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Not Safe For Work
It’s Jakob’s birthday, and boy is he getting a surprise. His friend Leo has written a sexy blog about the two of them -- all untrue, of course. Or is it? Identity hijacked, fake love life laid out for the world to see, Jakob is devastated. He should deny it all, but he can't stop reading. Soon, he'll have to confront Leo, but he's afraid -- can there be a tiny grain of truth in those stories?
- GenresM M RomanceLGBT
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2015
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Ingela Bohm
18 books19 followersIngela Bohm lives in an old cinema, tucked away in a northern Swedish forest where she can wander around all day long and dictate her books. She used to dream of being an actor until an actual actor asked, “Do you really need to do it?” That’s when she realized that the only thing she really needed to do was to write. She has since pretended to be a dietician, a teacher, a receptionist and a cook, but only to conceal her real identity.
Her first imaginary friend was called Grabolina and lived in her closet. Nowadays she has too many imaginary friends to count, but at least some of them are out of the closet. Her men may not be conventionally handsome, but they can charm your pants off, and that’s all that matters.
Ingela’s more useless talents include reading tarot cards, killing pot plants and drawing scandalous pictures that no one gets to see. She can’t walk in heels and she’s stopped trying, but she has cycled 12 000 miles in the UK and knows which campsites to avoid if you don’t like spiders. If you see her on the train you will wonder what age she is.
Her first imaginary friend was called Grabolina and lived in her closet. Nowadays she has too many imaginary friends to count, but at least some of them are out of the closet. Her men may not be conventionally handsome, but they can charm your pants off, and that’s all that matters.
Ingela’s more useless talents include reading tarot cards, killing pot plants and drawing scandalous pictures that no one gets to see. She can’t walk in heels and she’s stopped trying, but she has cycled 12 000 miles in the UK and knows which campsites to avoid if you don’t like spiders. If you see her on the train you will wonder what age she is.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 18, 2015
ARC provided by the publisher through Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words in exchange for an impartial review.
Jakob is turning 34 and his best friend, Leo, isn't there to help him celebrate. He's gone to a software conference in London to unveil his revolutionary new software. This program gathers info from a PC and calculates the truth, filing in the blanks so a person doesn’t have to do more than give it the basics, and it will compose the rest of a thesis, story, or other document for the user.
Jakob is close to finishing his own work on his dissertation for his PhD. His doctoral thesis is on the slash fiction phenomenon from a linguistic perspective. But that isn't foremost in his mind on his birthday—he has other priorities to focus on, especially when he receives an odd text message from Leo which leads him to start reading an unbelievable NSFW story penned by him to Leo! It’s on both Tumblr and Facebook and is quickly being picked up and reposted by users all over the world. The story is erotic and apparently establishes him and Leo as a couple, something that will be a shock to all of their friends and acquaintances who believe them both to be straight. Wait! They are straight. Or aren’t they?
The explosion of stories, which now have gone viral on multiple social media sites, causes Jakob to doubt his own reality. And, to top off the worst birthday ever, it looks like his advisor, a well-known professor who pioneered research on the slash fiction phenomena, has also seen the stories. The biggest problem is the writing style is Jakob’s, and when confronted, he finds it impossible to deny that the stories are completely untrue because of a tiny grain of truth in each. But the professor offers Jakob an exclusive research deal which would allow Jakob to go to London and confront Leo whom Jakob thinks is really behind the whole mess.
In the meantime, Leo, who truly loves Jakob but knows his love is unrequited, has no idea of the scope of the media explosion. Or so he says. When the two finally meet and compare notes, It seems unbelievable that anyone could have possibly have had enough knowledge about them to write these stories, all of which seem to be based on true events, but with distorted facts.
While in London with Leo, Jakob gives in to his underlying sexual desires, desires that he only recently came to realize, and despite Jakob’s supposed heterosexual identity, they have sex. Unfortunately, when it’s done, instead of remaining behind with Leo, Jakob says something stupid and hurtful and then leaves after completely breaking Leo’s heart.
The story is quite brilliantly executed. The author took reality and stretched it and then twisted it, smoothed it out, and stretched it again to the point where I thought I might never be able to figure out which end was up, but she came through in the end and provided a plausible explanation for the whole mess. But did the guys really get together, or was it a dream? And do they have a HEA, or is it in the reader’s imagination?
This is an absolutely unique plot. Be sure to have fully functioning brain cells before you start to read this story because you are going to need them. I love the twist on RPS— real person slash fiction—a phenomena created by this generation. Instead of telling the story from the perspective of the fans or authors of the fiction, this story is about the characters, the real life men who are affected by the social media explosion as their love story becomes viral. The more it’s denied, the more it appears to be true. Of course, the author does throw in a few dream sequences just to keep readers on their toes. So, as I said, be sure you are fully functional before you start this one.
I highly recommend this to those who enjoy something completely different. Toss in some GFY and some first time virginal scenes, and you’ve got the recipe for a story you won’t be able to put down.
Jakob is turning 34 and his best friend, Leo, isn't there to help him celebrate. He's gone to a software conference in London to unveil his revolutionary new software. This program gathers info from a PC and calculates the truth, filing in the blanks so a person doesn’t have to do more than give it the basics, and it will compose the rest of a thesis, story, or other document for the user.
Jakob is close to finishing his own work on his dissertation for his PhD. His doctoral thesis is on the slash fiction phenomenon from a linguistic perspective. But that isn't foremost in his mind on his birthday—he has other priorities to focus on, especially when he receives an odd text message from Leo which leads him to start reading an unbelievable NSFW story penned by him to Leo! It’s on both Tumblr and Facebook and is quickly being picked up and reposted by users all over the world. The story is erotic and apparently establishes him and Leo as a couple, something that will be a shock to all of their friends and acquaintances who believe them both to be straight. Wait! They are straight. Or aren’t they?
The explosion of stories, which now have gone viral on multiple social media sites, causes Jakob to doubt his own reality. And, to top off the worst birthday ever, it looks like his advisor, a well-known professor who pioneered research on the slash fiction phenomena, has also seen the stories. The biggest problem is the writing style is Jakob’s, and when confronted, he finds it impossible to deny that the stories are completely untrue because of a tiny grain of truth in each. But the professor offers Jakob an exclusive research deal which would allow Jakob to go to London and confront Leo whom Jakob thinks is really behind the whole mess.
In the meantime, Leo, who truly loves Jakob but knows his love is unrequited, has no idea of the scope of the media explosion. Or so he says. When the two finally meet and compare notes, It seems unbelievable that anyone could have possibly have had enough knowledge about them to write these stories, all of which seem to be based on true events, but with distorted facts.
While in London with Leo, Jakob gives in to his underlying sexual desires, desires that he only recently came to realize, and despite Jakob’s supposed heterosexual identity, they have sex. Unfortunately, when it’s done, instead of remaining behind with Leo, Jakob says something stupid and hurtful and then leaves after completely breaking Leo’s heart.
The story is quite brilliantly executed. The author took reality and stretched it and then twisted it, smoothed it out, and stretched it again to the point where I thought I might never be able to figure out which end was up, but she came through in the end and provided a plausible explanation for the whole mess. But did the guys really get together, or was it a dream? And do they have a HEA, or is it in the reader’s imagination?
This is an absolutely unique plot. Be sure to have fully functioning brain cells before you start to read this story because you are going to need them. I love the twist on RPS— real person slash fiction—a phenomena created by this generation. Instead of telling the story from the perspective of the fans or authors of the fiction, this story is about the characters, the real life men who are affected by the social media explosion as their love story becomes viral. The more it’s denied, the more it appears to be true. Of course, the author does throw in a few dream sequences just to keep readers on their toes. So, as I said, be sure you are fully functional before you start this one.
I highly recommend this to those who enjoy something completely different. Toss in some GFY and some first time virginal scenes, and you’ve got the recipe for a story you won’t be able to put down.
July 7, 2015
I am proud and honored to have been one of the people involved in beta-reading this book and I was absolutely amazed at the talent and attention for detail Ingela proves to master. I would not in a million years have been capable of writing something like this. It was obviously a painstakingly laborious task to put together such a plotline, tie it all up to make sense and trying not to lose the reader at the same time, but Ingela made it and she did it with flying colors.
The plot is amazing, not only in its complexity but also because of two absolutely adorable main characters who go though some life-altering psychological struggles only to surface with a new understanding of themselves and the world around them, but most importantly with having discovered their true feelings buried deep inside their psyches. Yes, you will find that this book is a bit of philosophical journey as well, something one wouldn't expect to find in a contemporary 'erotic', if you will, romance.
I was taken aback at first by its intricacy, but the idea Ingela brings to attention though this book is not only worth considering, but it's also so intriguing that it makes for very good fiction. All through reading it, I was overwhelmed with the need to know what was actually going on, who was the guilty party, how could those things happen, but, especially, was it all a game that someone was playing on the main characters? A big, fat joke? It really kept me on edge until the end, even though by then I knew who the 'culprit' was and I cheered for the Mcs to finally get together. Half of this book reads like a fantasy and you keep wondering: when is it going to turn into reality? As you can imagine, it makes for a very exciting reading experience. Hands down, Ingela is one of the best writers I've come across and I wish her all the best with her future projects.
The plot is amazing, not only in its complexity but also because of two absolutely adorable main characters who go though some life-altering psychological struggles only to surface with a new understanding of themselves and the world around them, but most importantly with having discovered their true feelings buried deep inside their psyches. Yes, you will find that this book is a bit of philosophical journey as well, something one wouldn't expect to find in a contemporary 'erotic', if you will, romance.
I was taken aback at first by its intricacy, but the idea Ingela brings to attention though this book is not only worth considering, but it's also so intriguing that it makes for very good fiction. All through reading it, I was overwhelmed with the need to know what was actually going on, who was the guilty party, how could those things happen, but, especially, was it all a game that someone was playing on the main characters? A big, fat joke? It really kept me on edge until the end, even though by then I knew who the 'culprit' was and I cheered for the Mcs to finally get together. Half of this book reads like a fantasy and you keep wondering: when is it going to turn into reality? As you can imagine, it makes for a very exciting reading experience. Hands down, Ingela is one of the best writers I've come across and I wish her all the best with her future projects.
July 10, 2015
3.5 stars
This was an interesting premise but the execution was a bit confusing for me. I get that the author was telling a story questioning what was real but it was too long and confusing for me to truly enjoy. For instance, there is a scene of the leads at a snowed in cabin and that must have had at least 10 different retellings of that one scene. It was a nicely erotic and emotionally intense scene but as a reader I didn't want to look at that scene through fun-house mirrors! Additionally, the first section from Jakob's POV was too long and got a bit boring; I was so ready for him to confront Leo, no matter the outcome. Having said my gripes though, it was a different feel than most gay romance while still being erotically and emotionally intense. Hence my rating of 3.5 stars.
This was an interesting premise but the execution was a bit confusing for me. I get that the author was telling a story questioning what was real but it was too long and confusing for me to truly enjoy. For instance, there is a scene of the leads at a snowed in cabin and that must have had at least 10 different retellings of that one scene. It was a nicely erotic and emotionally intense scene but as a reader I didn't want to look at that scene through fun-house mirrors! Additionally, the first section from Jakob's POV was too long and got a bit boring; I was so ready for him to confront Leo, no matter the outcome. Having said my gripes though, it was a different feel than most gay romance while still being erotically and emotionally intense. Hence my rating of 3.5 stars.
September 12, 2015
3 Heart Review by Roberta
So, I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. I think that mostly…I’m confused.
Jakob is turning 34 and his life is about to change. On the morning of his 34th birthday…he awakens to texts from his best friend, Leo and from there…this nightmare-ish suspense/mystery begins. On tumbler and well as facebook…his life is being played out in a way that doesn’t even seem real. It would seem that Leo has taken over his accounts and made up these stories based on some truth and yet…it’s slash or fanfic. Jakob is trying to figure out how and why this is happening to him and why his best friend won’t pick up when he calls only answers text messages. Jakob is trying to complete his PhD and this is causing him tons of problems on the work front as well as his own feelings.
Leo is caught up in this mess as well, however, his part is a bit more…underhanded. Leo is this computer whiz who has created this program Luvotar that is actually pretty damn amazing and yet…when it gets going…there’s nothing that can stop it from taking over and just…doing what it does. Leo is actually the one who has held long-standing feelings for Jakob that he’s never thought to act on and when all of this kind of blows up and out…he’s now pushed front and center in this weird situation. Leo isn’t described as the perfect specimen of male. He’s pale and a bit thick and yet…I really liked that about him. That he wasn’t perfect and yet…he’s perfect for Jakob.
I will say that I truly liked how they came about with the what is the truth and what some of the philosophical thoughts behind it. Now, I will say that I was lost for a bit when I first read this section but as I thought about it and the story unfolded…it started to make way more sense. It really was quite a thought provoking idea as well as a the results of this kind of stuff.
The premise of this story is really well thought out…however, the execution…just really made me confused. I was more lost than anything reading this story. I get where the author is trying to go to in this story, however, this story just seem so damn convoluted to me. I couldn’t find my way to like either of the characters. The jumping around made my head hurt. I really tried to get into the story but mostly I just wanted to see how this all ended. I was still confused as all get out as I wasn’t sure what the hell is real and what wasn’t.
I find that the more I’m removed from my reading of the story…how I still have questions that I’m sure were answered, yet probably not in a way that made sense for me. Who the hell was testing Jakob and what’s up with the pictures? There was just so much happening and not enough answers for me to really digest the story in its entirety.
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.
So, I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. I think that mostly…I’m confused.
Jakob is turning 34 and his life is about to change. On the morning of his 34th birthday…he awakens to texts from his best friend, Leo and from there…this nightmare-ish suspense/mystery begins. On tumbler and well as facebook…his life is being played out in a way that doesn’t even seem real. It would seem that Leo has taken over his accounts and made up these stories based on some truth and yet…it’s slash or fanfic. Jakob is trying to figure out how and why this is happening to him and why his best friend won’t pick up when he calls only answers text messages. Jakob is trying to complete his PhD and this is causing him tons of problems on the work front as well as his own feelings.
Leo is caught up in this mess as well, however, his part is a bit more…underhanded. Leo is this computer whiz who has created this program Luvotar that is actually pretty damn amazing and yet…when it gets going…there’s nothing that can stop it from taking over and just…doing what it does. Leo is actually the one who has held long-standing feelings for Jakob that he’s never thought to act on and when all of this kind of blows up and out…he’s now pushed front and center in this weird situation. Leo isn’t described as the perfect specimen of male. He’s pale and a bit thick and yet…I really liked that about him. That he wasn’t perfect and yet…he’s perfect for Jakob.
I will say that I truly liked how they came about with the what is the truth and what some of the philosophical thoughts behind it. Now, I will say that I was lost for a bit when I first read this section but as I thought about it and the story unfolded…it started to make way more sense. It really was quite a thought provoking idea as well as a the results of this kind of stuff.
The premise of this story is really well thought out…however, the execution…just really made me confused. I was more lost than anything reading this story. I get where the author is trying to go to in this story, however, this story just seem so damn convoluted to me. I couldn’t find my way to like either of the characters. The jumping around made my head hurt. I really tried to get into the story but mostly I just wanted to see how this all ended. I was still confused as all get out as I wasn’t sure what the hell is real and what wasn’t.
I find that the more I’m removed from my reading of the story…how I still have questions that I’m sure were answered, yet probably not in a way that made sense for me. Who the hell was testing Jakob and what’s up with the pictures? There was just so much happening and not enough answers for me to really digest the story in its entirety.
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.
July 27, 2015
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
Slash fiction (as defined by my source of Urban Dictionary), is “fanfiction depicting a sexual and/or romantic relationship…between two characters of the same gender.” That is what this book deals with in its entirety. This is also a story within a story.
The book delves heavily into what really is the truth and takes on some philosophical tones as Jakob discusses this very topic in class with a professor. The words are there, the video looks real, the stories are hot, there is a glimmer of truth to be seen because there was a kiss once upon a time, so it all must be absolute.
The first part of the story is devoted to Jakob. He’s a PhD candidate and wakes up to a virtual nightmare. Now the way in which Jakob found the first post seemed fairly random to me. He then walks into an existence where the entire world thinks that he is involved in a sexual relationship with his best friend and the stories are not only written in Jakob’s voice, but there is video attached. What’s a guy to do? Well, Jakob promptly freaks the f* out. When Leo won’t take his calls, Jakob has no choice but to confront him in person.
The next part goes to Leo’s POV. He is secretly in love with Jakob, but would he go this far? The kiss in question is an issue that is gone over many times from many perspectives. The same scene is shown many ways through many filters driving home the point of how easy it is to alter reality, especially when there is an audience waiting as words and photos and people can all be manipulated.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
Slash fiction (as defined by my source of Urban Dictionary), is “fanfiction depicting a sexual and/or romantic relationship…between two characters of the same gender.” That is what this book deals with in its entirety. This is also a story within a story.
The book delves heavily into what really is the truth and takes on some philosophical tones as Jakob discusses this very topic in class with a professor. The words are there, the video looks real, the stories are hot, there is a glimmer of truth to be seen because there was a kiss once upon a time, so it all must be absolute.
The first part of the story is devoted to Jakob. He’s a PhD candidate and wakes up to a virtual nightmare. Now the way in which Jakob found the first post seemed fairly random to me. He then walks into an existence where the entire world thinks that he is involved in a sexual relationship with his best friend and the stories are not only written in Jakob’s voice, but there is video attached. What’s a guy to do? Well, Jakob promptly freaks the f* out. When Leo won’t take his calls, Jakob has no choice but to confront him in person.
The next part goes to Leo’s POV. He is secretly in love with Jakob, but would he go this far? The kiss in question is an issue that is gone over many times from many perspectives. The same scene is shown many ways through many filters driving home the point of how easy it is to alter reality, especially when there is an audience waiting as words and photos and people can all be manipulated.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
September 5, 2015
This is the story of Jakob and Leo, best friends with a lot of common interests, but it is also more than that. It is also a sort of foray into the power of social media today. The book begins with Jakob’s birthday, when he gets a text from best friend, Leo, who is using his iPhone while on a trip to London. Thinking Leo’s text had some connection online, Jakob begins to search. Here is where you have to buy into a big coincidence, because Jakob finds the blog posts that begins it all while randomly searching for nsfw. The post catches his attention because it uses the name, Leo, and Jakob begins to read. The post, which declares love for Leo among other things, is written by…Jakob. But not. It’s on Tumblr and Facebook and it’s poised to go viral. Which it does.
I admit, there are times the story seems a little convoluted but it ends up making sense. The stories are written by “Jakob”, in Jakob’s style with details that you’d think only Jakob and Leo could know. So, obviously if Jakob isn’t behind this, Leo must be. Jakob’s professor gives him the opportunity to research this, especially as the stories keep coming and social media whips it all up into a frenzy.
When Jakob confronts Leo, things become heated (ala the stories, no?) except Jakob then acts like a cad and Leo gets hurt. Things are complicated and this doesn’t help. I’m not sure how to describe the story because in a way it’s ingenious and unique and in another it’s frustrating to follow. And the ending? Well, you will have to decide for yourself what to think of that.
I admit, there are times the story seems a little convoluted but it ends up making sense. The stories are written by “Jakob”, in Jakob’s style with details that you’d think only Jakob and Leo could know. So, obviously if Jakob isn’t behind this, Leo must be. Jakob’s professor gives him the opportunity to research this, especially as the stories keep coming and social media whips it all up into a frenzy.
When Jakob confronts Leo, things become heated (ala the stories, no?) except Jakob then acts like a cad and Leo gets hurt. Things are complicated and this doesn’t help. I’m not sure how to describe the story because in a way it’s ingenious and unique and in another it’s frustrating to follow. And the ending? Well, you will have to decide for yourself what to think of that.
August 2, 2015
Review also posted on http://www.wodfreview.com
OMG!!! ….I know, not really the right way to start a review but……OMG! THIS BOOK! I don’t even know where to start or what to say about it. I guess I’ll start with…. I LOVE THIS STORY! So much so that it’s now on my top 5 favorites list of m/m reads, as a matter of fact this one deserves to be on my top 5 list of all-time great reads!
Not Safe for Work is a very complicated story. One that I couldn’t put down and didn’t want to end. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before. This story is part fantasy, part mystery, part romance with some very erotic scenes. It’s so suspenseful it had me on the edge of my seat right up to the end. Someone is writing and blogging for all the world to see private moments of the MC’s lives but is it real or made up and if its real how do they know what they know?
Not only did Ingela Bohm do a fantastic job writing a story that made me think every step of the way but she also wrote some pretty amazing characters in Leo and Jakob. I felt their pain and their brief moments of euphoria and even though there were things about them that should have made it impossible for them to be together I so badly wanted these best friends to become lovers forever.
Bravo Ingela, for a job well done!
I highly recommend this amazing story.
August 29, 2016
Software turn lives into....
It's a story wrapped around another story to make one big story that has many connections. One little software in Jakob's computer will cause a lot and I mean a lot of turmoil for him but the catch is Leo made the software. Best friends for years, Leo has had girlfriends but he mostly is in love with Jakob for a while but the feeling isn't quite returned from Jakob. But secrets will come out and feelings that were buried deep will be exposed.
It was a intriguing story, under 300 pages bit it felt long winded to me and it really had one quick M/M scene and the rest was talking, heavy wishing and just inner fighting.
It's a story wrapped around another story to make one big story that has many connections. One little software in Jakob's computer will cause a lot and I mean a lot of turmoil for him but the catch is Leo made the software. Best friends for years, Leo has had girlfriends but he mostly is in love with Jakob for a while but the feeling isn't quite returned from Jakob. But secrets will come out and feelings that were buried deep will be exposed.
It was a intriguing story, under 300 pages bit it felt long winded to me and it really had one quick M/M scene and the rest was talking, heavy wishing and just inner fighting.
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