Book 814: Better Be Sure (Harrison Campus #1) – Andy Gallo & Anyta Sunday

I decided to grab this from Kindle Unlimited after seeing Gallo post about the fourth book in the series in Annabeth Albert’s Facebook group. I figured if she approved him to post she must’ve read some of his work  and enjoyed it. Add in that I’m desperately waiting for the next book in Sunday’s Love, Austen series and it was a no brainer.

For the most part, I enjoy campus-based MM romances, especially if it’s a nerd/jock romance. This one wasn’t a nerd/jock but a frat boy and townie which worked and I found it entertaining and a quick read.

Jack, an orphaned frat boy adopted by his best friend’s parents, has struggled to find happiness ever since his parents’ death in high school. He thought he found it with his last boyfriend, who turned out to be a tool and a stereotypical rich boy. When he runs into Ed, a deeply closeted local attending night classes at the community college so he can work and support his family, the sparks fly.

I’m always on the fence about closeted protagonists. It always feels like a crutch and you already know at least one of the major crises of the novel going into it. That being said, it did give this great conversation which legit had me laughing:

Ed rubbed his lips with his knuckle. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t say it the moment I saw your sticker.’
‘But you’re deep in the closet.’
‘Narnia deep. No one knows.’ (42)

I think the closeted part dragged on a little too long for this book, but it got us to this scene in the end,

‘You’re here. What are you doing here?’
Ed glanced around the room and then straightened. ‘You asked me to be your date for the formal. I’d like to accept.’
‘I thought being here with me was too risky.’
‘Someone once said to me that I’d meet a guy who’ll be worth the risk. Spoiler alert: I met him.’ (188)

And OMFG it was the ending I needed. As I re-read the line adding it to this post, I legit clutched my chest with both hands and yelled SWOON at the top of my lungs . . . this genre makes me crazy. Who doesn’t love a big reveal a la the baseball scene in Never Been Kissed (YouTube).

The one part of the book that was really lacking for me were the sex scenes. I was glad they walked the walk when it came to verse characters or else it would’ve been even more of an issue. Both of the scenes were well written, but they were both rushed. I’m talking like maybe 2-3 paragraphs at most. I’m not asking for pages and pages, especially in a slow burn, but when it’s a slow burn and you’ve spent 55-70% of the book building up to the sex scenes, my god don’t rush them! This being said, there were still plenty of OMG SQUEEEEE moments to keep me happy.

Jack had kissed guys before, but it was clear after only a second with Ed’s lips on his that he’d never felt one quite like this. At the bare brush of the skin, electricity shot through him. It buzzed at his neck, the base of his spine, even the backs of his knees. (41)

I was able to pick out the protagonist of book two pretty easily as the story wound down. His “changing sides” and doing what’s right really flagged that there was a lot more going on with him than just being a stooge for the big-bad in the novel.

Recommendation: I enjoyed it. It’s a middle-of-the-road slow burn college romance. The characters were well written and had some dimension, and the minor characters added to the story which was a plus for me. I could’ve done without the sex scenes being rushed, but if I’m ever in want of a MM Romance novel I wouldn’t turn down a Gallo authored one.

Opening Line: “Pi Kappa Phi versus Theta Omicron.”

Closing Line: “‘I’m calling the shots tonight.’ Ed leered at Jack. ‘It’s you who’d better be sure.'” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)