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Englishmen Stories #2
Side Line
Having rarely experienced another man’s touch, US Marine Damon O'Connor doesn't identify as gay, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think about strong hands or where treasure trails lead, despite his commitments back home. Damon’s sense of duty is strong, and he’ll stop at nothing to do what’s right, even if that means dying for his country.
While stationed in the Middle East, Damon gets what he least expects in the form of Jay Wells, an out-and-proud British beer promotions manager working in the area. Jay is content working his life away and has no time for relationships. Neither does Damon, as he’s days away from deploying to war. Until they met, love was the last thing on their minds, but they’re determined to enjoy it while they can.
While stationed in the Middle East, Damon gets what he least expects in the form of Jay Wells, an out-and-proud British beer promotions manager working in the area. Jay is content working his life away and has no time for relationships. Neither does Damon, as he’s days away from deploying to war. Until they met, love was the last thing on their minds, but they’re determined to enjoy it while they can.
174 pages, ebook
First published June 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 12, 2013
Well…this book was just baaaaad…
What’s that saying? ...“if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”…eh…
Look, you’re not gonna get me to shut up just because I don’t have anything nice to say. Ha! But, I’ll keep this short. The story had potential (beer brand promoter sent to Bahrain to distribute at clubs/bars among the soldiers). I have to say, that’s a new one for me. But the 2 MC’s had zero likability-factor. In fact, the soldier of the 2 was an ass. Throw in “buddy” as a pet name and the most RIDICULOUS let-me-try-and-convince-you-that-these-two-could-actually-fall-in-love angle and I was rolling my eyes to the point it became painful.
And, to be honest, this was WAY too heavy on the estrogen levels. There are more female characters than male ones. I can’t stand beer bimbos (aka “street teams”) at my bars where there’s free booze. Not likely I’ll be able to stand them sober while reading what’s supposed to be “escapist fare”.
Pass…trust me…just…pass…
September 6, 2013
Well, having read just over half this book, I am going to try and return it to Amazon. Firstly, a book of this length should not be priced so high, and also, it just isn't very good.
I went into it expecting origionality, based on the plot idea. The cover looks well done and professional, so that's what I expected of the writing.
This is not a good book, in my opionion. Damon is a tool, who any self-respecting man or woman would slap and walk away from. But for some reason our main character thinks getting slapped and thrown around and being used as an ashtray rest a turn on. I could accept that if there was an S/M relationship going on here, but ostensibly it's just supposed to be two guys who barely know eachother.
I'm finding Jackie the cackling cliche of a divorce to be wearing and irritating, all her lines end with exclaimation marks, like she's holding a martini in one hand and crowing at the ceiling while smoking a cigarette.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, and shelled out for it willingly, but, many cheaper, or free, longer novels have done everything better, and this has left me annoyed and hating both main characters. I cannot over state how much Damon is offending me.
Also, in terms of eroticism, or even sexyness, there is none. The langauge is all wrong, too blunt, or just strange. For example, you can slap someone in the face with a dick (if you are one yourself) but you can't 'slam' it into their cheek. Slamming is for doors, hammers etc, and just doesn't match the action described.
Also, if one of your male characters is watching another in the shower, obviously checking him out, it kind of ruins the 'mood' if he then describes the soap foam sliding down his body and dick as 'like a stream of bubbly white piss'.
Urhg!
** It transpires that I cannot return this, and with that in mind I decided to at least finish it, but, after about fifteen more pages I can go no further. There appears to be a scene missing in which alpha-douche Damon the dick-to-face slammer is bashed on the head and has his personality turned 180 degrees. He shows up friendly as a Labrador and after a brief scuffle with the police, the main character takes him back to his hotel to remove a pair of zip-lock cuffs, where-upon they have tender, sweet sex, where Damon is suddenly a puppy-ish bottom.
Also, I may not be an authority on gay sex, but twice now our couple have got down to it with narry a blob of lube in sight, the first time they use spit, and I can maybe buy that the main character has been with a lot of guys, and that he's not exactly virginal (even if Damon's penis is described as the thickness of a can of redbull) - but Damon the neander-top then takes a dick up the who-ha with no prep whatsoever. And not even saliva.
Cannot finish this thing. It's like having a can of redbull rammed somewhere painful.
I went into it expecting origionality, based on the plot idea. The cover looks well done and professional, so that's what I expected of the writing.
This is not a good book, in my opionion. Damon is a tool, who any self-respecting man or woman would slap and walk away from. But for some reason our main character thinks getting slapped and thrown around and being used as an ashtray rest a turn on. I could accept that if there was an S/M relationship going on here, but ostensibly it's just supposed to be two guys who barely know eachother.
I'm finding Jackie the cackling cliche of a divorce to be wearing and irritating, all her lines end with exclaimation marks, like she's holding a martini in one hand and crowing at the ceiling while smoking a cigarette.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, and shelled out for it willingly, but, many cheaper, or free, longer novels have done everything better, and this has left me annoyed and hating both main characters. I cannot over state how much Damon is offending me.
Also, in terms of eroticism, or even sexyness, there is none. The langauge is all wrong, too blunt, or just strange. For example, you can slap someone in the face with a dick (if you are one yourself) but you can't 'slam' it into their cheek. Slamming is for doors, hammers etc, and just doesn't match the action described.
Also, if one of your male characters is watching another in the shower, obviously checking him out, it kind of ruins the 'mood' if he then describes the soap foam sliding down his body and dick as 'like a stream of bubbly white piss'.
Urhg!
** It transpires that I cannot return this, and with that in mind I decided to at least finish it, but, after about fifteen more pages I can go no further. There appears to be a scene missing in which alpha-douche Damon the dick-to-face slammer is bashed on the head and has his personality turned 180 degrees. He shows up friendly as a Labrador and after a brief scuffle with the police, the main character takes him back to his hotel to remove a pair of zip-lock cuffs, where-upon they have tender, sweet sex, where Damon is suddenly a puppy-ish bottom.
Also, I may not be an authority on gay sex, but twice now our couple have got down to it with narry a blob of lube in sight, the first time they use spit, and I can maybe buy that the main character has been with a lot of guys, and that he's not exactly virginal (even if Damon's penis is described as the thickness of a can of redbull) - but Damon the neander-top then takes a dick up the who-ha with no prep whatsoever. And not even saliva.
Cannot finish this thing. It's like having a can of redbull rammed somewhere painful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2013
I let this marinate while I slept, hoping my perspective would change, but it hasn't. This was just bad. Not the writing, the writing was good. The premise was good. Out gay guy travels to the middle east on business, meets closeted military man, angst, sex, and romance ensues. Sounds perfect, right?
Wrong!
Let's start though, with what I did like. As I said, the writing was solid. There are so many poorly written and edited books out there these days that I always feel the need to point out when something is decently edited and written. I liked Jay well enough (although I don't really feel I got to know him much), and I really enjoyed Jackie. I liked the bar element.
What I didn't like. First a bit of WTF, on my part anyway. Would a company really send a bunch of young girls to a country in the middle east simply to dance around and act sexy, to sell beer? It seems really risky to me, but maybe the place they were wasn't so bad as other places you read about?
Then there is Damon. God, I hated this man. He had NO redeeming qualities. At first, I liked him.I thought he was a nice guy. He talked with Jay a bit on their first meeting, seeming genuinely interested. But then the next time they saw each other, he was a cold jerk, totally ignoring Jay. Ok, I can kinda get that. Closeted man meets a guy he likes, then freaks out a bit, responds by ignoring the guy he likes. I GET that. I could totally overlook the ignoring parts, so long as he made up for it later.
Ok, now we get a nice fat spoilery chunk of review, so don't read on if you don't want to read, in detail, why I hated Damon and don't buy this relationship at ALL.
Writing this review really saddens me, because I did like the other book I read by this author. This story had all the earmarks of a story I really love, but the character of Damon just totally ruined it for me. I couldn't find one single thing to like about him, and so I couldn't be happy that Jay (maybe?) ended up with him. It makes me think that Jay is just a pushover who takes what he can get, when he really wasn't presented that way, at all.
Wrong!
Let's start though, with what I did like. As I said, the writing was solid. There are so many poorly written and edited books out there these days that I always feel the need to point out when something is decently edited and written. I liked Jay well enough (although I don't really feel I got to know him much), and I really enjoyed Jackie. I liked the bar element.
What I didn't like. First a bit of WTF, on my part anyway. Would a company really send a bunch of young girls to a country in the middle east simply to dance around and act sexy, to sell beer? It seems really risky to me, but maybe the place they were wasn't so bad as other places you read about?
Then there is Damon. God, I hated this man. He had NO redeeming qualities. At first, I liked him.I thought he was a nice guy. He talked with Jay a bit on their first meeting, seeming genuinely interested. But then the next time they saw each other, he was a cold jerk, totally ignoring Jay. Ok, I can kinda get that. Closeted man meets a guy he likes, then freaks out a bit, responds by ignoring the guy he likes. I GET that. I could totally overlook the ignoring parts, so long as he made up for it later.
Ok, now we get a nice fat spoilery chunk of review, so don't read on if you don't want to read, in detail, why I hated Damon and don't buy this relationship at ALL.
Writing this review really saddens me, because I did like the other book I read by this author. This story had all the earmarks of a story I really love, but the character of Damon just totally ruined it for me. I couldn't find one single thing to like about him, and so I couldn't be happy that Jay (maybe?) ended up with him. It makes me think that Jay is just a pushover who takes what he can get, when he really wasn't presented that way, at all.
June 25, 2013
Review written for Hearts On Fire Reviews - 3 stars
This story had a lot of potential. It is about Jay, the British beer company promotions manager and Damon, an American Marine. Much of the beginning of this is about Jay and what he does with his promotional activities and how he ends up going to Bahrain and then meeting Damon.
It quickly introduces my favorite character in this book, Jay’s assistant, Jackie. I loved their friendship and interactions, and I laughed out loud more than once, especially when she called during one of Jay’s jack-off sessions and turned the tables on him right quick.. Unfortunately she is also the head of the beer girl bimbo team who travel with them to hand out free beer.
Then there is Damon. Not really sure what to say about him. First meeting he seems super hot and sweet, etc. But then it all goes down hill, and every redeeming quality just flies right out the proverbial window. Damon, it seems, was extremely in the closet from the Marines, as well as his family, and even to himself to a degree. Thus, he fights any feelings he has towards Jay, beyond the physical sensations of having sex with someone other than himself.
Jay, knowing it is wrong, continues to allow it to happen and even struggles with the fact that he enjoys the treatment to an extent. It isn’t until the latter part of this story that they get their acts together somewhat and have more than one-sided interactions. I honestly think I found myself more interested in Jackie and Peter’s relationship than Jay and Damon’s, which almost never happens.
So, while I did enjoy many parts of this story, there were just as many that I did not. One thing that did surprise me was the emphasis put on Jackie’s procurement of condoms for her date with Peter. Yet, not once, throughout all of the quasi-rape/quick fucks between Jay and Damon, was there ever any mention of condoms or lube or concern over the lack thereof.
This relationship seems doomed from the get go, what with Damon being shipped into Afghanistan, etc. and Jay heading home. Years later, with a little help from Jackie, again, they are reunited, say approximately two words, and the story ends. Have to say I was a little disappointed with that. These guys finally have everything on the table, make it through the war zones, only to have it end like that? It felt like the epilogue needed an epilogue. So, average 3 star rating for me on this one. I liked it, and I didn’t like it, then I liked it again, then I didn’t.
June 12, 2013
1.5 Stars Rounded Up
This book did not work for me. One of the MC's, Damon, was a real prick and the chemistry failed. The secondary character of Jackie, Jay's assistant, was the best character in the book and it's not her story, although she is in it a lot. It gets the majority of the stars for Jackie and her dialogue. Jay was okay.
There were numerous issues for me. The characterisation of Damon being one, the issue of the third Gulf War being another, lack of chemistry another, some sort of attempt at transformation near the end being too little too late and all tell no show. A full review **complete with spoilers** is at On Top Down Under Book Reviews - http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot...
This book did not work for me. One of the MC's, Damon, was a real prick and the chemistry failed. The secondary character of Jackie, Jay's assistant, was the best character in the book and it's not her story, although she is in it a lot. It gets the majority of the stars for Jackie and her dialogue. Jay was okay.
There were numerous issues for me. The characterisation of Damon being one, the issue of the third Gulf War being another, lack of chemistry another, some sort of attempt at transformation near the end being too little too late and all tell no show. A full review **complete with spoilers** is at On Top Down Under Book Reviews - http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot...
July 16, 2013
This story is set in the near future, there’s now a vaccine against HIV, the third Gulf War is imminent, and British beer promoter Jay Wells takes his all-girl promotional team to Bahrain, where all the American and British soldiers are waiting for their deployment right now. That’s how Jay meets Damon O’Connor, a Marines Staff Sergeant who doesn’t seem as into the girls as all the other soldiers are but instead seems unable to keep his eyes off Jay, the only male in the team (or “Beer Squad”, as Jay calls the group of handpicked international beauties who help him sell beer by throwing their assets around).
So far so good, it was an interesting setup–a beer promotion campaign in the Middle East is certainly something you don’t read about every day–and the characters started out well-drawn and interesting, from Jay, the first person POV narrator and Jackie, Jay’s assistant, down to the beer squad girls. Damon was a rather unlikable character at first, but he redeemed himself later on. I didn’t like how he acted, but in the end, I could understand where he came from in a way.
This was one of those stories where the main characters keep running into each other by chance for a while before forming a real connection. While with this setup, having them meet too often can seem forced, it can also make relating to them as a couple a bit difficult, and this was the case here for me. The main reason why Damon and Jay together didn’t make much sense to me at first lay in the nature of their encounters. I don’t want to become too spoilerish here, but their first few hookups went down in a way that I, had someone treated me the way Damon treated Jay, I’d have kicked them six ways to Sunday. With steam behind. Okay, perhaps Jay got off on humiliation, but nothing in his characterization before–and nothing in the way he behaved with Damon later–pointed that way, so the fact kept puzzling me.
The abovementionend setup also meant that Damon and Jay didn’t have that much onpage time together. In fact, the majority of Jay’s dialogue happened with Jackie, his assistant. And even though she was a great, likable character, Jay’s lengthy interactions with her took away from his building of a relationship with Damon. Which resulted in their connection, when it finally came to really blossom out, feeling rushed and somewhat out of the blue, given their previous interactions.
Aside from the main pairing’s relationship feeling slightly off, I had two major issues with this story. One, the Middle East setting didn’t matter much aside from providing a cliché laden conflict situation, and secondly, the way said conflict dissolved into thin air later with Jackie’s help and a conveniently fortunate coincidence felt rather contrived.
On the plus side, I liked the writing in and of itself a lot. The tone was realistic and full of a wry sense of humor that, as far as I’m concerned, fit in nicely with Jay’s narrative voice. Also, even though I certainly didn’t like how Damon treated Jay, his behavior struck me as quite realistic too, given his background and personality. As for the sex scenes, they were seriously hot–in a rather harsh, blunt way–and pleasantly low on purple prose. What I also liked a lot was the rather open ending–a HFN ending that left a lot of room for me to fantasize about the characters.
So far so good, it was an interesting setup–a beer promotion campaign in the Middle East is certainly something you don’t read about every day–and the characters started out well-drawn and interesting, from Jay, the first person POV narrator and Jackie, Jay’s assistant, down to the beer squad girls. Damon was a rather unlikable character at first, but he redeemed himself later on. I didn’t like how he acted, but in the end, I could understand where he came from in a way.
This was one of those stories where the main characters keep running into each other by chance for a while before forming a real connection. While with this setup, having them meet too often can seem forced, it can also make relating to them as a couple a bit difficult, and this was the case here for me. The main reason why Damon and Jay together didn’t make much sense to me at first lay in the nature of their encounters. I don’t want to become too spoilerish here, but their first few hookups went down in a way that I, had someone treated me the way Damon treated Jay, I’d have kicked them six ways to Sunday. With steam behind. Okay, perhaps Jay got off on humiliation, but nothing in his characterization before–and nothing in the way he behaved with Damon later–pointed that way, so the fact kept puzzling me.
The abovementionend setup also meant that Damon and Jay didn’t have that much onpage time together. In fact, the majority of Jay’s dialogue happened with Jackie, his assistant. And even though she was a great, likable character, Jay’s lengthy interactions with her took away from his building of a relationship with Damon. Which resulted in their connection, when it finally came to really blossom out, feeling rushed and somewhat out of the blue, given their previous interactions.
Aside from the main pairing’s relationship feeling slightly off, I had two major issues with this story. One, the Middle East setting didn’t matter much aside from providing a cliché laden conflict situation, and secondly, the way said conflict dissolved into thin air later with Jackie’s help and a conveniently fortunate coincidence felt rather contrived.
On the plus side, I liked the writing in and of itself a lot. The tone was realistic and full of a wry sense of humor that, as far as I’m concerned, fit in nicely with Jay’s narrative voice. Also, even though I certainly didn’t like how Damon treated Jay, his behavior struck me as quite realistic too, given his background and personality. As for the sex scenes, they were seriously hot–in a rather harsh, blunt way–and pleasantly low on purple prose. What I also liked a lot was the rather open ending–a HFN ending that left a lot of room for me to fantasize about the characters.
July 22, 2013
Originally reviewed for The Book Vixen
In a Nutshell: Not the book for me as I really disliked one lead and think the men never had important intimate conversations.
Why I Read this Book: I’ve been on an MM military-men reading spree so this synopsis was perfect for me.
What I Liked: I liked Jay a lot. He’s a Brit with a dry sense of humor and a great working relationship with his secretary and beer girls. His honest conversations with his secretary and good friend provide nice levity for this book, even if their emotional intimacy is the only one I got as a reader.
What I Didn’t Like: I didn’t like Damon at all. He’s harsh and callous with Jay, as illustrated by their less than mutual gratification in their sexual encounters. To me this bordered on sexual violence as Damon didn’t even want to make their sex mutual. In my opinion their sex was about what Damon wanted, if at Jay’s expense. The book does have Jay show Damon another way but in my opinion ignorance doesn’t excuse selfishness, especially in the erotic.
My other huge complaint was that Damon’s backstory and how it pertains to his life choices aren’t shared in an intimate conversation with Jay; instead Damon’s boss tells Jay and then suddenly Jay understands Damon. This was a romance cop-out in my opinion and offered no emotional resolution between Jay and Damon. To me romance is about the incremental steps people take toward a shared intimacy and I got none of that in this book. Even the end doesn’t have Jay and Damon reuniting under their own volition but instead as a result of Jay’s friend.
IMO: This wasn’t the romance or story for me at all.
*review copy from publisher*
In a Nutshell: Not the book for me as I really disliked one lead and think the men never had important intimate conversations.
Why I Read this Book: I’ve been on an MM military-men reading spree so this synopsis was perfect for me.
What I Liked: I liked Jay a lot. He’s a Brit with a dry sense of humor and a great working relationship with his secretary and beer girls. His honest conversations with his secretary and good friend provide nice levity for this book, even if their emotional intimacy is the only one I got as a reader.
What I Didn’t Like: I didn’t like Damon at all. He’s harsh and callous with Jay, as illustrated by their less than mutual gratification in their sexual encounters. To me this bordered on sexual violence as Damon didn’t even want to make their sex mutual. In my opinion their sex was about what Damon wanted, if at Jay’s expense. The book does have Jay show Damon another way but in my opinion ignorance doesn’t excuse selfishness, especially in the erotic.
My other huge complaint was that Damon’s backstory and how it pertains to his life choices aren’t shared in an intimate conversation with Jay; instead Damon’s boss tells Jay and then suddenly Jay understands Damon. This was a romance cop-out in my opinion and offered no emotional resolution between Jay and Damon. To me romance is about the incremental steps people take toward a shared intimacy and I got none of that in this book. Even the end doesn’t have Jay and Damon reuniting under their own volition but instead as a result of Jay’s friend.
IMO: This wasn’t the romance or story for me at all.
*review copy from publisher*
June 15, 2013
Okay, so my thoughts on this are blurred a bit. I liked it, there was something nice about Jay and Damon when they got their shit together. I did enjoy reading this. The secondary characters fitted in well with the story and I love marines in a book. So for me it should have been the greatest book, right?
This is told from Jay's POV. He was out and proud and working in a foreign country when he meets Damon. The blurb doesn't really give the book away, for me it was inaccurate. If you read it you'll expect Damon's POV (or at least I did). Instead you get something different. I will admit I liked Jay's POV.
The book was going great and at the beginning and 3/4 of the way through I loved it. The ending left me screaming and the first few sex scenes just... Eh, I will spoiler these because it could ruin the story. I was kind of confused after that, and it went down hill for me.
Damon's past did help me to... Accept that things had happened in the story. But I would have liked him to have been nicer. He wasn't the greatest character, but I did warm to him... eventually. And as for the ending... I just won't say anymore. People need to have their own opinions on that.
I can't wait for released because I did love Noah and even though this was disappointing, I love the authors writing style and the next book sounds good.
This is told from Jay's POV. He was out and proud and working in a foreign country when he meets Damon. The blurb doesn't really give the book away, for me it was inaccurate. If you read it you'll expect Damon's POV (or at least I did). Instead you get something different. I will admit I liked Jay's POV.
The book was going great and at the beginning and 3/4 of the way through I loved it. The ending left me screaming and the first few sex scenes just... Eh, I will spoiler these because it could ruin the story. I was kind of confused after that, and it went down hill for me.
Damon's past did help me to... Accept that things had happened in the story. But I would have liked him to have been nicer. He wasn't the greatest character, but I did warm to him... eventually. And as for the ending... I just won't say anymore. People need to have their own opinions on that.
I can't wait for released because I did love Noah and even though this was disappointing, I love the authors writing style and the next book sounds good.
July 30, 2016
DNF - I read 30% of this book. The main character was shallow, materialistic and arrogant. The only reason a made it as far as I did was because I liked the writing style and the sidekick character. But, then I got to the sex scene which was more like an assault to me. It turned my stomach. I started skimming and then, thought, why am I bothering with this book when I have a huge TBR list. Luckily, I did not pay for this book - had checked it out from my local online library. I am dismayed though, that with all the wonderful m/m books out there, my online library choose to include this one in their small m/m collection.
January 28, 2018
Free Beer and Hot Marines!
Side Line beer salesman Jay comes complete with his very own personal cheerleader squad and an assistant named Jackie who I would love to be friends with for the rest of my life. He's skeptical about being tossed into the Middle East to sell beer during Ramadan, but he goes since that's what he does: he sells to tough markets. Jay prepares his people with a lot of good knowledge about Bahrain prior to unleashing the girls on the area---then immediately disobeys all his own advice by having a random hook-up with a tasty Marine named Damon.
Damon really was hard for me to like on the whole. He's a good fighter and -from all I, as a reader, was told about him from his superior officer- a good family man, but he really isn't the best man to Jay. I get the whole concept of being nervous about coming out, but Jay hits the nail on the head when he points out Don't Ask Don't Tell is a thing of the past. His superior officer even ate a guy alive for making homosexual jokes because he himself has a gay brother in the service. I really did not like him using Jay as his personal toyboy -as well as furniture at one point, what?- and I wasn't ready to forgive him for nearly getting the two of them arrested when it came time for them to part ways.
Side Line has an almost fairy tale ending which puts our guys back in touch after a long intermission since they both had to go their separate ways for the purpose of their careers. It's got some steamy sex and some really funny scenes with Jackie and Jay. Jay is definitely a great guy. He's got a cameo in 'Noah' as the harassed gentleman in Stompers waiting on his assistant Jackie to arrive. I'm glad I got to find out where he went from there, but this one wasn't nearly as much fun for me as Noah.
Side Line beer salesman Jay comes complete with his very own personal cheerleader squad and an assistant named Jackie who I would love to be friends with for the rest of my life. He's skeptical about being tossed into the Middle East to sell beer during Ramadan, but he goes since that's what he does: he sells to tough markets. Jay prepares his people with a lot of good knowledge about Bahrain prior to unleashing the girls on the area---then immediately disobeys all his own advice by having a random hook-up with a tasty Marine named Damon.
Damon really was hard for me to like on the whole. He's a good fighter and -from all I, as a reader, was told about him from his superior officer- a good family man, but he really isn't the best man to Jay. I get the whole concept of being nervous about coming out, but Jay hits the nail on the head when he points out Don't Ask Don't Tell is a thing of the past. His superior officer even ate a guy alive for making homosexual jokes because he himself has a gay brother in the service. I really did not like him using Jay as his personal toyboy -as well as furniture at one point, what?- and I wasn't ready to forgive him for nearly getting the two of them arrested when it came time for them to part ways.
Side Line has an almost fairy tale ending which puts our guys back in touch after a long intermission since they both had to go their separate ways for the purpose of their careers. It's got some steamy sex and some really funny scenes with Jackie and Jay. Jay is definitely a great guy. He's got a cameo in 'Noah' as the harassed gentleman in Stompers waiting on his assistant Jackie to arrive. I'm glad I got to find out where he went from there, but this one wasn't nearly as much fun for me as Noah.
June 17, 2013
3.5 Stars
Side Line, set in the near future just as the Third Gulf War is about to kick off, is told from the POV of Jay Wells. Jay is a twenty seven year old Londoner and Promotions Manager for Side Line beer. He is sent to Bahrain to pitch their beer in anticipation for a rapidly growing market as Bahrain is set to become the newest tourist hotspot – think Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He takes with him his assistant, Jackie, and the Beer Squad. During one of the promotional events he meets twenty seven year old Marines Staff Sergeant, Damon O’Connors from Tampa, Florida. A veteran of eight years, Damon first joined the Marines at nineteen. Their first conversation is pleasant and, while Jay assumes Damon is straight, he enjoys the chat for what it is. However, when they run into each other again at another event, Damon has turned decidedly chilly. In fact, he’s downright rude! Nevertheless, and against his better judgement, when Damon accosts him outside the venue after closing, Jay is persuaded by the sight of Damon’s impressive package to take him up on his offer for a lift. Instead of taking Jay back to his hotel, Damon drives him to a deserted parking lot. He then proceeds to scare the life out of Jay, who thinks he’s about to be a victim of gay bashing, before correcting Jay’s misconception by demanding he ‘suck it’ as a prelude to bending Jay over the hood of the car. With no lube apart from some spit. With the apparently impressive package that Jay got a preview of earlier and lived up to its potential. Then he leaves Jay high and dry after having got his own satisfaction. Wham, bam, thank you, buddy. What a charmer, not. And for over three quarters of the book, that’s pretty much how their relationship goes....
Read BookSmitten's full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book
Side Line, set in the near future just as the Third Gulf War is about to kick off, is told from the POV of Jay Wells. Jay is a twenty seven year old Londoner and Promotions Manager for Side Line beer. He is sent to Bahrain to pitch their beer in anticipation for a rapidly growing market as Bahrain is set to become the newest tourist hotspot – think Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He takes with him his assistant, Jackie, and the Beer Squad. During one of the promotional events he meets twenty seven year old Marines Staff Sergeant, Damon O’Connors from Tampa, Florida. A veteran of eight years, Damon first joined the Marines at nineteen. Their first conversation is pleasant and, while Jay assumes Damon is straight, he enjoys the chat for what it is. However, when they run into each other again at another event, Damon has turned decidedly chilly. In fact, he’s downright rude! Nevertheless, and against his better judgement, when Damon accosts him outside the venue after closing, Jay is persuaded by the sight of Damon’s impressive package to take him up on his offer for a lift. Instead of taking Jay back to his hotel, Damon drives him to a deserted parking lot. He then proceeds to scare the life out of Jay, who thinks he’s about to be a victim of gay bashing, before correcting Jay’s misconception by demanding he ‘suck it’ as a prelude to bending Jay over the hood of the car. With no lube apart from some spit. With the apparently impressive package that Jay got a preview of earlier and lived up to its potential. Then he leaves Jay high and dry after having got his own satisfaction. Wham, bam, thank you, buddy. What a charmer, not. And for over three quarters of the book, that’s pretty much how their relationship goes....
Read BookSmitten's full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book
June 20, 2013
I know that sometimes when the two MCs always manage to run into each other, or find ways to be together, it can come across as contrived in romance novels. So too much of that is a bit bad.
But so is too little. I really wanted to see these two boys interact more. I can see how the meetings match up realistically with the rest of the narrative thread, but to have them chat in a relaxed atmosphere would have been nice.
Jay is a great character - generous and hard working. Damon is more difficult to warm to, but there is a clear effort to develop him gradually.
I especially like how these stories have open ended conclusions. The reader is able to make up the future of Damon and Jay.
But so is too little. I really wanted to see these two boys interact more. I can see how the meetings match up realistically with the rest of the narrative thread, but to have them chat in a relaxed atmosphere would have been nice.
Jay is a great character - generous and hard working. Damon is more difficult to warm to, but there is a clear effort to develop him gradually.
I especially like how these stories have open ended conclusions. The reader is able to make up the future of Damon and Jay.
December 19, 2013
Tedious. Diminished my pleasure in discovering that I can borrow m/m ebooks from my public library.
July 12, 2013
While labeled an Englishman Story each book is stand alone. I enjoyed the first book, Noah, and was looking forward to reading this one. This book was a lot more adventurous, complicated and longer. One thing that I found a little surprising was that from the blurb I was expecting this to be from Damon's perspective and we only hear Jay's voice. I liked Jay so it worked for me.
This book has a bit of a slow start, with the beginning focusing on establishing that Jay is very career driven and doesn't have time or interest in a relationship. We finally meet Damon, who is not the voice of the book - which surprised me because of the blurb. Then bam! does the book pick up, and let's just say that there was a bit of a misunderstanding. There was actually quite a lot of action in this one.
Jay is a sweetheart. He's a salesman, he gets suppliers to buy his company's beer, with a fun marketing aspect to it. He's the guy running and MCing those parties where the very attractive young ladies in skimpy uniforms pass out Sideline beer and flirt with guys. I really appreciated how Jay took care of his girls. He cared about them and he didn't judge or condescend to them, but always had their backs and watched out for them. I liked that he was loyal and supportive to the people he cared about and how he took care of his friends.
Damon was in a complicated situation, he was closeted to the point that he didn't consider the hook ups he had with guys to mean anything about his sexuality. At first I thought he was a huge jerk, but as we learned more about him, his past, his life, and the many things that went into why he made the choices he did, I started to see him as a good guy who was doing the best he could.
Damon was hot!, who doesn't like a big, strong alpha type soldier who can kick butt and protect his country? He was a lot more sensitive, shy, caring and sweet than I believed possible at first glance. Once the misunderstandings were explained and Damon stopped running and started talking, I began to like him and care about him. By the end I shared Jay's fear of what would happen once Damon was deployed. I became invested in them both and started hoping that these guys would find a way to be together.
The sex in this book was intense and there were some moments that I found delicious. These guys run the range of sex and intimacy. I loved the way that their relationship developed and changed as they got to know each other. I loved that the author drew outside the lines and allowed them to express themselves however the evolution of the relationship and the men needed rather than prescribed rules.
For my sensitive friends I must warn you that there is a bit of dubious consent. It worked in the story and the person ended up very happy about what happened, but it is a little murky for a couple minutes. Everyone is okay but it could be a trigger for people sensitive to this.
I enjoyed this book, it took me by surprise and was richer and deeper than I was expecting. I appreciated how Jay allowed Damon the space he needed to discover who he was and what he needed and didn’t try to force him into anything. I loved that Damon finally got to have a hero for himself, instead of always having others assume he was big and strong enough to take care of everything on his own. These guys deserve another story, please.
Reviewed by Nina
This book has a bit of a slow start, with the beginning focusing on establishing that Jay is very career driven and doesn't have time or interest in a relationship. We finally meet Damon, who is not the voice of the book - which surprised me because of the blurb. Then bam! does the book pick up, and let's just say that there was a bit of a misunderstanding. There was actually quite a lot of action in this one.
Jay is a sweetheart. He's a salesman, he gets suppliers to buy his company's beer, with a fun marketing aspect to it. He's the guy running and MCing those parties where the very attractive young ladies in skimpy uniforms pass out Sideline beer and flirt with guys. I really appreciated how Jay took care of his girls. He cared about them and he didn't judge or condescend to them, but always had their backs and watched out for them. I liked that he was loyal and supportive to the people he cared about and how he took care of his friends.
Damon was in a complicated situation, he was closeted to the point that he didn't consider the hook ups he had with guys to mean anything about his sexuality. At first I thought he was a huge jerk, but as we learned more about him, his past, his life, and the many things that went into why he made the choices he did, I started to see him as a good guy who was doing the best he could.
Damon was hot!, who doesn't like a big, strong alpha type soldier who can kick butt and protect his country? He was a lot more sensitive, shy, caring and sweet than I believed possible at first glance. Once the misunderstandings were explained and Damon stopped running and started talking, I began to like him and care about him. By the end I shared Jay's fear of what would happen once Damon was deployed. I became invested in them both and started hoping that these guys would find a way to be together.
The sex in this book was intense and there were some moments that I found delicious. These guys run the range of sex and intimacy. I loved the way that their relationship developed and changed as they got to know each other. I loved that the author drew outside the lines and allowed them to express themselves however the evolution of the relationship and the men needed rather than prescribed rules.
For my sensitive friends I must warn you that there is a bit of dubious consent. It worked in the story and the person ended up very happy about what happened, but it is a little murky for a couple minutes. Everyone is okay but it could be a trigger for people sensitive to this.
I enjoyed this book, it took me by surprise and was richer and deeper than I was expecting. I appreciated how Jay allowed Damon the space he needed to discover who he was and what he needed and didn’t try to force him into anything. I loved that Damon finally got to have a hero for himself, instead of always having others assume he was big and strong enough to take care of everything on his own. These guys deserve another story, please.
Reviewed by Nina
August 10, 2013
From the title of this book, Ben Ryder gives the impression that it is about sports. From the cover of the book, the artist gives the impression that it is about beer. Side Line is kind of about both. Jay Wells is an British beer promotions manager. He is an out and proud gay man. With the large number of American, British and Australian forces in the Middle East, the company that Jay works for wants to send him and his team there to promote their new beer. Side Line the beer is promoted mostly in sports bars, hence the name. There are several promotional appearances scheduled in Bahrain.
Damon O’Connor is a tough as nails, stereotypical U.S. Marine getting ready to ship out to Iran. He doesn’t really identify himself as gay, but has had limited experience with other men. Damon is focused only on providing for his sisters at home.
Jay is reasonably likeable. He takes good care of his team, which is mostly made up of young, beautiful women. That is a tough job in the Middle East, where they must be covered up while in public. It is an even tougher job in a bar full of horny, drunk soldiers. Mr. Ryder really made me feel that Jay and his assistant Jackie, genuinely cared for the well-being of his girls.
From the first time we meet Damon, I don’t like him. He continually calls Jay “buddy”. This was supremely annoying to me. I wanted to slap the smirk right off his face. Damon treats Jay with no respect at all. There was a vague reference to “the vaccine” which I assume to be the reason there was no condom use during their “encounters”. There was also no lube. (My personal pet peeve.) It seemed like Damon was almost raping Jay, but Jay kept letting it happen.
When one of Jay’s girls is in danger, Damon does come to the rescue and helps Jay get everyone to safety. At that point there seems to be an acknowledgement of actual feelings between the men.
But their relationship is doomed from the get-go. Jay is returning to England. Damon is being shipped out for two years, then going home to Florida.
Unbelievably, Jay buys a home in Florida and years later, Damon shows up, calls him “buddy” and the book ends.
The best thing about this book was Jay’s assistant Jackie. There was a side story about her and Damon’s superior officer. She evidently made it possible for Jay and Damon to reunite.
I have read a lot of gay romance where the situation prevents the lovers from being together. I’ve also read a lot of closeted, closed off, emotionally unavailable men. Side Line had all those things and great potential. I wish Mr. Ryder had been able to put the ingredients together better and make me like these guys. I really wanted to!
Damon O’Connor is a tough as nails, stereotypical U.S. Marine getting ready to ship out to Iran. He doesn’t really identify himself as gay, but has had limited experience with other men. Damon is focused only on providing for his sisters at home.
Jay is reasonably likeable. He takes good care of his team, which is mostly made up of young, beautiful women. That is a tough job in the Middle East, where they must be covered up while in public. It is an even tougher job in a bar full of horny, drunk soldiers. Mr. Ryder really made me feel that Jay and his assistant Jackie, genuinely cared for the well-being of his girls.
From the first time we meet Damon, I don’t like him. He continually calls Jay “buddy”. This was supremely annoying to me. I wanted to slap the smirk right off his face. Damon treats Jay with no respect at all. There was a vague reference to “the vaccine” which I assume to be the reason there was no condom use during their “encounters”. There was also no lube. (My personal pet peeve.) It seemed like Damon was almost raping Jay, but Jay kept letting it happen.
When one of Jay’s girls is in danger, Damon does come to the rescue and helps Jay get everyone to safety. At that point there seems to be an acknowledgement of actual feelings between the men.
But their relationship is doomed from the get-go. Jay is returning to England. Damon is being shipped out for two years, then going home to Florida.
Unbelievably, Jay buys a home in Florida and years later, Damon shows up, calls him “buddy” and the book ends.
The best thing about this book was Jay’s assistant Jackie. There was a side story about her and Damon’s superior officer. She evidently made it possible for Jay and Damon to reunite.
I have read a lot of gay romance where the situation prevents the lovers from being together. I’ve also read a lot of closeted, closed off, emotionally unavailable men. Side Line had all those things and great potential. I wish Mr. Ryder had been able to put the ingredients together better and make me like these guys. I really wanted to!
June 17, 2013
3.5 to 3.75 stars
Contrary to what the blurb seems to suggest, the story is told completely from the POV of Jay, and they didn’t enjoy days of romance. In fact, Damon’s presence didn’t even come close to taking up half the book. The ‘romance’ aspect, and I use that term loosely, very much took a backseat to the rest of Jay’s story.
What saved this book for me was that Jay himself really is likeable. He’s funny, easy going and makes sure the girls of the Beer Squad are safe and looked after at those sometimes rowdy promotional events. His reactions were believable, if not completely logical (but that in itself is believable). Then there’s Jackie, Jay’s assistant and ex ‘trolley dolly’ for the oldest and largest British airline. She is just all kinds of awesome. There was actually quite a bit of humour, especially the banter between Jay and Jackie and Jackie’s one liners.
This was an enjoyable story that, much like Damon with Jay on more than one occasion, ultimately left me feeling not quite satisfied. I really liked Jay, Jackie was awesome and I warmed to Damon right near the end when we finally got to know him a little. But the majority of the story he was a jackass. It would have been nice to have had more of a build up to Damon’s redemption and Jay and Damon as a couple, even if that part was in an extended epilogue. It felt like the story ended just as we were getting a chance to know Damon and there was no opportunity to see them together. It could barely be called a HFN. The rest of the story I actually really liked. It never felt boring or uninteresting.
Read the full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book
Contrary to what the blurb seems to suggest, the story is told completely from the POV of Jay, and they didn’t enjoy days of romance. In fact, Damon’s presence didn’t even come close to taking up half the book. The ‘romance’ aspect, and I use that term loosely, very much took a backseat to the rest of Jay’s story.
What saved this book for me was that Jay himself really is likeable. He’s funny, easy going and makes sure the girls of the Beer Squad are safe and looked after at those sometimes rowdy promotional events. His reactions were believable, if not completely logical (but that in itself is believable). Then there’s Jackie, Jay’s assistant and ex ‘trolley dolly’ for the oldest and largest British airline. She is just all kinds of awesome. There was actually quite a bit of humour, especially the banter between Jay and Jackie and Jackie’s one liners.
This was an enjoyable story that, much like Damon with Jay on more than one occasion, ultimately left me feeling not quite satisfied. I really liked Jay, Jackie was awesome and I warmed to Damon right near the end when we finally got to know him a little. But the majority of the story he was a jackass. It would have been nice to have had more of a build up to Damon’s redemption and Jay and Damon as a couple, even if that part was in an extended epilogue. It felt like the story ended just as we were getting a chance to know Damon and there was no opportunity to see them together. It could barely be called a HFN. The rest of the story I actually really liked. It never felt boring or uninteresting.
Read the full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book
July 16, 2013
I enjoyed this story, it lived up to the blurb . it is not a sweet one, in fact Damon’s actions at the start make me want to dislike him intensely. It is raw and in your face and shows yet another facet of the struggle that some people have with their sexuality. Ben Ryder does not promise or deliver any hearts and flowers except for the little sweet moment at the end. It is a gritty meeting of two men, raw and unvarnished.
It is set slightly in the future at least that is how I took it, it introduces a vaguely mentioned vaccine that I assume covers at least HIV AIDS, which made me go straight to the fact that sex when it happened would probably be bareback. Which is a good warning or teaser depending on which way you hang. They meet in situations where being gay is probably not a wise thing to flaunt, Jay being a marketing salesman for the Side Line beer company along with his squad of cheer leading girls and Damon a marine in for a free beer before being deployed into the latest hot spot, Iran.
It's all very closeted and they seem to go from bad situations to worse before it gets better. For a short story, it was a bit uneven, as in I thought there was more setup than was actually needed. Especially for Jay, as we get a fair amount of backstory through his eyes, whilst Damon's is done through conversation without him even there, and the romance of it seemed to be a bit hurried, good but hurried.
When all is said and done it was a fairly easy read, and enjoyable. It's a bit like drinking really, sometimes we get spoiled and treated to the finest vintage wine and sometimes all we need is to slam back a bottle of beer. Any one for another cold one?
Madam Aus's 3 1/2 sweet pea review appears at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....
It is set slightly in the future at least that is how I took it, it introduces a vaguely mentioned vaccine that I assume covers at least HIV AIDS, which made me go straight to the fact that sex when it happened would probably be bareback. Which is a good warning or teaser depending on which way you hang. They meet in situations where being gay is probably not a wise thing to flaunt, Jay being a marketing salesman for the Side Line beer company along with his squad of cheer leading girls and Damon a marine in for a free beer before being deployed into the latest hot spot, Iran.
It's all very closeted and they seem to go from bad situations to worse before it gets better. For a short story, it was a bit uneven, as in I thought there was more setup than was actually needed. Especially for Jay, as we get a fair amount of backstory through his eyes, whilst Damon's is done through conversation without him even there, and the romance of it seemed to be a bit hurried, good but hurried.
When all is said and done it was a fairly easy read, and enjoyable. It's a bit like drinking really, sometimes we get spoiled and treated to the finest vintage wine and sometimes all we need is to slam back a bottle of beer. Any one for another cold one?
Madam Aus's 3 1/2 sweet pea review appears at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....
June 16, 2013
I had to think on this one a little before I reviewed it. I really didn't like Damon for the majority of the book and the way that the "relationship" with Jay started out made me a bit uncomfortable. Just a bit less than I would think though, because Jay was ok with it and being they are consenting adults, who am I to judge what flips someone else's switch?
The secondary character's are great and the writing is excellent. The relationship wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the supporting characters. I think I just wanted more of "end of the book Damon" because by the time I liked him the book was about over.
I believe any book that has you feel something, whether it makes you happy, sad, uncomfortable or whatever, that's a good thing. Leaving me happy for the characters in the end and wanting more is also a good thing. So, while this wasn't exactly in my comfort zone, it wasn't because of the story or the writing, it was my personal taste that had me not connecting with it as much as I did with Noah.
Definitely looking forward to the third book and will auto buy it when it comes out.
The secondary character's are great and the writing is excellent. The relationship wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the supporting characters. I think I just wanted more of "end of the book Damon" because by the time I liked him the book was about over.
I believe any book that has you feel something, whether it makes you happy, sad, uncomfortable or whatever, that's a good thing. Leaving me happy for the characters in the end and wanting more is also a good thing. So, while this wasn't exactly in my comfort zone, it wasn't because of the story or the writing, it was my personal taste that had me not connecting with it as much as I did with Noah.
Definitely looking forward to the third book and will auto buy it when it comes out.
June 12, 2013
Side Line is the story of an English guy and a rather arrogant US Marine that he meets while working in the Middle East. For the first half of the book I admit I really disliked Damon (the marine) and wondered where the story was going. But Ryder manages to flip it so you end up falling for this character who tells an original story about life in service after the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and reasons his arrogance because of his situation in life. The book is told over just one week, but the author manages to condense a very intense relationship very well. Jackie, (the assistant of the main character) was hilarious! Her humor was very British (Think Patsy from AbFab meets a young Dowager Countess) All in all, a solid effort and a story that’s away from the norm.
June 12, 2013
I really enjoyed this story. The book is about a young British salesman who travels to the Middle East with his beer company. It’s here that he meets Damon, a US Marine Staff sergeant, while he holds promotional events. For the first part of the book you wonder why Jay, who is a likable character, puts up with the hard faced Marine’s attitude. But after he recounts a story from his youth to his assistan Jackie ( Love her! ) it begins to make a little more sense. Then the revelations begin and you almost start feeling sorry for the marine. It’s a short romance as they only have days together, but it has a very satisfying ending. The only complaint that I have is that the blurb suggests that it’s told from Damon’s point of view, when it’s actually Jay’s.
July 29, 2013
3.5*
Too short! >_<
Refreshing story and appealing characters (especially Jacks!).
The story pace was a bit too fast for my taste, I would have enjoyed more a longer book. But that's still a good novella :)
Too short! >_<
Refreshing story and appealing characters (especially Jacks!).
The story pace was a bit too fast for my taste, I would have enjoyed more a longer book. But that's still a good novella :)
June 16, 2013
Weird and disjointed.
June 17, 2013
Great story with great characters. I was surprised to see how much I liked these MCs.
June 28, 2013
This story was fine enough, but for my taste to undeveloped. I wished it was longer or that we got an epilogue. The way this story ends it didn't feel completed to me.
August 24, 2013
Read the reviews, was expecting more
January 27, 2014
I really wanted to like this one more. I just found Damon so off-putting for 3/4 of the book that I had a hard time respecting him.
January 3, 2017
This book made me feel very uncomfortable, although I did finish it. I suppose it just wasn't for me.
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