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Chet is hot, muscular and athletic. He’s in his final year of a four-year university and a phenomenal football career. He made MVP his first three years and set records in his last. He’s being pursued by recruiters from every team in the NFL and he knows the final pick will be up to him. Chet’s life of being popular and constantly sought after by women has made him overly confident and bordering on narcissistic. Chet is the man that every man wants to be…but he has a secret. His secret could threaten his entire career and when it finally comes out in an ugly way…his very life.
Kris has always been smaller and weaker than other boys. His Mom married Chet’s dad when he was ten and Chet twelve. Kris expected the same from Chet that he got from the other kids…bullying and abuse. Instead what he got was a protector. He and his brother were close and that didn’t change at all even after Kris came out as being gay. Working as a nurse has fulfilled his need to help people but he was beginning to have a need for something else lately and being a virgin didn’t stop his fantasies. The problem was his fantasies were about his step-brother and as wrong as he knew they were, he was powerless to stop them.
Chet and Kris will come to realize what’s important in life together and Kris will teach Chet a lesson that Chet helped him learn when they were still just kids: Be true to who you are.

ebook

Published August 24, 2016

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140 people want to read

About the author

Cole Bates

17 books20 followers
Other pen names for this author:
Jake Evans
Em Covax
Zoe Forrest

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5 stars
80 (25%)
4 stars
71 (22%)
3 stars
91 (28%)
2 stars
44 (13%)
1 star
32 (10%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,532 reviews322 followers
March 17, 2021
This was a short quick read that I liked but wanted more of. Chet is hot, muscular and athletic. He made MVP his first three years and set records in his last. He’s being pursued by recruiters from every team in the NFL and he knows the final pick will be up to him. Chet also has a secret he has been hooking up with male escorts. Chet is starting to fantasize about Kris during a threesome with two escorts. These two are step-brothers and if it comes out it could ruin his chances of making it in football. This book had some issues with errors and grammar editing. This was my first time reading this author. I am looking forward to reading more from him.
Profile Image for Don Bradshaw.
2,427 reviews106 followers
November 10, 2020
I enjoyed this short. I was kind of hoping for a different ending but that's just me. Mr. Bates could do wonders with this story if he were to expand it and use an editor to clean up the grammar problems. This is my first book by Bates but I'm very excited to try more of his writing.
2,364 reviews
April 1, 2020
2.5 stars

This one was not for me. It wasn’t the fact that it was a M/M romance. It was the fact that there was no romance at all. This was more of a story of Chet coming out and accepting himself, which was great and what I liked most about the story, than an actual romance. It wouldn’t bother me if it weren’t for the fact this was labeled a romance with no real romance.

I thought this was going to be a forbidden romance thing between stepbrothers where feelings had been building between them for years at a time, but denied what they were feeling because it was forbidden between them because they were step siblings. That was the story I was looking for. That was the story I wanted, instead all it was between Chet and Kenny was one sexual encounter between them that blew up Chet’s world and have him confront the truth about himself, but there were no romantic feelings between them. They didn’t fall in love. They weren’t in love with each other, which made it all the worse in my opinion. It was just sex and nothing more. I didn’t like that.

Before that encounter Chet engaged in escort sex, hiding what he was doing to be with men because he couldn’t accept he was gay and thought he couldn’t be gay because he was the super stud football player so engaged in some reckless behavior to get what he wanted while hiding it away.

I also didn’t care for the fact that there was a threesome in there because me personally I am turned off by threesome scenes especially in a romance. It just a hard limit with me in romance. So, to see that here especially when I was expecting was not a good thing and not a happy surprise. I even had to skim over that part because it just turned me off so much.

Another thing I didn’t care for Chet until the ver less chapter. I get he was ashamed of who he was and not accepting he was gay so he put on that jerk, jock persona, but I didn’t care for it and he just came off as a douche. I could sympathize what he was going through and get why he was tortured for most of the story, but I still didn’t like the guy.

I did like that he did finally come to accept himself in the end. I liked seeing his transformation. I liked that he grew up finally and realizing he had to be who he was and not fit into that stereotypical mold he was trying to fit in. It just made him miserable end. So, the story did have a pay off in the end, but not the one I expected or wanted.

This was no way a romance, which was what I was looking for. I haven’t read a lot of M/M romances, but I wanted to try one and this seemed like an interesting one with the whole forbidden step sibling format, which is a trope I do enjoy so I thought this would be a good way to get into a M/M romance, but it wasn’t anything the angsty, forbidden romance I was expecting in fact there was little romance whatsoever. To me it just felt like a misinterpretation of what it was. I think if it was labeled just as a story with two gay characters as they navigated their lives without the romance played up, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I think if it was even labeled just as erotica then I wouldn’t have expected any romantic elements and just it to be more of a smutty read than anything else that way I would have been prepared for what was to come, or I might have passed by it altogether because that wasn’t what I was looking for. I’m a little picky when it comes to my reading life. This one just wasn’t for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Furio.
824 reviews53 followers
July 9, 2017
It starts as a porn, and not a partucularly good one at that. Then, out of the blue, it develops a plot which might have been interesting in another context and then it goes to over the top drama with little sense.
This mess then is closed hurriedly with the author trying to convey the thought that casual sex is an addiction to be fighted like alcoholism.
No, thank you. No.
1,014 reviews5 followers
February 18, 2020
3.5 stars

nice read of two step brothers learning to move to the next level. one out but a virgin the other in the closet and on tract to stardom in sport that is not accepting but also on tract to self destruction.
and it happens and as expected they save each other.
Profile Image for Fran.
961 reviews10 followers
March 10, 2019
So normally I am not so scathing in my reviews but I have to say you can tell this is a freebie. There were lots of things about it that made me twitch and edit in my head.

So let us start there. The editing, well it had past and present tense mixed, it had words in the wrong places, in some cases, it had the word my instead of his or something else like that. I flinched every time this happened and it was so often I think I got whiplash, but it's short and I hate giving up on a book. Plus sometimes even if an author skips using an editor other than his or herself the characters and plot make up for it. Not this time.

Now the next thing wrong with it. Chet was the main character with Kenny being a close second. Chet is a worthless excuse for a human being for all but the last page or two of this story. There is quite literally nothing to like about him. Okay, he was built, he is a football player of course he is. Honestly, that's not enough to make up for the jerk he is (I say jerk only because harsher language means it is not okay for younger people who may read this review).

I understand the plot was meant to show you what hiding who you really are can do to you, how it makes you lose yourself. Even that was unbelievable though because when they were teens Chet told Kenny to just admit to being gay or he would never be happy, then he handles it even worse than his step brother...it made it so unbelievable putting plot hole after plot hole in the story.

Now let's talk about how it says gay stepbrother romance. This is short but a five-second screw in a hospital room does not make this a gay stepbrother romance. It would if they find a way to make it work but even after Chet says he wanted to do this for a long time its suddenly a quicky (when he's suffering from a torn hamstring of all things) and then a year later he's with one of his gay escorts and his brother is dating his teammate...what happened in that year? What did we miss? I mean how did they get over one another? How did they get over their supposed long time hidden attraction and move on?

Like I said lots of potholes and nothing else was great enough to make up for it. Not even Kenny who was the only decent character in the whole book.
701 reviews6 followers
February 28, 2017
Yeah no

I'm not quite sure what I read. When I download a romance, whether it be M/F or M/M, I want that, a romance. This book was a mess. First, the stepbrothers didn't wind up together. What? The point of a romance story is a HEA or a HFN for the main characters. Since the book's blurb talks about the forbidden longing of the stepbrothers, you'd think they'd end up together. But no, author brushes over that in a hasty epilogue in which brothers are with OTHER guys whom I, as the reader, had no connection to, and didn't care about. Talk about a waste of reading time. Finally, multiple grammatical errors even on a free makes this author a no-no for me in the future. I cannot recommend.
Profile Image for Ed Davis.
2,906 reviews99 followers
April 21, 2017
I was enjoying the story but it built up to a climax and just ended with an epilogue. Instead of jumping ahead a year I want to read about the main characters dealing with the mess they created.
Profile Image for Tai.
824 reviews4 followers
March 23, 2024
1.5 star. Tons and tons of spoilers!!!

Originally rated 2.25 with 3 stars on the Goodreads page, but after sleeping on it, I had to lower to 1.5 stars. I’m a sucker for stepbrother romances, but this one had so many issues. First off, the title is misleading. There’s one sentence of protecting in middle school.. and thats it. And the brothers are hardly ever together through most of the story, it’s more about Chet/ Tyler (and why don’t we know why Kenny calls him Ty sometimes?), anyways, the story is mostly about Chet being cocky and greedy and trying to get the most money for an NFL contract, and him being in denial about being gay and using an escort service to secretly have male hookups.

But the kicker for me was near the end when the steps have their sexual moment at the hospital. This was so incredibly unbelievable to me. We’re told several times how much Kenny loves his job, and also how he’s a virgin because he wants his first time to mean something, and he’s also really level headed. So it’s completely out of left field for him to 1) commit career suicide by having sex with a patient, 2) he’s really smart, he would’ve locked the door. And Chet also out of nowhere attacks Kenny’s face with his tongue??? Yeah, we know he thinks Kenny is hot, but he’s really smart too about protecting his public persona and then this? And then there’s the fact that the staff was specifically told not to let Becky or whatever the girlfriend’s name is to be let in to see Chet.

What got me the most was- why didn’t Chet and Kenny just deny that they had sex??? The gf didn’t have pictures. They could’ve easily been like, she’s trying to smear our reputation because she’s trying to get back to Chet for breaking up with her, and she’s mad that she dedicated years to the relationship to be an NFL wife. That would’ve made the most sense. It would’ve avoided all the public drama. So yeah, I was really disappointed with this story :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Daniel.
526 reviews4 followers
dnf
June 6, 2021
Not a fan

Didnt finish so not rating it. Closeted football jock being recruited the the NFL who is also an egotistical jerk? Treats the recruiter like crap. (Contract could be better based on how good he's supposed to be.) Cheats on gf that he treats like crap? Sorry, no. And how does he afford the expensive hotel where he has his hookups? College football players don't get a salary and his coach isn't paying since he doesn't even know.

I can have patience for someone who's struggling with his sexuality or afraid to be true to himself. That's not Chet. Internal monologue tells us Chet doesn't think he's gay. I'm sure he'll change plenty but this guy is too much of a jerk for me to deal with.
Profile Image for Jadine.
889 reviews
June 14, 2019
Ok this was hot but why did they have to have sex in the hospital!? While he was injured!? Why was Chet so afraid to come out, at least to his family! Especially since Kris came out already. I can see not wanting to come out to the world and fearing it will affect your career but it just seemed unwise to also hide it from your obviously understanding and caring family. Having random hookup sex through a service isn't going to be something that is going to stay hidden forever either. But then you decide to hook up with your stepbrother in a hospital room where anyone can walk in! and it happens to be your "girlfriend" who yes you are using as a beard.
Profile Image for Sasha.
261 reviews
August 8, 2021
Intense

Pretty good book. Chet was your typical jock trying to live in the spotlight while also living this double life. Kenny was his step brother who tried to help Chet and get him to see what he was doing was not ok. However, Chet got a rude awakening when his girlfriend caught him in an uncompromising position and ran with it. In the end Chet had to really come to terms with who he was and dig deep to find self love. Though it ended differently than I expected I'm still happy how it ended.
Profile Image for Leslie.
2,114 reviews25 followers
January 20, 2020
Gay football player has sex with step brother in hospital room.

This is one of those “douchy-jock-turns-his-life-around“ novels. To stereotypic step brothers, one a hot, jerky, Jock, the other a perfect twink with a big heart and lots of sass. I don’t actually fall in love, they just given in to lust.

Full of plot holes, inconsistencies, and in desperate need of proofreading… This novella is largely just a string of porn scenes.
Profile Image for Annemarie.
2,186 reviews16 followers
November 28, 2021
Chet is a football star, being courted by several NFL teams. Kenny is his gay stepbrother who is a nurse. Chet is using his girlfriend, Becky to hide the fact he's actually gay as well. He is afraid he will be judged and ostracized if he comes out. Eventually, Chet and Kenny share a moment, but Becky walks in on them and then tells the media. I liked the ending and even the twist.
Profile Image for sheri victor.
93 reviews
July 5, 2019
Great read. Fun, empowering and sexy.

Cole set a great scene and the characters were so real that it was easy to binge the book. It had everything needed to draw you in. Crisis, betrayal and steamy hot sex scenes. It was over way to fasy and left me wanting more. :)
1 review
August 4, 2019
It happen to me

Just relived the first time I had the joy of my brother taking me to bed and showing me the what you can do with another man. Would love to be with him again to drive those wonderful nights
Profile Image for Janis Guerrero.
227 reviews2 followers
August 19, 2019
Beaitifully Done!

Its always hard to stand up and be who you are when the world looks down on you. Coming out is a terrifying thing for some people but it is a freeing decision to make! I love your words!
17 reviews
April 5, 2022
Hot Story Lots of M2M Action

A star football player is gay but closeted. Pretends 2 be straight but has m2m sex with an escort services. A very hot escort scene here and an out gay brother who has sex with his brother also hot. Finally comes out
Profile Image for Angie .
223 reviews2 followers
December 10, 2016
Alright

It was good short read. The main character was fighting a losing battle. I thought there would be more step-brother on step- brother action. Few grammatical errors.
Profile Image for Deborah.
1,841 reviews
January 1, 2017
You Can't Hide From Yourself

This is a good read about a young football player in denial. He was wrecking his life with alcohol and sex. Enjoy I did.
Profile Image for Megan Fidler.
5 reviews
January 10, 2017
great

the end was so cute i came for the sex amd stayed for the love and plotline im so happy
159 reviews
July 3, 2017
From Good to a Mess

Bummer this was ruined by the ending. Chet is alone and Kenny is with someone else. Do not bother to read.
2 reviews
December 28, 2017
Amazing

This book is great, yet a little short. If there was more to it then it would be a five star book. I just felt like some of the story was rushed.
29 reviews
September 29, 2018
Very good read

Some misused words, but all I all a very good read. I will definitely be reading more of his works.
158 reviews
March 30, 2020
It was good for what it was. There needs to be better proof reading though.
Profile Image for Maria Lentini.
131 reviews2 followers
May 2, 2020
Good book

I enjoyed it. Quick read. I will probably read more from this author. Give it a try. Happy reading. Enjoy
4 reviews
November 12, 2020
Good story.

Their was good story development and character depth. The length was sufficient for the story told. I would recommend it!
Profile Image for Angelica Holmes.
568 reviews1 follower
February 14, 2022
If your looking for Straight smeet heres your gig. Pacing is a bit off and there are some editing flukes. If you squint real hand there is a small plot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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