Heather C. Leigh

A good sports-based romance is just what I needed, and when I came across a whole series (well, two previous books and a third up for publication in a few weeks), I decided to give it a go. The blurb alone had my anticipation going up a few notches: two stubborn men, one rude one social, and “hate at first sight” sounded very promising in terms of conflict, passion, and lots of “interpersonal sparks” all over the place. And what a ride it turned out to be!

Dexter is a professional show more beach volleyball player who desperately wants his first professional Grand Slam title. He has a volleyball partner he plays well with, and his strongest opponent is a man he already hated in college and who has since risen to “an asshole to the hundredth power”, as Dexter puts it. What makes it worse is that Finn and his playing partner usually win in a direct confrontation.

Finn is everything Dexter is not. He’s tough, unfriendly, glowers a lot, and is a brutally tough player who will do pretty much anything it takes to win. He hates Dexter for his ability to charm people, for his friendliness, and just – because he is too physically perfect and utterly charming. Not qualities Finn has in excess. He is also deeply in love with his volleyball partner, Tristan, whom he is secretly engaged to, but he isn’t out and that leads to all kinds of complications.

Told in alternating first person, the story is especially tension-filled as I was able to see each character’s thoughts and feelings from really, really up-close and personal. Being this close to the proceedings added an extra dimension to my enjoyment. I saw both sides to the point that I began to hate Dexter when Finn was talking, and vice versa. Quite an experience. But as much hostility as there is between the men, there is also some shared history, an underlying respect (not that they’d ever admit that), and quite clearly the potential for a passion as deep as their initial disdain.

Watching them slowly gravitate toward each other was very entertaining! Not that it was an easy process for them to deal with their feelings for each other while Dexter faces work pressure outside volleyball so he can make enough money to survive and Finn tries to deal with the accidental death of his volleyball partner/lover. Of course there is also homophobia and fears for their careers if anyone finds out they are together. In the end, the stubbornness that kept them apart for so long turns out to be their single biggest ally in figuring out how to be lovers.

If you like stories about athletes, if you want to watch two men go from rivals/enemies to forced teammates and then lovers, and if you’re looking for a read that is likely to make you grind your teeth in anger as often as it might make you smile (eventually), then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

After liking the first two books in this series a lot, I was looking forward to ‘Two-Man Advantage’ – and am happy to report that it fulfilled all my expectations, and then some! A hockey star “skating on the edge of a catastrophe” and a PR specialist “so adept he is called ‘the fixer’” are not exactly two men I’d have expected to match. And what did I find when I read this book? Two men, one more stubborn and rude than the other, misunderstandings and conflict show more preprogrammed before they even meet, and passion on both sides that promised the same sort of interpersonal sparks I saw in book one. What surprised me, in the best way possible, was a lot more character depth and a deeper back story than in the first two volumes. Both Viktor, the “catastrophic” hockey player, and Bo, the “miracle worker” are multilayered men whose issues are not easily solved. As a consequence, reading this book was quite the ride on more than one front!

Viktor is angry, belligerent, violent, and goes on the attack “just in case”. His aggression boils over at the slightest provocation and splashes out around anyone standing within three feet of him, metaphorically speaking. It hit me from the first page, and it was quite an experience – not just because it was so well done and utterly convincing, but also because I was curious to find out what caused it and I soon began to wonder if he’d ever be able to get rid of it. Behaviors and protective mechanisms – because that is largely what it is for Viktor – are there for a reason, and boy, does Viktor have reasons!

Bo is not exactly a wallflower either. He has more self-control than most people – to the point where he could be taken for an icicle rather than a man, but his inner energy and temperament are very similar to Viktor’s. Bo has learned to channel his aggression better, but fundamentally, he understands the people who get into a problem with the press because he knows how they feel. His success has made him arrogant to the point of nausea, and his need to control everything is a protective mechanism in its own right.

Watching these two “titans” clash was an amazing experience. Both men have emotional walls around them that seem hopelessly secure, and yet they both desperately need each other. I was on the edge of my seat following the revelations, their fights and progress, the heat of their physical encounters, and their desperate struggle to find a way to be in a relationship they both so clearly wanted, even though neither of them admits it for a very long time.

If you like stories about complicated characters who virtually kill each other before they figure out they are meant to be together, if you want to see opposite ends of the control spectrum clash and explode, and if you’re looking for a read that has character growth, deep passion, and offers a romance that is as rocky as it is complicated, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I sincerely hope the next one in this sports-based series is not too far from publication.



NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

Wow

This was an amazing story ,I was transfixed from the opening lines , was so refreshing to read a tale about imperfect individual's, Miri was such an interesting character slowly transforming from an addict to the person she was always meant to be ,Boss/Jag finally developing a weakness in Miri when he has been like an island ,alone for so long and all concluding in an explosive cliffhanger of a finale, addicting reading.

Professional football player Sullivan "Van" Archer is outgoing, sensational, and definitely straight. Or at least that's what he needs everyone to think in order to keep his position. The truth is that there are some thick walls around his closet that he hopes will never come down. After Van suffers and injury that results in a recommendation to take yoga classes, Van finds himself in the class of Tobias Bennett--one of Van's one-night stands that he hoped he wouldn't cross paths with ever show more again. Tobias is quiet, still recovering from an abusive relationship, and has very little patience for Van's attitude. But there is something between them that neither of them can easily shake, and it's clear they will need to figure out what it is if they're going to figure out what to do about it.

It can be easy to forget that each of our actions has an impact and that sometimes those impacts are not intended. And sometimes we cannot foresee how things just might come back around to haunt us. But ignoring people and feelings is not a way of resolving them, and finding resolution may mean needing to let down the walls that one has put up for protection. After all, if you close yourself off to possibilities, are you truly living? This book does an excellent job of addressing these questions and issues as we follow these two young men down a road of new experiences, taking chances, and letting go.

This is the second book in the series, but it is not necessary to read the first book to follow, understand, and enjoy the story. show less