Tight End

by Devon McCormack

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”

Out and proud NFL star tight end Tad Roarke has success, money, and fame. Just about everything. Except a good reputation. After being outed by the media as a promiscuous cheat, sponsors are dropping him left and right. To make matters worse, he’s been targeted as the next victim of an anti-gay celebrity serial killer. The FBI works with his team to protect him, assigning Agent Bryce Finnegan as his undercover bodyguard. But Tad doesn’t like Bryce from the get-go. The fed thinks he’s a spoiled brat. Maybe he’s right. Regardless, Tad doesn’t plan on proving him wrong, and he’ll do anything to make Bryce’s job even more difficult. Still, as much as he hates him, he can’t deny the guy’s hot as hell…and he wouldn’t mind passing a few balls around with him in the sheets.

“I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Agent Bryce Finnegan is no stranger to undercover work. With a background in busting drug cartels, he’s used to his life being on the line. He’s not used to putting up with spoiled rich kids who don’t realize how good they have it. When he meets Tad Roarke, he expects him to be a jerk. And he’s right. But the more time he spends with him, the more he realizes that all Tad’s attitude is little more than bravado. He’s not an asshole, and the media has twisted more than a few facts to tarnish Tad’s reputation. Now Bryce isn’t just worried about protecting this guy from a serial killer, but about falling in love in the process.

Tight End is a stand-alone gay romance with a HEA and no cliffhanger.

Genres: M M Romance, Sports, Romance, Contemporary, Football, Sports Romance, LGBT

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 9, 2016

About the author

Devon McCormack grew up in the Georgia suburbs with his two younger brothers and an older sister. At a very young age, he spun tales the old fashioned way, lying to anyone and everyone he encountered. He claimed he was an orphan. He claimed to be a king from another planet. He claimed to have supernatural powers. He has since harnessed this penchant for tall tales by crafting worlds and characters that allow him to live out whatever fantasy he chooses. Devon is an out and proud queer man living in Atlanta, Georgia.

Devon's body of work ranges from erotica to young adult, so readers should check the synopses of his books before purchasing so that they know what they're getting into.

Reviews

[Gigi]

And... I'm done. I made it to 70% and still didn't warm to either of these characters. They were total and compete assholes to one another and the sex was literally hate-filled. I have no doubt they see the error of their ways by the end, but I couldn't take it even a minute longer.

Will not rate since I did not finish.

[Ele]

Stopping at 15%. I might get back to this, after I read some more positive reviews. Right now my mood doesn't let me overlook that:

-Bryce is the worst bodyguard ever. During the first few days he flirts with his protegee's assistant, keeps drinking while he's on the clock, has tequila shots with said protegee (who btw managed to slip away from him already once), and walks with a permanent hard on.

-and Tad who is a psycho killer's next victim but doesn't want a bodyguard, and acts like an entitled, spoiled, rich moron.

I'm not abandoning this. I'll get back when I'll be more willing to suspend my disbelief.

[Maartje · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I am going to be real honest from the start in this review. Tight End by Devon McCormack wasn't it for me. AT ALL. This book gets 2 stars from me. And that is me being generous.

Tight End truly had THE POTENTIAL to be great but it dissapointed me in so many ways. Basically, the main plot is enemies to lovers featuring an NFL player and a bodyguard. Tad seems to be a first class douchebag while Bryce tries to protect him from an imminent danger. The reason why he is hired is because Tad is theatened by an organization who is out there killing LGBTQ+ people. And that is all I mention plotwise.

The first half of the book was kinda awful. Also I am not squimish about sex scenes in general but it was getting really annoying at some point that they were having this 'hot sex' all the time. Although, the second half was so much better as there was actual development for both MC's. There were a lot of dramatic moments throughout the story which I don't mind. However, some of them seemed so exagerated or were even triggering. It wasn't fun to read at all.

In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Ever. The only reason why people would want to pick it up, is for its sweet ending.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minority opinion.
Everything people seem to not like about this book I enjoyed. I liked the fact that both MC'S could be real assholes. I liked that Bryce sucked at his job in the beginning. That the father son relationship between Kieran and Tad was strained and distant. I thought it was realistic that people who were supposed to be friends did shitty things to one another. All the bad stuff made the book that much more believable for me. Is it for everyone, absolutely not. Is it perfect, far from. If I read this again in 6 months I might not even feel the same or agree with this rating, but truth is I couldn't put this book down. I was completely invested and couldn't wait to see the HEA.

[Joseph Tonlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of you who may follow my recommendations, let me say this a departure from my normal reads; it doesn't contain slaves, or BDSM, or D/s, or ... well, you get the idea *winks*. However, what it does have is a very enjoyable story (with some hot rougher sex) that's very well written. I couldn't put this one down once I started it. I'm so glad I stepped out of my normal genre and picked this one up! #teambryce #woof #yesplease

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I really liked Weight of the World but I hadn't read anything else from Devon so I had no expectations.

Here's the thing, for me personally the story was kinda secondary to something that I kept thinking.. how in the hell does Tad walk?!?! These guys loved their sweaty, dirty sex and it had the potential to be so freaking hot but I was so worried about Tad's ass that I couldn't get into it. They loved sex without lube, I'm not sure if they ever used it, I don't remember any mention of it.. but I could be wrong. The point is that, that shit sounded painful and they were at it all the time, I get one scene of "we're so hot for each other that we can't wait" but they were apparently into the pain.. but not really. I don't know it was weird.

That and the Fact that Bryce is actually really bad at his job was not a good selling point.
Both Bryce and Tad were douchebags sometimes but I liked Tad more.
There was family drama, homophobic drama, religious drama.. so much drama.

The epilogue was cute though.


I would definitely read more Devon Books in the future but please make your guys buy some lube.

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰]

A FOOTBALL THRILLER?????

Devie, did you write this for me?

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed feedback for this one

There's been a real mix of reviews for this one but I have to say I'm coming down on the side of those who liked it.

I've heard a lot of their relationship described as including angry sex and I can completely understand that. But, for me, I don't think it was that black and white.
The biggest issue these two had wasn't the death threat but the jumping to conclusions and lack of meaningful conversation about their feelings.

I loved the passion between them, they couldn't stay away and it was very much a case of addiction for both Tad and Bruce. Plus, I also liked that it was sometimes angry f#cking, I'm sure we've all been there at some point and ended up in a relationship which wasn't the most conventional, or is that just me?!

I also thought the death threat plot was well developed and handled, there was a proper fight to end it not just a heroic MC solving it all on his own, they both worked hard to stay alive.
I also found the motivation behind the crime to be all too sadly realistic too.
And I'm giving plus points for the awesome cover.

[Diverse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first line of the blurb for Tight End is, “I don’t need a fucking babysitter.” And in the end this actually became like a slogan for the entire book. Not only does Tad (one of the MC’s and NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys) need a sitter but so does the FBI Agent, Bryce. These two… oh dear.

I realized at about 20% in that I was going to have to suspend reality for this book. Bryce, the FBI guy who is assigned to protect Tad from bigoted serial killers, is absolutely unethical lol. He drinks while on duty, has sex with Tad, he isn’t on point most of the time. All in all I will say I wouldn’t want him protecting me. I think Tad got hurt more because of Bryce actually.

Tad, he’s, well he’s not terrible. I get why he’s so messed up in the head. What I don’t get was why he did half the things he did. They maybe made sense but the depth of his psychological thinking wasn’t really answered in this book.

So I suspended reality because this whole Bryce/ Tad thing… It doesn’t happen... it wouldn’t stand.
Tad’s a football player but there’s not a whole lot of sports talk going on. I was sort of concerned it would read like a football game but it didn’t. This was about the characters and the terrifying situation.

I would have loved more suspense on the killer’s front and maybe that’s just the fact that I’ve read too many dark books in my life. I expect the most horrifying from the bad guys.

Bryce and Tad are very hot in this book when they’re together and there’s no doubt that physically they have the chemistry.

I had character issues from Tad’s dad to Tad’s assistant. The closure on all fronts was swift. It was go, go, go and then it just stopped. So in that respect the pacing was a little off. Everything does get tied up and I’m not left wondering anything which made me very happy.

This is an action love story. Hot characters, no mystery. But I don’t think it’s supposed to be a whodunit. I found it very entertaining and wasn’t bored at any part of this story, which is another plus.

I do recommend this book to anyone able to suspend reality and focus on the characters and unbelievable plot. You’ll enjoy it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kazza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Aribel Mejia · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 42% the sex was host but that was it , too fast paced for me I prefer a slow burn

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just draggggggged! Could have been 100 pages shorter and still told the same story. There was just too much going on with side stories and side characters, everyone was so fickle and money obsessed.

I just didn't feel the connection between the main characters at all, and neither were particularly likeable, even with the details about their pasts.

[Mercedes · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I didn't know better and on a regular day I would probably rate this 3 stars. But I know better knock off one star due to the poor football research. And I am not offended as a football fan, I am offended for the other authors that write books with MCs in sports and take the time to do their research. Just off the top of my head, I can name Reading the Signs and The Understatement of the Year as books where the author took the time to make extensive research to not end up "sounding" like a fool.

I get it the author needed the title "Tight End" to make it a pun. Whatever, then at least the author should have done the basic research to know that tight ends play in the offense and at no time are they on the field at the same time as the other team's offense.

With that rant out of the way, like others have mentioned there is like 80% of the time angry sex in which at least one of the MCs is complaining about how much it hurts and how much in pain they are. But don't worry, as long as the prostate is getting pounded it's all A-OK *rolls eyes.*

[Bekka]

I finished 'Let's do this' by Loren Leigh and thought to myself what's going to be able to follow this? Came to the answer 'nothing' but how about some Devon McCormack?
This was the first result on the Kindle Store and although Bodyguard-Bodyguard 'keepee' isn't my favourite trope I thought 'why not'?

I was not expecting such high angst levels.
CWs: on-page sex with character who's not the MC, mentions of past physical abuse from foster parent, mentions of cheating partners, past suicide attempt described on page, suicidal thoughts, past suicide of MCs mother described, religious homophobia, hate crime, being shot (repeatedly), violation (phone photo of dick taken unknowingly and distributed on the internet), past mentions of MC being outed against his will

I don't know if I enjoyed this book to be honest, it was quite heavy. The MCs were very hot and cold. They were very unlikeable at times and all in all I like cozy books a lot more.
It did have the love avowal including insult though which I do quite enjoy so a plus point for that.

NSFW infos:
- two out gay men (6ft6 and 6ft4)
- vers
- flipf+cking
- both 25 and over

[Anne in VA]

I'm 13% done with Tight End: What the fuck?! What kind of bodyguard does tequila shots on the job?! I get this is fiction, but come on! DNF.

[Janna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently this took me a little over a year to read. i guess I wasn't quite invested in it in the beginning and put it down for oh, just a little while. I finally picked it back up the other day and made myself finish it! Not to say that it's a bad book, it just didn't hold my interest as much as I would have hoped. When you're not really vested in either of the main characters it makes it hard to get drawn into the story.
There was a lot going on and I think that's what caused the disconnect for me in the beginning. I did enjoy the second half of the book more than I did the first part- I liked that things finally started coming together. The back and forth between Tad and Bryce did wear on me a little, but I was glad they finally were able to work everything out, make some decisions for their future, and move on with life. The epilogue was sweet.

[YullSanna]

Подскользнулась на эмоционых соплях на второй трети книги. DNF.

[Elithanathile]

Nope. This author is just not for me. Automatic DNF!

[Marita Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 stars. I liked it, though I was a bit frustrated that Jordan didn't get what was coming to him. I so wanted to see that lying sonofabitch get exposed. I didn't like people thinking that Tad was a cheat, both in regards to his previous relationship with Jordan as well as that kiss Jordan planted on an unwilling Tad. I was waiting and waiting to see if the truth would get exposed, so the public would see that it was Jordan who was the lying arsehole of a cheat, not Tad. But unfortunately it didn't happen, which took away some of my enjoyment of the book. Anyway, as said, I still liked the book, it was worth reading. I do enjoy Devon's writing and his characters. Tad and Bryce weren't the norm, they were unique, flawed, and interesting to read about. Though, I did feel something was slightly lacking from this story, and not my revenge on Jordan. Can't place a finger on it, but either way, it was a good read and it ended well.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scorching delight

Hot as hell!!! The chemistry between Tad the NFL star who isn't what he seems and FBI agent Bryce the haunted soul charged with protecting the arrogant misunderstood man from potential threat to his life, was off the charts and did I mention hot as hell!! I had so much fun reading this fantastic story that I wish there was even more . It was exciting and thoughtful with so much heart and emotions,that I was lost in every word they said to each other to those around them. The characters just pop off the page,and I really have a soft spot for Darren Tads loyal personal assistant ,I really would love to see his story .
I cannot recommend this book enough I wish I could give it more stars. As a newerr fan of Devon's work ,I am truly grateful I got the pleasure of reading this and if you haven't read anything form him start now. I am loading my Kindle! And look forward for more. Thanks for the really great relatable and again Hot As Hell read!

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have read my Goodreads friends reviews before I started this book. I skipped most of this book after I hit 40%. Just a no.....i did not like either MC in this book, every page I skipped too it was the same old "we can't do this" but then proceeded to f*ck or they did not like each other.

[Elyxyz Elyxyz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho trovato pareri contrastanti su questa storia ma la trama m’incuriosiva e quindi l’ho letta, e il mio giudizio è positivo, anche se Tad e Bryce sono due testoni – in apparenza degli enormi stronze**i – che ti fanno prudere le mani per la voglia di picchiarli.
In facciata vediamo solo due uomini alpha, abituati a fare le cose a modo loro, a essere attivi dentro e fuori dal letto, ma questa è solo la punta dell’iceberg, perché in realtà hanno due personalità molto più complesse e un bagaglio personale parecchio complicato.
Tad è un giocatore di successo: ricco, famoso, bellissimo e perennemente in cerca di una scopata facile; non si preoccupa del suo status di ‘bad boy’ né dell’arroganza che trasuda, anche se le sue intemperanze creano attriti con gli sponsor e i dirigenti della sua squadra.
Una minaccia di morte a opera di fanatici lo porta sulla strada dell’FBI, che gli affianca l’agente Bryce Finnegan come guardia del corpo. Bryce deve rimettere in sesto la sua vita – sia privata che lavorativa – dopo che una missione sotto copertura è finita nel peggiore dei modi.
Tad e Bryce non si sarebbero scelti spontaneamente, l’uno perché non vuole un babysitter e l’altro perché stare con quell’egocentrico sportivo non fa per lui, eppure fanno scintille insieme, regalandoci parecchie scene esplicite di sesso svelto e rude: non importa se sia per sbollire la tensione o per fare pace, la loro fisicità è travolgente. Ed è stando vicini che finalmente Bryce capisce che Tad non è solo un idiota egocentrico ed egoista, ma che sa nascondere un animo generoso, dolore e fragilità con una maschera da duro per difendersi dal mondo. Anche Tad dà modo a Bryce di guarire dalle cose irrisolte e, nel frattempo, devono sopravvivere agli attentati di chi li vuole morti.
La trama si tinge di giallo soprattutto nella seconda parte, mettendo un po’ di pepe e imprevisti, anche se la parte dello scontro mi è parsa un po’ surreale.
La storia è una classica lettura passatempo, perché non trasmette angst o dolore, anche se tratta vari temi importanti e delicati, dall’omofobia ai disagi mentali, passando per tutte le complicazioni di chi è un personaggio pubblico e vede la propria vita manipolata di continuo da gossip falsi e persone opportuniste.
Accanto ai protagonisti conosciamo alcuni personaggi secondari che hanno saputo stupirmi dopo un’opinione iniziale un po’ affrettata.
Personalmente avrei sfoltito un po’ alcune parti un po’ ripetitive, ma nel complesso è una lettura piacevole e ben tradotta, che vi consiglio se amate i personaggi celebri con tutti gli annessi e connessi, unito al compito del bodyguard e alle dinamiche sotto copertura.

[Lorenzo Adduci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ammetto di aver iniziato questo romanzo con qualche perplessità, ma l’autore ancora una volta è riuscito a sorprendermi positivamente. In apparenza la trama può apparire scontata – la viziata star del football che si innamora dello scontroso uomo costretto a fargli da guardia del corpo – ma in realtà è molto più complessa e ricca di dettagli di quanto immaginassi. Con una scrittura semplice e diretta e uno stile accattivante e brillante, Devon ci presenta due personaggi controversi e con una forte personalità: Tad, il famoso giocatore gay dichiarato che ama mostrarsi come un bastardo irriverente e sempre a caccia di uomini; Bryce, insofferente nei confronti delle persone ricche e viziate. Ma entrambi nascondono molto della loro vera essenza e del loro passato, che viene svelato man mano che la passione tra i due prende il sopravvento e si traduce prima in incontri bollenti e poi in un legame sempre più speciale. Bryce deve difendere Tad da un folle stalker omofobo e questo, se da un lato gli permette di stargli vicino e di conoscerlo meglio, dall’altro gli fa sorgere molti dubbi su quanto corretto sia affezionarsi a lui. Tad a sua volta vorrebbe qualcuno a cui legarsi, ma teme che Bryce possa sentirsi fuori posto nella sua vita frenetica e sempre sotto i riflettori. Arricchito dalla presenza di importanti personaggi secondari, il romanzo propone importanti riflessioni sui legami familiari, su come lottare contro l’omofobia, su cosa significhi realmente sopportare il peso della fama.

[Beacullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tad is very driven, he is a huge football star, with lots of sponsors. And lots of people that depend on him to get the sponsors to be able to afford his lifestyle and their salaries. At first I thought Tad was such an arrogant ass, but eventually you realize that he's been hurt so many times and had his heart stomped on enough that he's afraid to risk any emotion on anyone. When Bryce starts working undercover as his bodyguard the only thing Tad see's him as is another person to mess with. He taunts him, is rude to him, treats him very badly. But soon neither man can deny their mutual attraction. They both know they shouldn't act on it but there is a spark there that neither can ignore. Things start to get more and more complicated as their feelings grow, but neither man is willing to admit that or take a step to being more to each other. Bryce has been hurt too, he's not sure he can ever trust another man with his heart, but eventually with Tad he's willing to try. I loved how these two fight their feelings for so long, and the one person that ends up helping them admit their feelings is the last person you would guess. This is the first book I've read by Devon McCormack but I will definitely be reading more from him.

[xxoabbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Lots of emotions run rampant reading this story, however even after finishing I still don't know how I fell about Tad. nothing has really redeemed him enough in my eyes so I feel out of sorts. The chemistry between the two main characters was real and intense, and even though I wasn't feeling one of the main characters, I enjoyed seeing Tad and Bryce get their HEA.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

--3 stars-- I like the last 2% of the book ( but just the conversation of Tad and his father) and i like the epilogue, because atlist reading it had been worth it ( cause i kept reading so that it won't add to my tbr) although I don't like much the MC's because they always keep pushing each other and Bryce was not even a good bodyguard

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a nice read but I had troubles with the ongoing "we can't do that ... but I can't help it" ... that was a bit exhausting.
the suspense part was only partly there, which made it a bit unbelievable

on the whole, a nice read

[ruta · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at chapter 48.

Update: Skimmed the last of it this year. It was horrible.