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A review by kp_hobbitreads
Coming Out on Top by Nora Phoenix
4.0
Coming Out on Top: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
This book hurt my heart, and then mended it. But, I'm a sucker for a gentle giant hero, and this book definitely delivered on that.
Quentin and Mac are both searching for something (even if they don't realize it), and end up finding what they were looking for in each other. This definitely has some instalove/instalust so if that's not your thing this may not be the book for you. But, given the way the story was structured and the histories of these two men, it worked for me. And, I really liked this was a D/s relationship with a smaller Dom and a bigger sub.
Quentin is traveling to his father's hometown to complete his post grad research while also hoping to learn about why his father essentially ghosted him and his mom when he was a child. His car breaks down before he makes it all the way to his intended destination, and after a few mishaps he ends up snowed in with the town pariah Mac. While Mac appears intimidating at first due to his height, tattoos, and piercings Quentin soon realizes that underneath his gruff exterior is an incredibly kind and honorable man.
Three Thoughts:
1. Mac's backstory is heartbreaking. And, I wanted to hug him so bad while also giving every single person in that town a piece of my mind. Mac is a better person than me - I'd have told them all to get fucked a long time ago.
2. Though this is a bi-awakening story, I liked that there was no big blow up around Mac having feelings for Quentin. It just becomes a new thing he learns about himself, and he never makes a big deal about it.
3. The revelations about Quentin's father felt a bit contrived - but, this is a romance novel so it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.
I absolutely adored Mac. He deserves the entire world, and I love how badly Quentin wants to give it to him. Definitely recommend.
content warnings: loss of a parent (in the past), parental abandonment, ableism, homophobia, homophobic slur, D/s relationship elements, sex (on page), bullying, sex shaming (viewed negatively)
This book hurt my heart, and then mended it. But, I'm a sucker for a gentle giant hero, and this book definitely delivered on that.
Quentin and Mac are both searching for something (even if they don't realize it), and end up finding what they were looking for in each other. This definitely has some instalove/instalust so if that's not your thing this may not be the book for you. But, given the way the story was structured and the histories of these two men, it worked for me. And, I really liked this was a D/s relationship with a smaller Dom and a bigger sub.
Quentin is traveling to his father's hometown to complete his post grad research while also hoping to learn about why his father essentially ghosted him and his mom when he was a child. His car breaks down before he makes it all the way to his intended destination, and after a few mishaps he ends up snowed in with the town pariah Mac. While Mac appears intimidating at first due to his height, tattoos, and piercings Quentin soon realizes that underneath his gruff exterior is an incredibly kind and honorable man.
Three Thoughts:
1. Mac's backstory is heartbreaking. And, I wanted to hug him so bad while also giving every single person in that town a piece of my mind. Mac is a better person than me - I'd have told them all to get fucked a long time ago.
2. Though this is a bi-awakening story, I liked that there was no big blow up around Mac having feelings for Quentin. It just becomes a new thing he learns about himself, and he never makes a big deal about it.
3. The revelations about Quentin's father felt a bit contrived - but, this is a romance novel so it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.
I absolutely adored Mac. He deserves the entire world, and I love how badly Quentin wants to give it to him. Definitely recommend.
content warnings: loss of a parent (in the past), parental abandonment, ableism, homophobia, homophobic slur, D/s relationship elements, sex (on page), bullying, sex shaming (viewed negatively)