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Scrambling

by Lex Valentine (Goodreads Author)

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 43 ratings · 13 reviews

Evan McAdams has two constants in his life--football and his friendship with Reed Matthews. From the age of six, Evan's played football alongside Reed. In his teens, he realized he was gay and loved Reed, but fear kept him from confiding his deepest emotions to his best friend.

When he and Reed are drafted to the L.A. Stars, Evan decides to come out. His decision impacts Re...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Lena Grey rated it 3 of 5 stars

One of the most essential components of a successful relationship is good communication. Evan and Reed, in 'Scrambling' by Lex Valentine, are operating under the false assumption that their relationship is all that it could be. They're committed, trusting, and loving toward each other. They would rather be with each other than with anyone on Earth. Their relationship would be perfect except for the one thing. Through a false sense of protecting each other, they are lying to themselves and each o...more One of the most essential components of a successful relationship is good communication. Evan and Reed, in 'Scrambling' by Lex Valentine, are operating under the false assumption that their relationship is all that it could be. They're committed, trusting, and loving toward each other. They would rather be with each other than with anyone on Earth. Their relationship would be perfect except for the one thing. Through a false sense of protecting each other, they are lying to themselves and each other. If Evan and Reed have the caliber of friendship they claim, acknowledging their mutual love would be a wonderful gift, it would complete them. Instead, they've created a negative barrier which is reinforced each time they deny their feelings. If they were as close as they say, nothing would ever come between them.

Essentially, I like both men. They are the strapping, all American, boy-next-door types, with admirable moral compasses and they are very good at what they do. However, this fatal flaw they have, of assuming they know what's best for the other person, irked me to no end. The sheer amount of times the subject was brought up made me want to scream and smack them both. Wake up, guys! How could you be close enough to complete each other's sentences and not trust each other enough to share your deepest feelings? Not only are they cheating themselves, but they are cheating each other out of a fulfilling life and leaving bodies along their confused ways. I find this appalling. It was difficult to feel sorry for them knowing about their deception.

I do love Lex's love scenes though, and savor every word. They portray much more than the physical act. They are descriptive, sensual, passionate, and just plain hot. They also evoke a great deal of emotion and understanding. Even in the heat of passion, Evan staunchly refuses to reveal his feelings, which made me even angrier at him and the situation. With this said, I truly wanted these two men to have a happy ending. I felt like they had struggled enough.

'Scrambling' is a good story. As it delves into the world of the NFL it brings the issue of gays coming out into the spotlight. After all, how can one be at their best on the field, if they have the angst involved with keeping their true self hidden. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes an enjoyable friends to lovers story with engaging characters, an honesty is the best policy theme, and a happy ending. Thanks, Lex, for the pleasant read.
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Dec 28, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ms. Valentine always gives me strong characters and great emotion. This story is no different. Evan and Reed are deep men with a large range of emotion. I'm not someone who normally likes the "time switches". (I have often ranted about Nora Robert's "Blue Smoke" with its chapters and chapters of prologue, but that's another story) Lex Valentine pulls it off. She inserts these timelines at smart places giving the reader the chance to really fall into these characters and their problems. Reed's ch...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Susan65 rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked Evan and Reed. They were both very likeable guys who’d adored each other since they were 6 years old. They were best friends from the day the met on their Pee-Wee football team, and stood by each other through thick and thin. Their issues began when they each realized they were gay (at 15 and 16) and were so afraid of losing their friendship that they hid their feelings from the other. Unfortunately, it took them from 16 to 29 years of age before they were finally able to be a cou...more I really liked Evan and Reed. They were both very likeable guys who’d adored each other since they were 6 years old. They were best friends from the day the met on their Pee-Wee football team, and stood by each other through thick and thin. Their issues began when they each realized they were gay (at 15 and 16) and were so afraid of losing their friendship that they hid their feelings from the other. Unfortunately, it took them from 16 to 29 years of age before they were finally able to be a couple, with no secrets between them. It was a hard fought 13 years. Both ended up in dead end relationships. Both suffered needlessly because of fear. Both suffered unnecessarily.

But honestly, I loved the angst. I love when “love’ doesn’t come too easy. They never doubted the love they had for the other; they just didn’t realize they both harbored “that” kind of love, the “in-love” love. They also had the input of friends and co-workers who “advised” them to keep it to themselves. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and hope for the best. But, had they done that, there would not be a story.

Reed and Evan were the first openly gay men in the NFL. In addition to dealing with what they both considered unrequited love from the other, they had to handle the upheaval they caused by being true to themselves by being “out” in a very heterosexual, testosterone laced sport. It was not easy.

Besides the fact that their romance didn’t truly begin until they were 29, this story reminded me a lot of The Locker Room. Both were best friends since they were kids and both were successful athletes who made in to the Pro’s on the same team. And both were really awesome guys who always looked out for the other.

Evan was my favorite. He was like a huge teddy bear…and being 6’6” tall and 290 pounds that was not too far from the truth. He dropped everything and everyone anytime Reed needed him. How Reed didn’t know that Evan was in love with him amazed me. And Reed was a sweetheart. He was also a big guy, 6’4” tall and 250 pounds. I swear my dirty mind was in heaven picturing these two guys together. And when they did have sex, it was HOT…they truly are meant for each other.
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Feb 09, 2013 Lasha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cheaters, coming-out, darkdivasreviews, first-time, friends-to-lovers, sports

Some of my favorite M/M books have had a sports theme in them: The Locker Room, Caught Running and Out in the Field. So, I was really looking forward to Lex Valentine’s Scrambling, which tells the story of not one, but two NFL football players coming out as gay.

Evan and Reed have been friends since they were children. They attended school together, played football and eventually signed with the same NFL team. Their big secret? Both of them are gay and want out of the closet – each for different...more Some of my favorite M/M books have had a sports theme in them: The Locker Room, Caught Running and Out in the Field. So, I was really looking forward to Lex Valentine’s Scrambling, which tells the story of not one, but two NFL football players coming out as gay.

Evan and Reed have been friends since they were children. They attended school together, played football and eventually signed with the same NFL team. Their big secret? Both of them are gay and want out of the closet – each for different reasons. Reed wants out because he doesn’t want to hide his college boyfriend, Len any longer, and Evan because he’s just plain tired of hiding. When career-ending injuries mean the two can no longer play the sport they love, how will this affect their friendship?

What I really liked about Scrambling was Evan and Reed’s relationship. They are best friends, later lovers, but even when they are apart, the emotion is there in every page. They mesh so well that everyone around them sees they belong together, but they are blind to that fact. True star-crossed lovers fighting to find and keep their love.

But despite my adoration for the couple, there were some issues with the novel. Unfortunately, the secondary characterizations were extremely one-dimensional. For example, we never really see Reed’s boyfriend, Len, we hear about him a lot. One, he’s a cheater, two, he’s sick with HIV, and three, wham, he’s dead from cancer. But the reader never gets to know Len or see Reed and Len together, which gives us no insight of why Reed was even with this guy. Because most of the secondary characterizations are telling, not showing, as a reader I couldn’t connect with anyone but Reed and Evan. That’s a shame, as I think this could have helped the overall plot of the book.

Second, for readers who don’t like cheating, this will probably not be your book. While technically not cheating, even after Reed and Evan finally get together (sort of), they aren’t exclusive and there are sex scenes with other men. I only mention this as, again, I thought this was a missed opportunity for the author to cement Reed and Evan’s deep and complex relationship, but instead we get other people involved, which I did not enjoy.

So, while Scrambling did not live up to my expectations, I am sure some readers will enjoy it, especially if like me you enjoy a good sports coming-out tale about long-time friends becoming lovers.

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Oct 04, 2012 M Rae Long rated it 2 of 5 stars

I loved the idea of a book about the first 2 out players in the NFL. Sports stories are a favorite genre of mine. So....I had a couple of problems with this story. I spent most of my time while reading this book wanting to smack the two main characters upside the head (repeatedly) for being stupid and/or cowardly with each other. Reed and Evan are good guys in and of themselves but another character never makes an appearence at all, and most of the others are pretty one dimensional. Other than o...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Moria Mccain rated it 5 of 5 stars

An excellent story about prop football players and their deciding to come out from the beginning of their careers. I found it to be realistic as their problems didn't go away and even as they were "out", it seemed that they still had to hide things. Their closet ended up just being a different one. The interaction between the two men sparked with desire and the love they had for one another (even though they didn't know it) showed in everything they did. This is an angsty story and there were ti...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Trish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

this was pretty good. there is a fine line b/w too much angst and too little. this may have swayed more toward too much angst at times.

the mc's were very likeable. (i didn't get why reed stayed in his relationship with len so long. as the story unfolds, we are given so many reasons why they shouldn't be together) for me, the secondary character was given too much page time. I

i liked the story going back and forth and bring us to the present. and i really liked the other secondary character bryc...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Becky Mrs Condit Reads Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

3 1/2 sweet peas!

Some of this story is heartbreaking. Some of it is uplifting. Some of it is more “damn it, get your act together!” but it’s a good story, especially with the attitudes about sports and homophobia today. The ending takes a bit to get to and a few sad/implausible (to me) things occur. Someone gets hurt and even though it’s understood it’s going to happen, it still seems somewhat unhappy for that character. (I just love HEA’s for everyone, I’m a sucker for romance.)

Please see Mr. P...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed at The Romance Reviews

SCRAMBLING is a fantastic journey into the lives of the first two openly gay NFL players. It explores their struggles with being in the closet and keeping secrets even once they are out of the closet.

I really enjoyed the story of Evan and Reed, friends since the age of six when they met on the peewee football field. Although a quick read, the relationship development showed the strength of the love and friendship between these two men. The author also did a good jo...more Reviewed at The Romance Reviews

SCRAMBLING is a fantastic journey into the lives of the first two openly gay NFL players. It explores their struggles with being in the closet and keeping secrets even once they are out of the closet.

I really enjoyed the story of Evan and Reed, friends since the age of six when they met on the peewee football field. Although a quick read, the relationship development showed the strength of the love and friendship between these two men. The author also did a good job of presenting the issues related to being openly gay, professional football players.

The character of Darcy was actually one of my favorites. Being a PR person she was able to approach the issue of coming out in the NFL from a completely logical and unemotional prospective. But Darcy never neglected the struggles and challenges these two men, who she came to care for, would have to face. The coming out story felt real with these two men getting support, friendship, hatred and fear all thrown at them.

But coming out in the NFL is only a small part of this story. The underlying themes are coming out and being honest, which are not the same thing. Evan and Reed, with Darcy's help, do become the first two openly gay NFL players, but they are both keeping many more secrets besides their sexual preferences. Both of them are involved in relationships that are not what they seem. And both of them are hiding their true feelings for the other.

While a certain level of angst makes a good, emotional love story, I felt this book bordered on having too much. Reading the initial moments when these two, individually, realize they had feelings for the other, but could never express them, was heartbreaking. And the way the two of them suffered in silence for years believing that the other was in a good, happy relationship was very sad. The frustration for me came when every person these two encountered knew how they felt about each other. Despite their feelings being so obvious to those around them, neither of them figures it out and no one else encourages them to express their feelings. It takes years apart and a potentially career-ending injury for Evan to finally be honest about his feelings.

The slightly overdone angst is the only thing about this book that kept me from rating it 5 stars. I quickly became obsessed with wanting to know more about these two characters and devoured this book in a few hours.
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Sep 29, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an okay story.
For 'best friends' who knew each other inside out,, the amount of time it took for them to get their heads out of their butts and admit their feelings for each other, when every man and his dog knew they loved each other became a little too drawn out.

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Sep 26, 2012 DeWanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: athletes, m-m-read

Love gay athlete stories. The angst which seemed a bit heavy at times worked itself out in the end. Just wish real life would imitate fiction and gay athletes come out. Thanks Lex for a great story.

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Oct 27, 2012 Lee Brazil rated it 4 of 5 stars

There was a space of time where I felt like a yoyo being yanked around from past to present to further past and back.

Other than that, an enjoyable read.

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Oct 06, 2012 Sadonna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: athletes, mm, pdf

Review can be found at The Armchair Reader

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Mar 31, 2013 Thamesgirl rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Shelves: m-m-romance

Mar 24, 2013 Nelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: mm, sports, 2013-a-z-challenge

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About Lex Valentine

Lex has been writing ever since she could hold a pencil. A few years ago, she got caught up writing in an online paranormal serial story. As she began to write more and more, fans of the story told her she needed to submit her work to publishers. After starting a blog, more people ,including some authors, began to encourage her to submit her writing. That is how this all began.

Born and raised in S...more

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