T.A. Chase
Out of Bounds (The Love of Sports, #1)
Samhain Publishing, April 2008
Genre: Gay | Sports | Coming Out
Rating: êêê½
Heat level: ¹¹
Out of Bounds is the first of two books about being gay in the macho, heterosexual world of sports. The books are connected by the protagonists, the twin brothers Kasey and Garrett Johnson. Kasey is the hero in this first story, Garrett in the second. Kasey is a professional basketball player and not publicly open about his homosexuality, unlike Garrett. Nightclub owner Gram is hot for Kasey for a long while but he’s not sure about Kasey’s sexual preference. When he decides to make a move on him, he discovers Kasey finds him attractive as well and they end up having passionate sex. In a very short period of time they become emotionally involved while they are having a lot of sex.
I think that maybe the many sex scenes elbowed out the emotional stuff a little bit. Things went a bit too fast for me: it seemed that one moment Kasey didn’t want to go public at all and the next he impulsively did just do that. The buildup of the pathos wasn’t well enough dosed. But I did like the characters; especially Kasey was portrayed as a hot and sweet guy, whose actions did match up with his kind and tender nature. He bottomed in all the love scenes, while he was the larger and taller of the two guys. Gram is a likable character as well but his feelings don’t change much and he doesn’t have issues to figure out, as Kasey does. So his role is of minor importance.
Kasey’s brother Garrett is introduced in Out of Bounds, which is nice because he’s the protagonist of the second book, High Line (look after the Back Blurb for more about that story).
Back Blurb:
Can a sexy nightclub owner convince an all star basketball player to risk it all?
Love of Sports Book 1
Professional basketball player Kasey Johnson makes a point of keeping his sexual preference under guard and out of the public eye. Empty, off-season flings are all he can look forward to until he retires. He figures his secret is safe—until he meets Ingram Fletcher, a nightclub owner who ignites a passionate inferno in his body.
Gram has lusted after Kasey ever since the long, tall basketball player was traded to Phoenix a year ago. But with Kasey’s twin brother running interference, up until now Gram’s been unsure if it’s safe to make a play. Then some incidental contact in the crowded club leads to a kiss that starts Gram wondering if a relationship is possible—now, and beyond March Madness.
A romantic weekend together answers that question. Now the only one remaining is if Kasey is ready make a fast break out of his comfort zone.
Warning: This title contains explicit sex, graphic language, nekkid man love, creative usage of chocolate, whipped cream and strawberries.
_____
T.A. Chase
High Line (The Love of Sports, #2)
Samhain Publishing, February 2009
Genre: Gay | Sports | Coming Out
Rating: êêêê½
Heat level: ¹¹
After Kasey’s story in Out of Bounds, High Line tells his twin’s Garrett’s. He is the gay twin who is out of the closet since he was 15 years old. As an actor he leads a rather public life. When he meets racecar driver CJ Lamont doing research for a new film, it’s lust at first sight. But CJ is married and Garrett has a boyfriend. Both have problems in their current relationships and after a month of spending time together they share a passionate kiss after which they each go their separate ways. Only after almost one year they meet again. CJ is divorced and Garrett broke up with his cheating lover. Plus CJ’s ex-wife outed him as gay. This can ruin his racing career and when CJ meets Garrett he’s not prepared to admit his sexual preference yet. But the attraction for Garrett is still there. And with small steps at the time the two men explore their feelings for each other. This is done in a nice and slow pace. Where Out of Bounds went to fast in the pathos department, High Line was much better paced. Both CJ and Garrett have each their own issues to deal with, which make them more equal heroes than Gram and Kasey were in the first book. Garrett is sweet and tender and CJ is adorable with his insecurities about his life but confidence about his attraction for Garrett. Their sex scenes are hot and tender. And their growing feelings of love are believable. T.A. Chase did a better job in this second book, which has twice as much pages as the first, in portraying the heroes, showing their feelings, dosing the sex and the love moments and building the anticipation.
Back Blurb:
Will giving him the green flag lead to love…or heartache?
The Love of Sports Series, Book 2
CJ Lamont is at the top of the racing world but his winning record is based on a carefully constructed lie. His world falls apart when his ex-wife reveals the truth. As he hits rock bottom, rescue comes from an unexpected source—Garrett Johnson, Hollywood’s hottest leading man.
Garrett’s acting career is taking off, bringing him accolades he’d never imagined. Good friends and family keep his days hopping, but watching his twin brother fall in love exposes the emptiness in Garrett’s life created by the betrayal of his ex-lover.
Garrett offers CJ a place to heal and a shoulder to lean on, telling himself it’s only to keep CJ from taking a more destructive path. But as time passes, the two men grow closer and CJ realizes he has a decision to make—whether to rebuild his fictitious life, or admit to loving a man who shines brighter than the Hollywood stars.
Will he reach for the star or sink back into his old life?
Warning: This title contains hot man love, sticky situations with honey, fast cars and faster men.
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