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Coverboy
Fate made Brock Martindale the wonder boy of the modeling world. Bad choices left him unemployed and penniless with nowhere to go. Then fate strikes again, sending him Carey Lindenbay, an amateur photographer. They become friends, supporting one another through both secrets and shame, and together they discover an opportunity for success and a surprising attraction. Joyful and fulfilled, Brock is thankful for his second chance, and after a startling discovery, he realizes he wants to give Carey a second chance at happiness as well.
78 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Dan Skinner
20 books428 followersDan Skinner is a new author who hates writing bios. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has been a book cover artist for seven years.
Visit Dan's deviantart profile for more works of art.
Visit Dan's deviantart profile for more works of art.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 5, 2016
Second chances, shake off old egos and heading to your goal. Love and be loved. Thats what this is about in my opinion. Being together It felt so natural for both men.
Carey a very gentle introvert and the young Brock totally destroyed by his lifestyle and wrong friends meet each other and their whole world turns around.
And just when you think and feel it's a nice sweet light story.. than BANG there goes the illusion.
Going deep into the world of emotions, feelings, hurts, desperation you only want to cry with them and take them in your arms to hug really really hard and let them feel they are not alone.
Knowing the hurt is still there but that you want to carry it with them, together.
That's what these two beautiful men did with each other.
Fuck I'm a mess.
Carey a very gentle introvert and the young Brock totally destroyed by his lifestyle and wrong friends meet each other and their whole world turns around.
And just when you think and feel it's a nice sweet light story.. than BANG there goes the illusion.
Going deep into the world of emotions, feelings, hurts, desperation you only want to cry with them and take them in your arms to hug really really hard and let them feel they are not alone.
Knowing the hurt is still there but that you want to carry it with them, together.
That's what these two beautiful men did with each other.
Fuck I'm a mess.
July 17, 2014
I think I went into the wrong line of work. Seems like photographers have the best luck. At least Carey's muse wasn't a total douchbag. This doesn't seem like a typical GFY romance, rather more like a story of two people finding their other half. Mythos talks about how the "gods" created the human race as being double bodied, but then got jealous of them and split them in half and separated the halves across the world, yet it is believed that we all automatically recognize our other half, no matter who they are. Same sex or opposite sex. Beautiful story. Dan Skinner is a master story teller
June 19, 2014
I like that this story made me think this could really happen in real life Hollywood. Paris Hilton immediately came to mind as the heiress in this book. At first I thought I'd have to go back and remove this book from my m/m shelve but in the end, I didn't have to.
I'm gonna tell you that that threesome scene was hot as fuck. Dan Skinner may have a shot at writing m/f books a well ;-)
I really felt Carey's pain more so than I did Brock's. I like how Carey's story was slowly revealed. I like the friendship that developed between the guys.
I'm gonna tell you that that threesome scene was hot as fuck. Dan Skinner may have a shot at writing m/f books a well ;-)
I really felt Carey's pain more so than I did Brock's. I like how Carey's story was slowly revealed. I like the friendship that developed between the guys.
July 26, 2013
This was the first effort by Mr. Skinner. It's a very simple, lovingly, sweet story about 2 lost souls that find each other. Their union brings a stability and happiness that each have lost. Brock's life is rocked by scandal and Carey's life is rocked by loss. Carey extends a hand of friendship to a disillusioned Brock.
Having read "Memorizing You", Mr. Skinner's second effort, I can see great leaps in his story telling,but don't let that deter you from reading this. It's just what you need for a summer read.
Having read "Memorizing You", Mr. Skinner's second effort, I can see great leaps in his story telling,but don't let that deter you from reading this. It's just what you need for a summer read.
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May 7, 2009This is quite a strange book that I still have trouble to classify. First of all the main hero, Brock, was straight for two/third of the book and then he didn't fall in love physically for the other hero Carey, but rather he decided that Carey is a good man, better than all the other people around, and so he wanted to stay with him. On the other hand, Carey was the same, he didn't fall for Brock as a man, but rather as the image the man is for him.
Brock is a poster boy of the past; in his early twenties his career is just finished, burnt like thousands of others in the modeling world. He is broken and without a place to stay, and he has no friend to turn for help... and maybe he doesn't want to neither. Then he meets Carey, a 32 years old independent wealthy man; Carey is strange, but he is gentle and caring, and he offers to help Brock for nothing. Neither Brock or Carey are gay, and Carey's offer raises not from a sexual interested, but more from an esthetically point of view: Carey is a wanna-be photographer, and he really likes Brock's easiness in front of the camera. So from their bargain, both of them will have what they want, Brock a place to stay and Carey a free model.
When I say that I found strange this book, is due to the fact that for most of the book, Brock is regretting his lost sweetheart from high school or remembering his sexual experiences with women; never he lusts for Carey in a sexual way, if not with a light comment on Carey's muscular body after their exercised together, like a buddy friend could do in a gym.
Also Carey is not easy to understand. I believe he helped Brock out of a need for company, he is lonely and without a real interest in life, and play the role of the Good Samaritan with Brock could give him a sense for his life.
The book is rather short, less than 80 pages, in fact it's a novella, not a novel. But as I said I find it puzzling but not without interest. So puzzling that pushes me to browse the net to find info on the author, Dan Skinner, and I found a Dan Skinner who is a romance cover artist (like Carey) and who started his career helping a buddy friend with his modeling career (like Brock)...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ET66ZE/?...
Brock is a poster boy of the past; in his early twenties his career is just finished, burnt like thousands of others in the modeling world. He is broken and without a place to stay, and he has no friend to turn for help... and maybe he doesn't want to neither. Then he meets Carey, a 32 years old independent wealthy man; Carey is strange, but he is gentle and caring, and he offers to help Brock for nothing. Neither Brock or Carey are gay, and Carey's offer raises not from a sexual interested, but more from an esthetically point of view: Carey is a wanna-be photographer, and he really likes Brock's easiness in front of the camera. So from their bargain, both of them will have what they want, Brock a place to stay and Carey a free model.
When I say that I found strange this book, is due to the fact that for most of the book, Brock is regretting his lost sweetheart from high school or remembering his sexual experiences with women; never he lusts for Carey in a sexual way, if not with a light comment on Carey's muscular body after their exercised together, like a buddy friend could do in a gym.
Also Carey is not easy to understand. I believe he helped Brock out of a need for company, he is lonely and without a real interest in life, and play the role of the Good Samaritan with Brock could give him a sense for his life.
The book is rather short, less than 80 pages, in fact it's a novella, not a novel. But as I said I find it puzzling but not without interest. So puzzling that pushes me to browse the net to find info on the author, Dan Skinner, and I found a Dan Skinner who is a romance cover artist (like Carey) and who started his career helping a buddy friend with his modeling career (like Brock)...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ET66ZE/?...
April 16, 2014
2.5 Stars
At the wake of Brock Martindale's crushed modelling career, he is befriended by aspiring photographer Carey Lindenbay and together, they form a new path that brings them closer to their dreams and a possible future together.
I love the aspect of the story that showed how it is to create a book cover for a romance novel. I believe it's the first time I read about it and it was very refreshing.
I'm just not too keen on the insta-lust aspect or the story The excessive use of "dude" and "man" to butch things up also felt awkward to me.I also felt that the story had a loose ending . It's a step down from Memorizing You but still an enjoyable read.
August 14, 2013
Having read “Memorizing You” by this author and thinking that it was one of the best books I had ever read, I was anxious to read his first book, “CoverBoy.” This is a very sweet story of Brock, a man who has had everything and lost it, and Carey, a man who has sustained a loss. Both of these men find comfort with each other, and unlike other reviewers, I found this refreshingly sweet and very believable. I liked the line in the book,
“There was no debate that the two of them needed each other, two displaced souls, to simply feel as if they had a place in a heartless world that appeared to have cast them off and forgotten them.”
A good book and one that I’d recommend.
“There was no debate that the two of them needed each other, two displaced souls, to simply feel as if they had a place in a heartless world that appeared to have cast them off and forgotten them.”
A good book and one that I’d recommend.
January 25, 2015
Firstly have to say I'm a massive fan, he's one of my favourite M/M Author's...I just want to hunt that man down so he can write to me every day..
This was a sweet, touching story of Brock and Carey...both had troubled pasts and they both find comfort with each other....just loved it !!!
This was a sweet, touching story of Brock and Carey...both had troubled pasts and they both find comfort with each other....just loved it !!!
August 1, 2014
I have to start by saying that when I picked up this book I was already quite bias...I love Dan Skinner's writing! I have read three of his later books and decided I needed to go back to where it started...with his first. Although it is evident how much he has grown as a writer, I still very much enjoyed this book. I find that when I read Dan's work, I am constantly highlighting phrases and passages filled with philosophical depth and life lessons. I love the way I, as a reader, interact with Dan's books and with this one, I once again found myself going back over and over again to what I felt the central theme was. For me, this book is about accepting past mistakes, allowing our pain to surface in order to deal with it, and being to someone else what they need you to be. I loved that these two men cared deeply and loved each other as people...it wasn't about sexuality or preference or lust. It was about loving the person with all their flaws and failures, and being for them what they needed. The physical contact was about intimacy more than it was about sex. In that intimacy, they found acceptance and freedom to move past their mistakes, deal with their pain and move forward.
July 22, 2011
First, I have to say that Dan Skinner is one of my most favorite photographers of m/m eroticism; the man is truly talented. It was because of that love that I bought this book. That being said, I think writing is something he has a lot of room to grow with. Honestly, the premise and carry through of the book creeped me out a lot - not something I want in a romance novel. And calling the man you're in bed with 'Bro' and 'Bud,' made me want to giggle something fierce.
I understand he has another book he's working on, and I imagine his writing will improve as he gains more experience. And I'll probably buy the next one, regardless, simply because I do like him and his photography and I want to support that.
I understand he has another book he's working on, and I imagine his writing will improve as he gains more experience. And I'll probably buy the next one, regardless, simply because I do like him and his photography and I want to support that.
April 6, 2014
A short, touching story about two guys who've lived through hardship and came out okay, together. It's about discovery of oneself, falling barriers, giving life a second chance and one's heart too.
Nicely written. I wish Dan Skinner wrote more but it must be difficult with that camera he's holding...
Nicely written. I wish Dan Skinner wrote more but it must be difficult with that camera he's holding...
March 11, 2015
At first I didn't think I was going to like this book because of the m/f sex but once that part was done, it was a good book. I wish there had been more to read and the story had been a little bit longer.
July 2, 2017
I first want to say I'm a massive fan of Dan Skinner. He's talk to me like a real person not just a fan of all his books. That being said, Having read "Memorizing You" and thinking he's my all time favorite author so I decided to read his first book "Coverboy". I'm starting by say that I could tell this was his first book. I can see great leaps in his story telling but don't be deterred by that this is a great book to read.
This is a sweet story of two souls that find each. This friendship bring stability and happiness that each has lost. I love the friendship that develops between the two guys. Brock being a man that had everything and lost it to include family, friends and even his agent. But Carey's on the other hand is rocked by loss, his wife and baby. I think he's extended a hand to Brock to help out of a need for company, and kindness. I think the line from the book sums this up "There was no debate that the two of them needed each other, two displaced souls, to simple feel as if they had a place in a heartless world that appeared to have cast then off and forgotten them". Dan Skinner is a master of storytelling.
This is a sweet story of two souls that find each. This friendship bring stability and happiness that each has lost. I love the friendship that develops between the two guys. Brock being a man that had everything and lost it to include family, friends and even his agent. But Carey's on the other hand is rocked by loss, his wife and baby. I think he's extended a hand to Brock to help out of a need for company, and kindness. I think the line from the book sums this up "There was no debate that the two of them needed each other, two displaced souls, to simple feel as if they had a place in a heartless world that appeared to have cast then off and forgotten them". Dan Skinner is a master of storytelling.
March 16, 2019
I read a few reviews and I don't think that some people read the same book that I read. I really enjoyed this little novella. It's about a straight guy, aged 21, who is recruited suddenly off the street to be a high priced model. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read "Memorizing You."
September 27, 2022
The characters in this book are very likeable, very easy to root for, and Skinner has a great authorial voice. IMO, it intruded a bit too much in the actuial story, but I agree with him one hundred percent: there is someone for everyone, and even the biggest hurts heal with time and love. All in all, this was a wonderful, feel good read.
Title: Cover Boy
Author: Dan Skinner
Genre: M/M erotic romace
Buy: Dreamspinner Press
Summary: Brock rocketed from obscure nobody to super model practically overnight, but it was a decaying orbit of fame, money and sex, and his re-entry was beyond crash and burn. Now, he has no one, nothing, and must rely on the kindness of strangers. This comes in the form of Casey, a man with his own secrets and a deep pain that might never heal.
Now Brock needs a purpose to prove to himself he's more than a burnt out has-been, and Casey needs someone to care about again. All they find is each other.
My review: The characters in this book are such lovely people, it's impossible not to care about them. Sure, Brock screwed up, but the young and foolish screw up all the time. Now he just needs a chance to turn things around. Carey is a mystery right up to the end, but he's strong and caring, and obviously in pain, and you just want him to find happiness again.
Which brings up my main issue. I will buy that very strong friendships will form under the circumstances these men find themselves in. Convincing me of the love they seem to fall into is another matter. I like to really feel what the characters feel, and for me, that just didn't happen in this book.
The author spent so much time telling me how it can happen, how it makes sense, how I should just believe in love, he neglected to show me two people falling for each other. I won't deny it can and does happen all the time. I just didn't feel it here.
While the author's voice kept pulling me too far out of the story to really enjoy it on a visceral level, he did connect with my sense of love for love's sake. The story is an uplifting one, full of the idea that there is always a second chance if we're willing to look, and to take a chance on something new.
My recommendation: Don't expect to be immersed in character emotions, but read it because everyone needs a remember of what really matters
Title: Cover Boy
Author: Dan Skinner
Genre: M/M erotic romace
Buy: Dreamspinner Press
Summary: Brock rocketed from obscure nobody to super model practically overnight, but it was a decaying orbit of fame, money and sex, and his re-entry was beyond crash and burn. Now, he has no one, nothing, and must rely on the kindness of strangers. This comes in the form of Casey, a man with his own secrets and a deep pain that might never heal.
Now Brock needs a purpose to prove to himself he's more than a burnt out has-been, and Casey needs someone to care about again. All they find is each other.
My review: The characters in this book are such lovely people, it's impossible not to care about them. Sure, Brock screwed up, but the young and foolish screw up all the time. Now he just needs a chance to turn things around. Carey is a mystery right up to the end, but he's strong and caring, and obviously in pain, and you just want him to find happiness again.
Which brings up my main issue. I will buy that very strong friendships will form under the circumstances these men find themselves in. Convincing me of the love they seem to fall into is another matter. I like to really feel what the characters feel, and for me, that just didn't happen in this book.
The author spent so much time telling me how it can happen, how it makes sense, how I should just believe in love, he neglected to show me two people falling for each other. I won't deny it can and does happen all the time. I just didn't feel it here.
While the author's voice kept pulling me too far out of the story to really enjoy it on a visceral level, he did connect with my sense of love for love's sake. The story is an uplifting one, full of the idea that there is always a second chance if we're willing to look, and to take a chance on something new.
My recommendation: Don't expect to be immersed in character emotions, but read it because everyone needs a remember of what really matters
July 18, 2015
Dan Skinner's stories make me feel that they are so personal. This is a tender love story between two men who are struggling with their life choices. If we all had an opportunity for a do over what would we do. I would have taken better care of myself as to avoid my dilibating stroke as my blood produces clots a healthy diet would not have been enough. We meet model Brock the former live in boyfriend of a female celebrity known for being a celebrity by association either family or just as vapid friends. Who suddenly kicks out her boyfriend on the streets with no money having alienating all his friends and family back home. Just the clothes on his back. While having a pity part at Starbucks after spending the last of his money on his black coffee. Carey, a photographer introduces himself. To the solitary, sad man he has admired from afar. Brock is on the edge of tears due to Carey's kindness offering Brock a place to stay. They drive to Carey's beautiful hillside L.A.home. When they get inside its vacant and hard to believe anyone lives there. They get to work on renovating a room for Carey's photography studio. Both men so hungry for a friend and human touch. I don't want to reveal too much as future readers need to discover each man's soul breaking secrets. Every Dan Skinner book this fan girl has read I always want more story to know what their lives look like in the future
June 7, 2015
This is such an AMAZINGLY Beautiful book and deserves so many more than just 5 stars !!
I absolutely loved it !!
Not like other m/m books i've read where they meet, screw each others brains out and go off into the sunset happily ever after ! This had depth, an amazing story line and both characters had their own personal demons that they each helped the other to overcome. Absolutely fantastic read !
I absolutely loved it !!
Not like other m/m books i've read where they meet, screw each others brains out and go off into the sunset happily ever after ! This had depth, an amazing story line and both characters had their own personal demons that they each helped the other to overcome. Absolutely fantastic read !
November 3, 2013
A fast sweet read. But there's nothing that makes me more bat sh!t insane than this.. The model, the photographer, the blond. These guys have names, and were addressed as such, so I didn't understand why all of a sudden they were reduced to objects. That kills a story for me. But I did like the premise for this story
August 28, 2015
Not a very believable story of 2 gay-for-you guys. There is no hint of sexual attraction between the guys. We know that Brock, as a photographer, admires Carey's looks as a model, but that is all. We know that Carey wants to be comforted and Brock wants to do so. There is a lot of page time on his Carey's MF sex life. Just didn't work for me.
Read
November 20, 2008Coverboy by Dan Skinner (2008)
December 16, 2015
Good storyline, but I could've done without the whole "Fabio"-esque romance novel cover mondel angle. ; )
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews