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Olympic Passions #1
Vaulted
Novel (72,000 words)
Genre(s): Contemporary, Gay, Sports, Erotica
Dorian has been working his whole life to make the Olympic gymnastics team and win that elusive all-around gold medal. Just because he's the youngest, shortest and not the most socially savvy team member shouldn't warrant all the teasing—bullying, really—he has to endure, especially from Jules Gardner, the former Olympic bronze medalist and current teammate. He’s had a crush on Jules for years, but Dorian isn’t going to let Jules get in the way of his goals, no matter what.
Jules, on the other hand, loves to mess with Dorian’s head. It’s fun, like a cat playing with a mouse. Seducing him is even more entertaining. But Jules’ personal coach, Coach Harper, doesn’t believe in pulling any punches when it comes to Jules winning. When Coach Harper begins pushing Jules past the boundaries of good sportsmanship, Dorian realizes something more sinister is going on. And Dorian is the only one who can rescue Jules’ gymnastic career from utter destruction. (M/M - For content labels and excerpt, see details on publisher's site.)
Genre(s): Contemporary, Gay, Sports, Erotica
Dorian has been working his whole life to make the Olympic gymnastics team and win that elusive all-around gold medal. Just because he's the youngest, shortest and not the most socially savvy team member shouldn't warrant all the teasing—bullying, really—he has to endure, especially from Jules Gardner, the former Olympic bronze medalist and current teammate. He’s had a crush on Jules for years, but Dorian isn’t going to let Jules get in the way of his goals, no matter what.
Jules, on the other hand, loves to mess with Dorian’s head. It’s fun, like a cat playing with a mouse. Seducing him is even more entertaining. But Jules’ personal coach, Coach Harper, doesn’t believe in pulling any punches when it comes to Jules winning. When Coach Harper begins pushing Jules past the boundaries of good sportsmanship, Dorian realizes something more sinister is going on. And Dorian is the only one who can rescue Jules’ gymnastic career from utter destruction. (M/M - For content labels and excerpt, see details on publisher's site.)
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2014
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60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 28, 2016
Review originally posted at Sinfully.
It’s the eve of the 2008 Olympics and 19 year old first time Olympic gymnast Dorian is on Team USA with veteran Jules, the man he has had a crush on since watching him compete in the last Olympic games. Too bad that the reality of Jules hasn’t lived up to Dorian’s expectations. While Jules is an amazing gymnast who can charm anyone, he doesn’t have anything nice to say to Dorian, constantly picking on him and making snide comments about him in front of the team.
Dorian is so high strung and laser focused as I imagine any Olympic level athlete has to be, but he has taken it to extremes. The pressure he puts on himself is unrelenting. Even his coach, his mother and his friends try to get him to relax a bit and enjoy the Olympic experience, but Dorian can’t seem to let anything go. This attitude also eggs on Jules, who doesn’t seem to think that his teasing is anything more than a part of competition. He knows that Dorian is talented and even Jules’ coach has pegged him as his top competition, but figures since Dorian already thinks Jules hates him and hasn’t made any real effort to fit in with the team, why should he stop. When another of their confrontations unexpectedly turns sexual, Dorian can’t help but want more at the same time hating that he does. Through hate sex, tense competition and threats to their gymnastics careers, Dorian and Jules manage to forge an oftentimes uncomfortable relationship, but whether there is any real future for them is anyone’s guess.
For me, the story had a bit of a slow start. I didn’t feel the Olympic spirit, but then again, neither did Dorian and since the reader is in Dorian’s head most of that time it’s understandable. I didn’t dislike Dorian, but he was exhausting! He’s a perfectionist who has been laser focused on nothing but gymnastics and fears disappointing anyone. He is socially awkward since he never socializes beyond seeing his teammates in training, he has no other interests and can’t conceive of anything beyond competing. He’s in his first year of college but would rather be back at the training center full time than pursuing his education. After the Olympics when things get tough, he only seems to get more self-absorbed in his “woe is me” spiral and gets on everyone’s nerves.
Jules, who I initially disliked, quickly grew on me once we got into his head. He is a fierce competitor, but manages to appreciate life more than Dorian. He is a bit lost emotionally, however, and he clings to the image of his personal Coach as a benevolent father-figure, replacing the father that walked out on him and blinding him to the real harm that is being done. His motives towards Dorian were questionable in the beginning and I wondered just how far he would go and what his end game was, but thankfully his POV made him a more relatable character and not just a bully. I liked being able to see the true affection he had for Dorian and how important he really was to Jules.
I had a bit of trouble with the three year time jump in the middle of the story. I thought it came at a crucial time in their relationship and in Dorian’s life and I missed seeing their relationship fully develop. I think Dorian would have been a more likeable character to me earlier in the story if I had the benefit of seeing him maturing and coming to terms with the changes in his life. That said, Dorian did grow during the story and though he is still super serious, I did like him a lot more in the second part of the book.
The dual components of Olympic gymnastics being both a team and an individual sport added to the tension between the men. Even though the men are on Team USA, they are still striving for a place in the individual all around event and it is very easy for team sportsmanship to suffer or, in the case of Jules and creepy Coach Harper for the focus to be placed on being the best even at the cost of your current or future teammates. This particularly added a lot of drama towards the end of the story as Jules faces another up and coming gymnast who, unlike Dorian, finds nothing charming about him.
The story is told from mostly Dorian’s and Jules’ POV but there were also a few times where the reader is seeing Dorian from the view of his friends, coaches and supporters. This actually stopped me from writing Dorian off earlier since it became clear that he had people on his side that understood where he was coming from and he wasn’t just a moody, miserable kid.
The two men face a lot of ups and downs both in their personal and professional lives and both show a lot of growth by the end of the story. I enjoyed getting a look into the lives of these elite athletes, the pressures they face from all angles and their attempt at having a bit of normalcy and fun in an otherwise grueling sport. Careers are at stake more than once and due to the nature of the sport they are separated more often than they are together, but as unlikely a pair as they seemed at the beginning, Dorian and Jules pulled it together to make a good, balanced couple.
It’s the eve of the 2008 Olympics and 19 year old first time Olympic gymnast Dorian is on Team USA with veteran Jules, the man he has had a crush on since watching him compete in the last Olympic games. Too bad that the reality of Jules hasn’t lived up to Dorian’s expectations. While Jules is an amazing gymnast who can charm anyone, he doesn’t have anything nice to say to Dorian, constantly picking on him and making snide comments about him in front of the team.
Dorian is so high strung and laser focused as I imagine any Olympic level athlete has to be, but he has taken it to extremes. The pressure he puts on himself is unrelenting. Even his coach, his mother and his friends try to get him to relax a bit and enjoy the Olympic experience, but Dorian can’t seem to let anything go. This attitude also eggs on Jules, who doesn’t seem to think that his teasing is anything more than a part of competition. He knows that Dorian is talented and even Jules’ coach has pegged him as his top competition, but figures since Dorian already thinks Jules hates him and hasn’t made any real effort to fit in with the team, why should he stop. When another of their confrontations unexpectedly turns sexual, Dorian can’t help but want more at the same time hating that he does. Through hate sex, tense competition and threats to their gymnastics careers, Dorian and Jules manage to forge an oftentimes uncomfortable relationship, but whether there is any real future for them is anyone’s guess.
For me, the story had a bit of a slow start. I didn’t feel the Olympic spirit, but then again, neither did Dorian and since the reader is in Dorian’s head most of that time it’s understandable. I didn’t dislike Dorian, but he was exhausting! He’s a perfectionist who has been laser focused on nothing but gymnastics and fears disappointing anyone. He is socially awkward since he never socializes beyond seeing his teammates in training, he has no other interests and can’t conceive of anything beyond competing. He’s in his first year of college but would rather be back at the training center full time than pursuing his education. After the Olympics when things get tough, he only seems to get more self-absorbed in his “woe is me” spiral and gets on everyone’s nerves.
Jules, who I initially disliked, quickly grew on me once we got into his head. He is a fierce competitor, but manages to appreciate life more than Dorian. He is a bit lost emotionally, however, and he clings to the image of his personal Coach as a benevolent father-figure, replacing the father that walked out on him and blinding him to the real harm that is being done. His motives towards Dorian were questionable in the beginning and I wondered just how far he would go and what his end game was, but thankfully his POV made him a more relatable character and not just a bully. I liked being able to see the true affection he had for Dorian and how important he really was to Jules.
I had a bit of trouble with the three year time jump in the middle of the story. I thought it came at a crucial time in their relationship and in Dorian’s life and I missed seeing their relationship fully develop. I think Dorian would have been a more likeable character to me earlier in the story if I had the benefit of seeing him maturing and coming to terms with the changes in his life. That said, Dorian did grow during the story and though he is still super serious, I did like him a lot more in the second part of the book.
The dual components of Olympic gymnastics being both a team and an individual sport added to the tension between the men. Even though the men are on Team USA, they are still striving for a place in the individual all around event and it is very easy for team sportsmanship to suffer or, in the case of Jules and creepy Coach Harper for the focus to be placed on being the best even at the cost of your current or future teammates. This particularly added a lot of drama towards the end of the story as Jules faces another up and coming gymnast who, unlike Dorian, finds nothing charming about him.
The story is told from mostly Dorian’s and Jules’ POV but there were also a few times where the reader is seeing Dorian from the view of his friends, coaches and supporters. This actually stopped me from writing Dorian off earlier since it became clear that he had people on his side that understood where he was coming from and he wasn’t just a moody, miserable kid.
The two men face a lot of ups and downs both in their personal and professional lives and both show a lot of growth by the end of the story. I enjoyed getting a look into the lives of these elite athletes, the pressures they face from all angles and their attempt at having a bit of normalcy and fun in an otherwise grueling sport. Careers are at stake more than once and due to the nature of the sport they are separated more often than they are together, but as unlikely a pair as they seemed at the beginning, Dorian and Jules pulled it together to make a good, balanced couple.
December 27, 2016
This ended up being a DNF (50%), since the choices the author made for the MCs were... FUCKING horrible -IMO.
SO, it is okay to belittle, bully and back-talk a TEAM MATE, since he is quiet and competitive, and then ask for the quiet team mate to APOLOGIZE for being competitive at the Olympics?!?
I'm sorry what the hell is the point here?
We are talking about an event that has some of the best athletes, but for them to get to this point they NEED to be competitive and focused!
And when Jules lets Dorian know that it is partly Dorian's fault that Jules was a BULLY to Dorian, I was seeing red!
Why not just let Jules apologize and then get on with it?!?
I think (one of) the worst parts -besides the bullying- was their smexy times.
At times I was questioning the ... Accept? The understanding? The agreement?
Especially because Jules was the "dominant" and the bully, and Dorian was a 'kid' in over his head, alienated, bullied and alone.
In this book we apparently have to 'see' that back-talking, whispering, bullying and alienating is okay, since Dorian can just ignore them after a while, and then everything will be fine (Jules's thoughts, because his dad was 'distant'...)
There was NOTHING funny about this! In my world, you do not make excuses for bullying and then make the victim apologize because he was quiet and competitive (again: in the setting this book was in, it makes NO SENSE!)
I kept reading this, since I thought Jules might evolve... That did NOT happen, but Dorian did take his VERY injured body to see Jules for reasons-fucking-unknown!
So Jules made no actions toward being nice, and Dorian was left being the one to take the initiative... AGAIN, even though, they weren't in a relationship, and Jules had made NO actions toward becoming closer or him being a decent human being...
So yeah, fuck this shit! This was not for me at all, it is rare that I am that angry and sad when I throw in the proverbial towel, but HOLY SHIZZLE there were a lot of horrible decisions for the MCs in this one.
SO, it is okay to belittle, bully and back-talk a TEAM MATE, since he is quiet and competitive, and then ask for the quiet team mate to APOLOGIZE for being competitive at the Olympics?!?
I'm sorry what the hell is the point here?
We are talking about an event that has some of the best athletes, but for them to get to this point they NEED to be competitive and focused!
And when Jules lets Dorian know that it is partly Dorian's fault that Jules was a BULLY to Dorian, I was seeing red!
Why not just let Jules apologize and then get on with it?!?
I think (one of) the worst parts -besides the bullying- was their smexy times.
At times I was questioning the ... Accept? The understanding? The agreement?
Especially because Jules was the "dominant" and the bully, and Dorian was a 'kid' in over his head, alienated, bullied and alone.
In this book we apparently have to 'see' that back-talking, whispering, bullying and alienating is okay, since Dorian can just ignore them after a while, and then everything will be fine (Jules's thoughts, because his dad was 'distant'...)
There was NOTHING funny about this! In my world, you do not make excuses for bullying and then make the victim apologize because he was quiet and competitive (again: in the setting this book was in, it makes NO SENSE!)
I kept reading this, since I thought Jules might evolve... That did NOT happen, but Dorian did take his VERY injured body to see Jules for reasons-fucking-unknown!
So Jules made no actions toward being nice, and Dorian was left being the one to take the initiative... AGAIN, even though, they weren't in a relationship, and Jules had made NO actions toward becoming closer or him being a decent human being...
So yeah, fuck this shit! This was not for me at all, it is rare that I am that angry and sad when I throw in the proverbial towel, but HOLY SHIZZLE there were a lot of horrible decisions for the MCs in this one.
May 4, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
I will admit, I thoroughly enjoy watching the Olympic Games, so when I had the opportunity to read this book, I jumped at the chance! In this first book of the Olympic Passions series, readers are given a backstage pass to the Olympic training centers and venues and quickly realize that those athletes we see on our television cheering on and praising their teammates might be nothing more than a façade for what is really going on.
This story is told in a dual POV, which I loved because I got to see how each of the main characters viewed what was happening. I will warn readers that initially you probably aren’t going to like either of the main characters much at all. As the story unfolds, though, we can see why these two are like they are and how they mature over the course of the book.
Dorian is a perfectionist and won’t be happy with anything less than taking home a gold medal. Arriving at the 2008 Olympics as the youngest member of the male gymnastics team, he is so focused on doing what it takes to win that he isn’t interested in enjoying the Olympic experience – despite the pleas from his personal coach and family. His personal goals coupled with his lack of social skills quickly lead to the other members of the team teasing/bullying him.
Read Wendy’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
I will admit, I thoroughly enjoy watching the Olympic Games, so when I had the opportunity to read this book, I jumped at the chance! In this first book of the Olympic Passions series, readers are given a backstage pass to the Olympic training centers and venues and quickly realize that those athletes we see on our television cheering on and praising their teammates might be nothing more than a façade for what is really going on.
This story is told in a dual POV, which I loved because I got to see how each of the main characters viewed what was happening. I will warn readers that initially you probably aren’t going to like either of the main characters much at all. As the story unfolds, though, we can see why these two are like they are and how they mature over the course of the book.
Dorian is a perfectionist and won’t be happy with anything less than taking home a gold medal. Arriving at the 2008 Olympics as the youngest member of the male gymnastics team, he is so focused on doing what it takes to win that he isn’t interested in enjoying the Olympic experience – despite the pleas from his personal coach and family. His personal goals coupled with his lack of social skills quickly lead to the other members of the team teasing/bullying him.
Read Wendy’s review in its entirety here.
December 12, 2025
Eh... nah.
The first part of the book set during the Olympics, where Jules is an absolute dick and a bully, and his and Dorian's sexual encounters feel decidedly too dubcon for my liking, put me off so much that I had no interest whatsoever in what followed - I finished the book, but I despised Jules too much to care.
The first part of the book set during the Olympics, where Jules is an absolute dick and a bully, and his and Dorian's sexual encounters feel decidedly too dubcon for my liking, put me off so much that I had no interest whatsoever in what followed - I finished the book, but I despised Jules too much to care.
August 16, 2020
I was much more sympathetic to Dorian than to Jules throughout this story, although the bits from Jules's POV helped me to not outright hate his ass. I'm still baffled how Jules couldn't see the manipulation going on around him. Still, overall not a bad story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews