometimes, hell most times, life has a way of throwing you curveballs. Sometimes they work put in your favor. Sometimes not. With Nik, he’s had a lot of bad and very little good. His home life made him desperate to run and when he had the chance to go to school, he ran. Now he has an internship following around, shooting photos of Olympic hopeful Tiernan. What he didn’t plan on was the instant attraction and chemistry that left him babbling like an idiot and leaving his mouth hanging open. What he didn’t know what that Tiernan had felt the same spark. But Nik is there to do a job and Tiernan is there to win for the Olympics. Neither had planned on following up on that spark they felt. But the pull was too strong and before you know it, they are in each other’s arms. The problem is life has a way of throwing the bad stuff in at the wrong time and both end up saying things they regret. Is each other worth the risk?

Life often sucks. From the time we are born, it often seems like everything is out to get us. Some people it seems like have it easier than others. And for those who have rougher, it seems like you can never catch a break. But then life gives us moments of pure Bliss and happiness that we have to learn to hold on to when the bad stuff hits. It’s those moments that carry us through and when life gives you love, it’s even better.

Nik’s life has been so hard. He grew up feeling like he was always at fault for everything that ever went wrong. He was often tormented and blamed for things that he had no control over or for things that didn’t even have anything to do with him. I often cried over him in this book. He is trying so hard to make life better and get away from all the bad but at every turn he takes, someone is there to keep shoving in his face. When he meets Tiernan, I was so happy for him. He met someone truly interested in him, and someone who wanted him to just breathe and let go. The sad part is Tiernan was facing demons of his own. With family determined to make him feel insignificant, he was even more determined to win the trials and go to the Olympics and win medals there. I wanted so much for these two to get together and be happy. And am so glad when they finally do. They both finally have somebody they can just be with. No pressures, no bad stuff, no families, no deadlines or practices. All the stress just melts away and they can be happy. When their families interfere with that, it makes me so mad. Everyone deserves a chance at love. Both men need each other and the passion for each other they have is spectacular. They just have to learn to let go and just be.

RATING: 

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