What do you think?
Rate this book
Desk Jockey Jam
Whip it meets Wall Street
Anthony Gambese thought he had life sussed. Happy family, good mates, the freedom of surfing, a new career, and enough action in the bedroom to keep him well satisfied. He had no idea. But two chicks were about to show him the error of his ways, trashing his love-life, stealing his promotion and challenging his honour. And that was before he discovered what a roller-derby doll could do by skating over his heart.
Like a roller derby jam, this novella is tight packed, fast and furious. It can be read alone or as a follow up to Grease Monkey Jive. It tells the story of Ant Gambese, the last of Dan’s mate’s not felled by a girl who was exactly what he needed, and didn’t see coming.
**Author's Note**
It can be read alone, or as a follow up to Grease Monkey Jive. It tells the story of Ant, the last of Dan's mates not felled by a girl who was exactly what he needed and didn't see coming.
Anthony Gambese thought he had life sussed. Happy family, good mates, the freedom of surfing, a new career, and enough action in the bedroom to keep him well satisfied. He had no idea. But two chicks were about to show him the error of his ways, trashing his love-life, stealing his promotion and challenging his honour. And that was before he discovered what a roller-derby doll could do by skating over his heart.
Like a roller derby jam, this novella is tight packed, fast and furious. It can be read alone or as a follow up to Grease Monkey Jive. It tells the story of Ant Gambese, the last of Dan’s mate’s not felled by a girl who was exactly what he needed, and didn’t see coming.
**Author's Note**
It can be read alone, or as a follow up to Grease Monkey Jive. It tells the story of Ant, the last of Dan's mates not felled by a girl who was exactly what he needed and didn't see coming.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2013
2 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Ainslie Paton
40 books144 followersAinslie Paton always wanted to write stories to make people smile, but the need to eat, accumulate books, and have bedclothes to read under was ever present. She sold out, and worked as a flack, a suit, and a creative, ghosting for business leaders, rabble-rousers, and politicians, and making words happen for companies, governments, causes, conditions, high-profile CEOs, low-profile celebs, and the occasional misguided royal. She still does that. She also writes for love and so she can buy shoes, and the good cat food.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 14, 2013
The slang threw me off a number of times. I could determine the meaning, but having to stop and figure it out kind of detracted from the story. I also thought Bree wasn't a very nice person, in general, but was especially mean to Anthony. He was clueless, but still. And "Ant" bothered me for a nickname for the hero.
July 16, 2014
I enjoyed this a lot, especially seeing Ant, (my least favorite character from Grease Monkey Jive), experience his own cathartic change of focus.
If anything, I wish this novella had been longer. It wrapped up so quickly that I was disappointed to have it end so soon.
I see a lot of books about female friendship and female groups. I liked that fact that these two books were more about the male group of friends, their interactions, and willingness to help each other (in their own very male way). Very cool. Mostly they are written from the man's point of view, and I think Paton handles that perspective well.
If anything, I wish this novella had been longer. It wrapped up so quickly that I was disappointed to have it end so soon.
I see a lot of books about female friendship and female groups. I liked that fact that these two books were more about the male group of friends, their interactions, and willingness to help each other (in their own very male way). Very cool. Mostly they are written from the man's point of view, and I think Paton handles that perspective well.
August 17, 2013
Ant's transformation was not quite believable, but that's often a failing of short stories/novellas. Bree goes from "I must stay away from this boy" to sticking her hand in his pants so quickly and with little warning.
I approve of the feminist messages, but again, the about-face from both mc's was too fast. But roller derby is awesome.
Oh, and boy did this book need some serious editing.
I approve of the feminist messages, but again, the about-face from both mc's was too fast. But roller derby is awesome.
Oh, and boy did this book need some serious editing.
Read
June 15, 2013I just can't get into this one. The slang is so strong I can't get into the story - and I'm not a fan of the characters (at least in the beginning)
I rec her first book for those wanting to try this author.
I rec her first book for those wanting to try this author.
June 26, 2013
Ant is a financial analyst who has worked hard to get where he is. Recently he applied for a promotion only to be pipped at the post by his coworker Bree, which has infuriated him. He believes that Bree got the job as Senior Analyst because she’s a woman, in the interest of fair and equal opportunity, not because she’s the better candidate. He’s not shy mouthing off about this and his friends, tired of hearing it, make a bet with him. He and Bree each participate in running a fake investment portfolio and the winner will be announced soon. If Bree beats him and proves that she’s the better analyst, then he has to bring her to dinner with all of his friends and apologise publicly for assuming she only got the job because she’s female.
Bree has always felt like Ant has had a problem with her. They avoid each other as much as possible and haven’t exchanged many words. Bree likes to let her hair down away from work by playing roller derby but she keeps this tightly under wraps, assuming that it won’t mesh well with her corporate image. When she spots Ant at one of her games, she knows he hasn’t identified her. But Ant sees her horrid bruises from a roller derby stack during the week at work and assumes that Bree is being abused. Approaching her about it opens up the doors of communication between the two of them but things don’t always go smoothly.
Despite their misunderstandings, there’s still an undercurrent of attraction that simmers between them. But can they make it work or will Bree forever be trying to prove herself to Ant?
I’m going to say upfront that I haven’t read Grease Monkey Jive, Ainslie Paton’s Harlequin Escape title. A lot of people really enjoyed it and apparently it features Ant, who is a friend of the main male character in that book. Here Ant gets his own book and his own chance at finding the one. And it seems the likely lucky lady is his colleague Bree, which poses a bit of a problem and some obstacles because the two don’t get along at all and Ant tends to think she only got his promotion because she wears a skirt.
In the beginning of this book, Ant is an angry ball of angry who hates the world… or more precisely Bree, for taking his job. He carries on about this so much that his friends engage him in a bet to basically make him shut up, no doubt rubbing their hands together in glee at their friend’s impending humiliation. It’s hard to like Ant – he’s an Italian Mumma’s boy (and I do have some first hand experience with those), he was the “Man” of the house and he’s told quite honestly by people that he simply doesn’t notice things around him unless it pertains to him personally. He’s also a super player. So basically to sum him up, he’s a self-centred, egotistical workaholic manwhore. He’s very bitter about not getting the promotion and he really lashes out about it and this seems to really go on longer than it should.
In contrast, Bree is a bit of an ice queen. She is impeccably (often conservatively) dressed for work, often having to choose outfits that hide the various bruises and scrapes she gets from her recreational roller derby activities. She is a workaholic as well, dedicated to her job and doing the best she can. She sees Ant as a seething ball of resentment and she tends to give him a wide berth until he corners her one day and asks her about her bruises. From there they find themselves interacting more and more – sometimes for the better and other times for the worse.
There are a lot of misunderstandings in this book and it did get very wearying. Bree and Ant seem to be constantly arguing and misjudging each other. I feel as though a lot of time is spent on discussing, in a round-a-bout sort of way, Bree’s position as a financial analyst. Ant has no real reason to assume that Bree got the position because she’s a woman, other than he didn’t get it. He doesn’t seem to consider the fact that she just might be better than him and he comes off as a misogynist jerk more than once throughout this novel. I think his developing feelings for Bree are supposed to reform him but this is extremely rapid and quite frankly, not all that believable. So many of their interactions are aggressive and unpleasant (and this is both of them acting towards the other). I don’t really know why they even begin to become attracted to each other? I think the changing feelings/relationship is very underdeveloped and a lot more time should’ve been spent on them spending time together and having some positive interactions. They do have a couple of moments, but really, there is a lot of arguing, flouncing out and angry words. And not in the sexy way, either. The narrative felt rambling, with no real clear direction and could possibly have done with an edit to tighten it up and keep it focused because at times I felt like it was really drifting away from focusing on its two characters connecting.
I did enjoy the roller derby scenes, I felt like they were a lot of fun. But unfortunately, I didn’t particularly like the rest of the book. There was too much aggression and as I mentioned, Ant’s reformation just felt really forced, unbelievable and way too rapid. I didn’t enjoy either him or Bree as a couple and there wasn’t a lot of chemistry to really get excited about. I expected a bit of a hotter read, but this was pretty tame. Not a lot happens in terms of romantic scenes, which was disappointing. This book was just not to my personal taste.
Bree has always felt like Ant has had a problem with her. They avoid each other as much as possible and haven’t exchanged many words. Bree likes to let her hair down away from work by playing roller derby but she keeps this tightly under wraps, assuming that it won’t mesh well with her corporate image. When she spots Ant at one of her games, she knows he hasn’t identified her. But Ant sees her horrid bruises from a roller derby stack during the week at work and assumes that Bree is being abused. Approaching her about it opens up the doors of communication between the two of them but things don’t always go smoothly.
Despite their misunderstandings, there’s still an undercurrent of attraction that simmers between them. But can they make it work or will Bree forever be trying to prove herself to Ant?
I’m going to say upfront that I haven’t read Grease Monkey Jive, Ainslie Paton’s Harlequin Escape title. A lot of people really enjoyed it and apparently it features Ant, who is a friend of the main male character in that book. Here Ant gets his own book and his own chance at finding the one. And it seems the likely lucky lady is his colleague Bree, which poses a bit of a problem and some obstacles because the two don’t get along at all and Ant tends to think she only got his promotion because she wears a skirt.
In the beginning of this book, Ant is an angry ball of angry who hates the world… or more precisely Bree, for taking his job. He carries on about this so much that his friends engage him in a bet to basically make him shut up, no doubt rubbing their hands together in glee at their friend’s impending humiliation. It’s hard to like Ant – he’s an Italian Mumma’s boy (and I do have some first hand experience with those), he was the “Man” of the house and he’s told quite honestly by people that he simply doesn’t notice things around him unless it pertains to him personally. He’s also a super player. So basically to sum him up, he’s a self-centred, egotistical workaholic manwhore. He’s very bitter about not getting the promotion and he really lashes out about it and this seems to really go on longer than it should.
In contrast, Bree is a bit of an ice queen. She is impeccably (often conservatively) dressed for work, often having to choose outfits that hide the various bruises and scrapes she gets from her recreational roller derby activities. She is a workaholic as well, dedicated to her job and doing the best she can. She sees Ant as a seething ball of resentment and she tends to give him a wide berth until he corners her one day and asks her about her bruises. From there they find themselves interacting more and more – sometimes for the better and other times for the worse.
There are a lot of misunderstandings in this book and it did get very wearying. Bree and Ant seem to be constantly arguing and misjudging each other. I feel as though a lot of time is spent on discussing, in a round-a-bout sort of way, Bree’s position as a financial analyst. Ant has no real reason to assume that Bree got the position because she’s a woman, other than he didn’t get it. He doesn’t seem to consider the fact that she just might be better than him and he comes off as a misogynist jerk more than once throughout this novel. I think his developing feelings for Bree are supposed to reform him but this is extremely rapid and quite frankly, not all that believable. So many of their interactions are aggressive and unpleasant (and this is both of them acting towards the other). I don’t really know why they even begin to become attracted to each other? I think the changing feelings/relationship is very underdeveloped and a lot more time should’ve been spent on them spending time together and having some positive interactions. They do have a couple of moments, but really, there is a lot of arguing, flouncing out and angry words. And not in the sexy way, either. The narrative felt rambling, with no real clear direction and could possibly have done with an edit to tighten it up and keep it focused because at times I felt like it was really drifting away from focusing on its two characters connecting.
I did enjoy the roller derby scenes, I felt like they were a lot of fun. But unfortunately, I didn’t particularly like the rest of the book. There was too much aggression and as I mentioned, Ant’s reformation just felt really forced, unbelievable and way too rapid. I didn’t enjoy either him or Bree as a couple and there wasn’t a lot of chemistry to really get excited about. I expected a bit of a hotter read, but this was pretty tame. Not a lot happens in terms of romantic scenes, which was disappointing. This book was just not to my personal taste.
September 24, 2018
Couldn't take it after 10% - didn't like the way it was written
September 30, 2013
Desk Jockey Jam Review Whip it meets Wall StreetAnthony Gambese thought he had life sussed. Happy family, good mates, the freedom of surfing, a new career, and enough action in the bedroom to keep him well satisfied. He had no idea. But two chicks were about to show him the error of his ways, trashing his love-life, stealing his promotion and challenging his honour. And that was before he discovered what a roller-derby doll could do by skating over his heart. Like a roller derby jam, this novella is tight packed, fast and furious. It can be read alone or as a follow up to Grease Monkey Jive. It tells the story of Ant Gambese, the last of Dan’s mate’s not felled by a girl who was exactly what he needed, and didn’t see coming.
Review
I wanted so badly to love this look. It has a roller derby heroine and great Derby and Aussie slang. I love that! This part of the book is great. Grand.
However, while it is true that book the characters grow in this book, I never really like either of them. The hero is a jerk and the heroine's motivations whiplash all over the place.
Because it is a short story, we don't really get a believable change over of who they are or any real psychological work. The sexy times feel a bit like someone trying to learning how to drive a manual transition. Lurch. Stop. Lurch. And the HEA isn't enough to really make me feel happy with what I have put up to get there.Never the less,I like this writer's basic voice and will try her other books. I do hope she gets better editing and beta readers though because her work is promising.
Review
I wanted so badly to love this look. It has a roller derby heroine and great Derby and Aussie slang. I love that! This part of the book is great. Grand.
However, while it is true that book the characters grow in this book, I never really like either of them. The hero is a jerk and the heroine's motivations whiplash all over the place.
Because it is a short story, we don't really get a believable change over of who they are or any real psychological work. The sexy times feel a bit like someone trying to learning how to drive a manual transition. Lurch. Stop. Lurch. And the HEA isn't enough to really make me feel happy with what I have put up to get there.Never the less,I like this writer's basic voice and will try her other books. I do hope she gets better editing and beta readers though because her work is promising.
June 13, 2013
What can I say. Major fan.
Her work would be perfect if only she had a proofer/beta/editor.
She takes us so many different places. We get to watch dancers at work, event planners, rock stars, roller derby babes. Just plain fun.
Her stories have depth. You see the characters evolve, grow. Yeah, there can be instalust, but you see the love grow and flourish; you see and appreciate the grand gesture. And the grand gestures, well, they are certainly expensive and, yeah, grand.
This is the story of Ant, a fairly unlikeable character in Grease Monkey Jive. She doesn't have him be a misunderstood schmo. She shows his maturation, his thought patterns; she shows him find his way. It appears very organic.
But I will say, the HFN/HEA seemed rushed. It was great, believable. It was progressing quickly, logically. Then BAM, all previous doubts, questions, assumptions, gone. That was in about the last 10%. Loved it till then.
Editing issues, spelling issues, punctuation issues abound. Okay, maybe not abound. But there would be question marks instead of periods, no commas, no periods at all. A couple of errors did take me out of the story, but I got back in.
Her work would be perfect if only she had a proofer/beta/editor.
She takes us so many different places. We get to watch dancers at work, event planners, rock stars, roller derby babes. Just plain fun.
Her stories have depth. You see the characters evolve, grow. Yeah, there can be instalust, but you see the love grow and flourish; you see and appreciate the grand gesture. And the grand gestures, well, they are certainly expensive and, yeah, grand.
This is the story of Ant, a fairly unlikeable character in Grease Monkey Jive. She doesn't have him be a misunderstood schmo. She shows his maturation, his thought patterns; she shows him find his way. It appears very organic.
But I will say, the HFN/HEA seemed rushed. It was great, believable. It was progressing quickly, logically. Then BAM, all previous doubts, questions, assumptions, gone. That was in about the last 10%. Loved it till then.
Editing issues, spelling issues, punctuation issues abound. Okay, maybe not abound. But there would be question marks instead of periods, no commas, no periods at all. A couple of errors did take me out of the story, but I got back in.
June 20, 2013
I just had the best time reading Desk Jockey Jam. It's the first book of Ainslie Paton's that I've read and I chuckled my way through it. I loved the language of Roller Derby. There's a league near me but I've never seen a game, but I have friends that know more about it than me and who've talked about it from time to time, and everything I read felt authentic. Really nice interaction between Bree and Ant; loved the closing scene at the skating 'rink'. A snarky and witty writing style that I really enjoyed.
August 13, 2013
I read Grease Monkey Jive and loved it. Was excited to learn there was a spin-off. Jam is Ant's story. He was the most arrogant of Dan's boys and never got an Happy Ever After in Jive. Seeing him come unstuck in a way he least expects it was such fun. The only problem is the story is too short it could've been longer.
June 19, 2015
I enjoyed reading Desk Jockey Jam. I’m not sure why Bree felt the need to hide the fact that she played a sport; it didn’t seem that big of a deal to me. I’m also not sure how I feel about Ant; he’s definitely aware of his shortcomings and is working hard to become a better man, but I think the story was too short for me to feel fully comfortable with his achievements.
tbr-later
December 24, 20146/7/2013: Free on Kindle!
December 29, 2013
Pretty quick but quite good romantic read. Enjoyed the play of characters off of each other.
January 1, 2014
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews