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Ohio Books #2
Not Knowing Jack by K A Mitchell
When your lover becomes a stranger, trust is the weakest link of all.Bartender Tony Gemetti has it a rich, hot boyfriend, a McMansion in the burbs and unlimited sex in an expectation-free zone. He thought that was all he ever wanted out of any relationship until Jack begins making excuses for frequent disappearances. Realizing he has more than his libido and enough drawers for his T-shirt collection riding on this relationship, Tony figures it's time to find out what's going on.Jack Noble has spent his life hiding his real self behind a carefully created image. With Tony, he finally knows real freedom, real happiness. Now a past of buried secrets and lies is closing in, and no matter how hard he tries to stop it, the truth is tearing through. Once Tony learns what kind of man Jack really is, he won't stay. Jack's sure of it.Suddenly the past shows up in a completely unexpected way, testing the boundaries of their old, coasting-along-on-fun relationship. Tony indeed finds that Jack isn't the man he went looking for, but it's too late. There's too much at stake to just walk away. First, though, he has to make sure there are no lies left for Jack to hide Readers should be free of any heart condition that may be affected by a hero with an overactive imagination, painful back stories, and hot sex in a variety of athletic positions. Neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for any sudden or frequent urges to have children with Tony Gemetti.
Mass Market Paperback
First published December 7, 2010
16 people are currently reading
698 people want to read
About the author
K.A. Mitchell
43 books1,110 followersK.A. Mitchell discovered the magic of writing at an early age when she learned that a carefully crayoned note of apology sent to the kitchen in a toy truck would earn her a reprieve from banishment to her room. Her career as a spin-control artist was cut short when her family moved to a two-story house, and her trucks would not roll safely down the stairs. Around the same time, she decided that Chip and Ken made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie dropped off. She never stopped making stuff up, though, and was surprised to find out that people would pay her to do it. Although the men in her stories usually carry more emotional baggage than even LAX can lose in a year, she guarantees they always find their sexy way to a happy ending.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
April 25, 2014
Yep, I know that is one big fucking GIF, but this book SO DESERVES the extra space and bandwidth for the pretty boys kissing.
This was my second read of Not Knowing Jack and it was absolutely glorious. Emotional, heartbreaking, full of angst, ridiculously sexy and a beautiful love story. This is a classic and really should be read by all M/M romance lovers. You don't have to take my word for it either. The proof is in the GR ratings and reviews. (You can look it up on Amazon and B&N and get more of the same.) Fan-fucking-tastic book.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!
June 15, 2012
Agent Hooker Slut's Case Portfolio:
The Assignment: Cougar Claws Sharp; Eyes Sensitive
Contact: Cougar65
Target:
Assingment: "Read this, Hooker Slut. You will like this one and will LOVE Tony...promise."
Initial Thoughts: It is a dark and dreary evening. I could spend it staring at the davenport again, but I did that the dawn before last. I guess I could try to read this book.
Case Progression Reports:
Day One: Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
2000 hours: Buy the book
2220 hours: Book purchased; $4.24
2226 hours: Opened Book, 3,814 locations, read dedication, my reaction "Aww how sweet"
Day Two: Thursday, June 14th, 2012
0900 hours: started chapter one
- this Tony guy has weird fantasies about alien abductions and government conspiracies. They remind me of Hooker Slut's own delusions.
- 4% and already switching the names. Unless Jack usually thinks of himself as "Tony"
- 6% and already the first sex scene :(
- 12% tony at his sisters thinking how much more well behaved his and jacks kid would be.
- 14% sex again :( and yep jack reacted as douchy as I thought he would when what I said in previously spoiler was brought up.
- 26% learn Tony is a pot head and likes to get high in the shed out back. Already don't like he starts drinking beer at breakfast. So far this story is really lame and follows every other book. No communication. Lots of secrets. Giant assface.
- 31% I don't feel anything for these characters. Yeah Tony is inmiture alcoholic/drug addict and jack is a secretive, lieing douche. And I'm ready for them to just break up see no connection between them. They don't even know each other. That's just fucked up.
- 36% sex again :( still waiting for something interesting to happen
- 54% Tony finally says he's tired of the lying. jack agrees he won't lie anymore. Tony asks any other secrets or anything he's hiding and specifically mentions illnesses. Jack says he's told him everything
- 56% sex again :(
- 64% sex again :( I fell asleep reading this sex scene :(
- 79% sex again :(
- 87%
Day Three: Friday, June 15th, 2012
0019 hours:
- 92% it skips a year and is over. That's right the end. I finished. Assignment completed. Official report to be updated later. Never says how is sister took him moving. You know her been single mom and raising two kids and having no other family.
Final Assessment
Well I survived. I actually tore threw the pages and finished in almost one day. Surprising myself. I was debating between two or three stars. Anyway I am going with three stars because although I found first half slow and boring I managed to get through it and mostly liked the second half. Or maybe it was me just having too much fun writing this review.
Having Brandon's pov was more interesting than Jacks and he was 14. I was disappointed it never followed up with a conversation he had with tony about how Tony knew he was gay and stuff. I thought it was implying Brandon was possibly wondering about his own sexuality but this was never mentioned again.
Honestly I don't see why tony likes Jack??? Even by the end it's a mystery to me. He was a lying asshole whole book as you can see in my progress updates above.
Omg the sex! Thank god there was less than this author usually has because it was so lame. Usually this author at least as good sex scenes even I they're too many for my tastes. This one they all seemed the same ole same. One of them actually put me to sleep and I wasn't even tired before that.
Tony. Tony. Tony kind if annoyed me. Especially the first half. I just did t care for him. Second half he was less annoy but still pretty weak. I think I liked the second half because of the kids. I was much more interested in them than either of the two douche adult mcs.
Why the fuck does shitnugget Sean still have cumsore Brandit's phone number?i really hated the parts with Sean.
Seems like after Tonys first visit to his sister where the kids were conveniently used to make tony see how much better his kids would be, then those characters just disappeared. It's written like they such an important part of Tonys life and then after that chapter a few mentions, see them briefly at a BBQ, and then at end moving away without even mentioning what happens to the sister and her kids then.
Reading this it felt like the story just drifted along. There was nothing unique or special about it IMO. Everything felt like I had read it before and You could take pretty much any mm book with a secretive asshole and his doormat lover, mix in a mm book with kids and some other random mm book and you have this.
So yeah two stars for the book's last half and one star for me, for finishing and writing this review.
November 16, 2010
4 1/2 stars - I adored the growth in this love story and the Tony & Jack's struggles and obstacles nearly broke my heart but I can't give it a five. It comes close but Jack keeps too many secrets and acts like a real SOB at times. Still, he's perfect for Tony (whom I adored) and I truly felt all the reasons why they were both so desperately in love with each other. Great realistic writing, this one is funny, infuriating, sexy and painful. I'm anxious to read the rest of this author's work.
My favorite quote was this one from Tony early on in the book as he ponders wanting a child, proving that he knows exactly where he stands in the relationship at that point & doesn't really mind. It's both funny and a little heartbreaking.
“You’d make a hell of a dad. You’re practically raising me."
My favorite quote was this one from Tony early on in the book as he ponders wanting a child, proving that he knows exactly where he stands in the relationship at that point & doesn't really mind. It's both funny and a little heartbreaking.
“You’d make a hell of a dad. You’re practically raising me."
September 19, 2011
I didn't like this book very much, though it's certainly very well written, has excellent character (they're not perfect! flawed characters, what a concept!) and plot development, and a . So basically, all I've ever asked for from a book, except I still didn't like it. I would probably still recommend it, though. Like I said, it has all the right bits and pieces, the details just ruined it for me.
But anyway, a quick run-down of what ruined it for me:
I couldn't stand Jack.
Their relationship doesn't seems real to me.
But anyway, a quick run-down of what ruined it for me:
I couldn't stand Jack.
Their relationship doesn't seems real to me.
June 21, 2017
Audible
I had mentioned it already more than twice and I'm not tired to repeat it again: I prefer my contemporary romance rather in an audio book format. Of course, if it has a proper narrator. But honestly, it is pretty difficult to spoil a contemporary MM romance audio book if it's narrated by a pleasant male timbre (with all these ahs and ohs at the right places), and Jason Winters HAS a pleasant and intensively sexy (when the plot demands) voice. So, under these conditions it is easy to want to listen to the story he tells us.
But there is one more surprisingly aspect to this novel for me: I normally don't like children jumping around my MM characters. It was different here. Kids appeared totally unexpected in the plot (and I assure you, I was not the only person here who was slightly shocked by this fact, though I am not going to give anything away), but they fitted nicely in the whole mess whose name is Jack.
To tell the truth, in spite of Jack sounded being good in bed during the whole telling (oh yes), I wasn't really fond of him, and I have my reasons, believe me.
Tony was the opposite matter. Unlike his on-and-off partner Tony, who slowly but surely captured my heart totally and utterly toward the end of the story.
A very good MM romance, with the right quantity of all necessary emotions.
P.S But, OMG,
September 28, 2022
Kindle-Sort-ReRead
This is an interesting one, I liked the book while not particularly liking the main character.
Tony is a tattood, pierced punk. He has a heart of gold and is far better and more forgiving than Jack deserved.
Jack in contrast is well off, successful career... but the book untangle that to show how messed up he is. Boy is he messed up!
As much as he loves Tony he treat him terribly several times with little in the way of apology.
There were no big surprises in the book but it was an interesting study of chatacter, both well written.
Wasn't a huge fan of the end scene, it seemed like blindsided; arranging things before talking them through. Maybe the gesture was needed, but emotionally it was lacking.
This is an interesting one, I liked the book while not particularly liking the main character.
Tony is a tattood, pierced punk. He has a heart of gold and is far better and more forgiving than Jack deserved.
Jack in contrast is well off, successful career... but the book untangle that to show how messed up he is. Boy is he messed up!
As much as he loves Tony he treat him terribly several times with little in the way of apology.
There were no big surprises in the book but it was an interesting study of chatacter, both well written.
Wasn't a huge fan of the end scene, it seemed like blindsided; arranging things before talking them through. Maybe the gesture was needed, but emotionally it was lacking.
April 29, 2012
Although written with K.A. Mitchell's usual competence, Not Knowing Jack was not a pleasant book to read. I started it with the assumption that it was a romance, but there was actually very little about it that could be considered romantic. Instead, Not Knowing Jack was a prolonged angst-fest with an uneasy HEA tacked onto the end.
The book starts with the main characters, Tony and Jack, already in a relationship. They seem pretty serious - Tony is living in Jack's home - but it soon becomes obvious that Jack is keeping some major secrets from his boyfriend. The skeletons in Jack's closet end up hijacking the plot, diverting attention away from the romantic elements of the story and making for some pretty heavy reading. By the end of the book, I thoroughly disliked Jack, and I was wishing that the story had been about Tony moving out and falling in love with someone else instead.
So why did I give this book three stars instead of fewer? First, because Tony was a great character. He was worth reading about, even though I feel like he got a raw deal with Jack. Second, it really was well written. Even though I was expecting one of Mitchell's sexy romances instead of an uncomfortable drama, I had to admire her handling of the complex situations and emotions she was writing about. It was well done; it just wasn't what I wanted to read.
The book starts with the main characters, Tony and Jack, already in a relationship. They seem pretty serious - Tony is living in Jack's home - but it soon becomes obvious that Jack is keeping some major secrets from his boyfriend. The skeletons in Jack's closet end up hijacking the plot, diverting attention away from the romantic elements of the story and making for some pretty heavy reading. By the end of the book, I thoroughly disliked Jack, and I was wishing that the story had been about Tony moving out and falling in love with someone else instead.
So why did I give this book three stars instead of fewer? First, because Tony was a great character. He was worth reading about, even though I feel like he got a raw deal with Jack. Second, it really was well written. Even though I was expecting one of Mitchell's sexy romances instead of an uncomfortable drama, I had to admire her handling of the complex situations and emotions she was writing about. It was well done; it just wasn't what I wanted to read.
May 4, 2016
Book (5 Stars) and Audio (3 Stars) reviews:
Review – Book: Not Knowing Jack is the second story in the Ohio series, and one of my all time favorite books. Multiple reads naturally lead to an audio book listen, and even though the audio paled in comparison to the actual book, I still love this story as much as ever.
Tony and Jack are introduced in Regularly Scheduled Life, book one of the Ohio series (a book I loved even more than this one), and I fell in love the with the flirtatious bartender, Tony, then and there. Tony has got to be one of the best characters ever developed in a gay romance novel, and I still say “everyone needs a Tony in their lives”. He is a big kid at heart, but is loyal to a fault. There is no one you can trust to have your back more than Tony. Jack learns this the hard way, after he treats Tony like crap and kicks him to the curb, twice, on the same day.
Jack has secrets, and his little white lies (though not very little, at times) are starting to get to Tony. He adores Jack, he can’t see himself without Jack, he loves everything about Jack… until Jack becomes a man that Tony never knew existed. I ached for Tony and I wanted to drop-kick Jack in the gonads. Jack, not matter how much he loves Tony, still acts superior and, at times, treated Tony like an unruly teenager. Okay, so matter Tony acts that way sometimes, but still, Jack either wanted Tony as he was or he needed to move on.
I hurt for Jack, too. His story is awful. I know it’s common to take your hurt and anger out on the ones you love, but Jack was really lucky that Tony was still there by the end of the book. Each reread still amazes me how awful Jack could be to Tony.
The way Tony handled Brandon, Jack’s son, was brilliant. Honestly, the best way to deal with an out of control teenager is to be a bigger and smarter teenager, which Tony excelled at even at thirty. Tony didn’t wear kid gloves around Brandon, like Jack did, and in many ways was a much better father figure. Tony is the star of this book in more ways than one. He was the pot smoking flirt, with a naughty mouth, but when push came to shove, Tony was the man that stepped up and kept not only him and Jack together, but created a better life for Jack’s kids, as well.
I usually hate kids in my books, but Tony was able to take that distaste away and keep this book as one of my all time favorites. That’s brilliant writing on the part of K.A. Mitchell. As well as her ability write steamy sex scenes. Tony is a real tiger in the sack, rawr.
Review – Audio: I am almost afraid to continue on this audio book path because it seems like the audio can rarely live up to the book. I have read Not Knowing Jack multiple times and always seem to love it, and Tony, more and more. However, this audio book just killed me. It is so hard to properly rate an audio without dinging the story, and I will still keep my review as a five star on other sites, but this audio was so far from my reality of Jack and Tony that I would be hard pressed to give it even three stars. The narrator is new to me, and I was really hesitant to use my audible credit not knowing what to expect, but I did it because I loved this series, this book, and this author. I’ve been hoping for an audio of A Regularly Scheduled Life, but now, not so much.
My main issue was the tone of voice used through out the reading. Using a calm tone when the words spoken were “Jack said icily”. An icy tone of voice is not similar to one you would use when speaking to a toddler, and that is what I got. No emotion for excitement, sadness, hurt feelings, or anger…it was all kind of monotone and it really got to me. I’ve come to expect a lot more from my audio’s and when all I get is a reading and not a performance it just ruins the experience.
The Blogger Girls
Review – Book: Not Knowing Jack is the second story in the Ohio series, and one of my all time favorite books. Multiple reads naturally lead to an audio book listen, and even though the audio paled in comparison to the actual book, I still love this story as much as ever.
Tony and Jack are introduced in Regularly Scheduled Life, book one of the Ohio series (a book I loved even more than this one), and I fell in love the with the flirtatious bartender, Tony, then and there. Tony has got to be one of the best characters ever developed in a gay romance novel, and I still say “everyone needs a Tony in their lives”. He is a big kid at heart, but is loyal to a fault. There is no one you can trust to have your back more than Tony. Jack learns this the hard way, after he treats Tony like crap and kicks him to the curb, twice, on the same day.
Jack has secrets, and his little white lies (though not very little, at times) are starting to get to Tony. He adores Jack, he can’t see himself without Jack, he loves everything about Jack… until Jack becomes a man that Tony never knew existed. I ached for Tony and I wanted to drop-kick Jack in the gonads. Jack, not matter how much he loves Tony, still acts superior and, at times, treated Tony like an unruly teenager. Okay, so matter Tony acts that way sometimes, but still, Jack either wanted Tony as he was or he needed to move on.
I hurt for Jack, too. His story is awful. I know it’s common to take your hurt and anger out on the ones you love, but Jack was really lucky that Tony was still there by the end of the book. Each reread still amazes me how awful Jack could be to Tony.
The way Tony handled Brandon, Jack’s son, was brilliant. Honestly, the best way to deal with an out of control teenager is to be a bigger and smarter teenager, which Tony excelled at even at thirty. Tony didn’t wear kid gloves around Brandon, like Jack did, and in many ways was a much better father figure. Tony is the star of this book in more ways than one. He was the pot smoking flirt, with a naughty mouth, but when push came to shove, Tony was the man that stepped up and kept not only him and Jack together, but created a better life for Jack’s kids, as well.
I usually hate kids in my books, but Tony was able to take that distaste away and keep this book as one of my all time favorites. That’s brilliant writing on the part of K.A. Mitchell. As well as her ability write steamy sex scenes. Tony is a real tiger in the sack, rawr.
Review – Audio: I am almost afraid to continue on this audio book path because it seems like the audio can rarely live up to the book. I have read Not Knowing Jack multiple times and always seem to love it, and Tony, more and more. However, this audio book just killed me. It is so hard to properly rate an audio without dinging the story, and I will still keep my review as a five star on other sites, but this audio was so far from my reality of Jack and Tony that I would be hard pressed to give it even three stars. The narrator is new to me, and I was really hesitant to use my audible credit not knowing what to expect, but I did it because I loved this series, this book, and this author. I’ve been hoping for an audio of A Regularly Scheduled Life, but now, not so much.
My main issue was the tone of voice used through out the reading. Using a calm tone when the words spoken were “Jack said icily”. An icy tone of voice is not similar to one you would use when speaking to a toddler, and that is what I got. No emotion for excitement, sadness, hurt feelings, or anger…it was all kind of monotone and it really got to me. I’ve come to expect a lot more from my audio’s and when all I get is a reading and not a performance it just ruins the experience.
The Blogger Girls
January 14, 2011
Lent - by Kindle
Gotta give Tony kudos for sticking with Jack through this book man. Jack was understandably going through a lot, but man sakes Jack, you were an ass!!
Gotta give Tony kudos for sticking with Jack through this book man. Jack was understandably going through a lot, but man sakes Jack, you were an ass!!
June 27, 2013
Well, I just can't get enough of what K.A. Mitchell puts out. This is the second in the Ohio series and yes, I've read it out of sequence again.
This is the story of Jack, a wealthy restaurant owner and Tony a bartender. Tony is younger and cruder, to Jack's wealthy refined persona. They have a fun, hot sex relationship going. Neither wants to admit that they fit together like hand and glove. Nor are they willing to admit that each wants more from the relationship, because they don't quite trust each other enough. Jack has a troubling past that is going to come back and bite him in the ass. Shortly after they move in together, it does just that with a vengeance.
Trust is the crux of this story. It's the one thing that Jack can not give easily. He is to afraid that when the truths such as his health problems are revealed that he will lose Tony. He is too scared to lose the happiness he has found. There is a very complicated plot here, but I'm not going to give it away.
The title does sum up the story very well. It's a dark story that had me welling up a number of times. It was a wonderful journey, one I wouldn't mind taking again. I give it a backyard full of stars.
This is the story of Jack, a wealthy restaurant owner and Tony a bartender. Tony is younger and cruder, to Jack's wealthy refined persona. They have a fun, hot sex relationship going. Neither wants to admit that they fit together like hand and glove. Nor are they willing to admit that each wants more from the relationship, because they don't quite trust each other enough. Jack has a troubling past that is going to come back and bite him in the ass. Shortly after they move in together, it does just that with a vengeance.
Trust is the crux of this story. It's the one thing that Jack can not give easily. He is to afraid that when the truths such as his health problems are revealed that he will lose Tony. He is too scared to lose the happiness he has found. There is a very complicated plot here, but I'm not going to give it away.
The title does sum up the story very well. It's a dark story that had me welling up a number of times. It was a wonderful journey, one I wouldn't mind taking again. I give it a backyard full of stars.
June 30, 2011
I'm not sure what took me so long to finally read this book because it was fabulous. Tony is just the quirkiest, most endearing, funny character and to top it off, despite how immature he can be, he's emotional and grown-up exactly when he needed to be. Dare I say he acted more mature and adult than Jack a lot of the time - not that I didn't like Jack, I did and I really felt for him and his situation even though he caused a lot of it all by himself. I loved the story and the settling in of the kids and Tony's awesome way of dealing with them. There were a few times I wanted to kick Jack's ass but eventually he let Tony completely into his heart so i'll go easy on him. Have to also say I loved the little flicks of Sean and Kyle who still have a special place in my heart. Great emotional read.
January 26, 2013
I've purchased K.A.Mitchell previously and never been disappointed. "Not Knowing Jack" is inspired. Great story, great characters. For me personally, the sex scenes become a little repetitive, but I see the point of them, in this novel....it's all about trust. Wish I'd realised that this was book 2 in the series....have now downloaded book 1, "Regularly Scheduled Life". Seem to be stand alone novels however, regardless of the fact that charcters from book 1 reappear in book 2. Definitely worth the money.
January 16, 2016
I know from the blurb that Tony is supposed to be this carefree, superficial guy. But that's all telling. The showing is entirely different, right from page one. So there is this strange disconnect with everybody, including Tony TELLING us that he is a commitment phobe - and what I'm reading, his inner thoughts, his actions, suggest the exact opposite.
So, that's strange.
On top of that, oh the melodrama. With the subtlety of a sledge hammer. It ended up being not believable for me.
January 12, 2014
The book was a surprise. It's a well-written, emotional read. Instant families that are all wounded always do something to me. I love the way the kid's father and his boyfriend have to feel their way around to do what is right for the kids and each other. Highly Recommended!
November 1, 2018
I had a real hard time with this book. I almost quit reading it, which is something I rarely do. In fact several times I hoped Jack's ulcer would kill him. He didn't deserve his kids or Tony. I stuck it out and found myself enjoying it in the end.
August 27, 2014
Some of K.A. Mitchell's work I really really loved and re-read frequently (Collision Course, Bad Attitude) some I really really didn't like (No Souvernirs), others were... ok (Regularly Scheduled Life). This one, I'm not sure where to put.
Not knowing Jack is the story of Tony, who we met back in the first installment of the Ohio Books as Sean's best friend, and Jack. They've been "together" for more than a year, they live together (!) yet
"They hadn't actually talked about whether or not blowing a hot twenty-year-old store clerk would be a problem between them. Because they had not talked about much of anything".
also, they're not exactly sure where they stand to each other:
You do love me, right? Jack had said it before. In kind of an offhand way, and at least once when he wasnt coming. Tony had said it too, but that had been after the first time Jack had cooked him dinner.
That's because Tony and Jack have huge communications problem. Like Great Wall of China problems. I, on the other hand, had even more gigantic problems understanding them, especially as a couple. Jack kept from Tony secrets the size of the Coliseum. When he decides to grow back a pair and he dumps Tony at the first chance he gets telling him he's not "parent material" only to come back to him imploring to get back together because his publicist suggested him to do so. He has the nerve to be offended when Tony doesn't trust him blindingly and treats him like shit repeatedly; after Tony forgives him with the promise of no more lies between them he lies AGAIN and he's almost surprised when Tony's not instantly willing to give him yet another shot. Wooooooooow.
In Italy we would say hai proprio la faccia come il culo.
TL;DR - Story ok, Asshole MC.
[3.5 stars]
Not knowing Jack is the story of Tony, who we met back in the first installment of the Ohio Books as Sean's best friend, and Jack. They've been "together" for more than a year, they live together (!) yet
"They hadn't actually talked about whether or not blowing a hot twenty-year-old store clerk would be a problem between them. Because they had not talked about much of anything".
also, they're not exactly sure where they stand to each other:
You do love me, right? Jack had said it before. In kind of an offhand way, and at least once when he wasnt coming. Tony had said it too, but that had been after the first time Jack had cooked him dinner.
That's because Tony and Jack have huge communications problem. Like Great Wall of China problems. I, on the other hand, had even more gigantic problems understanding them, especially as a couple. Jack kept from Tony secrets the size of the Coliseum. When he decides to grow back a pair and he dumps Tony at the first chance he gets telling him he's not "parent material" only to come back to him imploring to get back together because his publicist suggested him to do so. He has the nerve to be offended when Tony doesn't trust him blindingly and treats him like shit repeatedly; after Tony forgives him with the promise of no more lies between them he lies AGAIN and he's almost surprised when Tony's not instantly willing to give him yet another shot. Wooooooooow.
In Italy we would say hai proprio la faccia come il culo.
TL;DR - Story ok, Asshole MC.
[3.5 stars]
April 16, 2011
I’d call this one 4.5 stars. I really, really appreciate the depth of the storyline. There was a lot going on that made it hard to take a break from this book. I wanted to be able to read it in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next, and then after that, and just a couple more pages… The author introduced some very challenging family issues and I was really impressed with the way the story developed around this.
To get to that 5 star level, I’ve really got to fall in love with the main characters. With Tony, it was very easy to do. With Jack, not so much! Frankly, Tony had way more patience and forgiveness in him than any one person should have to. If I were in Tony’s shoes in real life, there’s no way I would have been able to tolerate the crap that Jack doled out (or kept to himself) over and over again – see ya! But Tony stuck it out and Jack was all the better for it.
I loved that this book caused a mix of emotions for me ranging from outrage to sadness to joy! Jack was able to redeem himself a bit toward the very end of the book, but then it felt rushed towards closure. I would have loved to see a bit more of the story devoted to Jack and Tony’s acceptance of their relationship – the calm after the storm, so to speak.
This was a great spin-off from “Regularly Scheduled Life”. It was nice to revisit with Sean and Kyle, but I was glad that this did well as a standalone and I didn’t shed quite as many tears!!!
To get to that 5 star level, I’ve really got to fall in love with the main characters. With Tony, it was very easy to do. With Jack, not so much! Frankly, Tony had way more patience and forgiveness in him than any one person should have to. If I were in Tony’s shoes in real life, there’s no way I would have been able to tolerate the crap that Jack doled out (or kept to himself) over and over again – see ya! But Tony stuck it out and Jack was all the better for it.
I loved that this book caused a mix of emotions for me ranging from outrage to sadness to joy! Jack was able to redeem himself a bit toward the very end of the book, but then it felt rushed towards closure. I would have loved to see a bit more of the story devoted to Jack and Tony’s acceptance of their relationship – the calm after the storm, so to speak.
This was a great spin-off from “Regularly Scheduled Life”. It was nice to revisit with Sean and Kyle, but I was glad that this did well as a standalone and I didn’t shed quite as many tears!!!
March 10, 2014
4.5 stars
This was almost perfect... I love the tag line in the blurb, it's so true... Neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for any sudden or frequent urges to have children with Tony Gemetti ...
The writing and the dialogue are great, the hot scenes are HOT and just frequent enough. There are kids in this story but they're realistic and not annoying.
I love how we meet Tony and his crazy imagination in the Bed, Bath and Beyond store. I think the book does a good job of showing a relationship that starts off as just two guys loosely committed to each other but not really knowing that much about each other. I did find Jack to be condescending about Tony but he does show growth in the story.
I read one review here which said you could read this as a standalone (there is a part one which is Sean and Kyle's story). I don't totally agree so I would suggest reading Regularly Scheduled Life first.
I can't wait to read more by KA Mitchell.
This was almost perfect... I love the tag line in the blurb, it's so true... Neither the author nor the publisher is responsible for any sudden or frequent urges to have children with Tony Gemetti ...
The writing and the dialogue are great, the hot scenes are HOT and just frequent enough. There are kids in this story but they're realistic and not annoying.
I love how we meet Tony and his crazy imagination in the Bed, Bath and Beyond store. I think the book does a good job of showing a relationship that starts off as just two guys loosely committed to each other but not really knowing that much about each other. I did find Jack to be condescending about Tony but he does show growth in the story.
I read one review here which said you could read this as a standalone (there is a part one which is Sean and Kyle's story). I don't totally agree so I would suggest reading Regularly Scheduled Life first.
I can't wait to read more by KA Mitchell.
November 28, 2011
I liked this one WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than Regularly Scheduled Life. I still wanted to wack Jack upside the head for most of the book but I didn't have such an annoyance for them with the whole established relationship thing. I think because they were less solid at the start of the book so I got to see their sort of no questions asked live in f*ck buddies to a loving family. I appreciated that the kids were not just cookie cutter decorations for the story. 4 stars.
December 31, 2010
I totally got into Tony In Regularly Scheduled Life and was happy to see he got own story. Wasn't a fan of Jack's and I stayed that way for most of the book. I was getting to the point where I was ready to throw the book at the wall. Would have but I love my ipod touch way to much :) Tony deserved a hell of a lot better. As I learned about the crap life Jack had endured he began to grow on me. By the end...Okay so he's still not my favorite character in the world but he got brownie points for effort. Overall a really great book. Tony makes this a 5 star read.
December 28, 2010
2.5 to 3 stars Good story but I really did not like Jack. I had a hard time feeling any sympathy for him when he just acted like a selfish jerk most of the time.
Also, he didn't treat Tony with respect (my biggest pet peeve). Tony started out kind of chilish and immature, but stepped up when needed. Jack continued to treat him like a child and then accuse him of acting immature.
Tony, on the other hand, was wonderful.
Also, he didn't treat Tony with respect (my biggest pet peeve). Tony started out kind of chilish and immature, but stepped up when needed. Jack continued to treat him like a child and then accuse him of acting immature.
Tony, on the other hand, was wonderful.
July 3, 2012
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, although I felt there was an imbalance with the characters. I loved Tony. He sticks to his convictions and pushes through anything that’s thrown at him. Most of the time Tony felt like the star and Jack was a co-star. I just couldn't get into his character.
All and all a good book even though it suffered from the dreaded rushed ending syndrome.
April 9, 2013
3rd reread 4/9/13: not sure why I love this book so much but I do. Actually, that's a lie, Tony is why I love this book so much!
April 1, 2011
When we first meet Jack and Tony, they're shopping in a Bed, Bath & Beyond. They have been living together for a little while, dating for 2 years, but Tony, the rough and tumble bartender, really doesn't know anything about his lover, Jack, the chef. They have a lovely home (courtesy of Jack) and Jack wants to give Tony everything (including a car to replace his old, decrepit one). They also have great, frequent sex. But things start to fall apart when Jack starts disappearing to make phone calls or "go to work" early and on days off... That's the setup right off the bat, and I enjoyed the fact that we don't have to spend chapters and chapters leading up to the first "aha" moment.
VERY MILD SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:
All together a sweet, satisfying read.
VERY MILD SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:
All together a sweet, satisfying read.
March 4, 2014
I have read several of K.A. Mitchell's books, and have really enjoyed them. This book, not so much. It started well, the build up was good and I really liked Tony. But then the sh- stuff - hit the fan and it turned into some heavy reading (you'll get the shit/stuff joke if you read the book).
I haven't written a review before, so I read some for this book after I finished to get me going in how to put my thoughts and feelings into words. I came across a review by Hannah (dated Apr 28,2012) and it said everything I felt about it. I could have written it myself.
Here are some quotes. Please read her FULL review.
- "I started it with the assumption that it was a romance, but there was actually very little about it that could be considered romantic. Instead, Not Knowing Jack was a prolonged angst-fest with an uneasy HEA tacked onto the end."
- "The skeletons in Jack's closet end up hijacking the plot, diverting attention away from the romantic elements of the story and making for some pretty heavy reading."
- "So why did I give this book three stars instead of fewer? First, because Tony was a great character. He was worth reading about (...) Second, it really was well written. Even though I was expecting one of Mitchell's sexy romances instead of an uncomfortable drama, I had to admire her handling of the complex situations and emotions she was writing about. It was well done; it just wasn't what I wanted to read."
Remember, those were quotes from Hannah's review not my own words. She just nailed everything I wanted to say.
By the way, I read Not knowing Jack out of order. Not knowing Jack is #2 in the Ohio books series, and I didn't read #1 Regularly Scheduled Life (Sean and Kyle's story) first. Because I didn't know there was #1 and #2. I don't think it mattered very much, but they were secondary characters in this book. I don't think I'll be reading their book though. I want to read something else in stead.
I haven't written a review before, so I read some for this book after I finished to get me going in how to put my thoughts and feelings into words. I came across a review by Hannah (dated Apr 28,2012) and it said everything I felt about it. I could have written it myself.
Here are some quotes. Please read her FULL review.
- "I started it with the assumption that it was a romance, but there was actually very little about it that could be considered romantic. Instead, Not Knowing Jack was a prolonged angst-fest with an uneasy HEA tacked onto the end."
- "The skeletons in Jack's closet end up hijacking the plot, diverting attention away from the romantic elements of the story and making for some pretty heavy reading."
- "So why did I give this book three stars instead of fewer? First, because Tony was a great character. He was worth reading about (...) Second, it really was well written. Even though I was expecting one of Mitchell's sexy romances instead of an uncomfortable drama, I had to admire her handling of the complex situations and emotions she was writing about. It was well done; it just wasn't what I wanted to read."
Remember, those were quotes from Hannah's review not my own words. She just nailed everything I wanted to say.
By the way, I read Not knowing Jack out of order. Not knowing Jack is #2 in the Ohio books series, and I didn't read #1 Regularly Scheduled Life (Sean and Kyle's story) first. Because I didn't know there was #1 and #2. I don't think it mattered very much, but they were secondary characters in this book. I don't think I'll be reading their book though. I want to read something else in stead.
March 31, 2012
Even if reading about people who don't communicate is usually frustrating, there wasn't a real misunderstanding issue in this book, the "blame" for all the mess is unfortunately easy to place: Jack is a jerk and Tony is a saint.
Jack is keeping secrets from Tony for a lot of reasons: because he thinks Tony will think less of him; because he blames himself for everything that happened in his life; because he doesn't want to make other people worry about him; because he doesn't think he'll be able to face what's in front of him. When one is so closed in himself, going the same thinking loops again and again, he becomes simply incapable of seeing what's really there. Jack means well, but he ends up hurting people anyway: his ex-wife, who didn't know he was gay; his children, whose care he is ready to sign to his stepparents, thinking they don't want to be with him; and finally Tony, who's kept in the dark and who is mistreated time and again.
Tony grows up before our eyes. I liked him incredibly as a secondary character in the previous book, and here he is perfect. He does everything to adapt to what Jack's past brings into their lives. Jack punches him figuratively many times, he is almost offensive sometimes, but Tony gets the bigger picture, he has the levity to defuse the tense moments and the insight to know what's important.
I really really enjoyed it. Even if I wanted to kill Jack more times than not, Tony and Jack's chemistry was incredible and I never had the impression they weren't made for each other. I really lost myself in this story.
Jack is keeping secrets from Tony for a lot of reasons: because he thinks Tony will think less of him; because he blames himself for everything that happened in his life; because he doesn't want to make other people worry about him; because he doesn't think he'll be able to face what's in front of him. When one is so closed in himself, going the same thinking loops again and again, he becomes simply incapable of seeing what's really there. Jack means well, but he ends up hurting people anyway: his ex-wife, who didn't know he was gay; his children, whose care he is ready to sign to his stepparents, thinking they don't want to be with him; and finally Tony, who's kept in the dark and who is mistreated time and again.
Tony grows up before our eyes. I liked him incredibly as a secondary character in the previous book, and here he is perfect. He does everything to adapt to what Jack's past brings into their lives. Jack punches him figuratively many times, he is almost offensive sometimes, but Tony gets the bigger picture, he has the levity to defuse the tense moments and the insight to know what's important.
I really really enjoyed it. Even if I wanted to kill Jack more times than not, Tony and Jack's chemistry was incredible and I never had the impression they weren't made for each other. I really lost myself in this story.
December 31, 2010
This is the second novel in a series after Regularly Scheduled Life, although you can read it as a standalone. It deals with the turmoil caused in Jack and Tony’s relationship when Jack’s carefully hidden past erupts into their perfect existence.
The novel is told primarily from Tony’s point of view as he struggles to understand Jack’s odd behaviour and come to terms with how little he really knows about the man. While the physical chemistry between the two men remains red hot throughout the novel (there’s some seriously bendy and athletic sex), the secrets and Tony’s impulsive nature threaten to tear them apart many times.
To say more about what causes the trouble would be spoilery, so for now all I’ll say is that the novel deals with family themes and should give you a lot to think about. The choices Jack and Tony have to make are not easy, but the unconventional pairing of successful businessman and feckless bartender proves to be stronger than either of them initially thought.
This is an angsty novel, but there are plenty of moments to lighten the intensity so it never gets too heavy going. I was completely drawn into Jack and Tony’s world, and despite getting really irritated with Jack I couldn’t help rooting for them both as their relationship foundered. A satisfying and grown-up romance that’s incredibly well-written.
The novel is told primarily from Tony’s point of view as he struggles to understand Jack’s odd behaviour and come to terms with how little he really knows about the man. While the physical chemistry between the two men remains red hot throughout the novel (there’s some seriously bendy and athletic sex), the secrets and Tony’s impulsive nature threaten to tear them apart many times.
To say more about what causes the trouble would be spoilery, so for now all I’ll say is that the novel deals with family themes and should give you a lot to think about. The choices Jack and Tony have to make are not easy, but the unconventional pairing of successful businessman and feckless bartender proves to be stronger than either of them initially thought.
This is an angsty novel, but there are plenty of moments to lighten the intensity so it never gets too heavy going. I was completely drawn into Jack and Tony’s world, and despite getting really irritated with Jack I couldn’t help rooting for them both as their relationship foundered. A satisfying and grown-up romance that’s incredibly well-written.
August 22, 2011
I liked this story. (Honestly, K.A. Mitchell has been an auto-buy for me for months.) But something about it just feels unfinished. I enjoyed reading about the chemistry between Tony and Jack, but because the story takes place in such a short period of time, I felt like the way Tony forgave each lie and secret was almost rushed. Yes, he did it partially for the kids, but he's willing to sacrifice so much and forgive easily for the sake of children he didn't know existed days before to live with a man he doesn't know he can trust? Yes, Jack is a better alternative than their mother's family, but Tony doesn't have to be treated like a doormat for the situation to work. I like that Tony stands up for himself, but wish that he had done it more often and that there was more work for Jack to get back into his good graces at the end of the book.
As far as Sarah goes, I love her relationship with Tony. And her recovery was super, super quick. Huh. Maybe I don't know enough about the trauma she suffered to really give an assessment, it just seems slightly unrealistic to believe she would go from not talking to almost complete readjusted and happy within a month.
As far as Sarah goes, I love her relationship with Tony. And her recovery was super, super quick. Huh. Maybe I don't know enough about the trauma she suffered to really give an assessment, it just seems slightly unrealistic to believe she would go from not talking to almost complete readjusted and happy within a month.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2015
3.5 stars. This is a difficult book to rate. In some ways, it's the best book of K.A. Mitchell's I've read. Lots of story. Complex characters. Sex that doesn't overwhelm the plot. And an extremely likable MC in Tony.
Then there's Jack. He's such a jerk to Tony. My list of grievances against Jack: omitting crucial facts about his past; telling Tony to shut up numerous times; mocking Tony's intelligence ("And you became an expert on adolescent psychology during which repeat of twelfth grade?"); kicking Tony out of the house and only asking him back for selfish reasons; a crappy presentation of rings. An overall ungrateful bastard. That's not even taking into account Jack's abandonment of his children when they needed him most. I cheered every time Brandon told him off.
As is usually the case with such ungrateful bastards, they don't do nearly enough grovelling or atonement to satisfy. Tony was deserving of a better partner, and my satisfaction with this book is mainly because of Tony. He stood by Jack even when it when have been better for him to move on. Although he was presented as a case of arrested adolescence, it was not him who needed to grow up.
Then there's Jack. He's such a jerk to Tony. My list of grievances against Jack: omitting crucial facts about his past; telling Tony to shut up numerous times; mocking Tony's intelligence ("And you became an expert on adolescent psychology during which repeat of twelfth grade?"); kicking Tony out of the house and only asking him back for selfish reasons; a crappy presentation of rings. An overall ungrateful bastard. That's not even taking into account Jack's abandonment of his children when they needed him most. I cheered every time Brandon told him off.
As is usually the case with such ungrateful bastards, they don't do nearly enough grovelling or atonement to satisfy. Tony was deserving of a better partner, and my satisfaction with this book is mainly because of Tony. He stood by Jack even when it when have been better for him to move on. Although he was presented as a case of arrested adolescence, it was not him who needed to grow up.
April 25, 2015
synopsis:
tony and jack have been living together for a while, and tony likes the fact that there are no expectations. then jack starts keeping secrets and tony worries that maybe a bartender who refuses to grow up could lose the best thing that's ever happened to him. when tony learns that jack has an ex-wife, and children, his world is turned on it's end. as jack fights to keep his children from falling into their mother's hands, his and tony's relationship takes a turn for the worse.
what i liked: i liked tony. i liked that tony was so supportive of jack when he found out he had children, and that tony was the one who connected to the children and knew when and how to push them. i liked that tony was also strong enough to walk away from jack.
what i didn't like: jack. for pete's sake. he kept secret after secret from tony, even when he promised not to. i never really felt like he felt as much for tony as tony did for him, even though he kept saying that tony was the best thing that ever happened to him.
tony and jack have been living together for a while, and tony likes the fact that there are no expectations. then jack starts keeping secrets and tony worries that maybe a bartender who refuses to grow up could lose the best thing that's ever happened to him. when tony learns that jack has an ex-wife, and children, his world is turned on it's end. as jack fights to keep his children from falling into their mother's hands, his and tony's relationship takes a turn for the worse.
what i liked: i liked tony. i liked that tony was so supportive of jack when he found out he had children, and that tony was the one who connected to the children and knew when and how to push them. i liked that tony was also strong enough to walk away from jack.
what i didn't like: jack. for pete's sake. he kept secret after secret from tony, even when he promised not to. i never really felt like he felt as much for tony as tony did for him, even though he kept saying that tony was the best thing that ever happened to him.
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