Title: Off-Campus Setup
Author: Maria Vickers
Genre: M/M College Romance
Release Date: March 7, 2018
Levi Cox left it all behind to go to school in California, but nothing could prepare him for what he discovers when he gets there. Between the university screwing up his living arrangements, the weird meddling old woman who runs the boarding house, and the fellow student who instantly catches his eye, life in Cali is more than he expected, and he isn’t sure he’s ready for any of it. College was supposed to be an adventure, but this might be more than Levi can handle.
Nathan Orion wants to have fun. That’s what he lives for and it's exactly what his college years are supposed to be about. He’s happy with living the single life and being carefree…that is until the new student at his grandmother’s boarding house crashes into his life. Now he’s been recruited to show the new guy around, and if Nathan has his way, it won't be just on-campus.
Will there be more, or is this only an illusion? Two men thrown together, not expecting anything, but possibly finding so much more than an off-campus setup.
“This book was very enjoyable!” - Under Covers Book Blog
“Such a fantastic book!” - Goodreads Review
“If you love M/M stories, you will love this one.” - Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon
4 Stars!
Levi moves to California to go to college from Texas, unfortunately, once he gets there, he discovers he has nowhere to live. However, one of the ladies at the registrar's office takes pity on him and suggests him a boarding house that will take him in at such short notice. Once there, he meets Nathan and his meddling grandmother, Mavis, and his life will never be the same again.
Nathan is a party boy, but he has some hidden plans that he's not willing to share with anyone but his best friend. Needing some money to put his plans in motion, he asks his grandmother for help and she offers him a deal: Show their newest tenant around and date him and he'll get the money. He's not looking for a boyfriend, but the more he knows of Levi, the more he likes him. They quickly get close, but what will happen when Levi finds out about the deal? And is more in play than each of them expects?
I loved Levi, he is such a fun, sweet, adorable boy. He isn't interested in partying and misses his family. He's attracted to Nathan from the moment they meet and while he's not certain why Nathan is paying him so much attention, he goes with it. Nathan loves having fun and he has a great wingman in his best friend, Catch. His motives for dating Levi seemed a bit selfish, at least until we learn the real reason for him asking for the money from his grandma, but it was nice seeing him grow throughout the book and realize he wants something more than just having fun with Levi. It took me longer to warm up to Nathan because he was so secretive, but other than wanting to strangle him for hurting Levi, he wasn't that bad in the end.
Levi and Nathan had great chemistry and balanced each other quite nicely. I really liked the progression of their relationship since they took their time to move from friends to lovers.
I loved Mavis, Nathan's grandma. She was a hoot! And while some of the things she did had some unfortunate results, her heart was in the right place. I really liked Catch and Rich, Nathan's friends, and I really wouldn't say no to reading their story. *nudge nudge hint hint*
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. Fun, sweet, hot, with some light angst and a bit of a mystery that kept me entertained until the last page. Recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for our reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
4 Stars!
The adventure sucked donkey balls. Big, hairy, sweaty donkey balls.
Oh my gosh, Levi is hilarious! I loved this guy, he had me seriously laughing out loud more than once. I totally pictured him walking around Campus carrying a giant suitcase and sweating profusely as he mutters how “this doesn’t make a lick of sense”.
I love the Grandma, Mavis. I see her in my mind all bedazzled with her bright yellow beehive and violet lipstick smoking her cigarette and smiling. I wish she were my Grandma. She’s a schemer and I adore that. She’s also a genuinely good woman who has a great big heart and loves her grandson Nathan something fierce.
Nathan is funny, too and I liked him quite a bit. I was more a Levi fan but Nathan burrowed his way into my heart too. I will say he’s lucky he’s young because it helped to endear him to me in the beginning.
Together they were great. Good chemistry, a very believable connection and great banter. I always am a little wary in believing in the HEA with characters so young but I love the romance of it anyway. Overall, I’d recommend Off Campus. It was sweet, fun, funny and easy to read.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
Prologue
Levi
I remembered everything very clearly. The first time we met, our first kiss, the first time we were discovered in the same bed by a nosey grandmother with bright yellow hair, and then the fallout when I realized everything was nothing more than a wishful fantasy that was never supposed to come true.
And now I as scanned this room to make sure nothing got left behind, I realized how much I’d changed and how far I’d come. My imaginary world exploded, leaving me shell shocked and pissed off.
This wasn’t the first time I’d fallen prey to feelings, wasn’t the first time I’d been hurt, but it would be the last.
I took a step out of the room and closed the door behind me. This part of my life was now over, and a new one had just begun.
***
Nathan
Life as I knew it had disappeared. Poof. Gone without a trace. And any other of those sayings people tended to overuse.
It was my own fault really. I should have expected it, should have seen it coming, but I hadn’t. And now everything had changed. Good or bad. I didn’t know yet. Should I be thanking her or blaming her? Both maybe?
As I closed the door on the small space I’d called my bedroom for the past few years, I realized for the first time I didn’t know what I was going to do or what would happen tomorrow…and oddly enough, that thrilled me.
Maria Vickers currently lives in St. Louis, MO with her pug, Spencer Tracy. She has always had a passion for writing and after she became disabled in 2010, she decided to use writing as her escape. She believes that life is about what you make of it. You have to live it to the fullest no matter the circumstances.
From a young age, she has always loved books and even dreamed of being an author when she was younger. Growing up in the Navy, she used to weave tales for her siblings and her friends about anything and everything. And when she wasn't creating her own stories, she had a book in her hand. They transported her to another world. She hopes that with her books, her readers have the same experience and that they can relate to her characters.
Getting sick changed her life forever, but it also opened doors for her that she thought would always be out of reach.
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