The Bouncer

by A.J. Llewellyn

Kevin Branigan thought he was moving to Austin, Texas for a job. Instead, he got a life.Kevin Branigan begins a new life in Austin, Texas, working as a bouncer at his brother's bar. He intervenes when a drunken patron beats up his girlfriend and Kevin winds up being arrested. Sentenced to community service in a gay church, Kevin begins to think that the signs are all bad.However, late one night at the bar, he's seduced into a hot threesome with two of his co-workers. He finds himself drawn to this dangerous mix, as well as to hunky undercover cop Cruz Dixon.Unfortunately Cruz appears to have a boyfriend. Or does he? Can he win over Cruz, who's captured his heart and his mind? Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of menage a trois and menage a quatre sex."

Genres: M M Romance, Menage, M M M, Contemporary, Erotica, M M M M, Romance

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 13, 2010

About the author

A.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.

A.J’s passion for the islands led to writing a play about the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili’uokalani as well as a non-erotic novel about the overthrow of her kingdom written in diary form from her maid’s point of view.

A.J. never lacks inspiritation for male/male erotic romances and on the rare occasion this happens, pursues other passions such as collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal companions.

A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

Reviews

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second read of The Bouncer and I am reviewing the newly released 2015 edition.

Kevin is a man-down-on-his-luck. He hasn't been able to find a teaching job and his boyfriend of 6 years has run off with his possisions, his money and his heart. He decides to make a change and move to Texas and help his brother Jack and his brother's boyfriend Tito run the gay bar/restaurant/nightclud called Tiki Tito. He is now The Bouncer.

This actually felt like two different books to me. One was a story about a down-on-his-luck man, returning home with his tail between his legs after a failed romance and no job prospects. He takes a job well below his means at his brother's bar and has casual threesome sex with the bartenders at the restaurant. The other story is about a lonely man looking for a place to call home, who fits in perfectly with his brother, Jack, and his brother's new husband, Tito, and his two young sons, who he has partial custody of. Kevin meets and quickly falls in love with dreamy police officer Cruz and their courting is beautiful and romantic and fucking hot as sin. THAT is what I absolutely loved. The romance and the family dynamics. The rest I could pretty much do without.

But the romance alone in this one is worth the recommendation. It is wonderful. Recommended.

This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read. The story is about new beginnings, family and finding love. It's told with elegance, humor and a deep insight into human nature - all of it: the bad and the good both get exposed for what they are. I love it when a story is honest like this, giving a full picture of the characters, and leaving nothing out. Somehow, it makes everything that happens more real.

I loved Kevin from the very start. He's just had a horrible break up with his boyfriend, and what does he do? Start a new life in a new city, to try to put it all behind him. He sees "signs" everywhere, but doesn’t let them stop him. He's such a giving person and will do anything to protect his brother, Jack, and his husband, Tito. Not to mention Tito’s adorable sons who are being kept away from him by a vengeful mother who doesn’t like the fact that Tito stopped earning lots of money as a boxer.

Cruz is the enigmatic cop Kevin falls for. The man isn't out, and initially shies away from a deeper connection because he's been burned as well. It took me a little longer to figure out Cruz, but I agree with Kevin: he's a guy worth the effort of getting to know him.

This is a great read with wonderful observations about human nature, and one that doesn't shy away from the serious issues. All of it wrapped up in the humor of Kevin’s unique outlook on life, ensuring that there is never a dull moment.



Note: This book was provided by TEB for the purpose of a review.

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Kevin Branigan is new in town, recently heart broken and freezing his balls off standing outside his brother’s bar where he’s the new bouncer, when he sees Cruz Dixon, a local cop, going into the club across the street. The two men merely gaze at one another, but it’s enough to get Kevin hot and put Cruz at forefront of his mind for days. Things progress rather slowly, as far as relationships go, and it takes until 50 or 60 percent of the way through the book before they really seem to come together. There’s a lot of lead up and they’ve both been hurt before, but Cruz is definitely the more gun-shy of the two. Once together though, things get hot and heavy, fast.

I loved the side characters in this story as well, there’s Tito (Kevin’s brother-in-law), Jack (his brother), and Tito’s kids (Chero and Juanito). By the end of the story they all seem like one big happy family and it’s fantastic.

There are a few scenes that include menage sex that I could have probably done without, but do nothing to take away from the story as a whole. I think I’m just not a sexcapades kinda gal. Who knew?

Overall, this was a really fun, excellent read. Well done, A.J. Llewellyn!

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

After a messy break-up, Kevin moves to Austin to help his brother and his husband run the bar they own. His brother’s husband, Tito, is a former boxer and his ex is trying to keep him away from his two young kids by saying he’s violent. When he punches a customer who attacked his wife and then Tito, Kevin takes the fall so that Tito’s ex-wife can’t use it ammunition against him. He saw a hot guy who he finds out is a cop. The cop is equally attracted but has his own baggage and doesn’t want to get involved with a “criminal”. There was a lot in this story, Tito and Jack’s drama with the ex and trying to get to see the kids more, plus Kevin and Cruz and then there are the two bartenders that Kevin kind of hooked up with for a bit. However I did enjoy it and would have liked to know more about Tito and Jack’s story as there are little bits about how they met and why Tito had to give up boxing, but it would be an interesting story as well. The kid element was cute and I am a sucker for guys with kids too. I won this from the author so thanks so much AJ. I enjoyed it muchly.

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read - as much the second time around as when I read the first edition. The story is about new beginnings, family, and finding love. It's told with elegance, humor, and a deep insight into human nature - all of it: the bad and the good both get exposed for what they are. I love it when a story is honest like this, giving a full picture of the characters and leaving nothing out. Somehow it makes everything that happens more real.

I loved Kevin from the very start. He's just had a horrible breakup with his boyfriend, and what does he do? Start a new life in a new city, to try to put it all behind him. He sees "signs" everywhere, but doesn’t let them stop him. He's such a giving person and will do anything to protect his brother, Jack, and his husband, Tito. Not to mention Tito’s adorable sons who are being kept away from him by a vengeful mother who doesn’t like the fact that Tito stopped earning lots of money as a boxer.

Cruz is the enigmatic cop Kevin falls for. The man isn't out, and initially shies away from a deeper connection because he's been burned as well. It took me a little longer to figure out Cruz, but I agree with Kevin: he's a guy worth the effort of getting to know him.

This is a great read with wonderful observations about human nature, and one that doesn't shy away from the serious issues. All of it wrapped up in the humor of Kevin’s unique outlook on life, ensuring that there is never a dull moment.


NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Ruthie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads~~

There are some really moving, really hot and really fun scenes in this book. It is strangely disjointed, but actually that worked as that seemed to be Kevin's life - disjointed. He has managed to have a disastrous relationship and then have to start again at his brother's bar. He takes the fall for a violent act he didn't do, and then has community service looking after toddlers. But it is a really easy read with some lovely touches and a promise of a much brighter future for him and those around him.

So, for a quick read with some interesting ideas and some distinctly hot and dirty scenes, this will do just fine!

[M'rella · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Bouncer" is a bit all over the place, but in a good way - from sex to food to kids. Loved the "kids" parts, especially episode with kites.
Sex is always hot in AJ's book =) and food is always yummy :)~ LOL

[S.M. Harshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.**

3.5 STARS

Kevin is moving to Austin to help out his brother and his husband. Kevin's life fell apart after his partner left him. He's down on his luck looking for a sign that everything will be okay. He's hoping that he'll find that sign in Austin.

Jack (Kevin's brother) and Tito own a bar/restaurant and want Kevin's help working as a bouncer. They are in a huge custody battle of Tito's children and need a little more flexibility in the schedules. He is hoping to find a love like his brother's, something he knows he never had with his ex-partner. Can he find the man of his dreams in the great state of Texas or will he end up the middle of a man sandwich?

The Bouncer was an enjoyable read. I loved Tito and Jack. I was intrigued by Tito's situation and his kids. Kevin wasn't that stand out character for me. Yes he is the MC but I found myself more interested in the supporting characters. I have read this author before and would definitely recommend.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story very much. Kevin is such a good guy and sweetheart that I fell for him just a little bit. It seems like the poor guy just can't catch a break. First his ex screws him over, then he gets community service taking the fall for something he didn't do to help out someone else. I will say this for Keven though, they boy gets some HOT action for himself. Cruz is hard to read at first. He seems really closed off, but once he get going with Kevin it turns out great. I really enjoyed the interactions between Keven and Cruz, although they do seem to go from 0 to love at mach speed. On the whole though it was an entertaining story.

[Loves · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was all over the place, genre wise. At times, it was not clear if this is a romance book, an erotica book, a family drama or just a tourist guide to Austin, Texas. The lack of focus on a definite genre and plot arc gave the story a rushed, chaotic air. It resembled a personal diary or unedited account of a story more than a fiction book. The characters were generally nice, it just seemed that the author hadn't really decided what he meant to do with them up to the middle of the book and was playing with several options up to that point.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This saucy little book gives us a whole lot of very playful, uninhibited sex. And a little romance too.

Kevin Branigan, an unemployed teacher, comes to Austin, Texas to live with his brother and brother-in-law and work as a bouncer in their bar. He quickly falls for Detective Cruz Dixon, but he can’t resist playing all sorts of sexy games with bar employees Miguel and Jimmy while he gets to know Cruz better.

This isn’t angsty m/m. There are issues though. Break-ups, custody battles, community service orders. Another author would have dragged out the emotional drama, adding miscommunications and recriminations. Not this book. The writing isn’t that complicated. It is actually pretty clunky. Several times I wanted to shout out to the author, “show me, don’t tell me!” Sometimes I wanted a red pen. But then I would start smiling again. Because this is just pure fun smut.

This is a story which celebrates anonymous bathroom blowjobs without any cautionary moralising. A story where the best present possible for a new boyfriend is a foursome. So this isn’t War and Peace. It is basically porn. Fun, silly, creative porn with a little bit of heart.

I think my criticism lies with the attempts to make this a romance with a HEA. It’s like two books have been tangled together. Kevin supposedly wants Cruz and only Cruz forever. Soulmates. But he just can’t help playing with Miguel and Jimmy. And neither can Cruz. It doesn’t work for me. I enjoyed the carefree erotica. I liked the family relationships. but I didn’t buy the romance.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for Inked Rainbow Reviews.

[AussieMum · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3stars maybe
I think I'm one of the few who didn't get this...like...at all.

The only two things I can say I liked in this story were the drag queen who called the bingo and that Kevin likes to do "the snoopy dance" when he's happy.

The blurb sounds good but the story is so short and there are way too many ideas/conflicts packed in such a short book I never connected to any of these characters and I really wanted to love Kevin and Cruz but just didn't feel it.

It all just happens like it's being blurted out, its disjointed like a lot of the bits connecting the story together are missing. It's not even a decent PWP because even the sex scenes to me were disappointing. All way too rushed and I didn't even enjoy them for smut value unfortunately.

Then of course there's
-the awful ex wife of his brothers husband
- his two kids who are being neglected
-the awful ex boyfriend
- the undercover cop he falls in instalove with after a some glances and a quick conversation of "I can't do this
-the community service at the gay church he gets for taking the wrap for Tito's fight with a closeted politician
And don't forget
-the two bar workers who surprise him for a dirty 'I've just used the urinal' head job and then later there's a so not sexy it was disturbingly out of place "foursome" on the empty dance floor of the club.

This was not a a keeper for me but it seems to be something lots of others enjoyed.

[Andrea Goodell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m just not sure how to review this, I enjoyed the story, Kevin reconnecting with his brother meeting his brother’s husband, the staff, the kids. The love interest with the Dixon even the funny scenes around town and driving.

The menage between the charaters was sexy and the fact that Kevin seems to be horny for anything male was fun.

The sub story of then all trying to help Tito get his kids back was sweet, and by the end you are really gunning for Tito and the kids.

My big issue, it seemed like to me, was this could have used another edit or some more polishing. It felt a little jumpy. Kept thinking, how did we end up here or did that just finish?
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Crystal Many reviews

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd, goofy and very disjointed tale focused on families, food, kids and some kooky sexy times. Sort of got whiplash trying to keep track of Kevin and his threesome with the bartenders then his relationship with Cruz. The L word was thrown around too soon. Then the out of the blue 4 some on the dance floor just made me scratch my head. Sweet in places but the whiplash action made it hard to like the book. Would have liked more on page action between Kevin and Cruz
Bit more back story on Jack and Tito, too.

[Arzu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet short story. I enjoyed it very much, however would have liked to read more about Tito and Jack, their love, Tito's boxing career and ending, the struggle for the kids.
Kevin and Cruz are sweet together, but I think a longer story wouldn't have given me the feeling of a rushed love affair.
And the kids ... I admit, I am a sucker for kids!!

[Byron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm I'm in two minds about this book.. I did like it.. but I just wasn't 100% sure of it.. I might re-read this sooner rather than later.. It seemed like a great story but when I finished I was so unsure of it.. Wish I could verbalise it..

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this book but I think I read it at the wrong time in my life because I am currently studying for my exams, therefor I almost just skimmed our this book. However the bits that I do remember reading where very very good. I think I might try this one again when I have more time.

[Ale Rivero · Rating 2 out of 5]

En sí los personajes me gustaron, por eso la nota, pero la historia que los rodeaba ha sido lo que no me ha convencido para nada. La relación entre las parejas protagonistas promete mucho y da poco; lo que me ha gustado son los momentos en que los grandes interactúan con los niños.

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars


This story was kinda all over the place with the kids , the Church and being a bouncer at a bar.
for such a short story it was jammed packed with alot of storylines which didn't make sense to me at all...
I also didn't like the menage or the foursome

[Ryoma Gartre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, finally an story from A.J. Llewellyn i can say I DID LIKE.

The characters are endearing, but too much stuff was left out of the picture, more than a HEA the ending, to me is a HFN.

[Iavenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story with a happy ending you can't help but fall in love with.