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Going for the Gold #3
Personal Best 3: A Going for the Gold Novel
Wanting more of the addictive Mike and Jessy from the Personal Best series? Book three offers all that you love about this pair and more!
Swimmer Mike Gauliet is on his way to an Olympic berth, sitting on the edge of fulfilling his potential, and the dreams of his coach and lover, Jessy Turner. All Mike wants to think about is the wall, about swimming his laps faster than anyone else. Too bad things aren't going exactly according to plan.
Mike's getting threats, and he's afraid to tell Jessy, determined to handle things alone. When the threats escalate to the point where Mike can't hide them anymore, though, Jessy takes over, moving Mike to a new training location, promising to keep him safe.
Mike and Jessy try to go on with business as usual, but someone has such hatred for Mike that it seeps into their everyday life, making their relationship strained, making Mike wonder if he even wants to swim anymore.
Danger lurks around every corner, in and out of the pool, and while Mike and Jessy work with the police to discover the culprit, one attack becomes serious enough to leave their life in a shambles. Can Mike and Jessy find their attacker and get Mike back on track to a championship?
Swimmer Mike Gauliet is on his way to an Olympic berth, sitting on the edge of fulfilling his potential, and the dreams of his coach and lover, Jessy Turner. All Mike wants to think about is the wall, about swimming his laps faster than anyone else. Too bad things aren't going exactly according to plan.
Mike's getting threats, and he's afraid to tell Jessy, determined to handle things alone. When the threats escalate to the point where Mike can't hide them anymore, though, Jessy takes over, moving Mike to a new training location, promising to keep him safe.
Mike and Jessy try to go on with business as usual, but someone has such hatred for Mike that it seeps into their everyday life, making their relationship strained, making Mike wonder if he even wants to swim anymore.
Danger lurks around every corner, in and out of the pool, and while Mike and Jessy work with the police to discover the culprit, one attack becomes serious enough to leave their life in a shambles. Can Mike and Jessy find their attacker and get Mike back on track to a championship?
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2006
4 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Sean Michael
652 books1,209 followersOften referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and persuing the kama sutra by channeling the long lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to "Chicago."
A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.
Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.
A long-time writer of complicated haiku, currently Sean is attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate spinning and soap carving sex toys.
Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 26, 2019
This isn’t really a romance. This is a big sticky porn cake with a thin, sweet layer of plot icing. I did a face-palm after ten percent of the book, then decided just to take it for what it is, given that Sean Michael has written a lot of books in this genre and is a part of Dreamspinner’s stable.
So, let’s look at this as an erotic story. It is written in a professional, blessedly grammatical way, offering the kind of dialog and dialect that are plausible for the two main characters. There is a lot of bantering back and forth between the young swimmer Mike Gauliet (how young? That must have come up in an earlier book in this three-part series), and his much older coach/lover, Jessy Tyler (again, his age is vague and never specified, but there is a reference that suggests he swam with Mike’s father, so you do the math).
I’m at a disadvantage because I didn’t read the first two books, and thus might have missed out on all those details that would have made Mike and Jessy into three-dimensional characters. There is absolutely no character development in this story: Mike is submissive to Jessy’s dominant. Their love is already well established, and what we get here is a shocking disturbance in their relationship due to a frightening intrusion into their shared life. When their father/son roles are reversed by this trauma, it throws them both completely off kilter, and the author takes us through this in a way that makes sense and is believable. But the trouble is that it is all surface – it is about swimming, sex, and both men’s response to their trauma (most of which is discussed in terms of how it has interrupted the swimming and the sex).
So, let’s look at the sex. At least seventy percent of the book is sex. The author does a fine job of writing about Mike and Jessy’s twink/daddy BDSM-kinked physical relationship, offering his reader variety, lavish detail, and constant reassurance of the couple’s love for one another (I happen to appreciate that). Sean Michael is better at writing sex scenes than many authors I’ve read in the m/m world (and I’ve read many hundreds of books in this genre). The problem, in the end, is that nobody can make sex that interesting for that much of any book. It is very difficult to just sit down and read a book like this as if it were a regular novel. I can only imagine that the author’s intention is for his readers to read a little of the book, until they’re, um, done; and then wait for a while, until they, um, need it again.
Jeez.
I know there is a substantial market for this kind of story. It is not about character or plot. Within this subgenre of the gay romance world, this is a well-done book, fulfilling its author’s intention and its audience’s expectations.
It isn’t my cup of tea; but then, I’m a coffee drinker.
So, let’s look at this as an erotic story. It is written in a professional, blessedly grammatical way, offering the kind of dialog and dialect that are plausible for the two main characters. There is a lot of bantering back and forth between the young swimmer Mike Gauliet (how young? That must have come up in an earlier book in this three-part series), and his much older coach/lover, Jessy Tyler (again, his age is vague and never specified, but there is a reference that suggests he swam with Mike’s father, so you do the math).
I’m at a disadvantage because I didn’t read the first two books, and thus might have missed out on all those details that would have made Mike and Jessy into three-dimensional characters. There is absolutely no character development in this story: Mike is submissive to Jessy’s dominant. Their love is already well established, and what we get here is a shocking disturbance in their relationship due to a frightening intrusion into their shared life. When their father/son roles are reversed by this trauma, it throws them both completely off kilter, and the author takes us through this in a way that makes sense and is believable. But the trouble is that it is all surface – it is about swimming, sex, and both men’s response to their trauma (most of which is discussed in terms of how it has interrupted the swimming and the sex).
So, let’s look at the sex. At least seventy percent of the book is sex. The author does a fine job of writing about Mike and Jessy’s twink/daddy BDSM-kinked physical relationship, offering his reader variety, lavish detail, and constant reassurance of the couple’s love for one another (I happen to appreciate that). Sean Michael is better at writing sex scenes than many authors I’ve read in the m/m world (and I’ve read many hundreds of books in this genre). The problem, in the end, is that nobody can make sex that interesting for that much of any book. It is very difficult to just sit down and read a book like this as if it were a regular novel. I can only imagine that the author’s intention is for his readers to read a little of the book, until they’re, um, done; and then wait for a while, until they, um, need it again.
Jeez.
I know there is a substantial market for this kind of story. It is not about character or plot. Within this subgenre of the gay romance world, this is a well-done book, fulfilling its author’s intention and its audience’s expectations.
It isn’t my cup of tea; but then, I’m a coffee drinker.
May 13, 2020
Intense competition is an integral part of professional sports, and I can only try to imagine the kind of powerful emotions it can create among the top contenders for major competitions, especially when there is a chance of making it on to the Olympic team. Ultratalented swimmer Mike and his coach, Jessy, are better together than ever on both the personal and the professional front. Mike is becoming more self-sufficient with every year and Jessy has relaxed some of the stricter rules now that they are lovers, but the “coaching magic” is still as much a part of how they relate as the kinkier explorations of who they are in the bedroom and playroom. Between their (very frequent) escapades and the suspense around an extremely creepy stalker, this was another exciting installment of the series that had my full attention as much as its first incarnation many years ago.
Please find my full review of the third edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review of the third edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.
May 13, 2020
Intense competition is an integral part of professional sports, and I can only try to imagine the kind of powerful emotions it can create among the top contenders for major competitions, especially when there is a chance of making it on to the Olympic team. Ultratalented swimmer Mike and his coach, Jessy, are better together than ever on both the personal and the professional front. Mike is becoming more self-sufficient with every year and Jessy has relaxed some of the stricter rules now that they are lovers, but the “coaching magic” is still as much a part of how they relate as the kinkier explorations of who they are in the bedroom and playroom. Between their (very frequent) escapades and the suspense around an extremely creepy stalker, this was another exciting installment of the series that had my full attention as much as its first incarnation many years ago.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
June 4, 2019
Full review available at: https://optimumm.blog/2019/03/22/revi...
Personal Best 3 is the third book in the Personal Best series by Sean Michael. This is my favorite book in the series so far. I loved the plot and all of the explicit sex. The book is best if you read the first two books in the series first since the series is about one couple. This series just keeps getting better and better. I loved all of the tropes in the book. It has May/December, hurt/comfort, Dom/sub dynamic, light BDSM, Breathplay, and attempted murder all with a sports theme. I happen to love all of those so of course, I loved the book. I have read the other two books in the series, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened in this book.
In this book, Mike has recovered from all of his injuries in the previous book and is back to training to win his upcoming swim meets and the National Championship so he can qualify for Worlds and make it onto the Olympic Swim Team. However, since he’s been back to competing, he’s been receiving threatening letters. He tries to take care of it by himself until he isn’t able to hide it anymore from Jessy. He shows Jessy the other letters and Jessy does what Jessy does best. He protects his boy. However even with upgrading the security system on their house and increased police patrols, the attacker is still able to get to them, and so Jessy ends up moving Mike to a new training location, keeping it secret from everybody and it works, until they have to show up for a meet. With the things that happen in the locker room at the meet, Mike and Jessy are pretty sure they know it’s one of the other competitors, but without proof, the police can’t do anything, and so after the meet, they go into hiding again until the next meet. They can’t wait until the police can catch the attacker, and things can go back to normal, but before they can, the attacker escalates to attempted murder. Luckily the attacker’s caught, but the damage’s been done. Will Mike and Jessy be able to recover and continue with their dreams or will the attacker win and keep Mike from competing again?
I love Mike. He’s normally so vibrant and energetic, and Jessy usually has his hands full keeping him in line, but poor Mike’s put through hell in this book. At one point he even retires when his coach and lover, Jessy, is injured saving his life and he ends up taking care of him. With his retirement, he stops his diet and goes back to the unhealthy eating habits that make him ill. This is a dark and traumatic time for Mike and Jessy both. For Jessy it’s hard because he isn’t used to being cared for, he’s used to caring for Mike not having Mike care for him. It’s also very hard for Mike because he doesn’t have the Dominate/sub dynamic in his life while Jessy’s recovering and so he’s feeling adrift without the much-needed structure and rules to his life. Both are feeling stressed and out of sorts, and it puts a strain on their relationship. And the guilt that Mike feels isn’t helping. He’s convinced that what happened to Jessy is all his fault and won’t believe anything different, no matter what Jessy says.
I loved Jessy also. He’s determined to protect Mike and will do anything to make that happen including almost dying to do it. The one thing that he won’t let happen is for Mike to give up his dream of winning Olympic gold. I love how he’s able to fix their relationship after healing from his attack. Mike doesn’t make it easy though, and I love how he slowly works Mike back into training, dieting, and resuming their sexual relationship, giving Mike the structure and rules that he needs to flourish and continue with his dreams.
I can’t wait to see what happens to Mike and Jessy next in their quest to get onto the Olympic Swim Team and win the gold medal.
***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***
Personal Best 3 is the third book in the Personal Best series by Sean Michael. This is my favorite book in the series so far. I loved the plot and all of the explicit sex. The book is best if you read the first two books in the series first since the series is about one couple. This series just keeps getting better and better. I loved all of the tropes in the book. It has May/December, hurt/comfort, Dom/sub dynamic, light BDSM, Breathplay, and attempted murder all with a sports theme. I happen to love all of those so of course, I loved the book. I have read the other two books in the series, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened in this book.
In this book, Mike has recovered from all of his injuries in the previous book and is back to training to win his upcoming swim meets and the National Championship so he can qualify for Worlds and make it onto the Olympic Swim Team. However, since he’s been back to competing, he’s been receiving threatening letters. He tries to take care of it by himself until he isn’t able to hide it anymore from Jessy. He shows Jessy the other letters and Jessy does what Jessy does best. He protects his boy. However even with upgrading the security system on their house and increased police patrols, the attacker is still able to get to them, and so Jessy ends up moving Mike to a new training location, keeping it secret from everybody and it works, until they have to show up for a meet. With the things that happen in the locker room at the meet, Mike and Jessy are pretty sure they know it’s one of the other competitors, but without proof, the police can’t do anything, and so after the meet, they go into hiding again until the next meet. They can’t wait until the police can catch the attacker, and things can go back to normal, but before they can, the attacker escalates to attempted murder. Luckily the attacker’s caught, but the damage’s been done. Will Mike and Jessy be able to recover and continue with their dreams or will the attacker win and keep Mike from competing again?
I love Mike. He’s normally so vibrant and energetic, and Jessy usually has his hands full keeping him in line, but poor Mike’s put through hell in this book. At one point he even retires when his coach and lover, Jessy, is injured saving his life and he ends up taking care of him. With his retirement, he stops his diet and goes back to the unhealthy eating habits that make him ill. This is a dark and traumatic time for Mike and Jessy both. For Jessy it’s hard because he isn’t used to being cared for, he’s used to caring for Mike not having Mike care for him. It’s also very hard for Mike because he doesn’t have the Dominate/sub dynamic in his life while Jessy’s recovering and so he’s feeling adrift without the much-needed structure and rules to his life. Both are feeling stressed and out of sorts, and it puts a strain on their relationship. And the guilt that Mike feels isn’t helping. He’s convinced that what happened to Jessy is all his fault and won’t believe anything different, no matter what Jessy says.
I loved Jessy also. He’s determined to protect Mike and will do anything to make that happen including almost dying to do it. The one thing that he won’t let happen is for Mike to give up his dream of winning Olympic gold. I love how he’s able to fix their relationship after healing from his attack. Mike doesn’t make it easy though, and I love how he slowly works Mike back into training, dieting, and resuming their sexual relationship, giving Mike the structure and rules that he needs to flourish and continue with his dreams.
I can’t wait to see what happens to Mike and Jessy next in their quest to get onto the Olympic Swim Team and win the gold medal.
***The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***
March 21, 2019
Mike and Jessy are back again and still working toward the Olympics. Mike is one step closer to getting there but someone is not thrilled about how well he is doing. This was a good read just like the other ones were in this series. Each book is one step closer to what Mikes goals truly are which is winning in the Olympics. This book leads up to Mike making to World Finals. Sean Michael has a unique way of showing the struggles that Mike goes through to achieve his goals and definitely unique ways of helping him deal with stress. I enjoyed this read!!
Mike is killing it in the water leading up to making the World teams. His and Jessy’s relationship is getting stronger and stronger with each passing day both on a personal level but also on the professional level as well.
Jessy could not be more proud of Mike then he already is. Though at times he had to work to keep Mike on the right track or remind him to concentrate. Jessy knows that Mike is special and will go all the way. He is just glad to be his coach on the ride to meeting his goals.
When threats start coming and Jessy finds out about them, he is determined to keep Mike safe and on track at the same time. But as the threats escalate, Jessy knows he needs to get Mike away from it all so he will feel safe but also not lose sight of his goals.
Jessy never expected for it to get to the point that one or both of them end up badly hurt. But that is what happens and their lives may never be the same again.
Sean Michael has done a great job so far on this series. I look forward to the next one when it comes out. And I love the lead up to what is to come next!!!
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Mike is killing it in the water leading up to making the World teams. His and Jessy’s relationship is getting stronger and stronger with each passing day both on a personal level but also on the professional level as well.
Jessy could not be more proud of Mike then he already is. Though at times he had to work to keep Mike on the right track or remind him to concentrate. Jessy knows that Mike is special and will go all the way. He is just glad to be his coach on the ride to meeting his goals.
When threats start coming and Jessy finds out about them, he is determined to keep Mike safe and on track at the same time. But as the threats escalate, Jessy knows he needs to get Mike away from it all so he will feel safe but also not lose sight of his goals.
Jessy never expected for it to get to the point that one or both of them end up badly hurt. But that is what happens and their lives may never be the same again.
Sean Michael has done a great job so far on this series. I look forward to the next one when it comes out. And I love the lead up to what is to come next!!!
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
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May 5, 2019not reading because. ..see 2's review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews