Reviewed by Anabela.m
TITLE: Bounce
SERIES: Outback Boys Book 2
AUTHOR: Becca Seymour
PUBLISHER: Rainbow Tree Publishing
LENGTH: 167 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2021
BLURB:
Aiden is content keeping people at a distance and ensuring his boundaries are impenetrable. There’s safety in not opening up, but there’s also a loneliness he doesn’t realise exists until he meets Riley, a new member of the LGBTQIA+ adventure group Outback Boys.
Fascinated by the new guy, Aiden is quick to discover his flirtation skills are rusty and his sweet-talking is cringeworthy. But sweet and clumsy Riley doesn’t seem to mind so much.
Even though Riley doesn’t quite know how to handle Aiden’s intensity, he’s willing to step out of his comfort zone and see how their tentative friendship unravels.
Between a surf lesson that resembles a kangaroo on acid and paddle boarding that is trickier than walking a tightrope, Aiden and Riley discover love may be a possibility after all.
Happiness relies on honesty and openness, though. And with both men holding on tightly to past struggles, their future together is at risk. Can the two Aussies bounce back and heal themselves and each other, or are some wounds too raw to recover from?
Outback Boys is a feel-good, sexy M/M romance series complete with bruised butts, rope burn, and overworked muscles… all in the pursuit of adventure, of course!
Trigger Warning: Contains themes (discussions) of mental illness and suicide.
REVIEW:
Bailey decided to join the Outback Boys because he definitely needed the workout and to make new acquaintances. He anticipated sore muscles and sweat, but he never expected the connection he made with Aiden. The latter was also surprised by how much the newcomer captivated him, but he decided to embrace the feeling. So much so that he asked Bailey to stay in touch even after the weekend in the outdoors, and not before long they agreed to go on a first date…and then a second, and a third one…
For much of Bounce I’d thought that it would be a no angst, uneventful story of man meets man, men date and slowly fall in love. It started off funny thanks to Bailey’s awkwardness and clumsiness. The two men were frankly adorable, especially in the beginning, because their flirting skills were rusty and they bumbled cutely until they found their footing. They got to know each other more, and feelings grew between them. But it turned out it was all superficial, because both hid serious issues from their pasts that they kept postponing to reveal. It all led to a dramatic moment, when all their secrets almost ruined their relationship.
I liked how realistic this story felt. Both Aiden and Bailey were well over their thirties, adult men who had moments of childish behavior while, like any grownups, dealt with struggles, eaten by doubts and insecurities, secure in themselves yet afraid to show their weaknesses. They even resolved their problems in a realistic way, made stronger afterwards and steadier as a couple.
The book offered a big share of laughs and a rollercoaster of emotions. A bond that has grown, been tested and hopefully, a love that will last forever.
RATING: 
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