Climbing for the Top

Rock Jocks #2

by F.A. Ray

Lukas has his rise to the top of the climbing world all planned out. Train hard, eat right, and most importantly of Do not sleep with the competition. Too bad his biggest rival, Mylo Hall, doesn’t do plans. Or rules. There’s very little about Mylo that isn’t unusual. From the blue hair and tattoos to the piercings and devil-may-care attitude, Mylo is climbing by his own set of guidelines. Which makes it even more frustrating when he defeats Lukas’s careful planning and strict regimens - and attempts to seduce him in the process. Lukas doesn’t lose. He doesn’t slack off on his training. And he definitely doesn’t sleep with rivals who look at him like they want Lukas to toss them over his broad shoulders and carry them to bed. But Mylo’s never been one to follow the rules. Least of all Lukas’s. Is the bad boy of climbing worth torching the rulebook for? Lukas isn’t sure, but when a handsy and demanding Mylo falls into his lap, it looks like he’s about to find out. Climbing for the Top is a rivals-to-lovers MM romance with found family, spicy open door scenes, competitive rock climbing and a HEA.

Genres: Sports

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2023

About the author

F.A. Ray writes contemporary queer romance fiction, including gay romance and lesbian romance (writing as Lainee Ash). They especially enjoy sports romance with rivals who become lovers, second chances, unusual sports and grumpy sunshine opposites attracting.

You can connect with them at linktr.ee/faraywrites to keep up to date on new releases, social media and more.

Reviews

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: rivals to lovers, found family
Feels: 3.5/5
Steam*: 4/5
Kinks: light spanking
Angst: low
Triggers/potential icks: homophobic family

This was a nice story. Lukas is a prickly antisocial German climber with a very supportive family that also climbs. Language and lack of social skills make him seem rude but he's actually a nice guy. Mylo is a wild and edgy relatively new face in the climbing world. He is raw talent and seemingly carefree and flamboyant. But really he's hiding his hurts. He left home at 16 because his family was homophobic and he has no one to support him.

Initially they don't get along because Lukas is a fierce competitor and he's a little jealous of Mylo and he's just a grump. But they're both attracted to each other. After a couple interactions they come together in a combustible way. And then they start to get conflicted about whether the other person is a distraction from competition. They kind of keep pulling at the strings between them unable to really stay apart. Lukas initially just wants to understand why Mylo is the way he is but then he wants to heal him and support him.

Some notable moments:

"When it was Lukas’s turn, he made what Mylo assumed was his best attempt at a smile. It looked like he’d tasted something rotten and was trying to play it off as delicious. He wasn’t fooling anyone with that."

"He’d just asked Lukas to slap him in order to climax. Well. That was going to be awkward to explain."

"When Mylo answered, he was glaring. For a single heartbeat, they stood there staring at each other, Mylo with venom in his eyes. Lukas leaned away instinctively, thinking he must have gotten this wrong, he must be mistaken, he’d presumed too much and now Mylo was even more angry with him than before. Then Mylo grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him inside."

"Now Lukas was resting atop him and his weight was so solid and warm and safe that Mylo thought he might never need to move. Right on cue, Lukas rose, but only enough that he could kiss along Mylo’s shoulders. He pressed a meandering path from one shoulder to the other with his lips, then settled back down with a sigh, nuzzling into Mylo’s hair."

*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winning What He Wanted ? . . .

Lukas and Mylo are top competition climbers competing against each other. Mylo Hall is an American, sporting blue hair and tattoos and an outgoing personality. He’s not a rule-follower, but he tackles his sport with confidence and skill. Lukas is a German who strictly follows a tight regimen to prepare himself and guarantee his winning. His total absorption in his routine keeps him from forming close friendships. Yet the outgoing Mylo is able to win and make it look easy.

Trying to fight his surprising attraction, Lukas is drawn to Mylo, even though that is the last action he thinks he wants to take. He finds a way to upset Mylo and drive him away. But Lukas is unable to stop thinking about him. Will Lukas reconsider what he has done? Will he make the effort to apologize and regain Mylo’s loyalty and affection? Or will winning be more important to Lukas than reconnecting to someone he could love?

I really do enjoy this author’s writing. Creating an environment around the reader that feels so realistic is an art. And as I mentioned on my review of Book 1, I was put in a very awkward situation where I was stuck on that high mountain with the guys (realistic, remember?) where I had my eyes closed (heights are not my thing), and I had to force my eyes open and keep reading just so I could find my way back to ground level. Seriously, you will enjoy the characters (who take you up that mountain) and will learn more than you may want to know about mountain-climbing. But I’m eagerly ready for the next book! Well done!

[Janice Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Rock Jocks series, and each can be read as a standalone, although I recommend reading the whole series as they are both really good. This book is opposites attract, rivals to lovers. I loved the dynamic between the two MC’s. Two people who were so different should not have made sense, but they really did fit together quite well. The steadying, mature influence of Lukas mellowed Mylo’s hectic energy and quick temper. Even as they seemed to be at loggerheads from the beginning, you could tell there was an attraction. The MC’s were interesting and the characters were well-developed. I am not a sports person by any stretch of the imagination, but I really enjoyed reading about climbing so much that I watched videos of competitive climbs and it was riveting and made the story come to life imagining the characters climbing like in the videos. I highly recommend this book and series.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the climbing theme to these books, and the author clearly knows the sport because it is written well. This story revolves around Lukas and Mylo who are supposedly rivals; however, having read the book teammates seem encouraging of each other so rivals seems too strong a word. Mylo is a difficult character to figure out, we know he is lonely and distant from his family but we don't know the details. Lukas is attracted to Mylo but misinterprets his melancholy as something akin to not interested so it takes a while for the the relationship to start. I would have liked them to have got together sooner because we didn't see the MC's happy until the end. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving this review

[Laora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the climbing theme which is strongly present in this 'Rock Jocks' series. In this book characters from book one also make a reappearance. This second book is al about Lukas and Mylo and how their attraction and competitive streaks plays out. I would have liked to have had a little bit more background about Mylo and 'his missing years' between 16 and 19. However I am glad he and Lukas find a loving community with their friends and Lukas his climbing bio family. The pacing and stirytelling is really likeable and I am looking forward to more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[JJ]

Disappointing, the rivalry was barely there, MCs were instalust hooking up very early on, there was no build up at all, just straight on spice which was very performative and shallow. MC were rather bland/dry to me, one was like a robot and even when depicted with emotions he still felt very artificial to me? Or maybe I was not in the right mood when reading but the flow and writing didn’t get me engrossed at all.

[TELA666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book set in the climbing world sees the opposing personalities of Mylo & Lukas causing frustration between them. Eventually they learn to balance each other but it is a slow burn.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story!

This is such a good read! The characters are unique and endearing and by the end of the story you're rooting for everyone to be happy.

[Chris McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting sport (rock climbing). Made a good change on the many sport romances. The sport and competitions were well researched, I learned a lot, and, of course, the E2L (chef's kiss).