Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE:  Get What You Need

AUTHOR:  Jeanette Grey

PUBLISHER:  Samhain Publishing

LENGTH:  247 pages

BLURB:  

Love isn’t rocket science. It’s much, much harder.

Determination and elbow grease propelled Greg London from blue-collar background to Ph.D. candidate. His single-mindedness doesn’t leave a lot of room for a personal life, but that’s the price of success. Besides, it’s not like the boring nerd ever ends up with the hot guy.

Then his housemate, gorgeous undergraduate jock Marshall Sulkowski, invites him to watch a movie. In his room. Side by side on his bed. Needless to say, the sexual tension is wreaking havoc with Greg’s focus.

Marsh seems to have it all—looks, charm, and a baseball scholarship to a great school. In reality, his father’s cut him off, and he’s floundering and desperate for a break.

One impulsive kiss leads to a red-hot affair that gets them a little bit of what they need to stay afloat. But as the end of the semester approaches and the pressure rises, Marsh realizes charm may have gotten him into his brilliant lover’s pants, but he’ll have to dig deeper to discover what they both need.

REVIEW:  

There is a slight chance that Marshall Sulkowski is going to be the death of Greg London. Greg is sure of it–what with Marsh’s tendency to walk around their house all hot and jocky and just so damn lickable.  However, much to Greg’s lament, it is much more likely that grad school–not the increase in salt intake from sweaty jock housemates–will be the cause of his untimely demise.  All before he ever gets a chance lip, lick, or suck anything on Marsh’s body.  And then a very unlikely thing happens: Marsh shows up at his door and actually talks to Greg. Of his own free will. Greg did not see this coming.

If Marsh knows one thing (and his father certainly would feel that is stretching the limits of his brain’s ability) it is that he wants Greg London. Hot, nerdy, just please let me snog you while you look all hot and serious in those glasses, Greg London.  Not that he has a chance of even catching the attention of his incredibly smart housemate.  He is just a baseball player–a college baseball player that is already several late tuition payments closer to having to drop out of college.  And then a very unlikely thing happens: he gets drunk on whiskey (and Greg) and does the craziest thing he has ever done–kissed him.  Of his own free (is slightly tipsy) will.  Neither of them saw that coming.

And life would be perfect…except Greg has so much work he is drowning in it, Marsh has so many doubts they have him tied up in eight different directions, and neither of them have a clue what to do with the dream man they seem to have caught themselves.  Especially when the dream doesn’t play so well in reality.

This was a really enjoyable story. Like it had me from the first page and I didn’t stop reading (with the exception of spilling clam chowder all over myself) till I got to the end. There is not a lot of angst, but the problems that these guys go thru–and the problems they create for themselves–make this story tense enough that it was not flat, but not so frustrating as to make it unsuitable for a lovely (read: fires of hell hot) summer afternoon when all you want to do is lay beneath the air conditioning vent and read.

I’ve not read anything by Jeanette Grey before, but I have to say, if the rest of her stuff is as well written as this one, I am going to have to pick up the lot (just a little at a time, because: broke).  The pacing was great, and I loved how their backstories came into play in this. It made them more than just the obvious geek/jock pairing. It set their characters apart and made it so they became real. And a joy to read.

While I do wish we got to see more of the jock side of Marsh, I loved him.  Like, totally.  He has such sucky parents–anyone who cannot see how awesome Marsh is deserves to be slapped by a spinning wheel strapped with eight wet fish–and he struggles to see past the stupid label that everyone has put on him. He has a hard time…well, I guess he just has a hard time. Marsh is not rich (even before the dick parenting move his parents pulled when they found out he was bi-ish) so he has to struggle trying to find a way to get thru school without their help.  Unfortunately the ‘ignore it till it goes away or I win the lottery’ method of dealing with one’s problems is rarely successful for anyone. I know, I’ve tried.

And Greg…poor over-caffeinated, underfed, stretched in eighty different directions (and none of them seem to be his bed, with or without a snuggle buddy), Greg.  I don’t know how he does it–and I’m pretty sure his method of trying to do it is going to get him killed–but he sure does try. I love me a man with a mind, and this one sure is brilliant, but I also loved him as just a person. All his insecurities, all his determination to make himself better for his parents, is something I admire. And can understand.  Well, at least the determination. The brainpower seemed to have skipped right over me (maths makes me want to cry).  I did want to do some sense-slapping when he kept pushing Marsh away, though. I get why he did it, but goddammit man, the dude is like so gone on you it is embarrassing.  How can you not see it?

Like I said, I really enjoyed this book. It is perfect for a lazy summer afternoon, and I totally recommend you pick it up.  I am always looking out for good college-age stories, and this one just hit all my sweet spots. And there may have been some absolutely hot dirty talk going on…just in case you like your sweet with a little kick.  I know I do.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Samhain

Amazon