Summer School

by Tam Ames

Jeremy Decker’s recent split with his long-distance boyfriend has left him lonely with a mountain of debt. His only practical source of extra cash is to teach summer school, even if it means teaching history—not easy for an English teacher. To support him, the school hires Lucas Van Sloan, a much-younger college history student.

Lucas, with his swimmer’s physique and optimism, not to mention his determination to get what he wants, both attracts and annoys Jeremy… and what Lucas wants is Jeremy. The heat flares between them, but when Jeremy’s ex, a high-powered attorney with plenty of experience turning things his way, shows he wants Jeremy too, it threatens to snuff out the flame of passion and new love.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Contemporary Romance, College, M M Contemporary

143 pages, ebook

First published July 28, 2012

About the author

I'm a single mom to a great adult daughter, and I have a full-time job as well. I started reading m/m romancein 2008, then went to reviewing and then writing.

Some dares and prompting of friends led me to the role of author and they've always been my biggest cheerleaders.

You can contact me at tam.ames01@gmail.com

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tam Ames's characters are usually likeable; their conversation easy and light. This one has that too. I like how Lucas, the younger one, is the one with the determination and possesiveness. It's cute. Jeremy doesn't really stand a chance with him. I like his optimism too. Jeremy is also cute when he is so very grumpy in the beginning. Though I can imagine the heat making him crazy.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit put off with a number the clichés in the sexual scenes (jerk-off while showering, the manual fingering ...). I know, I know, they happen, but after reading so many of these, I become tired of it.

The way Lucas and Jeremy think of the reasons for not pursuing the relationship in the beginning (while at the same time keep thinking the other man is gorgeous) is pretty repetitive.

Like always, I'm sure there are readers who love this more than I. Maybe I'm in the bad mood for MM romance lately (seems to have slump with the published ones anyway) *sigh*. I don't dislike it but it's just an okay story for me.

PS: The story is said to have cat, named Lisa. But Lisa never really appears or interact with the men *pout*

[Vero · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two stars are solely for hotness.

This has very little story or development. Two guys, instantly attracted. And then the smexy starts. And continures. And never ends.

It did not have any turns, any recognizable plot, just two hot guys getting hot and heavy together. And falling in love, moving in together and live happily ever after...

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew the ex was a douchbag, but I hadn't really expected him to be quite as clueless as he turned out to be -- ego-centric idiot! Lucas, on the other hand, is truly lovely, and (of course!) precisely what Jeremy needs.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Tam Ames and it was an absolute delight to read. The writing was seamless, switching between the two points of view effortlessly.

The storyline was great.
Jeremy and Lucas meet at Summer school. Jeremy is an English Teacher having to work in a summer school to pay off his credit card debts. And worst of all, he has to teach history, which is not his strong suit at all. This is where Lucas comes in.
Lucas is hired to be Jeremy's assistant for the summer. Helping him with the criteria and the lively students.

When we first meet Jeremy he seems like a really annoying, grumpy guy. He's moody and standoffish, which really get on Lucas's nerves. Lucas is always happy and positive so he and Jeremy clash at first.
What we didn't initially realise is that Jeremy has been through a painful separation from an untrustworthy partner, he has lost that partner, and the future he thought he was going to have. He is left alone, with debts that his satisfying but low paying job cannot keep up with. The air-con in his apartment is broken, so he's getting no sleep and he really is at the end of his tether... I thought it was cute that Lucas liked him anyway, but stood up to him when he was being an asshole.

The sexual tension was incredible and their attraction towards one another soon became undeniable...

'He moved in closer until his mouth was only a hair's breadth away from Lucas's. “I think you need to learn who the boss in this relationship.”
He heard Lucas swallow, and Jeremy brushed his lips ever so gently over Lucas's., just a tease...'

One of the things I loved most about this couple was how relaxed and comfortable they were with each other. You could tell that they just fit. They worked. They were open and honest, and told each other what they wanted. I loved that they were sweet and cuddly. Spending their free days having sex and eating bad food, watching movies snuggled up on the sofa. Sounds like heaven to me. lol

'Lucas grabbed his hand, dragged him back to the bed, and wrapped himself around him again before he pulled up the covers. “It's Saturday. Sleep-in day. And it's raining.”

One of my favourite things about Lucas was hie protective streak. He knew he wanted to keep Jeremy and he was willing to do whatever it took to keep him happy, and safe.

“I'm leaving the door open because, if he touches you, I'm giving you a fair warning; you'd better not get in my way. I don't give a shit if he's a lawyer and can sue my ass off. I have nothing, so I've got nothing to lose.” He gave Jeremy a stern look..'

This really was a wonderful story and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them fall in love.

'Jeremy didn't want to be apart from him. Jeremy wanted to take him home and never let him go.'

If you are looking for something relatively short (143 pages), angst free, sweet, light, and super sexy, this is definitely the book for you.

This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Review can also be found at...

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What interested me right off the bat when reading the description was an English teacher that didn't like History. Really? Usually those two subjects kind of go hand in hand, at least from what I remember of English Lit class. So, naturally, I wanted to read it if there was something a little off about it! Plus the title just made me think of the movie by the same name starring very hot Mark Harmon. Of course, if the movie had been a yummy gay romance then perhaps our world would have evolved faster towards equality. Okay, off my soapbox now......

Jeremy is angry and frustrated that he has to teach summer school. But he maxed out his credit card trying to fix his broken relationship with his ex, so he's got to find a way to get extra money. He's the English department head, though, and knows nothing about teaching history. Lucky for him, the principal hired a college senior majoring in history to assist him.

Lucas is thrilled to finally have a job that doesn't involve wearing a speedo and rescuing four-year-olds off the diving board. Something he can actually put on a resumé! Having a crush on the teacher, however, wasn't in his career plans. Lucas can't seem to help it though, especially since they're spending more time together working on lectures and tests.

Jeremy has spent the last eight years in a long-distance relationship only to discover his ex was cheating on him. At thirty years old, Jeremy missed most of the after college dating scene because he was involved with someone. He doesn't do casual sex, he never has. Now, he's scared to death to make his attraction to Lucas known, much less to act upon it. Lucas, at twenty-one, is far more mature than his age would suggest. He's not necessarily looking for a relationship but he can't deny the sparks that fly between him and Jeremy. When real life intrudes, in the form of the controlling ex, Jeremy has to stand up for himself and his new relationship with Lucas.

I really enjoyed this story. Nothing too over the top, not a lot of drama, seriously hot men, and equally hot sex. A good story that moved along at a pleasant pace. It was somewhat predictable at times but that didn't detract from the story itself. If this is an example of Tam Ames's work, then I will certainly look forward to reading more.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Nic]

A nice enough story as Jeremy and Lucas find love while working together at Summer School.

Jeremy is not looking forward to the summer. He is getting over a long term relationship with an older man who did a number on his heart. He has ended up in debt and therefore finds himself teaching history instead of relaxing over the summer.

Lucas is excitedly looking forward to his summer as teacher assistant "Finally, he had a job he could put on his resume that didn't suggest the phrase "I look great in a Speedo."

Jeremy is not looking for another relationship and most definitely not one with someone at work. Lucas is much younger but takes quite a lead role in their relationship development when Jeremy's broken air conditioner gives them an excuse to spend time together.

I think I liked Lucas the most in this story. He is not afraid to go after what he wants. He makes decisions, acting wiser than his years and getting very possessive over Jeremy. Jeremy enjoys not having to over think things and appreciates the contrast in their experiences, with Lucas being more sexually experienced.

It was a nice quick read with likable characters and some cute lines.

I now publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!

[Anke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started on my flight to Atlanta for GRL!

Yes, this was a very nice read. Give me another book of this author any day - like her writing very much. And if I may make a wish: perhaps a full novel???

[LiveYourLife BuyTheBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review

Jeremy tried everything he could to make it work with his long distance relationship. Sadly catching his man in bed with a twink on one of his surprise visits put an end to his hard work. Jeremy has racked up his credit cards with trips to visit his ex and now it’s time to pay up. So, he takes a summer school job teaching history. A subject he’s not remotely qualified to teach. Luckily for him the school provides an intern who does know his history.

Lucas is excited about his first job teaching. This is the kind of thing he needs for his resume to stand out in the crowd. He realizes the first day that the teacher will definitely need his help. They get to know each other and find they like each other. Jeremy’s air conditioner breaks during a heat wave and Lucas offers for him to stay at the house he’s house sitting until it’s fixed. From there the sparks fly. The guys carry on teaching summer school during the day and having hot sex at night. Feelings start to develop despite Jeremy fighting it. Then the ex walks back into his life…

You know how sometimes you read a story and it’s good but there’s nothing gripping about it? So it’s just kind of meh. Not bad but not great either. That’s how I felt about this story. Lots of sex and it had some potential but ultimately I didn’t really care about the characters. Lucas was fun but Jeremy was a ticking time bomb. One minute he’s clever and living in the moment. The next, he’s freaking out and being a jerk. It was hard to like him.

The ex was pretty predictable with the phone calls. I think the book was okay until he came back. I realize he served his purpose to wake Jeremy up to what he had with Lucas but at that point I didn’t really care. The couple just never captured me. I’m sure other people may enjoy this book. There were some funny moments. If you want something simple with lots of sex you might pick this one up.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the biggest things you can take away from this book is that hiding who you really are, or what you really want, just hurts everyone. Had David been more open, maybe they would have saved so much heartache.

Jeremy is having a terrible summer, and he has to teach summer school. He has broken up with his long-time boyfriend due to infidelity (which David denies sex was involved but I can see where Jeremy would believe it cheating), he has a huge credit card debt to pay off from visiting David, he has to teach summer school and his AC goes out. His anger at all the circumstances definitely comes through – he is one unpleasant guy. When he is given an assistant in the form of the sweet, happy Lucas, he is actually even more unpleasant. Lucas is persistent, and it’s hard to be dreadful in the face of that cheerful attitude. Lucas is eight years younger but he seems to know what he wants more than Jeremy does.

There is a point when David and Jeremy finally talk, really talk, and that conversation was actually really sad because had they been that open in the beginning Jeremy wouldn’t have been hurt so badly. The upside is, as Jeremy admits, it makes him very aware of the need to talk, to understand what each partner wants and to make it clear what is and is not acceptable. A painful lesson, but a lesson learned.

The story is well written and characters are fleshed out enough to care what happens to them. Even David, though normally I would abhor a cheater, gave just that hint of sadness that made me want me to get an HEA somewhere.

[Tutu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Quite an enjoyable read. It was light, no great amount of angst and sweet where it should have been.Didn't really worm up to Jeremy but I really liked Lucas. He was pushy and determined and lovable...everything Jeremy should have been but wasn't .

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me feeling happy. I enjoyed both characters and liked how they complimented each other. I also like that the taller, older man wasn't the dominant partner, although Jeremy had his strengths too. All in all it was a fun, easy read.

[Deeze · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little story.

I was kinda hoping for more drama with the Ex but this was more focussed on Lucas and Jeremy. Their falling in love was sweet and well timed.

A bit to much padding with the sex but overall a quick romantic fix.

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet romantic tale that lets you know that summer school can be a lot of fun at least for the teachers.

[Riina Y.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had this on my kindle for years and finally remembered I still haven't gotten around to reading it.

Sadly, this turned out to be a little boring....

I do love Tam Ames and her characters were fun, as always, but the story lacked a bit of entertainment, to be honest. It has a lot of really delicious sex though, just a little too much of it.

Recommended if you like it easy, light-hearted and hot n sexy.

[Amneris Cesare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite all those negative reviews I liked it. It was a short nice and funny novel and the attraction between the two MC is a good one, solid and real. It was a nice short reading. Wished to read more about them thou.

[Crow NoYami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this and finished it in a day ^^ While Jeremy seems to eventually grow a spine I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more character development from Lucas. Still a well-written book and a good read.

[Cryselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... Oh yeah, Dickens did get that line first, but it does apply to the summer session where Jeremy’s teaching a subject he’s woefully unprepared for, and Lucas is getting his first real experience in his field. They’re approaching the session from completely opposite mindsets.

Jeremy’s coming off a bad breakup—his long distance lover had more going on in the area than Jeremy could tolerate, although he made a frantic last ditch effort to salvage an 8 year relationship. That did bad things to his credit card and led him directly into this unappreciated teaching gig. He’s surly and comes off as kind of a jerk. He’s got an assistant who knows the subject inside out, but Jeremy prefers to stand up and admit he’s not sure when the sixteenth century was. A heat wave that turns his apartment into an oven is the last straw.

Lucas thinks Jeremy’s the grumpiest hotty he ever encountered, and little things that keep Jeremy from acting on his interest, like an age gap, being his supervisor, and being truly single for the first time in his adult life don’t mean as much to Lucas. He’ll reach for what he wants, and be honest about it.

Lucas is living in the lap of someone else’s luxury while he housesits, and there’s lots of room, plus a pool and other amenities. It’s a sweet set-up for Jeremy to come to terms with a lot of things, like admitting he’s really interested in Lucas, finding out what he wants and doesn’t want, and getting over David, the ex, who wanted a lot of things Jeremy didn’t know about and wouldn’t have agreed to anyway.

The story is sweet—they get past the initial difficulties, plus others that aren’t so dire, and have lots and lots and lots of sex. David never did certain things, so Lucas has plenty of chances to expand Jeremy’s horizons in some fairly basic directions. It’s kind of cute, the expectations from his experience of a long relationship are so different from his reality.

This story is really about Jeremy’s slow flowering—the relationship that consumed most of his adult life had a certain toxicity and he’s getting over that, so of course when ex makes a last play, it’s a bit stomach churning but Jeremy’s found a spine somewhere. This is the best part of the story—Lucas wants to take over but reins himself in. Although he’s desperate to tell everyone how things are going to be, he lets Jeremy direct the encounter and Jeremy needs the confidence that brings. These two are going to be good as a couple.

This author does humor well, and there are lots of little touches to keep things light, though she wasn’t going for a humor piece here. It’s a sweet romp with an underlying serious theme of knowing what you want and being willing to speak up to get it. The couple does spend a lot of time in bed, which did occasionally have me thinking “Again?” and Jeremy was hard to like at first, being prickly-funny with a side of dumb (teachers use lesson plans for a reason, Jeremy!). He grows more likeable with time. Lucas is just adorable—young and ready to grab life with both hands, he’s got lots of confidence, and he doesn’t need to change much over the course of the story because he’s got his act together.

What I didn’t get, really, was what had kept Jeremy and David together as long as they were—Jeremy was kind of clingy, but David seemed like a “want all the shinies” kind of guy. The relationship was all over except for the shouting when we meet any of these guys though, so we can’t really see why David was so cavalier for eight years and then so insistent after he was told no. Maybe it was the novelty of “no”.

The story is sweet and sexy, and if it’s not breaking major new ground, it’s still a pleasant light read.

Copy provided by author for purpose of review.

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Hearts

First published at MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...

Jeremy is not looking forward to the summer; he has just split with his boyfriend, has huge credit card debts and is teaching summer school. And to top it all off, his A/C breaks in the middle of a heat wave. Things begin to look up when Lucas starts as his assistant. But, Jeremy tries to keep his distance as Lucas is eight years younger than him. Lucas doesn’t care about age, he just cares about the hot sexy teacher he is working with. Now, if only he can tempt him with a nice cool pool and working A/C.

This is a very good novella that flows smoothly and is well written. Jeremy caught his boyfriend with his pants down and a whip in his hands and both of those were huge deal breakers for Jeremy. Now, he has to work through the summer to pay off the debts that visiting his boyfriend caused. When he meets Lucas he is cautious, but soon falls under the younger man’s spell. Lucas is happy as a clam to be working in summer school, when he meets the teacher he is assigned to he is even happier. Now, he just has to convince Jeremy to relax his guard a bit. But, as the end of summer approaches and Jeremy’s ex-boyfriend turns up the two men have decisions to make.

Jeremy and Lucas are two wonderful men, who come together and begin a relationship that means more to both of them than either of them thought. Jeremy is very wary. He was with his ex for eight years before he realized that he never really know him. But, Jeremy learned a lot, like not taking for granted that his partner wants the same things. So with Lucas in the picture he makes sure that they are on the same page by talking with him. Lucas brings a bit of fun to the story and gets Jeremy to lighten up a bit. Lucas also doesn’t let Jeremy fall into his old ways of going with the flow and he makes sure that they are in it together every step of the way, although he is still a bit pushy.

I really enjoyed this story. Jeremy and Lucas were great characters and their story was very sweet. Their sex life was hot and I loved when they experimented a bit, very steamy kink . I also loved the fact that they talked about what they expected from a relationship and from each other. I must admit to feeling sorry for the ex, David, as he was never open about what he really wanted and lost Jeremy because of it. But, if they had talked about it in the first place then both men would have saved themselves a lot of heartache and maybe been happy with people who did want the same things. Could there be a story for David in the future?

I am going to recommend this to those who love hot teachers, men being honest with each other, a hot steamy kinky love scene, hot sex, slightly older men and a happy ending.

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at Rarely Dusty Books

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Contemporary, Summer, Teacher/TA, Heat, Age Difference

~~~~~
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

The back blurb summarizes the plot of Summer School quite accurately. The story is told from both heroes' alternating POVs in a clipped and clear writing style. The sentences flow nicely and the information is handed out in a rather high speed. So, you have to pay attention or else you miss a change of scene or a part of some background info. It took me some time to get used to this, but apart from the repetitive use of a few descriptions, I enjoyed the simplicity and cleanliness of the writing. However, I usually like a little more showing than telling than Summer School had to offer.

The main characters are three-dimensional and likable, and although one might dislike Jeremy's initial grumpy behavior, I thought he had every reason to act like that. It was obvious it were the circumstances speaking, not his normal attitude. His behavior fitted the story and I kind of enjoyed his snappy snarling. Lucas is from the beginning absolutely adorable. His looks, with his long blond hair, were a nice bonus too. He's quite the hot, commanding bed partner, even if he is the younger man. Jeremy and Lucas' chemistry was very good and I liked the slow build-up to the finally giving in to their attraction. There’s a hot scene with a blindfold, ties and a vibrator, which only confirms their steam factor!

The focus lies almost entirely on the relationship building in the narrowest sense in Summer School. Aside from a small 'appearance' of Jeremy's ex-boyfriend there are not many side characters, at least no significant ones. This gives the heroes' love story a bit of an isolated feel. I missed the side characters and the heroes' possible interaction with other characters in this novel. I would've liked seeing them interact on a different level than the romantic one. There were some small opportunities already there too. For example when Lucas goes home to his mother for five days. But unfortunately, all we get is a summary of his time there with the only purpose to make clear how much he missed Jeremy. I wouldn’t have mind it if the author had chosen to take us there with Lucas to show something of his relationship with his mother.

Overall, Summer School is an entertaining short novel, which tells a sweet, age-difference romance and which packs some very steamy sex scenes, all set against the background of a long, hot and sexy summer.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked getting to know these two men as individuals and as a couple. The internal dialogues were wonderful and their sex was off the charts. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great romance mixed in with their angst. So give Jeremy and Lucas a try and you might just find that you liked them as much as I did.

You can read the rest of Jackie's review at The Novel Approach

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was definitely annoying, at least for me. Jeremy's behaviour at the start was bitchy and rude. I really didn't like him in first half of a story. When Jeremy behaved like a gloomy rainy day, Lucas behaved like a sunny beautiful day. Somehow I really couldn't sympathise with Jeremy's past with David.

[Dutchgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read, not to long but not to short either. Both main characters are likeable. I loved it that the younger guy was the more dominant one.

Just a fun sweet read with no angst. I recommend this book!

[Sally halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it very sweet and sexy

[Tam]

This story is being re-issued by Dreamspinner Press in late summer 2013. It will be available in e-book format at that time.

[Marlobo ♥ epilogues · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars

[jules0623 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never really warmed up to Jeremy, but Lucas was cute. Lots of sex and building up to sex and only a little plot.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story! Not too long or complicated, just a short, sweet story! I enjoyed it, and need to see what else Tam Ames has written.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good short read. It took me a while to warm up to Jeremy but I loved Lucas.

[Sid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read my detailed review on: The Blog of Sid Love

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars