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Spring, Bax & Butterflies
Dear Author,
This is the last day of our senior year of high school. It hasn’t been an easy year for us, but we’ve made it. Please give us a story.
This picture of us can represent the beginning, or the end, of your story for us. How did we make it to this point or where are we going from here?
Photo Description:
The photograph shows us two blond teenage boys on a sunny day, in front of a stadium. Both are quite buff and wearing identical maroon-colored rugby jerseys. The taller boy has an arm around the other in a gentle embrace whilst pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Both appear to be happy and not the least concerned about their public display of affection.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
This is the last day of our senior year of high school. It hasn’t been an easy year for us, but we’ve made it. Please give us a story.
This picture of us can represent the beginning, or the end, of your story for us. How did we make it to this point or where are we going from here?
Photo Description:
The photograph shows us two blond teenage boys on a sunny day, in front of a stadium. Both are quite buff and wearing identical maroon-colored rugby jerseys. The taller boy has an arm around the other in a gentle embrace whilst pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Both appear to be happy and not the least concerned about their public display of affection.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
155 pages, ebook
First published July 16, 2014
1 person is currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Riina Y.T.
7 books60 followersAuthor of Spring, Bax & Butterflies, Missing Piece and Blame the Fireworks.
Riina currently resides in Germany. She spent countless exciting days in the UK and US and lost her heart in Tokyo.
She would be thrilled if one day her stories could brighten someone’s day in the way those beautiful romances always lighten up her dull everyday life. Riina is looking forward to sharing many more stories with the world.
When she doesn’t daydream about boys in love, and isn’t glued to her Kindle, Riina loves to travel the world and explore the unknown.
Riina currently resides in Germany. She spent countless exciting days in the UK and US and lost her heart in Tokyo.
She would be thrilled if one day her stories could brighten someone’s day in the way those beautiful romances always lighten up her dull everyday life. Riina is looking forward to sharing many more stories with the world.
When she doesn’t daydream about boys in love, and isn’t glued to her Kindle, Riina loves to travel the world and explore the unknown.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 25, 2014
Thank you so much for picking my prompt and giving my guys a story, Riina! I could never write an impartial review so I'm just going to gush and drool over your words.
When I fell in love with Jacob and Baxter: "Without any further comment, they continued to walk like nothing happened for about a minute or so, until he finally realized that they were holding hands.
Oh. My. Fucking. Geesecake." <<< This was EXACTLY what I was thinking too!
My favorite lines from the book: “There’s something, eh, a little sticky on my ass. Do you know anything about that?”
“Bloody hell, Jazz.” <<< Laughed out loud!
My favorite scene (the prompt pic!!): “Come here.” Bax beamed him a warm smile and pulled him close by his shoulder. Jacob wrapped his arm around his waist and held on to Bax just because he could. The closeness soothed his nerves a little. “What if we lose this game because of me?”
“Nah, that won’t happen. I will make sure of it.” The gentle press of Bax’s soft lips on his forehead did the trick. *swoons*
Thank you again, Riina! You gave my guys a beautiful story and I am very grateful.
When I fell in love with Jacob and Baxter: "Without any further comment, they continued to walk like nothing happened for about a minute or so, until he finally realized that they were holding hands.
Oh. My. Fucking. Geesecake." <<< This was EXACTLY what I was thinking too!
My favorite lines from the book: “There’s something, eh, a little sticky on my ass. Do you know anything about that?”
“Bloody hell, Jazz.” <<< Laughed out loud!
My favorite scene (the prompt pic!!): “Come here.” Bax beamed him a warm smile and pulled him close by his shoulder. Jacob wrapped his arm around his waist and held on to Bax just because he could. The closeness soothed his nerves a little. “What if we lose this game because of me?”
“Nah, that won’t happen. I will make sure of it.” The gentle press of Bax’s soft lips on his forehead did the trick. *swoons*
Thank you again, Riina! You gave my guys a beautiful story and I am very grateful.
September 27, 2015
D'awwwww
*sigh*
Yeah, this story was sweet, cute and adorbs...just like this pup.
*sighs again*
Jacob is whisked across the country in the middle of his senior year to start afresh. His mom has an opportunity for work that she cannot refuse. The only bit of sunshine on this sudden change is the chance to play more rugby. He loves to play. He didn't realize the weight footy holds and ruffles a few feathers when he strolls in and straight onto the field. Baxter freaks out and has a drama queen moment when he thinks this new (sexy) Yank is going to snag his spot on the team and bench him his final year.
Soon Jacob and Bax connect and neither of them expect the connection they form.
They fall fast and hard. First loves are my favorite!
A super sweet story with two adorable boys. If you are a fan of YA, virgins and first love....you won't want to miss this one!
*4 geeky-cheeky stars*
*sigh*
Yeah, this story was sweet, cute and adorbs...just like this pup.
*sighs again*
Jacob is whisked across the country in the middle of his senior year to start afresh. His mom has an opportunity for work that she cannot refuse. The only bit of sunshine on this sudden change is the chance to play more rugby. He loves to play. He didn't realize the weight footy holds and ruffles a few feathers when he strolls in and straight onto the field. Baxter freaks out and has a drama queen moment when he thinks this new (sexy) Yank is going to snag his spot on the team and bench him his final year.
Soon Jacob and Bax connect and neither of them expect the connection they form.
They fall fast and hard. First loves are my favorite!
A super sweet story with two adorable boys. If you are a fan of YA, virgins and first love....you won't want to miss this one!
*4 geeky-cheeky stars*
August 17, 2014
3.5 stars! I adore this picture and was so excited when I saw it was a prompt for one of the LL stories!!
First I have to say thank you to the author for contributing her time and talent to this event! What a cute story! I enjoyed Jacob and Baxter very much. I’m a sucker for young love, high school romance, and first times. Dreamy sigh.
First I have to say thank you to the author for contributing her time and talent to this event! What a cute story! I enjoyed Jacob and Baxter very much. I’m a sucker for young love, high school romance, and first times. Dreamy sigh.
June 14, 2017
American transplant Jacob arrives in Australia and it's a dream come true to play rugby at his high school in a country who loves the sport as much as he. Though they get off to a shaky start, Jacob and fellow teammate Baxter, eventually hit it off and become BFF's.
Here, you get to witness how their friendship grows and naturally evolves into something so much more, and it is touching and tender and hot. Of course there's some pointed angst in keeping their relationship a secret. Baxter has the potential to go pro and there's fear that being honest will ruin his chances. So yes, there's definitely roadblocks but they only served to strengthen and cement what was ultimately most important to them.
For me this was reminiscent of one of my favorite m/m stories Superhero. And I liked it for that very reason. These characters' personalities were so endearing; there's not a bad bone or thought amongst them. If you want an honest, poignant, heartbreaking but ultimately redeeming love story then this is for you! Even better, it's free through M/M Romance Group's online series Love Landscapes!
Here, you get to witness how their friendship grows and naturally evolves into something so much more, and it is touching and tender and hot. Of course there's some pointed angst in keeping their relationship a secret. Baxter has the potential to go pro and there's fear that being honest will ruin his chances. So yes, there's definitely roadblocks but they only served to strengthen and cement what was ultimately most important to them.
For me this was reminiscent of one of my favorite m/m stories Superhero. And I liked it for that very reason. These characters' personalities were so endearing; there's not a bad bone or thought amongst them. If you want an honest, poignant, heartbreaking but ultimately redeeming love story then this is for you! Even better, it's free through M/M Romance Group's online series Love Landscapes!
July 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this new adult story. If you are a fan of YA you will probably like this too. The story flows great but I wished there were a bit less telling. There are chapters that are almost full of introspection by each boy or we are being told something happened.
idtgr
February 14, 2021DNF @ 18%
So Jacob's mom decides to change jobs (she's a doctor at a hospital, totally a job where you can just pick up and go) and move her and her son and gives him only a few day's notice to pack his "essentials." Oh, and they're moving from California. You know, the one in America. To Australia. How do you spring this one someone last minute? I doubt they have passports, much less visas. What about the house? Are you selling it? Renting it? Just leaving it to rot? Who will be packing up all your other stuff? It's time consuming enough to move across town, much less to a whole other country.
Then there's this melodrama with Baxter (Bates?) thinking the coach just randomly gave away his position on the rugby team to the new kid (Jacob). This turns out to be a "joke" but Baxter (Bates?) punches Jacob over it, thinking his spot was stolen out from under him, and then later Jacob hasn't even tried out yet? Um........okay.
Nonsensical actions coupled with stilted writing that's all tell and no show. I'd probably give this two stars on a generous day if I pushed myself to finish, and that's just not worth it.
Oh, and it's not even spring since it's February. That's summer in Australia, going into fall/autumn, not winter going into spring.
So Jacob's mom decides to change jobs (she's a doctor at a hospital, totally a job where you can just pick up and go) and move her and her son and gives him only a few day's notice to pack his "essentials." Oh, and they're moving from California. You know, the one in America. To Australia. How do you spring this one someone last minute? I doubt they have passports, much less visas. What about the house? Are you selling it? Renting it? Just leaving it to rot? Who will be packing up all your other stuff? It's time consuming enough to move across town, much less to a whole other country.
Then there's this melodrama with Baxter (Bates?) thinking the coach just randomly gave away his position on the rugby team to the new kid (Jacob). This turns out to be a "joke" but Baxter (Bates?) punches Jacob over it, thinking his spot was stolen out from under him, and then later Jacob hasn't even tried out yet? Um........okay.
Nonsensical actions coupled with stilted writing that's all tell and no show. I'd probably give this two stars on a generous day if I pushed myself to finish, and that's just not worth it.
Oh, and it's not even spring since it's February. That's summer in Australia, going into fall/autumn, not winter going into spring.
August 4, 2014
This is a story about young love that lasts. Jacob, who has a loving mother(but is too busy with work) is dragged from his home in the US to start all over in Australia. But there he meets, Bax. This is a slow romance. They become friends and they dance around for a while before they take the plunge into romance. But even after that, it isn’t an easy road. They have some obstacles they have to overcome if they want to be together. Bax has to choose what he wants. Together they have many decisions to make. Let’s throw in that their relationship is secret. No one knows they are into guys. They, especially Bax, has to decide if his career or Jacob is more important.
I won’t lie, this story did make me cry. But I am happy it had a good ending.
I won’t lie, this story did make me cry. But I am happy it had a good ending.
July 27, 2014
Sweet, sexy and cute! A lovely decent length short from my friend Riina who has just proved she can write an awesome sauce story! Jazz and Bax are cute and gorgeous and I loved being on their journey of self discovery and love together. Thank you Riina girl! You've done yourself proud and given us a fab freebie. There might be a lot of telling more than showing in this but that's what stories are...something to be told and Riina tells them soooo well!
September 11, 2014
The story itself was super cute and the way Bax and Jazz started out as friends was just perfect. But...the writing style threw me off and it felt more like I was being told a story instead of being part of the story. If that even makes sense. I didn't really "feel" a whole lot with these two but still enjoyed their journey.
January 20, 2015
4.5 stars! And it was free.
So Jacob moves to Australia his senior year, with his mother. He's not thrilled with the move, but figures he can cope because now he can play rugby more often.
Baxter isn't impressed that when he misses the first two weeks of school someone else was given his spot on the team. His life is rugby and he's not giving it up, or stepping aside for anyone..
After a rocky start the boys become best friends. And slowly everything goes from there. But will Bax ever want to be out with Jazz? His dreams of being a pro ruby player makes them both think not.
I really liked this story. You don't have to know anything about rugby to be able follow along and although in some places it can feel like we're being told what is happening, not shown, I thought it was really well writen.
Above all that it's another great free story from the DRiTC Lovers landscape group.
So Jacob moves to Australia his senior year, with his mother. He's not thrilled with the move, but figures he can cope because now he can play rugby more often.
Baxter isn't impressed that when he misses the first two weeks of school someone else was given his spot on the team. His life is rugby and he's not giving it up, or stepping aside for anyone..
After a rocky start the boys become best friends. And slowly everything goes from there. But will Bax ever want to be out with Jazz? His dreams of being a pro ruby player makes them both think not.
I really liked this story. You don't have to know anything about rugby to be able follow along and although in some places it can feel like we're being told what is happening, not shown, I thought it was really well writen.
Above all that it's another great free story from the DRiTC Lovers landscape group.
September 6, 2014
This is a beautiful fresh story about young love.
I enjoyed the introspection and once I started , I could not out it down.
Thank you to the author, who has obviously got great potential.
I enjoyed the introspection and once I started , I could not out it down.
Thank you to the author, who has obviously got great potential.
April 25, 2015
I really liked this free story up to a certain point. The boys getting to know each other and developing their friendship was just the kind of angst-free read I like. However, around 70 %, it suddenly got awfully a lot of telling, and not being in the moment, and I had some niggles there.
But for the first part of the book, I would almost give it 5 stars, for all the cuteness:-)
But for the first part of the book, I would almost give it 5 stars, for all the cuteness:-)
July 23, 2014
I struggled to get through this one because it was practically all telling and very little showing. I'd guess that 90% of it is repetitive over-explanation of the characters' thoughts and feelings in great detail rather than what was actually happening or being said. I really liked the prompt, which is why I kept reading, hoping that it would get better, but I have to say I was disappointed and wish I hadn't stuck it out.
Read
August 26, 2014I love these free reads and really appreciate new authors taking the time to participate. Bax and Jazz were so adorable together. Just seeing the way they came to terms with their relationship and growing up was well done for a new author. It might have went long in a few places, but I still loved the development of the friendship between these two.
July 17, 2014
3.5 stars
Jacob (Coby/Jazz) is a Southern Californian teen who recently relocates to Australia with his mother. He's pretty good natured about the move because he loves rugby and this is Australia; rugby's a big deal. He begins his final year of schooling and meets Baxter (Bax) who is also on the rugby team. They become inseparable and their friendship blooms into a very sweet romance, but sometimes things happen, choices have to be made and they separate for a time. They soon realize their priorities and eventually reconnect (they also get a very beautiful epilogue).
The core of Spring, Bax and Butteflies is a good one. The plot is very sweet, these two boys are very loving towards each other and it's nice to see them finding their way. My main issue with this story was really the writing. The inner thoughts of both characters were rehashed over and over throughout the story and I truthfully wanted to skim the paragraphs because of it. This is something that can be edited out and would make the story pacing flow better. This is also, from what I see, the Author's first story, so I applaud them for putting together something so solid and true to the YA/NA genre.
If I were to rate it on story alone I would say that I really liked it; it stayed true to the MCs being so young, without them being immature and the story itself was well thought out. I'm impressed that the author created such a detailed story around the prompt. It was just the repetitiveness of the feelings and thoughts that caused me to reign in my rating.
A sweet and tender addition to the Loves Landscapes event. My thanks to the author for their time and participation.
Jacob (Coby/Jazz) is a Southern Californian teen who recently relocates to Australia with his mother. He's pretty good natured about the move because he loves rugby and this is Australia; rugby's a big deal. He begins his final year of schooling and meets Baxter (Bax) who is also on the rugby team. They become inseparable and their friendship blooms into a very sweet romance, but sometimes things happen, choices have to be made and they separate for a time. They soon realize their priorities and eventually reconnect (they also get a very beautiful epilogue).
The core of Spring, Bax and Butteflies is a good one. The plot is very sweet, these two boys are very loving towards each other and it's nice to see them finding their way. My main issue with this story was really the writing. The inner thoughts of both characters were rehashed over and over throughout the story and I truthfully wanted to skim the paragraphs because of it. This is something that can be edited out and would make the story pacing flow better. This is also, from what I see, the Author's first story, so I applaud them for putting together something so solid and true to the YA/NA genre.
If I were to rate it on story alone I would say that I really liked it; it stayed true to the MCs being so young, without them being immature and the story itself was well thought out. I'm impressed that the author created such a detailed story around the prompt. It was just the repetitiveness of the feelings and thoughts that caused me to reign in my rating.
A sweet and tender addition to the Loves Landscapes event. My thanks to the author for their time and participation.
July 18, 2014
Not a bad story. A bit predictable with a lot of telling and very little showing. I think the style of writing was more or less a retelling? I'm not sure but I felt my attention drifting at times. Still the story was an excellent fit for the photo and prompt.
October 31, 2014
Sweetness, cuteness, Summer brilliance.
Thank you, Riina.
Thank you, Riina.
August 17, 2015
Ok so I slept on this and after much thought I think this was just an ok read for me. I think the biggest issue was going to be these two boys read really young. They are both 18 BUT they are seniors in high school. Its set in Australia and their sport is rugby so I also think just not being familiar with how the school system works, how “high school” sports there work, or rugby it probably was hard for me to connect with the story.
At one point I’d considered giving it three stars but I think there was a point where this went too long and started not to make any sense. The first thing that nagged at me was the boys basically break up because other students/players have seen them kissing in a car. Bax freaks because the only possible career he can see is professional rugby, which rang true to me, but he ends up being miserable. Jazz/Jacob ends up getting seriously hurt at a party and in a panicked/worried state Bax ends up outing himself because he’s not being allowed to stay with Jazz to see if he’s ok. Again, it could happen, he’d already kind of realized his fuck up in breaking up and was looking for a way to smooth things over, so ok. BUT what then happens is the two boys continue to not be together, though they both want to, and there is another slow torturous month of them kind of spending time together as friends. During this time Jazz takes it upon himself to reach out to the coach in Sydney to arrange for Bax to play with them while Jazz goes to cooking school there and everyone is on board without talking to Bax (who had previously turned down a job offer there) because you know…stories. Um what, excuse me your 18 year old (non)boyfriend is able to negotiate a contract on your behalf with a team you turned down all cause your gay….um no.
I also cannot get into two virgins who magically know all about prep and anal. Was there research? Oh and the raspberry lube threw me off, like is that necessary? I swear my first time there was no thought to how stuff tasted, like we didn’t opt for strawberry flavored condoms….
At one point I’d considered giving it three stars but I think there was a point where this went too long and started not to make any sense. The first thing that nagged at me was the boys basically break up because other students/players have seen them kissing in a car. Bax freaks because the only possible career he can see is professional rugby, which rang true to me, but he ends up being miserable. Jazz/Jacob ends up getting seriously hurt at a party and in a panicked/worried state Bax ends up outing himself because he’s not being allowed to stay with Jazz to see if he’s ok. Again, it could happen, he’d already kind of realized his fuck up in breaking up and was looking for a way to smooth things over, so ok. BUT what then happens is the two boys continue to not be together, though they both want to, and there is another slow torturous month of them kind of spending time together as friends. During this time Jazz takes it upon himself to reach out to the coach in Sydney to arrange for Bax to play with them while Jazz goes to cooking school there and everyone is on board without talking to Bax (who had previously turned down a job offer there) because you know…stories. Um what, excuse me your 18 year old (non)boyfriend is able to negotiate a contract on your behalf with a team you turned down all cause your gay….um no.
I also cannot get into two virgins who magically know all about prep and anal. Was there research? Oh and the raspberry lube threw me off, like is that necessary? I swear my first time there was no thought to how stuff tasted, like we didn’t opt for strawberry flavored condoms….
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2014
Synopsis:
PHOTO DESCRIPTION:
The photograph shows us two blond teenage boys on a sunny day, in front of a stadium. Both are quite buff and wearing identical maroon-colored rugby jerseys. The taller boy has an arm around the other in a gentle embrace whilst pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Both appear to be happy and not the least concerned about their public display of affection.
STORY LETTER:
Dear Author,
This is the last day of our senior year of high school. It hasn’t been an easy year for us, but we’ve made it. Please give us a story.
This picture of us can represent the beginning, or the end, of your story for us. How did we make it to this point or where are we going from here?
I love a contemporary, New Adult or Young Adult, romance. On-the-page sex (can be sweet & romantic or hot & steamy) is major a plus. Please no cheating, no vampires/shifters and no BDSM. I love me some angst but an HEA/HFN ending is a must.
Sincerely,
Justin2
STORY INFO:
Genre: new adult, contemporary
Tags: high school, barely legal, first time, coming of age, sports, slow burn/UST, coming out
Word Count: 59,534
My Thoughts:
I thought this was cute. There's a plot twist that I figured was going to happen eventually, but I didn't mind too much how it played out. I thought Bax was maybe a bit too mopey considering it was on him that it happened and he wasn't doing anything to change the situation. I did hate that they were both miserable, though. It wasn't terribly surprising considering no one wants to be "the gay sports player," but it makes things just a bit predictable. Still, I was glad that Jacob didn't just take him back like nothing ever happened.
Things do work out for them and their relationship is very sweet. I was glad that they got their happy ending.
PHOTO DESCRIPTION:
The photograph shows us two blond teenage boys on a sunny day, in front of a stadium. Both are quite buff and wearing identical maroon-colored rugby jerseys. The taller boy has an arm around the other in a gentle embrace whilst pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Both appear to be happy and not the least concerned about their public display of affection.
STORY LETTER:
Dear Author,
This is the last day of our senior year of high school. It hasn’t been an easy year for us, but we’ve made it. Please give us a story.
This picture of us can represent the beginning, or the end, of your story for us. How did we make it to this point or where are we going from here?
I love a contemporary, New Adult or Young Adult, romance. On-the-page sex (can be sweet & romantic or hot & steamy) is major a plus. Please no cheating, no vampires/shifters and no BDSM. I love me some angst but an HEA/HFN ending is a must.
Sincerely,
Justin2
STORY INFO:
Genre: new adult, contemporary
Tags: high school, barely legal, first time, coming of age, sports, slow burn/UST, coming out
Word Count: 59,534
My Thoughts:
I thought this was cute. There's a plot twist that I figured was going to happen eventually, but I didn't mind too much how it played out. I thought Bax was maybe a bit too mopey considering it was on him that it happened and he wasn't doing anything to change the situation. I did hate that they were both miserable, though. It wasn't terribly surprising considering no one wants to be "the gay sports player," but it makes things just a bit predictable. Still, I was glad that Jacob didn't just take him back like nothing ever happened.
Things do work out for them and their relationship is very sweet. I was glad that they got their happy ending.
April 12, 2016
Spring, Bax & Butterflies is extremely cute and makes you feel fluffy - basically perfect for brightening the day. The story takes place in Australia, which was great and our main characters are two rugby playing guys named Jazz and Bax. Over the course of school and games their friendship grows into something more until their relationship is exposed and they have to build everything anew. The flow of the text is wonderful and almost everything is credible. Both Jazz and Bax have their own voices and personas and they are well-constructed characters. But, like with most stories like this, the other characters are hardly there and everything is a bit too convenient in a sense. Like the fact that Jazz's mom and aunt are never home and the guys are smoochy all the time. I did like the fact that their relationship was exposed, though it all happened too quickly and how they fell apart was somewhat weird. Same with the glass thing.
Mostly the problem is that after the guys get together, they seem to forget everything else and the rest of the story is just making out and whatnot. Their relationship was juicy before and then that got lost too, which is a bummer. Perhaps I wanted them to fight more for their love and break all obstacles, when now there were hardly any and everything was so easy. Also, making Jazz "the woman" was yet again the easy solution. It would've been so much better if they were versatile. The plot could've been richer, but still, the story is very wonderful and one of the best I've read. It's one of those stories you end up reading more than once, since it just makes you so happy inside. It's an achievement, really. Those stories are the best by far.
Mostly the problem is that after the guys get together, they seem to forget everything else and the rest of the story is just making out and whatnot. Their relationship was juicy before and then that got lost too, which is a bummer. Perhaps I wanted them to fight more for their love and break all obstacles, when now there were hardly any and everything was so easy. Also, making Jazz "the woman" was yet again the easy solution. It would've been so much better if they were versatile. The plot could've been richer, but still, the story is very wonderful and one of the best I've read. It's one of those stories you end up reading more than once, since it just makes you so happy inside. It's an achievement, really. Those stories are the best by far.
September 6, 2014
I rarely leave comments but I just wanted to note that I gave an extra point for being written in Australia! Yay!
But that being said, as I am from Australia the language of the story especially in relation to 'rugby' was not accurate and therefore annoyed me quite a bit. For example rugby is just called football or footy. On top of that there are two different types of 'rugby' in Australia. One being Rugby League and the other being Rugby Union. To tell them apart they are just called league or union. Union is the type played more on an international scale and therefore more likely the type 'Jacob' would have played in the US whereas league is more popular in Australia and the type the boys were playing.
Anyway that is just a little background info if anyone was interested. I'm sure that anyone outside of Australia wouldn't really pick this up.
Thanks for the great story Riina and for deciding on setting it in Australia.
But that being said, as I am from Australia the language of the story especially in relation to 'rugby' was not accurate and therefore annoyed me quite a bit. For example rugby is just called football or footy. On top of that there are two different types of 'rugby' in Australia. One being Rugby League and the other being Rugby Union. To tell them apart they are just called league or union. Union is the type played more on an international scale and therefore more likely the type 'Jacob' would have played in the US whereas league is more popular in Australia and the type the boys were playing.
Anyway that is just a little background info if anyone was interested. I'm sure that anyone outside of Australia wouldn't really pick this up.
Thanks for the great story Riina and for deciding on setting it in Australia.
February 8, 2015
I'm sorry to say I couldn't finish sit one. The writing style was almost completely only telling and no showing. And overanalyzing in internal thoughts.
Then there was something that bugged me in the whole story setup about the move to Australia, that everything was so secret. Aren't there job interviews anymore this time. How about visa applications etc? Jacob is almost finished with school - changing school at such a stage is difficult but he's not only changing school but a whole school system! Also his later explanation of not staying behind 1-2 years does not make sense for me especially if he has such a love/hate relationship with his mother. Also, once he's gone and away, All his former fantastic friends for live seem to be totally forgotten. I found this rather unbelievable.
Then there was something that bugged me in the whole story setup about the move to Australia, that everything was so secret. Aren't there job interviews anymore this time. How about visa applications etc? Jacob is almost finished with school - changing school at such a stage is difficult but he's not only changing school but a whole school system! Also his later explanation of not staying behind 1-2 years does not make sense for me especially if he has such a love/hate relationship with his mother. Also, once he's gone and away, All his former fantastic friends for live seem to be totally forgotten. I found this rather unbelievable.
August 24, 2014
The story is great, the boys are sweet and hot and it's spring in australia! What more can you ask for? Really delicious to read, and make you fall for the boys as you see their relationship grown.
It's the kind of book that makes me re-read the same scene over and over just because I don't want it to be over. Thank you for writing and sharing Riina Y.T. !
It's the kind of book that makes me re-read the same scene over and over just because I don't want it to be over. Thank you for writing and sharing Riina Y.T. !
July 17, 2014
Very cute story. It is the first one I can remember reading that had so little actual dialogue and more mental thought. Not saying that's bad, but different. I loved the story and the ending was perfect. Really fit the mold of "romance."
I actually learned quite a bit about the sport of Rugby too. :)
I actually learned quite a bit about the sport of Rugby too. :)
Want to read
July 19, 2014Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love's Landscapes event. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
June 16, 2015
Sweet story, a little too much telling than showing, but I enjoyed seeing these too work things out.
August 8, 2014
I've paid for shorter books that were way worse! Brilliant read as part of the Loves Landscapes series.
August 21, 2014
Review to come
February 10, 2015
3.5.stars
October 21, 2014
3.5 stars
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