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Caught in the Act #2
Caught in the Middle
After a rocky start to the school year, Ben and Adam are getting their feet on solid ground, despite a lot of obstacles. Amelia, Ben’s former girlfriend, isn’t willing to let Ben go so easily. At Christmas, Amelia delivers a bombshell that keeps Adam and Ben apart over the holiday. When Adam returns from seeing his family, Ben, who avoids conflict at all cost, will not talk to him. Adam figures out Amelia’s scheme, and when he confronts her, she retaliates by arranging an ambush in the school parking lot one night. Ben is horrified when he sees Adam lying battered in the hospital. Adam is more than physically broken. His spirit is wounded, and he sees only the negative, the struggle ahead, and Ben’s betrayal. Healing, both in body and mind, is a long arduous road. It’s up to Ben to convince Adam that there is still good in life and that he’ll be there to help Adam every step of the way. If Adam will let him.
- GenresYoung AdultM M Romance
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2015
25 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Robbie Michaels
11 books23 followersRobbie Michaels grew up in rural upstate New York, the same setting as the beginning of The Most Popular Guy books. It was not always easy growing up thinking he was the only gay person in the world. He felt like a stranger in a very strange land for most of those years, always having to act a part, play a role, until he later met other gay folks and found out that he was not alone. He was teased and bullied when others suspected that he might be gay. But he survived those days and found that life does get better, even though at the time it sure didn’t seem possible. He wants first and foremost to tell others to hang on and to have hope for a better tomorrow. Life is a wonderful, marvelous thing to be embraced and celebrated. Don’t ever give up. You are the only you there is. You are not alone. There are many, many, many others like you out there and some day you will meet them and together you will change the world in a wonderful, positive way.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 4, 2015
OK, seriously? This book is actually worse than the first. Dear author, please DO NOT write the third book of the series.
December 30, 2021
This is that rare sequel that is actually better than the first book in the series. This is a very different book. The first volume was really a fairly standard romantic comedy. This is a somber tale that borders on tragedy, although it has a happy ending. The essentials of the author's voice and style have not changed. It is dry as dust, matter of fact, and all the characters speak in exactly the same straightforward expository fashion. None of the dialogue sounds like people talking, but you get used to it. The book is very talky, so you'd better get used to it. Stylistically, this is reminiscent of Jay Bell or Brent Hartinger. If you can read those authors without complaint, you will have no problem with this one.
Because of the central incident in this narrative, this book makes an emotional impact. It is brief, but at the central character's lowest...and most horrifying...moment, I definitely felt tears welling up. It is the only time I have felt anything reading this author. It was a fairly brief emotional engagement, but I have to be honest about it. I liked reading this and I read it very quickly. It is a short book, which helps, because there is very little to it.
Because of the nature of what happens to the mc, this book brought to mind my favorite novel, A Little Life. It is perhaps simplistic, but very honestly, both books deal with a man who is attacked and crippled, not just physically, but also emotionally. Yanagahira really makes you feel it. She takes the subject matter very seriously and it is devastating in its impact. This book tells you that the mc has been changed, and at times shows you that (his hands shaking in the parking lot, for example) but it is inconsistent and the author just doesn't go there, not really. The contrast between the way these books handle the injuries suffered by their respective main characters show how mediocre or outright bad this book actually is. Towards the end of the book, you become aware that the mc's injuries are worse than you thought, and that not only raises the specter of the unreliable narrator (terrible) but also makes you feel again that a very serious subject has been treated a bit glibly or superficially. If you read A Little Life, you probably remember the moment when Jude cowers when Harold reaches out to touch him affectionately. Or when Jude picks a cramped and crowded restaurant when he meets JB so that JB would not be able to mimic him. This book makes no real effort to take us inside the mc's head, even though the entire book is essentially his stream of consciousness. It's just shallow, very shallow. Maybe an author should not take on such terrifying material if he is not prepared to deal with in depth.
But I enjoyed it anyway. Not every novel can be great, and, taken on its own terms, I think many readers will enjoy this. I will add that it is very unsatisfying that a main question about the central incident of the book remains unresolved...and almost unexamined. That aspect of the book strains credulity given that these events happened in a small town and the clear proximal cause of the incident points directly to the social network of the perpetrators.
I will not read more by this author. I only read this because I got it on my kindle at the same time as I downloaded the first book. It reads like some of these self-published books and whether that's actually the case or not, it feels like it needed a much stronger editor than it had.
If you read the first book and were a little disappointed by it but you liked the characters or the milieu, I would strongly suggest giving this a chance.
Because of the central incident in this narrative, this book makes an emotional impact. It is brief, but at the central character's lowest...and most horrifying...moment, I definitely felt tears welling up. It is the only time I have felt anything reading this author. It was a fairly brief emotional engagement, but I have to be honest about it. I liked reading this and I read it very quickly. It is a short book, which helps, because there is very little to it.
Because of the nature of what happens to the mc, this book brought to mind my favorite novel, A Little Life. It is perhaps simplistic, but very honestly, both books deal with a man who is attacked and crippled, not just physically, but also emotionally. Yanagahira really makes you feel it. She takes the subject matter very seriously and it is devastating in its impact. This book tells you that the mc has been changed, and at times shows you that (his hands shaking in the parking lot, for example) but it is inconsistent and the author just doesn't go there, not really. The contrast between the way these books handle the injuries suffered by their respective main characters show how mediocre or outright bad this book actually is. Towards the end of the book, you become aware that the mc's injuries are worse than you thought, and that not only raises the specter of the unreliable narrator (terrible) but also makes you feel again that a very serious subject has been treated a bit glibly or superficially. If you read A Little Life, you probably remember the moment when Jude cowers when Harold reaches out to touch him affectionately. Or when Jude picks a cramped and crowded restaurant when he meets JB so that JB would not be able to mimic him. This book makes no real effort to take us inside the mc's head, even though the entire book is essentially his stream of consciousness. It's just shallow, very shallow. Maybe an author should not take on such terrifying material if he is not prepared to deal with in depth.
But I enjoyed it anyway. Not every novel can be great, and, taken on its own terms, I think many readers will enjoy this. I will add that it is very unsatisfying that a main question about the central incident of the book remains unresolved...and almost unexamined. That aspect of the book strains credulity given that these events happened in a small town and the clear proximal cause of the incident points directly to the social network of the perpetrators.
I will not read more by this author. I only read this because I got it on my kindle at the same time as I downloaded the first book. It reads like some of these self-published books and whether that's actually the case or not, it feels like it needed a much stronger editor than it had.
If you read the first book and were a little disappointed by it but you liked the characters or the milieu, I would strongly suggest giving this a chance.
December 13, 2022
Terrible, just needs to be trashed and rewritten with new plot
What an unfortunate follow up to a really good first book in the series. Terribly thought out plot. Horrible character development from book one, with incomprehensible personality shifts in both main characters that make zero sense and are just bad writing.
I had to quit reading it and move on after giving it about a 40 page chance. I'll write more when I'm not on mg Kindle and can explain better why I hated this story so thoroughly.
Just awful.
What an unfortunate follow up to a really good first book in the series. Terribly thought out plot. Horrible character development from book one, with incomprehensible personality shifts in both main characters that make zero sense and are just bad writing.
I had to quit reading it and move on after giving it about a 40 page chance. I'll write more when I'm not on mg Kindle and can explain better why I hated this story so thoroughly.
Just awful.
October 24, 2022
Waiting
I’m waiting for the future wedding and their college life let alone to see if they end up on the farm.
I’m also waiting to find out if the people who assaulted Ben are ever found and their punishment.
I’m waiting for the future wedding and their college life let alone to see if they end up on the farm.
I’m also waiting to find out if the people who assaulted Ben are ever found and their punishment.
June 18, 2018
Recensione in ANTEPRIMA “Caught” e “Caught in the Middle”
Harmony Ink Press è una sezione – e sito – distaccato della più grande e nota Dreamspinner Press, che comprende tutta una serie di titoli di romanzi MM e FF con trame e tematiche prettamente “Young Adult”, contenuti di significativa pregnanza e profondità circa la crescita, l’accettazione di sé e la difficoltà di superare gli ostacoli dell’adolescenza. Non tutti i romanzi contenuti in questo sito, infatti, sono a lieto fine ma trattano spesso argomenti importanti e molto dolorosi. Caught (trad. Beccato) e il suo sequel, Caught in the middle (trad. Messo in mezzo), appartiene a questa categoria letteraria, in quanto Adam e Ben due giovani diciottenni all’ultimo anno di liceo, sono costretti a vivere una vita fatta di ostacoli e difficoltà.
Ben è inizialmente un ragazzo orgoglioso e testardo, che non accetta la presenza – imposta dalla madre – di Adam, ragazzino di buona e facoltosissima famiglia di New York, che viene trascinato via da casa sua e dal suo background dal padre dopo che quest’ultimo lo coglie sul fatto mentre sta avendo un incontro sessuale con il suo migliore amico. Pensando di “forgiarlo” e di “rimetterlo al suo posto”, il padre di Adam ritiene che qualche mese di duro lavoro nei campi potrà “curarlo” dall’essere gay.
Adam non demorde, né con il padre nell’affermare di essere omosessuale, né con Ben che fa di tutto per metterlo in difficoltà, assegnandogli i lavori più duri e faticosi nella fattoria che conduce insieme alla madre, dopo la morte prematura del padre. Dopo varie settimane di dispetti e silenzi, Ben non riesce più a trattenere la propria attrazione per Adam e lo bacia, un pomeriggio assolato vicino a un laghetto isolato.
La storia sembrerebbe avere la trama classica di un Y/A, dove il chiuso e scorbutico cowboy si scioglie e si lascia amare dal vivo e gioviale ragazzino viziato di città e vissero tutti felici e contenti. Ma non è così. La personalità di Ben è complessa, spesso incoerente, un momento colma Adam di attenzioni, un attimo dopo lo tradisce con la sua ex. Adam è talmente coinvolto e crede così tanto in quella relazione, che lotta come una tigre per far vincere il sentimento che li unisce. Ma proprio grazie a un comportamento poco chiaro di Ben, e una sconvolgente aggressione che quasi uccide Adam, anche la stessa amicizia, sbocciata ben prima dell’amore, rischia di essere definitivamente compromessa.
Le tematiche che sono affrontate, in maniera lieve talune, più grafiche e approfondite altre, sono importanti: l’accettazione della propria identità sessuale, il coming-out, la reazione dei familiari, il legame di amicizia e di amore tra due adolescenti, l’omofobia nelle scuole e l’impermeabilità di atteggiamento da parte di alcuni funzionari scolastici di fronte all’omosessualità e al bullismo, per citarne alcuni. In diversi momenti si toccano situazioni di un tale angst da far scattare le lacrime agli occhi, in altri la rabbia ti acceca per certi comportamenti inspiegabili di Ben. I due protagonisti sono molto a fuoco, ben descritti nei loro pregi e nei loro difetti da parte di Robbie Michaels, autore newyorkese vissuto a lungo nella periferia rurale dello Stato di New York, ma anche il padre di Adam e la madre di Ben sono personaggi secondari molto ben disegnati.
Romanzo consigliato a chi ama le storie conflittuali, che strappano il cuore e che scatenano fiotti di lacrime, ma che poi desiderano poter sorridere a un bel lieto fine.
Ipanema - per RFS
Harmony Ink Press è una sezione – e sito – distaccato della più grande e nota Dreamspinner Press, che comprende tutta una serie di titoli di romanzi MM e FF con trame e tematiche prettamente “Young Adult”, contenuti di significativa pregnanza e profondità circa la crescita, l’accettazione di sé e la difficoltà di superare gli ostacoli dell’adolescenza. Non tutti i romanzi contenuti in questo sito, infatti, sono a lieto fine ma trattano spesso argomenti importanti e molto dolorosi. Caught (trad. Beccato) e il suo sequel, Caught in the middle (trad. Messo in mezzo), appartiene a questa categoria letteraria, in quanto Adam e Ben due giovani diciottenni all’ultimo anno di liceo, sono costretti a vivere una vita fatta di ostacoli e difficoltà.
Ben è inizialmente un ragazzo orgoglioso e testardo, che non accetta la presenza – imposta dalla madre – di Adam, ragazzino di buona e facoltosissima famiglia di New York, che viene trascinato via da casa sua e dal suo background dal padre dopo che quest’ultimo lo coglie sul fatto mentre sta avendo un incontro sessuale con il suo migliore amico. Pensando di “forgiarlo” e di “rimetterlo al suo posto”, il padre di Adam ritiene che qualche mese di duro lavoro nei campi potrà “curarlo” dall’essere gay.
Adam non demorde, né con il padre nell’affermare di essere omosessuale, né con Ben che fa di tutto per metterlo in difficoltà, assegnandogli i lavori più duri e faticosi nella fattoria che conduce insieme alla madre, dopo la morte prematura del padre. Dopo varie settimane di dispetti e silenzi, Ben non riesce più a trattenere la propria attrazione per Adam e lo bacia, un pomeriggio assolato vicino a un laghetto isolato.
La storia sembrerebbe avere la trama classica di un Y/A, dove il chiuso e scorbutico cowboy si scioglie e si lascia amare dal vivo e gioviale ragazzino viziato di città e vissero tutti felici e contenti. Ma non è così. La personalità di Ben è complessa, spesso incoerente, un momento colma Adam di attenzioni, un attimo dopo lo tradisce con la sua ex. Adam è talmente coinvolto e crede così tanto in quella relazione, che lotta come una tigre per far vincere il sentimento che li unisce. Ma proprio grazie a un comportamento poco chiaro di Ben, e una sconvolgente aggressione che quasi uccide Adam, anche la stessa amicizia, sbocciata ben prima dell’amore, rischia di essere definitivamente compromessa.
Le tematiche che sono affrontate, in maniera lieve talune, più grafiche e approfondite altre, sono importanti: l’accettazione della propria identità sessuale, il coming-out, la reazione dei familiari, il legame di amicizia e di amore tra due adolescenti, l’omofobia nelle scuole e l’impermeabilità di atteggiamento da parte di alcuni funzionari scolastici di fronte all’omosessualità e al bullismo, per citarne alcuni. In diversi momenti si toccano situazioni di un tale angst da far scattare le lacrime agli occhi, in altri la rabbia ti acceca per certi comportamenti inspiegabili di Ben. I due protagonisti sono molto a fuoco, ben descritti nei loro pregi e nei loro difetti da parte di Robbie Michaels, autore newyorkese vissuto a lungo nella periferia rurale dello Stato di New York, ma anche il padre di Adam e la madre di Ben sono personaggi secondari molto ben disegnati.
Romanzo consigliato a chi ama le storie conflittuali, che strappano il cuore e che scatenano fiotti di lacrime, ma che poi desiderano poter sorridere a un bel lieto fine.
Ipanema - per RFS
April 18, 2016
Title: Caught in the Middle
Author: Robbie Michaels
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
ISBN: 978-1-63476-015-7
Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Caught in the Act 2
After a rocky start to the school year, Ben and Adam are getting their feet on solid ground, despite a lot of obstacles. Amelia, Ben’s former girlfriend, isn’t willing to let Ben go so easily. At Christmas, Amelia delivers a bombshell that keeps Adam and Ben apart over the holiday. When Adam returns from seeing his family, Ben, who avoids conflict at all cost, will not talk to him.
Adam figures out Amelia’s scheme, and when he confronts her, she retaliates by arranging an ambush in the school parking lot one night.
Ben is horrified when he sees Adam lying battered in the hospital. Adam is more than physically broken. His spirit is wounded, and he sees only the negative, the struggle ahead, and Ben’s betrayal. Healing, both in body and mind, is a long arduous road.
It’s up to Ben to convince Adam that there is still good in life and that he’ll be there to help Adam every step of the way. If Adam will let him.
Summary:
Adam and Ben's lives had finally settled down until Amelia crashed in with the bomb that she was pregnant with Ben's child. While the possibility was there, Ben never thought to question her showing both his honor and unwillingness to think badly about anyone. Adam knew what a snake she was and was willing do whatever he had to to protect Ben; something that would never occur to Amelia It was sad when their love was tested the only one willing to stand was Adam leaving him alone and defenseless at the time he needed Ben the most. Gay bashing is horrible, but what happened to Adam would have left anyone scared for life terrified to love again. Adam and Ben’s incredible story unfolded allowing the reader to experience emotions ranging from despair to overwhelming happiness. This was an incredible ride from the start.
Author: Robbie Michaels
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
ISBN: 978-1-63476-015-7
Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/stor...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
Caught in the Act 2
After a rocky start to the school year, Ben and Adam are getting their feet on solid ground, despite a lot of obstacles. Amelia, Ben’s former girlfriend, isn’t willing to let Ben go so easily. At Christmas, Amelia delivers a bombshell that keeps Adam and Ben apart over the holiday. When Adam returns from seeing his family, Ben, who avoids conflict at all cost, will not talk to him.
Adam figures out Amelia’s scheme, and when he confronts her, she retaliates by arranging an ambush in the school parking lot one night.
Ben is horrified when he sees Adam lying battered in the hospital. Adam is more than physically broken. His spirit is wounded, and he sees only the negative, the struggle ahead, and Ben’s betrayal. Healing, both in body and mind, is a long arduous road.
It’s up to Ben to convince Adam that there is still good in life and that he’ll be there to help Adam every step of the way. If Adam will let him.
Summary:
Adam and Ben's lives had finally settled down until Amelia crashed in with the bomb that she was pregnant with Ben's child. While the possibility was there, Ben never thought to question her showing both his honor and unwillingness to think badly about anyone. Adam knew what a snake she was and was willing do whatever he had to to protect Ben; something that would never occur to Amelia It was sad when their love was tested the only one willing to stand was Adam leaving him alone and defenseless at the time he needed Ben the most. Gay bashing is horrible, but what happened to Adam would have left anyone scared for life terrified to love again. Adam and Ben’s incredible story unfolded allowing the reader to experience emotions ranging from despair to overwhelming happiness. This was an incredible ride from the start.
May 27, 2015
This is part of a series. This book picks up where Caught left off so I suggest you read them in order.
Warning: Tissues will be needed.
In the first book, I really didn’t like Ben. In this book, I came to hate him. I understood they were kids, but both Adam and Ben are living in men’s roles, especially Ben.
Since Ben has been helping his mom run the farm I expected him to be the more grown-up of the two. Instead, the spoiled city boy was more of a man than him.
I really felt sorry for Adam after the betrayal and though I should have seen it coming especially since it is in the blurb I didn’t see the attack being so bad until it happened.
This is a very good story. There is a lot of angst and heartache. I loved Adam being so strong and fighting for what he wanted. I will say it pushed my limits on believability with Adam practically fending for himself though his dad is in the picture he is usually in the city, hours away. The crime on Adam was very fierce and being a hate crime you would have thought more would have been done… but it is fiction and it did serve its purpose well in the story. It brought Ben back to his senses.
Caught in the middle is a beautiful story of love, heartache, and growth.
If you like young adult stories, angst, drama and, young love this is for you.
Warning: Tissues will be needed.
In the first book, I really didn’t like Ben. In this book, I came to hate him. I understood they were kids, but both Adam and Ben are living in men’s roles, especially Ben.
Since Ben has been helping his mom run the farm I expected him to be the more grown-up of the two. Instead, the spoiled city boy was more of a man than him.
I really felt sorry for Adam after the betrayal and though I should have seen it coming especially since it is in the blurb I didn’t see the attack being so bad until it happened.
This is a very good story. There is a lot of angst and heartache. I loved Adam being so strong and fighting for what he wanted. I will say it pushed my limits on believability with Adam practically fending for himself though his dad is in the picture he is usually in the city, hours away. The crime on Adam was very fierce and being a hate crime you would have thought more would have been done… but it is fiction and it did serve its purpose well in the story. It brought Ben back to his senses.
Caught in the middle is a beautiful story of love, heartache, and growth.
If you like young adult stories, angst, drama and, young love this is for you.
November 17, 2016
Yeah, no. Ben can go fuck off and die. This is a half m/m romance half young adult novel. While the two lovers can be flawed, the romance aspect goes out the window when you think one of the characters is an asshole and the other an over the top caricature of how to do the right thing. Thinking back to the first book too, Robbie Michaels has good ideas for the overall story arc, but his writing style is not to my taste. Straight lines and sharp corners on a dot-to-dot drawing rather than the smooth curves and subtle shading of a real pencil drawing.
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September 29, 2015Because of my work on the 2016 Stonewall Book Awards, I cannot publish my opinions on any children's or YA book with LGBTQ+ characters or themes. I may update these reviews after the announcement of the 2016 Stonewall Book Awards.
August 11, 2015
I liked the book mostly. 4 stars
February 22, 2018
Beautiful. Wonderful. Incredibly real. Might become one of my confort books.
Yeah, since I re-read it this definitely enters in my comfort books list. :D
Yeah, since I re-read it this definitely enters in my comfort books list. :D
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews