A Sticky Wicket in Bollywood

International Men of Sports #1

by T.A. Chase, Devon Rhodes

A handsome Bollywood actor must choose between his career and a rugged cricket player from his past, who he’s fallen in love with…again.

Rajan Malik has the world of Bollywood in the palm of his hand--a beautiful girlfriend, starring roles, adoring fans... He should be happy, but behind the facade lies a man conflicted and exhausted by the pressure placed on him by his ill mother, his agent and society. His life is not his own, and all he wants to do is escape.

Indian Premier League cricketer Ajay Singh can’t believe how bad his university roommate Rajan looks when he spots his picture in the paper. They had parted on bad terms. Still, he’s moved to offer Rajan his support by renewing their friendship.

But friendship was not all they shared back then. Though Ajay is out,Rajan isn’t willing to give up his carefully cultivated Bollywood image to be with him publicly. And with very little privacy, it won’t take long for someone to find out they are more than friends.

Their renewed secret affair is fraught with difficulties as they deal with the death of Rajan’s mother, the secret of Rajan’s till-now absent father, a jealous friend, intrusive social media, and threatening notes from someone who seems to know all about their private lives...

It’s a bit of a sticky wicket they find themselves in. Will it be too late when both men finally realise that they’ll need to compromise, or they stand to lose everything?

Genres: M M Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Friends To Lovers

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 2, 2013

About the author

There is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates me and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how I share those insights. I live in the Midwest with a wonderful partner of thirteen years. When not writing, I’m watching movies, reading and living life to the fullest.

Reviews

[AliciaJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

OH my god, I don't think I've ever seen a character who's more pussy-whipped than Raj. It was painful to watch. Dude, grow a pair for chrissakes. This story just pissed me off almost from the very beginning of the book. I gave up at about 20%. I just couldn't take the whininess anymore.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of "The handsome Bollywood actor and the rugged cricket superstar" and is the first of the International Men of Sports series. Because of the series name, I expected the main focus to be on the cricketer and the actions set within the cricket arena. However this was not exactly how the plot played out.

Yes, Ajay is a cricketer but most of the focus seems to be on Raj, the actor. Actually the first line of the blurb seems to place more emphasis on Raj. "A handsome Bollywood actor must choose between his career and a rugged cricket player from his past, who he’s fallen in love with…again."

Regardless of the amount of cricket or cricket settings in the book, it is still an enjoyable story. Slightly predictable but still entertaining. It was also very good value at only $0.99 from Amazon.

3.5 stars

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I'm not sure it was even ok, but I didn't outright dislike it. I just kept wincing through the read at the gaffes. They're small and unnoticeable but when you know the country and the sport and what the sport means to people who live in the handful of countries that play it seriously, well...

Minor quibble - yes chai is very popular but believe me coffee is not unknown. It's grown there! So yeah, people don't go to coffee shops and order chai. Chai is ordered in small roadside shops where they make it well. In coffee shops you order coffee (hot or cold) or tea which is made with teabags. Not chai. but that's my viewpoint, open to dispute.

But the biggest quibble - Where was the cricket?? All I could think was that Ajay could have been anybody, any random guy who loves a famous actor. And the way the game was described :( It starts with the blurb - you can't really term anyone an ipl player. Yes the league exists, but it's just ONE single tournament, and guess what ... it was created to fill up off-season in India! It does NOT define the player. Ajay would have to be an international or a domestic level player and the ipl. If he's famous as we get to sense he is, he'd be an international player and an international cricketer in India would be under a lot of pressure and scrutiny. If he were still domestic level, then he'd be under pressure to make it to the big stage (beyond the ipl!) so yeah, the cricket just didn't work. At all. This book relegated a beautiful game and its amazing types of players into the background and that just ruined it for me :( I've never felt so strongly about a book or written such a strong review but this one truly disappointed me. I'm sticking to reading espncricnfo!

[Pixie Mmgoodbookreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 - 3 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Rajan is a Bollywood star living the life that his mother created for him, starring roles, beautiful girlfriend and fame. But the life is starting to tear him apart, having to suppress his natural desires to please all those around him. Getting a surprise phone call from his old concerned friend Rajan remembers a time when he was happy and in love. Ajay doesn’t know what Rajan’s reaction will be to his offer of a place of sanctuary, they didn’t part on the best of terms and now Ajay is an openly gay cricketer and has no plans to go back in the closet. Rekindling their romance is risky but neither man can resist, Rajan begins to get anonymous phone calls and notes, his mother is dying and trying to force him into an engagement. Ajay feels like he has been shoved back into closet having to hide his relationship with Rajan, while Rajan parades around the girlfriend. Can the men find a compromise before it’s too late?

This was quite a good Bollywood dilemma story that is an easy read. Rajan is very easily pressured, he did want to be a teacher, but when his mother heard how close he was to a friend he was quickly whisked home to be moulded into the perfect Bollywood star, since then his mother, agent and girlfriend have control of his life and it is wearing him down. Ajay has stood on his own and made his own decisions, he is openly gay and a star cricketer. Offering Rajan a retreat from the high pressure world might be a mistake but even after all these years he still cares deeply for the actor.

Ajay has a confidence in himself that is impressive and having Rajan again is all he wants, but accepting the restrictions are hard when all he wants is to love Rajan. Rajan is easily controlled by other people, especially his mother, but soon he will have to make his own choices if he wants to hold onto his love. I liked both Ajay and Rajan and enjoyed watching as they maneuvered into a relationship that they could both work with, the hot sex that is never a problem. The conflict that Rajan faces and the patience that Ajay has to dig deep for, and finally a compromise that works for both of them.

I was also surprised that the story was more focused on Rajan rather than Ajay and that was because of the series name, it was quite disappointing because I was looking forward to seeing what the authors could come up with for a cricketer but it was all about the Bollywood stars problems. I was very disappointed with the storyline especially seeing as it reminded me very strongly of another Bollywood story released over a year ago, change the cricketers for bodyguards and yeah, very similar storyline.

I will recommend this to those who love closeted actors, hot cricketers, tension, forgiveness, hot sex and a great happy ending.

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rajan Malik is THE hottest actor in Bollywood and things are only looking up. He, along with his girlfriend and co-star, are the hottest couple both on and off screen, and he couldn't be more successful. But this isn't entirely the life he wanted--it's the life his mother wanted for him. When Ajay Singh, cricket star and Raj's ex-roommate from university, sees Raj in the paper and reaches out to him, glimpses of a life that could have been immediately wash over them both. Ajay is out and not ashamed of it. But Raj has appearances to keep, and there's the constant reminders from his mother that he could never be in a relationship with a man and still be successful. Raj believes her, but he knows there's something missing from his life. Can he find a way to have everything: Ajay AND his career? Or will he need to make a decision about what's most important and leave the other behind forever?

In an age where we often think it's "so much easier to be gay" than it was years ago, it's easy to dismiss the idea that people might still feel pressure to stay in the closet. But those pressures still exist and are very real for many people. In some cases it's like Raj's concern of career success. For others (like Ajay's friend Neel) it's concerns about family reactions and fallout. But regardless of the reason, we can't just assume that what has become true for many people is true for everyone. And here we get a very modern story of how three men (I include Neel even though his struggle isn't a major focus of the story) navigate the reality of being gay, being Indian, and being celebrities. The story is different for each of them, as it's likely different for every single person who finds themselves in such a situation. The authors approach the topic very sensitively and don't minimize or overstate any of the issues involved.

Definitely an enjoyable read that really hooked me in. I'm set to continue reading more from this series after finishing this one--and I'm looking forward to it.

[Jam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so-so for me. Not totally impressed with the story line but it was an okay read to begin with. The fillers in the story coming out to the society, the stalker, death, movie production, gay parent were easily resolved and acted upon. I was, at a point, annoyed at the MCs reacting over-the-top to problems...

And when I saw that it was about a cricket player I assumed it was a coming out story or something. Something that revolved around his cricket career, but it wasn't...

[Janeylou · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Barb ~rede-2-read~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

So glad I'm working through a back list of books I've owned and not read. And since this was for a challenge, I plowed ahead and finished. It was okay, but compared to the quality of work in this genre that author's are producing nowadays, this was too elementary.

Sweet and silly, Bollywood (in India) actor gets back together with his long lost love, a famous "out and proud" cricket player.

[Cryselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

After that blurb there just isn’t much I can put as a spoiler, so.…

I don’t know much about Bollywood, other than India has a thriving movie industry and that very often where a Western film would insert a love or sex scene, the actors break out into song and dance instead. So guarding the public image of the biggest stars in a way that made Rock Hudson’s marriage to Phyllis Gates look like a weak effort seemed right in character.

The bulk of the story takes place in India and amongst the wealthy who never get into documentaries, and the life looked very comfortable. The big inconvenience was dealing with traffic. I didn’t exactly feel transported into either that part of the world or the lives of the MC’s, but it kept me interested. The third person POV didn’t feel especially deep, which kept my involvement with the characters a little more superficial than engaged.

Rajan seems to have stumbled into stardom as a result of ferocious pushes from behind: his mother was a former Bollywood star who was certainly living vicariously though him. How a man whose heart isn’t in it can be bullied into the top tier of something he doesn’t want was a bit of a mystery, but saying “Yes, Maa” to anything she wanted was easier than saying no. Especially with her health for a guilt card. Rajan’s mother was the driving force behind most of the action, past and present. I wanted desperately for him to grow a set and tell her, or anyone, no. The only one Rajan could say no to for any reason was Ajay, which cost him some likeability. He's tired now, but he's also abdicated living his life to other people a long time ago.

Ajay, the top cricket player, was a national star in his own right, and openly gay, something Rajan’s mother had HUGE issues with, costing them the relationship when they were young. Ajay’s still dealing with how Rajan walked out of his life back in their university days, and now that he’s being offered what he missed so much from before, he’s right to be wary about how much commitment he’s being offered from a man who mostly exists as other people’s fantasies.

The secondary characters had quite a lot of life on page: Rajan’s mother certainly dominated the book, his costar Karishma has some spark to her, as does Ajay’s fellow cricketer Neel, all of whom pretty much overshadow Rajan for the strength of their opinions. A few deathbed secrets raised eyebrows—how could a person feels as they did and them behave as they do kept running through my mind.

I enjoyed the story as a look into another culture, but the romance didn’t jump off the page for me, mostly because of Rajan’s lack of spine, and some places where the exposition takes the place of action. Don’t tell me there were riots over a cricket game back when, show me the fans pushing on the sides of the car. The flatness of such details took away from what could have been a vibrant story, but it’s a pleasant afternoon’s read. 3.5 marbles

[Shami · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason I was having the predisposition to not be liking this book. Part of it was the title. I think also I am having some fear about Western authors writing about India. Not withstanding that I found the English language unnecessarily detailed and distracting, I found behind it a good and (fairly) realistic story with believable characters. In the end I am surprised by this book and I liked it. Also this is another book that has a positive image of Desi Gay men, however, as is typical in gay books written by woman, some aspects of the characters and the sex scenes were being unrealistic and steriotypical.

The overreaction from Ajay in chapter 18 seemed to me to be unrealistic for a man and quite effeminate. Also, the first sex scene was unrealistic. Why would a guy make his lover cum by mastrubating or sucking and then fuck him? So the authors don't seem to really understand gay sex and how much a man enjoys being fucked and how much the top likes to give him pleasure. Also, Raj is a very passive personality, and therefore he has to be the bottom which is very steriotypcal and unrealistic. It also seems very weird that an actor would be so passive.

[DaisyGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Rajan Malik and Ajay Singh were college friends and lovers. They parted ways when Rajan's mother pulled him out of school and thrust him into the Bollywood limelight. Fast forward six years. Both Rajan and Ajay are superstars in their own right: Rajan in Bollywood, Ajay as a pro cricket player. Their worlds collide when they resume their friendship. But Rajan is still - to the rest of the world - het; and, Ajay is out. Despite their rekindled love, Rajan's career and familial expectations threaten to tear them asunder. (Heh heh, asunder.)

This one had me pretty pissed off. Why? Rajan. I didn't dig him much. He was selfish, spineless, and immature. Period. So, in essence, I felt that Ajay got the raw end of the deal here. He was the wronged party in my mind! Yet, he was the one constantly pining for and apologizing to Rajan. As if! Rajan was sooooo not all that.

Bottom line: Rajan sucked. And not in a good way. Ajay deserved better.

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I didn't luv it.

Raj let everyone run his life. He had a whole heard of people with keys to his place, and they just let themselves in. He allowed them to take over. He had no privacy. His managers, and mother ruled his world. I don't know how he let it get to that point. I could see trying to please his mother...but to let everyone under the sun just roam in and out of his private area? Why?

Ajay is an athlete? Other than leaving town a couple times, and someone saying they won or lost, there wasn't much mentioned about it. I barely remembered that he was a cricket player. He could have played any sport, because you never really saw anything.

Misunderstanding.

Oh crud...I'm trying to think of some positive things to say. Because I did like it some.
I guess the part I enjoyed, is that I always like when old loves get back together.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confessed that I liked this story. It was dramaful in the way that only relationships full of abandonment issues and jealousy can be. Sex scenes are fun and their intentions and thoughts are relateable. I like the concept of a Bollywood actor/cricketer dynamic but those roles don't play a signficant roles in characterizing who they are. They are in high profile professions that reinforce stereotypical gender roles, but that's true without the connection to Bollywood.

I spent the book wanting Raj to take control of his life and wanting Ajay to learn to value himself, with or without Raj. Neel was an interesting side character because he is closeted but his bestie is gay. Oh and I seriously predicted his storyline. Karishma is another side character and I really wanted to be a lesbian. Badly! Definitely a missed opportunity. I liked her diva-ness. All in all, I'm glad I read it.

[Kendra T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ajay is out and proud cricket player. Raj comes from a very strict upbringing with a mom who demands exactly what she wants out of him. They are college roommates, but when his mom finds out they might be together, she pulls Raj out of school and aims him into the spotlight. Years later, Raj is a famous actor and Ajay sees him looking run down. After so many years, Ajay contacts him to offer him a place to escape and their friendship/attraction rekindles. The guys together were great. Ajay was such a calming presence, which is what Raj needed. It took a little while, and it was a slow road, but Raj was able to realize he wanted to be happy and could stand up for himself. The ending was fabulous. I liked how the story and relationship progressed and resolved.

[Devon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had trouble sticking with this one. I didn't feel any chemistry between the MC's at all! Ajay was ok but Rajan...wimpy. It might have been cultural differences but Rajan could not make a decision for himself even when he wanted to!
The stalker plot line was a joke. The whole story felt contrived. I'm actually surprised b/c I usually love T.A. Chase and Devon Rhodes. I'm not sure if I'm going to try any others in the series or not, at least they are complete stand alones.

[~SexyBookWorm~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I actually read this second as opposed to first in the series. The book just kinda dragged a little :-/...I liked that it was a totally different setting with Indian characters. That's so different than any other MM book I've seen. The plot itself was fairly predictable but not bad. The first half of the book just needed to be sped up just a tad in my opinion. These two authors working together will always produce a good Well written book.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Arzu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Review to come.

[Dani Elle Maas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Totally loved this book!
really great story nice characters hot loving and a nice background story
looking forward to the rest
Glad to be finally reading this series!

[Susinok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story. Both men had a little growing up to do.

[Lasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Unique setting and authors really nailed Indian culture and Bollywood mystique. I'm looking forward to next book in series.

[LDL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5 for setting. Story was a bit 'meh' for me.

[Mrsgeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to read but not among my favourites in this series.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2013 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)