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Black Stallion Studios #1
One Shot
One pitch ended Alex Payne’s major league baseball debut.
Coming out as gay…
Could end his career.
Alex is dropped from the team after a prolonged post-surgical rehab stint. Short on cash and determined to make a comeback, Alex will stop at nothing to get enough money to continue his therapy and training.
Including jumping headfirst into the world of gay p*rn.
The only catch?
To work with Black Stallion Studios, you have to be straight.
No problem. Until Alex is paired with Elijah Maddox, and Alex discovers he’s not so straight after all, unfortunately, Elijah refuses to live in the closet.
But when news breaks about Alex’s association with Black Stallion, Alex’s secret is exposed.
Will Alex strike out and lose it all?
Or can he find a way to have his career and his love?
Coming out as gay…
Could end his career.
Alex is dropped from the team after a prolonged post-surgical rehab stint. Short on cash and determined to make a comeback, Alex will stop at nothing to get enough money to continue his therapy and training.
Including jumping headfirst into the world of gay p*rn.
The only catch?
To work with Black Stallion Studios, you have to be straight.
No problem. Until Alex is paired with Elijah Maddox, and Alex discovers he’s not so straight after all, unfortunately, Elijah refuses to live in the closet.
But when news breaks about Alex’s association with Black Stallion, Alex’s secret is exposed.
Will Alex strike out and lose it all?
Or can he find a way to have his career and his love?
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2019
74 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Vicki Tharp
34 books132 followersVicki Tharp makes her home on small acreage in south Texas with her husband and an embarrassing number of pets. When she isn’t writing or you can usually find her on the back of her horse—avoiding anything that remotely resembles housework—smelling of fly spray, and horse sweat.
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October 17, 2019
One Shot is book one in the brand new series Black Stallion Studios by Vicki Tharp. This is one of those times that I saw the cover and just knew I had to read this one. Once I read the blurb, I was all in! This can be read as a stand alone. The characters will recur in the other two books but each book is about a different couple.
Alexander (Alex) Payne’s only goal in life has always been to be a professional baseball pitcher. He was ecstatic when he got called up to the pros, only to have his dreams die when he injured his pitching arm on the first game. After extensive rehab, his arm still isn’t up to par and the team let him go. He’s out of money, he can’t afford the necessary rehab on his own to keep working on his arm, and he’s seeing his dream fade away. But then an offer to make a bunch of money comes along. Working for Black Stallion Studios. Only he wouldn’t be filming with a woman, he would be filming with a man. Alex is straight but at this point, he’ll do just about anything to make some money.
Elijah Maddox is struggling financially to finish college. Elijah has always known he was attracted to men but has never acted on it. When he found about Black Stallion Studios, it was the answer he needed to get the funds to graduate. Only he hadn’t counted on meeting Alex.
“What was it about this man that had Elijah questioning everything he thought he knew about himself?”
Alex and Elijah’s chemistry is instant and strong. But what happens when the public finds out what Alex has done? Will it ruin any chances he has of getting back on the team? Do they have any chance of exploring their attraction outside of the studio? Alex wants to keep his private life private but Elijah refuses to be someone’s secret.
This book was pretty much love at first sight for me. First of all, I love insta-love and that’s what this was. That zing they feel when they first meet, when they touch. These two burned up the pages. This book was off the charts hot. But more than that, I loved the characters. What they went through, their struggles with the public’s perception, was real.
I devoured this book, couldn’t put it down. Now I just want more. The next book in the series, book two, is Key Grip. It is going to be Grant and Sebastian’s story. It can’t get here fast enough.
For more about this book and so many more, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
Alexander (Alex) Payne’s only goal in life has always been to be a professional baseball pitcher. He was ecstatic when he got called up to the pros, only to have his dreams die when he injured his pitching arm on the first game. After extensive rehab, his arm still isn’t up to par and the team let him go. He’s out of money, he can’t afford the necessary rehab on his own to keep working on his arm, and he’s seeing his dream fade away. But then an offer to make a bunch of money comes along. Working for Black Stallion Studios. Only he wouldn’t be filming with a woman, he would be filming with a man. Alex is straight but at this point, he’ll do just about anything to make some money.
Elijah Maddox is struggling financially to finish college. Elijah has always known he was attracted to men but has never acted on it. When he found about Black Stallion Studios, it was the answer he needed to get the funds to graduate. Only he hadn’t counted on meeting Alex.
“What was it about this man that had Elijah questioning everything he thought he knew about himself?”
Alex and Elijah’s chemistry is instant and strong. But what happens when the public finds out what Alex has done? Will it ruin any chances he has of getting back on the team? Do they have any chance of exploring their attraction outside of the studio? Alex wants to keep his private life private but Elijah refuses to be someone’s secret.
This book was pretty much love at first sight for me. First of all, I love insta-love and that’s what this was. That zing they feel when they first meet, when they touch. These two burned up the pages. This book was off the charts hot. But more than that, I loved the characters. What they went through, their struggles with the public’s perception, was real.
I devoured this book, couldn’t put it down. Now I just want more. The next book in the series, book two, is Key Grip. It is going to be Grant and Sebastian’s story. It can’t get here fast enough.
For more about this book and so many more, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
January 1, 2024
3 stars
Nice enough.
The characters had good sexual chemistry though I'm not sure what else they had in common.
The premise is...well, it's a porn plot. Both MCs need cash and they need it fast, since they're both "straight" they can get extra cash doing gay porn as straight men. I'll ignore the part where one MC is not straight at all and knows he's bisexual from the get-go but pretends to be straight because he's never been with a man so that's close enough.
Actually I won't ignore that part, and it's vaguely OK because the MC does seem to know he's completely full of shit when he thinks this, but just a reminder that you don't have to engage in any form of sex with anyone to identify with a given sexuality.
Anyway.
They are hot together and I won't lie, that's exactly what I was looking for in this read, hence the 3 stars in spite of the other issues I had. There's limited emotional angst between them regarding the sexuality awakening of one MC, but it does create significant drama in their public lives.
Once one MC is recognised on camera because he's a public figure who has a distinctive tattoo - seriously how dumb could you be, you could've put makeup on it - and he's hounded by the paparazzi and not ready to admit he's queer. So they sneak around and that leads to tension between the MCs.
It uses the jealous tease plot element which I despise, though they are not exclusive at that point, they really should have just had a conversation about it.
The ending was horrifyingly cheesy, with several public grand gestures. So much second-hand embarrassment.
Apart from some relatively minor editing issues, the writing style isn't bad. I do think the exposition could do some work and the prep-work for other pairings in the series was clunky.
I get to the end of this review and I'm now questioning why I rated this 3 stars. It must have been some very hot sex.
Nice enough.
The characters had good sexual chemistry though I'm not sure what else they had in common.
The premise is...well, it's a porn plot. Both MCs need cash and they need it fast, since they're both "straight" they can get extra cash doing gay porn as straight men. I'll ignore the part where one MC is not straight at all and knows he's bisexual from the get-go but pretends to be straight because he's never been with a man so that's close enough.
Actually I won't ignore that part, and it's vaguely OK because the MC does seem to know he's completely full of shit when he thinks this, but just a reminder that you don't have to engage in any form of sex with anyone to identify with a given sexuality.
Anyway.
They are hot together and I won't lie, that's exactly what I was looking for in this read, hence the 3 stars in spite of the other issues I had. There's limited emotional angst between them regarding the sexuality awakening of one MC, but it does create significant drama in their public lives.
Once one MC is recognised on camera because he's a public figure who has a distinctive tattoo - seriously how dumb could you be, you could've put makeup on it - and he's hounded by the paparazzi and not ready to admit he's queer. So they sneak around and that leads to tension between the MCs.
It uses the jealous tease plot element which I despise, though they are not exclusive at that point, they really should have just had a conversation about it.
The ending was horrifyingly cheesy, with several public grand gestures. So much second-hand embarrassment.
Apart from some relatively minor editing issues, the writing style isn't bad. I do think the exposition could do some work and the prep-work for other pairings in the series was clunky.
I get to the end of this review and I'm now questioning why I rated this 3 stars. It must have been some very hot sex.
November 25, 2024
Alex and Elijah.
Two straight guys meet at a gay porn scene at the Black Stallion Studio, where they will interact with each other.
Straight turns into not so straight turns into gay.
Alex can’t come out and Elijah can’t accept that.
It was a sweet story. I didn’t always understand the commotion around Alex his position in the sports world. As if he was a superstar, he wasn’t really, he was a baseball starter, or maybe iI missed something. For me not all convincing.
Their relationship was a bit fuzzy. The part where it went to hell was really nice done.
Overall a sweet read with kind characters. Nicely written, entertaining and enjoyable.
Two straight guys meet at a gay porn scene at the Black Stallion Studio, where they will interact with each other.
Straight turns into not so straight turns into gay.
Alex can’t come out and Elijah can’t accept that.
It was a sweet story. I didn’t always understand the commotion around Alex his position in the sports world. As if he was a superstar, he wasn’t really, he was a baseball starter, or maybe iI missed something. For me not all convincing.
Their relationship was a bit fuzzy. The part where it went to hell was really nice done.
Overall a sweet read with kind characters. Nicely written, entertaining and enjoyable.
October 20, 2019
I really enjoyed the pacing of the book. It was really fast and gripping, with an easy flowing writing style,which ensured that I was always intrigued.
And I liked the build up in Alex and Elijah's relationship. The way they hit it off the first time they met outside of Black Stallion Studios,their chemistry and the way they grew more in love.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁 is hot and emotional, low on drama and big on fun. Great main and secondary characters,and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
And I liked the build up in Alex and Elijah's relationship. The way they hit it off the first time they met outside of Black Stallion Studios,their chemistry and the way they grew more in love.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁 is hot and emotional, low on drama and big on fun. Great main and secondary characters,and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
November 17, 2019
From the start, One Shot grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. This Vicki Tharp romance is a gripping start to the fabulous Black Stallion Studios series.
Alex is an injured athlete, who suddenly he finds himself doing gay porn for the money, despite being straight. When partnered with Elijah for a scene, he suddenly finds himself attracted to his co-star.
What follows is a sweet story of self-discovery and sexual exploration. Alex and Elijah are definitely hot together, but they're also sweet and tender. These are two men who are both doing porn as a way of making some fast money. As hot as their chemistry is, it's their developing emotional connection that is superb.
My first time reading this author, I found myself super impressed. I love the main characters, and am charmed by the secondary characters. If you're a big fan of porn romances, as I am, you will love this story. The author includes some great behind the scenes action which I always enjoy. And the use of dual pov allows the readers to get to understand both men well.
Honestly, I love One Shot and can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Alex is an injured athlete, who suddenly he finds himself doing gay porn for the money, despite being straight. When partnered with Elijah for a scene, he suddenly finds himself attracted to his co-star.
What follows is a sweet story of self-discovery and sexual exploration. Alex and Elijah are definitely hot together, but they're also sweet and tender. These are two men who are both doing porn as a way of making some fast money. As hot as their chemistry is, it's their developing emotional connection that is superb.
My first time reading this author, I found myself super impressed. I love the main characters, and am charmed by the secondary characters. If you're a big fan of porn romances, as I am, you will love this story. The author includes some great behind the scenes action which I always enjoy. And the use of dual pov allows the readers to get to understand both men well.
Honestly, I love One Shot and can't wait to read the next book in the series.
October 23, 2019
If you are looking for a super hot, gay, gay-for-you, first time steamy as hell story, One Shot by Vicki Tharp will click all your boxes. The chemistry between Elijah and Alex fairly jumps of the page and once I started, I didn't want to stop, right to the end, when my head was weaving and bopping trying to go to sleep lol. Get a behind the scenes look (whether real life or not...it was fun to read) at the world of gay porn, but more than that, there is a lesson in acceptance and forgiveness that is not always easy to achieve. My first Vicki Tharp read but I'd glad read her again.
November 6, 2019
These GFY type romances are my favorite.
August 26, 2020
Dare I say Alex was somewhat of a jerk to Maddox? I skimmed through the second half of this book because I was so annoyed with him.
October 17, 2019
This book hooked me from the beginning. Anyone needing money is put in a position to do things they might not normally do. That’s the case here with one of the main characters. Alex is working to success as a professional baseball pitcher when an injury changes everything. Elijah is just trying to get through college though he is more likely to do almost anything. Both are in desperate need of money. That’s where Black Stallion Studio comes in. I’m not sure if it’s the story that kept me so interested where the story was going or if it is that both the main characters are both so likable that right from the start I wanted them to succeed. The story has plenty of hot sex yet it’s the emotion of where the characters life is taking them that makes this a stand out story. I really liked this book and can’t wait for more of this series.
October 17, 2019
One Shot is the first book in the Black Stallion Studios series by Vicki Tharp. An injured Major League Baseball player takes a job doing gay porn to get money for his continuing physical therapy rehab. Black Stallion Studio hires straight men to do gay porn, no problem... until he meets his sexy scene partner. Then, the public find out and the drama and fun really begins.
Alex and Elijah are fantastic characters. I love their interactions, very heated. The book is written from their dual perspectives, so we get to really know how each one is feeling and thinking as the book progresses. The supporting characters are fun as well. The story has drama, steam and romance. I can't wait to read more.
Alex and Elijah are fantastic characters. I love their interactions, very heated. The book is written from their dual perspectives, so we get to really know how each one is feeling and thinking as the book progresses. The supporting characters are fun as well. The story has drama, steam and romance. I can't wait to read more.
December 20, 2019
4.5 stars... A new author for me with this book.
Right of the ball the characters got me pun intended lol.
Beautifully written with both povs. Elijah and Alex are both straight but doing a gay porn scene. Off to a nervous start the two have explosive chemistry when they first kiss. But Alex doesn't know how to deal with his unusual feelings. The media outs Alex him as gay and things explode for them. I really really liked this book.
Alex was a injured baseball player who needed money to continue physio to get his dream of a major player.
Elijah was a ex-military and now model earning a living while studying. He receives a business card for Black Stallion Studios to earn more money.
Right of the ball the characters got me pun intended lol.
Beautifully written with both povs. Elijah and Alex are both straight but doing a gay porn scene. Off to a nervous start the two have explosive chemistry when they first kiss. But Alex doesn't know how to deal with his unusual feelings. The media outs Alex him as gay and things explode for them. I really really liked this book.
Alex was a injured baseball player who needed money to continue physio to get his dream of a major player.
Elijah was a ex-military and now model earning a living while studying. He receives a business card for Black Stallion Studios to earn more money.
November 16, 2024
I received an ARC for this review. I am not a very good writer but here it goes:
This was a nice story. Nothing ground-breaking, but well told. the MC were very like able guys, who had your basic human flaws, nothing over the top or that would make your eyes roll back in annoyance. They also had good chemistry. The way the two straight guys approached sex was a nice read too, only jumping in right to sex because of the gay porn they were doing. How the sex proceeded from there was a nice twist.
All in all it was a nice story and of course a HEA..... I look forward to more Tharp books.
This was a nice story. Nothing ground-breaking, but well told. the MC were very like able guys, who had your basic human flaws, nothing over the top or that would make your eyes roll back in annoyance. They also had good chemistry. The way the two straight guys approached sex was a nice read too, only jumping in right to sex because of the gay porn they were doing. How the sex proceeded from there was a nice twist.
All in all it was a nice story and of course a HEA..... I look forward to more Tharp books.
June 2, 2020
DNF @66%
I don’t know what it is but it just has something that didn’t capture my attention.
I don’t know what it is but it just has something that didn’t capture my attention.
January 22, 2021
Bleh.
October 17, 2024
I'm disappointed by this one. I really enjoyed the first 70% and found the writing style easy to read, but then it just fell apart completely and I was tempted to DNF it at 80%. I honestly wish I had done that instead of wasting my time continuing to read.
So, things I didn't like:
1) This is a porn book, but the porn filming only happens in the first half, and none of the characters we're introduced to in the first half appear again for the rest of the book. I'm shocked this is the first book in the series because it feels like it should be a later addition to a series. It's very obvious during the porn scenes that Grant and Sebastian and Nico and Vin are both going to get their own books, but why set that up SO early in the story? By the time the book was over I'd pretty much forgotten those characters existed because they had no relevance to Alex and Elijah's story.
2) I'm sure a lot of stuff in the porn scenes is unrealistic, but the thing that really bothered me is that Nico suggests they don't show Alex's face on camera because he's famous. But he has a recognisable tattoo and scar, and people figure out who he is based off those. And someone like Nico - hell, ANYONE who has ever thought about posting nudes online KNOWS that if you want to keep those nudes anonymous, you have to cover up all recognisable tattoos, scars and body marks. The fact that Nico and Vic let that slide is SO unrealistic. There's a lot of other scenes in this book that are done to move the plot alone that are just as unrealistic and illogical as this one, and they all drive me nuts. One illogical scene, fine. Multiple? Bad writing.
2) This is dual POV but it really focuses on Alex and not Elijah. We're told Elijah is a vetran and studying at school now and doesn't have much money so he's doing modelling to raise funds, and there's a line somewhere near the end that's like "he never got a lot of praise growing up". That's everything we ever learn about him. We don't find out more about his time in the military, his family life is never mentioned, nothing. I don't even remember if they mention what he's even studying. The only conflict in his life we really see is the one he has with Alex and a LITTLE bit of a sexuality crisis, but we focus on Alex's sexual crisis more than Elijah's.
But there's also so many small things mentioned about Alex that just never get brought up again. Like he mentions he needs money because his agent was embezzling from him, and he's currently in court over that, which never gets mentioned again. Alex is worried about his parents finding out he was in gay porn, there's a mention of his dad calling and the call going to voicemail - never mentioned again. There's a mention in the epilogue of Alex asking where Elijah's mortarboard is at his graduation, which felt like Alex was asking because it was important or something (like I don't know, he wrote a proposal on it or something), but no it had nothing to do with anything. Just so many little details like this that never went anywhere.
3) Elijah and Alex barely talk to each other in this book. They meet and are attracted to each other, have like 1 on-screen conversation, fuck on camera. Then they don't talk to each other at all for an entire month. Next porn shoot happens, they fuck, have one conversation, Elijah gives Alex his number. They don't talk at all until they find out they've both signed up for the same recreational baseball team. This could have been a fun "uh oh we're seeing each other outside the studio this is awkward" scene, but it immediately transitions into a scene of them going to Elijah's house and fucking. And then after this third fuck is when the "oh no I'm falling for him but now there's angst and a third act breakup needs to happen soon" part of the book steps in. This is where the book lost me.
Here's the thing - the sex scenes in this book are good. They're hot, I don't mind how many of them there are. BUT. These characters have nothing other than mutual attraction going for them. They've barely had any conversations, they know nothing about each other. There's no substance to this romance other than they like to fuck. Why am I suppose to root for these characters to date when they don't even know basic information about each other? And then, the kicker, RIGHT after this there's a month long time skip. Followed by one chapter, in which they fight with each other, and then ANOTHER one month time skip. And then they tell each other they love each other. Like, HELLO???? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN??????? WHY are we skipping MONTHS during the most important part of the book??
Just, yeah. Everything just became such a mess in this book, but I really only noticed all the mess around 70% in, which made it such a waste of my time. It really did have potential - if things had been moved around, and unimportant lines removed, and Elijah had been fleshed out more, this could have been great.
So, things I didn't like:
1) This is a porn book, but the porn filming only happens in the first half, and none of the characters we're introduced to in the first half appear again for the rest of the book. I'm shocked this is the first book in the series because it feels like it should be a later addition to a series. It's very obvious during the porn scenes that Grant and Sebastian and Nico and Vin are both going to get their own books, but why set that up SO early in the story? By the time the book was over I'd pretty much forgotten those characters existed because they had no relevance to Alex and Elijah's story.
2) I'm sure a lot of stuff in the porn scenes is unrealistic, but the thing that really bothered me is that Nico suggests they don't show Alex's face on camera because he's famous. But he has a recognisable tattoo and scar, and people figure out who he is based off those. And someone like Nico - hell, ANYONE who has ever thought about posting nudes online KNOWS that if you want to keep those nudes anonymous, you have to cover up all recognisable tattoos, scars and body marks. The fact that Nico and Vic let that slide is SO unrealistic. There's a lot of other scenes in this book that are done to move the plot alone that are just as unrealistic and illogical as this one, and they all drive me nuts. One illogical scene, fine. Multiple? Bad writing.
2) This is dual POV but it really focuses on Alex and not Elijah. We're told Elijah is a vetran and studying at school now and doesn't have much money so he's doing modelling to raise funds, and there's a line somewhere near the end that's like "he never got a lot of praise growing up". That's everything we ever learn about him. We don't find out more about his time in the military, his family life is never mentioned, nothing. I don't even remember if they mention what he's even studying. The only conflict in his life we really see is the one he has with Alex and a LITTLE bit of a sexuality crisis, but we focus on Alex's sexual crisis more than Elijah's.
But there's also so many small things mentioned about Alex that just never get brought up again. Like he mentions he needs money because his agent was embezzling from him, and he's currently in court over that, which never gets mentioned again. Alex is worried about his parents finding out he was in gay porn, there's a mention of his dad calling and the call going to voicemail - never mentioned again. There's a mention in the epilogue of Alex asking where Elijah's mortarboard is at his graduation, which felt like Alex was asking because it was important or something (like I don't know, he wrote a proposal on it or something), but no it had nothing to do with anything. Just so many little details like this that never went anywhere.
3) Elijah and Alex barely talk to each other in this book. They meet and are attracted to each other, have like 1 on-screen conversation, fuck on camera. Then they don't talk to each other at all for an entire month. Next porn shoot happens, they fuck, have one conversation, Elijah gives Alex his number. They don't talk at all until they find out they've both signed up for the same recreational baseball team. This could have been a fun "uh oh we're seeing each other outside the studio this is awkward" scene, but it immediately transitions into a scene of them going to Elijah's house and fucking. And then after this third fuck is when the "oh no I'm falling for him but now there's angst and a third act breakup needs to happen soon" part of the book steps in. This is where the book lost me.
Here's the thing - the sex scenes in this book are good. They're hot, I don't mind how many of them there are. BUT. These characters have nothing other than mutual attraction going for them. They've barely had any conversations, they know nothing about each other. There's no substance to this romance other than they like to fuck. Why am I suppose to root for these characters to date when they don't even know basic information about each other? And then, the kicker, RIGHT after this there's a month long time skip. Followed by one chapter, in which they fight with each other, and then ANOTHER one month time skip. And then they tell each other they love each other. Like, HELLO???? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN??????? WHY are we skipping MONTHS during the most important part of the book??
Just, yeah. Everything just became such a mess in this book, but I really only noticed all the mess around 70% in, which made it such a waste of my time. It really did have potential - if things had been moved around, and unimportant lines removed, and Elijah had been fleshed out more, this could have been great.
June 3, 2022
3.5 stars
Alex is a pitcher who blew out his arm in his first big leagues game. When he doesn't recuperate from surgery within the timeline that the team had set for him, Alex is dropped from the team. He needs money to continue his rehabilitation, so he decides to do gay porn to pay the bills. Elijah is struggling to pay the bills for college, and one of the professors he knows suggests a gay porn company. When Alex and Elijah meet, their attraction to each other is pretty much instant, although the company prides itself on having only straight actors, so they can't act on it outside of the studio. Which is good, because Alex wants to make it back to the show.
My reaction within the first few pages: *eye roll* Oh, come on.
A few more pages: oh, my goodness. This writing isn't the best.
A couple of chapters in: uggh. this is NOT working for me.
Another chapter: I may have to try and find another book for this challenge.
Another chapter: just push through. If you get to 25% and still don't like it, you have my permission to quit.
25%: enh. I'm invested. Barely, but I'm invested.
A few more chapters: hey, the writing smoothed out. I'm starting to get into the characters.
50%: is there more to this series? Let me just check and put them on my wish list if there is.
So, yeah. It started off horribly to the point where I was going to DNF (I probably would have if I had had more than 3 options.), and kind of morphed into this book that was more than all right for me. Alex and Elijah worked for me once Alex admitted that he was not entirely straight. After that, it became more about how being in a relationship with a man would affect Alex's chances at returning to major league baseball, rather than denying his sexuality to himself, at least. Elijah had lots of patience with Alex, but I liked that he knew his limits and didn't just cave when Alex promised things. The relationship seemed to happen really fast, and quite a bit off page, but it was still an enjoyable read, once I settled in to it.
Alex is a pitcher who blew out his arm in his first big leagues game. When he doesn't recuperate from surgery within the timeline that the team had set for him, Alex is dropped from the team. He needs money to continue his rehabilitation, so he decides to do gay porn to pay the bills. Elijah is struggling to pay the bills for college, and one of the professors he knows suggests a gay porn company. When Alex and Elijah meet, their attraction to each other is pretty much instant, although the company prides itself on having only straight actors, so they can't act on it outside of the studio. Which is good, because Alex wants to make it back to the show.
My reaction within the first few pages: *eye roll* Oh, come on.
A few more pages: oh, my goodness. This writing isn't the best.
A couple of chapters in: uggh. this is NOT working for me.
Another chapter: I may have to try and find another book for this challenge.
Another chapter: just push through. If you get to 25% and still don't like it, you have my permission to quit.
25%: enh. I'm invested. Barely, but I'm invested.
A few more chapters: hey, the writing smoothed out. I'm starting to get into the characters.
50%: is there more to this series? Let me just check and put them on my wish list if there is.
So, yeah. It started off horribly to the point where I was going to DNF (I probably would have if I had had more than 3 options.), and kind of morphed into this book that was more than all right for me. Alex and Elijah worked for me once Alex admitted that he was not entirely straight. After that, it became more about how being in a relationship with a man would affect Alex's chances at returning to major league baseball, rather than denying his sexuality to himself, at least. Elijah had lots of patience with Alex, but I liked that he knew his limits and didn't just cave when Alex promised things. The relationship seemed to happen really fast, and quite a bit off page, but it was still an enjoyable read, once I settled in to it.
August 29, 2024
Well written and steamy as all heck. I love the dynamic between the main characters Alex and Elijah.
Smol Complaint with vague spoiler ahead. I won't go into too much detail.
There were some plot choices near the end that hit wrong for me. I am generally not a fan of the typical closeted gay romance formula, so take this critique with a grain of salt if you're here for that kinda thing. But in my humble opinion, where this story digs into the closet plot, it lowkey devolves with big time skips where the big changes in their relationship happen.
Like one minute I have all the hope in the world that one of the characters, though reeling, is strong and knows he messed up and is determined to do the right thing, but then there's a sudden time skip and in the next moment, he's a massive douchebag. It really felt like we missed some important moments, and because we missed those moments it was a bit of whiplash between loving a character and hating him.
The 'making it right' part wasn't as disappointing as some other books, but still we don't really get to see any work put into it. Honestly I could rant about this for ages, because I was quite frustrated with it, but that doesn't mean the book wasn't good.
The book *was* good. I didn't feel the ending or climax, but man the beginning and middle were fire. So good that if there had been a little more to the redemption, this would have been an easy 5 stars.
Smol Complaint with vague spoiler ahead. I won't go into too much detail.
There were some plot choices near the end that hit wrong for me. I am generally not a fan of the typical closeted gay romance formula, so take this critique with a grain of salt if you're here for that kinda thing. But in my humble opinion, where this story digs into the closet plot, it lowkey devolves with big time skips where the big changes in their relationship happen.
Like one minute I have all the hope in the world that one of the characters, though reeling, is strong and knows he messed up and is determined to do the right thing, but then there's a sudden time skip and in the next moment, he's a massive douchebag. It really felt like we missed some important moments, and because we missed those moments it was a bit of whiplash between loving a character and hating him.
The 'making it right' part wasn't as disappointing as some other books, but still we don't really get to see any work put into it. Honestly I could rant about this for ages, because I was quite frustrated with it, but that doesn't mean the book wasn't good.
The book *was* good. I didn't feel the ending or climax, but man the beginning and middle were fire. So good that if there had been a little more to the redemption, this would have been an easy 5 stars.
July 24, 2024
One Shot is a beautifully written story about a man coming to the realization that he is gay and in love with another man. Alex Payne is a baseball player who is fighting his way back on to the roster after being out for surgery and rehab on his pitching arm. Desperate for cash to continue his rehab training, he decides to make some quick cash making gay p*orn. The catch is that he has to be straight to work for Black Stallion Studios. Shouldn’t be a problem, until he meets Elijah Maddox, a bi military veteran trying to earn an engineering degree. Elijah tries to make ends meet with odd jobs, but resorts to working for quick cash making a movie at Black Stallion Studios. Alex and Elijah start work at the studio the same day. Alex is confused as to why he feels attracted to Elijah.
One Shot is an irresistible, steamy, emotionally charged romance filled with self-discovery and drama. Overall, this is a sweet story full of love, struggle, and following your dreams. I definitely recommend it to fans of sports and M/M romance.
One Shot is an irresistible, steamy, emotionally charged romance filled with self-discovery and drama. Overall, this is a sweet story full of love, struggle, and following your dreams. I definitely recommend it to fans of sports and M/M romance.
August 15, 2020
3 stars with bias...
This is a good story. I like the back & forth between the two. The sexy times are hot & fun to read. Whenever a character is famous & trying to closet himself, it always backfires lol.
However, as a plot devise, Im not sure what the appeal is for straight guys doing gay porn. So arguably, what does it matter if the guys are straight or some other preferred label (or no label). The rigid nature of the Black Stallion studio to only want straight guys was off for me.
This is a good story. I like the back & forth between the two. The sexy times are hot & fun to read. Whenever a character is famous & trying to closet himself, it always backfires lol.
However, as a plot devise, Im not sure what the appeal is for straight guys doing gay porn. So arguably, what does it matter if the guys are straight or some other preferred label (or no label). The rigid nature of the Black Stallion studio to only want straight guys was off for me.
April 18, 2024
Alex has been let go by his minor league team because of injuries. Elijah is a student struggling to find money to continue college. Both have been told about Black Stallion Studios where they can make money by making movies. The owner of the studio pairs them in their first movie. While Alex has to be careful not to be seen in these movies, he learns more about himself and others through doing these movies. Elijah and Alex develop feelings for each other, but Elijah does not want to be Alex's dirty little secret. Can they work out their problems? Will their love be enough to stay together?
I enjoyed this book. A lot happens but it is so real. I liked Alex and Elijah. They are in a difficult position and have to make decisions. So often Alex picks his PR over Elijah. I could understand why Elijah felt what he did. I would not want to be in his position. I liked when Alex's catcher tells him the truth about how he treats Elijah. I appreciated how Alex took the advice seriously. I liked the support Alex was shown and given.
I look forward to more of this series.
I enjoyed this book. A lot happens but it is so real. I liked Alex and Elijah. They are in a difficult position and have to make decisions. So often Alex picks his PR over Elijah. I could understand why Elijah felt what he did. I would not want to be in his position. I liked when Alex's catcher tells him the truth about how he treats Elijah. I appreciated how Alex took the advice seriously. I liked the support Alex was shown and given.
I look forward to more of this series.
May 20, 2020
Fantastic!
What a wonderful book to randomly stumble upon! I love the romance books that do the porn trope but this one mixed in the sports world too. Absolutely loved it and can’t wait to devour the rest of the series.
What a wonderful book to randomly stumble upon! I love the romance books that do the porn trope but this one mixed in the sports world too. Absolutely loved it and can’t wait to devour the rest of the series.
dnf
March 14, 2024DNF @ 57%, skimmed to the end and saw that it had one of my least favourite tropes. The banter felt forced, I did not care about the other character drama (clearly setting up other books), and also. No self-respecting porn director is gonna let his guys ruin the money shot TWICE.
March 22, 2024
I enjoyed this bi-awakening, self discovery read. There is some angsty parts, these two had such chemistry...I was captivated in their story...how they worked through their feelings and life issues...a great read.
February 3, 2025
OK, I did like this story, the beginning and the ending were perfect, but I got a bit bogged down in the middle and I'm ashamed to admit that I skimmed a little here and there. Elijah and Alex where wonderful characters and their foray into porn filming was hot as heck.
March 4, 2025
Very predictable. Very unrealistic. Alex isn’t a nice guy. The prose was only okay. The best written parts were the intimate scenes but even those weren’t super special. Overall, I had higher hopes for this, but they crashed and burned.
January 3, 2024
sweet
An unexpected love formed and nothing was going to stop these two from getting one another. Sweet and so sexy.
An unexpected love formed and nothing was going to stop these two from getting one another. Sweet and so sexy.
August 3, 2024
Enjoyed this oe
April 6, 2025
I loved, loved, loved reading this story!
December 30, 2020
Look.
I came here to have a good time, and I absolutely did.
Is this the best book I ever read in my life? Nope.
Will I read more of these? Absolutely.
I came here to have a good time, and I absolutely did.
Is this the best book I ever read in my life? Nope.
Will I read more of these? Absolutely.
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