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Campus Cravings #12
Live for Today
Book twelve in the Campus Cravings Series
Life has been good for Justin Nelson. With a big bowl game mere weeks away, the pressure is on. For some men, being stretched in two different directions might become too much, but not for Justin, he thrives on it. Trying to balance life with his long-time partner, Luc, and his duty to the team gives Justin a rush like no other. Luc Henley hates seeing the love of his life push himself. Every football season it seems to get worse as he watches Justin burn the candle at both ends. When he notices warning signs of a potential health problem, Luc begs Justin to slow down enough to see a doctor. After he ignores his lover's pleas, Justin is suddenly faced with a life-changing illness, and when he gives up, it's up to Luc, Justin's friends and players to pull him back from the brink of despair.
Life has been good for Justin Nelson. With a big bowl game mere weeks away, the pressure is on. For some men, being stretched in two different directions might become too much, but not for Justin, he thrives on it. Trying to balance life with his long-time partner, Luc, and his duty to the team gives Justin a rush like no other. Luc Henley hates seeing the love of his life push himself. Every football season it seems to get worse as he watches Justin burn the candle at both ends. When he notices warning signs of a potential health problem, Luc begs Justin to slow down enough to see a doctor. After he ignores his lover's pleas, Justin is suddenly faced with a life-changing illness, and when he gives up, it's up to Luc, Justin's friends and players to pull him back from the brink of despair.
135 pages, ebook
First published November 8, 2008
12 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Carol Lynne
251 books1,196 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 13, 2010
There are two things that I just don't like in my fiction: lots of crying (by men or women) and the unironic use of the word "lover". Live for Today has lots of both.
Unfortunately, I feel like that's only where the books problems start.
But first, a disclaimer: Live for Today is actually part of a series. It is, in fact, the final 'book' in the series. From what I've gleaned, the protagonists, Luc and Justin are only the main couple in the very first book, but it seemed like they were in the background of many or all of the rest. However, I didn't read any of the previous books in the series and so all my reactions to it are based on it as a standalone story. Reading the previous installments may have changed some of my perceptions about the book, but they wouldn't have changed them all.
First is the most obvious: I think Lynne could have given a better nod to potential new readers. Though it wasn't terribly hard to piece together the relationship between Justin and Luc, the other relationships between peripheral characters was left a lot more opaque, giving the feeling of being invited to a party where everyone already knows each other and you don't know anyone.
As I said above, this is the last book of a series of 12 books, so I both understand why this is so and I understood what I was getting in to, coming to the series so late (though I thought they were less interconnected than they apparently are), but it would've been nice if Lynne could have given a new reader a greater in.
2. The problem with stories where the couple starts out in (romantic) trouble, is that you run the risk of losing your audience before you ever get to the make-up sex. Couples in trouble are usually couples at their worst, bitter, defensive, hurting each other for the sake of hurting each other… If this is the state from which you introduce your protagonists, if this is your reader's first impression of the putative heroes, there's a high risk of your reader coming to dislike your characters for being assholes and jerks before you get a chance to show their good side and the chemistry that brought them together in the first place.
Which was definitely the case here. Having no previous history with Justin or Luc, no view of them when their relationship worked, I found them both intensely unlikeable and felt no real investment in whether their relationship would founder or resolve.
Worse, I didn't think either character got any better or more likeable as the story went on. Though Justin had the 'excuse' of his medical condition, he still read very unsympathetically, alternating between screaming high drama and tearful high drama in a way that felt vaguely abusive. On the other hand, Luc (O, saintlike Luc) seemed clearly Lynne's favorite, putting stoically up with Justin's every tantrum and put-off, grateful only to have whatever scraps of attention Justin was willing to bestow on him. But I have no fondness for martyrs and I had no fondness for Luc. More than anything, I saw him as Justin's enabler, a feeling borne out by the fact that it took another character stepping in to make Justin get his head on straight.
3. Going back to a bigger picture, I feel like the scope of the story was way too big for the time and space Lynne devoted to it. 80-some pages just isn't long enough to do justice to a relationship in crisis, the long road to recovery created by Justin's medical crisis and creating a fitting end to the series. As a result, Lynne does a lot more telling than showing (which is generally less convincing), a lot of skimming over both physical time and Justin & Luc's emotions, and a lot of reliance on cliché storytelling to crutch the story along. Trying to compact such a big story into such a short form does story and reader a disservice and it showed. More than that, for a book whose title and blurb talked about "living for today" and Justin's recovery, I felt like not enough time was given over to that motif and plotline, glossed over shallowly in favor of...nothing in particular.
4. I'm just not a fan of Lynne's writing style. That's purely personal—and subjective—but there it is. Lynne writes men who cry in pretty much every scene. No, seriously. She's continually having Luc and Justin refer to each other as 'his lover', 'his partner', 'his man', 'the man that he loves' and I find it clumsy and off-putting. Just use names, ffs! More ephemerally, I feel like there's a lack of adultness in the portrayal of Justin and Luc. Everything between them is such high drama, all screaming or tears, life or death, flouncing away from each other in a high dudgeon, or begging tearily for forgiveness. Did I mention the crying? All the crying? Yeah. And then lastly, Lynne is one of those writers who peppers her sex scenes with verbs like "sawed" and "stabbed" and "howled", which I find extremely unsexy, so I didn't even have the smut to fall back on.
I do wonder how much of my opinion would change if I'd read the entire series, or at least the first book that detailed Luc and Justin's initial romance, but the quirks that turned me off Lynne's writing seem unlikely to improve by going back to earlier books. And given how much I didn't enjoy reading this, I'm just not willing to give it a try.
Unfortunately, I feel like that's only where the books problems start.
But first, a disclaimer: Live for Today is actually part of a series. It is, in fact, the final 'book' in the series. From what I've gleaned, the protagonists, Luc and Justin are only the main couple in the very first book, but it seemed like they were in the background of many or all of the rest. However, I didn't read any of the previous books in the series and so all my reactions to it are based on it as a standalone story. Reading the previous installments may have changed some of my perceptions about the book, but they wouldn't have changed them all.
First is the most obvious: I think Lynne could have given a better nod to potential new readers. Though it wasn't terribly hard to piece together the relationship between Justin and Luc, the other relationships between peripheral characters was left a lot more opaque, giving the feeling of being invited to a party where everyone already knows each other and you don't know anyone.
As I said above, this is the last book of a series of 12 books, so I both understand why this is so and I understood what I was getting in to, coming to the series so late (though I thought they were less interconnected than they apparently are), but it would've been nice if Lynne could have given a new reader a greater in.
2. The problem with stories where the couple starts out in (romantic) trouble, is that you run the risk of losing your audience before you ever get to the make-up sex. Couples in trouble are usually couples at their worst, bitter, defensive, hurting each other for the sake of hurting each other… If this is the state from which you introduce your protagonists, if this is your reader's first impression of the putative heroes, there's a high risk of your reader coming to dislike your characters for being assholes and jerks before you get a chance to show their good side and the chemistry that brought them together in the first place.
Which was definitely the case here. Having no previous history with Justin or Luc, no view of them when their relationship worked, I found them both intensely unlikeable and felt no real investment in whether their relationship would founder or resolve.
Worse, I didn't think either character got any better or more likeable as the story went on. Though Justin had the 'excuse' of his medical condition, he still read very unsympathetically, alternating between screaming high drama and tearful high drama in a way that felt vaguely abusive. On the other hand, Luc (O, saintlike Luc) seemed clearly Lynne's favorite, putting stoically up with Justin's every tantrum and put-off, grateful only to have whatever scraps of attention Justin was willing to bestow on him. But I have no fondness for martyrs and I had no fondness for Luc. More than anything, I saw him as Justin's enabler, a feeling borne out by the fact that it took another character stepping in to make Justin get his head on straight.
3. Going back to a bigger picture, I feel like the scope of the story was way too big for the time and space Lynne devoted to it. 80-some pages just isn't long enough to do justice to a relationship in crisis, the long road to recovery created by Justin's medical crisis and creating a fitting end to the series. As a result, Lynne does a lot more telling than showing (which is generally less convincing), a lot of skimming over both physical time and Justin & Luc's emotions, and a lot of reliance on cliché storytelling to crutch the story along. Trying to compact such a big story into such a short form does story and reader a disservice and it showed. More than that, for a book whose title and blurb talked about "living for today" and Justin's recovery, I felt like not enough time was given over to that motif and plotline, glossed over shallowly in favor of...nothing in particular.
4. I'm just not a fan of Lynne's writing style. That's purely personal—and subjective—but there it is. Lynne writes men who cry in pretty much every scene. No, seriously. She's continually having Luc and Justin refer to each other as 'his lover', 'his partner', 'his man', 'the man that he loves' and I find it clumsy and off-putting. Just use names, ffs! More ephemerally, I feel like there's a lack of adultness in the portrayal of Justin and Luc. Everything between them is such high drama, all screaming or tears, life or death, flouncing away from each other in a high dudgeon, or begging tearily for forgiveness. Did I mention the crying? All the crying? Yeah. And then lastly, Lynne is one of those writers who peppers her sex scenes with verbs like "sawed" and "stabbed" and "howled", which I find extremely unsexy, so I didn't even have the smut to fall back on.
I do wonder how much of my opinion would change if I'd read the entire series, or at least the first book that detailed Luc and Justin's initial romance, but the quirks that turned me off Lynne's writing seem unlikely to improve by going back to earlier books. And given how much I didn't enjoy reading this, I'm just not willing to give it a try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2024
3.5 stars. I read this as a standalone which worked fine, as I was curious about the mentioned illness. I will start the series later as it was good. So sad that so many people can't get adequate medical care without money, although that fortunately wasn't the case for this MC.
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February 1, 2010I bought this book as soon as it was out, but for a reason of the other I didn’t read it sooner. So I didn’t know that it was the last in the Campus Cravings series; I have opposite feelings about it: Campus Cravings was the first book in what I later called the gay soap-opera world of Carol Lynne, and again I want to highlight that for me it’s a strong point, not a fault, being a “soap-opera”. So obviously, I’m a little sad to see it finish, like you are when something you are familiar with ends. But rightly, it was probably the time; the series gave birth to a spin off, the Poker Night series, Zac, the first character of Poker Night is one of the football players Justin coached, and Campus Cravings also “married” with Cattle Valley, Bo, one of the cowboys of Cattle Valley is former lover and best friend with Lark, one of the students of Campus Cravings. So, it’s not really a farewell, but more a realization that it was the time to move to other beaches, the little college town of Campus Cravings it was becoming too crowded of handsome gay men to be manageable.
And it’s even more right that the last story has the same characters of the first, Luc, the single father, and Justin, his lover and coach of almost half the characters in the series. Luc and Justin are the perfect couple, handsome and middle age, they are the reference figure for all the other men in the series, the headlight they all seal around and the safe “house” they always head over when something is wrong. And so it’s also right that they give an example, managing to deal with a crisis that usually wrecks most couple. Justin, the strong man in the pair, has to face a stroke that leaves him with a temporary physical disability, but more than the body, it’s the soul that has the stronger punch. He has to face the realization that he is not immortal, that he has no all the answers, and that he is only a man, no more a leader.
On the other side Luc has to understand that he is strong also without Justin, but he is stronger with him. I like that Luc, even when the things are not good, never once let his love for Justin go, the love is always there, and Luc turns in the strong side of the relationship thanks to that love.
Live for Today is a very nice wrap up for the story, it’s the right dose of melancholy due to the fact that it’s a farewell, but overall it’s as sweet and romantic as it was the first book in the series.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/93...
And it’s even more right that the last story has the same characters of the first, Luc, the single father, and Justin, his lover and coach of almost half the characters in the series. Luc and Justin are the perfect couple, handsome and middle age, they are the reference figure for all the other men in the series, the headlight they all seal around and the safe “house” they always head over when something is wrong. And so it’s also right that they give an example, managing to deal with a crisis that usually wrecks most couple. Justin, the strong man in the pair, has to face a stroke that leaves him with a temporary physical disability, but more than the body, it’s the soul that has the stronger punch. He has to face the realization that he is not immortal, that he has no all the answers, and that he is only a man, no more a leader.
On the other side Luc has to understand that he is strong also without Justin, but he is stronger with him. I like that Luc, even when the things are not good, never once let his love for Justin go, the love is always there, and Luc turns in the strong side of the relationship thanks to that love.
Live for Today is a very nice wrap up for the story, it’s the right dose of melancholy due to the fact that it’s a farewell, but overall it’s as sweet and romantic as it was the first book in the series.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/93...
July 31, 2010
Very emotional end to a great series. I enjoyed the guys and all their stories.
October 20, 2018
Me gustó mucho más que los anteriores, estuvo muy bien todo y me gustó el conflicto verdadero que hubo en la pareja, eso le dio realismo.
January 3, 2019
Leído 2011
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November 20, 2008I have just finished Carol Lynne s last in her Campus Carving Series - Live for Today, and believe me, it was all and more than I expected.[return][return]This last books is dedicated to Justin and Luc, the two men who started the whole series all these many months ago. Luc, investment banker and long term partner of Justin is at the end of his tether about what to do in regards to the ever increasing amount of time Justin spends involved with his work, with little or no regard for his health or the people that loves him.[return][return]Knowing that something had to give and wanting to preempt it before it arrived, Luc begs Justin to take it easier and make an appointment to see the doctor. Watching a train wreck about to happen and not being able to do anything about it is not easy; yet when Luc gets the call that Justin has been admitted to the hospital, his whole world falls apart.[return][return]With both men facing their own demons, Justin not unexpected illness, have them re -evaluating their relationship and the realization that they have just been given a second chance.[return][return]I can honestly say I could hardly wait for the release of this book, and at no point was I more thankful for the six hours time difference than I was today. Firstly I was dreading the end of the Campus Craving Series, as it s always a pleasure to see what new twist and turn Ms. Lynne gives to her plot and what new drama she has dropped her characters into.[return][return]Justin is where he wants to be, with a partner who love him and who he loves more than anything else. A team and sporting unit who not only rely on him, but are also on the brink of giving him one of his ultimate goal. what he has failed to see however, was what is directly in front of him. In the quest to have it all he has not only alienated the man he love, but forgotten what are the important things in life.[return][return]Luc, while being the supportive partner is fed up to the back teeth of what he considers Justin s total disregard for himself and for the love that he feels for him. When he is challenged beyond anything he has ever had to deal with, he quickly makes a pledge to live for today - but in the big scheme of things, it take Justin s co-operation to make it work.[return][return]After seeing the men through the last eleven book being the rock and that supportive shelter that students, players, friends and friend of friends have come to expect, it is almost a shock to see the role reversal of Justin and Luc. Luc has had to step up to the plate and become the dominant partner in their relationship - the strong one, the one who not only takes the moans and the groan but also the unexpected. We the readers are treated to a side of Luc that we have never seen before. While being funny, caring and loyal, he is also a very determined partner who can get just as creative with the best of them.[return][return]Justin has totally changed, literally before our eyes. Be warned - by page 30 I was an absolute mess - Live For Today is a very emotional read; while I like a happy ending, I was impressed with how Ms. Lynne, not only handles the great looses these men went through, but the wonderful gain in store for them.[return][return]It s with great sadness that I say goodbye to the wonderful Campus Craving Series, and it s with joy to know I have these wonderful stories to turn to, when I am looking for that one really good book to snuggle down with.[return][return]http://erotichorizon.wordpress.com/20...
August 4, 2011
I put off reading this book for over a year because I didn't want the series to end. I loved the series so much because it has so many characters I love and they are all different. Now that there's a new Campus Cravings book out, Incoming Freshman (which I thought was supposed to be the start to a new series), I felt it was about time to finally read it.
I didn't much like Luc and Justin in the first book of the series. I'm not quite sure why, I just remember not really liking the story as much as the other books in this series. However, in this one, I really loved them. Luc and Justin are put through a lot when Justin becomes sick. Luc suffers just as much as Justin does through the whole book and, at points, he suffers even more. I'm not usually into angst but I really enjoyed this one. Justin was a bastard a few times but it's understandable. Luc is just amazing. It takes someone really special to be put through what he was put through and still stick around.
I found it interesting watching Justin get better and how his spirits lifted after his illness. While I did enjoy it, I felt there was one part that shouldn't have been in the book and one thing I was disappointed wasn't more explained.
Aside from that, I really liked the story and how it ended. I'm glad the series isn't ending now because I can't wait to get back on campus and see what new characters Ms. Lynne will give us. Recommended.
I didn't much like Luc and Justin in the first book of the series. I'm not quite sure why, I just remember not really liking the story as much as the other books in this series. However, in this one, I really loved them. Luc and Justin are put through a lot when Justin becomes sick. Luc suffers just as much as Justin does through the whole book and, at points, he suffers even more. I'm not usually into angst but I really enjoyed this one. Justin was a bastard a few times but it's understandable. Luc is just amazing. It takes someone really special to be put through what he was put through and still stick around.
I found it interesting watching Justin get better and how his spirits lifted after his illness. While I did enjoy it, I felt there was one part that shouldn't have been in the book and one thing I was disappointed wasn't more explained.
Aside from that, I really liked the story and how it ended. I'm glad the series isn't ending now because I can't wait to get back on campus and see what new characters Ms. Lynne will give us. Recommended.
February 1, 2012
Okay......so I gave this book a 3 not because I liked it that much....but it was well done.
I dunno....this book just brought up a lot of neg. Feelings for me. Plus I hated that it all had to happen to Justin and Luc (the first MCs of the series.)
I dunno....this book just brought up a lot of neg. Feelings for me. Plus I hated that it all had to happen to Justin and Luc (the first MCs of the series.)
August 8, 2012
About 4.5 stars.
This was my favorite book in the series even though it really stressed me out. I was on pins and needles the entire time. Luc Henley and Justin have been pivotal characters in every book of this series starting with their book, book #1Coach. This book was MUCH better than Coach because Coach was too brief and lacked any development. In this book, however, you really learn more about Luc and Justin's relationship and it seems more real than any of the other relationships in this series thus far. Luc and Justin have been so rock solid throughout the series, that I was shocked to see them struggle so much in this book. The relationship conflict was very believable and watching them try to work back from almost the depths of despair was really moving. I think this series should have ended with this book because it was so poignant.
This was my favorite book in the series even though it really stressed me out. I was on pins and needles the entire time. Luc Henley and Justin have been pivotal characters in every book of this series starting with their book, book #1Coach. This book was MUCH better than Coach because Coach was too brief and lacked any development. In this book, however, you really learn more about Luc and Justin's relationship and it seems more real than any of the other relationships in this series thus far. Luc and Justin have been so rock solid throughout the series, that I was shocked to see them struggle so much in this book. The relationship conflict was very believable and watching them try to work back from almost the depths of despair was really moving. I think this series should have ended with this book because it was so poignant.
August 11, 2012
This was originally supposed to be the end of the Campus Cravings books and where it ended would have been a good place.
This book brings us back to Justin and Luc. Justin is having some health problems and his relationship with Luc is suffering greatly but he's so close to his first bowl game with the college that he just keeps pushing through until it's too late and he collapses on the field.
After he recovers from his stroke, he still has a lot of rehab and emotional recovery to go through. His relationship with Luc is strained almost to the point of breaking because of his inability to walk and his emotions that are all over the place.
There are actual moments in this book when you think that maybe they aren't going to make it through this and it hurts you, but in the end, their love conquers the problems and they end up making it through, but not before they go on a serious roller coaster of life.
This book brings us back to Justin and Luc. Justin is having some health problems and his relationship with Luc is suffering greatly but he's so close to his first bowl game with the college that he just keeps pushing through until it's too late and he collapses on the field.
After he recovers from his stroke, he still has a lot of rehab and emotional recovery to go through. His relationship with Luc is strained almost to the point of breaking because of his inability to walk and his emotions that are all over the place.
There are actual moments in this book when you think that maybe they aren't going to make it through this and it hurts you, but in the end, their love conquers the problems and they end up making it through, but not before they go on a serious roller coaster of life.
September 14, 2012
This book ends at the beginning by focusing on Luc and Justin. Poor Luc and Justin had a rough go of it in this story as they suffered emotional turmoil brought on by a rough illness and life stresses. I thought their journey was well done. Loved seeing previous characters in this story supporting and helping Luc and Justin. This whole series was just nice, easy, enjoyable and comforting to come back to again :)
November 22, 2012
It's an emotional roller coaster, nevertheless it's still one of the best books in the series. Oh, Justin... At times I wanted to hate him, but then again I loved him because he tugged my heartstrings. What I most enjoy about Ms. Lynne’s writing is the way she makes me root for her characters. Brava! I’m loving this series and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about reading it.
August 23, 2013
I LOVE IT!!! I love and adored Justin and Luc since the first story I wanted to new more about their relationship, and this book was nothing but amazing. I cried, I laughed, and I fall in love once and again with them.
It seems that this was going to be the last book of the serie, but I had seen that there is more and I'm happy because I really fall in love with this family.
It seems that this was going to be the last book of the serie, but I had seen that there is more and I'm happy because I really fall in love with this family.
November 14, 2014
Серия разочаровала. Ожидала книги о горячих спортсменах и романах в стенах Университета, а получила больничку какую-то. Все больны, причем серьёзно. Джастина тоже в конце автор усадила в инвалидное кресло и снабдила слезливым и сопливым характером до кучи, видимо в первой книге он был слишком мужественным и она его решила присовокупить к остальным пациентам. 3 звезды всей серии с натяжкой.
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January 31, 2011Last book of the Campus Cravings series. I cried, I laughed, I cried some more, then I was sad because there were no more books to read and I was completely sucked in by the characters throughout the series. I will definitely revisit this series later.
August 5, 2011
Thought I'd better give this one another read before starting Incoming Freshman. I couldn't believe it when I first realized the series was being resumed. It's one of my favorite and I hope it continues for many more releases.
September 4, 2014
OMG How emotional.I cannot remember when the last book had the tears running as this one did, I'm wiped out.Justin and Luc are the Patriachs of the Campus Cravings family. So glad everything has worked out.
December 1, 2009
I loved this series and am sorry to have to say goodbye to all the boys.
November 12, 2010
One of my favourite books of all time....simply amazing!
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July 17, 2011Brilliant ive got all the books and im really please theres a new book coming out
November 27, 2011
Such a beautiful story that left me in tears several times!
November 10, 2012
Such an emotional story!!! I love this!!!
September 17, 2013
really well written. definitely shows the ups and downs of love and how it conquerors all
December 31, 2013
This story like the others broke my heart, I loved reading about Luc and Justin in the first book and I'm glad there was another story on them!
February 5, 2014
Another hard book to read as i so love Justin and Luc....They are so hot together and i felt so sad for them but they both pulled through together x
December 24, 2014
4.25 'Loved seeing Justin and Luc again' stars.
Heartbreaking, beautiful, hot. Loved it!
Heartbreaking, beautiful, hot. Loved it!
June 5, 2016
Love this book 4*
December 23, 2011
MxM, Read in 2011
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews