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162nd out of 583 books
—
1,183 voters
Mark's Opening Gambit
by
Lee Brazil (Goodreads Author)
The son of a wealthy business man, Mark Addison is an expert at chess and hiding. Mason Grant labors with his hands in a menial position; he's open about who he is and what he wants in ways that terrify Mark. . Their paths shouldn't have crossed, but now that they have... They came from different backgrounds, yet each adheres to his own version of family duty and responsib...more
ebook, 77 pages
Published
April 6th 2012
by Breathless Press
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May 16, 2012
Elisa Ramblings
added it
Nice novella, a variation of the Cinderfellas meets Prince Charming theme mixed with Blue Collar vs White Collar. Mason is a good boy, he is helping his mother raising his younger brothers and sisters, he is working the night shift so that his mother can work by day while he is looking after the kids, he left school at 16 years old to take a full time job even if he was not a bad student. In few words he is almost perfect, caring, handsome, maybe not so driven by the need to better himself, but...more
1.5 stars So, to be fair, I probably would have given this 2 stars if it had been free, but since on top of not liking it I had to spend $2.49... it gets bumped down half a star. I say "not liking" as opposed to "hated", because hate is too strong of an emotion. This was just so... whatever... that all I felt was an urge to finish so I could be done.
Not really sure what happened to be honest. All the components were there, the problem is the author didn't connect the dots. One scene our MC's mee...more
Not really sure what happened to be honest. All the components were there, the problem is the author didn't connect the dots. One scene our MC's mee...more
1 like · like · see review
Blah. This was another one that very nearly ended up in my dnf shelf, but it was short enough I just forced myself to finish it.
The characters are much more like caricatures than like actual people. Mason, the high school dropout working nights to help support his family; Mark, the rich kid with the overbearing parents; the overbearing parents trying to marry Mark off to a suitable wife; the over-worked single mom trying to support and raise her kids on her own.
None of them seemed to express any...more
The characters are much more like caricatures than like actual people. Mason, the high school dropout working nights to help support his family; Mark, the rich kid with the overbearing parents; the overbearing parents trying to marry Mark off to a suitable wife; the over-worked single mom trying to support and raise her kids on her own.
None of them seemed to express any...more
This book is okay. Not good. Not bad. Just okay. The set up isn't original (deeply closeted man meets & falls in love with out & proud man). The angst isn't original (family of closeted man controls him with threats of financial ruin if he doesn't het-up). The HEA isn't original either. This book follows a tried & true formula without anything new to give it a wow factor. In fact, the characters are a bit too immature to be believable so that helps this book languish in the mediocre....more
When Mark and Mason meet at a chess tournament the attraction is instant. Neither man is living the life that they really want to but together they find a kind of peace and acceptance. As Mark is dependent on his parents to keep running his business, he asks Mason to keep their relationship a secret. Spending time with Mason's family makes him long for a more open relationship. After a confrontation with Mark's father both men begin to make changes in their lives, each trying to work towards a b...more
Pretty good short book.
Nothing too unique about the story.
I liked that at the end no one was (view spoiler) like in most romance books.
I liked the involvement of the family and how close they all got to each other and the pro-gay coming out of the closet stuff.
It wasn't bad, but nothing memorable either.
Nothing too unique about the story.
I liked that at the end no one was (view spoiler) like in most romance books.
I liked the involvement of the family and how close they all got to each other and the pro-gay coming out of the closet stuff.
It wasn't bad, but nothing memorable either.
Perfect. Wonderful charcters, well thought out family dynamics, and a spot on pace for a short story. While this is not my favourite book from this author it is the first one I have read that feels complete. From start to finish this story kept me engaged. Short and sweet. I loved it.
2.5 stars. Ok m/m romance about a high school dropout who's helping his mom support his younger brothers by working nights. When he meets the snooty owner of a chess shop where one of his brothers is in a tournament, he's unprepared for the attraction between them.
For August Category Challenge!
Finished this pretty quickly. I liked the beginning, but then I went through a bit where I was really quite disappointed with Mark. I hated how Mason was feeling because of Mark's behaviors.
I ended up loving the story with its very satisfying endi.
Finished this pretty quickly. I liked the beginning, but then I went through a bit where I was really quite disappointed with Mark. I hated how Mason was feeling because of Mark's behaviors.
I ended up loving the story with its very satisfying endi.
Massive time jump. They met, kissed, then all of a sudden, it was weeks later. That 'getting to know you' time is the most important and it was just skipped over. :(
I liked this! It's a hot, sweet, and heart-warming coming-of-age (of sorts) romance for both Mark and Mason.
Really, really enjoyed this story - looking forward to checking out the author's backlist titles!
Sigh. I love happy endings. :)
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
Though I liked the tie-in to chess there was really nothing much new here; two guys meet, fall in lust, one in the closet, the other one not. They figure it out. There was a bit too much melodrama for my taste and the characters a bit too black and white (kinda like the chessboard, tee hee). But if you want a simple, sweet m/m rom then this one's for you.
Though I liked the tie-in to chess there was really nothing much new here; two guys meet, fall in lust, one in the closet, the other one not. They figure it out. There was a bit too much melodrama for my taste and the characters a bit too black and white (kinda like the chessboard, tee hee). But if you want a simple, sweet m/m rom then this one's for you.
I liked this one very much. I liked how the MC's wanted to improve themselves for the other but they didn't need to.
Apr 23, 2013
Supercandy
marked it as to-read
Apr 20, 2013
Shannon
marked it as maybe
Feb 11, 2013
Paul Wright
marked it as to-read
Jan 19, 2013
Patti
marked it as to-read
Dec 16, 2012
Tammy
added it
Dec 01, 2012
Dee
marked it as to-read
Nov 28, 2012
Kym
marked it as to-read
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Sep 04, 2012 06:52pm