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A review by caz963
The Revenge Game by Jax Calder
4.0
B / 4 stars
The first book in a new series from Jax Calder, The Revenge Game is a tender, messy and heartfelt romance featuring two emotionally damaged but likeable leads, plenty of humour and lots of solid, genuine character growth. It’s entertaining while also addressing some serious issues in a sensitive but honest way, looking at the long-term effects of bullying (on both parties) in a nuanced manner that never excuses or glosses over the consequences. It’s a good read, although I’ll warn potential readers now that if deception in a romance is a no-no for you, you might want to give this one a miss, because it’s a big part of the story.
Tech genius Andrew Yates recently sold his company for silly money after realising that his beloved baby had grown to the point where it was threatening to consume him, the simple joy of building something that works replaced by endless board meetings and talk of profit margins. He decides to take some time for himself and has travelled to Europe in the attempt to work out what he wants to do next, hoping that maybe the answers he’s looking for will come to him along with the change of scenery. When the story begins, he’s reached London and has gone for a drink in a pub down the road from the Natural History Museum when he sees a familiar face in a crowd on the other side of the bar. He can’t quite believe his eyes, but the man at the centre of the group really is Justin Morris, the star quarterback and class president who, together with his cronies, had made Andrew’s high-school life a misery for over four years. He’s spent a fair bit of time over the years working out exactly what he’d say to Justin if he ever saw him again, how he’d cut him down to size with a devastating bon mot or orchestrate a perfect dose of payback. When Justin separates from his group of friends and heads towards the toilets, Andrew decides to confront him then and there – only for Justin to look right through him, showing absolutely no signs of recognition or shame.
Andrew is stunned. For years, Justin Morris shaped pretty much every decision he made, from which route to take to class or which college to choose – and he doesn’t even recognise him. And it hurts to realise exactly how unimportant he must have been, that he, Andrew, was simply some sort of mild entertainment to amuse Justin when he was bored. The unfairness of that is devastating – and determines Andrew’s next course of action: his revenge game. He finagles himself a job in the IT department of the company Justin works for, moves into the flat three doors down from Justin’s, and starts coming up with ideas as to how to make him feel a little of the humiliation Andrew was subjected to, to make Justin understand what it feels like to be the butt of someone else’s jokes.
Justin moved to England a few years earlier to take up a better-paying job so he’d be able to send more money home to his mother, who was left in dire financial circumstances when she finally left his abusive step-father. Justin likes his job in sales for a sports equipment company and he’s popular and well-liked, but he’s not close to anyone and doesn’t have any real friends. He’s spent most of his life hiding who he really is from everyone around him and it’s a hard habit to break, especially working in a very male-dominated industry. It’s easier to keep people at a distance than it is to lie to them when they ask him about his love life or try to set him up on dates.
When he suddenly starts experiencing some serious technical issues at work – his powerpoints go on the fritz in the midst of important sales pitches, his email has randomly spammed his colleagues with troll porn (!) – new IT guy, Drew Smith, is his saviour, setting everything to rights with a dry quip and a hesitant smile, and for the first time in a long time, Justin finds himself developing a little bit of a crush. Drew is seriously cute with a deadpan sense of humour and the kind of nerdy-vibe that pushes all Justin’s buttons. He’s also comfortable in his own skin in a way Justin has never been, and he can’t help wondering what it might be like to finally live an authentic life. Maybe, with Drew’s help, he can find the courage to be himself and like who he is for the first time in his life.
Drew really doesn’t want to like Justin – but it’s impossible not to once he begins to realise that adult Justin is a very different person to the Justin he knew at school, and to see that he’s a kind and generous man who, while popular with those around him, is nonetheless rather lonely. The more he gets to know Justin, the more Drew realises that maybe he’s taking this whole revenge thing too far – although he can’t bring himself to give it up altogether. The progression of their relationship is beautifully done, full of lingering looks and glancing touches as they move slowly from a reluctant (on Drew’s part at least) friendship to something more, and their mutual attraction blossoms into love.
Their character arcs are really well written with both men learning important things about each other and themselves along the way, and I was impressed with the in-depth exploration of the issues around bullying. What Andrew went through as a teen is never dismissed or belittled, and the long-term effects of his experience are clearly shown, as is his growing realisation that in giving in to his desire for revenge, he’s in danger of becoming just as big a bully as Justin ever was. The Justin we meet is clearly a very different man to the boy Andrew knew, but he’s also just as clearly still haunted by the things he did back then, his shame and regret motivating him to do better and be better. I liked that the story explains why he acted as he did without ever excusing it.
So why haven’t I given the book a higher grade? I hear you ask. While the romance and character arcs are superbly done, the book is a bit overlong (the pacing is somewhat stodgy around the middle) and I struggled with the premise; the whole idea of getting revenge on someone you haven’t seen for over a decade for things they did at school is rather petty and, honestly, seems like a waste of time and energy. The author does a great job of showing that Drew has become so deeply entrenched in his lies that he doesn’t know how to extricate himself without losing everything he’s ever wanted, together with his dawning realisation that he’s become the very thing he despises, but for a supposedly intelligent man, he doesn’t take a moment to consider that the twelve years or so since high school might have changed Justin, or that his revenge plan is rather immature. Drew’s deception goes on for so long it makes for uncomfortable reading, and while that possibly has the effect of making the truth-bomb hurt even more, it also made me think I might not have blamed Justin if he hadn’t been able to forgive the lies.
The Revenge Game is a well-written and emotional story that explores the bully/victim trope in a thoughtful way and shows its characters accepting their mistakes and taking responsibilty for their actions, whether they’re Justin’s in the past or Andrew’s in the present. The romance is lovely – Jax Calder puts in the work to show us exactly how and why these two people are right for each other - and the HEA is extremely satisfying. I’d have liked Drew to have fessed up earlier than he does, but I enjoyed the book despite my reservations and am planning on picking up the next in the series.
The first book in a new series from Jax Calder, The Revenge Game is a tender, messy and heartfelt romance featuring two emotionally damaged but likeable leads, plenty of humour and lots of solid, genuine character growth. It’s entertaining while also addressing some serious issues in a sensitive but honest way, looking at the long-term effects of bullying (on both parties) in a nuanced manner that never excuses or glosses over the consequences. It’s a good read, although I’ll warn potential readers now that if deception in a romance is a no-no for you, you might want to give this one a miss, because it’s a big part of the story.
Tech genius Andrew Yates recently sold his company for silly money after realising that his beloved baby had grown to the point where it was threatening to consume him, the simple joy of building something that works replaced by endless board meetings and talk of profit margins. He decides to take some time for himself and has travelled to Europe in the attempt to work out what he wants to do next, hoping that maybe the answers he’s looking for will come to him along with the change of scenery. When the story begins, he’s reached London and has gone for a drink in a pub down the road from the Natural History Museum when he sees a familiar face in a crowd on the other side of the bar. He can’t quite believe his eyes, but the man at the centre of the group really is Justin Morris, the star quarterback and class president who, together with his cronies, had made Andrew’s high-school life a misery for over four years. He’s spent a fair bit of time over the years working out exactly what he’d say to Justin if he ever saw him again, how he’d cut him down to size with a devastating bon mot or orchestrate a perfect dose of payback. When Justin separates from his group of friends and heads towards the toilets, Andrew decides to confront him then and there – only for Justin to look right through him, showing absolutely no signs of recognition or shame.
Andrew is stunned. For years, Justin Morris shaped pretty much every decision he made, from which route to take to class or which college to choose – and he doesn’t even recognise him. And it hurts to realise exactly how unimportant he must have been, that he, Andrew, was simply some sort of mild entertainment to amuse Justin when he was bored. The unfairness of that is devastating – and determines Andrew’s next course of action: his revenge game. He finagles himself a job in the IT department of the company Justin works for, moves into the flat three doors down from Justin’s, and starts coming up with ideas as to how to make him feel a little of the humiliation Andrew was subjected to, to make Justin understand what it feels like to be the butt of someone else’s jokes.
Justin moved to England a few years earlier to take up a better-paying job so he’d be able to send more money home to his mother, who was left in dire financial circumstances when she finally left his abusive step-father. Justin likes his job in sales for a sports equipment company and he’s popular and well-liked, but he’s not close to anyone and doesn’t have any real friends. He’s spent most of his life hiding who he really is from everyone around him and it’s a hard habit to break, especially working in a very male-dominated industry. It’s easier to keep people at a distance than it is to lie to them when they ask him about his love life or try to set him up on dates.
When he suddenly starts experiencing some serious technical issues at work – his powerpoints go on the fritz in the midst of important sales pitches, his email has randomly spammed his colleagues with troll porn (!) – new IT guy, Drew Smith, is his saviour, setting everything to rights with a dry quip and a hesitant smile, and for the first time in a long time, Justin finds himself developing a little bit of a crush. Drew is seriously cute with a deadpan sense of humour and the kind of nerdy-vibe that pushes all Justin’s buttons. He’s also comfortable in his own skin in a way Justin has never been, and he can’t help wondering what it might be like to finally live an authentic life. Maybe, with Drew’s help, he can find the courage to be himself and like who he is for the first time in his life.
Drew really doesn’t want to like Justin – but it’s impossible not to once he begins to realise that adult Justin is a very different person to the Justin he knew at school, and to see that he’s a kind and generous man who, while popular with those around him, is nonetheless rather lonely. The more he gets to know Justin, the more Drew realises that maybe he’s taking this whole revenge thing too far – although he can’t bring himself to give it up altogether. The progression of their relationship is beautifully done, full of lingering looks and glancing touches as they move slowly from a reluctant (on Drew’s part at least) friendship to something more, and their mutual attraction blossoms into love.
Their character arcs are really well written with both men learning important things about each other and themselves along the way, and I was impressed with the in-depth exploration of the issues around bullying. What Andrew went through as a teen is never dismissed or belittled, and the long-term effects of his experience are clearly shown, as is his growing realisation that in giving in to his desire for revenge, he’s in danger of becoming just as big a bully as Justin ever was. The Justin we meet is clearly a very different man to the boy Andrew knew, but he’s also just as clearly still haunted by the things he did back then, his shame and regret motivating him to do better and be better. I liked that the story explains why he acted as he did without ever excusing it.
So why haven’t I given the book a higher grade? I hear you ask. While the romance and character arcs are superbly done, the book is a bit overlong (the pacing is somewhat stodgy around the middle) and I struggled with the premise; the whole idea of getting revenge on someone you haven’t seen for over a decade for things they did at school is rather petty and, honestly, seems like a waste of time and energy. The author does a great job of showing that Drew has become so deeply entrenched in his lies that he doesn’t know how to extricate himself without losing everything he’s ever wanted, together with his dawning realisation that he’s become the very thing he despises, but for a supposedly intelligent man, he doesn’t take a moment to consider that the twelve years or so since high school might have changed Justin, or that his revenge plan is rather immature. Drew’s deception goes on for so long it makes for uncomfortable reading, and while that possibly has the effect of making the truth-bomb hurt even more, it also made me think I might not have blamed Justin if he hadn’t been able to forgive the lies.
The Revenge Game is a well-written and emotional story that explores the bully/victim trope in a thoughtful way and shows its characters accepting their mistakes and taking responsibilty for their actions, whether they’re Justin’s in the past or Andrew’s in the present. The romance is lovely – Jax Calder puts in the work to show us exactly how and why these two people are right for each other - and the HEA is extremely satisfying. I’d have liked Drew to have fessed up earlier than he does, but I enjoyed the book despite my reservations and am planning on picking up the next in the series.