Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: The Quarterback 
AUTHOR: Mackenzie Blair
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
PUBLISHER: Riptide
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2018
LENGTH: 9 hours, 35 minutes
BLURB:
Matt Lancaster is the star quarterback at Bodine College, a small Southern Division II school with an ultra-conservative dean of athletics. Matt is also very much in the closet, and he thinks he’s kept his secret well hidden, until his best friends take him to a happy endings massage parlor and request a male masseuse for him.
In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages – without happy endings – to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.
Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a “happily ever after” for both of them.
REVIEW:
A closeted (virgin) football player and a masseuse at a happy endings massage parlor, what can possibly go wrong with that?
It all started with what seemed to be a prank. Matt’s best friends signed him up for a deep tissue “special massage” in an out of the way massage parlor. Only in walks Matt’s crush Trevor from college and he has a hard time (pun intended) keeping his feelings under wraps. When things go further than he expects he runs out of the parlor, very much confused, curious and a little bit scared. Matt can’t stop thinking about Trevor and finds himself going back for more.
Trevor is stretched thin. Working three jobs in order to afford all his expenses after being kicked out for being gay. And when his old crush comes into his place of work requesting a happy endings massage he is fast to break that one rule he’s set for himself. What he didn’t expect was Matt running out on him… or returning a few days later for more.
I really enjoyed the setup for this story, the closeted athlete at a conservative college. The very out and proud Trevor. The two are drawn to each other like nothing they’ve ever felt before, but being at a conservative school, and with scholarships and family on the line, things are far from easy. Add in some (overdue) exploration and self-discovery and there is nothing to keep this from being a great story.
Trevor and Matt were good together, they made sense and I enjoyed to listen to how they navigated their new relationship. Testing boundaries, and overcoming hurdles and struggles of a forbidden relationship.
The main reason why I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would was the copious and copious amount of on-page sex. If you’ve read my reviews before you might know that I actually don’t mind when all sex is fade to black, so when you have page after page (or in this case minutes and more minutes) of detailed sex it’s a sure thing to make me space out for a while. Don’t get me wrong, the sex in this book is plenty hot, but it’s just too much for me. I also know that this is my personal opinion and am well aware that I’m in the minority, so if you like plenty of hot sex, exploration and whatnot this is definitely a book for you.
The absolute best part about this book was hands down Greg Boudreaux’s narration of it. It was pure perfection. He’s a narrator that I will happily listen to for hours at end. His range of voices, accents, and feelings that he adds to the stories he performs truly make them come alive. He draws you into the world you are listening to and makes you a part of it.
Mackenzie Blair did a good job for her debut novel, it was well written with likable characters. But sadly not even Boudreaux’s amazing talent couldn’t quite save this book for me. I do believe that there are a lot of listeners out there that will love every word of this book, so don’t discard it on my account, it’s definitely worth a try when you want some forbidden love in your life.
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