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The Quarterback
Matt Lancaster is the star quarterback at Bodine College, a small Southern Division II school with an ultra-conservative Dean of Athletics. Matt is also very much in the closet, and he thinks he’s kept his secret well hidden. Until his best friends take him to a happy endings massage parlor and request a male masseuse for him.
In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages—without happy endings—to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.
Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a happy ever after for both of them.
In walks Trevor Kim, a gorgeous, pierced, tattooed fellow Bodine student who does massages—without happy endings—to pay for school after his family kicked him out for being gay. Trevor takes one look at Matt and breaks all his own rules about mixing business with pleasure.
Matt needs to keep his scholarship, win the National Championship, and survive his asshole father. Instead, he falls in love. Trevor needs to accept that the football god is meant to end up with him rather than a perky cheerleader. It’s time for a happy ever after for both of them.
330 pages, ebook
First published September 9, 2017
About the author
Mackenzie Blair
1 book163 followersMackenzie Blair grew up in the South but fled the humidity for earthquakes, university, and a brief stint in finance. As a cynical idealist, she prefers to write happy endings whenever possible.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 327 reviews
August 27, 2017
~4.5~
~ a virgin quarterback ~ a forbidden massage ~ one very happy ending ~
Matt Lancaster is blonde and built. He's a star quarterback at a small Christian college in Alabama and a good student. Every guy wants to be him. Every girl wants to fuck him. Matt's living the American dream.
Except Matt's dream doesn't include a girlfriend or a pro career. Matt is gay and so deeply closeted, he's suffocating. His abusive, homophobic father schemes people out of money and keeps his son on a tight leash. Not wanting his younger twin sisters to suffer, Matt toes the line.
Until he meets Trevor, an edgy, tatted-up Korean-American boy from Texas who works three jobs to put himself through college.
The first time Matt meets Trevor, Trevor attempts to give him a DELUXE massage. Which is code for "I'm going to milk your dick until you come."
Matt freaks; Trevor blushes. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
This book has it all:
- banter & great dialogue
- STEAM and more steam
- cool friends, and even cooler sisters
- a "tutor / student" relationship that moves way beyond biweekly sex lessons
- complex, lovable MCs (Matt does some stupid things, but he tries really hard and is so damn cute with Trevor. Trevor pushes too much and gets defensive, but he's also an excellent teacher and quick to forgive.)
- some angst & homophobic bullies (enough to lend the plot tension, but without OTT melodrama)
- awesome epilogue
- potential for a series (YES, please)
I'm so glad I took a chance on this new author!
~ a virgin quarterback ~ a forbidden massage ~ one very happy ending ~
Matt Lancaster is blonde and built. He's a star quarterback at a small Christian college in Alabama and a good student. Every guy wants to be him. Every girl wants to fuck him. Matt's living the American dream.
Except Matt's dream doesn't include a girlfriend or a pro career. Matt is gay and so deeply closeted, he's suffocating. His abusive, homophobic father schemes people out of money and keeps his son on a tight leash. Not wanting his younger twin sisters to suffer, Matt toes the line.
Until he meets Trevor, an edgy, tatted-up Korean-American boy from Texas who works three jobs to put himself through college.
The first time Matt meets Trevor, Trevor attempts to give him a DELUXE massage. Which is code for "I'm going to milk your dick until you come."
Matt freaks; Trevor blushes. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
This book has it all:
- banter & great dialogue
- STEAM and more steam
- cool friends, and even cooler sisters
- a "tutor / student" relationship that moves way beyond biweekly sex lessons
- complex, lovable MCs (Matt does some stupid things, but he tries really hard and is so damn cute with Trevor. Trevor pushes too much and gets defensive, but he's also an excellent teacher and quick to forgive.)
- some angst & homophobic bullies (enough to lend the plot tension, but without OTT melodrama)
- awesome epilogue
- potential for a series (YES, please)
I'm so glad I took a chance on this new author!
June 11, 2020
Some good and some (kinda) bad stuff here, but I ended up enjoying it, for the most part.
First, I really liked both Trevor and Matt, neither of whom totally fell into the stereotypical Asian math nerd or dumb jock roles.
Despite being rejected by his family, Trevor was not a delicate flower, waiting around in his throw pillow-infested ivory tower for a man to swoop in and rescue him. He was strong, confident and ready to put in the work to make a better life for himself -- even if that meant working at a sleazy massage parlor off of the interstate.
Matt's life was actually the more complicated of the two, as his controlling father used his younger sisters to force Matt to fall in line with his get-rich-quick schemes and maintain the perfect college athlete and son facades -- which did most definitely not include Matt coming out of the closet.
BUT... sweet baby Jesus, some of the dialogue and internal musings of the MC's were definitely lowballs on the politically correct and sensitivity scales. I'd be reading along happily, then out of the blue, I'd read some total stereotype or gay cliché', roll my eyes and think, "Really? That's where you went with that???"
The most memorable example was where Trevor pondered if he should spritz some cologne "down there" for his date with Matt.
Should he spray some on his junk? Would it burn? Would it weird Matt out? Make him think all dicks smelled like exotic spices? Or only Asian dicks?Oh, yeah. You better believe I groaned long and hard when I read that, for sure.
Plus, during their big break up scene, my face fell on the floor and flopped around for a while, when Matt decided that throwing Trevor's massage parlor past back in his face was the perfect thing to say.
SPOILER: It sure as fuck wasn't. What he said was cruel and completely out of character for him, so I was over his bullshit and what he'd said.
It also felt like Trevor was a bit too quick to forgive Matt for what he'd said, although I did actually kind of get his point when letting the hurtful comment go.
BUT... this story did make me laugh and smile much more than it made me cringe, so *somehow* it did still work for me, in spite of its flaws.
I absolutely loved Drew, Trevor's theater major roommate, who never failed to make me laugh. The guy was seriously funny and I'd love to read his story. Plus, the way that Drew's family pulled Trevor in, making him one of their own, those parts were packed to the rafters with feels in my book.
As for the sexy bits, well, they were fairly steamy, but something about them felt a bit off. There was never that "Wow, I need a goddamn cigarette after that" feel to them.
The story ended with the guys working toward an HEA, but did leave me feeling like these two had no idea about the drama they'd just signed up for by deciding to begin their young relationship living smack dab in the middle of
I'd have to rate this book at around 3.75 stars, because I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but definitely had a few small issues with where the author chose to go.
-----------------------------------------------
My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for a fair, unbiased review.
See All My Latest Reads (Review Quick-Links)
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December 6, 2017
*Ugh* Okay... Ignore me! Seriously, let me stay here in my dark corner with my 'frikadeller' and my sour attitude.
This book did not work for me, and the funny thing is, it wasn't one big fuck-up; it was all these little creeks adding to this story, that ended up being a shit-river for me.
I cannot express how much I agree with Gigi and Ele.
First of all, this book feels like one of the first MM-books. ALL of the clichés are dragged in, ALL of them! And I really wished someone had grabbed the author and showed them something like this:
With comments like this:
“Well then, you’re kinda pretty too.” Matt scrunched up his brow at that assessment, which only made Trevor laugh harder. “See, doesn’t make you feel too manly,” he pointed out.
“Sure. And we can make it interesting. For every thirty minutes of work, one of us gets off.” “Fuck. Is that how straight people study?” Matt asked as if he’d been missing out this entire time.
*sidenote: They are BOTH gay, and NONE of them have ever had sex with a girl! What the hell does this conversation even MEAN??
After he graduated, he wanted to move far away and come out of the closet. He wanted to sleep in on the weekends, maybe be super metro and go to brunch, rather than doing stadiums in the sweltering heat or icing his aching body. Were guys allowed to drink mimosas?
Even though that wasn’t totally the truth. He loved to dance. He was pretty good too. But if anyone saw him, he felt like they’d just know he was gay. White boys were not supposed to be able to dance. Not straight ones, at least.
“If you can define ‘cutlets’ to me, I’ll believe you.”
“What? Like chicken?” Matt asked, sounding confused as hell.
“Nope, like fake boob cups.”
“Grooosss,” Matt replied with such disgust that Trevor laughed out loud.
“You’re gonna need to hide that reaction to boobs if you wanna keep up this straight-boy act. So, do they, like, retire your jersey or something at this Senior Send-off?” Trevor asked.
“Only if I win Nationals.” Matt laughed. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at the game. Don’t pussy out, okay?”
And of course'my favourite', used twice: "That kind of gay."
You get the picture... All these little digs and catty remarks at the 'archetypal', feminine, gay man, were doing my fucking head in.
What year is this? 1955?
This was a big part of my problem, it felt like the editors or whoever read the book before anyone else, have never read an MM-book before.
Because -IMO- the MM-genre has moved LEAPS and BOUNDS from those stereotypes, which is also why -IMO- that the MM-genre is growing by LEAPS and BOUNDS.
I don't want to read a MF novel where the author just changed all the pronouns for the F and then called it a day. I also don't want to read about how feminine men are not desirable, or how they are a joke to be wielded when something is not the 'archetypal man'. And I don't want to read about two men, being manly men all the time, using words like PUSSY to describe things that are not to their liking.
*sigh* okay, first part of the rant over.
Now: the family! Those of you who knows me, knows that I have serious anger issues and pet-peeves with this topic, so be warned.
“He’s hot, Matt,” Summer added. “You did well, big brother.”
“Super-hot. Are you a top or a bottom?” Hope added precociously, looking at Trevor and sizing him up.
That's Matt's sisters! I repeat Matt's sisters! I had flashbacks to Sex Ed and all the fuckery of THAT book, which was fucking cringe inducing. This wasn't the only weird 'family-related-thing' in regards to Matt, but it just stood out as being completely ridiculous and inappropriate.
Furthermore we had the whole: Trevor being kicked out and cut off from his family.
Enter Drew's mother who decides that OF COURSE Trevor just needs to call his family, nevermind that they haven't called him or done ANYTHTING worthwhile for him.
“And your mom misses you. I know she does.”
“Then why hasn’t she called in four years?” Trevor asked bluntly.
“Fear.” She shrugged. “Maybe she doesn’t know how, maybe she thinks you don’t want to talk to her. Have you ever called them?” Trevor shook his head. “No.”
Of course Trevor calls, and of course his mother hangs up, and that is THE END of that part of the story... Like what the hell???
Why was that in the story?? It is literally maybe around 25 sentences, and then it is forgotten again. But take it from someone from a similar situation: that single phonecall will wreck havoc on poor Trevor FOR YEARS, and it has NO impact on this story.
Next up: the 'friends'!
The choices the author made in regards to the friends, made me feel like no one actually liked each other. It was in the way they spoke to each other, and how they didn't really feel supportive:
“What are you talking about?” Emily sighed. “You’ve been in a crap mood all week. So you got called a fag at a party. It sucked, get over it.”
If somebody called her a "whore" or a "slut", you bet your sweet ass, that she would not just GET OVER IT.
And again with the weird clichés:
“You are so cute,” she gushed. “I love the faux hawk and your cute little tushy,” she said, so damn genuine it was hard to take offense. “Okay, eyes off my tushy,” Drew rebuked, clearly confused as hell. “Who the hell are you people?”
That's the first time that Drew and Danielle meet; like seriously? What the FUCK is going on here? Who talks like that?
Also the whole thing with O'Donnell, this dude was harassing, hazing and hating on Jamal, he 'blackmailed' Matt and was a COMPLETE douche, but we are just gonna ignore that too?
We are just gonna accept that he did it because so it doesn't matter?
FUCK that!
And then we had an almost return-of-the-'EVIL' female 'girlfriend', Jocelyn.
All of the clichés and stereotypes really were dragged out for this story. She never goes completely 'dark side', but she was definitely toeing the line along with Danielle.
And lastly: Trevor and Matt's relationship.
Matt was acting like a FUCKING douche, and Trevor read as a doormat, more than once.
Matt calling him a whore, and then sending a lousy text saying 'I'm sorry', and then everything is a-okay?!?
MORE than once!
Fuck this!
So yeah, I'm going back in my cave now, this book was a big miss for me, but Drew dragged the rating up to 2 stars. He was goddamn cool!
This book did not work for me, and the funny thing is, it wasn't one big fuck-up; it was all these little creeks adding to this story, that ended up being a shit-river for me.
I cannot express how much I agree with Gigi and Ele.
First of all, this book feels like one of the first MM-books. ALL of the clichés are dragged in, ALL of them! And I really wished someone had grabbed the author and showed them something like this:
With comments like this:
“Well then, you’re kinda pretty too.” Matt scrunched up his brow at that assessment, which only made Trevor laugh harder. “See, doesn’t make you feel too manly,” he pointed out.
“Sure. And we can make it interesting. For every thirty minutes of work, one of us gets off.” “Fuck. Is that how straight people study?” Matt asked as if he’d been missing out this entire time.
*sidenote: They are BOTH gay, and NONE of them have ever had sex with a girl! What the hell does this conversation even MEAN??
After he graduated, he wanted to move far away and come out of the closet. He wanted to sleep in on the weekends, maybe be super metro and go to brunch, rather than doing stadiums in the sweltering heat or icing his aching body. Were guys allowed to drink mimosas?
Even though that wasn’t totally the truth. He loved to dance. He was pretty good too. But if anyone saw him, he felt like they’d just know he was gay. White boys were not supposed to be able to dance. Not straight ones, at least.
“If you can define ‘cutlets’ to me, I’ll believe you.”
“What? Like chicken?” Matt asked, sounding confused as hell.
“Nope, like fake boob cups.”
“Grooosss,” Matt replied with such disgust that Trevor laughed out loud.
“You’re gonna need to hide that reaction to boobs if you wanna keep up this straight-boy act. So, do they, like, retire your jersey or something at this Senior Send-off?” Trevor asked.
“Only if I win Nationals.” Matt laughed. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at the game. Don’t pussy out, okay?”
And of course
You get the picture... All these little digs and catty remarks at the 'archetypal', feminine, gay man, were doing my fucking head in.
What year is this? 1955?
This was a big part of my problem, it felt like the editors or whoever read the book before anyone else, have never read an MM-book before.
Because -IMO- the MM-genre has moved LEAPS and BOUNDS from those stereotypes, which is also why -IMO- that the MM-genre is growing by LEAPS and BOUNDS.
I don't want to read a MF novel where the author just changed all the pronouns for the F and then called it a day. I also don't want to read about how feminine men are not desirable, or how they are a joke to be wielded when something is not the 'archetypal man'. And I don't want to read about two men, being manly men all the time, using words like PUSSY to describe things that are not to their liking.
*sigh* okay, first part of the rant over.
Now: the family! Those of you who knows me, knows that I have serious anger issues and pet-peeves with this topic, so be warned.
“He’s hot, Matt,” Summer added. “You did well, big brother.”
“Super-hot. Are you a top or a bottom?” Hope added precociously, looking at Trevor and sizing him up.
That's Matt's sisters! I repeat Matt's sisters! I had flashbacks to Sex Ed and all the fuckery of THAT book, which was fucking cringe inducing. This wasn't the only weird 'family-related-thing' in regards to Matt, but it just stood out as being completely ridiculous and inappropriate.
Furthermore we had the whole: Trevor being kicked out and cut off from his family.
Enter Drew's mother who decides that OF COURSE Trevor just needs to call his family, nevermind that they haven't called him or done ANYTHTING worthwhile for him.
“And your mom misses you. I know she does.”
“Then why hasn’t she called in four years?” Trevor asked bluntly.
“Fear.” She shrugged. “Maybe she doesn’t know how, maybe she thinks you don’t want to talk to her. Have you ever called them?” Trevor shook his head. “No.”
Of course Trevor calls, and of course his mother hangs up, and that is THE END of that part of the story... Like what the hell???
Why was that in the story?? It is literally maybe around 25 sentences, and then it is forgotten again. But take it from someone from a similar situation: that single phonecall will wreck havoc on poor Trevor FOR YEARS, and it has NO impact on this story.
Next up: the 'friends'!
The choices the author made in regards to the friends, made me feel like no one actually liked each other. It was in the way they spoke to each other, and how they didn't really feel supportive:
“What are you talking about?” Emily sighed. “You’ve been in a crap mood all week. So you got called a fag at a party. It sucked, get over it.”
If somebody called her a "whore" or a "slut", you bet your sweet ass, that she would not just GET OVER IT.
And again with the weird clichés:
“You are so cute,” she gushed. “I love the faux hawk and your cute little tushy,” she said, so damn genuine it was hard to take offense. “Okay, eyes off my tushy,” Drew rebuked, clearly confused as hell. “Who the hell are you people?”
That's the first time that Drew and Danielle meet; like seriously? What the FUCK is going on here? Who talks like that?
Also the whole thing with O'Donnell, this dude was harassing, hazing and hating on Jamal, he 'blackmailed' Matt and was a COMPLETE douche, but we are just gonna ignore that too?
We are just gonna accept that he did it because so it doesn't matter?
FUCK that!
And then we had an almost return-of-the-'EVIL' female 'girlfriend', Jocelyn.
All of the clichés and stereotypes really were dragged out for this story. She never goes completely 'dark side', but she was definitely toeing the line along with Danielle.
And lastly: Trevor and Matt's relationship.
Matt was acting like a FUCKING douche, and Trevor read as a doormat, more than once.
Matt calling him a whore, and then sending a lousy text saying 'I'm sorry', and then everything is a-okay?!?
MORE than once!
Fuck this!
So yeah, I'm going back in my cave now, this book was a big miss for me, but Drew dragged the rating up to 2 stars. He was goddamn cool!
January 16, 2019
Normally, I’m not one for sports romance. In fact, I usually avoid them because I never got the appeal of football and such competitive field games. 🤷♀️ (When I say football here, I’m talking about American football. 😁) And I also stay way from New Adult romances because I always felt like it’s the awkward middle child between Young Adult and Adult novels. 😂 That being said, my my my, why did I wait this long to listen this gorgeous audio?!?! 😱
First of all, I really have to thank my awesome Goodreads friends for this audio because I purely bought this on mob mentality. 🤣 I mean everyone and their mothers are raving about this book so I was like, yeah, this is usually not my kinda book but I gotta buy it because well, everyone’s listening/reading it! 😁 And what can I say? It’s quite easy to seduce me. 😉 And also, the narrator is Greg Bordeaux aka Greg Tremblay who I adoooooooore so I thought it couldn’t go that horribly wrong! Man, it went so perfectly right! 👏 I looooved every single second listening this audio. 😍
A star quarterback deeply in the closet fell in love with the gorgeous guy who works at a happy-ending massage parlor after a chance encounter. Matt has so many reasons why he couldn’t come out of the closet and Trevor gets it. But he still broke his own rule of not dating closeted guys and he too fell in love with Matt. But when was the journey to a happy ending simple and smooth? (Totally pun intended! 😂👏) If Matt really wants to be with the guy he fell for the first time in his life, he has to be braver than ever to fight for a future for both Trevor and himself. Because there’s always a rainbow lining in the end for those who are brave enough to cross the bridge. 😌
The story itself isn’t that quite unique or unheard of, but the way Mackenzie Blair wrote this story was magical, mesmerizing and enrapturing. 🥰 I was in love from the very first chapter. 😍 And that might also have to do with the fact that I have oil fetish. Lol 😂👏 But anyhow, it was lovely to witness how Matt became a full-blown butterfly from a closeted cocooned caterpillar. 😌 And awwwwww ... I love Trevor Kim! 😍 Our edgy Asian math genius! He’s so supportive, loving and understanding! He really is the perfect boyfriend for Matt. And the smut in this audio!!! I got multiple eargasms from Greg Tremblay’s awesome, seductive narration!!! 😁 That was one mothaf**king smoking hot audio! Sizzzzzzzling!!! 🔥🔥🔥 And that ending couldn’t be more perfect. I’m all gooey after that epilogue. So sweet and perfect! 😍💜 My only fear is that this is Mackenzie Blair’s only published book/audio so I’m really afraid that she might not write anymore. Hopefully she’d see my review and get some encouragements from how much the readers love her book/audio. 😊 Highly highly recommended! 👍 Soooooo worth that Audible credit! 😍💙
5 Matt is GaGa for Trevor with eyeliner stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audio rating
Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First of all, I really have to thank my awesome Goodreads friends for this audio because I purely bought this on mob mentality. 🤣 I mean everyone and their mothers are raving about this book so I was like, yeah, this is usually not my kinda book but I gotta buy it because well, everyone’s listening/reading it! 😁 And what can I say? It’s quite easy to seduce me. 😉 And also, the narrator is Greg Bordeaux aka Greg Tremblay who I adoooooooore so I thought it couldn’t go that horribly wrong! Man, it went so perfectly right! 👏 I looooved every single second listening this audio. 😍
A star quarterback deeply in the closet fell in love with the gorgeous guy who works at a happy-ending massage parlor after a chance encounter. Matt has so many reasons why he couldn’t come out of the closet and Trevor gets it. But he still broke his own rule of not dating closeted guys and he too fell in love with Matt. But when was the journey to a happy ending simple and smooth? (Totally pun intended! 😂👏) If Matt really wants to be with the guy he fell for the first time in his life, he has to be braver than ever to fight for a future for both Trevor and himself. Because there’s always a rainbow lining in the end for those who are brave enough to cross the bridge. 😌
The story itself isn’t that quite unique or unheard of, but the way Mackenzie Blair wrote this story was magical, mesmerizing and enrapturing. 🥰 I was in love from the very first chapter. 😍 And that might also have to do with the fact that I have oil fetish. Lol 😂👏 But anyhow, it was lovely to witness how Matt became a full-blown butterfly from a closeted cocooned caterpillar. 😌 And awwwwww ... I love Trevor Kim! 😍 Our edgy Asian math genius! He’s so supportive, loving and understanding! He really is the perfect boyfriend for Matt. And the smut in this audio!!! I got multiple eargasms from Greg Tremblay’s awesome, seductive narration!!! 😁 That was one mothaf**king smoking hot audio! Sizzzzzzzling!!! 🔥🔥🔥 And that ending couldn’t be more perfect. I’m all gooey after that epilogue. So sweet and perfect! 😍💜 My only fear is that this is Mackenzie Blair’s only published book/audio so I’m really afraid that she might not write anymore. Hopefully she’d see my review and get some encouragements from how much the readers love her book/audio. 😊 Highly highly recommended! 👍 Soooooo worth that Audible credit! 😍💙
5 Matt is GaGa for Trevor with eyeliner stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audio rating
Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 19, 2018
10 stars for the Audiobook. Greg is the man, he made this book tolerable.
2.5 stars for the story
This book was calling to me. NA with a closeted quarterback and a beautiful out and proud Asian guy who likes to wear eyeliner and has piercings, I mean what’s not to love right? It had 5 stars written all over it until it became cringey. Some parts were good and really funny but other parts oh boy! Were horrible especially the dialogue.
The main Mc’s were likable enough and Greg’s narration brought them to life.
After reading this I have realized for a Jock , Matt had no personality at all, he solo parts were kinda boring, but I still liked him. Trevor on the other hand was amazing his personality did shine all through.
The Good
There were some really sweet moments between Trevor and Matt . The romance was ok too.
The Massage scene in the beginning was so hot! The sex scenes were hot and the chemistry between them strong.
Drew, Trevor’s best friend captured my attention, he was funny, supportive and a great character.
Drew's parents, Matt’s friends and his Aunt and Uncle were also great.
There is no bad we go straight to:
The Ugly
The gay Stereotyping was too much, The female characters comments were sometimes very offensive. How do you meet someone and ask them:
Hi, are you a top or a bottom And it is not even a Grindr chat.
I believe Authors branching into MM should atleast do some research on how to write MM stories, what works in stand-up comedy and sitcoms does not work in books , they come off as very offensive instead of being funny. IMO that was the case here.
Matt’s dad was a horrible person. The keeping up with the Joneses, pretend Christian type. Abusive and just a nasty person.
“We’re not together anymore,” Matt said.
“You stupid idiot,” his dad snarled. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You should’ve worked that better, used her for a while. You disgust me. Get some fucking balls. Man up! Find a rich bitch and marry her.”
“It’s never gonna fucking happen!” Matt clenched his fists in fury.“Why the hell not? You some pansy-assed, limp-dicked fuckup?” his dad shouted.
Trevor’s parents, why the hell would anyone disown their children for being gay? I have never understood that. I mean you raised them, now you just throw them away because they are gay? Agrhh! I wanted to find them and give them my piece of mind.
There is homophobia that made me a little uncomfortable, it might put some people off, but i believe there was some true telling of what goes on down south and also in the locker room.
Honestly if you are going to read this, maybe try the audio the eargasm will pull you through or else you will end up with a Dnf! Or maybe it is just me not the book.
2.5 stars for the story
This book was calling to me. NA with a closeted quarterback and a beautiful out and proud Asian guy who likes to wear eyeliner and has piercings, I mean what’s not to love right? It had 5 stars written all over it until it became cringey. Some parts were good and really funny but other parts oh boy! Were horrible especially the dialogue.
The main Mc’s were likable enough and Greg’s narration brought them to life.
After reading this I have realized for a Jock , Matt had no personality at all, he solo parts were kinda boring, but I still liked him. Trevor on the other hand was amazing his personality did shine all through.
The Good
There were some really sweet moments between Trevor and Matt . The romance was ok too.
The Massage scene in the beginning was so hot! The sex scenes were hot and the chemistry between them strong.
Drew, Trevor’s best friend captured my attention, he was funny, supportive and a great character.
Drew's parents, Matt’s friends and his Aunt and Uncle were also great.
There is no bad we go straight to:
The Ugly
The gay Stereotyping was too much, The female characters comments were sometimes very offensive. How do you meet someone and ask them:
Hi, are you a top or a bottom And it is not even a Grindr chat.
I believe Authors branching into MM should atleast do some research on how to write MM stories, what works in stand-up comedy and sitcoms does not work in books , they come off as very offensive instead of being funny. IMO that was the case here.
Matt’s dad was a horrible person. The keeping up with the Joneses, pretend Christian type. Abusive and just a nasty person.
“We’re not together anymore,” Matt said.
“You stupid idiot,” his dad snarled. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You should’ve worked that better, used her for a while. You disgust me. Get some fucking balls. Man up! Find a rich bitch and marry her.”
“It’s never gonna fucking happen!” Matt clenched his fists in fury.“Why the hell not? You some pansy-assed, limp-dicked fuckup?” his dad shouted.
Trevor’s parents, why the hell would anyone disown their children for being gay? I have never understood that. I mean you raised them, now you just throw them away because they are gay? Agrhh! I wanted to find them and give them my piece of mind.
There is homophobia that made me a little uncomfortable, it might put some people off, but i believe there was some true telling of what goes on down south and also in the locker room.
Honestly if you are going to read this, maybe try the audio the eargasm will pull you through or else you will end up with a Dnf! Or maybe it is just me not the book.
September 25, 2017
When I first finished the story, my gut reaction was that I liked it. Really liked it.
The Quarterback has some of my favorite tropes in M/M (closeted athlete, clandestine romance, coming out, first time gay experience). When I focused on those aspects of the story, I was one happy camper.
But then, the more I sat on my review, the more my little niggles came back to haunt me.
I really couldn't stand the secondary characters, and I think Mackenzie Blair has to think long and hard about how people should and do talk to LGBTQ people. Asking someone their sexual preferences on first meeting is never okay, and the gay stereotyping was too much for me to overlook. If I ignore all of the secondary characters and a lot of the dialogue, I liked the story a hell of a lot more.
I really loved the fact that the Asian MC wasn't a stereotype. It is super rare, for some reason, to see Asians at all in romance, so I was honestly simply thrilled about that bit of diversity. But I also loved that he was multifaceted, not just a nerdy nerd to offset the hot jock. However, there was a good amount of stereotyping in many of the other aspects of the story.
Though the sex was hot (again, I love a closeted athlete trope), I hated the other cliches that riddled this story. I finally settled on 3-stars because I liked it, though I fully acknowledge that it is one flawed story.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
The Quarterback has some of my favorite tropes in M/M (closeted athlete, clandestine romance, coming out, first time gay experience). When I focused on those aspects of the story, I was one happy camper.
But then, the more I sat on my review, the more my little niggles came back to haunt me.
I really couldn't stand the secondary characters, and I think Mackenzie Blair has to think long and hard about how people should and do talk to LGBTQ people. Asking someone their sexual preferences on first meeting is never okay, and the gay stereotyping was too much for me to overlook. If I ignore all of the secondary characters and a lot of the dialogue, I liked the story a hell of a lot more.
I really loved the fact that the Asian MC wasn't a stereotype. It is super rare, for some reason, to see Asians at all in romance, so I was honestly simply thrilled about that bit of diversity. But I also loved that he was multifaceted, not just a nerdy nerd to offset the hot jock. However, there was a good amount of stereotyping in many of the other aspects of the story.
Though the sex was hot (again, I love a closeted athlete trope), I hated the other cliches that riddled this story. I finally settled on 3-stars because I liked it, though I fully acknowledge that it is one flawed story.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
September 2, 2017
*2.5 stars*
Dissenting opinion ahead.
I'm fully aware I'm in the minority with this one, so don't mind me, I'll be over there in my box of shame.
This book was a weird experience for me. I never thought it could happen, but for the first time ever, the secondary characters almost ruined the story for me. Almost, but not completely, thus...rounding up to 3 stars.
First of all, I need to clarify that I did like the romance and the chemistry between Trevor and Matt. The tension was just right, the sexy times scorching hot and the relationship development came naturally. Trevor might have caved a bit too easily a couple of times, but I get where Matt was coming from, and I really appreciated the lack of melodrama. The angst was pretty expected and not OTT.
So if I liked the MCs, what was my problem? Everything else! Everyone else in this book was an OTT, ridiculous caricature.
Because who the hell would take their closeted gay friend to a happy endings massage parlor and throw him to a male masseuse, without him knowing, and without even telling him they have figured out his secret first? That would be Matt's friends. "Hey man, we know you 're gay", would have been enough.
Who the hell asks a person if he's a top or a bottom, in the fist few seconds of meeting them? That would be Matt's sisters.
Who the hell replies with "So.Fucking.Hot" when someone comes out to them? That would be Danielle, Matt's friend. Note that just a few seconds before she was yelling at him for not treating girls right.
Who the hell checks out someone's junk and comments on it, in the first few seconds of meeting them? That would also be Danielle.
Who asks what to wear in a gay wedding right after someone came out to them? That would be Matt's coach.
For such a supportive group, though, they sure get grossed out pretty easily with PDA. Both gays and straights.
Some of the things that came out of the MC's mouth didn't help either. Like...
or
The writing was ok but the humour was awkward sometimes, or I just didn't click with it.
I always try to focus on the MCs in my books, but sometimes it's not easy to ignore the secondary characters and the setting, and this was one of these times. Maybe it was my mood, or the fact that I read this after a book I loved and set the bar high. I don't want to discourage anyone from picking this up, so you should definately check some more reviews.
Personally, I can't recommend.
Dissenting opinion ahead.
I'm fully aware I'm in the minority with this one, so don't mind me, I'll be over there in my box of shame.
This book was a weird experience for me. I never thought it could happen, but for the first time ever, the secondary characters almost ruined the story for me. Almost, but not completely, thus...rounding up to 3 stars.
First of all, I need to clarify that I did like the romance and the chemistry between Trevor and Matt. The tension was just right, the sexy times scorching hot and the relationship development came naturally. Trevor might have caved a bit too easily a couple of times, but I get where Matt was coming from, and I really appreciated the lack of melodrama. The angst was pretty expected and not OTT.
So if I liked the MCs, what was my problem? Everything else! Everyone else in this book was an OTT, ridiculous caricature.
Because who the hell would take their closeted gay friend to a happy endings massage parlor and throw him to a male masseuse, without him knowing, and without even telling him they have figured out his secret first? That would be Matt's friends. "Hey man, we know you 're gay", would have been enough.
Who the hell asks a person if he's a top or a bottom, in the fist few seconds of meeting them? That would be Matt's sisters.
Who the hell replies with "So.Fucking.Hot" when someone comes out to them? That would be Danielle, Matt's friend. Note that just a few seconds before she was yelling at him for not treating girls right.
Who the hell checks out someone's junk and comments on it, in the first few seconds of meeting them? That would also be Danielle.
Who asks what to wear in a gay wedding right after someone came out to them? That would be Matt's coach.
For such a supportive group, though, they sure get grossed out pretty easily with PDA. Both gays and straights.
Some of the things that came out of the MC's mouth didn't help either. Like...
“You look pathetic,”
“Wouldn’t you be if some girl had kissed you? Gross.”
“Did you give me girl cooties?"
or
“Oh my god, I thought being gay meant I never had to have a DTR talk. It’s okay if you don’t want to be my boyfriend,” he mumbled.
“A ‘define the relationship’ talk? Wow, you are gay. And in middle school.”
The writing was ok but the humour was awkward sometimes, or I just didn't click with it.
"Should he spray some [cologne] on his junk? Would it burn? Would it weird Matt out? Make him think all dicks smelled like exotic spices? Or only Asian dicks? He started laughing."
I always try to focus on the MCs in my books, but sometimes it's not easy to ignore the secondary characters and the setting, and this was one of these times. Maybe it was my mood, or the fact that I read this after a book I loved and set the bar high. I don't want to discourage anyone from picking this up, so you should definately check some more reviews.
Personally, I can't recommend.
August 28, 2017
4.5 Stars!
Definitely took a chance on this one and for once it payed off.
Between the cover and the blurb I couldn't not request this one. I'm a total sucker for sports romance. This one had all of the ingredients to be a total drama disaster but it never went there.
Yes, there's some angst. But the good kind of angst.
And there's a virgin. A not at all shy virgin when it comes to exploring man sex.
This one was SMOKING HOT!
Great main characters and secondary characters. I loved Trevor's roommate Drew. And we NEED O'Donnell's book. It would be a total injustice not to give him and his SEAL a book.
Absolutely recommend this one!
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Definitely took a chance on this one and for once it payed off.
Between the cover and the blurb I couldn't not request this one. I'm a total sucker for sports romance. This one had all of the ingredients to be a total drama disaster but it never went there.
Yes, there's some angst. But the good kind of angst.
And there's a virgin. A not at all shy virgin when it comes to exploring man sex.
This one was SMOKING HOT!
Great main characters and secondary characters. I loved Trevor's roommate Drew. And we NEED O'Donnell's book. It would be a total injustice not to give him and his SEAL a book.
Absolutely recommend this one!
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
March 28, 2022
this was bad. weak writing. stereotypes galore. lots of annoying shitty characters.
Shelved as 'dnr-dnf-not-4-me'
September 2, 2017I made it to 30% and had to stop. This book felt like a giant step backwards in time as far as M/M romances go. Gay stereotyping, homophobic family and friends and school officials. Just yucky stuff.
The sex was hot, to be sure, but not hot enough to keep me going with the kind of angst I am no longer interested in.
I did not finish so I will not rate.
The sex was hot, to be sure, but not hot enough to keep me going with the kind of angst I am no longer interested in.
I did not finish so I will not rate.
September 23, 2017
Debut author Mackenzie Blair lured me with that irresistible blurb.
Sports romance with a Southern MC set in the South? *pancake eyes*
Interracial romance with a pierced MC? *woozy*
I may have strained something trying to get to the request button, though to be honest, I was thinking that piercing was... ah... someplace else. 😳
Anywhoozle...
The Quarterback is a coming out, first love sports romance set at a small college in Alabama (I say it's based on Baylor but don't quote me). Matt is the quarterback and a damn good one for Division II. The football isn't too heavy if sports aren't your thing. There were enough team dynamics to satisfy my craving, though. Matt is in his senior year, still a virgin, because closet and he's had a bit of a crush on "bad boy" Trevor since freshman year. His teammates take him to a massage parlor outside of town and arrange for a happy ending because he's a little... pent up. Lo and behold, guess who the masseuse is?
Trevor is out and it cost him dearly to get there so he's not looking to go back in, but by the same token, he's no idiot. He realizes he's in Alabama where he could get bashed and hazed as often as he could get a blizzard at DQ. He's not advertising but he's not hiding either. He's definitely noticed Matt Lancaster. Who hasn't? He's the golden boy star quarterback of a team that's on its way to a national championship. Of course he's drooled over him along with 95% of the rest of the student body, but he never EVER thought he'd have a chance with him.
The Southern aspects of The Quarterback were strong. Not that I'm the foremost authority on all things Southern or anything. I do believe things are improving regarding acceptance but I still see too many who have been disowned by their family for being gay on a too frequent basis. People are still far too likely to use religion to justify their bigotry. Many are still prone to get seriously bent out of shape at even banal questions regarding their sexuality. Blair is obviously familiar with how steeped repression and bigotry are in Southern culture. Her understanding of Southern hospitality as well as other Southern customs were also evident in this story. I like when authors get the South right and Blair struck a good balance between the good and the needs improvement.
Trevor and Matt and their cuteness drew me in early on. Their attraction for one another is clear. They enjoy spending time together and are crazy hot for each other. I particularly enjoyed Trevor's ingenuity regarding his study buddy scheme. Every virgin needs a sex study buddy.
I HAVE DECLARED IT SO! FROM HENCEFORTH IT IS NOW LAW!
The sex is hot and their progression of sexual adventures wasn't rushed. That spanking scene took the cake! Jaysus, Mary & Joseph! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #TeamSpanking
The things that I liked less are hard to define and maybe it's just me being hypersensitive but I'll try to explain my feels. There seemed to be a sort of undercurrent of gay shaming? There's something transgressive about the prose especially the oblique references to "certain kinds" of gay that bothered me. It comes across as derogatory and bled into Matt's characterization which I found inconsistent. I know he's on a learning curve for gay culture. I don't expect him to do and say everything right. I'm willing to give latitude, but there were things he said or did that aligned with that naiveté then out of nowhere he'd spout off something about twinks or the Castro that left me squinting.
It wasn't just Matt, though. There were also many inappropriate comments from the female secondary characters and an even greater number of remarks that I found awkward and/or juvenile by any number of characters. Oftentimes I found myself thinking this story was trying too hard to be funny or sexy or showcase its knowledge of gay culture and in so doing it stymied my enjoyment. I think the objective was cheekiness or sassiness that usually missed the mark which made the writing style amateurish on the whole and left me thinking some finesse and polish would've mitigated that.
However, I don't want to leave the impression that I disliked these characters. Some of them I liked, some were eccentric and most added something substantive to the narrative. Some even surprised me in refreshing ways. It's clear their friends and some of their family mean the world to Matt and Trevor and how they interact with them gave them depth as characters.
I also liked that Matt and Trevor's relationship has its ups and downs. Given the fact that this is Matt's first relationship there was an authenticity about him being somewhat clueless that resonated. I liked that he made mistakes, learned from them and stepped up when he was in the wrong. What I didn't like was his tendency to yell and lose his temper.
He and Trevor do get their HEA and maybe it was a little too easy but I'm ok with that. I am a card carrying sap after all. So I would recommend this to sports or coming of age romance fans and those who like virgin MCs in their romance.
A review copy was provided by NetGalley.
Sports romance with a Southern MC set in the South? *pancake eyes*
Interracial romance with a pierced MC? *woozy*
I may have strained something trying to get to the request button, though to be honest, I was thinking that piercing was... ah... someplace else. 😳
Anywhoozle...
The Quarterback is a coming out, first love sports romance set at a small college in Alabama (I say it's based on Baylor but don't quote me). Matt is the quarterback and a damn good one for Division II. The football isn't too heavy if sports aren't your thing. There were enough team dynamics to satisfy my craving, though. Matt is in his senior year, still a virgin, because closet and he's had a bit of a crush on "bad boy" Trevor since freshman year. His teammates take him to a massage parlor outside of town and arrange for a happy ending because he's a little... pent up. Lo and behold, guess who the masseuse is?
Trevor is out and it cost him dearly to get there so he's not looking to go back in, but by the same token, he's no idiot. He realizes he's in Alabama where he could get bashed and hazed as often as he could get a blizzard at DQ. He's not advertising but he's not hiding either. He's definitely noticed Matt Lancaster. Who hasn't? He's the golden boy star quarterback of a team that's on its way to a national championship. Of course he's drooled over him along with 95% of the rest of the student body, but he never EVER thought he'd have a chance with him.
Some of his teammates might be cool, but there were enough who wouldn't want to play with him, at least not right away.
The Southern aspects of The Quarterback were strong. Not that I'm the foremost authority on all things Southern or anything. I do believe things are improving regarding acceptance but I still see too many who have been disowned by their family for being gay on a too frequent basis. People are still far too likely to use religion to justify their bigotry. Many are still prone to get seriously bent out of shape at even banal questions regarding their sexuality. Blair is obviously familiar with how steeped repression and bigotry are in Southern culture. Her understanding of Southern hospitality as well as other Southern customs were also evident in this story. I like when authors get the South right and Blair struck a good balance between the good and the needs improvement.
Trevor and Matt and their cuteness drew me in early on. Their attraction for one another is clear. They enjoy spending time together and are crazy hot for each other. I particularly enjoyed Trevor's ingenuity regarding his study buddy scheme. Every virgin needs a sex study buddy.
I HAVE DECLARED IT SO! FROM HENCEFORTH IT IS NOW LAW!
The sex is hot and their progression of sexual adventures wasn't rushed. That spanking scene took the cake! Jaysus, Mary & Joseph! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #TeamSpanking
The things that I liked less are hard to define and maybe it's just me being hypersensitive but I'll try to explain my feels. There seemed to be a sort of undercurrent of gay shaming? There's something transgressive about the prose especially the oblique references to "certain kinds" of gay that bothered me. It comes across as derogatory and bled into Matt's characterization which I found inconsistent. I know he's on a learning curve for gay culture. I don't expect him to do and say everything right. I'm willing to give latitude, but there were things he said or did that aligned with that naiveté then out of nowhere he'd spout off something about twinks or the Castro that left me squinting.
It wasn't just Matt, though. There were also many inappropriate comments from the female secondary characters and an even greater number of remarks that I found awkward and/or juvenile by any number of characters. Oftentimes I found myself thinking this story was trying too hard to be funny or sexy or showcase its knowledge of gay culture and in so doing it stymied my enjoyment. I think the objective was cheekiness or sassiness that usually missed the mark which made the writing style amateurish on the whole and left me thinking some finesse and polish would've mitigated that.
However, I don't want to leave the impression that I disliked these characters. Some of them I liked, some were eccentric and most added something substantive to the narrative. Some even surprised me in refreshing ways. It's clear their friends and some of their family mean the world to Matt and Trevor and how they interact with them gave them depth as characters.
I also liked that Matt and Trevor's relationship has its ups and downs. Given the fact that this is Matt's first relationship there was an authenticity about him being somewhat clueless that resonated. I liked that he made mistakes, learned from them and stepped up when he was in the wrong. What I didn't like was his tendency to yell and lose his temper.
He and Trevor do get their HEA and maybe it was a little too easy but I'm ok with that. I am a card carrying sap after all. So I would recommend this to sports or coming of age romance fans and those who like virgin MCs in their romance.
A review copy was provided by NetGalley.
September 25, 2017
4 stars for this sexy quarterback and his handsome Korean boyfriend
I am not really a fan of sports romance, but this one ended being a good surprise. For me.
I saw my GR friends have very different opinions, some loved it so much, some hated it. I can't say I loved it, so I'm kind in the middle. I just ended enjoying it way more than I expected. And the angst was bearable.
Matt Lancaster was a super sexy quarterback, but unfortunately closeted. His dad and well everyone in his college were bigoted and homophobes. I wanted to scream so many times it's not fair!!! It's always heartbreaking to realize how many young and sweet men feel they don't have a chance in admitting publicly they are gay. Oh, my heart was in pieces!
Matt's friends saw right through him and took him to a happy endings massage parlor. Well the beginning isn't great, but everything that came after kept me turning the pages real fast.
Trevor was a beautiful Korean, who fell hard for Matt. At first he was OK with being only his "sex tutor" but as time flied, they became more.
Some scenes didn't really work for me, so that's the reason I'm not rating it with more stars. Some of Matt's friends pissed me off, but overall I enjoyed Matt and Trevor as a couple. There were also some pretty hot scenes and the ending was sweet enough.
I'd like to read more from this new author. I enjoyed the writing.
I am not really a fan of sports romance, but this one ended being a good surprise. For me.
I saw my GR friends have very different opinions, some loved it so much, some hated it. I can't say I loved it, so I'm kind in the middle. I just ended enjoying it way more than I expected. And the angst was bearable.
Matt Lancaster was a super sexy quarterback, but unfortunately closeted. His dad and well everyone in his college were bigoted and homophobes. I wanted to scream so many times it's not fair!!! It's always heartbreaking to realize how many young and sweet men feel they don't have a chance in admitting publicly they are gay. Oh, my heart was in pieces!
Matt's friends saw right through him and took him to a happy endings massage parlor. Well the beginning isn't great, but everything that came after kept me turning the pages real fast.
Trevor was a beautiful Korean, who fell hard for Matt. At first he was OK with being only his "sex tutor" but as time flied, they became more.
Some scenes didn't really work for me, so that's the reason I'm not rating it with more stars. Some of Matt's friends pissed me off, but overall I enjoyed Matt and Trevor as a couple. There were also some pretty hot scenes and the ending was sweet enough.
I'd like to read more from this new author. I enjoyed the writing.
August 28, 2017
5 stars
The Quarterback by Mackenzie Blair, is a book that caught my eye because of the cover. I mean, did you see it? Hot. Damn. That is one fine specimen on the cover...and I admit to totally judging this book by its cover! The thing is, after the cover drew me in - the story kept me tangled up in this book. I read this book, non-stop from cover to cover, beginning-to-end only pausing when I was forced to pry the book from my hands! This story was totally worth missing sleep before a 12 hour shift at work! So worth it! The two MC, Trevor and Matt, are so freaking adorkably perfect for each other, that you can't help but cheer them on straight from the beginning.
Did I mention this book has a unicorn in it?
Yep! It is true! An honest to goodness Unicorn! His name is Matt, he is a senior at Bodine University, a football god - position of Star Quarterback, and he is a virgin!
Full Review Posted Here: Alpha Book Club
The Quarterback by Mackenzie Blair, is a book that caught my eye because of the cover. I mean, did you see it? Hot. Damn. That is one fine specimen on the cover...and I admit to totally judging this book by its cover! The thing is, after the cover drew me in - the story kept me tangled up in this book. I read this book, non-stop from cover to cover, beginning-to-end only pausing when I was forced to pry the book from my hands! This story was totally worth missing sleep before a 12 hour shift at work! So worth it! The two MC, Trevor and Matt, are so freaking adorkably perfect for each other, that you can't help but cheer them on straight from the beginning.
Did I mention this book has a unicorn in it?
Yep! It is true! An honest to goodness Unicorn! His name is Matt, he is a senior at Bodine University, a football god - position of Star Quarterback, and he is a virgin!
Full Review Posted Here: Alpha Book Club
March 10, 2022
Well holy shit. This book was better and far greater than I expected. 💗💗💗
4.5 stars ⭐✨
🤚 College Romance
🏈 Sports Romance
😩 Friends with benefits
😳 One of the hero is a virgin
💗 Holy fucking CHEF'S KISS 💗
I was so absorbed into the story, I barely annotated or even jot down notes useful for my review. (probably why this shit review exists so jokes on you for reading 😜) I literally almost cried when I had to put my phone down and reality was a pain in my everloving life. Spoiler alert, I didn't last long away from this book and my impending doomsday called deadlines I have backfiring and is something I will happily ignore 😌
This book was witty, hot, warm and just so fucking good. This book had such a laid-back vibe and tone to not only the monologue but even our main characters. Ten damn things were happening around me while I was reading but even my buzzing and hyperavtive mind couldn't focus on anything but this book and Matt and Trevor: the fucking couple I bow down at.
Also the smut scenes lives in my mind RENT FREE. Contemporaries should do kink more for fucks sake. A reason why I don't read them more often is because they're just so VANILLA and I lived for how this book proved me wrong.
The only reason I'm taking off a half star because I really really REALLY wanted to give this a five star... I just didn't appreciate the conflicts. Didn't like it. Didn't vibe with it. Kind of want to ignore all thou sins permitted upon this book.
🤚
But what I loved, despite the bloody conflicts Matt and Trevor faced, they always came back to each other, at the end they forgave each other and understood each other. Matt and Trevor were so laid-back and I loved seeing it, but also seeing them come together at times that matter and having conversations that don't bullshit around... *tears* 😩
4.5 stars ⭐✨
🤚 College Romance
🏈 Sports Romance
😩 Friends with benefits
😳 One of the hero is a virgin
💗 Holy fucking CHEF'S KISS 💗
I was so absorbed into the story, I barely annotated or even jot down notes useful for my review. (probably why this shit review exists so jokes on you for reading 😜) I literally almost cried when I had to put my phone down and reality was a pain in my everloving life. Spoiler alert, I didn't last long away from this book and my impending doomsday called deadlines I have backfiring and is something I will happily ignore 😌
Crap, a seemingly straight jock, rock-hard body, smart, sense of humor—yeah, he’d found the gay equivalent of a unicorn, and he was totally going to be screwed when this guy walked away.
This book was witty, hot, warm and just so fucking good. This book had such a laid-back vibe and tone to not only the monologue but even our main characters. Ten damn things were happening around me while I was reading but even my buzzing and hyperavtive mind couldn't focus on anything but this book and Matt and Trevor: the fucking couple I bow down at.
“Pants down, Mr. Lancaster. You deserve the full punishment.”
“Yes, sir,” Matt answered, quickly unbuttoning his jeans and sliding them over his ass to his mid-thighs, revealing his firm, smooth cheeks.
Also the smut scenes lives in my mind RENT FREE. Contemporaries should do kink more for fucks sake. A reason why I don't read them more often is because they're just so VANILLA and I lived for how this book proved me wrong.
The only reason I'm taking off a half star because I really really REALLY wanted to give this a five star... I just didn't appreciate the conflicts. Didn't like it. Didn't vibe with it. Kind of want to ignore all thou sins permitted upon this book.
🤚
But what I loved, despite the bloody conflicts Matt and Trevor faced, they always came back to each other, at the end they forgave each other and understood each other. Matt and Trevor were so laid-back and I loved seeing it, but also seeing them come together at times that matter and having conversations that don't bullshit around... *tears* 😩
September 11, 2017
Sexy, sassy, and heartwarming!
The Quarterback is a provocative sports romance about college life, embracing one's sexuality, and having the strength to follow one's heart regardless of the consequences.
The characters are handsome, charming, troubled and flawed. The writing is erotic and smooth. And the plot is an alluring tale full of sexual innuendoes, flirty banter, blazing chemistry, familial drama, friendship, support, acceptance, and love.
The Quarterback is an entertaining, provocative debut by Blair and although at times there are a few too many stereotypical references she does an excellent job of touching on the challenges, prejudices, and ignorance faced by those in the LGBTQIA community.
Thank you to NetGalley, especially Riptide Publishing, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
The Quarterback is a provocative sports romance about college life, embracing one's sexuality, and having the strength to follow one's heart regardless of the consequences.
The characters are handsome, charming, troubled and flawed. The writing is erotic and smooth. And the plot is an alluring tale full of sexual innuendoes, flirty banter, blazing chemistry, familial drama, friendship, support, acceptance, and love.
The Quarterback is an entertaining, provocative debut by Blair and although at times there are a few too many stereotypical references she does an excellent job of touching on the challenges, prejudices, and ignorance faced by those in the LGBTQIA community.
Thank you to NetGalley, especially Riptide Publishing, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
March 31, 2019
Audio - 5 +++ stars
Story - 4 stars
I was going to pass on this book because of some of the comments I read in the negative reviews. But my dearest friend, Shin, insisted that I give the audio a try. I'm so glad that I did!
Thanks, Shin! xoxo
I really enjoyed the story and the all the characters, excepts the twin sisters. I didn't find their inappropriate questions the least bit funny. They were gross!! (That's why 4 stars instead of 5).
I hope Drew gets a story of his own. I also think it would be cool if O'Donnell and his Navy Seal boyfriend did too. :)
Story - 4 stars
I was going to pass on this book because of some of the comments I read in the negative reviews. But my dearest friend, Shin, insisted that I give the audio a try. I'm so glad that I did!
Thanks, Shin! xoxo
I really enjoyed the story and the all the characters, excepts the twin sisters. I didn't find their inappropriate questions the least bit funny. They were gross!! (That's why 4 stars instead of 5).
I hope Drew gets a story of his own. I also think it would be cool if O'Donnell and his Navy Seal boyfriend did too. :)
March 20, 2022
[1.5] what a hot mess 😩
from the blurb alone, i can see where the book's appeal comes from--closeted star quarterback Matt at a school in the deep south and his (mutual) crush on masseuse/fellow classmate Trevor? umm yes please!--and the beginning was so promising!! but very soon it became apparent that the story was built on numerous stereotypes and clichés that i'd like to think we have grown past in books and as a society.
*calls upon the power of The Almighty List for aid*
- the side characters made me want to bang my head against a wall. multiple times. majority of so-called "friends" acted poorly to each other; Matt's dad was your standard one-dimensional villain of just pure nasty, manipulative evil (and when the conflict with him escalated to K Webster levels, i checked out. if you've been with me for a while, you already know that isn't my cup of tea 😂); and the female characters were embodiments of rabid fetishizing demons 🤦🏻♀️
examples fast approaching (⚠️ contains spoilers! ⚠️):
- in what world is it appropriate to ask your brother's boyfriend, "Are you a top or a bottom?" on the first meeting (or ever!) because Matt's sisters went straight for the none-of-their-business personal questions 💀
- Matt's friend's girlfriend (probably the worst of the bunch) spent paragraphs railing on Matt, who is still putting on his straight boy act, for how rude he is to women, treating them like holes to discard when no longer needed, to literally moments later squealing over the fact that he's revealed himself as gay and how hot that is 😑 there were so many instances of her, and other female characters for that matter, fetishizing gay people/relationships and assuming LGBTQ+ individuals' sexual orientation/preferences as if that's a normal thing to do in daily life and not intrusive or rude in the slightest. wooo double standards 🤕 not even Drew, Trevor's friend, could escape being labeled as a twink out of the blue because some girl thought she had to share with the class 🙃
- if i looked at the couple in isolation, they had their undeniably cute moments, but their multiple spats and bickering (storming out, getting back together, etc.), while based on realistic reasons, came across rather contrived. my jaw dropped when Matt called Trevor a whore because of his masseuse job history, and the cherry on top was doormat Trevor forgiving him just because he reached out with an "I'm sorry" text first WUT. you call me a whore for trying to provide for myself and imma slap you down to your grave and then some 😤
- random scenes added in for the sake of ~dramatics~:
Trevor has already come to terms with never being a part of his family again after coming out, but somehow the author decided to include interference in the form of a side character (can't remember who) stirring the pot by making Trevor hopeful, that maybe his mom didn't call him in four years out of fear, and he should proactively call them instead.
*proceeds to call, get hung up on, and cry a river*
then the scene is forgotten. sure it had potential to show character growth in the light of trauma, but after a good cry, Trevor has already moved on. he has bigger fish to fry! which begs the question: why even include this scene in the first place? 🤨
- "I'm not that kind of gay" 🤡
i know there are plenty more examples but i am officially done and need a long nap to recover ✌️
huge apologies in advance if there are any errors above because of my poor memory as i listened to the audiobook and have no ebook to double check with.
from the blurb alone, i can see where the book's appeal comes from--closeted star quarterback Matt at a school in the deep south and his (mutual) crush on masseuse/fellow classmate Trevor? umm yes please!--and the beginning was so promising!! but very soon it became apparent that the story was built on numerous stereotypes and clichés that i'd like to think we have grown past in books and as a society.
*calls upon the power of The Almighty List for aid*
- the side characters made me want to bang my head against a wall. multiple times. majority of so-called "friends" acted poorly to each other; Matt's dad was your standard one-dimensional villain of just pure nasty, manipulative evil (and when the conflict with him escalated to K Webster levels, i checked out. if you've been with me for a while, you already know that isn't my cup of tea 😂); and the female characters were embodiments of rabid fetishizing demons 🤦🏻♀️
examples fast approaching (⚠️ contains spoilers! ⚠️):
- in what world is it appropriate to ask your brother's boyfriend, "Are you a top or a bottom?" on the first meeting (or ever!) because Matt's sisters went straight for the none-of-their-business personal questions 💀
- Matt's friend's girlfriend (probably the worst of the bunch) spent paragraphs railing on Matt, who is still putting on his straight boy act, for how rude he is to women, treating them like holes to discard when no longer needed, to literally moments later squealing over the fact that he's revealed himself as gay and how hot that is 😑 there were so many instances of her, and other female characters for that matter, fetishizing gay people/relationships and assuming LGBTQ+ individuals' sexual orientation/preferences as if that's a normal thing to do in daily life and not intrusive or rude in the slightest. wooo double standards 🤕 not even Drew, Trevor's friend, could escape being labeled as a twink out of the blue because some girl thought she had to share with the class 🙃
- if i looked at the couple in isolation, they had their undeniably cute moments, but their multiple spats and bickering (storming out, getting back together, etc.), while based on realistic reasons, came across rather contrived. my jaw dropped when Matt called Trevor a whore because of his masseuse job history, and the cherry on top was doormat Trevor forgiving him just because he reached out with an "I'm sorry" text first WUT. you call me a whore for trying to provide for myself and imma slap you down to your grave and then some 😤
- random scenes added in for the sake of ~dramatics~:
Trevor has already come to terms with never being a part of his family again after coming out, but somehow the author decided to include interference in the form of a side character (can't remember who) stirring the pot by making Trevor hopeful, that maybe his mom didn't call him in four years out of fear, and he should proactively call them instead.
*proceeds to call, get hung up on, and cry a river*
then the scene is forgotten. sure it had potential to show character growth in the light of trauma, but after a good cry, Trevor has already moved on. he has bigger fish to fry! which begs the question: why even include this scene in the first place? 🤨
- "I'm not that kind of gay" 🤡
i know there are plenty more examples but i am officially done and need a long nap to recover ✌️
huge apologies in advance if there are any errors above because of my poor memory as i listened to the audiobook and have no ebook to double check with.
October 24, 2017
Matt is gay, but he’s still in the closet. He’s the star quarterback at college and everything will change when someone should find out he’s gay. He’s attracted to Trevor from the start and he hasn’t felt that way in a long time. He keeps going back to Trevor’s work to see him. Trevor can’t believe that Matt is a client at one of his jobs. He’s always had a crush on him. Matt will take a chance with Trevor. They have to be secretive, but they love to be together.
I loved this book. It’s hot, beautiful, sweet and a little touching. Matt and Trevor are amazing characters. They have a great chemistry. They are perfect for each other. They understand each other and help each other. I adored the last chapter!
Matt and Trevor have great friends! They don’t care who they love. They can count on each other and have each other’s back. They also made me laugh sometimes. I won’t mind books about some secondary characters.
I loved this book. It’s hot, beautiful, sweet and a little touching. Matt and Trevor are amazing characters. They have a great chemistry. They are perfect for each other. They understand each other and help each other. I adored the last chapter!
Matt and Trevor have great friends! They don’t care who they love. They can count on each other and have each other’s back. They also made me laugh sometimes. I won’t mind books about some secondary characters.
September 29, 2017
Pffffffffff, no sé qué decir porque mi cabeza es un batiburrillo de cosas. Le daría 2.5 estrellas porque es entretenido y los protagonistas son monos, y ahí se acaba todo lo bueno que puedo decir, por mucho que busque no hay más xD.
He de decir, que a pesar de eso, no estoy tan indignada como otras personas que han hecho review, quizás porque no me ha sorprendido, o quizás porque muchas de las cosas que indignan las he encontrado una y otra vez en autores que están en la cresta de la ola y parece que se les permite todo.
Sports romance entre el quarterback estrella de la Universidad, Matt, (y aquí estoy yo que no tengo ni puñetera idea de que es eso de quarteback xD) gay, pero no out and free por todo lo que tiene que perder, un padre homófobo y bla bla y un estudiante coreano, Travis, con familia homófoba, adorable, estudioso, trabajador... Lo primero que me encuentro es al protagonista coreano trabajando en un sitio de masajes y al quarterback visitando el lugar engañado por sus amigos para un masaje con final feliz. Primero, sé que se ha tachado de racista la condición de masajista, creo que mi background cultural me impide ver esto porque en mi país la prostitución es legal y existen sitios de masajes, y prostíbulos, y en ningún caso ningún país asiático tiene protagonismo en ninguno de estos negocios, en todo caso el de masajes, por lo que me no era consciente el estereotipo. Una vez que lo pregunté puedo entender que no guste, pero lo que me llamó más la atención a mi es cómo la autora una y otra vez intenta justificar que Travis no se dedica a la prostitución, porque ohhhhhhhhh, claro, eso es imperdonable, qué cosa tan horrible, qué inmoral, ¡anda ya!
Ya empiezo con el libro algo molesta, además de pensar que los amigos son gilipollas, pero bueno, me lo creo que pueda pasar, hay mucho gilipollas suelto. Sigo con la lectura y ya empezamos con el festival de topicazos de lo que es de macho y lo que no, lo que es girlie y lo que no, conversaciones totalmente ridículas... Cliché, cliché, cliché. No es que yo esté en contra de los clichés, los clichés encierran algo de verdad, son clichés porque es algo que se repite, el problema es cómo tratas esos clichés y cómo profundizas. Y aquí el análisis y la profundidad es de cero patatero. Hay tantas cosas que se podrían comentar: los personajes femeninos son un absurdo total, los malos malosos parecen caricaturas, y así y así y así.
Podría resumir diciendo que es un libro entretenido para leer cuando tu cabeza esté en otra cosa, porque como te centres y analices la cosa va a ir mal. Pero, una vez más digo, muchas de las faltas que tiene el libro se repiten en otros autores considerados lo más de lo más.
He de decir, que a pesar de eso, no estoy tan indignada como otras personas que han hecho review, quizás porque no me ha sorprendido, o quizás porque muchas de las cosas que indignan las he encontrado una y otra vez en autores que están en la cresta de la ola y parece que se les permite todo.
Sports romance entre el quarterback estrella de la Universidad, Matt, (y aquí estoy yo que no tengo ni puñetera idea de que es eso de quarteback xD) gay, pero no out and free por todo lo que tiene que perder, un padre homófobo y bla bla y un estudiante coreano, Travis, con familia homófoba, adorable, estudioso, trabajador... Lo primero que me encuentro es al protagonista coreano trabajando en un sitio de masajes y al quarterback visitando el lugar engañado por sus amigos para un masaje con final feliz. Primero, sé que se ha tachado de racista la condición de masajista, creo que mi background cultural me impide ver esto porque en mi país la prostitución es legal y existen sitios de masajes, y prostíbulos, y en ningún caso ningún país asiático tiene protagonismo en ninguno de estos negocios, en todo caso el de masajes, por lo que me no era consciente el estereotipo. Una vez que lo pregunté puedo entender que no guste, pero lo que me llamó más la atención a mi es cómo la autora una y otra vez intenta justificar que Travis no se dedica a la prostitución, porque ohhhhhhhhh, claro, eso es imperdonable, qué cosa tan horrible, qué inmoral, ¡anda ya!
Ya empiezo con el libro algo molesta, además de pensar que los amigos son gilipollas, pero bueno, me lo creo que pueda pasar, hay mucho gilipollas suelto. Sigo con la lectura y ya empezamos con el festival de topicazos de lo que es de macho y lo que no, lo que es girlie y lo que no, conversaciones totalmente ridículas... Cliché, cliché, cliché. No es que yo esté en contra de los clichés, los clichés encierran algo de verdad, son clichés porque es algo que se repite, el problema es cómo tratas esos clichés y cómo profundizas. Y aquí el análisis y la profundidad es de cero patatero. Hay tantas cosas que se podrían comentar: los personajes femeninos son un absurdo total, los malos malosos parecen caricaturas, y así y así y así.
Podría resumir diciendo que es un libro entretenido para leer cuando tu cabeza esté en otra cosa, porque como te centres y analices la cosa va a ir mal. Pero, una vez más digo, muchas de las faltas que tiene el libro se repiten en otros autores considerados lo más de lo más.
July 8, 2021
AUDIOBOOK June 2021: Simply, a fun story to listen to. Same thoughts from my initial review 😉
EBOOK March 2018
Wasn’t this all kinds of fun? Of course, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before...closeted gay athlete starts to secretly date “out” man. Still, I read this in one sitting. And it wasn’t a short book. Now I find myself wondering what kept me so engaged?
It couldn’t have been the trope or plot, although I enjoyed it. The dialogue wasn’t remarkably witty. The writing, overall, was good, but not bombastic. The secondary characters didn’t leave huge impressions. That leaves us with the MCs.
I think I simply really, really liked these two—faults and all. They worked together, their weird meeting in a happy endings massage parlor worked somehow. They were hot and sweet together. Their fights, though, were poorly written and proved jarring. Thankfully, they were always short.
These guys, Matt and Trevor, had some depth to them and I think that’s what made this book a worthy read.
I put this book off because of the mixed reviews it received. I wasn’t sure I was willing to delve into 330 pages of uneven ground, no matter how enticing the cover (damn that’s a hot cover!). I’m glad I did.
And of course, there’s nothing more fun than seeing a gay man lose his V-card and discover the joys of the prostrate! Talk about “happy endings!”
EBOOK March 2018
Wasn’t this all kinds of fun? Of course, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before...closeted gay athlete starts to secretly date “out” man. Still, I read this in one sitting. And it wasn’t a short book. Now I find myself wondering what kept me so engaged?
It couldn’t have been the trope or plot, although I enjoyed it. The dialogue wasn’t remarkably witty. The writing, overall, was good, but not bombastic. The secondary characters didn’t leave huge impressions. That leaves us with the MCs.
I think I simply really, really liked these two—faults and all. They worked together, their weird meeting in a happy endings massage parlor worked somehow. They were hot and sweet together. Their fights, though, were poorly written and proved jarring. Thankfully, they were always short.
These guys, Matt and Trevor, had some depth to them and I think that’s what made this book a worthy read.
I put this book off because of the mixed reviews it received. I wasn’t sure I was willing to delve into 330 pages of uneven ground, no matter how enticing the cover (damn that’s a hot cover!). I’m glad I did.
And of course, there’s nothing more fun than seeing a gay man lose his V-card and discover the joys of the prostrate! Talk about “happy endings!”
September 16, 2017
Super cute. Super sweet.
Sometimes 5 star books are the ones that make you hurt or make you feel strong emotions. But sometimes five star books are the ones that just let you have a good time with the story.
This is one of those happy stories. It's fun and interesting. It has a group of wonderful characters that you'd want as your friends and family. This is one of those that makes you smile and leaves you feeling good.
Review ARC graciously provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley
Sometimes 5 star books are the ones that make you hurt or make you feel strong emotions. But sometimes five star books are the ones that just let you have a good time with the story.
This is one of those happy stories. It's fun and interesting. It has a group of wonderful characters that you'd want as your friends and family. This is one of those that makes you smile and leaves you feeling good.
Review ARC graciously provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley
March 25, 2022
My reason for picking this: The guy in the cover is hot as hell and well... SPORTS! 🤯🤯🤯
This one is good, it had a lot of used tropes, but the author knew how to give it a twist so we could get a totally different story.
I loved the Asian representation and how Trevor was described as a hoty, HE SHOULD, ASIANS ARE HOT!! I've been saying that for years but no, only bts could make that statement take.
And I loved how Matt was no typical jock, they were three-dimensional characters all the way, they had depth, complications, drama and fears and I loved every single step of this book.
I recommend it 100%... Besides the sex is hot, you welcome! 😁😁❤
This one is good, it had a lot of used tropes, but the author knew how to give it a twist so we could get a totally different story.
I loved the Asian representation and how Trevor was described as a hoty, HE SHOULD, ASIANS ARE HOT!! I've been saying that for years but no, only bts could make that statement take.
And I loved how Matt was no typical jock, they were three-dimensional characters all the way, they had depth, complications, drama and fears and I loved every single step of this book.
I recommend it 100%... Besides the sex is hot, you welcome! 😁😁❤
September 15, 2017
I was in the mood for a sports romance and this book has been on my sight long before it was released, I mean, have you seen that cover? *fanning myself* Hot blond quarterback! Besides, the blurb adds a pierced and tattooed fellow? Yes, please.
However, I read this and I ended up with mixed feelings about it. I’m gonna be pretty straightforward and start saying what I didn’t like:
~ The beginning. What kind of friends are those!? You know your bestie is a closeted gay and why on earth would you drop a bomb like that by taking him to a massage parlor where he’s going to receive a prostate massage by a complete stranger? That was so fucking ruthless. He had his reason of why he hadn’t come out and they freaking knew them! Wasn’t it better to just say: “We know you are gay, we have your back man”? *inhales and exhales to calm my ranting mind* Well, my conclusion to this big mess was that they were college boys and sometimes they can be incredible clueless and dumb.
Apart from that, the massage was pretty hot though; I just wish that it would have started being something that Matt agreed on beforehand. It would have been better and it wouldn’t have hovered on the edge of rape. Imagine yourself having a massage and suddenly having a finger up on your ass? Impossible not to freak out!
~ The dialogues and thoughts were kind of repetitive at times. And from time to time the MCs were the biggest and the ridiculous gay cliché of history. They will hear “tits” and would say stupid shit like this:
“Hey! You’re scarring the gay guys down here”
*eye roll* oh, please.
~ Matt’s insecurities were a huge deal at the beginning and then out of the blue he thought they were silly (which they were but the change was so fast that the whole issue was a bit farfetched and it made me feel that all the problems he went through were unnecessary.)
~ The sex was hot but a bit rushy. It left me feeling cold, it was like…. “did you finish already? That fast?”
~ Matt sometimes had behaviors that were so out of character for him. The author pictures him as a sweet and smart guy but there was a scene where he was so mean to Trevor that left me cringing because it was something so unlike him. I know he was scared at that moment, but that isn’t an excuse to call your boyfriend a whore. With the image the author gave me from him, I’d never have thought he would be so insensitive and rude… Besides, I hated that Trevor forgave him so quickly, dude, make him grovel a little!
On the bright side, there were stuffs that helped me to not DNF this book.
~ I liked that Matt wasn’t a dumb jock, he was pretty smart and that was hell of attractive!
~ Trevor went through hell after outing himself to his family and I like that he managed to come out of that pretty well, he was independent and strong. I liked he fought hard building himself a future and that Matt was just a nice plus to his life because it wasn’t like something he needed.
~ The friends. They were the main reason I started liking this so much more. All of them were so funny and caring! And I kinda have to thank the secondary characters; they made this story so much better.
~ Oh, and I liked that the way things happened I didn't see them coming. I can't shut down my brain and I'm always trying to predict things (which I hate) and the way the stuff developed here were ok. I mean, I knew they were going to happen but they didn't happen in the way I imagined them to, does that make sense? Whatever, because of that, I will round up my rating.
This isn’t a flawless story and I guess is due to being a debut M/M story for this author. I mean, how else would you explain the gay clichés?
Quarterback has pretty good ratings, it’s just me that didn’t love every single detail of it, so don’t feel discouraged by me.
2.5 stars.
However, I read this and I ended up with mixed feelings about it. I’m gonna be pretty straightforward and start saying what I didn’t like:
~ The beginning. What kind of friends are those!? You know your bestie is a closeted gay and why on earth would you drop a bomb like that by taking him to a massage parlor where he’s going to receive a prostate massage by a complete stranger? That was so fucking ruthless. He had his reason of why he hadn’t come out and they freaking knew them! Wasn’t it better to just say: “We know you are gay, we have your back man”? *inhales and exhales to calm my ranting mind* Well, my conclusion to this big mess was that they were college boys and sometimes they can be incredible clueless and dumb.
Apart from that, the massage was pretty hot though; I just wish that it would have started being something that Matt agreed on beforehand. It would have been better and it wouldn’t have hovered on the edge of rape. Imagine yourself having a massage and suddenly having a finger up on your ass? Impossible not to freak out!
~ The dialogues and thoughts were kind of repetitive at times. And from time to time the MCs were the biggest and the ridiculous gay cliché of history. They will hear “tits” and would say stupid shit like this:
“Hey! You’re scarring the gay guys down here”
*eye roll* oh, please.
~ Matt’s insecurities were a huge deal at the beginning and then out of the blue he thought they were silly (which they were but the change was so fast that the whole issue was a bit farfetched and it made me feel that all the problems he went through were unnecessary.)
~ The sex was hot but a bit rushy. It left me feeling cold, it was like…. “did you finish already? That fast?”
~ Matt sometimes had behaviors that were so out of character for him. The author pictures him as a sweet and smart guy but there was a scene where he was so mean to Trevor that left me cringing because it was something so unlike him. I know he was scared at that moment, but that isn’t an excuse to call your boyfriend a whore. With the image the author gave me from him, I’d never have thought he would be so insensitive and rude… Besides, I hated that Trevor forgave him so quickly, dude, make him grovel a little!
On the bright side, there were stuffs that helped me to not DNF this book.
~ I liked that Matt wasn’t a dumb jock, he was pretty smart and that was hell of attractive!
~ Trevor went through hell after outing himself to his family and I like that he managed to come out of that pretty well, he was independent and strong. I liked he fought hard building himself a future and that Matt was just a nice plus to his life because it wasn’t like something he needed.
~ The friends. They were the main reason I started liking this so much more. All of them were so funny and caring! And I kinda have to thank the secondary characters; they made this story so much better.
~ Oh, and I liked that the way things happened I didn't see them coming. I can't shut down my brain and I'm always trying to predict things (which I hate) and the way the stuff developed here were ok. I mean, I knew they were going to happen but they didn't happen in the way I imagined them to, does that make sense? Whatever, because of that, I will round up my rating.
This isn’t a flawless story and I guess is due to being a debut M/M story for this author. I mean, how else would you explain the gay clichés?
Quarterback has pretty good ratings, it’s just me that didn’t love every single detail of it, so don’t feel discouraged by me.
2.5 stars.
September 4, 2017
I can't find a motivation for a star...
I'm a bit upset by my own review and I really doubt to put it online....maybe later
I'm a bit upset by my own review and I really doubt to put it online....maybe later
June 24, 2018
Oh those college boys...
Ok so here's the elephant in the room this book is full of stereotyping and cliches are running rampant here, but let's also recognize that this book is set in the south at a 'christian' college with definite homophobic leanings. Nowhere are we given that impression that this is a progressive college with an accepting or even tolerant administration...so, I'm pretty much thinking stereotyping and cliches are a part of the norm and honestly an 'Oh your gay, that's nice' isn't really going to provide the setting needed to make a story with this background believable so as much as I like many others didn't like the stereotypes and cliches in this case...like them or not...they actually facilitated the story.
Ironically one of the things that I liked about this is the fact that if you look at the reviews on GR, you'll see that a considerable number of them are less than happy with this part of the story and when I to see things like this I view it as a reminder that, while it's often not as fast as many of us would like...the world is changing and people are starting to ask questions and voice dissent when the answers don't feel right. Acceptance is becoming a part of the norm and not the exception and sometimes we need stories like this to make us step back and take a look at how things are now. Ok, I'm going to step down off of my pulpit now.
On to the rest of the things. Overall I enjoyed this story I like both of the MCs...Matt's a deep in the closet gay quarterback and between the fact that he attends a Christian college and his homophobic, douchebag of a father. This man is such a piece of work. I mean I can't even begin to explain how much I disliked this a**hat. He's a con-artist, grifter use whatever word you want and as a father he's both abusive and manipulative using Matt's twin sisters to keep him in line...to keep him locked securely in the closet.
Matt's drawn to Trevor with his Korean/American heritage that give him an exotic look that Matt can't quite seem to resist so when their paths cross Matt may have been torn at first it doesn't take him long to decide that he wants whatever he can get from Matt and if it means being his dirty little secret he can live with that or at least he's willing to try.
I enjoyed the interaction between these two as the for to know each other during their 'study dates' code talk for 'Trevor teaches Matt about sex'. Trevor's family may have rejected him but he's not a weak man by any means. He's working 3 jobs to put himself through college and while he's initially willing to keep their relationship a secret that doesn't mean that he just roles over if he's unhappy with Matt's behavior. So there's more than just sexual tension between these two men and trust me they're college boys so there's always sexual tension and sexy time.
I have to admit I found a lot of the secondary characters to be more than a little entertaining...in a very tongue-in-cheek manner. In a nutshell...inappropriate comments were the order of the day with this group. From Matt's twin sister's to Danielle his friend's girlfriend to a coach looking for fashion advice. I can't lie more than once I found myself laughing out loud partially because they were saying things at times that were beyond inappropriate and while the story without the addition of the secondary characters really wasn't over the top. For me it made this all seem so much more tongue-in-cheek adding a touch of OTT humor to the story.
Lastly what made this a story that I was able to get behind and enjoy was the fact that I listened to it on audio and the narrator was Greg Boudreaux (or Greg Tremblay). I'm not sure what words I can use to express my appreciation for the narrative talents of Mr. Boudreaux but the man is good...I mean seriously GOOD!!! He's not only in my top 5 he's at the top of that list. Without fail he delivers a story that is start to finish a listening pleasure.
************************
An audio book of 'The Quarterback' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Ok so here's the elephant in the room this book is full of stereotyping and cliches are running rampant here, but let's also recognize that this book is set in the south at a 'christian' college with definite homophobic leanings. Nowhere are we given that impression that this is a progressive college with an accepting or even tolerant administration...so, I'm pretty much thinking stereotyping and cliches are a part of the norm and honestly an 'Oh your gay, that's nice' isn't really going to provide the setting needed to make a story with this background believable so as much as I like many others didn't like the stereotypes and cliches in this case...like them or not...they actually facilitated the story.
Ironically one of the things that I liked about this is the fact that if you look at the reviews on GR, you'll see that a considerable number of them are less than happy with this part of the story and when I to see things like this I view it as a reminder that, while it's often not as fast as many of us would like...the world is changing and people are starting to ask questions and voice dissent when the answers don't feel right. Acceptance is becoming a part of the norm and not the exception and sometimes we need stories like this to make us step back and take a look at how things are now. Ok, I'm going to step down off of my pulpit now.
On to the rest of the things. Overall I enjoyed this story I like both of the MCs...Matt's a deep in the closet gay quarterback and between the fact that he attends a Christian college and his homophobic, douchebag of a father. This man is such a piece of work. I mean I can't even begin to explain how much I disliked this a**hat. He's a con-artist, grifter use whatever word you want and as a father he's both abusive and manipulative using Matt's twin sisters to keep him in line...to keep him locked securely in the closet.
Matt's drawn to Trevor with his Korean/American heritage that give him an exotic look that Matt can't quite seem to resist so when their paths cross Matt may have been torn at first it doesn't take him long to decide that he wants whatever he can get from Matt and if it means being his dirty little secret he can live with that or at least he's willing to try.
I enjoyed the interaction between these two as the for to know each other during their 'study dates' code talk for 'Trevor teaches Matt about sex'. Trevor's family may have rejected him but he's not a weak man by any means. He's working 3 jobs to put himself through college and while he's initially willing to keep their relationship a secret that doesn't mean that he just roles over if he's unhappy with Matt's behavior. So there's more than just sexual tension between these two men and trust me they're college boys so there's always sexual tension and sexy time.
I have to admit I found a lot of the secondary characters to be more than a little entertaining...in a very tongue-in-cheek manner. In a nutshell...inappropriate comments were the order of the day with this group. From Matt's twin sister's to Danielle his friend's girlfriend to a coach looking for fashion advice. I can't lie more than once I found myself laughing out loud partially because they were saying things at times that were beyond inappropriate and while the story without the addition of the secondary characters really wasn't over the top. For me it made this all seem so much more tongue-in-cheek adding a touch of OTT humor to the story.
Lastly what made this a story that I was able to get behind and enjoy was the fact that I listened to it on audio and the narrator was Greg Boudreaux (or Greg Tremblay). I'm not sure what words I can use to express my appreciation for the narrative talents of Mr. Boudreaux but the man is good...I mean seriously GOOD!!! He's not only in my top 5 he's at the top of that list. Without fail he delivers a story that is start to finish a listening pleasure.
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An audio book of 'The Quarterback' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2017
This is a tough one. I have seen people who love it. People who mostly enjoyed it and people who couldn’t finish it.
I don’t know where I fall in that. 2★'s = it was ok, so I'll just go with that. I don't have enough feeling about it to love it or hate it honestly. It read so juvenile to me. These boys did not seem like they were seniors in college, at times I wouldn’t have even put them as seniors in high school.
The dialogue was cheesy and not hot.
The fights were nasty and very, very immature.
Matt did not read like the superstar that he was, at all. He was presented as the best looking and most popular but he did not read like that in my opinion. He was not believable to me. He may have been a God on the field but outside of that he disappeared.
Trevor was set up to be alone with nothing and three jobs to even eat and then like magic he wasn’t like that at all. It was confusing. And it made my least favorite part of the book even worse.
I hated the setup. I hated, hated, hated the massage parlor scenes. Yes, yes you are kind of being paid to be a kind of sex worker. No, you haven’t done this with anyone else but you have let others touch you, right?? Taken your clothes off, right?? Trevor all of a sudden not needing the job or the money, all of a sudden attending football games in person or in the dorm, buying hoodies and it seemed never working made his time at the massage parlor even more disturbing to me.
But, I don’t like shit like that so where some find it hot, I find it like prostitution and that is not romantic to me. That’s just me though!
Something else that just didn't sit right with me. I find it hard to believe that Trevor would have stayed at this school. I find it hard to believe Drew would have ever gone to this school. Drew read as out and proud but there was no talk at all of that being a problem on campus but there was talk of it being a problem on campus. I don't know. The campus itself seemed to be one big huge contradiction. Which leads me to this...
The totally homophobic atmosphere. The football players made sense to me. This was a Southern Baptist college in Alabama. I was not shocked or surprised by the behavior. I mean, yes, of course I am shocked by their behavior but I get it for the story. What I thought was inappropriate was the twin sisters and the girlfriend, Danielle I think. That shit had a huge ick factor and the author should have consulted someone about that truly. Oh, and the behavior of Matt and Trevor in front of the Aunt and Uncle. Yuck.
I don’t know. At the end of the day I don’t think I liked it all that much. The story, the writing, it just wasn’t my thing.
I don’t know where I fall in that. 2★'s = it was ok, so I'll just go with that. I don't have enough feeling about it to love it or hate it honestly. It read so juvenile to me. These boys did not seem like they were seniors in college, at times I wouldn’t have even put them as seniors in high school.
The dialogue was cheesy and not hot.
The fights were nasty and very, very immature.
Matt did not read like the superstar that he was, at all. He was presented as the best looking and most popular but he did not read like that in my opinion. He was not believable to me. He may have been a God on the field but outside of that he disappeared.
Trevor was set up to be alone with nothing and three jobs to even eat and then like magic he wasn’t like that at all. It was confusing. And it made my least favorite part of the book even worse.
I hated the setup. I hated, hated, hated the massage parlor scenes. Yes, yes you are kind of being paid to be a kind of sex worker. No, you haven’t done this with anyone else but you have let others touch you, right?? Taken your clothes off, right?? Trevor all of a sudden not needing the job or the money, all of a sudden attending football games in person or in the dorm, buying hoodies and it seemed never working made his time at the massage parlor even more disturbing to me.
But, I don’t like shit like that so where some find it hot, I find it like prostitution and that is not romantic to me. That’s just me though!
Something else that just didn't sit right with me. I find it hard to believe that Trevor would have stayed at this school. I find it hard to believe Drew would have ever gone to this school. Drew read as out and proud but there was no talk at all of that being a problem on campus but there was talk of it being a problem on campus. I don't know. The campus itself seemed to be one big huge contradiction. Which leads me to this...
The totally homophobic atmosphere. The football players made sense to me. This was a Southern Baptist college in Alabama. I was not shocked or surprised by the behavior. I mean, yes, of course I am shocked by their behavior but I get it for the story. What I thought was inappropriate was the twin sisters and the girlfriend, Danielle I think. That shit had a huge ick factor and the author should have consulted someone about that truly. Oh, and the behavior of Matt and Trevor in front of the Aunt and Uncle. Yuck.
I don’t know. At the end of the day I don’t think I liked it all that much. The story, the writing, it just wasn’t my thing.
October 31, 2017
Aaawwww, that was so cute! And not in the saccharine, so sweet my teeth ache kind of way, just genuinely adorable and nice. I really liked this.
Sure, lots of elements in this book were terribly cliché, and the angst that comes with one of the love interests being in the closet usually isn't my thing, but those guys were just so damn lovable.
Get dressed," Drew singsonged, enjoying this way too much. "So you can go play poker with your hunky boyfriend and these gay-loving, rainbow-flag-waving football players. It's like a fucking Norman Rockwell panting for the new millennium!"
In romance books, particularly NA ones that are set in college and/ or have a sports theme, it's often the secondary characters that totally make or break it for me, and I can honestly say that the ones in this novel insanely contributed to my enjoyment of it.
I just wish Connor were gay, too, so he could get his own book. But then again, I wouldn't have the pleasure of reading about that hilarious girlfriend of his. Huh. Torn.
Fun, hot, cute and kinky. What more could a girl ask for?
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 4, 2017
4.5 stars
This is MacKenzie Blair's first M/M romance and I can see that the characterization and plot are pretty reserve. She went for the safest route and for seasoned M/M readers, I felt that I'm not being challenge. But on the other hand, I find it refreshing, not everything needs to be difficult. The part that I enjoy most are probably due to Matt and Trevor was pretty honest to each other right from the beginning. They didn't pour their heart out, but was pretty upfront about everything else.
Matt is the quarterback, the golden boy of the college. He is so deep in the closet that he is still a virgin. Well, at least we knew he isn't a manwhore who sleep with women to keep up appearance. The whole massage parlor incident happened because his best friends knew about his predicament and decided to help him out.
I watched plenty of gay massage porn before, but reading it is a whole different experience. There are a few session of erotic massage going on between Matt and Trevor, which is seriously hot. I thought it was kinky and fun and so illicit because those were Matt's secret outing. Anyway, the whole kinky massage did not took up the whole plot.
Trevor is a Korean American, but his race isn't really the focus of the story. Most of the time, I even forgot he is Asian because he got such an American name. Trevor is out and proud despite being in a conservative college. Trevor is the poor college kid juggling multiple jobs because his family is awful. He is more than happy to land the hottest guy in campus and love to teach Matt a thing or two about gay sex, but Trevor had no patience for Matt's bullshit. Trevor refuse to be a total doormat and his impatience shows.
Despite Matt being in the closet, he still wanted to pursue something with Trevor in campus. Most of the time, I don't like reading closeted case, they are either asshole or seriously depressing. But Matt seems like a very decent guy and he dare to admit he want Trevor although the journey to coming out is hard. The blow back that I anticipated isn't that bad, it seems convincing enough without going OTT. There are some moderate level of angst present whenever Matt and Trevor got into argument, mostly over 'coming out' of course. It did make me feel a tad emotional over it, but it doesn't make me want to throw anything. Far from it, I actually feel all these fight make their relationship seems more real and believable and it shows that not everything is hunky dory.
Overall, a solid NA, M/M, sport romance with lovable characters, hot erotic scenes, some family drama and college drama. All drama in moderation without going OTT. I agree the supporting cast left a lot to be desire. They seems to say those inappropriate stuff although they are suppose to be supportive. But I don't think this inappropriate moments ruin Matt and Trevor's story for me.
This is MacKenzie Blair's first M/M romance and I can see that the characterization and plot are pretty reserve. She went for the safest route and for seasoned M/M readers, I felt that I'm not being challenge. But on the other hand, I find it refreshing, not everything needs to be difficult. The part that I enjoy most are probably due to Matt and Trevor was pretty honest to each other right from the beginning. They didn't pour their heart out, but was pretty upfront about everything else.
Matt is the quarterback, the golden boy of the college. He is so deep in the closet that he is still a virgin. Well, at least we knew he isn't a manwhore who sleep with women to keep up appearance. The whole massage parlor incident happened because his best friends knew about his predicament and decided to help him out.
I watched plenty of gay massage porn before, but reading it is a whole different experience. There are a few session of erotic massage going on between Matt and Trevor, which is seriously hot. I thought it was kinky and fun and so illicit because those were Matt's secret outing. Anyway, the whole kinky massage did not took up the whole plot.
Trevor is a Korean American, but his race isn't really the focus of the story. Most of the time, I even forgot he is Asian because he got such an American name. Trevor is out and proud despite being in a conservative college. Trevor is the poor college kid juggling multiple jobs because his family is awful. He is more than happy to land the hottest guy in campus and love to teach Matt a thing or two about gay sex, but Trevor had no patience for Matt's bullshit. Trevor refuse to be a total doormat and his impatience shows.
Despite Matt being in the closet, he still wanted to pursue something with Trevor in campus. Most of the time, I don't like reading closeted case, they are either asshole or seriously depressing. But Matt seems like a very decent guy and he dare to admit he want Trevor although the journey to coming out is hard. The blow back that I anticipated isn't that bad, it seems convincing enough without going OTT. There are some moderate level of angst present whenever Matt and Trevor got into argument, mostly over 'coming out' of course. It did make me feel a tad emotional over it, but it doesn't make me want to throw anything. Far from it, I actually feel all these fight make their relationship seems more real and believable and it shows that not everything is hunky dory.
Overall, a solid NA, M/M, sport romance with lovable characters, hot erotic scenes, some family drama and college drama. All drama in moderation without going OTT. I agree the supporting cast left a lot to be desire. They seems to say those inappropriate stuff although they are suppose to be supportive. But I don't think this inappropriate moments ruin Matt and Trevor's story for me.
September 16, 2017
There are a lot of mixed reviews of this book. And I do get why some people would find this book offensive, because it has all the gay clichés, and they were simply awful.
Things like, “But I’m not that kind of gay’” were said a lot. But I knew this going in, so I tried to ignore it as best as I could.
My rating has more to do with the fact that I really hate closet cases. And the reason why may be understandable, if it’s fear for a parent, fear for a scholarship, or one’s team, I honestly don’t care. I just don’t like it.
And unfortunately this was the main reason Trevor and Matt were constantly fighting. Yes, the romance was pretty sweet at times, and I really liked that both didn’t hide their feelings for each other. But Matt was so clueless about how to treat his boyfriend, and Trevor got angry about being kept a secret a lot.
Once Matt came out to his friends and told them about Trevor I thought that was it, that was the moment I was waiting for. But no, then he had to come out to his sisters, his father, his coach, his teammates, the world. I just wanted him to shout it from the rooftops, not going back in the closet every single time after he told someone. It was tiring.
I liked some parts, but overall the back and forth between Matt and Trevor was just too much for me.
If you can do closet cases, this might be the book for you.
Things like, “But I’m not that kind of gay’” were said a lot. But I knew this going in, so I tried to ignore it as best as I could.
My rating has more to do with the fact that I really hate closet cases. And the reason why may be understandable, if it’s fear for a parent, fear for a scholarship, or one’s team, I honestly don’t care. I just don’t like it.
And unfortunately this was the main reason Trevor and Matt were constantly fighting. Yes, the romance was pretty sweet at times, and I really liked that both didn’t hide their feelings for each other. But Matt was so clueless about how to treat his boyfriend, and Trevor got angry about being kept a secret a lot.
Once Matt came out to his friends and told them about Trevor I thought that was it, that was the moment I was waiting for. But no, then he had to come out to his sisters, his father, his coach, his teammates, the world. I just wanted him to shout it from the rooftops, not going back in the closet every single time after he told someone. It was tiring.
I liked some parts, but overall the back and forth between Matt and Trevor was just too much for me.
If you can do closet cases, this might be the book for you.
March 20, 2022
The plot was interesting, but all become too much at one point.
Too much sex, too much drama which by the way was not really resolved (part of it), too much fighting between the characters (yeah, there was a point but still).
What bothered me the most were some stereotypes that were thrown into the book... I didn't see a point in them and honestly, I was so frustrated at one point I thought I'll just dnf this book. But I didn't and I ask myself whyyy?
Some examples: ❗️❗️ SPOILERS ❗️❗️
I don't remember all of the things and didn't bother to highlight them, but one of the most awful:
"Oh, yeah, great job you're doing. Your life's such a mess you were whoring yourself out at a sleazy massage parlor."
They were fighting and this was what Matt said to Trevor. To call him that even if he was angry, when all Trevor did was try hard to make a living, I can't and I won't try to understand Matt.
The stereotypes surrounding women and men in this book... don't let me get started. I rolled my eyes so hard at so many scenes. The women who were side characters here were so frustrating, there was talk about women (what a woman do - gives birth etc., also, the way women were portrayed in this book… really?), about gays... "I'm not that kind of gay.", labeling as a twink, asking if you're a top or a bottom (Matt's sister asked Trevor or Matt, I don't remember who exactly).
The drama with Matt's father was resolved, but what about Trevor? He called his mother, cried because of it and in the next moment forgot it all for forever. It was like this scene never existed. As it was nothing to Trevor and didn't hurt him?
Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book. I basically liked only Trevor, the sex parts were good, Matt was too annoying at times, he was the good guy, but that image burned to ashes when he called Trevor a whore and then they resolved it all by a "I'm sorry" text. Trevor's character, it felt like he was taking everything Matt threw at him, it didn't really feel like love at times, it felt more like settling and that bothered me. The author tried to portray Matt as a good guy and to some degree I can say Matt was good. But to me this book was full of too many stereotypes and awful behavior.
I understand why a lot of my friends like it though. The plot was interesting, and Trevor and Matt had sexy, cute, and touching moments. I can’t deny that.
Too much sex, too much drama which by the way was not really resolved (part of it), too much fighting between the characters (yeah, there was a point but still).
What bothered me the most were some stereotypes that were thrown into the book... I didn't see a point in them and honestly, I was so frustrated at one point I thought I'll just dnf this book. But I didn't and I ask myself whyyy?
Some examples: ❗️❗️ SPOILERS ❗️❗️
I don't remember all of the things and didn't bother to highlight them, but one of the most awful:
"Oh, yeah, great job you're doing. Your life's such a mess you were whoring yourself out at a sleazy massage parlor."
They were fighting and this was what Matt said to Trevor. To call him that even if he was angry, when all Trevor did was try hard to make a living, I can't and I won't try to understand Matt.
The stereotypes surrounding women and men in this book... don't let me get started. I rolled my eyes so hard at so many scenes. The women who were side characters here were so frustrating, there was talk about women (what a woman do - gives birth etc., also, the way women were portrayed in this book… really?), about gays... "I'm not that kind of gay.", labeling as a twink, asking if you're a top or a bottom (Matt's sister asked Trevor or Matt, I don't remember who exactly).
The drama with Matt's father was resolved, but what about Trevor? He called his mother, cried because of it and in the next moment forgot it all for forever. It was like this scene never existed. As it was nothing to Trevor and didn't hurt him?
Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book. I basically liked only Trevor, the sex parts were good, Matt was too annoying at times, he was the good guy, but that image burned to ashes when he called Trevor a whore and then they resolved it all by a "I'm sorry" text. Trevor's character, it felt like he was taking everything Matt threw at him, it didn't really feel like love at times, it felt more like settling and that bothered me. The author tried to portray Matt as a good guy and to some degree I can say Matt was good. But to me this book was full of too many stereotypes and awful behavior.
I understand why a lot of my friends like it though. The plot was interesting, and Trevor and Matt had sexy, cute, and touching moments. I can’t deny that.
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