Straight Shooter (Rear Entrance Video, #3) in Riptide Publishing

Nov 16, 2013 Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: part-of-series-or-serial, m-m, athletes, bdsm, arcs-and-for-review, other-kinks, talk-dirty-to-me, sexworkers-porn-escorts, bisexual-pansexual-mc

One thing I’ve noticed throughout the Rear Entrance Video series is the way Heidi Belleau questions the need to put a label on her characters’ sexuality. This was especially noticeable in Wallflower and it is a big theme again in Straight Shooter.

Austin has been having trouble dealing with the changing identities of his housemates, especially Rob, now known as Bobby, and has really backed himself into a corner by coming off as threatening and homophobic. Noah has laid down the law though and Au One thing I’ve noticed throughout the Rear Entrance Video series is the way Heidi Belleau questions the need to put a label on her characters’ sexuality. This was especially noticeable in Wallflower and it is a big theme again in Straight Shooter.

Austin has been having trouble dealing with the changing identities of his housemates, especially Rob, now known as Bobby, and has really backed himself into a corner by coming off as threatening and homophobic. Noah has laid down the law though and Austin has one month to get his act together or be evicted. What nobody realizes though is that Austin is, and has been, struggling with his own sense of identity for a while now and seeing his friends accepting themselves and the happiness they have achieved is making it harder for him to cope. He considers himself straight, but nothing turns him on more than being insulted with a gay slur or a humiliating question of his manliness. His inability to reconcile this with his otherwise “straight” life has caused him serious emotional strain and his questionable coping methods are no longer working all that well. His latest attempt to desensitize himself is to watch gay porn where a straight man is tricked into becoming a sub for Master Puck. Too bad for Austin all this does is turn him on even more. When Liam Williams aka Master Puck himself shows up at Rear Entrance Video, Austin hatches a last desperate plan to work all this out of his system. Liam sees through Austin’s charade and agrees to help him out, provide him with the opportunity to submit himself to the humiliation and degradation he needs, but the relationship becomes a lot more complicated than the two men ever expected.

I was instantly drawn in by Austin’s struggle, his self-loathing and destructive behaviors. The book doesn’t just focus on Austin’s relationship with Liam. Bobby plays a large role for Austin and the rebuilding of their relationship, along with Austin’s interaction with his hockey teammates, really provided great insight into Austin’s motivations for his behavior. Liam considers himself bi-sexual, but is not looking to paste a label on Austin. He believes it when Austin tells him that he’s straight. He never tries to get Austin to label himself as gay or bi, but gives him the outlet and the acceptance to be whatever he wants. I would have liked to see a little more of the private sessions between Liam and Austin and spent just a little less time in Austin’s head, but overall I enjoyed watching Austin come to terms with himself and finding the strength to live his life the way he needs to live it rather than trying to conform to the expected norms.

A copy of the book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Feb 09, 2014 Mtsnow13 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, romance, contemporary, bdsm, series-read, sports, less-than-300-pages, riptide, own-read, college-coming-of-age

So. What do you call somebody if they are not gay, but they aren't exactly straight? That makes for a very interesting and struggling yet soul searching question for our last hold-out in the roommate scenario of the Rear Entrance Video guys.

I was given a copy of this story via NetGalley in return for an honest review. One thing for sure. This book left me questioning myself, and my preconceived ideas of black and white or in this case; gay vs. straight. Is there such a thing as being neither yet So. What do you call somebody if they are not gay, but they aren't exactly straight? That makes for a very interesting and struggling yet soul searching question for our last hold-out in the roommate scenario of the Rear Entrance Video guys.

I was given a copy of this story via NetGalley in return for an honest review. One thing for sure. This book left me questioning myself, and my preconceived ideas of black and white or in this case; gay vs. straight. Is there such a thing as being neither yet being both? Who decides, and who has the right to decide or judge if something makes someone happy?

Austin, our super-uber athletic 'straight' dude from the previous two 'Rear Entrance Video' world is the main protagonist in this story, and I have to tell you, I really struggled to even like the guy. I did empathize with the voices in his head, but he made it very hard to pin down where he was coming from...this story had me running in circles and chasing my tail!

The other MC, Liam or 'Puck' as he's known in the porn industry, well, at times I wanted to get in his head and see what really made him tick, as well. Neither of these guys fit any certain 'role' and actually seemed to be making things up as they went. But it seemed to work for them.

I can't say this book gave me any warm fuzzies. In fact, I was kind of disgruntled when I completed the story, but I think, if anything, it was because so much of the subject matter was more out of my personal comfort zone, as I tend to avoid the subject matter (view spoiler) that this story involved. But in this story, it seemed to work for the MCs, and who am I to question what someone needs or enjoys in their sex-life?

I had my eyes squeezed halfway shut through many of the scenes, and was holding my breath, afraid that I was going to see some things I didn't want to .... But, the author pretty much 'edged' and 'almost' went there, without quite doing it...very tastefully done, if there is such a thing with this subject matter *smiles*

I would consider this story more a story of growth, and an HFN rather than an HEA, as the other two stories lead us to believe. I would definitely recommend as a completion to the series, but keep in mind, it is not for the faint of heart. ...more

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Dec 05, 2013 Shirley Frances rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2-review, mm-series, glbt, 2014

So there was a lot of things I enjoyed about this story, but mainly I have to say that I enjoyed the hell out of the MC's--their chemistry, their interactions, everything!

Like most followers of the series, after reading Apple Polisher and Wallflower I was curious about Austin.

I loved that Austin didn't fit any kind of mold. Kudos to Heidi Belleau for bringing his distinct personality, needs and emotions in a way that allowed me to understand where he was coming from.

Once again, the writi ...more

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Aug 07, 2014 Jenny - TotallybookedBlog rated it liked it

3.5 Stars

‘He’d belong. Be normal.’

Jenny: First off I have to say that I’m gutted we read this book before reading the first two G. We really do need to stick to our reading order guns because I felt we missed out on something by going straight into this one. Despite being told we could read Straight Shooter as a standalone, I feel we didn’t get to experience the background to the characters and in particular Austin’s growth and who Austin was as a person previously.

‘What did he need, anyway? To ...more

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Apr 16, 2014 Jody rated it it was amazing

Heidi Belleau has become one of my favorite authors in the m/m genre for her intensely emotional storylines and thought-provoking take on the definition of sexuality and with this book she continues to keep me thinking and feeling. Throughout the Rear Video series sexuality has definitely taken on shades of grey as each character has struggled with who they are and who they want to be. This unconventional group of co-workers and friends have slowly banded together as a family accepting each othe Heidi Belleau has become one of my favorite authors in the m/m genre for her intensely emotional storylines and thought-provoking take on the definition of sexuality and with this book she continues to keep me thinking and feeling. Throughout the Rear Video series sexuality has definitely taken on shades of grey as each character has struggled with who they are and who they want to be. This unconventional group of co-workers and friends have slowly banded together as a family accepting each other's differences and been there supporting them unconditionally.

Roommate Bobby's recent decision to embrace his feminine side has left hockey jock Austin dazed and confused and lashing out. With his job and home in jeopardy he's forced to confront truths about himself that he's kept buried and that blur the line of what it means to be gay. His journey of self-discovery is intense and draining, for both him and readers, as his conflicts leave us aching for him. He's punished himself his whole life, dangerously so at times, in his need to be accepted and to have others proud of him. The moment he discovers BDSM Master Puck it seems that all his prayers have been answered. Reality is vastly different from video though and what he thinks he wants couldn't be further from the truth. Luckily Master Puck/Liam is willing to guide him through the difficult journey to happiness with a heavy hand and a soft heart....along with numerous scorching BDSM scenes.

Throughout this series Austin wasn't the most likable of characters. There were moments of kindness but also moments of crassness. Too much time spent amongst athletes took away his sensitivity. With so much emotional turmoil going on within him now show a young man who's hurting, scared, and vulnerable. I like the Austin we see now as he's showing real humanity. He discovers who his real friends are and with self-discovery it's as if a weight's been lifted off him and allowed a carefree side to come through. Helping him find himself is Liam who's older and wiser, but who's a great match for Austin as they're more alike than different in many ways in and out of the bedroom. On video he's a badass but in real life he's kindhearted and completely understanding of Austin's conflicted emotions and beliefs and supports him unconditionally. Before long though they both discover that they want more in a grand gesture that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

From start to finish I found myself fully immersed in this story and its compelling storyline. Ms. Belleau did a fine job in redeeming Austin but didn't make it easy on him which made for an emotionally draining yet believable journey to self-discovery. We didn't get to know Liam as deeply as Austin but his presence was commanding and his role imperative to Austin's journey to HEA. Along with engaging characterizations came numerous HOT sexual interludes heavy with BDSM elements that added to the story's overall intensity. Ms. Belleau ultimately left me exhausted but immensely satisfied and I look forward to her next release with breathless anticipation. ...more

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Dec 11, 2016 Nicole rated it liked it · review of another edition

I can honestly say this would have been a five star book had Austin not been such a douche. Ugh. I like who he became at the end but that was too little too late.

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Aug 03, 2014 Liz (Bugetta) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-romance, e-book, m-m-romance, re-read, desert-isle-keeper, new-adult-and-college, sports

Re-read 11/23/15 Even better the second time around. I gave it another star. Definitely a favorite.

This book is the reason I decided to start this series and it was not what I was expecting but in a really good way. I loved being inside poor, confused Austin's head as he figured himself out with the help of Bobby and Liam aka Puck. Super sexy and sweet and different from the usual "but I'm straight!" storyline. ...more

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