When two “big name fans” go head-to-head at a convention, love isn’t the only thing at stake.
Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all…but in reality, he’s scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.
Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection…but even he can’t help but feel a … perfection…but even he can’t help but feel a little broken inside.
When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way—even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.
more
You will ship this couple well before they figure out how much they need each other.
Conventionally Yours is the fun and satisfying road trip/gaming romance I didn’t know I needed.
Fast, funny and fantastic. A quest for the new decade — gamers will adore this!
I adore how she handled the neuro-diverse character, giving him life and agency. And I love the nod to collectible card games, and hte idea they can bring a couple together, because that is exactly how I found my forever. These characters start out as stereo types but quickly and thoroughly move beyond that into strong, realistic and loveable protagonists. Can’t wait for book 2.
I am probably too old for this book, LOL. It will appeal more to the gaming generation. It was a well written love story/road trip/gaming convention story.
I read this with my daughter and we both really enjoyed it! It was sweet and engaging and while I cringed at some of the angst, it felt really authentic for the age. Overall, lots of fun!
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albright
Contemporary romance. M-M. Enemies to lovers troupe. Alternate chapters POV.
I expected the whole to be at a convention but this story starts much earlier with friends playing games together where they live and their lives changing as they travel together to Vegas and the ultimate convention for the gamers.
The friendship grows as their time on the road continues. Each allows a bit more of themselves and their situations to be shared. They deal with past hurts and uncertain futures and what will get them through today. The card games they play and the people they meet along the way is a bit of a metaphor for their lives. That’s stretching for me because as a general rule I don’t read beneath the surface.
The book has surprising depth as Conrad realizes, or at least acknowledges his pain and anger at his father and mother’s rejection of him.
Surprising for me, I loved their growth, their realizations and healing.
Not surprisingly, I also loved the HEA. Because romance is my jam. I will give a warning that this book is very heavy on gaming strategy but don’t let that get in the way of the relationships or romance.
I listened to an audiobook version which was done by two narrators from the different POV’s. There voices were similar but just different enough to tell which character was up. They both did a good job with tension and other emotional stress.
I purchased the version I listened to but I do have to thank the publisher for a paperback copy a few years ago that I just never had time to read. Good romance read @Sourcebooks and @DreamscapeMedia.
I listened to this story, with two narrators, Kirt Graves and Joel Froomkin. It was funny, sweet, heartbreaking (families are difficult even in the best of times) and first impressions are not what they always seem. Alden and Conrad were oil and water, but when they stopped and listened to each other, they found they had more in common and more respect for each other than they thought.
Oh, my freaking HEART for this book! EVERYTHING about this book!
I seriously don’t even know where to start about showering this story with all my gushes. First off, what a unique and SO very awesome premise. A road trip to a gaming con? Count me in. Now throw in an enemies-to-lovers twist? Ohhhh, yes please!
But what truly elevated this book for me were the characters. And I do mean ALL of them. The supporting cast are all just as fantastic as the main couple–though in this case, the main protagonists absolutely SHINE. Both Conrad and Alden come to this story as people battling to make a stamp on the world, and with high stakes in their ultimate goal of taking home the grand prize in a gaming championship. What I loved about all this was that Ms. Albert gave both of them such strong motivation, on top of deeply engaging back stories that made me seriously root for BOTH of them to win. Most unique of all was the twist of creating LGBTQ characters who aren’t just going through the pain of coming out. It shows that sometimes, being out doesn’t make life suddenly magical and perfect. These guys are dealing with issues beyond that factor. In short, they are very true to life, and captivating from a simple human experience standpoint.
The book’s last act was by far my favorite part. It was so gloriously emotional and real, and gave up the perfect romantic bow I was seeking for these two.
This one is on my keeper shelf next to Simon and Baz now! A wonderful read!
This is a wonderfully adorable story about being part of a counter culture (that is verging on being simply a subculture) that many have viewed as nerdy. The author was pretty careful not to use that terminology which I very much appreciate. I have spent most of my adult life as part of the gaming/cosplay/comic culture. I am usually disappointed when I run across a book about this group. Few authors seem to genuinely understand the culture as a whole, but Annabeth Albert is an exception. She did an excellent job.
Even if you aren’t a part of the gaming community, you can appreciate a very sweet story about two people getting to know one another better than they expected they would.
This was such a fun and sweet read. Conrad and Alden are polar opposites and enemies. They are constantly on each other’s nerves and do not get along at all. When they decide to embark on a cross county road trip to a gamer tournament it sheds light on their true selfs. Their lives are not what they appear to each and they are able to learn so much by the forced proximity. Then the gaming aspect was super fun and cool. I really enjoyed everything about this book. Kirt Graves and Joel Leslie do amazing on the audio as well!!
1.5 Stars
This book wasn’t what I was expecting. It took me months to read. I kept putting it down. All the card playing felt like I was reading A how to, to play A magical card game….Odyssey was the name of their card game.
I felt that’s what went wrong for me in this book. The focus felt more on the game and not the main characters.
Unfortunately… this book was extremely boring for me. There wasn’t any balance between the gaming and main characters getting together. I didn’t feel the build up between them. It took forever for little things to happen… like their first kiss.
I feel so disappointed that I couldn’t get into this book. I thought it was going to be a little like the first book from the #gaymers Series. Status Update was 3.5-4 stars for me.
I still love this authors work. This book just wasn’t for me.
*ARC provided by SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca via Netgalley*
“Take it one turn at a time.” Conventionally Yours is a wonderful enemies-to-lovers new adult romance. The story follows two gamers as they roadtrip across the country to compete in an Odyssey tournament at a convention in Las Vegas. During the trip, the boys learn more about each other, becoming first friends, then lovers.
This book was different from the other Annabeth Albert titles I have read, but I still really enjoyed it. The characters are very three-dimensional, show realistic growth, and are very likeable. Throughout the story, the main characters learned to value and trust each other and themselves. It was great to see characters lean on each other while learning to find their inner strength to tackle conflict. I missed the heat that has been present in the other books I’ve read by this author. However, the scenes are appropriate for a younger set of characters and a more mainstream audience.
The main characters (and most of the other characters) in the story are gamers. The plot revolves around travelling to a convention to compete. I am not a gamer and have little interest and/or knowledge of the subject. This made some parts of the book slow and uninteresting for me. I’m guessing someone who enjoys gaming would feel otherwise. My lack of knowledge didn’t impede my understanding of the storyline.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. I really enjoyed the characters and the dynamics between them. The enemies-to-lovers and only one bed trope are two of my favorites. The steam level wasn’t quite what I have come to expect from the author and my lack of gaming knowledge made some sections of the plot tedious. 4 Stars
I have not five-starred a lot of books in 2020, but I’m so happy to add Conventionally Yours to my small list of favourite reads of the year. I just adored it. It was sweet and thoughtful and lovely and so adorable. I stayed up much too late several nights in a row, staying up until the wee hours of the morning, just to find out more. It wasn’t overly angsty, which I very much appreciated. Simply a lovely journey of self-discovery as two rivals take a cross-country road trip.
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert is just simply delightful. Fun-loving Conrad has had a string of bad luck over the past year, so when the opportunity arises to go to the biggest convention for Odyssey, the card game that he loves, and play in the tournament, Conrad jumps at the chance. The downside: having to drive from New Jersey to Las Vegas with Alden, an uptight guy who is his biggest enemy. Five days in a car together, though, can change a lot.
This book was awesome and just so fun to read. It has all the best tropes – enemies to lovers, road trip, only one bed (!), forced proximity, all of it. The whole trip is really well-researched, which was awesome, but the characters are what really shine. Alden and Conrad are both so well thought-out, just utterly believable. Watching them put aside their differences and fall for each other is a treat, and though you know the final conflict is coming, it’s done so well and so perfectly that I’m still reeling.
On top of all the fluff, Albert deals with a lot of real issues. Both Conrad and Alden have a lot of struggles they are facing, and Albert handles all of these topics very thoughtfully.
I would absolutely recommend this book, and can’t wait to read what Annabeth Albert puts out next!
A rivals-to-lovers romance that was as sweet and sassy as it was adorable.
Introduced to the two complex characters of Conrad and Alden, we soon discover that while on the surface these men may be opposites in so many ways, they have a whole lot more in common than either could have imagined.
While the pace was a little slow at times, the characters’ depth kept me turning the pages and wanting to follow their journey as they battle in the game of Odyssey (which was delightfully nerdtastic!) and battle with the own journeys and growing chemistry and connection.
A delightful romance that was fresh and original.
Be still my gaming heart! This book was perfect in every way, from the set up to the conclusion. For the whole ride, I wondered how Con and Aldan were going to make it work. Then there’s the gaming. I abandoned my decks years ago, but this book had me wanting to pick them back up to play again.
I am so looking forward to the continuation of this series!
Loved this NA gamer road trip romance.
I’m a sucker for a road trip trope especially one with ‘only one bed’. Add to that enemies to lovers and a gamer con as the end goal and you’ve hooked me in.
This was good. The romance was sweet and the characters were well rounded and complex. Alden in particular was an interesting character to read.
It’s NA, so whilst not fade to black it was low heat, but this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story at all.
Recommended.
This New Adult MM romance is about to young men who are enemies in the Odyssey gaming world. The animosity towards each other during the game bleeds into their day to day life. When the opportunity of a lifetime is offered, playing in the biggest Odyssey gaming tournament, they both have their reasons to win. Winning can change both of their personal lives for the better they just have to survive a two week road trip before the real competition even begins. Along the way they discover that each of them is more than meets the eye. In the end they both question what prize they want to really want to win and if it’s worth taking the risk.
Our two main characters, Conrad and Alden, are perfect opposites on the outside. Conrad comes of as a charming playboy with lots of friends and a care free attitude. Alden as a brilliant perfectionist with the dream family who has it all figured it. Inside they are both very uncertain about their future and struggles with their own of insecurity and self-worth. Together they balance each other out and it was sweet to see them take care of the other in their own ways. From Alden always making sure Conrad ate enough and Conrad distracting him when his anxiety got the best of him. Their romance and intimacy was very slow built and precious that evolves into some tastefully steamy scenes. Their road trip includes fun at the arcade, a date under the stars, triangle pizza, and some unexpected car troubles.
Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert was great road trip NA romance between two adorably geeky guys. It was a big warm hug when I needed it and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the series!
Sweet, emotional, and uniquely quirky.