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Varsity Heat Crew #1
The First Stroke
They’re rivals on the river. Off it, they’re hiding a dangerous secret.
Welcome to a New England town split by an unforgiving river—and by two colleges that live to beat each other.
On one Kingswell University. Legacy, money, tradition.
That’s where Alex Harrington rows—the golden boy raised to be perfect, disciplined, untouchable… quietly suffocating under the weight of being closeted, terrified of wanting what he actually wants.
Across the Riverside State University. Middle Class. Grit. Hunger.
That’s where Liam Moore belongs—the working-class powerhouse with something to prove, all heart, fire, and raw hunger… and standing on the edge of a messy, impossible-to-ignore bi-awakening he never saw coming.
But none of that was how it started...
Two years ago, one summer at Brackett Lake—before sides were chosen, before names meant anything—they crossed a line neither of them understood.
One secret summer.
One kiss that should’ve been forgotten.
Then summer ended. Alex made a choice. And Liam's never forgiven him for it.
And now it’s the first day of sophomore year.
5 AM.
No coaches. No rules.
Just Liam and Alex, alone on the river, letting two years of anger and unfinished business explode into an illegal race that could end both their careers.
They thought no one was watching.
They were wrong.
Someone has proof of what they did. And with Olympic scouts circling, scholarships on the line, and secrets neither of them can afford to have exposed—one reckless race might cost them everything.
What are Liam and Alex going to do when wanting each other becomes more dangerous than any race they'll ever row?
Will they give up everything they've been fighting for... for each other?
Varsity Heat Crew is a bingeable, multi-episode MM romance series written like a prestige college sports drama—slow-burn tension, high-heat steam, devastating emotional turns, and a cast of characters whose relationships grow messier—and more intimate—the deeper you go.
Think the obsessive rivals-to-lovers tension of Heated Rivalry
meets the intensity, discipline, and rowing world of The Boys in the Boat.
Readers are calling it addictive, emotionally charged, and impossible to put down.
Join college sports mm romance fans and start binging your next obsession.
Welcome to a New England town split by an unforgiving river—and by two colleges that live to beat each other.
On one Kingswell University. Legacy, money, tradition.
That’s where Alex Harrington rows—the golden boy raised to be perfect, disciplined, untouchable… quietly suffocating under the weight of being closeted, terrified of wanting what he actually wants.
Across the Riverside State University. Middle Class. Grit. Hunger.
That’s where Liam Moore belongs—the working-class powerhouse with something to prove, all heart, fire, and raw hunger… and standing on the edge of a messy, impossible-to-ignore bi-awakening he never saw coming.
But none of that was how it started...
Two years ago, one summer at Brackett Lake—before sides were chosen, before names meant anything—they crossed a line neither of them understood.
One secret summer.
One kiss that should’ve been forgotten.
Then summer ended. Alex made a choice. And Liam's never forgiven him for it.
And now it’s the first day of sophomore year.
5 AM.
No coaches. No rules.
Just Liam and Alex, alone on the river, letting two years of anger and unfinished business explode into an illegal race that could end both their careers.
They thought no one was watching.
They were wrong.
Someone has proof of what they did. And with Olympic scouts circling, scholarships on the line, and secrets neither of them can afford to have exposed—one reckless race might cost them everything.
What are Liam and Alex going to do when wanting each other becomes more dangerous than any race they'll ever row?
Will they give up everything they've been fighting for... for each other?
Varsity Heat Crew is a bingeable, multi-episode MM romance series written like a prestige college sports drama—slow-burn tension, high-heat steam, devastating emotional turns, and a cast of characters whose relationships grow messier—and more intimate—the deeper you go.
Think the obsessive rivals-to-lovers tension of Heated Rivalry
meets the intensity, discipline, and rowing world of The Boys in the Boat.
Readers are calling it addictive, emotionally charged, and impossible to put down.
Join college sports mm romance fans and start binging your next obsession.
- GenresM M Romance
145 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 25, 2025
9 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Dylan Joseph
9 books19 followersDylan Joseph writes the kind of MM romance that lingers long after the last page—slow-burn connections, emotional depth, open door spice, and moments of raw vulnerability. His stories invite readers into worlds where love feels both magical and deeply human, where every glance, touch, and conversation matters.
When he’s not writing, Dylan loves gardening, exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, and spending time with his partner, Ben, and three dogs, Oak, Bear, and Mopsy.
If you believe love stories should stir your heart, spark your imagination, and take you somewhere extraordinary, you’ll feel right at home in Dylan Joseph’s world.
All inquiries for podcast appearances, video shows, and speaking can be sent to dylan@dylanjoseph.co
When he’s not writing, Dylan loves gardening, exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, and spending time with his partner, Ben, and three dogs, Oak, Bear, and Mopsy.
If you believe love stories should stir your heart, spark your imagination, and take you somewhere extraordinary, you’ll feel right at home in Dylan Joseph’s world.
All inquiries for podcast appearances, video shows, and speaking can be sent to dylan@dylanjoseph.co
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 13, 2026
The First Stroke: Varsity Heat Crew Episode 1
Dylan Joseph
3/5 stars
Dylan Joseph's novella "The First Stroke" is a solid opening installment (ending in a cliffhanger) of a rivalry between two college athletes, two colleges, and two distinct social classes. Liam Moore attends Riverside State on a crew scholarship, trying to row his way out of his blue-collar upbringing; Alex Harrington is his privileged counterpart on the crew team at wealthy Kingswell University, located across the river but a world apart from Riverside State. They share a secret: a summer romance (detailed in a prequel, "Before the Rivalry", available for free download on the author's website). Each is expected to defeat the other; neither is given the freedom to fail. The story is told in alternating first-person chapters and the action begins with an illicit river race between Liam and Alex, then builds to a rematch during a scrimmage between their schools.
As already indicated, this is a book of oppositions: the working class vs. the wealthy, the struggling state college vs. the endowed private college, Liam's struggling single mother vs. Alex's powerful father, their respective best friends and teammates, the two opposing coaches, and so forth. The author lines both sides up cleanly and traps the two protagonists in the middle. This binary logic is both one of the book's strengths, by giving it a visible structure and amplifying the central external conflicts as well as the internal emotional conflicts within Liam and Alex, and one of its weaknesses, by yielding a certain predictability (not always a bad thing in a romance) and reducing some of the characters to generic types (this is especially true on the wealthy side of the river). The tone is serious throughout, and nothing at this stage of Liam and Alex's story guarantees an eventual HEA.
Fans of crew drama, of driven college jocks in love suffering in stoic silence, and of the various other tropes deployed here will want to give "The First Stroke" a look.
With thanks to the author and Nighthawk Publishing for access to a digital ARC on Booksprout. All opinions are very definitely my own.
Dylan Joseph
3/5 stars
Dylan Joseph's novella "The First Stroke" is a solid opening installment (ending in a cliffhanger) of a rivalry between two college athletes, two colleges, and two distinct social classes. Liam Moore attends Riverside State on a crew scholarship, trying to row his way out of his blue-collar upbringing; Alex Harrington is his privileged counterpart on the crew team at wealthy Kingswell University, located across the river but a world apart from Riverside State. They share a secret: a summer romance (detailed in a prequel, "Before the Rivalry", available for free download on the author's website). Each is expected to defeat the other; neither is given the freedom to fail. The story is told in alternating first-person chapters and the action begins with an illicit river race between Liam and Alex, then builds to a rematch during a scrimmage between their schools.
As already indicated, this is a book of oppositions: the working class vs. the wealthy, the struggling state college vs. the endowed private college, Liam's struggling single mother vs. Alex's powerful father, their respective best friends and teammates, the two opposing coaches, and so forth. The author lines both sides up cleanly and traps the two protagonists in the middle. This binary logic is both one of the book's strengths, by giving it a visible structure and amplifying the central external conflicts as well as the internal emotional conflicts within Liam and Alex, and one of its weaknesses, by yielding a certain predictability (not always a bad thing in a romance) and reducing some of the characters to generic types (this is especially true on the wealthy side of the river). The tone is serious throughout, and nothing at this stage of Liam and Alex's story guarantees an eventual HEA.
Fans of crew drama, of driven college jocks in love suffering in stoic silence, and of the various other tropes deployed here will want to give "The First Stroke" a look.
With thanks to the author and Nighthawk Publishing for access to a digital ARC on Booksprout. All opinions are very definitely my own.
December 31, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5.
La tension y la rivalidad se sienten en cada pagina. El deseo y tension entre Alex y Liam es palpable en todo el libro. Hay mucho en juego para todos y nadie lo puede negar. Me gusto mucho que cada personaje secundario tenga impacto en Alex y Liam y no se queden como voces de fondo, Noah, Ethan, Marcus y Hale son muy buenos personajes de apoyo.
Lo que no me gusto es que el conflicto entre los protagonistas se menciona mucho al principio y senti que me faltaba contexto sobre como empezo, despues tenia sentido cuando al final te dicen que hay una precuela que te cuenta como sucedio ese beso, pero tendria que haberse sumado a este libro o algo porque es el conflicto principal y es necesario entender que ocurrio exactamente.
El link de la precuela no funcionaba y lo encontre en la pagina de facebook del autor.
Recibí una copia gratuita de este libro a través de Booksprout y estoy dejando una reseña de forma voluntaria.
La tension y la rivalidad se sienten en cada pagina. El deseo y tension entre Alex y Liam es palpable en todo el libro. Hay mucho en juego para todos y nadie lo puede negar. Me gusto mucho que cada personaje secundario tenga impacto en Alex y Liam y no se queden como voces de fondo, Noah, Ethan, Marcus y Hale son muy buenos personajes de apoyo.
Lo que no me gusto es que el conflicto entre los protagonistas se menciona mucho al principio y senti que me faltaba contexto sobre como empezo, despues tenia sentido cuando al final te dicen que hay una precuela que te cuenta como sucedio ese beso, pero tendria que haberse sumado a este libro o algo porque es el conflicto principal y es necesario entender que ocurrio exactamente.
El link de la precuela no funcionaba y lo encontre en la pagina de facebook del autor.
Recibí una copia gratuita de este libro a través de Booksprout y estoy dejando una reseña de forma voluntaria.
January 10, 2026
Both are special
I read this book in one sitting; it was that good. I love a good story around sports, but this also had so much more meat to it... rich guy and scholarship guy... each with their own issues and desires... I rooted for them both... felt both their pain... and I couldn't decide whom I wanted to win... then I was like, it has to be a tie... It's the only way... ha..., and of course the book ends with... well I don't want to ruin it for anyone.....ahhhhh but the point is I was caught up... and that is what makes this book special. I'm just a straight older lady, so don't let this book, just because it's about gay guys, stop you from giving it a chance... it packs a punch for desires of the heart... wanting what you can't have ... and the struggles of finding out who you really are.... I will be one of many to snatch up the next book in this series... I'm invested... Buy the book ... you will love it!
I read this book in one sitting; it was that good. I love a good story around sports, but this also had so much more meat to it... rich guy and scholarship guy... each with their own issues and desires... I rooted for them both... felt both their pain... and I couldn't decide whom I wanted to win... then I was like, it has to be a tie... It's the only way... ha..., and of course the book ends with... well I don't want to ruin it for anyone.....ahhhhh but the point is I was caught up... and that is what makes this book special. I'm just a straight older lady, so don't let this book, just because it's about gay guys, stop you from giving it a chance... it packs a punch for desires of the heart... wanting what you can't have ... and the struggles of finding out who you really are.... I will be one of many to snatch up the next book in this series... I'm invested... Buy the book ... you will love it!
February 5, 2026
This is a good book. I will give it a 4/5. Liam and Alex are from different worlds. Liam is working class and Alex comes from money. Alex’s father makes him get a job where Liam works as punishment. The two young men realize they are attracted to each other h other. They kiss and then don’t know where to go from there except they like each other. But by this time it is time to go their respective colleges. There is a second book in this series and I want to read it.
January 13, 2026
This story was so good! Get ready to sit around and become a couch potato because I could not stop reading! These are the type of characters you root for from beginning to end. Can’t wait to see what’s next to come in the series!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 29, 2026
A sexual awakening you couldn't let go of. Liam and Alex were absolutely amazing.
If this first installment was this good, I can't wait for more wonderful couples.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If this first installment was this good, I can't wait for more wonderful couples.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 7, 2026
Great series but I highly recommend reading the prequel first! I don’t know why it isn’t on Goodreads, but you can find it on dylanjoseph.co/vhc. It is really good and it is the start of their relationship, so leaving it out makes no sense to me.
March 10, 2026
Well drawn characters and good story
The first of three, this book covers just a few days in the story. The story is set up, the tension is well drawn and it’s time for the second book. It does help to read the prequel that you can get at the end of the first book.
The first of three, this book covers just a few days in the story. The story is set up, the tension is well drawn and it’s time for the second book. It does help to read the prequel that you can get at the end of the first book.
December 28, 2025
This is such a amazing mm read. Ugh love 💖.
Can't wait for more💖
Can't wait for more💖
December 31, 2025
Great Story
Great. follow-up to the epilogue, can’t wait for the next installment. Go Liam and Alex!! Who is going to win or maybe they both lose.
Great. follow-up to the epilogue, can’t wait for the next installment. Go Liam and Alex!! Who is going to win or maybe they both lose.
January 13, 2026
The First Stroke is the first book in the new Varsity Heat Crew series and was so good. This was a great sexual awakening read that I could not put down once I started reading.
January 18, 2026
It was well written and I was left wanting more
January 21, 2026
3.5 stars i was selected as an arc reader for this book and it was such a fast pace read and low angst and it was under 200 pages
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews