Hands On

More Than Friends #5

by Aria Grace

Book 5 of the More Than Friends Gay Romance Series
Each book may be read as a stand-alone. Reading in sequence is not required.


More Than Friends #1 (Free)
More Than Friends #2: Drunk in Love
More Than Friends #3: Choosing Happy
More Than Friends #4: Just Stay
More Than Friends #5: Hands On


Patton is new to town and hasn't met a lot of people outside of the salon he works at as a massage therapist. He wants a relationship but he's quick to fall in love and even quicker to scare away most men he's interested in. When he meets an outgoing bartender named Caleb, he is immediately attracted but isn't sure he can date someone that has to flirt for tips all night long. Unfortunately, that's not the worst thing Caleb does to make a living.


For mature readers.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Audiobook, Fiction, Adult

ebook

First published November 28, 2014

Reviews

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this series. I like seeing the characters from previous stories pop up again with their SOs.
Spencer/Dylan make an appearance in this story along with some of the guys from Dylan's "house".

Patton has some rather strong prejudices about guys and their professions when it comes to who he's willing to date but he's really attracted to Caleb when they meet at a bar. Unfortunately for him, he sticks his foot in his mouth every time he turns around & insults Caleb by saying something offensive.

When an ex drags him along to a bachelor party with prostitutes as the entertainment & then drugs him, Caleb comes to his rescue knowing that Patton would not want to be in that situation.

The guys work at building their friendship & Caleb finds another job solution because being with Patton is more important to him than earning quick bucks through being a rent boy.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so addictive! I finish one audiobook and load up the next... honestly, I did the same thing with her Mile High Romance series. Aria Grace just builds such a great story and she's never afraid to put in something shocking or angst-y - and, of course, she writes such incredibly hot sex scenes she's a sure thing for a hot romance.

Tim Todd is the narrator for Hands On and as I've written before he's the perfect narrator for Aria Grace's stories. His voice is soothing and his enunciations are spot on, and I love his voices for the characters.

More Than Friends is a wonderful audiobook series and I definitely recommend it!

[Pam Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aria Grace has done it again with the 5th novel of the Series More Than Friends! The Story line continues to follow with the other novels with Dylan and his MM Brothel, Paddles. In this story Caleb, who is a HOT college student, works as a bartender and does tricks on the side just to make ends meet and hopefully save a little money to continue his last 2 years at Portland State. One day he meets Patton, who is a massage therapist, at the bar, and Patton can't keep his eyes off of him. Patton noticing that Caleb is having neck/shoulder pain, told Caleb he could help with that with a massage. He gives Caleb his card and Caleb decides to follow up with him. The two connect, attraction is definitely there, but Patton says "There is no amount of money that could tempt me to sell myself. I'm nobody's whore", not knowing that Caleb does that to make extra money. Caleb gets angry and storms out and Patton can't figure out why. When he goes a few days later to apologize to Caleb, he sees what he does with other men and the pieces come together. These two men struggle with the job that Caleb has and the feelings they have for each other. As the story moves on, it only becomes more intense. You find yourself loving these two men and hoping things will work out. When Patton decides the only way he will be able to get with Caleb is to pay to be his client for 2 hours, the story seems to dramatically change and Caleb has a decision to make....Dylan, his boss and friend, helps with that decision. You will love this story, just like the other 4 in the series. If you love MM Romance you will love this. It has a lot of drama, emotions, sex, and love...Must Read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was the 'Open Mouth, Insert Foot' show starring Patton. I really did feel sorry for the poor guy. He may not have meant to but every time he opened his mouth the wrong thing came out. But in the end he finally got it right...so all's well that ends well and I'm on to the next story.

[SoCalBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my more favorite books in the series. Patton the Massage Therapist and Caleb the Bartender / Male Escort. Poor Patton seems to love Caleb from the very first time they meet, but also seems to stick his foot in his mouth every time he opens it. LOL. And then Caleb doesn't seem to know how to handle Patton and what he says/does very well. This book has a little bit of Sweet, and Cute, and Heartbreak all in one.
Tim Todd is a new-to-me Narrator and he did a pretty great job with this one. Its just odd that almost every book in this series has a different narrator, but so far they have all been Good!!

[Jenny Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to recieve this book in exchange for an honest review...

First... HOT COVER! This one took me a little longer to get into, I'm not big on "rent boys" and the trying to have relationships while having sex with other people, and this is where Patton had a problem as well, Patton was new to the city, we'd breifly met him last book, he lives in the same building as Dylans sister, so he knows Dylan and Spencer as well, like I said he's new to the city, working at a day spa and trying to get over his ex-douche bag Finn, which lemme tell ya... we meet him in this story and the whole part just made me sick. Blah, I wish Patton would have gotten some karmatic justice and at least left him on the side of the road somewhere or something, he was horrible to Patton and treated him like garbage and I was very upset to see that Patton just let him. And poor Patton, he was always putting his foot in his mouth when it came to Caleb...

Caleb we meet in Steve and Joey's book, working part time as a bartender part time... prostitute... for lack of a better word, he meets Patton when he comes in for a drink and he offers him a massage, that goes horribly wrong, as does every time they get together but Patton doesn't mean to be offensive, at first he doesn't realize how the things he says could be upsetting to Caleb but then when he figures it out, he still can't keep his foot from his mouth. I really felt for both of them though because you could tell they really had feelings for each other, even at first it was just friendly, then apologetic then back to maybe romantic. My heart absolutely broke for Patton when he went to book a time with Caleb, I knew it was a bad idea but hearing him say he'd take anything he could get from him.... sigh.... I hoped so much for them to work out.... and they did in the end but it took a while to get there, this one was very much worth the wait, and such a great read, I feel so smitten with all these guys in the series I just can't stop reading about them!
I'm really looking forward to seeing whose next!

[Pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

As any of my GRs friends can tell you, I'm very opinionated and have some very definite likes and dislikes when it comes to the books that I read.

Generally I dislike first person and I want to see my main characters together through the majority of the story. I'm also a grammar nazi.
And I do wish someone would have proofread this better. However that's my only complaint.

Once again Ms Grace has managed to give me a wonderful story despite those dislikes of mine. Yes it is first person yet I got to know and care about both MCs. I felt their connection from the get go despite the fact that they were apart and other spoilers that I won't mention through most of the story. And I feel this HFN ending was perfect.

My hat is off to you, Aria. You once again nailed it perfectly.

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining M/M romance. I liked the dual points of view and the story was pretty light with some good romance scenes. I understood where Patton was coming from, it would be hard to date a prostitute, knowing they're sleeping with other people, even if they don't actually like those people. I definitely didn't judge Caleb for what he did, gotta make money, but there are a lot of dangers in sex work. I'm glad he never got assaulted and had good security to take care of problem clients. Patton and Caleb's relationship was cute and I would love to see more of it!
The narrator did a good job, but was kind of soft spoken. I'm glad I listened to the audio because I got through this even faster!

[Taya:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a breeze to read but had no depth. I could live with that if the MCs weren't apart more than they ever were together in the book. Bad communication skills killed the story for me. It could have gone there, but everything was just falling in love with no real reason other than physical attraction. MC1 (Caleb) is a hooker, and MC2's(Patton) mother was a hooker/drug addict. I don't understand why that information at no point in this book is addressed. It is common sense that more people than not would have a dislike for the hooker PROFESSION. He initially expressed his disapproval of the profession and never had a proper conversation before getting it in.

[Anke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable, but better than I thought after the last book, where I wasn't a huge fan of Patton. Fast, easy read in between.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/21/2020)! 🎁

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 3.5 stars **

[T.M. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caleb is working his way through college by any means necessary. He is a good guy, smart, with attainable goals. He never factored in considering someone else’s feelings on how he made his money. When he meets Patton at the bar where he is a part time bar tender, full time off the books rent boy, there is a definite mutual attraction. And when Caleb accepts an offer for a massage at the salon Patton works at, he starts to consider the possibility of something more for the first time in a long time. Then Patton makes an off the cuff remark and sinks the ship before it ever leaves the docks.

This has to be my favorite story and coupling in this series thus far. The story unfolds at the perfect pace, each piece of the puzzle being turned at the right time. The struggle Caleb faces was not only real, believable, it was painful. I loved the fact that he realized selling his body wasn’t the best line of work, but refused to be put down or looked down on because he pursued the only option he was given. Patton pissed me off early on, but then Grace did a fantastic job of humbling him and showing how he struggled with his attraction to Caleb, equal only to his disdain of Caleb’s choice of profession.

Narrated by Tim Todd, and though it was my first listen with this narrator, it won’t be my last. He really captured the true voice for the characters. I could feel Caleb’s frustration and Patton’s indecision throughout the story. I thought it was poetic justice that Patton’s lying, cheating ex was read as a sniveling jackass, much like his character!

Emotional and engaging with a small dose of angst. Definitely a must read if you are a fan of Aria Grace and/or this series. Perhaps it will become your favorite as well. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the table for the next couple in this series.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patton solves the mystery of Caleb's strained neck; shocked but not blocked!😱
April 1, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
👍 I just started reading this series with the previous book (Just Stay) and I really like the writing and the characters. The pages speed by too quickly, IMO!

This story is fine as a standalone, with a clear beginning, middle and end, but it helps if you've met some of the characters in previous books in the series because all of the guys hang together at some point or other.

Patton is new to Portland and has an interesting background with a broken family. He's making his own way and maintaining personal behavior standards that Caleb, the hot guy who served him in a neighborhood bar, can't live up to. But Patton is not a prig and, though shocked and confused by the world of handsome rent boys he's stumbled upon, he does not turn his back on Caleb.

Caleb, on the other hand, justifies his job as a means for saving money for his education. Although he seems to have no regrets about how he's living his life, once he sees himself reflected in Patton's eyes, he second guesses himself and questions his self worth.

Both guys are complex, flawed and relatable. (And did I mention🔥🔥 hot together?)

Thank goodness the author threw in (and quickly disposed of) some heels, including Ron, one of Caleb's less savoury clients, and Finn, Patton's former flame. Good riddance!

If you are looking for a fast moving, well-written,🔥 steamy👬 m/m romance, look no further. Just don't expect many female characters as this is a male on male world!:-)

I read a complimentary copy of the book provided by the author; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

With many of these More than Friends books, you have to suspend reality a bit. The breezy way these guys get involved in criminal activities is a bit jarring. This book felt the same. What made it a 4 star read was Caleb. The very pragmatic way he looked at his circumstances. He had no options, he wanted to finish school and get a decent job. This line "I need to make money and put myself through school. That's it. I don't do it because I'm a nympho and I don't do it because I don't think I'm capable of great things but until I have a degree and some money in the bank, I can't do any of them." Okay. Understood. A means to an end and I totally respected that. Where this fell short though, was the limited interaction between our two MCs. Patton sees Caleb working as a bartender, then offers him a free massage at the place Patton is working. Patton, who seems to live with his foot in his mouth, makes some off the cuff remark about hookers not knowing what Caleb's other job is. Then the two fantasize about each other and "hope he's the one." What?!! You don't really know each other. I needed more face time. More relationship development. But, what I've noticed about these books is that this happens quite frequently with these characters so I found you have to sort of roll with it. So this was a solid 3 but Caleb was the man so drove it a 4. These books are like nice little gumdrops. Sweet, somewhat sticky and leave you with a a mild sated feeling.

[Reading*Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: 3 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story: 2 Stars

"Hands On" is an easy listen and I like how characters from the previous books are effortlessly incorporated into it, but I found this love story between bartender/rent boy Caleb and massage therapist Patton rather frustrating overall. I never warmed up to Patton given his repeated high horse judgement of Caleb, particularly since Caleb is already dealing with some inner turmoil about being a rent boy. Not that Patton is wholly undeserving of compassion and understanding as well for his many personal hangups, but his ongoing foot-in-mouth talent leaves Caleb feeling like garbage at every turn. Normally an HEA reconciliation would help smooth over some of that, but not with Caleb still basically feeling unworthy of being loved and Patton promising Caleb not to hold his rent boy past against him. Excuse you? Former rent boy or not, Caleb deserves unconditional love so yeah, frustrating right up to the end. I do like the More Than Friends series overall, this story (well, Patton really) just clearly rubbed me the wrong way. On a more contented note, narrator Tim Todd has a pleasant voice and I enjoyed his performance.

[Christina Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm so excited caleb finally got a book! i love him! somehow he manages to be sweet and innocent regardless of his job and his experience. i love that he has such a good outlook on life and what he's doing to make it through his rough patch. while i hate his profession, i like that he doesn't have a crappy attitude because of it.

i'm not sure if patton is socially inept or just an idiot but i hate the way he treated caleb through most of the book. it seemed like he had no idea the impact and meaning of what he was saying most of the time. caleb was extremely patient with and forgiving of him. his lack of experience with relationships may have played a role in that. in the end, with caleb's guidance he starts to be the man he should be with such a sweet boy.

love this series and can't wait for the next!

[Lisa ~ Books Are My Drugs ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this series. I like seeing the characters from previous stories pop up again with their SOs.
Spencer/Dylan make an appearance in this story along with some of the guys from Dylan's "house".

Patton has some rather strong prejudices about guys and their professions when it comes to who he's willing to date but he's really attracted to Caleb when they meet at a bar. Unfortunately for him, he sticks his foot in his mouth every time he turns around & insults Caleb by saying something offensive.

When an ex drags him along to a bachelor party with prostitutes as the entertainment & then drugs him, Caleb comes to his rescue knowing that Patton would not want to be in that situation.

The guys work at building their friendship & Caleb finds another job solution because being with Patton is more important to him than earning quick bucks through being a rent boy.

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just coming off a break-up, Patton has started over in a new area as a massage therapist. One night in a gay bar, he strikes up a conversation with the bartender, Caleb. What he does not realize is that Caleb is a part-time bartender and a part-time prostitute. Even though the sparks fly between them, Patton cannot let what Caleb does for a living go. But will Caleb walk away from his lucrative job just so he can put Oatton’s mind at ease or will Patton decide that he will pay for Caleb’s time as the only way he can get him? Once again the characters that Aria Grace writes about are wonderful and this heartwarming story should not be missed.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands On, book five in the More Than Friends series by Aria Grace. I took a little break from this series but I’m glad I’ve started it back up again. This book has a great storyline! The main two characters in this story are Patton a new guy in town and Caleb a college student by day and bartender & Rent boy by night. You got to do what you have to to get where you want to go. Their meeting seems to have both of them reeling. Love the way the works out! Great story with great characters. Can’t wait to read the next one! Book six Best Chance.

[Ken Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hands-on professionals

Probably novella length, the tale tells of the conflicted romance between a masseur and a hustling bartender/student. Clever plots weave across the swapping POVs, with light heat. Characters are nicely developed to show depth and feeling.

As I am a gatherer of books, I collect books and ebooks from a variety of sources: Goodreads wins, BookBub, BookFunnel, Riffle, Prolific Works, emails from authors and publishers, and others. I do lose track of their sources. But, as a reader, I feel I should give an honest, unencumbered review for all I read.

[AL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hands On is not an overly long or complicated story, but you will still find a pair of interesting MCs facing serious personal development challenges on the way to happiness.
The characters were very well laid out and described, no problem at all with following their reasoning and motivations. The topic is one that probably invokes strong personal judgement, but I liked that it did not feel as if the story was purposefully made more controversial, than necessary.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it,but for me a bit short,I would have loved more
Relationship time.I love the building off a lovestory.
But the overall story is well written,loved Caleb and liked
Patton.I enjoy the growing family from the more than friends serie.
and hope for more off them.

[Jeanine Beaulieu St Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

Another great book,it takes a lot to leave a life of a hooker and that is what happened in this book he just needed something more important than money from being aa hooker

[TL Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

With each passing book

I fall more and more in love with this expanding group of friends that are turning into a big, happy family.

[✿-Anna-✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was an okay story but I think Patton got over Caleb being whore too easy.... especially when he kind of sort of saw him in action with is ex... but for Caleb's sanity I'm glad he did.

[iDreem2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 overall stars

Couple 3.75 🌟🌟🌟⭐️
Plot 4.0 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Story 3.75 🌟🌟🌟⭐️
Sex 3.75 🌟🌟🌟⭐️
Series 4.0 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen to audio book.

[Shannon Boote · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars

[Zondra.Hallyahoo.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.