Caught Running

Caught Running

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4.08 of 5 stars 4.08  ·  rating details  ·  3,244 ratings  ·  309 reviews
Ten years after graduation, Jake "the jock" Campbell and Brandon "the nerd" Bartlett are teaching at their old high school and still living in separate worlds. When Brandon is thrown into a coaching job on Jake's baseball team, they find themselves learning more about each other than they'd ever expected. High school is all about image – even for the teachers. Brandon and...more
ebook, 237 pages
Published December 2007 by Dreamspinner Press
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Mandy*reads obsessively*
First read in March 2011

I really enjoyed this story!
I can definitely recommend it, but I would have loved an epilogue!

I've decided I need to reread this one, so here it goes.
Update, I have decided to rate it higher a 4.45* for sure, but the ending still feels a bit rushed or incomplete.
Jake was a great sports talent, unfortunately his body took a beating with all the sports and surgeries and now he is a coach at his old highschool and in constant pain from all the abuse his body took over the...more
Ingela
4 Stars - He was around the corner, and after looking for a bit more accurate, he was the one you wanted. Two lucky birds with one stone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book has been in my iPad for a while and eventually I figured it was time to read it (before I start with the Cut & Run series by the same two authors). A good decision - happy again, another (strong) 4-star from me.
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In the initial chapters there was a lot about baseball and procedures at the High School where the two main...more
Mark
I enjoyed this book immensely. Jake reminded so much of my P. E. teacher in school who I also had a healthy respect for if not slightly overpowering and scary. Just never thought that he may have had a softer side too.

I loved the way the author built up the suspension in the beginning of their relationship with both guys being unsure and second guessing themselves all the time. This would be totally natural in a situation where being gay could be construed as not an option. It is only the proce...more
Darkm
This is a book I absolutely loved. The story between Jake and Brandon feels absolutely real. They ignored each other when they were at school, because one was the star of the football team, the other one was the "nerd", the studious one.
Years later they are both back at the very same school, both teaching. The occasion to finally get to know each other comes when Brandon, who is the science teacher, has to take the job as coach for the football team. The more they know each other the more they f...more
Emanuela ~plastic duck~
01/18/13: Revised rating after a couple of years of reading m/m: from 4 to 3.

First: this is a beautiful love story! It was really difficult to put the book down to do the ordinary things in life, because the two main characters, Jake and Brandon, are adorable and the way they fall in love was exciting.

I couldn't give 5 stars because of three issues:

- the point of view is changing from Jake to Brandon from paragraph to paragraph and sometimes it's difficult to understand whose thoughts we are rea...more
Brenda (b)
Quite simply this is a love story – there's no suspense, no danger, no major conflict – just two guys discovering a new phase of their lives and I found it very heartwarming. I really liked Jake and Brandon. They felt like real, caring people. They never expected to be attracted to each other and their feelings surprise them both. It's a bit like a reunion plot because they knew each other in high school, but they didn't truly have much contact with each other then. My main complaint is that the...more
Jane (PS)
I found this a very sweet love story. I loved the characters interactions - between themselves and with outside parties. (The other two coaches were a hoot.) Brandon and Jake's relationship was slow to develop and therefore much more realistic. I liked the fact neither H/H were TSTL, which often happens to create conflict in a 'sweet' romance. There were no amazing feats of strength, no need for incredible deductive skills, no excessive drawn-out sex scenes - just straight out relationship devel...more
MLE
A sweet read without undue angst. I liked both the characters, and their relationship. I did think things would have been better without the cheerleading coach, and the drama she brought. She just felt like one of those "evil" female characters too many m/m novels seem to think they have to have. A very shallow, and thin character that didn't add anything to the story. The assistant coaches were fun. I admired how much the main characters were dedicated to the team, and to their students, and ne...more
Angela
adorable, these guys jump in and just love it...could have been longer and deeper, the sex was good open honest trusting. smart, well written, but several threads not resolved...is jonathan gay? will they live together? will the school find out? how do they/the kids feel about the secret?

head jumping annoying...no typos.

Eta: my dad read this and liked it, thought it was sweet. We talked about how gay men communicate/gives signals they are gay. In this one, i think it was when he put his feet in...more
JustJen
This was a lighthearted, fun story. I loved the comraderie and banter going on between the MCs and other coaches which I think gave this a very realistic feel. The steam factor is pretty high, and I will also give extra points for the lusty wall slams. Jake and Brandon are sizzling together, and you can definitely feel the chemistry they share. I was worried the whole time that they would be outed at the school and wondered how they would continue there in a full relationship. I would love to re...more
DarkHeart "Vehngeance"
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as some others did. I found the rapidly swapping POVs to be confusing and poorly orchestrated. I enjoyed the build-up of the relationship, but was a bit disappointed that the second half seemed to ignore that in favor of the hot smexiness (which was hot, and at times sweet - but it felt like it was expense of furthering the emotional connection at times). I also thought the story felt unfinished as decisions regarding the future of both men's careers was up i...more
Sandra
5 stars. I love these 2 authors writing together. OMG so good! I am a huge sports fan so reading about sports doesn't bother me and there is a lot of that in here. FYI for those of you that may get bored easily. This story felt just so real, 2 guys from high school who we’re from socially different sides of the school that knew of each other, come together later in life and learn they really aren’t all that different. These 2 men are wicked sexy! And their assistant coach’s we’re hysterical and...more
Karen K
I'd like to give this book 4 1/2 stars. It was such a beautiful, romantic book about 2 opposites who've known each other, or at least OF each other, for a long time but never understood that they had some important things in common. Jake and Brandon are both wonderfully written characters, strong in their own ways, insecure in others. I've read some reviews about how this is "just a romance book" with not pitfalls or big issues, but for me that's one of the most endearing aspect to it; it's a ga...more
Twisted
I very, very rarely read the same book twice. There are a few series that I will re-read every couple of years. I enjoyed this story so much that after finishing it I went back and read it again. What a great love story :) Simple, sweet, endearing. It is a simple glimpse into their lives - no great mystery, no convoluted plot twists that you need to suspend your belief in reality for, it is just a love story. I liked that there were things unresolved, that's how life really is. Too many romance...more
Octobercountry
I thought the premise of this story sounded interesting, even though I’ve never been interested in sports in any fashion whatsoever. It’s a testament to the skills of the authors that their account of the details involved in coaching a high school baseball team was quite involving, even to someone like myself. No problem if you have no background in sports whatsoever; you won’t have trouble following this part of the story.

The book began well enough, with the first half showing how Jake and Bran...more
Libbie
I'm continuing to be totally blown away by these authors and they beautiful way they craft a story. I'm a longtime reader of romances - and have been known to stop reading if I don't find one, or if the one I'm supposed to be falling for leaves me cold.

Conversely, if I find one I love? That book is usually read at light speed. I will read at work, at lunch, when I have five minutes waiting to pick someone up, at the drive through, etc.

Caught Running was one of the second. I had it with me while...more
Tsumetai
Brandon with his workoholism and Jake acompanied by his awesome sense of humor and cynicism welcomed me in the book.
Even though I had to let go of my favourite military environment this time (´cause I found pitifully small amount of books I would even consider reading. Main reason was the sappy title and even more sappier sum up of those books) I have to say I don´t regret reading CR. At times it was too sweet for my liking. On the other hand it really felt like reading about someone´s real life...more
Charly
Ridiculously mushy and romantic, but in a good way

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 9/10

PROS:
- Funny characters--and not just the two leads. The two main guys AND all of their friends and their co-workers and their students, etc. say real things and act in ways that are consistent with high school students, teachers, and/or coaches.
- Extremely sensitive characters, especially Jake. Rather obviously written by female authors, to be honest, but in this...more
Lisazj1
This was a sweet, uncomplicated love story, and can I just say how very much I enjoyed that? I really did. I got to smile and sigh and be happy for them and I looved it.

Jake and Brandon were great characters, I loved their completely opposite personalities. Jake is a loud, kind of abrasive baseball coach that made me laugh, a lot! Brandon was a quiet, little-bit-nerdy sweetheart. And though we don't get to see a whole lot of the secondaries, they felt like guys I know and hang out with. I really...more
Lucy
This is one of my favorite re-reads. I've lost count of the number of times I've read this book. I think I've bought three different copies over the years to accommodate my changing ebook/computer preferences and usage, in the computer-age version of needing all my books in hardcover or paperback.

Jake Campbell and Brandon Bartlett are two of the most relatable characters I have ever encountered in literature. The tension each of them feels as they begin to recognize the attraction to the other...more
Donna
I was first introduced to these authors through their Cut & Run series which I absolutely adore so when I happened across Caught Running I figured I’d read it and see if it was Ty Grady and Zane Garrett that drew me or would another story by these authors be just as good. I am here to tell you that anything that Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux put out together will be on my auto buy list from here on out. I will be checking into more of their backlist as well.

Caught Running is the story of...more
Deja Dei
Brandon and Jake are both currently teaching at the same high school they both attended. Brandon, a "nerd" in his school days is a science teacher while Jake, the former "jock" teaches P.E. and coaches a variety of sports. They don't interact a whole lot, until Brandon is roped into being an assistant baseball coach. As the two of them spend more time together, each man realizes that the other doesn't quite fit the stereotype assigned to him in high school.

I was drawn to this book because one of...more
orannia
Jan 06, 2011 orannia rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: m-m
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Mackenzie
I've said this before, I will say it again... when it comes to m/m romance, I find stories about teachers more alluring than cops or cowboys and the rest of the adventurer types. And in this book I find not only one teacher but TWO. Both of them come with their own set of baggages and they're both rather complicated people. Put those in with the fact that they used to go to school together and belonging to two different groups of students in their youth and you have explosive UST all over the pl...more
Aves Raggiana
What a charming little book! Caught Running is that quintessential sandbagger of a book, the kind one picks up with very low expectations and puts down a few hours later, happily surprised and thoroughly entertained. I opened the pages of this book expecting a quick and breezy but easily forgotten read. Here I am. the following day, writing this review, after having spent almost all night dreaming about about Jake and Brandon, replaying parts of their story in my mind, reciting much of their dia...more
Mara Ismine
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Sandy
I might have rated this book at 3.5 or a bit higher. I have to admit that this title gave me many sweet moments that I felt like squealing and having silly smiles on my face sometimes. I ran into this book while looking for a sweet and pleasant read without too much angst and heartbreaking so I'm quite contented with its sugar-overloaded moments. I also like the way the "unspoken love" being depicted in this story even thought it's not up to its potential shown. But it makes me kinda restless as...more
Paul
Oh dear! How is it possible that the same writing team of this book is the same writing team that guided me (happily) through Cut and Run as well as Sticks and Stones? In the course of 3 years these two authors have developed so quickly and deeply as a writing duo that I look forward to the next opportunity to read about Ty and Zane in Fish and Chips. I have no doubt it will be witty, charming, interesting and ultimately very rewarding.

But this is a review of Caught Running, a work they complet...more
Paris
I enjoyed it mostly because of the dialogs. They were sweet and funny. I loved both characters. This is how I pictured them in my mind:

Brandon


Jake


I liked the fact that they were not playing any games, they were honest with each other. It is something I usually miss in F-M romance novels.
So here there was no angst or too much machismo - just two people falling in love.
I enjoyed the side character - Troy. He is a funny guy and I wish there was more of him.

Because the plot in this book is almost no...more
Tonileg
Meeting people from your past is always a little jarring, especially from that embarrassing high school period or even worse, from your awkward intermediate braces and pimples era. No one is perfect in high school, there are so many changes in our bodies and souls that nothing can be easy or comfortable. So this comes as no surprise that Jake "the jock" Campbell who is the coach at his old high school finds Brandon "the nerd" Bartlett who is the biology teacher, in an odd and awkward position. T...more
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Caught Running (Paperback)
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Madeleine Urban is a down-home Kentucky girl who’s been writing since she could hold a crayon. Although she has written and published on her own, she truly excels when writing with co-authors. She lives with her husband, who is very supportive of her work, and two canine kids who only allow her to hug them when she has food. She wants to live at Disney World, the home of fairy dust, because she be...more
More about Madeleine Urban...
Cut & Run (Cut & Run #1) Fish & Chips (Cut & Run, #3) Warrior's Cross Mr. Right Now Sticks & Stones (Cut & Run, #2)

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“Since we’re opening up with our feelings and all, I feel the need to tell you that this is the gayest car I’ve ever been in,” 25 people liked it
“Did you just do what I think you did?” he exclaimed.

“Depends on what you think I did,” Jake shot back with a signature grin as he thumped down the front steps and strolled forward to retrieve his flip flop.

“That’s what we do. You think and I
throw things,” he explained. “So I’ll make you a deal. You stop thinking,” he drawled, bending to pick up the shoe and wave it around threateningly, “and I’ll stop throwing things.”
13 people liked it
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