Love on the Pitch

Love on... #4

by Neil S. Plakcy

Warren Updegrove’s best “friend with benefits” is Thom Lodge, a geeky grad student who tutored him in math when he was a struggling undergrad on the football team. After playing in the NFL for a year, Warren is released from the team and returns to South Florida, where he drinks too much and loses his pro conditioning. When he meets former Olympian Victor Ragazzo and joins Victor’s gay rugby team, he falls hard.

But will Victor’s baggage bring down their budding relationship? Will Thom ever step off the sidelines and declare his love for Warren--or watch his BFF ruin his life with a jerk?

Genres: LGBT

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2015

About the author

I have been a voracious reader all my life, mostly in mystery, romance, and science fiction/fantasy, though a college degree in English did push a lot of literary works into my list of favorites.

Quick note: sign up for my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com to get free prologues, epilogues and short stories.

I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment with A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn't know I was gay then, but I knew I was longing for an emotional connection with a best friend. That desire shows up across my writing, from romance to mystery to adventure. I am lucky to have found my special person, and I want to inspire readers to make those connections, to one person or a found family.

It took getting an MFA in creative writing to kick-start my career. That's where I honed my technical skills and began to understand what kind of storyteller I am.

I remember reading Freddie the Detective about a very smart pig inspired by Sherlock Holmes. I’ve always believed that dogs make the best detectives. They notice what humans miss — a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief inspired my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps his human, Steve Levitan, nose out the truth.

My passion is telling stories where community, loyalty, and sometimes love solve problems just as much as clues do. Whether it’s a cozy mystery in Bucks County, a thriller on the streets of Miami, or a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun, I want readers to feel the heartbeat of the place and the people.

I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up, and now I want to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, and maybe a laugh.

When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my own goldens, teaching writing, or daydreaming about my next story.
Since then I've written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and enjoyed the support of readers.

Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work — from a café where dogs guide healing, to a fraternity house in South Beach, to a police unit in Honolulu.

My goal is simple: to write stories that feel grounded in real people and real places, but with enough twists, romance, or danger to keep you turning pages late into the night.

I hope you'll visit my website, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter, and also follow my author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.

Reviews

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love on the Pitch
By Neil Plakcy
Published by the author, 2017
Four stars

There is something so comfortable and comforting in Neil Plakcy’s plain-spoken prose. His voice is distinct across all of his books, but in the “Love on…” series it is especially clear. His characters say things and do things. They ask themselves questions about their actions and motives. There is something real about his men.

Warren Updegrove is a one-year NFL player, consigned to obscurity and a job he only half likes as a personal trainer in Kendall, Florida. He is a complicated gay man of the sort I have never personally liked – the jock who disdains other gay men. But of course there is his evangelistic Christian background and loads of internalized shame and loathing. Somehow, Plakcy makes him sympathetic, and not because he’s well-endowed (which, wonderfully, is something of a sore spot for Warren as well, since he hates being admired solely for his general bigness in all areas).

Warren is sympathetic because of his longtime friend-with-benefits, Thom. Like some character from a YA novel in Warren’s past, Thom is a math geek who tutored the dumb jock in college, discovering not only that he was not in fact stupid, but was also gay (and closeted).

It is this pair that sets up and moves the plot through its simple, logical paces, as Warren tries to find some outlet for his athletic energies with a gay rugby team being formed by a muscular home inspection expert named Victor.

In this series particularly, Plakcy indulges in the sort of casual sex that is not unknown to younger men of all orientations. Atypically for books like this (but typically for Plakcy), the physical intimacy makes a point in every instance, pushing the plot forward and providing the reader with increasing understanding of the characters, their actions and their motives (see paragraph one of this review).

Altogether, it is elegant in its straightforward way, and it just feels real. This is Warren’s journey toward becoming his best self – less angry, less ashamed, less disappointed, more aware of what his real feelings are. It is weirdly touching to see him take this journey. Warren is not a dumb jock with a heart of gold, he is a good gay man trapped in a stereotype thrust upon him by circumstance.

Plakcy is a constant reminder that even the simplest romantic formula can pack a gentle punch that lingers long after the last page.

[Erica Chilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

3 stars.
5 stars for all of the cast but Victor.

Love On the Pitch was a quick, enjoyable read narrated by a clueless, lovable jock. I read the book from page one until the end in one sitting in a few short hours. I was entertained, finding the pacing swift, the characters engaging, the between-the-sheets action hot for the most part, and the storyline more than slightly frustrating.

Warren is a bit down on himself after not meeting his lifetime goal. While he did make it into the NFL, he didn't succeed in being anything but a bench warmer for an entire season before he was removed from the team. Lost, he goes back to his center- his best friend with benefits, where he tries to find a slice of life to call his own.

Always being on a football team, Warren was missing that connection he'd only feel being a part of something greater. In walks Victor, a man offering the chance to play Rugby. He meets a teammate who is in need of a dedicated employee, which is another opportunity to be apart of another team.

Warren, Thom, and the entire side cast of characters were fun, quirky, and a joy to read. Even the oddball clients at the gym were developed. However, Victor was the blankest, most apathetic character. The ex had more passion and drive than Victor did (I'd read this man in a heartbeat). I'm not stating this because of a bias- Erica loves Thom more than Victor. Victor is a housing inspector, a rugby player, and an ex-luge runner. That's all I know of him, which means that's all Warren knows of him too. Yet I knew why Warren's female client was exercising, and about the time she spent with her son, but nothing of the love interest. At least I knew how many languages Warren's boss spoke- & he was a pretty cool character too. I knew too much about sports equipment by the end of the novel, but nothing of Victor's interests.

I enjoyed being inside Warren's head, but some things just didn't add up. The entire book is written to create an unlikely triangle. Warren, his BFF with benefits- Thom- and Victor. Through the narrator, the author tells us how much chemistry Warren has with Victor, but it's not written on the pages. Warren is stuck on how hot they are together, when Victor was nothing but apathetic the entire time. Just going through the motions, and I wasn't sure why Victor was doing it at all, to be honest.

Yes, they have sexy time. The 2nd time, Victor says how he doesn't want to rush and how he's going to take all night... 5 minutes later Warren is leaving. I felt nothing but apathy between the pair, so that ruined the triangle of the story for me. Warren would literally only get a single text from Victor a week, but would think about how he's falling in love with the man. Falling in love with what exactly? You have to know the person to find something to love in them. What conversations? "You still coming to practice on Saturday?" repeat weekly.

In the quest to build a triangle, forcing the readers to want one love interest over the other, it was to the point I didn't trust Warren's intelligence.

I know I sound nitpicky, and I wish I didn't, because most of Love on the Pitch was beyond entertaining. As I said, I loved Warren for the most part. But as a reader, I need to respect the narrator, and it was to the point I wasn't able to do so because of how the storyline was written. Basically, I felt like the true lovers were shortchanged- the evolution of their love was overshadowed by a third party who didn't want to be there himself. I was good with the Frat doggie pile, so it's not a monogamy issue with me. I wish there was some resolution too, maybe an epilogue showing the couple together and some aftermath of the breakup with the other. But the book just... ends.

Do I recommend this book and series: Yes, my problem with Victor aside, it was an engaging, entertaining read. MM romance readers will lap this book up like cream.

Would I read more by this author: Yes. I hope the third of the triangle gets the next book in the series.

[Ruthie Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads ~~

This is a good book, which combines a number of interesting strands to give the reader plenty to think about. It was rather fun to have a somewhat clueless lead in Warren, and I have a feeling that his behaviour and thoughts were much more likely to be real than many of the jocks we read about in sports romances, whether straight or gay. It did an excellent job of getting us into his head, and his heart - I just wanted him to listen to my advice ... but he got there in the end!

Pretty much all the characters added something to the story, with the exception of Victor. He was just a car wreck of a character, and whilst I am sure he was meant to be, he could have added more to the what should Warren do question, by being more of an option in the reader's mind. I think the randomness of the types of encounter and the constant horniness were more realistic than many books too, and were both hot and somehow cute because of that. The whole business side of things was well written and I am guessing there will be many of us who are itching to find such a fun, unstructured, yet successful organisation to employ us.

If you want to read a sports romance with a difference, this is where you should start.

[Ay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Placky is growing on me as an author.

I loved the story of the relationships the MC has. Placky does the thing where the reader knows what's going on while the characters are still being clueless, and the reader wants to yell at them.

Again, I enjoyed reading about the characters' jobs.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Bit Much

Not my favorite Plakcy effort. I felt sorry for Warren because he is so dumb about so many things because he was so wound up in football and hiding his sexual preferences for so long that he became a stunted personality. He had all the potential to become sympathetic, but his almost obsessive attention to sex and his sexual prowess and status made him seem selfish. He also had no clue about assessing the intentions of others--none at all, not of new acquaintances and lovers, his rugby team mates, and most of all his best friend Tom.

This is Warren's story, but it could very well have been Tom's if the focus came from his POV. You now what's happening pages and pages before Warren figures it out, and it sort of stresses credibility when Tom reveals the secret of the plot at the end. By then you have already figured it out, but at least Plakcy delivers it in a brilliant monologue by Tom to soothe your way to the end.

[Blackmermaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being let go from the NFL, Warren doesn't know what to do with his life. His only friend is Thom, who's also his friend with benefits. He finds a new direction at a party Thom convinces him to go to when he meets Victor. Victor's putting together a rugby team and he wants Warren to join. At first, Warren doesn't want to, but he changes his mind after watching a few games on his laptop. He ends up spending time with Victor and the two start seeing each other, so he ends his friends with benefits relationship with Thom.
This one is similar to Love on the Web because you don't know who Warren is going to end up with. I knew who I wanted him to end up with, but I wish we could have had an epilogue or at least another chapter after they get together.