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A review by squirrelfish
Rough and Tumble by Shae Connor
3.0
The only reasons this didn't get more stars from me is that I like my romance novels with a bit more sex & escapism - but I think for a newer romance fan, or someone who is really seeking gay romances specifically, or someone who is a little uncomfortable with sex scenes this could easily be a 4 or 5 star book.
Rough & Tumble is a young adult/new adult gay romance featuring two gymnasts that lines up characters for a more extensive "University of Atlanta" series. It's got only a few brief sex scenes so it should be appropriate for a slightly younger audience, although it also addresses real issues, so it's not totally fluffy and might need a trigger warning for some issues. It's got the first person point-of-view that's common in romance aimed at a slightly younger audience, something that's generally not my favorite style but done really really well here, so I can't imagine the book any other way. It's aimed at people a bit younger than me, but I enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for a young romance fan, or a young gay man. It's a coming out story, a romance, and shows the discovery of the rainbow world with a scene at Atlanta pride. I'd definitely give this a spot on my Pride shelf if I had a book store ;). Oh, and one of the protagonists is Japanese-American and his cultural traditions are mentioned, so additional diversity points beyond being a gay romance.
I'm not sure if I'll read more from the series, but I am interested in what happens with Annie, Mo, Pace, Kenny and the rest of the University of Atlanta crew, so I'll let the sample chapters of the next book decide.
Read through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review & my Kobo Aura for physical device.
Rough & Tumble is a young adult/new adult gay romance featuring two gymnasts that lines up characters for a more extensive "University of Atlanta" series. It's got only a few brief sex scenes so it should be appropriate for a slightly younger audience, although it also addresses real issues, so it's not totally fluffy and might need a trigger warning for some issues. It's got the first person point-of-view that's common in romance aimed at a slightly younger audience, something that's generally not my favorite style but done really really well here, so I can't imagine the book any other way. It's aimed at people a bit younger than me, but I enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for a young romance fan, or a young gay man. It's a coming out story, a romance, and shows the discovery of the rainbow world with a scene at Atlanta pride. I'd definitely give this a spot on my Pride shelf if I had a book store ;). Oh, and one of the protagonists is Japanese-American and his cultural traditions are mentioned, so additional diversity points beyond being a gay romance.
I'm not sure if I'll read more from the series, but I am interested in what happens with Annie, Mo, Pace, Kenny and the rest of the University of Atlanta crew, so I'll let the sample chapters of the next book decide.
Read through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review & my Kobo Aura for physical device.