Review: Outing the Quarterback (The Long Pass Chronicles #1) by Tara Lain

Blurb: 
Will Ashford lives in two closets. He meets his wealthy father's goals as both the quarterback for the famous SCU football team and a business major, but secretly he attends art school and longs to live as a painter. And he's gay. But if he can win the coveted Milton Scholarship for art, he'll be able to break from his father at the end of his senior year. 

In a painting master class, Will meets his divergent opposite, Noah Zajack. A scarred orphan who's slept on park benches and eaten from trash cans, Noah carefully plans his life and multiple jobs so he has money and time to go to art school. Will's problems seem like nothing compared to Noah's. Noah wants the scholarship too and may have a way to get it since the teacher of his class has designs on him, a plan Will isn't happy about. 

When a gossipmonger with a popular YouTube channel finds evidence that Will is gay, the quarterback's closet doors begin to crumble. Hounded by the press and harassed by other players, Will has to choose. Stay in the closet and keep his family's wealth, or let the doors fall off and walk out with nothing. Nothing but Noah. 


My Thoughts: 

Damn, I love a scarred hero/MC! Especially when they are a pretty man. I was immediately sucked into Will and Noah's story. The chemistry was undeniable and just oozed from the pages.

Will is deep in the closet, he is not out to anyone and the only sexual contact he has had with other men he has had to pay for. His father definitely rules the roost and Will has let it go as far as the fact that he plays football, has the hot (yet totally bitchy) head cheerleader for a girlfriend and yet he wants none of it. So what does Will want, you ask? Will wants to paint. He is an artist at heart.
Noah is an orphan who has had to work and struggle for every little thing he has. When Noah meets Will he can't seem to shake the feeling he gets and can't get him out of his mind.

There were definitely some times through this story that I just wanted to scream and then there were others when I teared up too. Tara Lain never disappoints me, she has an uncanny ability to just pull emotions from me. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series!

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Buy now from Amazon:

Review: Beach Balls (Balls to the Wall #3) by Tara Lain

Blurb:
Adam James is so far in the closet he could find Narnia. But coming out would threaten all he's built as the lead attorney for WMA Development and the million dollars he can get when he finishes pushing a big land remediation project through the City Council. Then on an early morning scuba dive, Adam meets a tall, lean rebreather diver named Sky who makes him want to live a different life. But Adam's dreams are shattered when he walks into the council meeting and finds the fire-breathing environmentalist who's screwing up his chances of winning is none other than the same beautiful man. Sky Sea Mickeljohn doesn't compromise, so how could he find himself lusting after a damned developer? And what happens when someone opens Adam's closet door? These two better start telling the truth if they're ever going to find world peace.

My Thoughts:
Both of these guys are smoking hot! Of course that can be expected from Tara Lain, all her boys are beautiful! This is the third book in the series, but I found this one very different from the first two. I loved how it was a developer/attorney and an environmentalist, two opposite sides of the coin, yet they were unable to stop the attraction between them.

Adam and Sky were remarkable characters and I loved reading their story. This series has become a favorite of mine and I am really excited to read the next one.

Rating: 5 Stars

Add to Goodreads

Buy from Amazon:

Review & Promo: The Pack or the Panther (Tales of the Harker Pack #1) by Tara Lain

Blurb: 
Cole Harker, son of an alpha werewolf, is bigger and more powerful than most wolves, tongue-tied in groups, and gay. For twenty-four years, he's lived to please his family and pack- even letting them promise him in marriage to female werewolf Analiese to secure a pack alliance and help save them from a powerful gangster who wants their land. Then Cole meets Analiese's half-brother, panther shifter Paris Marketo, and for the first time, Cole wants something for himself.

When Analiese runs off to marry a human, Cole finally has a chance with Paris, but the solitary cat rejects him, the pack and everything it represents. Then Cole discovers the gangster wants Paris too and won't rest until he has him. What started as a land dispute turns into World War Wolf! But the bigger fight is the battle between cats and dogs.

Now Available in Audio book!!


This fantastic shifter story from the amazing Tara Lain is now out in Audio for your listening pleasure! You can buy it from Audible! 


My Thoughts: 

It is no surprise that I loved this one! I mean sexy M/M loving and shifters, what's not to love? Tara has a way of writing that just sucks me into the story every single time and I can't get enough.

Cole is a total Alpha with the exception that he has issues with group settings. He definitely gets tongue-tied and tends to fumble when put on the spot. But physically he is all luscious man! Cole always puts the family and pack over his own wants and needs he has agreed to marry a female even though he is most definitely a gay man. When he meets Paris the sparks fly and Cole constantly has to remind himself that it can not happen.

Paris is not all wolf, he is a half breed. Part wolf and part panther he tends to relate more to his panther side, oh but he does have a most surprising secret. (No I am not going to tell and spoil the excitement.) Paris comes off like most cats... selfish and all about himself, completely disregarding anyone else's feelings. It made me question him several times through the book.

"I rescued you because I fucking cared if you lived or died. Because I didn't want to live if you weren't alive. You married me to wipe out that debt." He snarled across his teeth. "We'll never be even."

Tara Lain could've just ripped my heart out with this line, I had to put my kindle down and run for the tissues.

Rating: 5 Stars

Buy it Now:

Dreamspinner Press

Review: Love You So Hard by Tara Lain

This story was written as part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event.  Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. 

Photo Description: 
The slim, taut torso of a young man from neck to hips wearing a t-shirt that says "I Would Bottom You So Hard".

Story Prompt:
Dear Author,
I saw him at my local corner store when I stopped in for some soda after work. He was wearing that damn T-shirt and now I can't get it out of my head. I'm thirty-two years old and have never topped in my life. Guys seem to think I have a sign on my forehead that says "bottom only". The one time I asked, it didn't go well. But now it seems I see this kid, he's twenty if he's a day, everywhere, and that T-shirt text is burned in my brain. I wonder...
Can be any genre you like, and as explict as you like. I'm not too fussy, but a first time top should be fun.

My Thoughts:
For being a short story, this one really held my attention. I often find that shorter stories are lacking somewhere along the line. That was definitely not the case here, it had a beginning a middle and an end.

Jesse defines the statement "pushy bottom" to a tee! He is a fantastic tutor and he just makes everyone around him smile. Craig wants to top so bad but his partners have always had him bottom. Jesse is the perfect man for him! I loved seeing this story play out, and can I just say I really want one of the T-Shirts! Seriously though this story is not one to be missed. The couple is fantastic, the storyline will make you melt and the sex is hot! What more could you ask for? Overall this is a really cute story you simply must read!

Rating: 5*


Add to Goodreads
Book Buy Links:
Free at ARe

Review: Volley Balls (Balls to the Wall #1) & Fire Balls (Balls to the Wall #2) by Tara Lain

Since I have recently joined Tara Lain's Beautiful Dream Team I wanted to do a post or two on some of her books that I have already read. This post is on the first two books in her Balls to the Wall series. Don't you just love that series title?!

Blurb:
David Underwood needs to go to AA- Alpha Lovers Anonymous. His last attraction to an alpha male got him into an abusive relationship and now ogling two hot members of the Australian volleyball team on Laguna Beach gets him harassed yet again.

Australian Gareth Marshall needs to come out. A lifetime of hiding his orientation from his best friend and volleyball partner, Edge, as well as everyone else around him, has left him hurt and frustrated. When Gareth gets a load of David posing nude as the Michelangelo statue in the famous Laguna Pageant, he knows his days in the closet are numbered. And David is more than willing to help him take the first step out of the dark.

But Gareth's teammate, Edge, has secrets of his own, and David's ex-lover will never be happy without David under his thumb. With everything stacked against him, can a gay Laguna man find happiness with an alpha male - or two?

My Thoughts:
This was the first book that I ever read by Tara Lain and I was hooked! The guys were very real to me and I really enjoyed their story. The first thing that drew me in was the cover. I love it! I love sexy covers but I have to admit I am not a fan of head shots, I much prefer ones like this where I get to see those smokin' hot bodies!
I didn't read much about this book before starting it. So I wasn't sure which way the story was going to go, it wasn't until about half way in that I even realized there were three hot guys on the cover! Makes it even better doesn't it...?
David seems like a glutton for punishment even though he is only trying to find love, he seems to end up with the short end of the stick every single time. Gareth is tired of hiding and once he sees David he realizes he needs to exit the closet sooner than later. Edge, *sigh* I really wasn't sure how to take him, then when he let the cat out of the bag I loved him! It finally all made sense. I loved these guys, I just really wanted to read more about them. I guess I wasn't ready for the book to end.
I loved Tara's writing style. The pages just turned one right after the other and I read this book in one sitting, I just could not put it down. I really didn't want the story to be over that was the only hiccup. I would definitely recommend this book.

Rating: 4*

Add to Goodreads
Book Buy Links:

Blurb:
Rodney Mansfield is tiny, flamboyant and, oh yeah, a black belt in karate. He is also one of southern California's greatest artists. Too bad the work of art he really wants is firefighter, Hunter Fallon. But the gorgeous "straight gay" guy could never want the Runtback of Notre Dame, so when Rodney's handsome, surfer friend, Jerry, develops an unexpected passion for the beautiful firefighter, Rodney breaks his own heart by helping Jerry land his man. And then Rod makes it worse by embarrassing Hunter when he protects him from a firehouse bully. Hunter hates gay guys like Rodney- doesn't he? Then why can't he get the powerful pipsqueak's face out of his mind...and cock out of his ass? And why does he risk his job and his life to rescue Rod from a burning building? Isn't it time for him to admit he isn't an alpha male after all and that he is the property of the artist?

My Thoughts:
Oh yes! Now that is what I am talking about! Whew, a hot as hell firefighter and the artist that claims him, yes this one was top notch! Can you tell I am excited? This story was fantastic, and set my kindle on "fire"!

Hunter on the outside is the stereotypical alpha male firefighter. At least that is what we are led to believe. Rodney appears to be the (once again) stereotypical flaming gay man, tiny and loud in his appearance. As we read we find out that both of these statements are so so wrong.  Rodney is as in love with Hunter as someone can be without actually knowing a person.  I think what Rodney did just to help his friend was amazing, after all he just wanted to see the men happy, even if he is sacrificing his own happiness to do so.

I could not get enough of Hunter and Rodney! They were fantastic together and I just had to finish the book once I got started. There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to put my kindle down. I thought that Rodney was an amazing man and I could not wait to see him get his happy ending. Hunter on the other hand took some getting used to. I really wanted help him remove his head from his gorgeous rump. Luckily Rod was able to do it.

If this book and the previous one are any clue as to what we can expect from Tara Lain in the future I am definitely sold! The writing just flows over the page and makes for an excellent reading experience. I am so eager to read more of her work I have already purchased the rest of this series. I would highly recommend this book as well as book one!

Rating: 5*

Add to Goodreads
Book buy links:


About the Author:
Tara Lain never met a beautiful boy she didn't love - at least on paper. A writer of erotic romance, mostly menage and male/male, Tara loves all her characters, but especially her handsome heroes. A lifelong writer of serious non-fiction, Tara had the first novel she ever wrote accepted for publication in 2011. She's now on book 23 and counting. After an exotic life of travel all over the world and work in television, education and advertising, Tara settled in Southern California with her soul-mate husband and opened her own small marketing business. She paints, collages, and started practicing yoga "way before it was fashionable". Passionate about diversity, justice, inclusion and new ideas she says on her tombstone it will read, "Yes".

Be sure to check out Tara's website and find her on Goodreads.