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Blowing It #2
Balls Up
Owen Barnes’s life is finally going the way he wants. He’s making a living as an author, and his relationship with building surveyor Magnus Cassidy is going from strength to strength.
When Owen finds a lump, he buries his head in the sand. He’s too busy for doctor appointments and besides, it’s probably nothing. He pushes concern away and is soon swept up in a whirlwind of distractions. His best friend’s husband is falling apart and Owen needs to be strong for them, not burdening them with his fears.
He says he’ll deal with it when the new book is released, when Ryan and Sameer are more stable, when he’s done writing. Owen has a hundred excuses to hide one simple fact: he’s scared.
Eventually Magnus drags him to the doctor, and the news isn’t good. Can Owen cope with the unexpected turn events have taken, or is his perfect life about to go balls up?
CONTENT WARNING: Cancer, hospitals, chemotherapy, backless gowns, hideous scrotal supports, and the complete loss of human dignity from being shaved by a nurse named Alan.
When Owen finds a lump, he buries his head in the sand. He’s too busy for doctor appointments and besides, it’s probably nothing. He pushes concern away and is soon swept up in a whirlwind of distractions. His best friend’s husband is falling apart and Owen needs to be strong for them, not burdening them with his fears.
He says he’ll deal with it when the new book is released, when Ryan and Sameer are more stable, when he’s done writing. Owen has a hundred excuses to hide one simple fact: he’s scared.
Eventually Magnus drags him to the doctor, and the news isn’t good. Can Owen cope with the unexpected turn events have taken, or is his perfect life about to go balls up?
CONTENT WARNING: Cancer, hospitals, chemotherapy, backless gowns, hideous scrotal supports, and the complete loss of human dignity from being shaved by a nurse named Alan.
310 pages, Unknown Binding
First published June 6, 2015
About the author
Kate Aaron
38 books339 followersBorn in Liverpool, Kate Aaron is a bestselling author of the #1 LGBT romances What He Wants, Ace, The Slave, and other works.
Kate swapped the North West for the Midwest in October 2015 and married award-winning author AJ Rose. Together they plan to take over the world.
Kate swapped the North West for the Midwest in October 2015 and married award-winning author AJ Rose. Together they plan to take over the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
June 8, 2015
It's not that often I finish a book, sit back and try to relive the experience all over again. I don't even know where to begin with this book to be honest. I'm good with expressing my feelings but this book left me speechless, breathless. It left me grateful. It woke me up. We are not invincible. We are not unstoppable. We are human and we are guilty of thinking, "This can never happen to me."
In Blowing It (book 1) Kate Aaron introduced us to these very same characters. Relationships were born, bonds formed, and the readers fell in love with this amazing ensemble.
Balls Up, brings us back to them and things aren't okay. It's the realism that Kate captures so well in this story. No doubt she did stellar research and that is so very important for this subject matter. It's the emotion of each moment, each trial, each flicker of change that Kate has mastered.
We read books often to escape the every day. Sometimes we need to be reminded why our lives are so valuable to begin with. Balls Up takes those characters you love, the ones you swear would be your family if they were real and tears them from the pages of fiction. They could be your brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, cousins, friends, lovers. As quick as a kiss, life can change.
Start with Blowing It, if you haven't already, then grab this book because it's books like this we need more of!
In Blowing It (book 1) Kate Aaron introduced us to these very same characters. Relationships were born, bonds formed, and the readers fell in love with this amazing ensemble.
Balls Up, brings us back to them and things aren't okay. It's the realism that Kate captures so well in this story. No doubt she did stellar research and that is so very important for this subject matter. It's the emotion of each moment, each trial, each flicker of change that Kate has mastered.
We read books often to escape the every day. Sometimes we need to be reminded why our lives are so valuable to begin with. Balls Up takes those characters you love, the ones you swear would be your family if they were real and tears them from the pages of fiction. They could be your brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, cousins, friends, lovers. As quick as a kiss, life can change.
Start with Blowing It, if you haven't already, then grab this book because it's books like this we need more of!
January 25, 2016
The continuing saga of Owen Barnes, YA author and his boyfriend Magnus, a building surveyor. Well, I ran the whole gamut of emotions reading this one, and unfortunately relived some intensely personal moments for me; luckily I wasn't quite so far down that long and painful road as Owen was but what I went through was bad enough. Yes, everyone, I'm talking about fighting and surviving the C-word. 5 stars for Kate's brilliant writing and Fen's superb 'dotting the i's and crossing the t's' mad editing skills.
There was laughter, there were tears, there was lots of 'FFS Owen!! Get to the doctors immediately' but the whole burden of support and going through this harrowing experience and the awful, awful waiting game with Owen fell to Magnus, and Magnus alone...cos Owen didn't want his friends/family to know [even Ryan, his bestie, which was bewildering], didn't want to be known as 'that cancer victim', which I suppose is his right but as painfully selfish as Owen was, I really felt for poor Magnus, who had to be strong for Owen, when I've no doubt he felt like he was falling to pieces with grief.
Anyone who did find out was sworn to secrecy, and eventually of course, when Magnus himself was becoming ill because of the intensity of the situation, how ill Owen was after the series of treatments, the stress he was under from work AND looking after/supporting Owen, he HAD to ask for help and turned to Ryan and Sameer without letting Owen know. I was really expecting a full blown Owen tantrum at that stage, but he was quite calm and collected and looking at just how gaunt and exhausted Magnus was, realised that he couldn't expect Magnus to do everything by himself any more.
I'm leaving this review here....you can discover for yourselves whether we have a happy ending, or not. I absolutely LOVED the Halloween party Owen and Magnus went to before the chemo started, and the thought of the gang dressed as characters from The Rocky Horror Show (Yay!!) was something that cheered me up no end. I know Kate is thinking of a book 3, AND I have some idea what might be in it...bells possibly, hehe....whatever!! I ADORED the ending and can't wait for book 3 to arrive.
October 25, 2015
This book picks up after Blowing It with the same MCs: Owen Barnes, aka Owen Black, a famous children’s author and Magnus Cassidy, a property surveyor.
Owen and Marcus are building their relationship and it seems to be going well when Owen feels a tiny pea-sized bump on one testicle. He puts off seeking treatment until one day a few months later when Marcus notices it and escorts him to a doctor. It turns out to be stage IIC testicular cancer.
This story is Owen and Marcus’s journey through the pain and heartache and physical debilitation of cancer treatment. At the same time, it’s a journey through an emotional battlefield as their love grows stronger, even when tested by Owen’s anger lashing out at Magnus when the helplessness overcomes him and he sinks in despair. It takes them through so many ups and downs and it’s so well-written that I couldn’t put the book down. I was there with them, rooting for them, crying with them and rejoicing when they affirmed their lasting love for each other.
It’s a bittersweet story of true love, one of the best hurt/comfort stories I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it.
Owen and Marcus are building their relationship and it seems to be going well when Owen feels a tiny pea-sized bump on one testicle. He puts off seeking treatment until one day a few months later when Marcus notices it and escorts him to a doctor. It turns out to be stage IIC testicular cancer.
This story is Owen and Marcus’s journey through the pain and heartache and physical debilitation of cancer treatment. At the same time, it’s a journey through an emotional battlefield as their love grows stronger, even when tested by Owen’s anger lashing out at Magnus when the helplessness overcomes him and he sinks in despair. It takes them through so many ups and downs and it’s so well-written that I couldn’t put the book down. I was there with them, rooting for them, crying with them and rejoicing when they affirmed their lasting love for each other.
It’s a bittersweet story of true love, one of the best hurt/comfort stories I’ve ever read and I highly recommend it.
could-not-finish
August 28, 2019CNF 6/30/2019 page 347.
I wanted to slap the heck out of Owen, even if he has cancer. He was horrible, even if he does have cancer!
I wanted to slap the heck out of Owen, even if he has cancer. He was horrible, even if he does have cancer!
June 7, 2015
I finished reading Balls Up some time ago and have been procrastinating about writing this review ever since. Not because I have any doubts about how I feel about this book or because I didn’t like it as much as I hoped I might, quite the opposite. The reason I have been and still am reluctant to articulate my thoughts, is that I’m afraid I can’t do it without it a) turning into a gush-fest and b) getting way too personal. For what it’s worth I’ll give it a shot, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I loved, loved, loved Balls Up. Before starting the book I had one or two reservations about reading a book in which one of the characters battles cancer but I dove in anyway because I trusted Kate Aaron to treat the subject right.
It would be very easy to turn this review into a novella in its own right, while I give a blow by blow account of everything I thought and felt while reading this book; my frustration with Owen when he refuses to go to the doctor, my continued frustration with him when he won’t tell his friends and family that he’s ill, my sympathy for him as he comes face to face with all the indignities accompanying hospital stays and intrusive treatments and... I could go on.
This book touched me on a very deep and personal level. No, I’ve never personally faced cancer but I have been through the medical system on more than one occasion and know what it’s like to stare death in the face and keep on going regardless. I know how frustrating it is when your independence is slowly stripped away and you find yourself depending on others for things you’d rather keep private. I know that sense of betrayal when your body lets you down and the anger and frustration that leads to. But also, I know how amazing it feels to have someone in your life who doesn’t bat an eye-lid, who supports you despite the cost to themselves, who loves you no matter what you look like or how undignified your situation may be.
For me Kate Aaron’s amazing talent was at its most obvious when she could take me back and re-experience all those emotions without making me cry. While Owen and I fought very different battles there wasn’t an emotion he felt I didn’t instantly recognize nor a situation he found himself in I hadn’t experienced too. That should have made this a hard if not impossible book for me to read. Much to my surprise it was the exact opposite.
I need a few words to talk about Magnus. Just as Kate got the trials Owen goes through exactly right, she was also spot-on when it came to her descriptions of the loving and supportive partner. In fact, she got it so right I’d forgotten what Magnus was supposed to look like by the time I was half way through the book; in my head he’d taken on the appearance of my husband and nobody can convince me that’s not what he looks like.
This is, without a doubt, (one of) the best book(s) I’ve read this year. The story took me through every emotion imaginable only to leave me uplifted by the time the story ended. I can’t begin to tell you how amazing this book is. I can tell you that you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if you did not read it.
I loved, loved, loved Balls Up. Before starting the book I had one or two reservations about reading a book in which one of the characters battles cancer but I dove in anyway because I trusted Kate Aaron to treat the subject right.
It would be very easy to turn this review into a novella in its own right, while I give a blow by blow account of everything I thought and felt while reading this book; my frustration with Owen when he refuses to go to the doctor, my continued frustration with him when he won’t tell his friends and family that he’s ill, my sympathy for him as he comes face to face with all the indignities accompanying hospital stays and intrusive treatments and... I could go on.
This book touched me on a very deep and personal level. No, I’ve never personally faced cancer but I have been through the medical system on more than one occasion and know what it’s like to stare death in the face and keep on going regardless. I know how frustrating it is when your independence is slowly stripped away and you find yourself depending on others for things you’d rather keep private. I know that sense of betrayal when your body lets you down and the anger and frustration that leads to. But also, I know how amazing it feels to have someone in your life who doesn’t bat an eye-lid, who supports you despite the cost to themselves, who loves you no matter what you look like or how undignified your situation may be.
For me Kate Aaron’s amazing talent was at its most obvious when she could take me back and re-experience all those emotions without making me cry. While Owen and I fought very different battles there wasn’t an emotion he felt I didn’t instantly recognize nor a situation he found himself in I hadn’t experienced too. That should have made this a hard if not impossible book for me to read. Much to my surprise it was the exact opposite.
I need a few words to talk about Magnus. Just as Kate got the trials Owen goes through exactly right, she was also spot-on when it came to her descriptions of the loving and supportive partner. In fact, she got it so right I’d forgotten what Magnus was supposed to look like by the time I was half way through the book; in my head he’d taken on the appearance of my husband and nobody can convince me that’s not what he looks like.
This is, without a doubt, (one of) the best book(s) I’ve read this year. The story took me through every emotion imaginable only to leave me uplifted by the time the story ended. I can’t begin to tell you how amazing this book is. I can tell you that you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if you did not read it.
June 30, 2015
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
This is the second book in the Blowing It series. While it could be read as a standalone, I think readers will appreciate the book more if they’ve read the first in the series, Blowing It, before reading this book.
This book deals with the big “C” word (cancer). While the author injects humor into the story, she doesn’t sugar coat any of it. For anyone who has had someone in their life battling cancer, the story line reads like real life as Owen undergoes the process from finding a lump, denial, getting up the nerve to make an appointment, undergoing testing, waiting for results, undergoing treatment, and the horrendous side effects as he fights for his life. Throughout all of this, Magnus refuses to allow Owen to shut him out or push him away.
I fell in love with Magnus in the first book, only to fall even more deeply in love with him in this book. Sworn to secrecy by Owen about the diagnoses and treatment, Magnus tries to honor Owen’s wishes while running him back and forth from treatments, working, and taking care of and supporting Owen. When the stress of everything begins to take its toll, Magnus faces the tough decision of breaking his promise to Owen by asking for help.
Read Wendy’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
This is the second book in the Blowing It series. While it could be read as a standalone, I think readers will appreciate the book more if they’ve read the first in the series, Blowing It, before reading this book.
This book deals with the big “C” word (cancer). While the author injects humor into the story, she doesn’t sugar coat any of it. For anyone who has had someone in their life battling cancer, the story line reads like real life as Owen undergoes the process from finding a lump, denial, getting up the nerve to make an appointment, undergoing testing, waiting for results, undergoing treatment, and the horrendous side effects as he fights for his life. Throughout all of this, Magnus refuses to allow Owen to shut him out or push him away.
I fell in love with Magnus in the first book, only to fall even more deeply in love with him in this book. Sworn to secrecy by Owen about the diagnoses and treatment, Magnus tries to honor Owen’s wishes while running him back and forth from treatments, working, and taking care of and supporting Owen. When the stress of everything begins to take its toll, Magnus faces the tough decision of breaking his promise to Owen by asking for help.
Read Wendy’s review in its entirety here.
May 29, 2021
DNF at 36% soooo boring
June 30, 2015
5 Heart Review by Sheena
When I sit down to read, the purpose for me is to escape reality. Whether it’s to faraway places among the stars, to a ranch out in the middle of nowhere, I read to escape. So what do I do, how do I handle, a book so real and full of the ups and downs of life that I’m left broken and wounded, but ultimately healed? I got to the brutal portions of the book, and my hands literally refused to put down my kindle because I had to finish, no matter how raw and harsh and immediately real things became.
Balls Up by the talented and intelligent Kate Aaron was a treat. I read the first book, Blowing It, directly before I started the second, and I’m glad I did. I noticed that Ms. Aaron did something few authors are capable of: she preserved the individual voices and unique personality of the characters that most authors struggle to find again in separate and subsequent books of a series. Owen and Magnus, our two leads, were exactly the same as they were in the first book, and yet at the same time, more than they were before. More substance, more heft—and I was undeniably fond of them, so when the bad crept in, I felt everything even more keenly than if I’d been a stranger to the characters.
Owen gave me chills with his stubborn fear, realizing that I would have denied and refuted everything just as he did in the beginning when he found the lump, and then got diagnosed with cancer. Once his diagnosis truly hits him, Owen carries on with not stoicism, but denial born out of an innate ability to recognize that he can’t think about everything, or it’ll break him. He gets through the chemo and the radiotherapy by not thinking about it, by avoiding thoughts of the future or the what-ifs, instead relying heavily on Magnus to carry him through to the end.
Now don’t go thinking that Owen takes advantage of Magnus and his ready and willing love and support; Owen repeatedly attempts to lighten the burden of caring for an ill loved one, even to his own detriment. Magnus is exactly who we’d all hope to have by our sides in the event our own lives were threatened by such a pernicious disease as cancer. He is strong, and caring, thorough and thoughtful, and the love he has for Owen comes through with every gesture and word, every look in his lovely eyes. He makes sacrifices for Owen, and while he fears the consequences of his choices, absolutely nothing keeps him from taking care of Owen and remaining dedicated to his lover’s health and well-being.
I must admit, that before reading Blowing it, and now Balls Up, I’d never read a book by Kate Aaron before, and I am literally kicking myself for the oversight. I have a major crush on brainy, knowledgeable, and well-read authors who can not only spin a romantic tale full of emotions, but who can meld the angst with the right turn of phrase, the sexy sentence structure, the back-handed masterpiece of a perfectly formulated plot and character evolution. Kate Aaron has it all. Skill, talent, and a hell of a penchant for some realistic sexy-times that left me in need of a cold libation.
Balls Up has it all. Kate Aaron is a pro, and this book proves it. She broke my heart, made me want to search WebMD and call my family and say ‘I love you’ just in case; she made me fear for the HEA and the fate of bratty and sweet Owen, and I am nursing a killer book-hangover to prove it. She broke me apart, and then put me back together, just like her characters.
Don’t let the title fool you, or the book description put you off—Balls Up is worth the time and the tears.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
When I sit down to read, the purpose for me is to escape reality. Whether it’s to faraway places among the stars, to a ranch out in the middle of nowhere, I read to escape. So what do I do, how do I handle, a book so real and full of the ups and downs of life that I’m left broken and wounded, but ultimately healed? I got to the brutal portions of the book, and my hands literally refused to put down my kindle because I had to finish, no matter how raw and harsh and immediately real things became.
Balls Up by the talented and intelligent Kate Aaron was a treat. I read the first book, Blowing It, directly before I started the second, and I’m glad I did. I noticed that Ms. Aaron did something few authors are capable of: she preserved the individual voices and unique personality of the characters that most authors struggle to find again in separate and subsequent books of a series. Owen and Magnus, our two leads, were exactly the same as they were in the first book, and yet at the same time, more than they were before. More substance, more heft—and I was undeniably fond of them, so when the bad crept in, I felt everything even more keenly than if I’d been a stranger to the characters.
Owen gave me chills with his stubborn fear, realizing that I would have denied and refuted everything just as he did in the beginning when he found the lump, and then got diagnosed with cancer. Once his diagnosis truly hits him, Owen carries on with not stoicism, but denial born out of an innate ability to recognize that he can’t think about everything, or it’ll break him. He gets through the chemo and the radiotherapy by not thinking about it, by avoiding thoughts of the future or the what-ifs, instead relying heavily on Magnus to carry him through to the end.
Now don’t go thinking that Owen takes advantage of Magnus and his ready and willing love and support; Owen repeatedly attempts to lighten the burden of caring for an ill loved one, even to his own detriment. Magnus is exactly who we’d all hope to have by our sides in the event our own lives were threatened by such a pernicious disease as cancer. He is strong, and caring, thorough and thoughtful, and the love he has for Owen comes through with every gesture and word, every look in his lovely eyes. He makes sacrifices for Owen, and while he fears the consequences of his choices, absolutely nothing keeps him from taking care of Owen and remaining dedicated to his lover’s health and well-being.
I must admit, that before reading Blowing it, and now Balls Up, I’d never read a book by Kate Aaron before, and I am literally kicking myself for the oversight. I have a major crush on brainy, knowledgeable, and well-read authors who can not only spin a romantic tale full of emotions, but who can meld the angst with the right turn of phrase, the sexy sentence structure, the back-handed masterpiece of a perfectly formulated plot and character evolution. Kate Aaron has it all. Skill, talent, and a hell of a penchant for some realistic sexy-times that left me in need of a cold libation.
Balls Up has it all. Kate Aaron is a pro, and this book proves it. She broke my heart, made me want to search WebMD and call my family and say ‘I love you’ just in case; she made me fear for the HEA and the fate of bratty and sweet Owen, and I am nursing a killer book-hangover to prove it. She broke me apart, and then put me back together, just like her characters.
Don’t let the title fool you, or the book description put you off—Balls Up is worth the time and the tears.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
June 29, 2015
I immediately downloaded and read this after racing through the first book about Owen & Magnus.
I found Owen's inaction about his lump very frustrating, but of course, that's how readers are supposed to act. Many people find it difficult to confront their mortality, I can't blame him for that. So good on Magnus for pushing him to deal with it.
Although there was a lot about the cancer, there were other sub plots (Ryan's relationship and Magnus' job) which kept the story moving along nicely. Wish there had been more about Owen's writing though.
Good sequel.
I found Owen's inaction about his lump very frustrating, but of course, that's how readers are supposed to act. Many people find it difficult to confront their mortality, I can't blame him for that. So good on Magnus for pushing him to deal with it.
Although there was a lot about the cancer, there were other sub plots (Ryan's relationship and Magnus' job) which kept the story moving along nicely. Wish there had been more about Owen's writing though.
Good sequel.
February 27, 2016
Does having balls really make the man
I too have had a right radical orchiectomy. And also diagnosed with a seminoma germ cell tumor. This book took me on a ride that I'd forgotten. I wish I had a partner at the time of my cancer, however I did share with family and friends and their love and compassion was overwhelming. THANK YOU!! KATE AARON your story does great justice to the roller coaster ride of testicular cancer. Life often takes many twists and turns, but our LOVE and Compassion for each other I'd what makes life worth living.
I too have had a right radical orchiectomy. And also diagnosed with a seminoma germ cell tumor. This book took me on a ride that I'd forgotten. I wish I had a partner at the time of my cancer, however I did share with family and friends and their love and compassion was overwhelming. THANK YOU!! KATE AARON your story does great justice to the roller coaster ride of testicular cancer. Life often takes many twists and turns, but our LOVE and Compassion for each other I'd what makes life worth living.
September 15, 2023
What a lovely unusual story of learning that love is more than kisses, hot sex and playing house. This was about as brutal a wake up call for Owen and Mangus as anyone could hope to survive.
They became real people for me and I was routing for them all the way just like I would for live friends. I hope we'll see more of this lovely couple and all their devoted friends (yes, Owen they are!) soon.
They became real people for me and I was routing for them all the way just like I would for live friends. I hope we'll see more of this lovely couple and all their devoted friends (yes, Owen they are!) soon.
May 29, 2016
Reading through Owens cancer treatment was quite difficult.
I felt he was selfish with not telling his friends and family and thinking that Magnus would go through it without any support for him. Of course, the book had a happy ending and they got through the treatment and I guess we have to think they got married and lived happily ever after.
I enjoyed this series. I know book 3 focuses on a different MC so I am not sure if we will see Owen, MAgnus and co in any future books.
I felt he was selfish with not telling his friends and family and thinking that Magnus would go through it without any support for him. Of course, the book had a happy ending and they got through the treatment and I guess we have to think they got married and lived happily ever after.
I enjoyed this series. I know book 3 focuses on a different MC so I am not sure if we will see Owen, MAgnus and co in any future books.
June 20, 2015
This book made me FEEL. It was so beautifully written, especially the very tender moments between Owen and Magnus. Definitely one of the best books I've read all year.
April 10, 2018
3 stars..
Okay, so this read a little like someone’s journey with cancer. It was meticulously detailed with the treatments and stuff. I personally don’t have anyone in my life with cancer. So this was quite eye opening.
On a plot line front, it was rather bland. Owen was a little too whiny and obstinate. Magnus really is a saint for being able to not only put up with Owen’s tantrums and insane expectations. But also for being so patient and understanding! I think I’d have hit Owen upside the head multiple times at his first doctor’s appointment 🙄
Other than Owen’s rather selfish self, I think the story was pretty good. I enjoyed the journey, even if it wasn’t really romance heavy.
Okay, so this read a little like someone’s journey with cancer. It was meticulously detailed with the treatments and stuff. I personally don’t have anyone in my life with cancer. So this was quite eye opening.
On a plot line front, it was rather bland. Owen was a little too whiny and obstinate. Magnus really is a saint for being able to not only put up with Owen’s tantrums and insane expectations. But also for being so patient and understanding! I think I’d have hit Owen upside the head multiple times at his first doctor’s appointment 🙄
Other than Owen’s rather selfish self, I think the story was pretty good. I enjoyed the journey, even if it wasn’t really romance heavy.
June 11, 2015
I'm still so wrapped up in feeling things from this book that I know I won't be able to find the words to do it justice. I also don't think I've put anything below that isn't in the blurb or content warnings, so I'm not putting it under a spoiler cut; if I'm wrong about that I hope someone lets me know so I can add one.
We met (and fell in love with) Owen and Magnus in Blowing It, and their relationship is going very well (if a bit busy) when Owen discovers a lump on his testicle. While some of us would would be on the phone to our doctor the moment they opened for an immediate appointment others of us would stick our heads in the sand and convince ourselves that it was nothing; Owen is firmly in the second camp and waits, and denies, and deflects, and... anyway, when he does finally see the doctor the news isn't great, and he finds himself facing the dreaded "C" word. Kate Aaron takes us along on his journey through surgery, chemotherapy, increasingly awful side-effects, hope and hopelessness, fear, and determination. Nothing is sugar-coated or glossed over. And Magnus. That wonderful, caring, supportive man - there is nothing he wouldn't do to help Owen, and he's right alongside him every step of the way.
For some "In sickness and in health" is merely a line in a ceremony many simply repeat by rote without thinking about what it actually means. Though they aren't married and have never repeated that line to one another as part of a ceremony, Owen and Magnus have lived it and know exactly what it means.
For all of that there is also a lot of fun and joy - holidays and holiday parties (seriously - parties in the UK appear to have games way more fun than American parties), hanging out with friends, making future plans, moving forward with their relationship, and just living (and enjoying) life.
Balls Up is not an easy book. It's real and raw and, at times, gut-wrenching. It's also amazing and wonderful and will absolutely draw you in and make you feel.
We met (and fell in love with) Owen and Magnus in Blowing It, and their relationship is going very well (if a bit busy) when Owen discovers a lump on his testicle. While some of us would would be on the phone to our doctor the moment they opened for an immediate appointment others of us would stick our heads in the sand and convince ourselves that it was nothing; Owen is firmly in the second camp and waits, and denies, and deflects, and... anyway, when he does finally see the doctor the news isn't great, and he finds himself facing the dreaded "C" word. Kate Aaron takes us along on his journey through surgery, chemotherapy, increasingly awful side-effects, hope and hopelessness, fear, and determination. Nothing is sugar-coated or glossed over. And Magnus. That wonderful, caring, supportive man - there is nothing he wouldn't do to help Owen, and he's right alongside him every step of the way.
For some "In sickness and in health" is merely a line in a ceremony many simply repeat by rote without thinking about what it actually means. Though they aren't married and have never repeated that line to one another as part of a ceremony, Owen and Magnus have lived it and know exactly what it means.
For all of that there is also a lot of fun and joy - holidays and holiday parties (seriously - parties in the UK appear to have games way more fun than American parties), hanging out with friends, making future plans, moving forward with their relationship, and just living (and enjoying) life.
Balls Up is not an easy book. It's real and raw and, at times, gut-wrenching. It's also amazing and wonderful and will absolutely draw you in and make you feel.
April 18, 2016
Balls Up is more than a romance, it’s the diary of a cancer patient and his caretaker. Yes, they are a couple, but as the disease progresses, we get to understand the challenges their love faced and how they managed to make it flourish during their darkest time together.
I read this story as a stand-alone but in reality, it is book #2 in the Bring It series. This is not the type of story I usually read, but I’m glad I did. Unless you want to know how Owen and Magnus got together and read more about the secondary characters, there’s no need to read the previous book to enjoy this installment.
Owen’s cancer is the central plot of the story, everything else is secondary. It is a hard book to read. It feels real, and it takes the reader, step by step, through the complete process– from diagnosis to resolution. We live the ups and downs with Owen and take part of his fears, hopes, and treatment.
There are happy moments mixed within the story. Great secondary characters, and perfect scenarios for the events to take place. The pacing flows well, getting us through the hard moments with a little hope to look forward. Owen’s and Magnus’s relationship is the perfect example of a caring love.
Complete review available at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
I read this story as a stand-alone but in reality, it is book #2 in the Bring It series. This is not the type of story I usually read, but I’m glad I did. Unless you want to know how Owen and Magnus got together and read more about the secondary characters, there’s no need to read the previous book to enjoy this installment.
Owen’s cancer is the central plot of the story, everything else is secondary. It is a hard book to read. It feels real, and it takes the reader, step by step, through the complete process– from diagnosis to resolution. We live the ups and downs with Owen and take part of his fears, hopes, and treatment.
There are happy moments mixed within the story. Great secondary characters, and perfect scenarios for the events to take place. The pacing flows well, getting us through the hard moments with a little hope to look forward. Owen’s and Magnus’s relationship is the perfect example of a caring love.
Complete review available at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2016
This book comes highly recommended.
It's a fantastically honest book, written in a very real and raw style that had me gripped from the first page. A great book to raise awareness and a wonderful read. I love it!
I read it twice in less then three weeks because I couldn't stop thinking about Owen and Magnus. Such wonderful characters. I can't express how much I loved it without spoiling anything, so I'll just say that I absolutely adore this book, can't wait for the third book (which comes out in september) and I'd recommend you to read it!
It's a fantastically honest book, written in a very real and raw style that had me gripped from the first page. A great book to raise awareness and a wonderful read. I love it!
I read it twice in less then three weeks because I couldn't stop thinking about Owen and Magnus. Such wonderful characters. I can't express how much I loved it without spoiling anything, so I'll just say that I absolutely adore this book, can't wait for the third book (which comes out in september) and I'd recommend you to read it!
December 16, 2015
Emotional and painfully good ride. I was on the verge of tears for so much of this book, and even when I wanted to shake Owen, I felt for him.
The Content Warnings are not to be ignored. This isn't so much a relationship story as it is the story of one partner supporting another through one of the hardest parts of life: scary awful illness.
The Content Warnings are not to be ignored. This isn't so much a relationship story as it is the story of one partner supporting another through one of the hardest parts of life: scary awful illness.
February 14, 2019
5*****Star
Book: Balls Up Bk #2
Series: Blowing It
Author: Kate Aaron
Publisher: Croft House
Rated: Mature
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 381
Release: June 6, 2015
CONTENT WARNING: Cancer, hospitals, chemotherapy, backless gowns, hideous scrotal supports, and the complete loss of human dignity from being shaved by a nurse named Alan.
After reading Blowing it I was soooo happy there was a sequel. I loved Owen and his sexy side and adored Magnus and Owen together. I had expected their relationship would grow….We’d have more fun with their friends and their possibly could be a wedding with all the fiixins. I DIDN’T READ THE BLURB……
Kate Aaron has written a story we all cower from….The C Word. I realize I have an issue losing my mother to cancer at 22, so I really wasn’t sure I could read this over 350 page book…..
Kudos Ms Aaron, your telling of this thru the eyes of Owen, were one of the best I have ever read. The finding, the hiding, the not acknowledging the verdict, the treatment were tenderly worded. But Owen would not be underdone….He is feisty, angry, and scared, and we travel the road of a survivor.
Magnus is the keeper, being strong, yet slowly the illness takes its toll on his soul as well. Thru his suffering, Owen lashes out in fear and anger and bitchiness and shame and Magnus carries the mantle until he almost succumbs. Before it is too late,
Owen finally sees what they are becoming and as we go thru the worst , we realize these two belong together forever…and they find they agree…..
Wonderful story!!!!.
Book: Balls Up Bk #2
Series: Blowing It
Author: Kate Aaron
Publisher: Croft House
Rated: Mature
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 381
Release: June 6, 2015
CONTENT WARNING: Cancer, hospitals, chemotherapy, backless gowns, hideous scrotal supports, and the complete loss of human dignity from being shaved by a nurse named Alan.
After reading Blowing it I was soooo happy there was a sequel. I loved Owen and his sexy side and adored Magnus and Owen together. I had expected their relationship would grow….We’d have more fun with their friends and their possibly could be a wedding with all the fiixins. I DIDN’T READ THE BLURB……
Kate Aaron has written a story we all cower from….The C Word. I realize I have an issue losing my mother to cancer at 22, so I really wasn’t sure I could read this over 350 page book…..
Kudos Ms Aaron, your telling of this thru the eyes of Owen, were one of the best I have ever read. The finding, the hiding, the not acknowledging the verdict, the treatment were tenderly worded. But Owen would not be underdone….He is feisty, angry, and scared, and we travel the road of a survivor.
Magnus is the keeper, being strong, yet slowly the illness takes its toll on his soul as well. Thru his suffering, Owen lashes out in fear and anger and bitchiness and shame and Magnus carries the mantle until he almost succumbs. Before it is too late,
Owen finally sees what they are becoming and as we go thru the worst , we realize these two belong together forever…and they find they agree…..
Wonderful story!!!!.
June 8, 2017
Magnus and Owen are nicely settling into their relationship when Owen discovers a lump on one of his testicles. He ignores it for several months until Magnus also finds it. More time passes until finally Magnus convinces Owen to have it checked out. Thus begins a six month journey with scans, surgery to remove, chemo and radiation. This story is as realistic as possible detailling the many reactions to the chemicals that are used in treatment. Through it all Owen refuses to tell anyone including his closest friend and his parents, not wanting to be the object of others pity. Their relationships survives the many trials, including Magnus losing his job for calling in sick repeatedly and the story culminates with a proposal. A read that has been non stop for the last two days.
May 15, 2018
A totally unflinching look at a dreadful disease.
That being said, this is a wonderful book. It was told with humor and realism. Owen and Magnus' love for each other makes this story truly special.
Nothing is glossed over, not the fear, the denial, the tears, Magnus' loss of a job, the indignity of Owen having to have his lover care for him in intimate ways because of this devastating, horrible disease. Owen and Magnus face all their fears together in a powerful loving relationship.
It was beautiful. And inspiring.
Kate Aaron is a special author.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💟
That being said, this is a wonderful book. It was told with humor and realism. Owen and Magnus' love for each other makes this story truly special.
Nothing is glossed over, not the fear, the denial, the tears, Magnus' loss of a job, the indignity of Owen having to have his lover care for him in intimate ways because of this devastating, horrible disease. Owen and Magnus face all their fears together in a powerful loving relationship.
It was beautiful. And inspiring.
Kate Aaron is a special author.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💟
January 9, 2019
Well Done!
This book was so wonderfully written! It could have been a sad angst filled book but the author made it anything but. There were sad parts but the love was so beautiful and the characters so endearing that it made it worthwhile! You will need tissue as the book is about a couple dealing with a major illness...but the hea is guaranteed!
This book was so wonderfully written! It could have been a sad angst filled book but the author made it anything but. There were sad parts but the love was so beautiful and the characters so endearing that it made it worthwhile! You will need tissue as the book is about a couple dealing with a major illness...but the hea is guaranteed!
December 29, 2017
This was very much a tearjerker and probably my favorite in the series. I hated how Owen kept everything hidden. His denial is absolutely torture for the people who love him and made me hate him a little bit in this story, because POOR MAGNUS.
April 17, 2018
I wish I enjoyed this more, but I did enjoy it. I got frustrated with Owen's reluctance to be open with the people in his life. But I did like how real and messy and painful his journey and battle felt. I wish we couldn't gotten some POV from Magnus.
February 1, 2019
Wonderful follow up to Blowing It, would live more of these 2!
January 4, 2020
This was so good! Hard journey for Owen and Magnus but really well done.
December 1, 2015
Difficult but important
My suspicion is that only people who have dealt with cancer will read this and that is a shame. But we are an important audience also. I suppose the tears never really end. The words "rare and aggressive" will haunt me the rest of my life. My husband has been dead almost two years now. Sometimes none of the treatments work and can nearly kill in themselves. And for some cancers early detection and treatment can save a life. Even specialists make mistakes and miss things. Owen was stupid from the discovery and sticking his head in the sand to his failure to educate himself and surround himself with the best support group possible. If or when you find yourself hearing the c word or HIV, or any other scary one, don't be an Owen.
My suspicion is that only people who have dealt with cancer will read this and that is a shame. But we are an important audience also. I suppose the tears never really end. The words "rare and aggressive" will haunt me the rest of my life. My husband has been dead almost two years now. Sometimes none of the treatments work and can nearly kill in themselves. And for some cancers early detection and treatment can save a life. Even specialists make mistakes and miss things. Owen was stupid from the discovery and sticking his head in the sand to his failure to educate himself and surround himself with the best support group possible. If or when you find yourself hearing the c word or HIV, or any other scary one, don't be an Owen.
June 13, 2015
Congratulations Kate on writing this wonderful story of such a difficult time in the relationship between Owen and Magnus. The journey Owen and Magnus take dealing with Owen's diagnosis of testicular cancer is written with humour and sensitivity that I was drawn into it and so happy they got their HEA. This book really does make you think and has made me more aware of this cancer.
I came to love these characters, along with Ryan & Sameer, in Blowing It and love them even more now. I hope their story continues but if not I will have be content with re-reading them.
I came to love these characters, along with Ryan & Sameer, in Blowing It and love them even more now. I hope their story continues but if not I will have be content with re-reading them.
March 31, 2016
This continuation of Magnus and Owen's story was heavier than the first book, although Kate Aaron managed to sprinkle some light moments throughout. Despite all the horrific things Owen endured for his cancer treatment, the story was heartwarming. Magnus was amazingly steadfast and sacrificed so much to take care of Owen. It also made me greatly admire anyone who has had to undergo cancer treatments.
For me, this quote represents the story well: "It had been ten months since I'd first discovered the lump, ten months of misery and pain and fear, but underneath all that, colouring everything, I'd experienced ten months of the purest, most unconditional love I'd ever known."
For me, this quote represents the story well: "It had been ten months since I'd first discovered the lump, ten months of misery and pain and fear, but underneath all that, colouring everything, I'd experienced ten months of the purest, most unconditional love I'd ever known."
March 29, 2016
Wow! Book hangover
I read this book in one sitting,. I just couldn't put it down. I feel like I know the characters personally, and am sad the book is over. The portrayal of cancer and it's treatment, and how it can affect those diagnosed, as well as, their caregivers was spot on. I cried sad and happy tears. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one surpassed it tenfold. I never write reviews because I usually don't know where to start, but after finishing this book I felt compelled to share my thoughts. This is a must read.
I read this book in one sitting,. I just couldn't put it down. I feel like I know the characters personally, and am sad the book is over. The portrayal of cancer and it's treatment, and how it can affect those diagnosed, as well as, their caregivers was spot on. I cried sad and happy tears. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one surpassed it tenfold. I never write reviews because I usually don't know where to start, but after finishing this book I felt compelled to share my thoughts. This is a must read.
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