A Novel in the Long Pass Chronicles Six foot seven inch, 300 pound Jamal Jones loves football, so when he finds out the ultra-conservative owner of his new pro football team fired their current center because he’s gay, bisexual Jamal decides to stay in the closet and hang with the females. Then, at a small drag show, he comes face-to-face with his sexual fantasy in the form of Trixie LaRue, a … form of Trixie LaRue, a drag queen so exquisitely convincing she scrambles Jamal’s hormones–and his resolve to nurse his straight side.
Trevor Landry, aka Trixie LaRue, hides more than his genitals. A mathematician so brilliant he can’t be measured, Trevor disguises his astronomical IQ and his quirk for women’s clothes behind his act as a gay activist undergrad at Southern California University.
To Trevor, Jamal is the answer to a dream–a man who can love and accept both his personas. When he discovers Jamal’s future is threatened if he’s seen with a guy, Trevor becomes Trixie to let Jamal pass as straight. But Trevor risks his position every time he puts on a dress. Is there a closet big enough to hold a football pro and a drag queen?
more
Canning The Centre is book 2 in the Long Pass Chronicles.
It’s an m/m story with an NFL player and a drag queen. It’s nothing like I’ve ever read before and I couldn’t get enough.
I was completely taken in by Jamal and Trevor. They are absolutely amazing. So much love for them.
Their story has been beautifully written and my review, no matter what I say would not do this justice. It’s a must read.
Lots of action/ drama, sweet and steamy. You should never be afraid to go after what you want.
These two guys are beautiful together Tara Lain
Here we have the tale of Jamal, a hulking, big, football center who plays in the NFL, but is as gentle and sweet-natured as they come. He’s such a gentle giant that his sibs have taken to calling him Ferdinand, after the literary bull who’d rather enjoy the flowers in the pasture than the challenges of the bull-ring. A big part of his contentment is his loving and accepting family. They were supportive of his sexual orientation when he first discovered it and he has several gay sibs that are also into same-sex pairings. That he must remain closeted to play in the NFL is annoying to him, but he’s willing to make the sacrifice to play the game that he loves.
Two of Jamal’s openly gay college friends (and the heroes of book 1) take him to a bar with a drag show. Jamal is well and truly smitten with Trixie, a drag queen who sings her own songs. Trixie is the opposite of Jamal in many ways. Trixie is white and slightly built. Trixie is also Trevor, a math genius who’s attending college on a full ride scholarship. He’s also the leader of the activist LGBT group on campus while remaining closeted about his taste for doing drag. Trevor has almost no family to speak of except an aging mother who’s been institutionalized with advanced Alzheimer’s.
As the romance between these two unlikely paramours progresses both men realize that they have something to lose if their secrets are revealed, but to what degree are they willing to risk it to have each other?
This is the second in the Long Pass Chronicles. The series deals with football, and closets, and the long standing tradition of homophobia in college and professional sport. Things have advanced a bit since these were first written in 2014. But it was only this year, 2021, that the first actively playing member of the NFL came out publicly.
One theme that I found compelling here deals with the internalized homophobia in the gay community. Decades ago, in the play Torch Song Trilogy, main character Arnold Beckhoff laments that, while drag queens have been at the forefront of the gay rights movement, once the movement gains mainstream acceptance, the drag queens will be swept aside by many gay men – a bit like blacks did with Amos & Andy. That’s remarkably prescient.
There’s also a theme here of racism among sports team owners. That rings as true today as it did back when this book was first released. While there’s nothing here that hasn’t been touched upon before, this is a well told tale. It’s reasonably low on the angst and happily concentrated on these two men getting to know each other despite the limitations of their situation. The sex isn’t terribly graphic but it is there and its a fun addition to what’s already an engaging story. Most importantly, it’s also a hopeful story. I’m a bit of a hopeful romantic. What I’d most ardently hope is that there will come a time when these stories are no longer necessary.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
Over the past year, I’ve really enjoyed various books from Tara Lain. This one where the main characters are a football player and a mathematician/drag queen – definitely a first time, but worthy indulgence.
Jamal has to hide the fact that he’s gay. Can’t even be seen with a man. To help Jamal, Trevor dons women’s clothes and becomes Trixie. Only Trevor is now jeopardizing his own future.
I wanted so badly for them to have the lobe they deserved. Cheering whenever there were moments of happiness in their unfair world. The ride wasn’t smooth but well earned and deserved.
I loved the premise of this book! Trevor is one of the most interesting characters I have ever read about, and it was amazing to witness how he and Jamal found each other. A very enjoyable book, I can’t wait to discover what treat Ms Lain is preparing for us in book 3!
When you’re out, you can breathe! Jamal, is owning his truth more as time passes. He decides to keep his personal preferences to himself since his team owner displays homophobic tendencies. Trevor is intellectually gifted. He has a special talent for creating the best look from women’s clothes, but he hides his preferences as well as his intellect. Trevor/Trixie masquerades as Jamal’s girlfirend. What happens if they get caught? What does the pressure do to their relationship? Jaman and Trevor, make each other want to be better men. They are each other’s best defenders, best cheerleades and total support! Do the fans react as Jamal expects? Can Trevour find his courage. The author, makes you fall in love with Trevor adn Jamal, each time you read teh story. Another great story. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Trevor/Trixie is my new favorite character – genius mathematician, drag queen, activist. It was heartbreaking to see how much of his personality he was hiding from his IQ to being willing to pretend to be female to help Jamal hide and protect his football career. This is a story about learning to show your true self and the hurt you can cause yourself and others when you don’t. This is a winner of a series!
I loved this story more than the first in the series!! Jamal is bi but finds he needs to hide that part pf himself. Trevor is a drag queen Trixie but he’s also had a terrible past with a homophobic father and brother. Both characters were really well developed! I loved the supportive family that Jamal had! Overall, it was a really good story!! It well written, definitely recommend! I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.
ARC received from GRR for an honest review.
Jamal is a gay football player hiding his sexuality so that he doesn’t get fired by the homophobic team owner. So he’s pretending to be straight by dating a fellow teammates sister. When he meets Trevor he knows what he wants.
Trevor is a college student, activist and drag queen. He’s willing to play Trixie in public to give Jamal a girlfriend. He has issues with an intolerant family.
This was a good follow-up from book one. Jamal and Trevor make a cute couple and I felt like their chemistry was genuine. I really liked Trevor and how he stood up to his brother. I loved Trixie! I didn’t like the bad ex-girlfriend that’s sorta psycho. I really don’t like when they use the crazy woman as a plot point. I also didn’t like the OTT homophobic team owner. He was a hateful waste of space (although I realize that there are people just like him IRL). Looking forward to reading book three.
For some unknown reason this book took me a long time to get into and remain invested in. So out of the norm for me with a book from Tara Lain, however the last quarter lifted it from 3.5 stars to a 4 star rating.
Jamal had been picked from the first draft to the Los Angeles Diablos. Trevor is a Drag Queen named Trixie and together they are a perfect couple. Each had their own problems to solve and towards the end it all comes together.
I received a copy from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
This book was a beautiful story of love and acceptance! I absolutely adored Trevor/Trixie. He was an amazingly sweet man! It broke my heart for him that he was ashamed and of the other side of himself. It was so sad that he felt he needed to hide his true self. Same with Jamal. Feeling like he needed to stay in the closet because he wouldn’t be accepted was heartbreaking. I truly loved this book and loved that they were able to accept one another and be there to support each other. Jamal and Trevor were absolutely adorable and this was such an amazing addition to this series
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is book two in Tara’s Long Pass Chronicles! I do recommend reading book one first! This is Jamal’s story! I love how complex and multi-dimensional the characters are in this series! I loved getting to know Jamal and Trixie(Trevor) and I thought their story was so emotional and so good! I’m looking forward to the next book in this series! I read an advanced copy of this book and this is my unbiased review!
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Long Pass Chronicles series, but it can totally be read as a stand alone. I would, personally, recommend you DO read Outing The Quarterback before this one, though. It kinda sets the scene for this book. I really enjoyed that book. And Will and Noah play a part here, some reference to their story is made but not fully explained.
And while I did enjoy this one too, it didn’t quite grip me in the way Quarterback did, and I’ve no idea why!
Jamal is hiding his sexuality from his team mates but his closet friends and family are fully aware. Trevor, is also hiding, but not his sexuality. Trevor is hiding behind Trixie La Rue, his drag queen persona, and he is hiding his intelligence. His brother hates him, and his mum only knows him sometimes. Meeting Jamal makes Trevor want things he never thought he could have. Jamal too, finds himself wanting everything with Trevor, but Jamal has a homophobic team owner, and said owner knows just what buttons to press to make Jamal toe the line.
I loved Trevor. He really surprises me, and I loved that he did. I wasn’t expecting him to actually stand up to his brother, but it was what he did for Jamal that blew me away.
Jamal is a sweetheart to Trevor, he really is. He says all the right things and makes Trevor swoon, HELL he made me swoon!
Both Trevor and Jamal have a say, in the third person. And oooeeeeee! There is much smexier times for these two!
While the team owner is an nasty piece of work, and what he does is beyond evil, in a way, I’m glad it wasn’t just Jamal who bore his nastiness: other team players had felt his wrath too, but were afraid to speak out. Jamal gives them the courage.
I did like that Boogie comes good 🙂
It’s a good book, a great read, not quite as good as Quarterback, I thought though. But still . .
4 stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Jamal instantly knows he has found the best of both worlds the minute he spots beautiful drag queen Trixie. Jamal is bi but loves that Trevor is a guy who also loves being a girl sometimes. Jamal really is the big sweet Bunny that Trixie calls him! They happened to meet at a bad time given Jamal is no position to come out due to his new football position. They decide to have Trevor be is girlfriend Trixie in public! I loved that this one was actually a bit more of a slow burn before they got really intimate and steamy! They learned about each other and talked. I will say their first kiss is early on when they were just drawn to each other it had to happen! Swoon! I received an ARC of this book and I do not want to give away all the obstacles and decisions they both need to make to find true love together! If you enjoy younger MC’s, size difference, and a toppy little guy this is for you!!
The Long Pass Chronicles goes from wonderful to utterly fantastic with Book 2 ‘Canning the Center’. In this book, Jamal Jones gets picked up by the pros after finishing at Southern California University and has plans to come out as bisexual especially after meeting the most extraordinary drag queen imaginable. But the NFL team he’s playing for has canned its current center for coming out as homosexual and Jamal so desperately wants to openly date Trevor Landry, the man who transforms into Trixie LaRue. But Trevor has his own stuff going on, being one brilliant mathematics graduate student and a gay activist that is pushing for professional athletes to ‘come out of the closet’. And it’s Jamal’s NFL team that gets the activists’ attention. Add in the obligations Jamal has in nurturing his straight side while attending team functions and Trixie LaRue is putting in more appearances than those for the drag show. This book is an absolute winner, folks. The audio format of this book is beautifully narrated by John-Paul Barrel!