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But We're Bros! #7
The Country Club
Working at a country club means there are a lot of long, hard things to play with, and balls to clean
To say I was surprised when I found out Austin’s family owned a country club wouldn’t be an understatement – he’s not the preppy type. He looks like a big brooding muscle jock, with a big hairy chest and bigger arms. Once you get to know him, you realize he’s a big goofball who can’t take anything seriously. I gladly accepted when he offered to help get me a summer job at the club after our junior year. He’s taller and more muscular, but I look the part. I’m in great shape, I have buzzed blond hair and blue eyes, and I’ve played golf since I was little.
We got drinks at the club’s bar one night after our shift ended. The bartender left and told Austin to close up. I found out that not only could he be serious when needed, but he was a damn good friend too. Before I took a cab home, I ended up telling him some stories about myself that I had never told anyone else before.
Things changed between us after that night. Not in a bad way. If anything, it felt like Austin wanted to hang out more, not less. And the way he acted towards me at work – bumping into me, grabbing my ass for a laugh – if I didn’t know him better, I’d think he was flirting. I never felt that energy from a guy before. It was weird but not wholly unwelcome. It kind of came to a head when we were cleaning the men’s locker room. Let me just say every part of him matches his thick body. The vibe I got looking at each other had me feeling he might want to do more than flirting. Not sure how I feel about that, but just like on the course, sometimes you gotta play through.
To say I was surprised when I found out Austin’s family owned a country club wouldn’t be an understatement – he’s not the preppy type. He looks like a big brooding muscle jock, with a big hairy chest and bigger arms. Once you get to know him, you realize he’s a big goofball who can’t take anything seriously. I gladly accepted when he offered to help get me a summer job at the club after our junior year. He’s taller and more muscular, but I look the part. I’m in great shape, I have buzzed blond hair and blue eyes, and I’ve played golf since I was little.
We got drinks at the club’s bar one night after our shift ended. The bartender left and told Austin to close up. I found out that not only could he be serious when needed, but he was a damn good friend too. Before I took a cab home, I ended up telling him some stories about myself that I had never told anyone else before.
Things changed between us after that night. Not in a bad way. If anything, it felt like Austin wanted to hang out more, not less. And the way he acted towards me at work – bumping into me, grabbing my ass for a laugh – if I didn’t know him better, I’d think he was flirting. I never felt that energy from a guy before. It was weird but not wholly unwelcome. It kind of came to a head when we were cleaning the men’s locker room. Let me just say every part of him matches his thick body. The vibe I got looking at each other had me feeling he might want to do more than flirting. Not sure how I feel about that, but just like on the course, sometimes you gotta play through.
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2022
About the author
Heath Grayson
71 books68 followersHeath Grayson writes erotic fiction featuring men who've just found out there may be more to life than they ever imagined. His debut series, But We're Bros!, depicts guy friends crossing lines that bros typically don't. Heath is fascinated by the quiet moments between men, how a single stare, repeated joke, or the simple brush of a hand can turn into something much more. The first time with your good bro can change your world.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 10, 2026
Slide in that thang, real deep game / Bust it so good, yeah what's my name? Hit it from the back, headboard swag / When I talk shit shorty answer right back (Who Booty – Jonn Hart).
If I never see the word “bro” again, it’ll be too soon. “Brah” and “bruh” are growing tired, and throwing around a “brother” every now and then only works with sarcastic derision. Hell, I'll accept it if "my liege" returns to the collective lexicon and I can even tolerate a respectable “brosef” every now and then if the situation arises, but you’d be on thin fucking ice. Really though, please stop using bro. I beg you! So friends, here we are again with a book whose cover is quite a bit hotter than its writing. The only thing is, that's not actually all that bad considering the cover is hella hot. Hey, I could sit here and lie about that, but what's the point? I mean, this is a “shirtless man” book above all else, but it's still a cut above the rest. Was that a circumcision joke? I don’t know, pretend it was or wasn’t based on your preference and personal belief system. But yeah, this was a lot better than The Neighbor’s House which also exists in this aptly named But We’re Bros! series, and it was nice how The Country Club didn’t color too far outside the lines of what these kinds of books should be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always cool when stories try new things, but I would think most read these kinds of books with a specific need, and it’s not always appreciated when they don’t stick to the script. I’m just saying, nobody’s expecting Gone With the Wind in a book where the phrase “chubbed up” is used freely. Anyway, I liked how The Country Club had no illusions about the kind of relationship Parker and Austin had, and even though this book is a romance, it still ends with their relationship being in the “cutty buddies” category rather than the narrative trying to espouse some kind of transcendent romance or whatever. They're still at a certain stage in their relationship, so it would be disingenuous to try to act like there's something more within such a short time frame. And hey, thank the heavens that there wasn’t a epilogue in sight, because I don’t know if I would laugh or cry seeing these two guys at thirty still talking like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The indignity of it all! Oh wait, I should go synopsis mode, right? But like, you know already, every one of these “bros giving bros a brojob” books are the same! Straight jorking it together, sloppy toppy, and then riding until the wheel falls off, the end.
Well, it works, but it's funny how these books are supposed to be all kinky and freaky with it, but because they all feature dudes who look the same doing the same shit in bed, it ironically makes every "Shirtless Man Book" pairing kind of vanilla. And whenever a book is genuinely taboo, it's advertised so damn heavily that it has the same vibe as when someone is learning how to swear for the first time and overuses "fuck" to the point of meaninglessness. But it's fine, I can talk about this book all day long, and I will if I have to! Parker and Austin are two college bros who work at a golf course and then as their friendly little “alpha male” rhetoric turns into something a little more on the Heated Rivals side of things, they have to decide which one of them gets to score a hole in one. Heh. Otherwise, I think the problem with gay erotica is that there are many different euphemisms for “penis” and all of them are funny. It'd be hard to get hard when you're giggling at someone's word choice, no? I certainly don’t envy the authors of this genre, that’s for sure, because I definitely wouldn’t be able to make the phrase, “ride my fat hog” sexy under any circumstance. The real trailblazers are the writers of this specific genre of gay lit! I guess in that sense, the hottest a character can ever be in a book is when they’re talking about their specific interests instead of a hardline focus on physical appearance. I’m literally always saying this, but personality matters a lot more in the medium of literature, and a dude who’s always saying “dude” isn’t attractive when it’s put on the page. Because with a film, you can just cast Nicholas Galitzine in a role and I’ll be sitting there against my will watching some shitty He-Man movie, but if you say a character resembles Nicholas Galitzine in a novel, that literally does nothing for me. It’s just frustrating because when books like this mention “watching movies” or “playing video games,” I’m always wondering what movies and which video games. Like, name names, because a little specificity with this stuff would do a whole lot more in making these characters attractive than spending five paragraphs counting the exact amount of veins on some guy's sweaty hog. Which Zelda game is his favorite, because if it’s either Twilight Princess or Wind Waker then it’s on, but if he’s another Breath of the Wild glazer, then we’re going to have an issue.
“Who hasn’t joked around with their bros like that?”
I don’t know, maybe those of us who don’t live in a gay pornography? Anyway, I’m just saying, when it comes to appearances in books, all you have to do as an author is to say that they’re hot and let the readers fill in the blanks for the rest of it. I’ll do the rest, thank you very much! Because so much time in this book was spent describing how big and bulging this Austin guy was, instead of picturing some hot dude, my mind just started morphing him into Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan like an Animorphs cover, and that isn’t exactly the most tantalizing picture to have in your head. I mean, unless screamo is your kind of music. My least favorite thing in a book is whenever an author takes me way out of the narrative by poorly disguising their own personal preferences. I remember reading this book that described the love-interest as looking like Jason Momoa two separate times, and while he's a cool guy maybe (and a bad actor who's only been in bad things), It sucks when authors use real life actors as a short-hand for sexiness. It’s a bit lazy. Let us fill in the blanks! Oh, and what if the writer alludes to an actor who gets cancelled? That'd be embarrassing. I'm just saying, there's no way in hell I'm continuing on with some Armie Hammer ass love-interest! But then on the flip side, characters being hyper specific on certain opinions can also have the opposite effect, as when Parker mentioned his favorite actor being Chris Hemsworth, his standing with me dropped dramatically. Mr. Box Office Poison himself!? I can't help it, I knew then he was a dumbass with bad taste. And yet, I still prefer reading about a character with bad opinions than one with no thoughts and feelings on anything at all! Being a fence sitting ass “I see both sides” mf only ever shows the absence of character, in both the fictional world and the real one, so it’s always better to have a mind of your own. Otherwise, now that I’ve talked about the importance of having opinions and you already know that I liked this book, I can talk shit. Phew, this is right, this is where I belong! No but really, despite any enjoyment from my end, that doesn’t change the fact that I literally couldn’t tell the difference between the Parker and Austin, and at times it was like reading a sex scene between two clones. "We go through episodes too, like Attack of the Clones." It was just a constant stream of “bro this” and “bro that,” and it’s like, we've got two Replicants over here giving each other head.
You know how in The Shape of Water, Michael Shannon’s character hates when his sexual partners make any kind of noise in bed? Yeah well, he plays a reprehensible misogynistic piece of shit and I hated him, but drop him in The Country Club and he'd be an unsung hero. Because damn, the way Parker and Austin were talking like Dude, Where’s My Car? in the middle of fucking had me recoiling in disgust more often than not. I'm not expecting "Shakespeare in the Bed," but maybe turn down the douchebag nozzle for once. Well, maybe that’s not entirely fair, because if these two loudmouths weren't constantly screaming each other’s names while in the throes fornication, then I deadass wouldn’t know their names. They could have been called “8 inch" and “a little less than 8 inch” for the entire book and I wouldn’t have noticed a thing. The interesting thing about The Country Club is that it does try to touch on more serious subjects, because outside of the typical coming folks are used to; the prospects of coming to terms with one’s sexuality or how to deal with the aftermath of coming out also gets brought up as important aspects of Austin's journey. I don’t know if it was really necessary here and it's a little silly for an author to try being deep when we have such a shallow premise wrapped in a highly sexualized package that emphasizes a man's package, but I always appreciate when a story doesn’t feel the need to adhere to genre conventions. I just had one note though: Austin talks about how his conservative family isn’t all “like kill the gays, but [still] pretty outwardly homophobic.," and I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but these two groups of people are the same. Even if you want to play at semantics and argue that your bigoted family member isn't the same level of evil as other terrible fuckers, they’re still achieving the same goal of hatred and violence towards the queer community. But again, that’s just my opinion. Other than seeing both sides like Chanel, you can never accuse me of being a fence sitting ass “I see both sides” mf! Since we're here, I'll end this with another one of my opinions... this book was pretty good! If you’re able to get past Heather Grayson's best approximation of two college-aged jars of mayonnaise’s best approximation of AAVE, then The Country Club is a fun time that both doesn’t overstay its welcome and understands its audience. That’s all I can ask for a book with that kind of cover, so why push it?
Let me get in that, baby throw it back / Let me get a round of applause make, make it clap / D-Boy that booty yeah gimme that, gimme that / If I hit it once you know that shorty's coming back.
If I never see the word “bro” again, it’ll be too soon. “Brah” and “bruh” are growing tired, and throwing around a “brother” every now and then only works with sarcastic derision. Hell, I'll accept it if "my liege" returns to the collective lexicon and I can even tolerate a respectable “brosef” every now and then if the situation arises, but you’d be on thin fucking ice. Really though, please stop using bro. I beg you! So friends, here we are again with a book whose cover is quite a bit hotter than its writing. The only thing is, that's not actually all that bad considering the cover is hella hot. Hey, I could sit here and lie about that, but what's the point? I mean, this is a “shirtless man” book above all else, but it's still a cut above the rest. Was that a circumcision joke? I don’t know, pretend it was or wasn’t based on your preference and personal belief system. But yeah, this was a lot better than The Neighbor’s House which also exists in this aptly named But We’re Bros! series, and it was nice how The Country Club didn’t color too far outside the lines of what these kinds of books should be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always cool when stories try new things, but I would think most read these kinds of books with a specific need, and it’s not always appreciated when they don’t stick to the script. I’m just saying, nobody’s expecting Gone With the Wind in a book where the phrase “chubbed up” is used freely. Anyway, I liked how The Country Club had no illusions about the kind of relationship Parker and Austin had, and even though this book is a romance, it still ends with their relationship being in the “cutty buddies” category rather than the narrative trying to espouse some kind of transcendent romance or whatever. They're still at a certain stage in their relationship, so it would be disingenuous to try to act like there's something more within such a short time frame. And hey, thank the heavens that there wasn’t a epilogue in sight, because I don’t know if I would laugh or cry seeing these two guys at thirty still talking like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The indignity of it all! Oh wait, I should go synopsis mode, right? But like, you know already, every one of these “bros giving bros a brojob” books are the same! Straight jorking it together, sloppy toppy, and then riding until the wheel falls off, the end.
Well, it works, but it's funny how these books are supposed to be all kinky and freaky with it, but because they all feature dudes who look the same doing the same shit in bed, it ironically makes every "Shirtless Man Book" pairing kind of vanilla. And whenever a book is genuinely taboo, it's advertised so damn heavily that it has the same vibe as when someone is learning how to swear for the first time and overuses "fuck" to the point of meaninglessness. But it's fine, I can talk about this book all day long, and I will if I have to! Parker and Austin are two college bros who work at a golf course and then as their friendly little “alpha male” rhetoric turns into something a little more on the Heated Rivals side of things, they have to decide which one of them gets to score a hole in one. Heh. Otherwise, I think the problem with gay erotica is that there are many different euphemisms for “penis” and all of them are funny. It'd be hard to get hard when you're giggling at someone's word choice, no? I certainly don’t envy the authors of this genre, that’s for sure, because I definitely wouldn’t be able to make the phrase, “ride my fat hog” sexy under any circumstance. The real trailblazers are the writers of this specific genre of gay lit! I guess in that sense, the hottest a character can ever be in a book is when they’re talking about their specific interests instead of a hardline focus on physical appearance. I’m literally always saying this, but personality matters a lot more in the medium of literature, and a dude who’s always saying “dude” isn’t attractive when it’s put on the page. Because with a film, you can just cast Nicholas Galitzine in a role and I’ll be sitting there against my will watching some shitty He-Man movie, but if you say a character resembles Nicholas Galitzine in a novel, that literally does nothing for me. It’s just frustrating because when books like this mention “watching movies” or “playing video games,” I’m always wondering what movies and which video games. Like, name names, because a little specificity with this stuff would do a whole lot more in making these characters attractive than spending five paragraphs counting the exact amount of veins on some guy's sweaty hog. Which Zelda game is his favorite, because if it’s either Twilight Princess or Wind Waker then it’s on, but if he’s another Breath of the Wild glazer, then we’re going to have an issue.
“Who hasn’t joked around with their bros like that?”
I don’t know, maybe those of us who don’t live in a gay pornography? Anyway, I’m just saying, when it comes to appearances in books, all you have to do as an author is to say that they’re hot and let the readers fill in the blanks for the rest of it. I’ll do the rest, thank you very much! Because so much time in this book was spent describing how big and bulging this Austin guy was, instead of picturing some hot dude, my mind just started morphing him into Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan like an Animorphs cover, and that isn’t exactly the most tantalizing picture to have in your head. I mean, unless screamo is your kind of music. My least favorite thing in a book is whenever an author takes me way out of the narrative by poorly disguising their own personal preferences. I remember reading this book that described the love-interest as looking like Jason Momoa two separate times, and while he's a cool guy maybe (and a bad actor who's only been in bad things), It sucks when authors use real life actors as a short-hand for sexiness. It’s a bit lazy. Let us fill in the blanks! Oh, and what if the writer alludes to an actor who gets cancelled? That'd be embarrassing. I'm just saying, there's no way in hell I'm continuing on with some Armie Hammer ass love-interest! But then on the flip side, characters being hyper specific on certain opinions can also have the opposite effect, as when Parker mentioned his favorite actor being Chris Hemsworth, his standing with me dropped dramatically. Mr. Box Office Poison himself!? I can't help it, I knew then he was a dumbass with bad taste. And yet, I still prefer reading about a character with bad opinions than one with no thoughts and feelings on anything at all! Being a fence sitting ass “I see both sides” mf only ever shows the absence of character, in both the fictional world and the real one, so it’s always better to have a mind of your own. Otherwise, now that I’ve talked about the importance of having opinions and you already know that I liked this book, I can talk shit. Phew, this is right, this is where I belong! No but really, despite any enjoyment from my end, that doesn’t change the fact that I literally couldn’t tell the difference between the Parker and Austin, and at times it was like reading a sex scene between two clones. "We go through episodes too, like Attack of the Clones." It was just a constant stream of “bro this” and “bro that,” and it’s like, we've got two Replicants over here giving each other head.
You know how in The Shape of Water, Michael Shannon’s character hates when his sexual partners make any kind of noise in bed? Yeah well, he plays a reprehensible misogynistic piece of shit and I hated him, but drop him in The Country Club and he'd be an unsung hero. Because damn, the way Parker and Austin were talking like Dude, Where’s My Car? in the middle of fucking had me recoiling in disgust more often than not. I'm not expecting "Shakespeare in the Bed," but maybe turn down the douchebag nozzle for once. Well, maybe that’s not entirely fair, because if these two loudmouths weren't constantly screaming each other’s names while in the throes fornication, then I deadass wouldn’t know their names. They could have been called “8 inch" and “a little less than 8 inch” for the entire book and I wouldn’t have noticed a thing. The interesting thing about The Country Club is that it does try to touch on more serious subjects, because outside of the typical coming folks are used to; the prospects of coming to terms with one’s sexuality or how to deal with the aftermath of coming out also gets brought up as important aspects of Austin's journey. I don’t know if it was really necessary here and it's a little silly for an author to try being deep when we have such a shallow premise wrapped in a highly sexualized package that emphasizes a man's package, but I always appreciate when a story doesn’t feel the need to adhere to genre conventions. I just had one note though: Austin talks about how his conservative family isn’t all “like kill the gays, but [still] pretty outwardly homophobic.," and I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but these two groups of people are the same. Even if you want to play at semantics and argue that your bigoted family member isn't the same level of evil as other terrible fuckers, they’re still achieving the same goal of hatred and violence towards the queer community. But again, that’s just my opinion. Other than seeing both sides like Chanel, you can never accuse me of being a fence sitting ass “I see both sides” mf! Since we're here, I'll end this with another one of my opinions... this book was pretty good! If you’re able to get past Heather Grayson's best approximation of two college-aged jars of mayonnaise’s best approximation of AAVE, then The Country Club is a fun time that both doesn’t overstay its welcome and understands its audience. That’s all I can ask for a book with that kind of cover, so why push it?
Let me get in that, baby throw it back / Let me get a round of applause make, make it clap / D-Boy that booty yeah gimme that, gimme that / If I hit it once you know that shorty's coming back.
June 17, 2024
This was very good and had a different type setting which made it interesting and with more depth. As much as I enjoy the sexual relationships in all the author’s books, I was interested in the storyline about the run down country club and the family who owned it. One MC, Austin, is a family member who has to work as a server and all around go-fer at the club. He is a good looking guy who seems to not have any cares or any real depth, but his friend and fellow waiter, Parker, finds that those dude bro waters run deep and Austin does care about the club. The book is Parker’s POV and has delicious sex scenes. The author excels with descriptive MM sex in plain dude speak, and I like it! The ending was great!
I have come to the end of reading the author’s oeuvre at Goodreads and hope that they will write more of their unique erotica.
I am going to reread the two books that I neg reviewed and see if I get a different perspective. I really do like this author.
I have come to the end of reading the author’s oeuvre at Goodreads and hope that they will write more of their unique erotica.
I am going to reread the two books that I neg reviewed and see if I get a different perspective. I really do like this author.
February 6, 2023
lost a star for the phrase “fat sausage”
September 11, 2022
Short and hot, this novella has no time for conflict but does sneak in some character development in between the M/M exploration.
April 27, 2026
[4.25 to 4.4 stars, rounded up for the unfiltered authenticity of character portrayals.]
My partner and I own all of this author's 'But We're Bros!' series - as billed in the series synopsis, these are "erotic fiction featuring men who've just found out there may be more to life than they ever imagined...(....)But We're Bros!, depicts guy friends crossing lines that bros typically don't..(....) fascinated by the quiet moments between men, how a single stare, repeated joke, or the simple brush of a hand can turn into something much more." As queer men ourselves, we've found a lot of authenticity in the way the characters are portrayed - in regards way their sexuality realization/awakening unfolds, the way their thoughts/emotions are depicted, and the 'dude-speak' peppered through the dialogue which seems so realistic for the age group portrayed - late teens to early/mid 20s or so.
Whilst the majority of the books in the series are novella length, we were very impressed by the nuance and depth put into the character portrayals, despite the overarching theme being an erotic novella. More nuance than is sometimes given by other authors in some of their full length novels!
Our favorite from this series was definitely this book - "The Country Club". Both MCs - Austin and Parker - were very relatable and appealing, and the course of their bi/pan-awakening was handled very insightfully. We also appreciated the deft as well as detailed way the characters' physicality was described - enabling us to build a picture in our minds' eye, without making the descriptions too purple-prose ornate or flowery. Also, the layers and shades inherent in Austin and Parker's outlook to life, their aspirations and future career goals was succinctly but impactfully portrayed; as was the distinct relationship they each have with their respective families.
Without giving away too many details, the plot revolves around Austin and Parker's summer break between the Junior and Senior years of College, when Austin wangles a summer job for Parker at the country club his family owns. The two had already made the jump from being casually friendly acquaintances to closer friends between their Freshman and Sophomore years; and the tale now deliciously takes forward how that bond starts sparking with mutual flirtation, and an undeniable attraction from both sides.
Both of these young men have so far identified as straight, but Parker has had (as we later find out) an encounter where he let another guy give him a BJ, and Austin has been getting steadily more bi-curious. When they finally give in to that mutual attraction and start getting intimate with each other, they go through a series of erotically charged encounters which are steamy and oh-so-deliciously described.
What we appreciated thoroughly was the very realistic take on things - an aspect which is so often missed out in other MM romance/erotica portrayals. There are a number of MM romances out there which while otherwise being well written, feel somewhat inauthentic - in the sense of not capturing the zeitgeist of queer male sexuality/relationships/intimacy correctly. We've come across several other books by other authors where the character portrayals simply do not ring true - at times, it feels just like reading a straight romance, with the only modification being that both leads are shown to have male body parts!!
For instance, there's often a whole lot of heterosexualization and heteronormativity in the way these other novels portray the top/bottom roles in intimate/erotic scenes. Vers/switching is most often ignored, for one thing; and hard-coded top/bottom roles are disproportionately portrayed. And then there's this stereotyping of bottoms as being effeminate and kind of like "the woman" in the relationship, with a very gendered/erroneous portrayal of their behavior and reactions. Likewise, tops are portrayed pretty stereotypically, a caveman archetype of sorts. It was therefore a breath of fresh air to have a very authentic and relatable portrayal of both Austin and Parker in this novella - not as erroneously heterosexualized/heteronormative caricatures.
Also, the trajectory of their evolving relationship was extremely well done - as a part of their evolving sexuality awakening/realization, Austin and Parker don't get into penetrative intercourse straightaway - starting off with BJs, making out and kissing before moving further. This was a far more realistic portrayal than the "wham bam, everything at the first opportunity" kinda scenes which sometimes gets shoehorned in other, less-analytical and true-to-reality books.
We also enjoyed the nuanced insights where both Austin and Parker go through their own journeys as regards their sexuality realization and what labels they feel comfortable with. Austin seems comfortable in embracing his bisexuality, admitting to Parker by the end that he's more attracted to men than women (though he's only slept with women before). Parker is more wary: he acknowledges that he isn't straight, that he's very eager to keep exploring sexually with Austin. But since Parker doesn't feel attracted to other men apart from Austin, he isn't comfortable with labelling himself as bi or gay. Parker's rationale is that other than Austin (and that one-off earlier encounter where he'd let another guy suck him off), he's only ever been attracted to women. While Parker doesn't choose a label per se, the book shows his journey of possibly identifying as pansexual or heteroflexible; or maybe 'mostly straight'. We felt this phenomenon is very realistic for a section of the late teens/20s demographic while they begin experimenting with their sexuality, so additional kudos to this novella and the author for that! And still more additional kudos for the very sensual and erotic portrayal of the leads switching things up/ taking vers roles. We need more such portrayals, because vers/switching roles are significantly under-represented in fiction compared to real-life statistics.
It was also very nice to see Parker reassuring some insecurities Austin had about their friendship, worrying if Parker would withdraw emotionally from him after their sexual encounters. That blend of libido/physical lust/desire with the emotional tenderness and solid underpinning of their friendship was subtly but effectively portrayed; again in real-sounding dialogues, very resonant of that age demographic.
One of the few niggles we had in this otherwise marvellous book was that we'd have liked to see a more fleshed-out conclusion, showing how Austin and Parker's relationship moves forward. While the novella definitely has a very robust HFN (with a strong hope/indication that they're going to move forward from being fuckbuddies to boyfriends), we missed having a time-leap epilogue to show their life together.
Here's hoping that Heath Grayson would soon write a sequel novella, to have a view into Austin & Parker's life together, set maybe 3--5 years or so after the conclusion of "Country Club". It would be very exciting to see how Austin comes out to his rather conservative family, how Parker gets more comfortable with his identity as a queer man, and how they take the next steps in their relationship. We would definitely queue up to order that book!
We're now very eagerly looking forward to this author's forthcoming novella 'The Bachelor Party' (which has different MCs).
-- Adrian & Juan.
My partner and I own all of this author's 'But We're Bros!' series - as billed in the series synopsis, these are "erotic fiction featuring men who've just found out there may be more to life than they ever imagined...(....)But We're Bros!, depicts guy friends crossing lines that bros typically don't..(....) fascinated by the quiet moments between men, how a single stare, repeated joke, or the simple brush of a hand can turn into something much more." As queer men ourselves, we've found a lot of authenticity in the way the characters are portrayed - in regards way their sexuality realization/awakening unfolds, the way their thoughts/emotions are depicted, and the 'dude-speak' peppered through the dialogue which seems so realistic for the age group portrayed - late teens to early/mid 20s or so.
Whilst the majority of the books in the series are novella length, we were very impressed by the nuance and depth put into the character portrayals, despite the overarching theme being an erotic novella. More nuance than is sometimes given by other authors in some of their full length novels!
Our favorite from this series was definitely this book - "The Country Club". Both MCs - Austin and Parker - were very relatable and appealing, and the course of their bi/pan-awakening was handled very insightfully. We also appreciated the deft as well as detailed way the characters' physicality was described - enabling us to build a picture in our minds' eye, without making the descriptions too purple-prose ornate or flowery. Also, the layers and shades inherent in Austin and Parker's outlook to life, their aspirations and future career goals was succinctly but impactfully portrayed; as was the distinct relationship they each have with their respective families.
Without giving away too many details, the plot revolves around Austin and Parker's summer break between the Junior and Senior years of College, when Austin wangles a summer job for Parker at the country club his family owns. The two had already made the jump from being casually friendly acquaintances to closer friends between their Freshman and Sophomore years; and the tale now deliciously takes forward how that bond starts sparking with mutual flirtation, and an undeniable attraction from both sides.
Both of these young men have so far identified as straight, but Parker has had (as we later find out) an encounter where he let another guy give him a BJ, and Austin has been getting steadily more bi-curious. When they finally give in to that mutual attraction and start getting intimate with each other, they go through a series of erotically charged encounters which are steamy and oh-so-deliciously described.
What we appreciated thoroughly was the very realistic take on things - an aspect which is so often missed out in other MM romance/erotica portrayals. There are a number of MM romances out there which while otherwise being well written, feel somewhat inauthentic - in the sense of not capturing the zeitgeist of queer male sexuality/relationships/intimacy correctly. We've come across several other books by other authors where the character portrayals simply do not ring true - at times, it feels just like reading a straight romance, with the only modification being that both leads are shown to have male body parts!!
For instance, there's often a whole lot of heterosexualization and heteronormativity in the way these other novels portray the top/bottom roles in intimate/erotic scenes. Vers/switching is most often ignored, for one thing; and hard-coded top/bottom roles are disproportionately portrayed. And then there's this stereotyping of bottoms as being effeminate and kind of like "the woman" in the relationship, with a very gendered/erroneous portrayal of their behavior and reactions. Likewise, tops are portrayed pretty stereotypically, a caveman archetype of sorts. It was therefore a breath of fresh air to have a very authentic and relatable portrayal of both Austin and Parker in this novella - not as erroneously heterosexualized/heteronormative caricatures.
Also, the trajectory of their evolving relationship was extremely well done - as a part of their evolving sexuality awakening/realization, Austin and Parker don't get into penetrative intercourse straightaway - starting off with BJs, making out and kissing before moving further. This was a far more realistic portrayal than the "wham bam, everything at the first opportunity" kinda scenes which sometimes gets shoehorned in other, less-analytical and true-to-reality books.
We also enjoyed the nuanced insights where both Austin and Parker go through their own journeys as regards their sexuality realization and what labels they feel comfortable with. Austin seems comfortable in embracing his bisexuality, admitting to Parker by the end that he's more attracted to men than women (though he's only slept with women before). Parker is more wary: he acknowledges that he isn't straight, that he's very eager to keep exploring sexually with Austin. But since Parker doesn't feel attracted to other men apart from Austin, he isn't comfortable with labelling himself as bi or gay. Parker's rationale is that other than Austin (and that one-off earlier encounter where he'd let another guy suck him off), he's only ever been attracted to women. While Parker doesn't choose a label per se, the book shows his journey of possibly identifying as pansexual or heteroflexible; or maybe 'mostly straight'. We felt this phenomenon is very realistic for a section of the late teens/20s demographic while they begin experimenting with their sexuality, so additional kudos to this novella and the author for that! And still more additional kudos for the very sensual and erotic portrayal of the leads switching things up/ taking vers roles. We need more such portrayals, because vers/switching roles are significantly under-represented in fiction compared to real-life statistics.
It was also very nice to see Parker reassuring some insecurities Austin had about their friendship, worrying if Parker would withdraw emotionally from him after their sexual encounters. That blend of libido/physical lust/desire with the emotional tenderness and solid underpinning of their friendship was subtly but effectively portrayed; again in real-sounding dialogues, very resonant of that age demographic.
One of the few niggles we had in this otherwise marvellous book was that we'd have liked to see a more fleshed-out conclusion, showing how Austin and Parker's relationship moves forward. While the novella definitely has a very robust HFN (with a strong hope/indication that they're going to move forward from being fuckbuddies to boyfriends), we missed having a time-leap epilogue to show their life together.
Here's hoping that Heath Grayson would soon write a sequel novella, to have a view into Austin & Parker's life together, set maybe 3--5 years or so after the conclusion of "Country Club". It would be very exciting to see how Austin comes out to his rather conservative family, how Parker gets more comfortable with his identity as a queer man, and how they take the next steps in their relationship. We would definitely queue up to order that book!
We're now very eagerly looking forward to this author's forthcoming novella 'The Bachelor Party' (which has different MCs).
-- Adrian & Juan.
July 29, 2022
Seeing Austin and Parker tumble their way through their bucket list of same sex experiments was sweet, hot, and satisfying. Loved how vulnerable Austin was and how Parker kept his doubts in check.
April 29, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed this addictive novella which was a temptingly satisfying morsel indeed!
The erotic scenes where the MCs Parker & Austin give in to the heady pull of attraction between them, and immerse themselves into MM sexual exploration were very sensually described. Loads of heat and spice (and everything nice)!! 🥵🔥🥵🔥
But in between the heady romps, there was quite some character nuance portrayed as well, and we get to view and understand Austin and Parker as people - what makes them tick, what their worries and insecurities are. And there was mutual loyalty and fondness that accompanied all the hot sexual experimentation.
Also appreciated the verisimilitude in the dialogues - the MCs sounded authentically like 20/21 yr old college dudes speak. Quite often, where other novels slip up in this is either making this age demographic sound too kiddish, almost as if in their early teen years; or swing the other extreme and make them sound way too mature and worldly wise, like one would expect men in their mid to late 30s. Here, though, Austin and Parker behaved, interacted and spoke very much like you would expect for youth of that age group.
Am super glad I picked this book up on a couple of friends' recommendation. It was highly worth the read, and I'm sure I'll be re-reading it.
The erotic scenes where the MCs Parker & Austin give in to the heady pull of attraction between them, and immerse themselves into MM sexual exploration were very sensually described. Loads of heat and spice (and everything nice)!! 🥵🔥🥵🔥
But in between the heady romps, there was quite some character nuance portrayed as well, and we get to view and understand Austin and Parker as people - what makes them tick, what their worries and insecurities are. And there was mutual loyalty and fondness that accompanied all the hot sexual experimentation.
Also appreciated the verisimilitude in the dialogues - the MCs sounded authentically like 20/21 yr old college dudes speak. Quite often, where other novels slip up in this is either making this age demographic sound too kiddish, almost as if in their early teen years; or swing the other extreme and make them sound way too mature and worldly wise, like one would expect men in their mid to late 30s. Here, though, Austin and Parker behaved, interacted and spoke very much like you would expect for youth of that age group.
Am super glad I picked this book up on a couple of friends' recommendation. It was highly worth the read, and I'm sure I'll be re-reading it.
April 6, 2026
This is part of a series of twenty-something bros discovering that dude sex can be fun with each other and explorations of themes of that nature. Most of them are short stories (there's a couple novel-length) which were released between 2022 and 2023. The author hasn't released anything since, doesn't seem like he's writing anymore?
Parker and Austin are bros, friends who met at college. Austin swings Parker a summer job at his family's golf club and the two become tight, learning more about each other's family and hopes for the future. But this summer there seems to be a frisson of flirtation between them, which rapidly escalates to groping... and then sex.
The sex scenes were decent, though I could have done without the FUCK ME BRO, I'M COMING yelling dialogues during them. I was left very dissatisfied with the ambiguous ending.
2.5 stars, I'm feeling generous so I rounded up to 3
Parker and Austin are bros, friends who met at college. Austin swings Parker a summer job at his family's golf club and the two become tight, learning more about each other's family and hopes for the future. But this summer there seems to be a frisson of flirtation between them, which rapidly escalates to groping... and then sex.
The sex scenes were decent, though I could have done without the FUCK ME BRO, I'M COMING yelling dialogues during them. I was left very dissatisfied with the ambiguous ending.
2.5 stars, I'm feeling generous so I rounded up to 3
August 30, 2024
This one just didn’t work for me for a lot of reasons. Happy to see guys exploring their sexuality and sharing their thoughts and fears with a good friend. I wasn’t a fan of them then completely still trying to make who they are and what they want fit into the same boxes they were uncomfortable with in the first place.
November 7, 2024
Ends on a HFN with no 2nd book 😭
Good story with developed characters. I like that their relationship builds organically but quickly. It's not insta-love, but the "time jumps" show the chemistry building quickly.
However, wtf is up with that ending? Did they get their happy ending or not? I hate that these books don't have epilogues.
Good story with developed characters. I like that their relationship builds organically but quickly. It's not insta-love, but the "time jumps" show the chemistry building quickly.
However, wtf is up with that ending? Did they get their happy ending or not? I hate that these books don't have epilogues.
June 28, 2022
Love the characters and story
July 23, 2022
This is so hot it's scorching.
August 26, 2023
3.5 stars
June 26, 2024
intriguing read
Austin & Parker story was unexpected but was such a great read. I can’t wait to what happens next in the series.
Austin & Parker story was unexpected but was such a great read. I can’t wait to what happens next in the series.
August 2, 2024
idk what to say its just another book in the series
December 2, 2024
austin & parker: 3 stars 🤍
July 2, 2025
I liked the characters more than i liked anything else.
P 2/5
E 3/5
A 3/5
C 4/5
H 2/5
14/5 2.8
P 2/5
E 3/5
A 3/5
C 4/5
H 2/5
14/5 2.8
September 19, 2025
Enjoyable
I enjoyed reading this book very much. The storyline and characters were interesting and the storyline kept you very interested.
I enjoyed reading this book very much. The storyline and characters were interesting and the storyline kept you very interested.
June 16, 2025
Austin likes to blow his roommate Parker, even though they both think they're straight. As the book continues, the two men flip fuck and decide they are both bi. It's a short book, but we all know they are both gay men.
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