Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Brad is great at meeting other people’s expectations. But his own? Not so much. Take the gay thing. Okay, so yeah. It took a morning meeting with a frat brother’s hairy, naked ass for him to admit it, but he knows the truth about himself now. Let the gay life commence.

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. He hasn’t quite determined how to come out to anyone, even Sebastian, the geeky-hot TA in his history class. Sebastian is everything Brad is not. Intellectual, suave, hairy. Out. And he doesn’t seem interested in Brad, even when Brad makes a fool of himself trying to catch his notice.

Score one for foolery: Sebastian does more than notice Brad; he takes him to bed. Brad’s been with plenty of girls, but with Sebastian, the sex is something else entirely—hot, mind-blowing, affirming, and a little domineering in a way that drives him wild. But when great sex turns into something more—dare he admit the “L” word?—Brad must face the crushing realization that Sebastian doesn’t feel the same. Unless, of course, he does. After all, even grad students can be idiots about matters of the heart.

 

Book Review

A great mix between humor and a healthy dose of realism, the story of Brad going from ‘all jock’ to ‘gay man with a boyfriend’ had me laughing and thoughtful in turns. Much of what he goes through follows the classical path of denial to discovery and affirmation of who he really is. This story’s tone of voice is humorous, but some of what happens certainly isn’t. In many ways this is about much more than Brad discovering and admitting he is gay, it is the story of his realizing who he really is – and who he wants to be.

While Brad has no idea he is gay, at least that is what he tells himself until he meets Sebastian and the penny finally drops, he is very honest about his emotions. He is extremely confused, and following his thoughts is a study in back-and-forth until he finally makes up his mind. He goes from fulfilling everyone else’s expectations to discovering his own, then setting out to make them happen instead. The fact that he likes to be dominated makes everything even more interesting – and very hot! His self-deprecating comments are really funny and some of his observations of his fellow students made me grin.

Sebastian is the complete opposite from Brad, and not only because he is a total geek and history grad student. He may have known that he is gay for a very long time, but he has no idea how to handle emotions – so he suppresses them. As far as he is concerned it is all about the physical part of their relationship – until even he has to admit there may be more. His realization of what is going on isn’t as gradual and well-considered as Brad’s, instead, it is explosive.

These two men are a very nice contrast and seeing them struggle with the growth issues as well as a budding relationship was very interesting to watch. Their very hot bedroom activities added some spice to the proceedings which made this a great story that was fun to read. If you are looking for an intense romance with some great humor thrown in, and if the jock versus geek plotline interests you, this is an entertaining and humorous fresh look at what might happen if their different worlds collide. It certainly made me smile.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Riptide Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 186 pages/50000 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	26-March-2010
Price	$5.99 ebook, $15.99 paperback, $21,98 bundle
Buy Link	http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/frat-boy-and-toppy