Title: Down By Contact (Wilmington Breakers #1)
Author: Sloan Johnson
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: January 26, 2017
Genre: Contemporary, MM Romance
Format: eBook, Print
Length: 316 pages
Rating: 3.25 Stars
synopsis
There’ve been two great loves in Zach Kendricks’ life. He lost one because of his commitment to the other.
After Griffin walked away because he refused to live his life in the closet, Zach put everything he had into achieving his football dreams. When he was drafted, he began to understand that Griffin had done the best thing for both of them by leaving. But that doesn’t mean he’s ever forgiven his first love.
Now in his second season with the Wilmington Breakers, Zach’s committed to keeping his head down so he can prove his rookie stats weren’t a fluke. He knows his resolve will be tested when he’s selected to participate in Outside the Pocket, a reality show which follows players through training camp. He’s almost convinced himself it won’t be a distraction when Griffin walks into the room. Distraction becomes an understatement when he’s informed he will be spending nearly every waking minute for the next six weeks with the only man he’s allowed to hurt him.
Will Zach’s love of the game be enough to keep him from being downed by contact again?
Title: False Start (Wilmington Breakers #2)
Author: Sloan Johnson
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: May 13, 2017
Genre: Contemporary, MM Romance
Format: eBook
Length: 231 pages
Rating: 3.25 Stars
synopsis
Nixon Cross isn’t wired to share his life with anyone. He’d considered a relationship once, but after the one man patient enough to put up with all his quirks shut him down, he committed all of his energy to football and helping his players. Now, one of his players need more help than Nixon can provide and his former flame is the one man who will know what to do.
Retired NAFL player Lincoln Sims had no choice but to stay in the closet; he was a professional athlete at a time when it was impossible to be honest about his sexuality. After retiring, he confessed his secret to his wife and son because he was tired of living a lie. Now, he’s ready to live his life. Nixon Cross is the man he left behind but could never forget.
Can these men find a way to recover from their false start years earlier?
♦ Personal Thought ♦
The “Wilmington Breakers” series are my first Sloan Johnson’s books. While the story centers on fictional characters in American Footballs club – and I know next to nothing about it – I have no difficulties following the plot as the sport mainly serves as background and there’s not much technicalities of the game involved.
“Down By Contact” is NA second chance story that reunite a rising star footballer and his first love. “False Start” presents more mature couple in the-one-who-got-away blended with friends to lovers trope. The books have overlapping scenes or time, that it’ll really help to read them chronologically.
The common theme in both books are the character’s coming out as viewed from different perspectives. Zach in the first book is an active footballer, a rising star of Wilmington Breakers; while Lincoln in the second book is a former footballer and his love interest is one of the Breakers’ staff coach. Both books tells the story in dual POVs that readers get to glimpse the characters’ feelings, regrets, thoughts and determinations that in time carry them through uncertain and murky times.
Personally it’s easier for me to relate to Lincoln and Nixon in “False Start”. This might be due to similar age range that get me understanding them more, how harder it is to alter decades way of living – or thinking – while juggling other responsibilities as new couple living in different states. The added presence (and complications) of their family and friends – combined with the need of privacy on Nixon’s part – made this entry the more emotional spin of the two.
That isn’t to say I don’t like Zach and Griffin in “Down By Contact”. These young men are likable enough, resolute even when stumble over some hiccups. However, I do feel their decision to start over is a tad on the rushed side. On the flip side, the way Zach is forced to read the whole situation and compare them to his twin brother’s situation intrigued me to track down and read Sloan Johnson’s previous sport series, “Home Run”! Besides, as miffed as I am with the rather fast reconciliation between these two, I love strong characters who fight for what they want more.
In sex department, I’ll say this is a pretty mild MM romance. There are some steamy scenes, but not in the frequency that I deem too much. I’m happy to say that these two couples are quite versatile in their role.
