With Sam’s help I’d improve my grades and stay on the team. What neither of us expected is that after studying, there was more I could teach him.
After Jayden’s father died, he felt lost and alone. Nothing made sense to him anymore except for the ice and skating. It was there he could lose himself. With playoffs approaching everything he had worked so hard to achieve was in jeopardy.
With stunning blue eyes shining behind glasses, timid and unsure, Sam and he came from opposite worlds.
Sam’s job was to help Jayden improve himself.
Jayden’s job became to show Sam who he really was.
As much as neither of them ever wanted to admit it, they both needed someone.
Breakaway is a gay love story with characters that come alive off the page and stay with you long after the story has ended. This story may take place on the ice, but its details are steamy and hot.
Romeo Alexander lives in Michigan, USA, with his dog and two cats. As a certified night owl, coffee and a wicked sense of humor keep him going most days, as does playing with flavors in the kitchen.
As a proud gay man, Romeo doesn't just write characters—he breathes life into them, infusing them with real-world trials, tribulations, and triumphant love stories. He doesn't just believe in love; he champions it, weaving narratives that prove love's healing power time and again.
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This was an enjoyable short story with engaging characters. Jocks and geeks. Definitely a spotlight on opposites attracting, although once they come out of their usual comfort zones they mesh very well. I especially liked the accepting camaraderie of Jayden's hockey team. It's refreshing to see the a normally portrayed homophobic group stand by their teammate and friend. Hopefully, this encompassing attitude will become the norm. And not just in books! I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
I’m not a fan of YA/NA but I didn’t hate it. The book had potential but just not fully fleshed out. Also, it didn’t have an epilogue or some long term update on their relationship. This could have benefitted from being a longer book. I hope the author improves his style.
If I had to have a header for the title of this review... It would be "Potential Unrealized." I really liked the premise, but it was poorly executed. We have Hayden who is not your typical "jock". He's kind and doesn't judge people by appearances, or so he says. However, his inner ramblings sometimes contradict that statement. Then we have Sam who is actually more hostile to Hayden for being an athlete. He acts more elitist and snobby than Hayden does. However, the icing on the cake... there is no explanation for their attraction. They meet and somehow, for some reason they like each other!? WTF! Why!? There really was great potential, but it just didn't work. I think the book needed to be twice as long.
I wanted to grant this author a second chance after suffering through long chunks of a previous, longer offering of his. This amusing twist on an hackneyed trope - not-so-typical jock meets haughty geek and pursues him while mayhem ensues - shows rather more promise, what with its spunky tone and the obvious comfort Mr Alexander shows when it comes to penning down young lads of the boy-next-door variety grappling with their sexuality (no vainglorious princes nor boastful bodyguards here!). Too bad the writing never really gels, due to a dreary use of present tense, first person narrative, painfully one-dimensional protagonists who fail to establish a connection, let alone the required chemistry, a picture of college life that not only was not done convincingly, even as a background that plays second fiddle to the love element and the coming out, but feeds off some of the least realistic cliches widely circulating through TV shows and bad movies, and such an overabundance of comma misuse that it throws the reader out of the story time and again (things are so bad that, in the spate of a few lines near the beginning, one has to tolerate no less than four instances of that very soloecism: "“that is still passing Coach. Are you gonna bench me at tomorrow’s game?” That feeling of apprehension once again churns in my gut.“No, I won’t bench you. A C is passing but I think you can do better than that Fisher. I want all my players to remember that applying themselves in everything they do is worth more to me than the fastest skater or best puck handler I have.” I nod, “Ok, I’ll get the grade up.” “That’s right son. I’m going to give you two weeks. From what I understand, you have a major paper due at the end of that and your professor has assured me that if you do well on that, your grade will bounce back up to a B.” “Understood Coach”"). Two stars and a half, rounded down because it was not quite the gallant attempt at a YA feel-good story that the relatively fresh formula would have one expect - the overall effect is far too bland.
Got about 10 pages into this cringefest and abandoned ship. Setting up the characters based on jock and geek stereotypes didn't bode well, and coupled with frat bros, bro codes, "dumpy" librarians, and geeks who would've been shoved into lockers, the whole affair was way too high school for me. "You want to pass college, don't you?" While that might not be an exact quote, I'm pretty sure no one says that. Ever. "Pass college." You might say "pass this class/course/not fail out of college/etc." but "pass college" is just weird.
The writing felt amateurish and young, which contributed to the characters feeling two dimensional and stereotypical.
I really liked this Gay Sports Romance and I liked that the main character, Jayden was already ‘out’; it made for a refreshing change to sports romances I’ve been reading. I really liked Romeo’s ‘twist’ that the nerd was the one not ‘out’. I loved both main characters but found them best when they were together! I loved that Jayden would jump to Sam’s defense even before they develop feelings for each other. The story is short and sweet and leans towards insta-love with emotions becoming entangled quite quickly. Jayden’s a totally loveable jock who thankfully is nothing like the negative stereotype and he and his supportive teammates provide for a great story. A great first-time, insta-love, sports romance!
Now the narration for this was interesting. The narrator had a new voice for every character and they differed so much! I’m not sure the narrator meant for it, but their voices made the whole story so much more entertaining, even when it probably wasn’t meant to be. The Hockey team was made us of so many different accents, I felt like there was a Russian, Jamaican, American, and even possibly a little English and Kiwi in there. It makes for an entertaining listen! I must say the Librarian did kind of sound like a parrot which was a shock the first time I heard it. I’m an avid audiobook listener so I’ve heard all sorts of voices and obviously have my favorite narrators, so with this narrator being so different it did throw me off to start but once you get in the flow of the story, the bizarre accents fall away (or make you laugh) and the core of the story comes through. I loved the story and the narration made it unique.
Breakaway relata un romance entre dos personajes que son opuestos entre sí pero que se atraen: un popular jugador de hockey gay que ha salido del armario y un nerd empollón que aún está dentro. Esto lo hace diferente a otros libros que he leído porque normalmente es el deportista el que suele estar dentro del armario. Se me ha hecho corto y parece que todo se desarrolla muy rápido; es amor a primera vista y los dos protagonistas no se conocen tanto ni interaccionan tanto cuando acaban juntos. La parte de las conversaciones en las que divagan sobre esculturas me ha parecido un poco aburrida. Por lo demás, me ha gustado, los personajes me han parecido adorables y lo recomiendo.
Jayden es un jugador de hockey al que su entrenador le manda a unas clases de tutoría para que mejore sus notas y pueda seguir jugando. Jayden es muy popular, es gay y ha salido del armario. En el equipo casi todos le apoyan. Su tutor es Sam, un adorable friki empollón muy tímido, que inicialmente no se fía de Jayden ya que algunos deportistas se lo han hecho pasar mal y piensa que va a ser como ellos. Jayden tiene un flechazo en cuanto le ve y se esfuerza por demostrarle poco a poco que es diferente y que realmente le gusta. Cuando uno de los compañeros de equipo de Jayden, intenta humillar a Sam, Jayden le defiende públicamente. Sin embargo, tienen que superar bastantes obstáculos para conseguir su final feliz. Ambos sufren ataques homófobos y sacan a Sam del armario en contra de su voluntad tras publicar un vídeo de ambos besándose en un lugar público. El mejor amigo de Sam también le rechaza por su sexualidad y todo es hace que Sam se aleje. Jayden tiene que luchar con los prejuicios de Sam y ganarse su confianza. Con insistencia, lo consigue.
I’ve been on a mission to read Romeo Alexander’s entire catalog, and I’m almost done. I recently came across a few titles that he must have unpublished, but he didn’t pull the audiobook editions. Breakaway is vintage Romeo and I was stoked!
Originally published in 2018, Breakaway is absolutely adorable. I’ve read several of Romeo’s older works, but this one felt a little different. I can’t quite explain it, I just know I loved it. Jayden is a college hockey player, Sam is his nerdy, kind of grumpy tutor. They are complete opposites. Their dynamic and chemistry was fantastic, and I especially loved that Sam was the one questioning everything while Jayden was endlessly patient, kind, and so sweet. My only complaint? It’s short! I would have happily spent much more time with these two.
This was my first time listening to narrator Kaeomakana Tiwanak, so I went in with no expectations. Luckily, I’m not overly picky with narration…I can even tolerate assistive readers or Alexa. There were a few delightfully cringey moments that had me laughing out loud. While the character voices were always very distinct, they weren’t necessarily good, the performance was extremely entertaining though, like I said, laughing out loud. Will I be seeking out every audiobook he’s narrated? Probably not, but honestly, even a subpar narration can’t ruin a Romeo Alexander story.
Overall, Breakaway was a sweet, fun listen and a great reminder of why I love Romeo Alexander’s books so much. I gave the performance 3 stars, because the narration was seriously entertaining. I haven't laughed that hard in a long long time.
Le seul défaut de ce roman est de souffrir quelque peu de son format. Ainsi si l’on comprend l’attraction immédiate entre nos deux héros, l’évolution amoureuse est superficielle, rapide. Heureusement, la fraîcheur de ton, le style alerte, et surtout, surtout une excellente idée de point de vue renversé qui change la donne habituelle, apportent un talent certain. Le milieu universitaire est bien traité et exploité juste ce qu’il faut pour donner un peu d’épaisseur à l’intrigue. En fait, je n’ai pas lâché le roman avant le final.
Donc, l’histoire est totalement du point de vue du sportif « viril » qui assume un coming out qui s’est très bien passé. Il a immédiatement un gros faible pour ce geek introverti encore dans le placard et pas bien dans sa peau, chargé de l’aider à augmenter son niveau dans ses études. On trouve des homophobes un peu des deux côtés, mais aussi des personnes chaleureuses et encourageantes qui vont aider nos deux héros à vivre leur relation amoureuse. L’ensemble est mignon, léger, teinté d’humour et d’émotion, un parfait petit cocktail pour passer un bon moment une journée de pluie !
First time reading this author. It was just ok for me. There were a few really sweet scenes and I like how open Jayden was with his affection and feelings for Sam. A few things made me cringe like the PDA in a public place (they are caught & filmed, shocker..). I didn’t care for the severe degree of homophobia several characters expressed, one being a best friend since childhood who is now a college roommate. I mean, I feel like his extreme reaction seemed out of character for someone who has stood up next to his BFF his entire life and is then so horrible just because he finds out his BFF is gay? Which it hints that he already thought that? But now won’t even speak to him and moved out? Little too much external drama from several outside sources that were hurting the two main characters for me to really enjoy this story but it was well written and it’s just my personal taste that I don’t care for so much conflict in my romance stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Breakaway is a quick, sweet story that transmits the "feel goods" effectively.
Jayden is a college hockey jock who has some issues: He is dealing with the loss of his father, grade problems in school, and a possible benching as the season is heading towards the championship. Sam is his assigned tutor, a shy nerd hiding his gayness from everyone, including his best friend.
As Sam works with Jayden on an important term paper, he teaches Jayden he's at least as much brain as brawn. At the same time, Jaydenis helping Sam see that he is much more than his classwork and is deserving of love.
Through some thorny issues with homophobia and teammate jealousy, the two young men find the way to reach beyond current hurdles. A charming, spicy scene cements their relationship, and the championship game caps the story.
Romeo Alexander is a prolific romance writer, and this is the first of a 5-part series, Opposites Attract. Obviously there is plenty more enjoyment ahead.
I absolutely loved Sam and Jayden in this book. At first, I worried that Jayden was being a bit of a predator, but I was happy to see how skillfully Mr. Alexander was able to pivot that into a dominant, but caring, behavior. I liked that Sam wasn’t a doormat to Jayden’s plans, but that he was merely inexperienced.
Jayden really showed a great strength of character in this book as he allowed Sam to work through his emotions and reactions. Jayden didn’t swoop in and try to make choices for Sam, and he didn’t leave him to figure things out on his own in isolation, but instead, Jayden supported Sam every way he knew how to do, to help him learn that he was strong and worthy of Jayden’s love.
R.A. is a new author to me. His intro came from an author I follow so I took the plunge and am happy that I did. This was an enjoyable short story with engaging characters. Jocks and geeks. Definitely a spotlight on opposites attracting, although once they come out of their usual comfort zones they mesh very well. I especially liked the accepting camaraderie of Jayden's hockey team. It's refreshing to see the a normally portrayed homophobic group stand by their teammate and friend. Hopefully, this encompassing attitude will become the norm. And not just in books! I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
La historia no está mala. Un jugador de hockey sobre hielo, Jayden, super ganador, lindo y buenazo, tiene que aprobar una materia y para ello comienza unas tutorias con un chico muy nerd, Sam. Datazo: Jayden está fuera del closet y Sam no. La cosa que en el primer día Jayden conoce a Sam, conoce al sobrino de Sam en otro lugar y se enamora... Al otro día se juntan y se besan... todo muy muy rápido. Y con muchas casualidades que no van... Por ejemplo Jayden busca a Sam, quien al ser sacado del closet de una forma muy fea, había desaparecido. Pasan dos días y Jayden no lo encuentra, y su familia tampoco. A Jayden se le ocurre una idea y va al museo. Y lo encuentra... ¡¿después de dos días?! Me imagino a Sam vagando en el museo esperando que lo busquen... jajaj No me gustó. Si bien la historia no es mala... las cosas suceden en menos de una semana para que ambos se declaren amor para siempre?... HEA para ambos.
Romeo Alexander has done an excellent job pulling facets of this story together (understanding the personalities on the Bobcat hockey team, the death of Jayden’s father, life on the college campus, etc.) while maintaining the original storyline (Jayden needs Sam’s help with his Humanities’ midterm). Hopefully there are enough tidbits about this modern love story to entice you to read it. Happy reading and enjoy the story’s up’s and down’s, knowing it has an HEA for all the main, good characters!
I love Romeo Alexander books! They always offer hot guys with a soft and caring side you may not expect did to preconceived notions as pointed out in this book. Jayden's soft spot grows for Sam slowly and beautifully. He tried to protect Sam while helping him realize who he really is. The strength they both show after the bombshell is dropped, Sam with help from his sister, Jayden and the team, is inspiring. To know that there truly are homophobic a....les out there like Steve and Shawn is so maddening! But to see the two come out on top makes me smile.
I really liked the story and how the author tries to teach the real problems of acceptance and understanding that many people face due to their sexual condition. The story revolves around the college setting and the many real clichés every gay person has yet to face. I fell in love with Jayden because of his patience, sincerity and honesty towards everyone but especially Sam. And this one gave me a lot of tenderness because of the fear of him but at the same time the courage to face everyone for showing himself as he i
The writing style didn't really work for me. I liked the premise, but Jayden was overly confident (cocky), and I wished I could've seen some chapters from Sam's perspective. Because we didn't have those, Sam felt underdeveloped and two-dimensional. Also, maybe I just had an unusual college experience, but this school felt a little too much like high school for me (in the social interactions). And I've never heard of a college sports team which has JV play first. All in all, I just didn't really like it, so I stopped about halfway through.
Such a sweet endearing story. Love the main characters but the sub characters really fill out the story showing what true love and true friendship should look like. This tale of opposites attracting each other with the difficulties of fear, inexperience and prejudice all being overcome and love winning the day.
This is an easy read that is reasonably uncomplicated but emotionally provoking is a well worthwhile read.
A geek and a jock, the geek tutors the hockey player, who's not the stereotypical jock, though... Sparks fly and the story which developes is nice and funny and light, and it's a couple of hours of great entertainment (I listened to the audio version). Sam is stronger and more resilient that we would expect, just as Jayden is just a giant softie! Romeo Alexander is a new to me author, but I really appreciated his talent.
A writer of gay fiction who know how to fashion a plot that consists of more than two (or more) guys having the hugest erections in human history and seismic orgasms producing gallons of semen. This is a good writer with an adult vocabulary, a working knowledge of grammar, and the smarts to proofread what he's written. I don't mean to sound like a snob...I'm just so darn tired of mediocrity. Keep in writing Mr. Alexander!
This is a good sport romance book. I will give it 4/5. The main characters are Jayden, a college hockey, star and Sam who is a geek. Jayden’s grades are not where the coach feels they should be so he signs Jayden up for a tutor. But Jayden likes his tutor who is Sam. But whereas Jayden is out, Sam is not. Not everybody on the hockey is happy with Jayden being himself and this causes trouble for the two men. Communication and patience will be needed for anything to work with them.
I have to admit that I was surprised by this book. It definitely caught me off guard with the sincere emotions coming from the MC Jayden. Breakaway would definitely be even better with a dual point of view with Sam so we could see more of how everything affected him. But nonetheless I would still recommend this as a good short read. 3.5-4 stars
Filled to the brim with enough over worked tropes including 'jock falls for nerd' makes this book feel like it’s trying too hard. While this trope, when done with flair and forethought, can provide interesting stories, sadly this isn't one of them. One day I might write a more detailed takedown of this book - sadly just not today!
New to me narrator who does a really good job with his characters voices. Jayden is an Ice hockey player who needs to bring up his grades, In comes Sam his tutor who turns out to be more. I really enjoyed the side characters especially Sam's sister and her son. The team support was also done well, except for the 1 who was out to hurt Sam. Well written Edit Review