Title: Out in the Deep
Series: Out in College
Author: Lane Hayes
Publisher: Lane Hayes
Release Date: August 29
Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 41K
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Bisexual, College romance, Water Polo, Coming out
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Synopsis
Derek Vaughn is a little too serious. He’s a type A control personality with a penchant for order and a love of water polo. But he’s determined to enjoy his last year of college. The real world with a serious job and big expectations can wait for a few months. He’s going soak up every minute on campus with his friends and teammates before he moves on. The only possible kink in his plan is the new guy on the team… also known as his nemesis.Gabe Chadwick has big Olympic dreams. His transfer between Southern California universities has nothing to do with scholastics. The degree is his backup plan. He’s not there to party or make friends. And he certainly isn’t going to announce his sexuality. But he can’t deny there’s something special about the uptight team captain. However, when an unwitting friendship and mutual attraction collide, both will have to decide if this is the real thing or if they’re about to lose it all in the deep.
Excerpt
Maybe I just needed a good night’s sleep. It had been a long day. And a weird one. I could never have dreamed up a scenario featuring Gabe Chadwick in my house after this morning. But here he was.I gave him a thorough once-over as he walked into the kitchen. And again, the first thing that crossed my mind was, “Wow, he’s really fucking hot.”
“Nice place.”
“Thanks. Do you want some water or something?” I asked, awkwardly pointing at the fridge.
“No, thanks. I’ve had enough tonight,” Gabe replied with a laugh.
I should have said good-bye then and escorted him to the door, but I had a strong desire to keep him talking and maybe dispel the weird admiring thoughts going through my brain. Yes, Gabe was a good-looking guy, but I shouldn’t be fixating on his long eyelashes and the way the kitchen light framed him in a halo of sorts. I couldn’t let him go until my brainwaves returned to normal, and he was the same annoyingly smart and talented opponent I’d played against occasionally for years. The thing was, I didn’t really know him and at that moment, I wanted to.
“Where do you live?” I asked.
“About fifteen minutes away. I scored an apartment by campus. I have one roommate. Brent’s a volleyball player. We might get a third to cut expenses, but I don’t want to share a room, so that’ll be up to him.”
“Sharing a room gets old fast. Evan and I knew we wanted to live together, but I’d probably smother him in his sleep if I had to listen to him snoring every night a few feet away from me,” I said in a lame-ass effort to keep him talking.
Gabe chuckled. “That would be rough. Evan seems like a cool guy. Is he as neat as you? This house is spotless.”
“No, that’s all me. I can’t help it. I have a thing about order. Evan’s a slob. You should see his room. At least he tries in shared spaces. I don’t bug him about his unmade bed, scattered clothes, and random dishes he leaves on his nightstand as long as he keeps the bathroom and kitchen tidy. He’s been on the receiving end of a couple of classic Vaughn meltdowns,” I said with a self-deprecating shrug.
“A Vaughn meltdown,” Gabe repeated. “That must be a version of what I experienced this morning when you tried to drown me.”
“Fuck off.” I laughed, then looked away quickly when a rush of heat flooded my cheeks. Oh, my God. Please don’t let me blush. Not now. He’ll know something’s wrong with me.
Gabe stepped closer to me and cocked his head. “Are you blushing?”
Great.
“I don’t blush.”
“Whatever you say.” He winked and gave me a mischievous smile that turned me inside out.
This couldn’t be happening.
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5 Stars!
Out in the Deep is book 1 in the newest series by Lane Hayes, Out in College, and it features two water polo players, enemies to lovers, UST and some very hot sexy times.
When the book starts Gabe and Derek are on opposing teams and Gabe has been the bane of Derek's existence for a long time. The last thing Derek expects is for Gabe to become his newest teammate or that the tension brewing between them will be so explosive. However things start between them, they soon find themselves in a secret relationship since they're both in the closet, but what will happen if someone finds out about them?
I loved Derek and Gabe, they were fun, sweet and relatable and were scorching hot together. While they start out as enemies, it wasn't long until that changed and I adored seeing how well they fit together.
The secondary cast was a great addition to the story, I absolutely loved Evan and can't wait to read his story and while I didn't care for Derek's ex, I liked that Lane didn't demonize her or her actions and instead, found a way to make it right in the end.
Ms. Hayes has this knack for writing characters that I can fall in love with and this book wasn't an exception. It was well-written and had a perfect balance of sweetness, romance, hotness and angst. Definitely a must read!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
5 stars
Loved this story! I have read many books from this author, and Out in the Deep matched the other books with its great writing and pacing that Lanes always gives us. This book was sexy and sweet and had the perfect amount of angst for me! Both MCs, Derek and Gabe just seemed very real. The sexual tension between them was HOT and of course, they were adorable and sexy once they did come together.
While this was a novella, I did not feel like anything was rushed or lacked details. The development of the relationship between Gabe and Derek is perfect and the ending was equally great! I cannot wait to see more from them and the next two characters in the next book!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
4 stars
This was a cute and steamy (can those words even go together?) book. I am sad to say I have only read one other book by Lane and even though I really loved it, I have been overloaded with other books to be able to continue on but I hope to rectify that soon.
Derek and Gabe had a rocky beginning but I felt that (in the beginning) they didn’t have much of a relationship beyond sex but they got past that and I really liked the guys but didn’t care for the other characters, mainly the coach. Even with this book being set in college I felt like he shouldn’t talk like that with the guys.
I really liked the settings as well as the water polo (which I’ve never seen in a book before.) Cali is a great backdrop for this Enemies-to-lovers romance.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Meet the Author
Lane Hayes is finally doing what she loves best. Writing! An avid reader from an early age, Lane has always been drawn to romance novels. She truly believes there is nothing more inspiring than a well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Lane discovered the M/M genre a fews ago and was instantly hooked. She is the bestselling author of the Better Than, Right and Wrong, A Kind of Stories and Leaning Into series. Lane's novels placed first in the 2016 and 2017 Rainbow Awards. She loves travel, chocolate, and wine (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in an empty nest.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
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