What do you think?
Rate this book
Training Season #1-2
Training Season Series: Training Season & Training Complex
Both of the fan favorite books in the Training Season series now available as a box set!
TRAINING SEASON
Can a cowboy’s firm hand discipline this feisty figure skater—on and off the ice?
Matty Marcus fears he doesn’t have what it takes to achieve his Olympic dream. His self-esteem is at an all-time low after figure skating coaches and skating judges have told him he’s not skinny enough, good enough, or masculine enough to win.
Matty wishes he could afford the kind of coach he needs, a top-notch one who specializes in keeping their skaters focused. But those coaches are ridiculously expensive, and Matty is financially strapped.
Until a lucrative house-sitting gig brings him to rural Montana.
And to Rob.
No one has ever looked at Matty the way rural cowboy and single dad Rob Lovely looks at him. No one has ever touched him, loved him, and healed him from the inside out. No one has ever made him feel so valuable and adored. Worthy. Strong.
No one has ever taught Matty how to fly. Or how to lose.
Rob might be a cowboy who knows nothing about figure skating, but after only a few months, he’s trained a new kind of bravery into Matty’s soul.
However, to achieve his Olympic dream, Matty will have to face the ultimate test. Has he truly learned what it means to win—on and off the ice—during his training season?
Training Season is a MM romance with a feisty, flamboyant figure skater and an easy-going dominant cowboy, opposites attract, hurt-comfort, single dad, winter holiday highlights, love beyond reason, multiple steamy scenes, and a well-earned happy ending. This book contains BDSM elements.
TRAINING COMPLEX
Can Rob help Matty defeat his inner saboteur for good?
It’s summer in the city and figure skater Matty Marcus is still desperately in love with Rob Lovely. Although he misses the thrill and pressure of competition, he couldn’t be happier in their new life together, so he doesn’t understand why he’s secretly indulging in his eating disorder again and requesting harder, more intense BDSM scenes. Matty’s scared he’s losing control, and he has to believe that Rob, as always, will save him.
Rob is equally crazy about Matty. He finally has the vivacious man he adores in his arms every night. But taking it to the limit has always been the name of Matty’s game, so Rob’s love must be stronger than Matty’s self-sabotage. Even when Matty’s inner demons try to take control, Rob is committed to find their way back. Together.
Loving Matty isn’t always easy—but for Rob it’s always worth it.
Training Complex is an MM romance about a feisty, self-sabotaging former figure skater and the steady, strong man who loves him. It features opposites attract, hurt/comfort, domestic discipline, chastity play, and a heartfelt and epic happy ending. No cheating, no threesomes, and no breakups—just two amazing men fighting for their love!
Content warning for disordered eating, misapplied BDSM, and mental health issues.
TRAINING SEASON
Can a cowboy’s firm hand discipline this feisty figure skater—on and off the ice?
Matty Marcus fears he doesn’t have what it takes to achieve his Olympic dream. His self-esteem is at an all-time low after figure skating coaches and skating judges have told him he’s not skinny enough, good enough, or masculine enough to win.
Matty wishes he could afford the kind of coach he needs, a top-notch one who specializes in keeping their skaters focused. But those coaches are ridiculously expensive, and Matty is financially strapped.
Until a lucrative house-sitting gig brings him to rural Montana.
And to Rob.
No one has ever looked at Matty the way rural cowboy and single dad Rob Lovely looks at him. No one has ever touched him, loved him, and healed him from the inside out. No one has ever made him feel so valuable and adored. Worthy. Strong.
No one has ever taught Matty how to fly. Or how to lose.
Rob might be a cowboy who knows nothing about figure skating, but after only a few months, he’s trained a new kind of bravery into Matty’s soul.
However, to achieve his Olympic dream, Matty will have to face the ultimate test. Has he truly learned what it means to win—on and off the ice—during his training season?
Training Season is a MM romance with a feisty, flamboyant figure skater and an easy-going dominant cowboy, opposites attract, hurt-comfort, single dad, winter holiday highlights, love beyond reason, multiple steamy scenes, and a well-earned happy ending. This book contains BDSM elements.
TRAINING COMPLEX
Can Rob help Matty defeat his inner saboteur for good?
It’s summer in the city and figure skater Matty Marcus is still desperately in love with Rob Lovely. Although he misses the thrill and pressure of competition, he couldn’t be happier in their new life together, so he doesn’t understand why he’s secretly indulging in his eating disorder again and requesting harder, more intense BDSM scenes. Matty’s scared he’s losing control, and he has to believe that Rob, as always, will save him.
Rob is equally crazy about Matty. He finally has the vivacious man he adores in his arms every night. But taking it to the limit has always been the name of Matty’s game, so Rob’s love must be stronger than Matty’s self-sabotage. Even when Matty’s inner demons try to take control, Rob is committed to find their way back. Together.
Loving Matty isn’t always easy—but for Rob it’s always worth it.
Training Complex is an MM romance about a feisty, self-sabotaging former figure skater and the steady, strong man who loves him. It features opposites attract, hurt/comfort, domestic discipline, chastity play, and a heartfelt and epic happy ending. No cheating, no threesomes, and no breakups—just two amazing men fighting for their love!
Content warning for disordered eating, misapplied BDSM, and mental health issues.
- GenresLGBT
690 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2020
40 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Leta Blake
65 books1,789 followersAuthor of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and fan favorites Training Season, Will & Patrick Wake Up Married, and Slow Heat, Leta Blake has been captivating M/M Romance readers for over a decade. Whether writing contemporary romance or fantasy, she puts her psychology background to use creating complex characters and love stories that feel real. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her writing and her family life.
If you'd like to be among the first to know about new releases, you can sign up for Leta's newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bdn32H
If you'd like to be among the first to know about new releases, you can sign up for Leta's newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bdn32H
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Read
October 14, 2023Contemporary, figure skater × cowboy, opposites attract, BDSM. CW:
Kinks: Dom/sub, bondage, breath play, discipline, spanking, impact/pain play, orgasm control/denial (cock cage)
Kinks: Dom/sub, bondage, breath play, discipline, spanking, impact/pain play, orgasm control/denial (cock cage)
July 17, 2023
Training Season Series // Leta Blake
This Series follows several years in the lives of Matty and Rob. Matty, is our messy messy, flamboyant and fantastic Olympic figure skater learning to love himself. Rob is our rugged rancher learning how to fill his own cup before others and with his total love for Matty, it’s a feat for him. In this series, Leta paints an intimate and complex picture of a genuine and imperfect couple. Leta Blake does not hold back when it comes to emotion and telling the WHOLE story. She lets her characters be real, genuine, and imperfect and it makes her stories authentic, relatable and lasting.
If you’re a fan of seeing long term
relationships and kink dynamics, this series gives years of a committed D/s relationship and shows the beautiful and real journey that this couple takes together. Expect plenty of D/s evolutions, domestic discipline, and some intense impact play. You get to see them have some kink discoveries and evolutions as they grow as people and as a couple and, as always with Leta Blake’s characters, you are rooting for them and invested in these imperfect characters throughout the whole series.
Highly Recommend 💙
Book 1 // Training Series
Book 2 // Training Complex
Audio Bundle
Duet- Same Couple
Opposites Attract
City Boy // Country Boy
Age Gap
Fiesty Flamboyant Figure Skater
Rugged Dominant Rancher
Single Dad
Injured MC
Hurt / Comfort
Long Timeline- Some Time Apart
Emotional
D/s Long Term Relationship
Self Esteem - Mental Health - ED
Shame - personal growth
🔥K!nky tags:
High Heat
Caring Dominant Top
Submissive Bratty Bottom
Size Difference
Breath Play
Domestic Discipline
Masochism
Sp@nking
Rough 6
Bondage
Impact Play
Servitude
✅ Yes, book has listed trigger warnings: Content warning for disordered eating and mental health issues.
March 25, 2023
Perfection
I've been trying to figure out how to review this book for a while now. Part of me just wants to fangirl and scream at you to read it but knows that's not super helpful. Another part of me thinks you can you should go into this somewhat blind but that's even less helpful. So I'm going to try to explain why I love this book without giving too much away (while also defending Mattie because too many of y'all are hatin' on this poor child).
Duologies can be a bit of a hit and miss. They oftentimes feel like an afterthought or a little unnecessary. Like the author broke up the book for the sake of breaking up the book up. I don't think that was the case here. While training season does have a complete ending it's more of a HFN than an HEA. I think that justifies having a second book. In fact after reading the second book I can't imagine only the first book existing. They truly are sister books and go together so well. Rob and Mattie's story couldn't possibly fit in one book and it spans the course of a couple of years. They're beautiful together and the emotions feel real and raw but it's also gut-wrenching. There are sweet moments to alleviate you a little bit but this is far from a rom-com. There are times this will not be easy to read. I got mad and screamed more than once. But I'm also a bit of a masochist so I was ready. But if you're not a fan of angst I don't think this is the book for you. These characters are hurting and you're going to feel it along with them.
This book is also just exceptionally written. The writing is beautiful while still being very accessible. The descriptions are lush making you feel like you are in Montana or New York City. The smut is off the charts hot while still being very emotional. There's a good amount of humor amongst the harsh realities of figure skating and ED. And the characters are complex and multidimensional.
That actually brings me to my soapbox; Mattie. I can understand why people don't like him. He is frustrating, even Rob can admit that. But at the same time I know what it's like to dedicate your life to something that doesn't have any real payoff and only wants to hurt you. If you are a performer or an artist or an athlete, you'll probably end up sympathizing with Maddie like I did, more than than anything else. Yes he's selfish but his love for Rob is obvious and tangible. And while an argument can be made that he's a sh*tty partner I don't think it's fair to expect him to be a mind reader. Whether it's unpopular to say or not Rob's not completely innocent here. I still love them and he is the ultimate book boyfriend but he's human and therefore not perfect.
Back to the review.
If you like when books mirror real life and show not only the good but the bad and the ugly parts of a relationship, you will absolutely adore this. I can't stress enough how there is a really beautiful HEA but it's a long road getting there. Not everyone is up for that journey but I can promise you it is worth it. My only regret is that I took so long to read this book but I'm glad I did. 10 stars because this duology has cemented Leta Blake as one of my favorite authors of all time.
I've been trying to figure out how to review this book for a while now. Part of me just wants to fangirl and scream at you to read it but knows that's not super helpful. Another part of me thinks you can you should go into this somewhat blind but that's even less helpful. So I'm going to try to explain why I love this book without giving too much away (while also defending Mattie because too many of y'all are hatin' on this poor child).
Duologies can be a bit of a hit and miss. They oftentimes feel like an afterthought or a little unnecessary. Like the author broke up the book for the sake of breaking up the book up. I don't think that was the case here. While training season does have a complete ending it's more of a HFN than an HEA. I think that justifies having a second book. In fact after reading the second book I can't imagine only the first book existing. They truly are sister books and go together so well. Rob and Mattie's story couldn't possibly fit in one book and it spans the course of a couple of years. They're beautiful together and the emotions feel real and raw but it's also gut-wrenching. There are sweet moments to alleviate you a little bit but this is far from a rom-com. There are times this will not be easy to read. I got mad and screamed more than once. But I'm also a bit of a masochist so I was ready. But if you're not a fan of angst I don't think this is the book for you. These characters are hurting and you're going to feel it along with them.
This book is also just exceptionally written. The writing is beautiful while still being very accessible. The descriptions are lush making you feel like you are in Montana or New York City. The smut is off the charts hot while still being very emotional. There's a good amount of humor amongst the harsh realities of figure skating and ED. And the characters are complex and multidimensional.
That actually brings me to my soapbox; Mattie. I can understand why people don't like him. He is frustrating, even Rob can admit that. But at the same time I know what it's like to dedicate your life to something that doesn't have any real payoff and only wants to hurt you. If you are a performer or an artist or an athlete, you'll probably end up sympathizing with Maddie like I did, more than than anything else. Yes he's selfish but his love for Rob is obvious and tangible. And while an argument can be made that he's a sh*tty partner I don't think it's fair to expect him to be a mind reader. Whether it's unpopular to say or not Rob's not completely innocent here. I still love them and he is the ultimate book boyfriend but he's human and therefore not perfect.
Back to the review.
If you like when books mirror real life and show not only the good but the bad and the ugly parts of a relationship, you will absolutely adore this. I can't stress enough how there is a really beautiful HEA but it's a long road getting there. Not everyone is up for that journey but I can promise you it is worth it. My only regret is that I took so long to read this book but I'm glad I did. 10 stars because this duology has cemented Leta Blake as one of my favorite authors of all time.
February 17, 2026
What I loved most about this duology was that sometimes it’s nice to see what happens after that meet cute, fall in love HEA. While these two had the steamy, hot, and extreme seggy moments, it was the personal struggles that made their love that much more special and made their second HEA even better!!! Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews