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Game Day #2
Gasping for Air
How far will Trystan go to win the heart of the man he loves? All the way.
Trystan Matherly is conceited, arrogant, and rich. He has plenty of money, athletic ability, and gorgeous looks to keep the men forming a long line just to be with him. Choosing his next lover has been as simple as down-selecting to the hottest candidate.
Until Dakota.
With his sad eyes, full lips, and perfectly sculpted swimmer’s body, Dakota is just the kind of lover Trystan wants. After only one look, he knows he has to have him. Too bad Dakota seems to be totally oblivious to all his charms.
Dakota Jacobson is lonely, tired, and depressed. He’s at Alabama Temple to complete his degree, not to put up with idiots. He works diligently to be as invisible as possible. He doesn’t need friends and he sure doesn’t need lovers…especially not football titans that think they rule the world. Nope; been there, done that.
Until Trystan.
With his sexy eyes, arrogant smirk, and muscled physique, Trystan is just the kind of lover Dakota never intends to have…again. Too bad Trystan refuses to allow him to be invisible.
Trystan Matherly is conceited, arrogant, and rich. He has plenty of money, athletic ability, and gorgeous looks to keep the men forming a long line just to be with him. Choosing his next lover has been as simple as down-selecting to the hottest candidate.
Until Dakota.
With his sad eyes, full lips, and perfectly sculpted swimmer’s body, Dakota is just the kind of lover Trystan wants. After only one look, he knows he has to have him. Too bad Dakota seems to be totally oblivious to all his charms.
Dakota Jacobson is lonely, tired, and depressed. He’s at Alabama Temple to complete his degree, not to put up with idiots. He works diligently to be as invisible as possible. He doesn’t need friends and he sure doesn’t need lovers…especially not football titans that think they rule the world. Nope; been there, done that.
Until Trystan.
With his sexy eyes, arrogant smirk, and muscled physique, Trystan is just the kind of lover Dakota never intends to have…again. Too bad Trystan refuses to allow him to be invisible.
459 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2017
11 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
September 4, 2018
Awesome re-read ;)
First I want to thank Elsbeth for bringing my attention to this book...thanks sweetie !!
It has been some time since I've read the first book in this series and I loved it....I didn't expect I would love this one even more, but I did. I loved every single page, which is saying a lot, because this book is freaking long :P
One of the reasons I loved this one so hard, was Trystan. I really liked him in the first book, but he was amazing in this one. Now don't get me wrong...Dakota was pretty awesome as well, but it was Trystan who really rocked my boat
Now before I go into the story, I do want to warn, that this book contains quite a few triggers. If you are sensitive to those, take note of my warning. Its deals with depression, (sexual) abuse, and violent rape, which are described in detail.
This book can be read as a stand alone. Though I would like to say that the first book, "Touchdown", which is about Alex and Lincoln, was pretty great as well. Book 1 is BDSM themed, while this one is more on the rough and kinky side of things ;)
It was very emotional to read at times, and it made me cry my eyes out. That being said...there where also plenty of times I laughed my ass off ;) To me this book had everything I look for in a book.....emotion, angst, humor, love, some mystery and suspense and plenty of steam with a side of kinky ;)
First I want to thank Elsbeth for bringing my attention to this book...thanks sweetie !!
It has been some time since I've read the first book in this series and I loved it....I didn't expect I would love this one even more, but I did. I loved every single page, which is saying a lot, because this book is freaking long :P
One of the reasons I loved this one so hard, was Trystan. I really liked him in the first book, but he was amazing in this one. Now don't get me wrong...Dakota was pretty awesome as well, but it was Trystan who really rocked my boat
Now before I go into the story, I do want to warn, that this book contains quite a few triggers. If you are sensitive to those, take note of my warning. Its deals with depression, (sexual) abuse, and violent rape, which are described in detail.
This book can be read as a stand alone. Though I would like to say that the first book, "Touchdown", which is about Alex and Lincoln, was pretty great as well. Book 1 is BDSM themed, while this one is more on the rough and kinky side of things ;)
It was very emotional to read at times, and it made me cry my eyes out. That being said...there where also plenty of times I laughed my ass off ;) To me this book had everything I look for in a book.....emotion, angst, humor, love, some mystery and suspense and plenty of steam with a side of kinky ;)
Trystan is the school's star football player. He is rich, entitled and cocky. He has a love for rough and kinky sex, and he is bi-sexual. He is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants right now is Dakota. The cute member of the swimteam, whom he has nicknamed "Guppy".
"Sure I called him a guppy" "He swims. Guppies swim. It's cute, right?"
Problem is, Dakota doesn't want anything to do with Trystan, which is slowly bruising the man's ego... Dakota has his reasons for not trusting any of Trystan's actions ...hell... Dakota doesn't trust anyone !! Trystan is not one to give up so easy though, and he vows he will wear this Guppy down....which of course he does ;)
These two were awesome together. Dakota looked so sad all the time and all Trystan wanted, was to put a smile on his pretty face...
Maybe it had been that pain and sadness that had originally sparked my interest, but it was his smile that had turned it into an obsession.
Dakota tells him that things can't go past anything physical, that he isn't capable of anything more, but Trystan is so sure of himself... He will fuck his Guppy into submission make him love him.
The banter between the two of them, had me laughing until I was crying...
But Trystan doesn't know all that has happend in Dakota's past, and when I myself found out ... tears where rolling for completely different reasons....
"I was gasping for air when you found me, Trystan, and you saved my life. I love you."
I absolutely loved this one, sure it was long, but any book, that can make me laugh, cry swoon, curse and sweat, is awesome as far as I am concerned !!
This review is posted on Wendy's Wycked Words
My reviews are posted on Dirty Books Obsession
April 14, 2017
I am not a HUGE fan of this cover to be honest. Yes, it's a good representation of the story, but I am not digging the font used or the place of the author's name. I think the sidebar thing throws the composition off and the author's name would have looked better under the title and the tagline. I also believe a thicker font would have looked better as well.
I really struggled to decide on a rating for this one. I enjoyed it a lot overall. There were a couple of issues that I will address in a bit and one in particular that brought my rating down some. This book was a MUCH heavier book than I anticipated. To be honest by the end, I was mentally drained. It was also VERY well written. Had an interesting plot. Had flawed but likable characters. Alex and Lincoln (from book one) make appearances. It had SMOKIN' sex scenes. It had angst. It had drama. It had feels. It had a sweet two years in the future epilogue.
So what stopped this from being a 5-Star book? It was L-O-N-G. Like epically LONG. Like SO long I though my husband and kids might just find a skeleton holding a tablet when they finally discovered they hadn't seen me in awhile. Becuase of the length of this one not finding out about Dakota's secret until 80% was FRUSTRATING. On top of that Dakota doesn't let Trystan fully in until right at the end of the book. With a book of this length that was just too long IMO.
The second issue and this is where I am going to gently suggest to the author that she add a trigger warning to the blurb. I REALLY didn't need to know in such graphic details what happened to Dakota. Knowing in the most basic of details was MORE than enough. I had to set the book aside because I was crying and sick to my stomach. When I read a good dark romance, I go in mentally prepared for this type of stuff. This was unexpected. Of course, I had guessed what had taken place early on, but like I said the details were just too much IMO.
So overall this was a great read with a lot more depth and complexity than I had anticipated. I thought I was going to get a smokin' hot sexy read and I got that and SO much more. Two thumbs up from yours truly.
June 27, 2017
**** 4.5 Stars ****
June 29, 2017
3.5 stars
While this was definitely a book worth reading, it was also long. So so long. And I don’t necessarily mean page wise (although it’s not a short book with 456 pages), but boy, did it feel long. I sometimes thought it would never end.
That being said, I did like this book. I think I could have loved it even more if it were at least a 100 pages shorter. Especially the first half felt very repetitive at times. And I’m all for hot kinky sex scenes, but this book could have used a little less of them. (Why the heck am I complaining about too much sex, I must have hit my head at some point yesterday).
Trystan is Alex’s best friend from book 1 (but this can definitely be read as a stand-alone, since I remembered almost nothing from the first book). He is one of the most popular guys on campus. He is a football star, rich, a bit spoiled, but also kind and caring. When he sees the new addition to the swim team one day, he can’t stop drooling. All he knows is that Dakota has to be his, no matter what.
Dakota has secrets. So many secrets. He is skittish and doesn’t want anyone to come close. That’s why he is surprised that such a popular jock as Trystan gives him the time of day. Even when Dakota turns him down again and again Trystan doesn’t give up. And despite Dakota wanting Trystan to be an awful person, like another jock he knew from his past, he can’t ignore that Trystan really is a good guy. A bit forceful, but also kind.
When Dakota finally gives into Trystan, they start a relationship with some very kinky sexy times…
I loved the hurt/comfort parts in this. Trystan was patient with Dakota all the way, despite Dakota not opening up one bit. Trystan knew that when he just showered Dakota with love, Dakota would eventually love him back.
I liked the second half of this more than the first half. The first half felt very slow and at times couldn’t hold my attention. But I did want to know what happened to Dakota to make him so sad.
The second half was definitely more interesting than the first half and I was really getting into the story. But what was a bit much for me were the details about Dakota’s past. I’m not squeamish, but this turned my stomach.
Still, this was a nice hurt/comfort story with some relationship angst (around 75%, but it wasn’t artificial and it wasn’t drawn out), but overall it felt a bit too long and could have done without so much sex. The sex was nice and kinky though. These guys had no true BDSM relationship, but there were definitely some BDSM elements in the bedroom ()...
While this was definitely a book worth reading, it was also long. So so long. And I don’t necessarily mean page wise (although it’s not a short book with 456 pages), but boy, did it feel long. I sometimes thought it would never end.
That being said, I did like this book. I think I could have loved it even more if it were at least a 100 pages shorter. Especially the first half felt very repetitive at times. And I’m all for hot kinky sex scenes, but this book could have used a little less of them. (Why the heck am I complaining about too much sex, I must have hit my head at some point yesterday).
Trystan is Alex’s best friend from book 1 (but this can definitely be read as a stand-alone, since I remembered almost nothing from the first book). He is one of the most popular guys on campus. He is a football star, rich, a bit spoiled, but also kind and caring. When he sees the new addition to the swim team one day, he can’t stop drooling. All he knows is that Dakota has to be his, no matter what.
Dakota has secrets. So many secrets. He is skittish and doesn’t want anyone to come close. That’s why he is surprised that such a popular jock as Trystan gives him the time of day. Even when Dakota turns him down again and again Trystan doesn’t give up. And despite Dakota wanting Trystan to be an awful person, like another jock he knew from his past, he can’t ignore that Trystan really is a good guy. A bit forceful, but also kind.
When Dakota finally gives into Trystan, they start a relationship with some very kinky sexy times…
I loved the hurt/comfort parts in this. Trystan was patient with Dakota all the way, despite Dakota not opening up one bit. Trystan knew that when he just showered Dakota with love, Dakota would eventually love him back.
I liked the second half of this more than the first half. The first half felt very slow and at times couldn’t hold my attention. But I did want to know what happened to Dakota to make him so sad.
The second half was definitely more interesting than the first half and I was really getting into the story. But what was a bit much for me were the details about Dakota’s past. I’m not squeamish, but this turned my stomach.
Still, this was a nice hurt/comfort story with some relationship angst (around 75%, but it wasn’t artificial and it wasn’t drawn out), but overall it felt a bit too long and could have done without so much sex. The sex was nice and kinky though. These guys had no true BDSM relationship, but there were definitely some BDSM elements in the bedroom ()...
August 25, 2021
4th Re-Read, 2021 August 24 th
Yup, I read it again!! I so love Trystan. He's such an asshole but then in a cute way!
And Dakota.... My heart just breaks for him.
So.. another pic of Man in speedo.. Just because I can :)
Read for the 3rd time.
I just can't help it... Needed some asshole Trystan again. Plus.. Man in speedo... C'est tout!!! .
**********************************************
Re-read; 2017, August 7th
**********************************************
1rst read; 2017, June 23rd
Sometimes you read a book that's just got all the perfect ingredients.
This was one of them.
The perfect amount of sassiness, hurt & comfort. It ticked all my happy and unhappy boxes.
I loved Tank (Trystan) already in this first installment Touchdown and I was overly excited he would get his own book.
Tank came on a bit stalkerish. He was determined to win the swimmer Dakota over. He attended swim meetings just for one glimpse of Dakota in his speedoo's. He brought him breakfast when he thought Dakota wasn't taking care of himself. Basically he was driving Dakota nuts with this attention. Dakota couldn't do what Tank wanted from him, he wasn't ready for a relationship. He was too depressed to have any relationship with anyone at all. All he did was attend his classes and swim practice...
But Trystan pursued and pursued..
Trystan gets his way and convinces Dakota to move in with him. They agree on having this physical relationship. But will this ever be enough for Trystan? He already feels this connection he has with Dakota is different from any hook-up he had.
I must say, I loved their physical relationship. They both liked it hard, dirty and messy.
Now this seems like a very light read, full of humor but it was NOT. Dakota is living with this secret. Not until 80% we really understand what happened to him. The scenes following were quite grafic so beware....
And then the epilogue. Wants me want to read it all over again.
*HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Yup, I read it again!! I so love Trystan. He's such an asshole but then in a cute way!
And Dakota.... My heart just breaks for him.
So.. another pic of Man in speedo.. Just because I can :)
Read for the 3rd time.
I just can't help it... Needed some asshole Trystan again. Plus.. Man in speedo... C'est tout!!! .
**********************************************
Re-read; 2017, August 7th
**********************************************
1rst read; 2017, June 23rd
Sometimes you read a book that's just got all the perfect ingredients.
This was one of them.
The perfect amount of sassiness, hurt & comfort. It ticked all my happy and unhappy boxes.
I loved Tank (Trystan) already in this first installment Touchdown and I was overly excited he would get his own book.
Tank came on a bit stalkerish. He was determined to win the swimmer Dakota over. He attended swim meetings just for one glimpse of Dakota in his speedoo's. He brought him breakfast when he thought Dakota wasn't taking care of himself. Basically he was driving Dakota nuts with this attention. Dakota couldn't do what Tank wanted from him, he wasn't ready for a relationship. He was too depressed to have any relationship with anyone at all. All he did was attend his classes and swim practice...
But Trystan pursued and pursued..
I’m trouble, babe. I’m arrogant, spoiled, self-centered, borderline bully but in a really cute way, and I’m very kinky.
Trystan gets his way and convinces Dakota to move in with him. They agree on having this physical relationship. But will this ever be enough for Trystan? He already feels this connection he has with Dakota is different from any hook-up he had.
I must say, I loved their physical relationship. They both liked it hard, dirty and messy.
“You ready for this, Guppy? It’s going to be one wild ride.”
“I’ve told you before, you can’t give me more than I can take. But I appreciate your effort. Now, let’s see what that bad boy machine can do to this bad boy body."
Now this seems like a very light read, full of humor but it was NOT. Dakota is living with this secret. Not until 80% we really understand what happened to him. The scenes following were quite grafic so beware....
And then the epilogue. Wants me want to read it all over again.
He’d been fucking wrong about the most important thing on my mind at the moment - the swim pants didn’t make his ass look flat.
Hell, no matter what he had on his beautiful body, when I looked at him, I was gasping for air.
*HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
April 22, 2017
Okay… So, where to start….
First, let me start by saying that I was not away when I came into this that it was a 2nd book. I didn’t read the first one, but fear not… it didn’t take anything away from the story for me. I did okay, keeping up even though we see the friends who were in book one… I could still fallow along.
So, okay, now, we have Trystan, a.k.a. Tank, football extraordinaire/ cocky jock/big man on campus/every stereotype of all those things that I just mentioned all rolled into one. Sometimes, I found him kind of charming, but mostly I found him overcompensating and obnoxious. The dialogue… oh help me, the dialogue… it was not for me.
What I did like about this story is that it touched on some pretty tricky stuff and I thought the way in which Dakota handled some things were a bit ridiculous, but everyone handles things in their own way and I could commend him for calling up that backbone when he needed it. He was determined not to be taken advantage of again, he was determined to not show weakness and he had a little mouth on him when it came to Trystan. Which was awesome, because it was very apparent, nobody ever nay-sayed him before lol
Now, Dakota had a past and it was a sad one. He was the victim of kidnap, torture and rape. And I’m trying really hard to understand why the person behind said kidnap, torture and rape was only on an ankle monitor and not rotting his life away in prison or better yet, dead. Sorry for the spoiler there, but I really wish I'd had one at the time so I could've skipped over that whole part... I actually had to skip some pages when Evan was talking to Trystan. I couldn’t handle it… I’m not one of those TRIGGERED, kind of people, but… I have to admit, it triggered alright. It made me physically sick to my stomach. I couldn’t hang, y’all, I couldn’t hang. I was not at all sad to see the justice handed down to him although I would’ve liked to have seen him tortured and raped for the rest of his life, in prison… but… I guess we can’t always get what we want.
I also liked the supportive parents, that was an added surprise that I wasn’t expecting but really liked. Towards the end, it got a little mushy and I found myself rooting for these two to make it. Even if I did roll my eyes towards the end where Dakota was being all sacrificial and trying to keep Trystan away… I was like, give it up, kid… he’s not going anywhere, you literally can never tell him what to do because he’d never allow it. This was the only time I was glad about it.
So, overall… not my favorite, but I feel like it’s because it’s just a little too young adulty for me. I didn’t care for the dialogue or the unrealistic situations… The rest, wasn’t so bad.
3 stars for me on this one.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher with the promise of an honest and unbiased review*
First, let me start by saying that I was not away when I came into this that it was a 2nd book. I didn’t read the first one, but fear not… it didn’t take anything away from the story for me. I did okay, keeping up even though we see the friends who were in book one… I could still fallow along.
So, okay, now, we have Trystan, a.k.a. Tank, football extraordinaire/ cocky jock/big man on campus/every stereotype of all those things that I just mentioned all rolled into one. Sometimes, I found him kind of charming, but mostly I found him overcompensating and obnoxious. The dialogue… oh help me, the dialogue… it was not for me.
What I did like about this story is that it touched on some pretty tricky stuff and I thought the way in which Dakota handled some things were a bit ridiculous, but everyone handles things in their own way and I could commend him for calling up that backbone when he needed it. He was determined not to be taken advantage of again, he was determined to not show weakness and he had a little mouth on him when it came to Trystan. Which was awesome, because it was very apparent, nobody ever nay-sayed him before lol
Now, Dakota had a past and it was a sad one. He was the victim of kidnap, torture and rape. And I’m trying really hard to understand why the person behind said kidnap, torture and rape was only on an ankle monitor and not rotting his life away in prison or better yet, dead. Sorry for the spoiler there, but I really wish I'd had one at the time so I could've skipped over that whole part... I actually had to skip some pages when Evan was talking to Trystan. I couldn’t handle it… I’m not one of those TRIGGERED, kind of people, but… I have to admit, it triggered alright. It made me physically sick to my stomach. I couldn’t hang, y’all, I couldn’t hang. I was not at all sad to see the justice handed down to him although I would’ve liked to have seen him tortured and raped for the rest of his life, in prison… but… I guess we can’t always get what we want.
I also liked the supportive parents, that was an added surprise that I wasn’t expecting but really liked. Towards the end, it got a little mushy and I found myself rooting for these two to make it. Even if I did roll my eyes towards the end where Dakota was being all sacrificial and trying to keep Trystan away… I was like, give it up, kid… he’s not going anywhere, you literally can never tell him what to do because he’d never allow it. This was the only time I was glad about it.
So, overall… not my favorite, but I feel like it’s because it’s just a little too young adulty for me. I didn’t care for the dialogue or the unrealistic situations… The rest, wasn’t so bad.
3 stars for me on this one.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher with the promise of an honest and unbiased review*
July 28, 2017
I can't believe Tank and his Speedo boy is already released months ago and I didn't know about it! Apparently my stalking skills isn't as up to par. But this Book 2 is definitely up to par with Book 1, or I daresay even better? Alex and Lincoln story centered more into Alex's new found sexuality and emphasize heavily on the BDSM scene. I still cringe thinking of the device and props that Lincoln used. However, Tank and his Speedo boy story is more emotional, intense and a little bit kinky.
I know not everyone is going to like this book because I do have problem with some of the long winded dialogue and inner monologues from both the heroes. Sometimes they just go on and on struggling with the same issue in their head. Anyhow, despite this making the book feel overly long, I still love it. The drama is intense, the romance just make me swoon aplenty and I wish I can see more bromance between Tank and Alex.
We knew Trystan aka Tank had the biggest crush on Dakota, the guy from the swim team. To refer it as a crush is seriously an understatement. Tank is practically obsessed and he turned into a stalker and he is damn persistent despite Dakota keep sending 'fuck off' vibe to him. The way he plan to woo and win Dakota over is priceless. Okay, I know I should not be supportive of stalkerish behavior, it works here.
Tank is a rick prick, arrogant, self centered and the most popular guy in town because he played football and damn good at it. The way he keep telling Dakota 'you're mine and I owned your ass' should pissed me off, but he is simply too damn cute and adorable with the way he deliver those threats. The best part is he literally become dick whipped and worship the ground Dakota walks on. Thus, I seems to be able to sweep his domineering and assholish behavior under the carpet.
Dakota is trying to stay invisible while he finish off his last semester. Although his past seems ambiguous to us and Tank didn't know why he is so sad all the time, we just knew something bad had happened to him with his piece of shit ex-boyfriend. Dakota is practically hiding within himself until Tank turned up annoying the shit out of him to bring him out of his shell.
After reading about the things that Alex and Lincoln did, I don't think I will be shocked by anything BDSM related anymore. But Tank can still surprised me despite him not wanting to practice BDSM anymore. He sure seems dominating and kinky as hell for not being a Dom. Despite Dakota reservation, he gave as good as he get in the bedroom. He might be damaged goods, but he sure as hell a formidable partner in the kinky department with Tank.
Things got a little more heavy and dramatic towards the end when we have to deal with Dakota's past. It might feel a tad OTT, but it sure feels fucking intense and had my eye balls bulging out. But after is all said and done, what I love most is how incredible and amazing Tank is. He might seems like a bossy prick, but his love for his Guppy knows no bounds. I can imagine him willing to go through hell and back for the man he loves.
I know not everyone is going to like this book because I do have problem with some of the long winded dialogue and inner monologues from both the heroes. Sometimes they just go on and on struggling with the same issue in their head. Anyhow, despite this making the book feel overly long, I still love it. The drama is intense, the romance just make me swoon aplenty and I wish I can see more bromance between Tank and Alex.
We knew Trystan aka Tank had the biggest crush on Dakota, the guy from the swim team. To refer it as a crush is seriously an understatement. Tank is practically obsessed and he turned into a stalker and he is damn persistent despite Dakota keep sending 'fuck off' vibe to him. The way he plan to woo and win Dakota over is priceless. Okay, I know I should not be supportive of stalkerish behavior, it works here.
Tank is a rick prick, arrogant, self centered and the most popular guy in town because he played football and damn good at it. The way he keep telling Dakota 'you're mine and I owned your ass' should pissed me off, but he is simply too damn cute and adorable with the way he deliver those threats. The best part is he literally become dick whipped and worship the ground Dakota walks on. Thus, I seems to be able to sweep his domineering and assholish behavior under the carpet.
Dakota is trying to stay invisible while he finish off his last semester. Although his past seems ambiguous to us and Tank didn't know why he is so sad all the time, we just knew something bad had happened to him with his piece of shit ex-boyfriend. Dakota is practically hiding within himself until Tank turned up annoying the shit out of him to bring him out of his shell.
After reading about the things that Alex and Lincoln did, I don't think I will be shocked by anything BDSM related anymore. But Tank can still surprised me despite him not wanting to practice BDSM anymore. He sure seems dominating and kinky as hell for not being a Dom. Despite Dakota reservation, he gave as good as he get in the bedroom. He might be damaged goods, but he sure as hell a formidable partner in the kinky department with Tank.
Things got a little more heavy and dramatic towards the end when we have to deal with Dakota's past. It might feel a tad OTT, but it sure feels fucking intense and had my eye balls bulging out. But after is all said and done, what I love most is how incredible and amazing Tank is. He might seems like a bossy prick, but his love for his Guppy knows no bounds. I can imagine him willing to go through hell and back for the man he loves.
June 25, 2017
This book was just CRAY CRAY! Both MCs plus the ex-boyfriend were all kinds of messed up. The drama was OTT.
I liked Trystan. He was obsessive and controlling, but had good intentions and a good heart. He was a great hero too. Dakota had more issues than those from just one traumatic event. He had years of emotional abuse behind him. His character became tiresome and I stopped caring about him.
There wasn't enough relationship development for Trystan and Dakota to become more secure with each other and for their extreme behaviors to level out. Their emotional stalemate wore me down and I lost interest in the book. The info dump at the end did salvage Dakota's character, unfortunately, there was not enough time to build up their relationship. The epilogue was weak.
It's a shame that Trystan's athletic career was omitted at the end. He deserved as much page time as Dakota.
The grammar contractions in the conversations didn't follow normal American slang pronunciation.
I felt sorry for Cowboy and the way he was ignored, especially since he was a rescue. He wasn't incorporated into Trystan and Dakota's lifestyle. He was just there as a plot device to bite Evan.
I liked Trystan. He was obsessive and controlling, but had good intentions and a good heart. He was a great hero too. Dakota had more issues than those from just one traumatic event. He had years of emotional abuse behind him. His character became tiresome and I stopped caring about him.
There wasn't enough relationship development for Trystan and Dakota to become more secure with each other and for their extreme behaviors to level out. Their emotional stalemate wore me down and I lost interest in the book. The info dump at the end did salvage Dakota's character, unfortunately, there was not enough time to build up their relationship. The epilogue was weak.
It's a shame that Trystan's athletic career was omitted at the end. He deserved as much page time as Dakota.
The grammar contractions in the conversations didn't follow normal American slang pronunciation.
I felt sorry for Cowboy and the way he was ignored, especially since he was a rescue. He wasn't incorporated into Trystan and Dakota's lifestyle. He was just there as a plot device to bite Evan.
July 2, 2017
❤ 4.5 Stars ❤
May 9, 2017
3.5 stars
January 8, 2018
So this is a re-read.
After RL Took me from my book obsession for a few days, I jumped head first in this beautiful story.
I LOVED Dakota. I ADORED Trystan and there is honestly not a thing that I didn't like in this book.
So. Meet Trystan. Football star, about to sign for the NFL. Filthy rich. 'Prince' of Texas Football, thanks to his Parents. Arrogant, Stalker-ish and HOOOOT.
Well, Trystan is also the most adorable man out there. I usually am not a huge fan of 'jocks' and all of his personality traits tend to make you think at the beginning that he is like this, even himself keep saying he is like this but that might be your first clue that Trystan is SO much more.
He is so sweet and he will fight to death for the ones he love.
And the way he is with Dakota... I definitely swooned there.
He is not perfect but he is so funny and kind, sometimes vulnerable and ready to do pretty much anything for him.
So, where was I...
Trystan spotted Dakota in the first book. And he became obsessed.
Literally, can't think about anything else but this gorgeous swimmer with the sad eyes that keep ignoring him. Something he is NOT familiar with. See Trystan is a whore. He bang everything that breathe his way: Men, Women. No one resists him. Everyone loves him so when shy Dakota doesn't even acknowledge him and pretty much tell him to fuck off... Well, our Trystan see a challenge. And then begin the obsession.
He is always happy and rarely down. I think that is why I loved this character so much. He realize pretty quickly that his feelings for his Guppy are far more than sexual. He wants him. He wants to know everything about him. He want him to be happy... And he does every things in his power to make that happen. He is completely honest with himself and this an other thing that I loved about him.
And Dakota. Well Dakota story is so sad and heartbreaking.
He fight and fight for a long time. First Trystan, then himself... He can't fight his feelings though.
He was so lost and quiet and afraid but then he could be sassy sometimes and I loved it.
I can't tell to much about him without spilling the whole book.
I loved the 'courting' of Trystan. I loved how they talked to each other. Often enough in a romance, the 'talking' is off the book. More is focused on the sex. Well not here. They do talk. They learn about each other. We see them fall in love.
And Yes. The sex is VERY HOT!
The epilogue was beautiful and it made my heart full of butterflies...
The Re-read left me with the same feelings as the first time. 5 BIG stars.
After RL Took me from my book obsession for a few days, I jumped head first in this beautiful story.
I LOVED Dakota. I ADORED Trystan and there is honestly not a thing that I didn't like in this book.
So. Meet Trystan. Football star, about to sign for the NFL. Filthy rich. 'Prince' of Texas Football, thanks to his Parents. Arrogant, Stalker-ish and HOOOOT.
Well, Trystan is also the most adorable man out there. I usually am not a huge fan of 'jocks' and all of his personality traits tend to make you think at the beginning that he is like this, even himself keep saying he is like this but that might be your first clue that Trystan is SO much more.
He is so sweet and he will fight to death for the ones he love.
And the way he is with Dakota... I definitely swooned there.
He is not perfect but he is so funny and kind, sometimes vulnerable and ready to do pretty much anything for him.
So, where was I...
Trystan spotted Dakota in the first book. And he became obsessed.
Literally, can't think about anything else but this gorgeous swimmer with the sad eyes that keep ignoring him. Something he is NOT familiar with. See Trystan is a whore. He bang everything that breathe his way: Men, Women. No one resists him. Everyone loves him so when shy Dakota doesn't even acknowledge him and pretty much tell him to fuck off... Well, our Trystan see a challenge. And then begin the obsession.
He is always happy and rarely down. I think that is why I loved this character so much. He realize pretty quickly that his feelings for his Guppy are far more than sexual. He wants him. He wants to know everything about him. He want him to be happy... And he does every things in his power to make that happen. He is completely honest with himself and this an other thing that I loved about him.
And Dakota. Well Dakota story is so sad and heartbreaking.
He fight and fight for a long time. First Trystan, then himself... He can't fight his feelings though.
He was so lost and quiet and afraid but then he could be sassy sometimes and I loved it.
I can't tell to much about him without spilling the whole book.
I loved the 'courting' of Trystan. I loved how they talked to each other. Often enough in a romance, the 'talking' is off the book. More is focused on the sex. Well not here. They do talk. They learn about each other. We see them fall in love.
And Yes. The sex is VERY HOT!
The epilogue was beautiful and it made my heart full of butterflies...
The Re-read left me with the same feelings as the first time. 5 BIG stars.
May 5, 2017
DNF @ 6%
"Six percent?" You may ask. "But Annie, you didn't give it a fair shot!" And I hear you. I do. I usually try to go at least 50% in before deciding if I will actually DNF. But I just couldn't with this book. I don't usually go into a lot of detail with a DNF review unless I have strong feelings, and with this, I do.
Here's the premise: Trystan, a big, huge, beefy football star, has a crush on Dakota, a member of the swim team. Dakota doesn't appear to be interested in Trystan, but he's crushing hard, which is unusual for him, and really wants to get into Dakota's pants so that he'll quit obsessing over him. Dakota's got a traumatic backstory and had trouble with a guy at his old school, and thinks it's for the best that he stay away from Trystan.
Here's the problem: Trystan is legit stalking Dakota. He even admits it. His friend Alexander (who we met in Touchdown) calls him on it. "He had called me a stalker, and not the cute kind that I'd used to refer to myself after I'd shown him the pictures I had taken of Dakota - the ones Dakota hadn't known I was taking." Ok. So. Head's up, there is *no such thing* as a "cute kind" of stalker. Also, *super* creepy.
Dakota repeatedly tells Trystan to leave him alone and that he isn't interested. "I don't think it's cute that you're stalking me and I don't think it's cute that you're calling me ridiculous names and I definitely don't think it's cute when you're eyefucking me in front of an audience!" I mean, it doesn't get clearer than that that the guy wants to be left alone, right? From Dakota's POV, we see that he doesn't *really* want Trystan to leave him alone, he's actually attracted to the guy, even though he doesn't want to be because of his history at his old school. But every single word out of his mouth up to this point where I had to call it quits is a huge "NO" that Trystan completely disregards.
Here's where I drew the line: One morning, Trystan wakes up super early, buys Dakota breakfast, and waits outside his dorm for him to leave for practice. Dakota tells him (YET AGAIN) that he isn't interested and to go away. Trystan says, "This is how it’s going to play out. I dragged my rock-hard ass out of bed a good six hours before my regular time so I could bring rock-hard ass all the way across campus to hand deliver this food. While here, I also planned to get another thorough look at that swimmer’s physique I’ve come to admire so damned much so you’re either going to politely take my token of affection or I’m going to follow you all the way to the goldfish tank, begging you to accept my gift. If you take it now, I’ll eye-fuck you one last time and then be on my merry way.”
I understand where the author was trying to take this. I get that her idea is, Trystan is super into Dakota and Dakota is into Trystan even though he doesn't want to be because of his past, but Trystan is going to help him get over it and they're going to fall in love and they're going to be together forever. Like, I read a crap ton of romance, I know that's where this is heading. But that doesn't change the fact that at least the beginning of this book is incredibly toxic and perpetuates this idea that, oh that person you're into keeps telling you no? That's cool, keep stalking them and ignore them telling you to leave them alone because they really secretly love it and will give in eventually. This is toxic and perpetuates rape culture and made my skin crawl.
An advanced copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. I decided to wait a few weeks after publication to post this review. Please note that quotes came from an advanced copy.
"Six percent?" You may ask. "But Annie, you didn't give it a fair shot!" And I hear you. I do. I usually try to go at least 50% in before deciding if I will actually DNF. But I just couldn't with this book. I don't usually go into a lot of detail with a DNF review unless I have strong feelings, and with this, I do.
Here's the premise: Trystan, a big, huge, beefy football star, has a crush on Dakota, a member of the swim team. Dakota doesn't appear to be interested in Trystan, but he's crushing hard, which is unusual for him, and really wants to get into Dakota's pants so that he'll quit obsessing over him. Dakota's got a traumatic backstory and had trouble with a guy at his old school, and thinks it's for the best that he stay away from Trystan.
Here's the problem: Trystan is legit stalking Dakota. He even admits it. His friend Alexander (who we met in Touchdown) calls him on it. "He had called me a stalker, and not the cute kind that I'd used to refer to myself after I'd shown him the pictures I had taken of Dakota - the ones Dakota hadn't known I was taking." Ok. So. Head's up, there is *no such thing* as a "cute kind" of stalker. Also, *super* creepy.
Dakota repeatedly tells Trystan to leave him alone and that he isn't interested. "I don't think it's cute that you're stalking me and I don't think it's cute that you're calling me ridiculous names and I definitely don't think it's cute when you're eyefucking me in front of an audience!" I mean, it doesn't get clearer than that that the guy wants to be left alone, right? From Dakota's POV, we see that he doesn't *really* want Trystan to leave him alone, he's actually attracted to the guy, even though he doesn't want to be because of his history at his old school. But every single word out of his mouth up to this point where I had to call it quits is a huge "NO" that Trystan completely disregards.
Here's where I drew the line: One morning, Trystan wakes up super early, buys Dakota breakfast, and waits outside his dorm for him to leave for practice. Dakota tells him (YET AGAIN) that he isn't interested and to go away. Trystan says, "This is how it’s going to play out. I dragged my rock-hard ass out of bed a good six hours before my regular time so I could bring rock-hard ass all the way across campus to hand deliver this food. While here, I also planned to get another thorough look at that swimmer’s physique I’ve come to admire so damned much so you’re either going to politely take my token of affection or I’m going to follow you all the way to the goldfish tank, begging you to accept my gift. If you take it now, I’ll eye-fuck you one last time and then be on my merry way.”
I understand where the author was trying to take this. I get that her idea is, Trystan is super into Dakota and Dakota is into Trystan even though he doesn't want to be because of his past, but Trystan is going to help him get over it and they're going to fall in love and they're going to be together forever. Like, I read a crap ton of romance, I know that's where this is heading. But that doesn't change the fact that at least the beginning of this book is incredibly toxic and perpetuates this idea that, oh that person you're into keeps telling you no? That's cool, keep stalking them and ignore them telling you to leave them alone because they really secretly love it and will give in eventually. This is toxic and perpetuates rape culture and made my skin crawl.
An advanced copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. I decided to wait a few weeks after publication to post this review. Please note that quotes came from an advanced copy.
June 14, 2017
4 Stars!
Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Author and Enticing Journey Book Promotions
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance
Part 2 of an ongoing series
My Gasping for Air Review . . .
So I didn't realize this was book 2 in the series and I started to regret not reading the first one, but then I got hooked on Dakota and Trystan. So much that I couldn't put the book down, so now I have to go back and read Touchdown so I can get Lincoln and Alex's story.
Trystan Matherly is the star football player and is bisexual. He has no problem finding people to warm his sheets, woman or men but something about Dakota Jacobson has made him wanting more.
Dakota has a past that doesn't make him trust easily. And Trystan is the whole representation of his past. He should walk away but something about Trystan makes him want more. Trystan never loses at everything but this is the first time he's had to work so hard to get what he wants. Which is Dakota.
"You gonna lay there all day and pretend to be asleep or are you going to show me those beautiful green eyes this morning?"
I absolutely loved the banter between all the characters. But I especially love how much Trystan adores Dakota and isn't scared to show it.
"Swim the dream, Guppy. Swim it like you dream it!"
Together these two bring the best out in each other. However for Trystan, Dakota helps to humble him and keeps him grounded.
"It's nothing we can't handle but I don't want you thinking this is going to be a onesided shitshow. I'm trouble, babe. I'm arrogant, spoiled, self-centered, borderline bully but in a really cute way, and I'm very kinky. . . ."
And for Dakota, Trystan gets him to live again and be whom he's always been meant to be. He makes Dakota trust again and live to his fullest potential. At times Dakota secrets drove me batty for not knowing it, but when the truth came out my heart broke for him and what he had to go through. Which made all those insecurities and paranoias made sense after the knowing.
I absolutely adore Trystan and Dakota and this series. I can't wait for more from this series and this author.
February 2, 2020
*4.5 stars *
Thanks a lot Jan for recommending this book. It would have sucked a lot if I have missed this one.
I am in love with Trystan and Guppy throughout the book.
Seriously Guppy I don't know how the hell did the author came up with such a name and it fits totally on Dakota.
As for the book I was hooked to it till the last. It was a complete package for me. It was hilarious, emotional, kinky everything.
I don't know what's else to say, it won't be enough for this one.
Thanks a lot Jan for recommending this book. It would have sucked a lot if I have missed this one.
I am in love with Trystan and Guppy throughout the book.
Seriously Guppy I don't know how the hell did the author came up with such a name and it fits totally on Dakota.
As for the book I was hooked to it till the last. It was a complete package for me. It was hilarious, emotional, kinky everything.
I don't know what's else to say, it won't be enough for this one.
April 15, 2017
Review by: Jennifer
(3.75 stars)
So when we last saw Tank at the end of Touchdown, which is book one of this series, he was lusting and LOL "admiring from a distance" after one of the guys on the swim team. Tank just needs to get him to a) notice him b) fall for his charm and c) agree to be his love slave. But just getting Dakota to notice him is becoming a bigger problem than Tank would have thought it would be.
Dakota keeps his head down, and goes about his business. The less people notice him the better, are his thoughts. So why is Tank trying to get his attention? What could he possibly want with Dakota? When early morning coffee and breakfast surprises don't end up working in Tank's favor, he has to figure something out, he just doesn't count on that being him saving Dakota's life. Can he use this to his advantage? Was this an accident or are they going to find out this was on purpose? Will Dakota ever open up to Tank more or will this whole thing just be a waste of time for Tank?
This felt like it took me years to finish, there was so much going on, and so much detail (almost too much) some really slow bits that probably should have been cut and even some of the sexy time scenes seem to drag on and on. Now, that's not to say this was all boring, just some of it was not needed and would have probably kept my attention better. There is some major drama going on in this story, a bit of violence, some really funny bits, and lots of sexy time (some of it made sense and others didn't). Now I'm not taking any of the editing issues into account when I score this, but it was soo freaking distracting that I really hope the final version is formatted and edited a lot better. I do give this 3.75 stars, all in all it was a good plot and the characters were amazing and I always love to see the previous characters from book one.
(3.75 stars)
So when we last saw Tank at the end of Touchdown, which is book one of this series, he was lusting and LOL "admiring from a distance" after one of the guys on the swim team. Tank just needs to get him to a) notice him b) fall for his charm and c) agree to be his love slave. But just getting Dakota to notice him is becoming a bigger problem than Tank would have thought it would be.
Dakota keeps his head down, and goes about his business. The less people notice him the better, are his thoughts. So why is Tank trying to get his attention? What could he possibly want with Dakota? When early morning coffee and breakfast surprises don't end up working in Tank's favor, he has to figure something out, he just doesn't count on that being him saving Dakota's life. Can he use this to his advantage? Was this an accident or are they going to find out this was on purpose? Will Dakota ever open up to Tank more or will this whole thing just be a waste of time for Tank?
This felt like it took me years to finish, there was so much going on, and so much detail (almost too much) some really slow bits that probably should have been cut and even some of the sexy time scenes seem to drag on and on. Now, that's not to say this was all boring, just some of it was not needed and would have probably kept my attention better. There is some major drama going on in this story, a bit of violence, some really funny bits, and lots of sexy time (some of it made sense and others didn't). Now I'm not taking any of the editing issues into account when I score this, but it was soo freaking distracting that I really hope the final version is formatted and edited a lot better. I do give this 3.75 stars, all in all it was a good plot and the characters were amazing and I always love to see the previous characters from book one.
July 14, 2017
I feel compelled to actually review this book cause am so damned conflicted about it. "Gasping for air" is one hell of a ride and I don't say this lightly. This book covers a lot of issues and some seriously graphic content. (I can't remember if there was a warning cause I dove straight into the book and while I knew what was coming it still didn't prepare me enough. I really hope there's a trigger warning somewhere at the start)
There's a lot to love about this book so I'll just get into the reasons why it's only a 3.5 stars for me.
All that being said it doesn't take away from the fact this is an awesome book. It made me think of things beyond a HEA/HFN. And that's what good fiction does. It makes you reconsider things and makes your beliefs stronger. So, I applaud you T.S.McKinney, for leaving an imprint.
There's a lot to love about this book so I'll just get into the reasons why it's only a 3.5 stars for me.
All that being said it doesn't take away from the fact this is an awesome book. It made me think of things beyond a HEA/HFN. And that's what good fiction does. It makes you reconsider things and makes your beliefs stronger. So, I applaud you T.S.McKinney, for leaving an imprint.
April 24, 2017
Teaser
Gasping for Air by T.S. McKinney’s is an intense addition to her Gameday series.
There’s this deep, heavy angst throughout Trystan and Dakota’s story. But, just as I would feel my heart beat faster, my toes start to tap and my breathing start to increase, McKinney would swoop in with one of her hot sex scenes, and I do mean hot, and ease my anxiety.
I sort of felt what Trystan was feeling. The turmoil, the confusion, the frustration, tempered by passion.
At about 320 pages you better be prepared to cage up your heart because, holy shit, it’s gonna be drug through hell. You’ll even begin to wonder how much more you can take. But just as Trystan slowly drags his “Guppy” back to the land of the living so does McKinney bring forth her readers.
[It’s] a grippingly, all-consuming, emotional roller coaster! With an explosive ending that will leave you ‘Gasping for Air’.
Read Full Review at Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter
http://bit.ly/2ooAQA7
Gasping for Air by T.S. McKinney’s is an intense addition to her Gameday series.
There’s this deep, heavy angst throughout Trystan and Dakota’s story. But, just as I would feel my heart beat faster, my toes start to tap and my breathing start to increase, McKinney would swoop in with one of her hot sex scenes, and I do mean hot, and ease my anxiety.
I sort of felt what Trystan was feeling. The turmoil, the confusion, the frustration, tempered by passion.
At about 320 pages you better be prepared to cage up your heart because, holy shit, it’s gonna be drug through hell. You’ll even begin to wonder how much more you can take. But just as Trystan slowly drags his “Guppy” back to the land of the living so does McKinney bring forth her readers.
[It’s] a grippingly, all-consuming, emotional roller coaster! With an explosive ending that will leave you ‘Gasping for Air’.
Read Full Review at Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter
http://bit.ly/2ooAQA7
October 19, 2020
Trystan esta obsesionado con un estudiante que vio un dia en la cafeteria de la universidad, lo ha seguido, ha aprendido sus rutinas, sabe que le gusta y que estudia, quiere conocerlo, le ha dicho a su amigo Alex que ese es su proximo novio y que quizas sea el definitivo. Con una carrera dentro del futbol americano y esperando que firmar con el equipo al que pertenecio su padre (Los Cowboys), y a punto de terminar las clases en la universidad, se ha dispuesto a conquistar al que llama su Guppy (pez de colores brillante de agua dulce).
Dakota solo quiere terminar el semestre y poder declarar en el juicio que le ha revuelto la vida, sufriendo de depresion solo existe, esperando que su ex pague por todo lo que le hizo y que su vida vuelva a ser como antes, pero un integrante del equipo de Futbol de la universidad se ha dedicado a perseguirlo y a intentar atraer su atencion, Dakota tendra que decidir si su pasado lo seguira gobernando o si puede aceptar un futuro con Trystan.
Ambos veran su relacion peligrar por las dudas de Dakota de confiar por completo y su ex que ha decidido que va a terminar lo que comenzo hace 6 meses.
El libro es bastante fuerte de leer, los temas de violencia de genero son bastante explicitos, ademas de las consecuencias que sufrio Dakota como sobreviviente y todo lo que tienen que hacer los familiares y amigos para ayudarlo a salir del estado de depresion y desconfianza que fue consecuencia de la relacion anterior.
Es facil de leer, con muchos dialogos, pero extrañe el tema de los otros compañeros de equipo de Trystan, ya que solo Alex aparece de vez en cuando, y no hay esa camaraderia que existia en el libro anterior. Tambien, me parecio, que paso muy por encima la lucha interna de Trystan por aceptar a Dakota (ademas del obvio intento de conquista) y la eliminacion casi total del tema de BDSM y el Club de la trama.
Creo que hacen falta por lo menos un par de libros mas de esta serie, pero no he visto que el autor vaya a seguir ella, esperaremos a ver.
Dakota solo quiere terminar el semestre y poder declarar en el juicio que le ha revuelto la vida, sufriendo de depresion solo existe, esperando que su ex pague por todo lo que le hizo y que su vida vuelva a ser como antes, pero un integrante del equipo de Futbol de la universidad se ha dedicado a perseguirlo y a intentar atraer su atencion, Dakota tendra que decidir si su pasado lo seguira gobernando o si puede aceptar un futuro con Trystan.
Ambos veran su relacion peligrar por las dudas de Dakota de confiar por completo y su ex que ha decidido que va a terminar lo que comenzo hace 6 meses.
El libro es bastante fuerte de leer, los temas de violencia de genero son bastante explicitos, ademas de las consecuencias que sufrio Dakota como sobreviviente y todo lo que tienen que hacer los familiares y amigos para ayudarlo a salir del estado de depresion y desconfianza que fue consecuencia de la relacion anterior.
Es facil de leer, con muchos dialogos, pero extrañe el tema de los otros compañeros de equipo de Trystan, ya que solo Alex aparece de vez en cuando, y no hay esa camaraderia que existia en el libro anterior. Tambien, me parecio, que paso muy por encima la lucha interna de Trystan por aceptar a Dakota (ademas del obvio intento de conquista) y la eliminacion casi total del tema de BDSM y el Club de la trama.
Creo que hacen falta por lo menos un par de libros mas de esta serie, pero no he visto que el autor vaya a seguir ella, esperaremos a ver.
June 12, 2018
I enjoyed Gasping for Air but not as much as Touchdown. I found myself skimming about 30% of it and I feel the Evan (fuck stick for lack of a harsher term) issue was handle fairly quickly. I enjoyed it and I liked seeing Alex and Lincoln again.
December 8, 2023
There were some funny moments in this book (mostly because of Trystan), but I didn’t like Dakota and Trystan’s relationship.
Trystan is a football player who notices Dakota, a swimmer, and is instantly attracted to him. He kind of stalks Dakota and eventually finds the courage to talk to him. They spend a lot of time together because of circumstances, and Trystan is on a mission to win Dakota over. I don’t think there was a plot other than that, although Dakota’s swimming is mentioned two or three times.
I liked Trystan as a character because he was so determined and positive. I understood Dakota, but I didn’t like how he constantly took from Trystan and never gave, or at least that’s what it felt like for me. I’m not even talking about the secrets because while I would have liked for Dakota to tell Trystan, I understood that he couldn’t. My main problem was how Trystan would constantly be trying (waking up early to go to Dakota’s swim meets, bringing him breakfast, not pushing him despite the obvious lies, etc) and Dakota would sometimes go along with it and then other times he was ready to ditch Trystan.
This is also the reason why I think that there wasn’t really any relationship development. Sure, they spent time together and Trystan was doing things to make Dakota like him, but Dakota never talked about the secrets or just himself in general. Also, I don’t remember there being anything that Dakota did for Trystan, it was always Trystan giving Dakota gifts and making gestures.
The side characters were mostly in the background and weren’t really shown interacting with Dakota and Trystan. I really liked Mallary and Megan and I would be interested in reading about them, but they were only present in one scene so that seems unlikely. Alex and Lincoln appear a few times, but not enough. Also, I had a problem with Alex’s behaviour. I agreed that what Trystan did was irresponsible, but I completely disagreed with the way Alex reacted - basically blaming Trystan for not trying hard enough and pushing Dakota away. What?! Trystan was the only one trying, and Dakota was the one constantly pushing Trystan and everyone away, so how did Alex come to that conclusion?? I think I stopped liking Alex after that.
The writing was fine, but the contractions really bothered me. Some of the contractions were used in places that felt inappropriate to me and it would take me out of the story. For example, “he’ll be home before you’re” feels awkward and to me, it would have made more sense to just write “you are”.
This book had some funny moments, but I didn’t like the relationship because it didn’t feel equal. Trystan is told multiple times that he needs to be better and he himself says that he needs to work on himself and yet not once is it mentioned that maybe Dakota could do something nice for Trystan for a change. I don’t think Dakota was a bad character, but I didn’t like their dynamic. I might try other books by this author, but I would probably look for a completely different storyline.
Trystan is a football player who notices Dakota, a swimmer, and is instantly attracted to him. He kind of stalks Dakota and eventually finds the courage to talk to him. They spend a lot of time together because of circumstances, and Trystan is on a mission to win Dakota over. I don’t think there was a plot other than that, although Dakota’s swimming is mentioned two or three times.
I liked Trystan as a character because he was so determined and positive. I understood Dakota, but I didn’t like how he constantly took from Trystan and never gave, or at least that’s what it felt like for me. I’m not even talking about the secrets because while I would have liked for Dakota to tell Trystan, I understood that he couldn’t. My main problem was how Trystan would constantly be trying (waking up early to go to Dakota’s swim meets, bringing him breakfast, not pushing him despite the obvious lies, etc) and Dakota would sometimes go along with it and then other times he was ready to ditch Trystan.
This is also the reason why I think that there wasn’t really any relationship development. Sure, they spent time together and Trystan was doing things to make Dakota like him, but Dakota never talked about the secrets or just himself in general. Also, I don’t remember there being anything that Dakota did for Trystan, it was always Trystan giving Dakota gifts and making gestures.
The side characters were mostly in the background and weren’t really shown interacting with Dakota and Trystan. I really liked Mallary and Megan and I would be interested in reading about them, but they were only present in one scene so that seems unlikely. Alex and Lincoln appear a few times, but not enough. Also, I had a problem with Alex’s behaviour. I agreed that what Trystan did was irresponsible, but I completely disagreed with the way Alex reacted - basically blaming Trystan for not trying hard enough and pushing Dakota away. What?! Trystan was the only one trying, and Dakota was the one constantly pushing Trystan and everyone away, so how did Alex come to that conclusion?? I think I stopped liking Alex after that.
The writing was fine, but the contractions really bothered me. Some of the contractions were used in places that felt inappropriate to me and it would take me out of the story. For example, “he’ll be home before you’re” feels awkward and to me, it would have made more sense to just write “you are”.
This book had some funny moments, but I didn’t like the relationship because it didn’t feel equal. Trystan is told multiple times that he needs to be better and he himself says that he needs to work on himself and yet not once is it mentioned that maybe Dakota could do something nice for Trystan for a change. I don’t think Dakota was a bad character, but I didn’t like their dynamic. I might try other books by this author, but I would probably look for a completely different storyline.
August 11, 2017
I really enjoyed this. TS writes characters so well. I loved the contrast of the lightness of Trystan to the darkness of Dakota. I also enjoyed the reappearance of Alex & Linc. They never fail to make me smile. The book was definitely longer than it needed to be, but the second half flew by. It was definitely smoking hot, but I didn't feel like it was overdone for my tastes.
I did find the editing a bit odd in places. Up to the first 20%, I noticed a lack of contractions that almost made the dialogue seem stilted. It's natural to see a lack of contractions when you have a character with English as a second language, but we didn't see that here. Between 20% and 30%, it's almost like the editor realized this, and started adding contractions in the strangest places! For example:
1. Dakota: "Are you going to do this?" Trystan: "I'm."
2. "Because guys like you're never this nice."
3. "I have some trust issues and they're what they're..."
4. "It's just who I'm."
And the list goes on. The strangeness disappears almost completely after the 30% mark.
I agree that there should be a trigger warning. While this book was angsty, I didn't feel like it was all-consuming for me as the reader (though poor Dakota definitely had his share of it!). I hope there are more books in this series and I will definitely be reading more from this author!
I did find the editing a bit odd in places. Up to the first 20%, I noticed a lack of contractions that almost made the dialogue seem stilted. It's natural to see a lack of contractions when you have a character with English as a second language, but we didn't see that here. Between 20% and 30%, it's almost like the editor realized this, and started adding contractions in the strangest places! For example:
1. Dakota: "Are you going to do this?" Trystan: "I'm."
2. "Because guys like you're never this nice."
3. "I have some trust issues and they're what they're..."
4. "It's just who I'm."
And the list goes on. The strangeness disappears almost completely after the 30% mark.
I agree that there should be a trigger warning. While this book was angsty, I didn't feel like it was all-consuming for me as the reader (though poor Dakota definitely had his share of it!). I hope there are more books in this series and I will definitely be reading more from this author!
September 9, 2018
I really didn't want to do this because I came so god damn far in this book. at the beginning I liked Dakota, I loved Trystan from the beginning of touchdown (with some reservations of course ) but after reading this book for a while I got so fucking mad at Dakota and I really don't want to DNF this book but it looks like I'm gonna have to because I can't anymore. i knew going into this book it was gonna be long but damn, give a girl a warning when the plot is gonna drag. Dakota is getting on my last known nerve with his cagey shit and it pisses me off to no end to see someone so sweet and loving like Trystan get treated like trash because he is in love with him. He's basically putting up with phycological abuse and I don't like it. There is absolutely NO character development, it's been the same since page one and Dakota's secret cannot be that monumental to be kept from the reader. I hated Meghan and whatever the fuck the other twins names was. I think the only thing that kept me hanging on for so long was Lincon and Alex because those two are fucking goals.
August 9, 2019
I struggled with my review for this one. Torn between 3 or 4 stars, so I think I’ll go with 3.5.
It’s been on my TBR shelf forever and today, I was like, okay I’ll give it a go.
This is a book that deals with heavy topics, I knew this going in and that wasn’t what bothered me. From the reviews, I learned that one of the characters would be dealing with, and recovering from events from the past. Therefore it made sense for Dakota to be very skittish and defensive at first. Honestly? When I later read what he’d been through, I felt very sorry for him. Nobody deserves that.
But the constant mention of “Evan” was really annoying to me. It felt like his name was being mentioned all the time, and it had me skimming a little.
Overall, I liked both the main characters though and I was glad that they got their HEA!
There was a few typos as well, nothing major though.
It’s been on my TBR shelf forever and today, I was like, okay I’ll give it a go.
This is a book that deals with heavy topics, I knew this going in and that wasn’t what bothered me. From the reviews, I learned that one of the characters would be dealing with, and recovering from events from the past. Therefore it made sense for Dakota to be very skittish and defensive at first. Honestly? When I later read what he’d been through, I felt very sorry for him. Nobody deserves that.
But the constant mention of “Evan” was really annoying to me. It felt like his name was being mentioned all the time, and it had me skimming a little.
Overall, I liked both the main characters though and I was glad that they got their HEA!
There was a few typos as well, nothing major though.
August 26, 2017
WOW, WOW, WOW
What an amazing story! This was emotional, heart wrenching and just so beautiful. The pain in Dakota was so heartbreaking and I'm glad that bastard Evan died and wasn't able to torture him anymore. Evil real comes in many forms. The love expressed by Trystan gave hope and was able to give Dakota light in his darkness. It really sad that things like what the author wrote about really happens in real life and makes me angry that sick individuals like Evan and his father actually get away with it.
Beautiful work once again by T.S McKinney. I would give more ten stars if I could, I enjoyed it that much. My only thing is, I would of like to see how the public reacted to all this coming to light.
What an amazing story! This was emotional, heart wrenching and just so beautiful. The pain in Dakota was so heartbreaking and I'm glad that bastard Evan died and wasn't able to torture him anymore. Evil real comes in many forms. The love expressed by Trystan gave hope and was able to give Dakota light in his darkness. It really sad that things like what the author wrote about really happens in real life and makes me angry that sick individuals like Evan and his father actually get away with it.
Beautiful work once again by T.S McKinney. I would give more ten stars if I could, I enjoyed it that much. My only thing is, I would of like to see how the public reacted to all this coming to light.
May 15, 2017
3☆
I didn't like Trystan at all in the beginning of the story but he grew on me
as for Dakota I just didn't understand why he acted that way ...
as the story progressed I just wanted to know wtf happend to Dakota I knew he was abused but I was missing alot of details in the end when I've read what happend to him it just broke my heart .
Trystan with all his alpha male cockiness was really a sweet and caring boyfriend because when he figured it out that he was in Love with his "Guppy" he was all in .
I didn't like Trystan at all in the beginning of the story but he grew on me
as for Dakota I just didn't understand why he acted that way ...
as the story progressed I just wanted to know wtf happend to Dakota I knew he was abused but I was missing alot of details in the end when I've read what happend to him it just broke my heart .
Trystan with all his alpha male cockiness was really a sweet and caring boyfriend because when he figured it out that he was in Love with his "Guppy" he was all in .
September 13, 2018
I really loved Touchdown (the 1st book in the series. Let me say this book didn't disappoint. I think Tristan (aka Tank) might be one of my top BBoyfriends now!! I loved his I don't care what anyone thinks additude. Yes I got to say Dakota's (aka Guppy's) back story about broke my heart!! The book had a lot of serious wrapped inside it's pages but the small balance of funny and sweet moments made it enjoyable. I especially loved the trip to the animal shelter. Binx totally stole the scene!!! If you read my review to this point then please just buy the book, you wont be disappointed. :)
April 23, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this one. The stalking was borderline creepy, even with how cute Trystan’s behavior and his intentions were. I didn’t understand Dakote trusting Trystan to tie him up after what happened to him, only knowing him for such a short period of time. It would have made more sense to me if their relationship started as a friendship, getting to know eachother more first. That’s another thing: imo there was a lack of development in their relationship.
May 29, 2025
3.5 stars
Thank god - the author finally made up their mind and did not mix past and present tense all the time.
I nearly couldn’t read the first book in this series.
The plot was interesting, but maybe a little bit over the top.
I totally did not get the whole “I want to be like a dom but without the rules”-thing.
Will read the next book, too.
Thank god - the author finally made up their mind and did not mix past and present tense all the time.
I nearly couldn’t read the first book in this series.
The plot was interesting, but maybe a little bit over the top.
I totally did not get the whole “I want to be like a dom but without the rules”-thing.
Will read the next book, too.
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