Holding And Hiding by Pepper Espinoza

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Quarterback Sneak by Pepper Espinoza

Pepper Espinoza loves the unlikely lovers who win over everything. And she loves romance. This last book is a very nice novella, about two football quarterback in love; but it's not one of that story where love suddenly strikes and the two lovers can't do nothing if not surrender, it's the story of two childhood best friend grew together with a common passion, football, but this very passion drew them apart, first in different college and then in different teams. Despite the distance and the need to be discreet, Eric and Cache managed to build a steady relationship, lived inside the wall of their home, far from the eyes of everyone else, family, friends, fellow players and fans.

Eric played football to prove to his father that he was worthy, that he was the best; football for him was not his first choice of career, but he did good, and his father was happy. And after his father he played football for Cache, to have something more that bounded him to the man he loves. Eric is loyal and clever, but he has not a deep love for the game, he would be glad to throw all away to be able to claim his love for Cache, but he played accordingly to the unspoken rule that all football players are straight only to please Cache.

Cache played football since he thought it was the only thing he could do well. His father was a football player, and he always supported his son; probably he would supported him even if he came out, but Cache never did. When Eric almost forced him in a relationship, and not his first experience with a man, he was more worried on having a long-term relationship since it was easier to be discovered. Cache loves Eric, but he loves also football, and since no one asked him to choose, he thinks to can have both. But when his career is on stake for a bad injury and his relationship with Eric lands on the first page of newspaper, Cache has to choose what he loves more, football or Eric.

I like the story, it is a parallel tale of both Eric and Cache's life as young man at the beginning of their career and as two well-known professionals. Without the story of them at the beginning of their relationship, maybe the reader would only side with Eric, and blame Cache for being a coward. But with the tiny insight on their life together, and seeing him also through Eric's eyes, we now that Cache is a good man and that he was and he is good for Eric. The story is both tender and sexy, a very good mix of romance and erotica.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/QuarterbackSneak.html

Amazon Kindle: Quarterback Sneak

Making Waves by Pepper Espinoza

The story is not very long, and it's a shame since one of the characters is my favorite type, an actor. The starting point is pretty common, a famous Hollywood actor, Scott, has to remain in the closet to not ruin his career and he even asked to a woman to marry him. But the night before his wedding he has second thoughts and to find the courage to go on with the fake marriage he decides to get drunk. Andy his the bride's brother, and his sister asked him not only to find Scott but also to bring him to the wedding ceremony in San Francisco. Problem is that Scott, as soon as he sees Andy, makes a move on him and Andy is not enough stoic to refuse the man, since he has a crush on him since his sister introduced them.

As I said the plot is not very original, but it's original as the author deals with it. Nor Scott or Andy are the usual perfect hero: it's necessary very little persuasion to Andy to have an affair with his sister's groom the night before the wedding. Even if Scott knows well that he is making a big mistake, he decided to marry a woman to hide the true from the media, that he is gay. Scott is not at all a brooding character, he is not strong and sure of his behavior, to go on with his plan he needs to get drunk. When they are together, other than having sex more than once, Scott and Andy smoke pot, since Scott wants to try everything he has never done, before marrying his lover's sister.

Reading all this, have you had an idea of both Scott and Andy? have you realized that no one of them is a square perfect All American hero? All right, Andy is openly gay, but he is also a grown man without a steady work, he lives in a borrowed house, he realizes that he is betraying his own sister, but still he does so, and not only, he even tells everything to his best friend! (kiss and tell philosophy...). Actually between the two, probably I like best Scott: all right he is lying to the media, but be honest, can he do otherwise without loosin his career? probably he is only wrong when he decides to marry a woman instead of choosing the bachelorhood, but this is another story, and you need to read the book to know what will happen.

All in all, the story is good and enjoyable, I like the atmosphere of little escapade and also the relationship between Andy and Scott, with all their faults and imperfections; probably, at long distance, a real relationship will be not simple between them, no one of them is strong enough to be the mainstay, but the book covers only two days.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/MakingWaves.html

Amazon Kindle: Making Waves

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/HoldingHiding.html (print book)

Amazon: Holding And Hiding

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Comments

[snowmore.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Elisa. I've ordered this book. I wish all the authors review knew that you did this.

If you are celebrating the holidays, I hope you are enjoying them. :)

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Thank to you Robin for the kind words and wishes. Hope you will enjoy the book and the holiday too. Elisa