Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Rough and Tumble
SERIES: University of Atlanta #1
AUTHOR: Shae Connor
PUBLISHER: Entangled Publishing
RELEASE DATE: November 9, 2020
LENGTH: 168 pages
BLURB:
My name’s Grant Clark, and I have managed to screw up my entire life. In triplicate.
Number one: I fell in love with my best friend.
Number two: I thought he was straight.
Number three: Because of number two, I didn’t make a move on number one. Until it was too late.
Or is it?
When I accidentally interrupt him with another guy—and he turns out to be the worst—well, I think it’s time I finally make a move.
Don’t you?
Warning: This book contains two men who don’t mind a little humor and heartache as they struggle to find their happily ever after in the aftermath of a toxic relationship.
REVIEW:
Since attending college, Grant’s roommate has become his best friend. Grant believed Darryn was straight until he walked in on him naked with another man. Unfortunately for Grant, the other man is Darryn’s boyfriend. The question is whether Grant has missed his chance.
The story is told in the first person, entirely from Grant’s viewpoint with the backdrop of college gymnastics. Rough and Tumble is part of a series that can be told as a standalone as each novel features a different coupling.
The blurb suggests that Grant is going to make a move on his friend, but it’s just that – a suggestion, not actual. Grant has lots of romantic and lustful thoughts but doesn’t actually make the moves on Darryn – and for good reason. Darryn is in denial about the fact that he is in a toxic relationship with his boyfriend, so the best thing Grant can do is look out for Darryn, be there for his friend and let Darryn set the pace for whatever will be.
The issues between Darryn and his controlling boyfriend are delicately brought to the page. Kudos to the author for that. Abuse is a genuine issue, and any publicity, whether in stories or other media is welcome.
Gymnastics is a large part of this story, and it was good to read a tale where the locations were not restricted to the bar, apartment, and nightclub. However, when describing vault, some sentences seemed to be cut and pasted from the earlier text. Easily noticed if reading the complete story in a day, but probably not if reading in several chunks. There was similar repetition with other pieces of equipment.
I liked all the characters, even the nasty one. They provided variety. Grant is a practical person and talented gymnast whose goals aren’t only fixated on competitions. Even though Grant’s focus is on Darryn, the man of Grant’s dreams is in and out of scenes and has a rough ride. Given what he deals with, he is a plucky individual. There are some lovely scenes between the two. I loved Annie, Grant’s introverted twin sister. When she’s with Grant, Annie is the voice of reason with a slightly sarcastic touch.
My rating means that this is a better than average book. Part of me feels a little mean with the score due to the importance of recognizing abuse and the consequences. When comparing this tale to others of the same ilk, it holds its own. The gymnastic aspects were interesting, and although there are other stories with gymnastic backdrops, Rough and Tumble had a nice balance between the elements. A good story worth telling and adding to the library.
RATING: 
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