What do you think?
Sucker-Punch
Dear Fabulously talented Author,
After years of training and dedication I have finally achieved my dream of becoming the world heavyweight champion. I have put everything else in my life on hold to make earning this championship. I thought everything was worth it until I recently injured myself. Now they say I will have to forfeit my title if I cannot defend it in my next match scheduled for later this year. I am beginning to wonder if i can even recover enough to compete ever again, let alone in such a short time. I have been depressed and dare I say brooding lately. Without my boxing I am not sure what to do with my life, I have no close friends or family. I haven't been going to my physical therapy sessions because the PT wasn't working for me...
Now my manager says he has a new PT specializing in treatment for my injury. Author do you think it would be possible for this therapist to pull me out of my depression and get me ready to defend my title? Can our relationship develop beyond therapist and patient?
Author please give this man his HEA in a sweet romantic story that is light on the sex.
Photo Descriptions:
These pictures show two very different men. The first is chocolate-skinned, tight-jawed, shaven-haired, with the back-light gleaming off his curved, toned muscles. His gaze is intent. The second smiles a little behind his hand, looking at the world through amazing blue eyes. Light stubble and tousled dark hair grace his model-perfect face.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1.
__________
Genre: contemporary
Tags: gay m/m, athlete, celebrity, hurt-comfort, medical personnel, non-explicit, sport, sweet no sex
Word Count: 13,219
After years of training and dedication I have finally achieved my dream of becoming the world heavyweight champion. I have put everything else in my life on hold to make earning this championship. I thought everything was worth it until I recently injured myself. Now they say I will have to forfeit my title if I cannot defend it in my next match scheduled for later this year. I am beginning to wonder if i can even recover enough to compete ever again, let alone in such a short time. I have been depressed and dare I say brooding lately. Without my boxing I am not sure what to do with my life, I have no close friends or family. I haven't been going to my physical therapy sessions because the PT wasn't working for me...
Now my manager says he has a new PT specializing in treatment for my injury. Author do you think it would be possible for this therapist to pull me out of my depression and get me ready to defend my title? Can our relationship develop beyond therapist and patient?
Author please give this man his HEA in a sweet romantic story that is light on the sex.
Photo Descriptions:
These pictures show two very different men. The first is chocolate-skinned, tight-jawed, shaven-haired, with the back-light gleaming off his curved, toned muscles. His gaze is intent. The second smiles a little behind his hand, looking at the world through amazing blue eyes. Light stubble and tousled dark hair grace his model-perfect face.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1.
__________
Genre: contemporary
Tags: gay m/m, athlete, celebrity, hurt-comfort, medical personnel, non-explicit, sport, sweet no sex
Word Count: 13,219
35 pages, ebook
First published July 8, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 4, 2013
it's 4am.
black writes like...
like an eccentric inventor
who fills her home with beautiful machines
a steampunk trolley brings the tea
while on the table
the jeweled shell of a clockwork turtle
pops open
to serve you biscuits
i'm drunk on the words
black writes like...
like an eccentric inventor
who fills her home with beautiful machines
a steampunk trolley brings the tea
while on the table
the jeweled shell of a clockwork turtle
pops open
to serve you biscuits
i'm drunk on the words
December 3, 2015
When I saw the promt and the great pictures chosen for this story, I was really excited to read it. Sucker-Punch is the story of Triple J - Jesse, the current heavy weight champion in boxing, who desperatly tries to overcome the consequences of a sucker-punch before he needs to defend his title.
His doctor advises him to see a young PT specialized on Jesse's kind of injury. While Jesse first isn't sure, if there anything that can help him overcome his balance problems, he is quickly willing to follow his new PT's training methods. Soon, he is looking forward to his sessions and he starts enjoying Evan's company.
I really liked the setting; I love reading about athlets and the two main characters could have been great together, but somehow the whole story felt incredibly rushed. There was nearly no sexual tension between the MC's, they slipped right from a kind of friendship into being boyfriends. Jesse's decision condering his career didn't feel credible at all.
This story has a lot of potential, but it was just to short to really get me interested!
2 stars!
His doctor advises him to see a young PT specialized on Jesse's kind of injury. While Jesse first isn't sure, if there anything that can help him overcome his balance problems, he is quickly willing to follow his new PT's training methods. Soon, he is looking forward to his sessions and he starts enjoying Evan's company.
I really liked the setting; I love reading about athlets and the two main characters could have been great together, but somehow the whole story felt incredibly rushed. There was nearly no sexual tension between the MC's, they slipped right from a kind of friendship into being boyfriends. Jesse's decision condering his career didn't feel credible at all.
This story has a lot of potential, but it was just to short to really get me interested!
2 stars!
January 3, 2015
**** 4 Qi stars ****
To box or not to box, that is the question.
A nice read about a boxer in need of some physiotherapy, meeting his hot physio therapist which makes him question his goals and decisions, sprinkled with some Qigong (some sort of Tai Chi).
There even was a Miyagi.
----------------
"You have to learn to look at yourself in the mirror.
----------------
A short story in the collection "Don't Read in the Closet, Volume One" from the MM Romance Group Hot Summer Event 2011.
Click HERE for the story online or HERE to download the whole collection for your reading device.
Picture and prompt -->
----------------
"You have to learn to look at yourself in the mirror.
----------------
A short story in the collection "Don't Read in the Closet, Volume One" from the MM Romance Group Hot Summer Event 2011.
Click HERE for the story online or HERE to download the whole collection for your reading device.
Picture and prompt -->
November 8, 2022
Kindle-Sort-ReRead
It's a pleasant enough simple read, but none of it rings true.
Triple J is mechanical his sole focus/obsession boxing and winning.
Um and I've already forgotten the PTs name but believe his cat's called George.
Don't know what either look like except PT has blue eyes.
It's too quick PT getting in therapy pool with patient. Says he 'knows' JJJ is gay, then, well he is. If this is new, a fact, convenient.. is anyone's guess. PT doesn't like boxing so in a blink world champion JJJ quits boxing with a random and unlikely new career path thrown in.
Nothing believable, neither character feels real, there's zero chemistry.
It's a pleasant enough simple read, but none of it rings true.
Triple J is mechanical his sole focus/obsession boxing and winning.
Um and I've already forgotten the PTs name but believe his cat's called George.
Don't know what either look like except PT has blue eyes.
It's too quick PT getting in therapy pool with patient. Says he 'knows' JJJ is gay, then, well he is. If this is new, a fact, convenient.. is anyone's guess. PT doesn't like boxing so in a blink world champion JJJ quits boxing with a random and unlikely new career path thrown in.
Nothing believable, neither character feels real, there's zero chemistry.
August 5, 2013
I am not surprised at all; Sarah Black has the writing gift, indeed.
Here, she stunned me with her sentences, put together Just So.
And she created a marvelous short story about life, careers, and what comes next—especially when there are midlife career-changes looming. Brilliant.
See, sometimes you just need a little push.
Some highlights:
"...twelve pudgy, elderly men and women with the hungry look of people who had recently been put on low salt diets." This made me giggle so bad, the description was just so perfect. We all know one or two of those people, right?
"...a millimeter, such a tiny space. The size of a lesion on the brain, or the size of the space between lover’s lips, about to kiss." Wow. That is sensual, at the same time as it is a perfect description of the lesion.
But my absolute favorite will always be: "I’ll let you explain to George why he can’t sleep on the bed.”
Thank you, Ms Black, for this lovely freebie. You rock this.
Here, she stunned me with her sentences, put together Just So.
And she created a marvelous short story about life, careers, and what comes next—especially when there are midlife career-changes looming. Brilliant.
See, sometimes you just need a little push.
Some highlights:
"...twelve pudgy, elderly men and women with the hungry look of people who had recently been put on low salt diets." This made me giggle so bad, the description was just so perfect. We all know one or two of those people, right?
"...a millimeter, such a tiny space. The size of a lesion on the brain, or the size of the space between lover’s lips, about to kiss." Wow. That is sensual, at the same time as it is a perfect description of the lesion.
But my absolute favorite will always be: "I’ll let you explain to George why he can’t sleep on the bed.”
Thank you, Ms Black, for this lovely freebie. You rock this.
April 7, 2012
Free short on her website or here
To sum it up: To Much, Too Fast. Over the course of four freaken days they go from PT/patient to 'friends' to maybe boyfriends to joking about moving in together. That's insane. The premise to this story was great and if it had taken place over the course of a few months that would be awesome. A therapist developing a friendship with a patient isn't unheard of, and then things progress from there. But going out for pizza and beer after their first PT session and then the sexual innuendo and what-not, no way.
To sum it up: To Much, Too Fast. Over the course of four freaken days they go from PT/patient to 'friends' to maybe boyfriends to joking about moving in together. That's insane. The premise to this story was great and if it had taken place over the course of a few months that would be awesome. A therapist developing a friendship with a patient isn't unheard of, and then things progress from there. But going out for pizza and beer after their first PT session and then the sexual innuendo and what-not, no way.
July 11, 2011
I loved this story! Its sweet with a lot of emotion and its obvious that Sarah spent a lot of time with research. I want more Jesse and Evan!
July 19, 2011
Wow Sarah,
This was AMAZING! It just went to the top of the list as my favorite. I feel like I was Sucker Punched, it just caught me completely and totally off guard with the way it immediately drew me in and would NOT let go, I just didn't expect the depth and the undeniable chemistry without the sex.
I would LOVE to read more about these two amazing men, they are so complex and captivating, I really want to see where Jesse's new path will lead them.
I HIGHLY resented seeing the words THE END,, those go on the bottom, VERY bottom of my favorites list!
This was AMAZING! It just went to the top of the list as my favorite. I feel like I was Sucker Punched, it just caught me completely and totally off guard with the way it immediately drew me in and would NOT let go, I just didn't expect the depth and the undeniable chemistry without the sex.
I would LOVE to read more about these two amazing men, they are so complex and captivating, I really want to see where Jesse's new path will lead them.
I HIGHLY resented seeing the words THE END,, those go on the bottom, VERY bottom of my favorites list!
January 16, 2012
I really loved this story. I loved the MC's and their journey together. I liked conflict of Jesse being a boxer and Evan being opposed to boxing...yet them working together to be happy with each other. Great story.
July 10, 2011
What a great story. I loved it these guys were so cute I want more
May 27, 2012
The beginning looked like 4 stars but it seemed rushed when Triple J changed his life in a direction that I suppose he hadn't thought about before.
January 16, 2014
A very enjoyable read about a focused and driven heavyweight champion boxer, and a sweet and loving PT who devotes his life to helping people.
July 28, 2011
Wow Sarah! I loved how Jesse responded to Evan, changing his focus and career and I loved the underlying sexual tension. Evan's reaction to the brutality of boxing was pretty accurate I think. Working as an opthalmic assistant I have seen several highly ranked boxers with permanent eye/brain damage, and was always frustrated/puzzled by their drive to return to their sport. I'm very glad that Jesse did finally realize that it was time to end the competition before it was too late. Thank you for writing this story.
July 31, 2011
I sometimes find it hard to get emotionally connected with the characters when there's a lack of intimacy/sex in the story, but no problem with that here! The author managed to weave a web of intimacy around Evan and Jesse without them ever crawling between the sheets! It's obvious she did a lot of work to include so much rich detail in this story with the boxing and Qi for physical therapy - truly impressive and very much appreciated!! This was my first boxing related story and a knock-out winner:)
December 12, 2014
***Read as part of the free Don't Read in the Closet: Volume One anthology. Story #3***
3,5 ouchie-stars
A great example that a story don't need exlicit sex scenes to be good!
The relationship developed a little bit too fast for me but still it was lovely written and I would like to read more by this author!
April 23, 2012
This story just proves that there doesn't have to be a lot of (or any, in this case) sex to make it a great one. Great characters. Great story. Short story but I don't feel short-changed at all. A lot covered in only a few pages.
May 31, 2015
This story could have been so great but everything felt so rushed. I never once during this read felt there was an attraction between the two MC's. All of a sudden they were just boyfriends. When did that happen?
July 25, 2020
I liked that Jesse had a plan for his life beyond boxing.
October 5, 2011
This story was part of the M/M Romance Groups' Hot Summer Days Event. I love these projects because it matches an M/M writer with a photo and a reader request. To view the photo and request that inspired this story click on the link below:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
The reader request that the men in the photo be a heavyweight boxing champion and a PT. The photo of the boxer is much too lean to be a heavyweight champion, but I will definitely allow for some artistic interpretation by the reader because the photos were gorgeous. The reader also asked for minimal sex which the author respected.
Triple J, Jesse James Jones, is the heavyweight champion of the world. He was hit hard enough in his last bout to have a lesion on his brain, affecting his balance. His sessions with Evan, a physical therapist, are an attempt to correct that before he has to defend his title in 4 months. The men have a connection and Evan begins to become concerned for Jesse on a personal level.
I thought this story was very well written and I really like this author's writing style. I really liked both the characters. Jesse wasn't obnoxious or spoiled by fame. He was actually a very centered, driven man. Ethan was very caring and fun-loving. Oftentimes a short story becomes PWP (porn without plot) but this story was the opposite. The story and characters seemed so genuine that you didn't miss any of the physicality between the men.
I would definitely read more from this author in the future.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
The reader request that the men in the photo be a heavyweight boxing champion and a PT. The photo of the boxer is much too lean to be a heavyweight champion, but I will definitely allow for some artistic interpretation by the reader because the photos were gorgeous. The reader also asked for minimal sex which the author respected.
Triple J, Jesse James Jones, is the heavyweight champion of the world. He was hit hard enough in his last bout to have a lesion on his brain, affecting his balance. His sessions with Evan, a physical therapist, are an attempt to correct that before he has to defend his title in 4 months. The men have a connection and Evan begins to become concerned for Jesse on a personal level.
I thought this story was very well written and I really like this author's writing style. I really liked both the characters. Jesse wasn't obnoxious or spoiled by fame. He was actually a very centered, driven man. Ethan was very caring and fun-loving. Oftentimes a short story becomes PWP (porn without plot) but this story was the opposite. The story and characters seemed so genuine that you didn't miss any of the physicality between the men.
I would definitely read more from this author in the future.
July 21, 2011
Loved it! This just shows how wonderful and romantic a story can be without explicit sex (not that I'm knocking that at all ;-)). Both characters were once again so authentic in their voices.
Thanks for such a lovely read.
Thanks for such a lovely read.
May 6, 2012
I loved Evan and Jesse....wow what a great story and what great chemistry between these two. The only reason for the lost star is I hate boxing! *LOL*
The inspiration pics for this story, WOW! http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
The inspiration pics for this story, WOW! http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
August 21, 2012
4.5 stars
So, so good. A sweet little package, this shortie. Gonna investigate the backlist.
ETA: found the pic of Jesse. hot.
August 5, 2013
Quiet, strong emotions, I love stories that read like this. They don't need any big drama but they engage your emotions and get your support just the same. Lovely writing too, glad I saw this story being recommended by my Goodreads f-list :) well worth it.
August 19, 2013
I really enjoyed this short story that had a lot, especially because it was longer than a few scenes. You felt like you got to know the characters, and the chemistry of between them was fantastic. I loved how Evan was able to help Jesse find the happiness he was missing in his life.
October 30, 2014
I started reading this after being out drinking last night, it made no sense to me.
So I tried again from the beginning this morning while I wasn't drunk... It still made no sense to me.
It just felt very disjointed.
So I tried again from the beginning this morning while I wasn't drunk... It still made no sense to me.
It just felt very disjointed.
April 17, 2016
Don't Read in the Closet: Volume One
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
July 10, 2011
For the life of me, I can't understand how people enjoy this cruel sport!
Btw, I can't help but think the PT had broken the ethic code.
Cute story though. :)
Btw, I can't help but think the PT had broken the ethic code.
Cute story though. :)
July 14, 2011
This was a very sweet story, I loved the characters.
July 29, 2011
Jesse the boxer is a great character. He says so much in so few words. Sarah Black has done a great job with this story.
August 7, 2011
Very enjoyable read. Looking forward to read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews