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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the football version of Him and nothing you say can change my mind.
Reread: the ending is so abrupt! I actually thought there was a glitch or something.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
N/A
I am an utter sucker for possessive childhood friends to lovers trope. I don't think this had nearly as much possessiveness as I needed, but oh well, can't have everything.
The story was engaging and I liked Kelly and Blue. I'd recommend it if you love codependent friends like I do (I definitely need more books with this trope), even though there were few things that bothered me.
What I really liked:
-Kelly seemed like an ass at the beginning, but I quickly warmed up to him. He's witty and such adorable dork.
-But Kelly is no pushoever and he can take care of himself.
-The scenes where Blue slapped Kelly's ass impatiently - slapped, not spanked, there's no spanking in this book - were for some reason so damn hot.
What bothered me:
-This was the biggest disappointment for me. At the beginning, Kelly confesses to Blue that he likes to be held down, overpowered... But we don't get a single damn scene with Blue holding him down? In fact, Kelly is always on top(when he bottoms he rides Blue and when he tops Blue is underneath him), even in scenes when they're only kissing. I wouldn't have minded that, it fits Kelly's personality, but damn why tease us with that at the beginning if you're not gonna give us that?
-There was too much tug of war between them.
-At the beginning of the story, Kelly has a monologue about his ex where he says, I quote, <i>"and his weird "daddy" kink I sometimes indulged".</i> Now, I am not a fan of daddy kink either, but why kink shame the dude?
-So Blue's reaction when Kelly told him his feelings was kinda selfish and inconsiderate, but it was a flaw that I could forgive because once he was in, he was fully in. What I couldn't forgive is Kelly's sister Kennedy hearing about what happened and telling Kelly that maybe <i>he</i> didn't deserve Blue. Like, what the heck, Blue was asshole towards him, he was the one who didn't deserve Kelly in that very moment.
-The parts with Kelly teaching his lectures and scenes with his family were really boring to read. Also, that female student at the beginning? What was her purpose anyways?
°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*
*General Notes*
-childhood friends to lovers, bi-awakening(?or gay for you?); possessiveness; size difference (Blue is bigger)
-Kelly is 29; Blue is 30.
-nerdy MC (Kelly) x football player LI (Blue);
-Kelly has tattos and piercings (ears, tongue, eyebrow)
*Intimacy Notes*
-Top/bottom/verse:they switch; Kelly is verse; Blue realizes that he prefers to top, but he will bottom for Kelly.
-Kinks/sex notes: handjob, BJ, penetration...
-Other: Blue is possessive of Kelly; Kelly says he likes to be held down and overpowered, but there's not a single scene where he's anything close to being held down.
The story was engaging and I liked Kelly and Blue. I'd recommend it if you love codependent friends like I do (I definitely need more books with this trope), even though there were few things that bothered me.
What I really liked:
-Kelly seemed like an ass at the beginning, but I quickly warmed up to him. He's witty and such adorable dork.
-But Kelly is no pushoever and he can take care of himself.
-The scenes where Blue slapped Kelly's ass impatiently - slapped, not spanked, there's no spanking in this book - were for some reason so damn hot.
What bothered me:
-This was the biggest disappointment for me. At the beginning, Kelly confesses to Blue that he likes to be held down, overpowered... But we don't get a single damn scene with Blue holding him down? In fact, Kelly is always on top
-There was too much tug of war between them.
-At the beginning of the story, Kelly has a monologue about his ex where he says, I quote, <i>"and his weird "daddy" kink I sometimes indulged".</i> Now, I am not a fan of daddy kink either, but why kink shame the dude?
-So Blue's reaction when Kelly told him his feelings was kinda selfish and inconsiderate, but it was a flaw that I could forgive because once he was in, he was fully in. What I couldn't forgive is Kelly's sister Kennedy hearing about what happened and telling Kelly that maybe <i>he</i> didn't deserve Blue. Like, what the heck, Blue was asshole towards him, he was the one who didn't deserve Kelly in that very moment.
-The parts with Kelly teaching his lectures and scenes with his family were really boring to read. Also, that female student at the beginning? What was her purpose anyways?
°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*⁀°•*
*General Notes*
-childhood friends to lovers, bi-awakening(?or gay for you?); possessiveness; size difference (Blue is bigger)
-Kelly is 29; Blue is 30.
-nerdy MC (Kelly) x football player LI (Blue);
-Kelly has tattos and piercings (ears, tongue, eyebrow)
*Intimacy Notes*
-Top/bottom/verse:
-Kinks/sex notes: handjob, BJ, penetration...
-Other: Blue is possessive of Kelly; Kelly says he likes to be held down and overpowered, but there's not a single scene where he's anything close to being held down.
A whole book dedicated to a closet case eating his cake and having it whole too
I wasn't really sure about my feelings as I was reading this book. Don't get me wrong. I loved Kelly, a physics professor, and his best friend from high school, Blue, who was a tight end in the NFL. I loved their strong bond and deep relationship. There was nothing that the other one didn't know about them; they could read each other's body language so well it was like they were reading each other's mind. I loved their banter. Kelly's external and internal quips had me laughing out loud. Kelly and Blue's loyalty and need to spend time with each showed how deep that relationship really and truly was.
But Kelly was gay and had been in loved with his best friend for over a decade - his straight and serial-dating best friend. It wasn't until a chance encounter in a bathroom that threw Blue for a loop did he start to look at what his feelings for Kel really were. Even then, denial was strong in that one.
And here's where I was uncertain about Blue. His unintentional yo-yoing with Kelly's feelings came close to playing with Kelly, even though it was born of Blue's uncertainty about himself. In any case, it was Kelly who seem to have to endure the greater emotional price, which he kept doing.
But I stuck with it because I loved how the characters were written, how they were as open and as honest as they could be with each other. I am glad that I did because I got to witness the two of them, loving each other and willing to work to achieve something special. I wasn't sure I was going to read the next book in the series - A Deeper Blue - but that has definitely changed to a yes. I need to see how their relationship handles the plans that they made.
The secondary characters were unique and added to the story. I also have to mention Kelly's "coming out" conversation with his parents. One of the best ones I've read so far. Blue's friend and teammate, Ivanovich, was also another great character.
But Kelly was gay and had been in loved with his best friend for over a decade - his straight and serial-dating best friend. It wasn't until a chance encounter in a bathroom that threw Blue for a loop did he start to look at what his feelings for Kel really were. Even then, denial was strong in that one.
And here's where I was uncertain about Blue. His unintentional yo-yoing with Kelly's feelings came close to playing with Kelly, even though it was born of Blue's uncertainty about himself. In any case, it was Kelly who seem to have to endure the greater emotional price, which he kept doing.
But I stuck with it because I loved how the characters were written, how they were as open and as honest as they could be with each other. I am glad that I did because I got to witness the two of them, loving each other and willing to work to achieve something special. I wasn't sure I was going to read the next book in the series - A Deeper Blue - but that has definitely changed to a yes. I need to see how their relationship handles the plans that they made.
The secondary characters were unique and added to the story. I also have to mention Kelly's "coming out" conversation with his parents. One of the best ones I've read so far. Blue's friend and teammate, Ivanovich, was also another great character.
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the angst—it felt different than typical “bi-awakenings” that I’ve read. It felt more real. While I don’t normally like an epilogue, I would like to have seen a bit more about how they deal with the NFL going forward.
Update: I didn’t know there was a sequel! Bumped up my review to five stars since the rest of the story is available in book 2!
Update: I didn’t know there was a sequel! Bumped up my review to five stars since the rest of the story is available in book 2!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
sexy and romantic. enabled fantasies that gay men like me should never have but my god… yeah…