Maybe I’m a little too serious. I’ve been called a type-A personality and I’m okay with that. But this is my last year playing college water polo and I’m going to soak up every minute before I move on. The only real kink in my plan is the new guy on the team… aka, my nemesis. Or is he?Gabe has big Olympic dreams. His transfer between Southern California universities has nothing to do with … with scholastics. I should admire his intensity, but he drives me crazy. And yet, I can’t deny that he’s good looking and smart. I don’t get it. I’m straight.
Aren’t I?
Out in the Deep is a low-angst MM romance, bisexual coming out story where unwitting friendship and mutual attraction collide. Derek and Gabe will have to decide if this is the real thing or if they’re about to lose it all in the deep.
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A gorgeous college romance from Lane Hayes … Just perfect for a summer’s day of chilling out. Love the characters, and read the whole book with a smile. And now off to book 2… Out in the End Zone (Out in College, #2)
I love new adult, college-based romances, and everything about this book worked for me. I really enjoyed how Gabe and Derek started off at odds; there was a bit of an enemies-to-lovers vibe that, while not drawn out, added some wicked delicious tension in the beginning. I LOVED the single POV and how we got to see/learn about Gabe through Derek’s eyes. The pacing was perfect for a shorter read, and the path toward their HEA felt really organic. The love these guys had for each other leapt from the page, and the steamy scenes were hot as hell. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
This book is Excellent….as is the whole series!I
I’ve read this author before. This is a mm contemporary story set in the USA, in college. Main characters are Derek and Gabe. This story is told all from Derek’s POV. Enemies to lovers theme with coming out to themselves and the world. Great story with a water polo background and great secondary characters. I’ll read more from this author.
Lane Hayes is a fairly new to me author having only read one of her books prior to this one, so I really didn’t have a true sense of her writing style yet but I did know I enjoyed the first book I had read/listened to so I decided to dive into this series when the opportunity arose and I am glad I did.
I really like the way the author took two guys that really didn’t like one another, almost an enemies-to-lovers but not quite, and forced them to get close, close enough that feelings started to emerge.
Derek and Gabe were both great characters and I was rooting for them right from the start. I am going to keep this vague because I don’t want to give anything away but I will let you know that Gabe is gay and in-the-closet and Derek has only ever been with girls although he has been attracted to guys he never acted on it. Now that is all you’re going to get out of me because that does NOT ruin the book whatsoever.
The narrator, Michael Pauley, did a wonderful job with bringing this story to life. His voice has a nice soothing texture to it and it really was nice to listen to. I’m diving into book #2 of this series and I am thrilled that Michael Pauley is narrating that one as well.
If you are a lover of MM romance with athletes I would recommend giving this book a read. It is relatively short and can be listened to in just one afternoon, but if you’re like me you’ll make a day of it and dive into the next book as well. Happy Reading!!!
**I voluntarily listened to an Advanced Readers/Listeners Copy of this book**
I loved this story. Going from fierce competitors in the sport of water polo to what they become was a great ride.
Gabe and Derek’s journey towards each other isn’t all that unusual. The feelings they share, their friends reactions. Of course there is a girl who goes a bit overboard trying to make Derek jealous so she can win him back is always interesting to watch, since you know he is “not that into her” at all really..anymore. Once he connects with Gabe it’s full speed ahead. Derek’s roommate and best bud Evan is going through something as well but we aren’t really given much to go on.
Gabe and Derek are a wonderful couple, even though, as in real life, there were a few bumps along the way. The way the author wrote for them and created such a beautiful and at times very hot story, just makes a person want to find out what happens to them in the future.
I highly recommend this story and this author.
Out in the Deep is the first book in the Out in College series by Lane Hayes. I hate to admit that this is my first book by Lane. We promote her on the blog, but the timing is never right. When I saw the release of Out in the Deep, I decided this book was going to pop my Lane cherry and I’m so happy I finally read one and so mad at myself for not reading her before now! Derek and Gabe are water polo college rivals until Gabe transfers. Now they are teammates. And they have to get along and work together. Derek doesn’t like Gabe. Always found him too confident and obnoxious. Having him around gives him anxiety and he needs to focus and graduate. Gabe has watched Derek compete over the years and always had a little thing for him. When Derek gets drunk one night, things heat up between them. Hate turns into something seriously hot and unexpected. Derek always knew he might be attracted to men too, but there is something about Gabe that makes him lose his mind. Can they have a real relationship while being teammates and trying to achieve their dreams? I loved watching these two fall in love! It was sexy as sin, sweet and fun. It was all new for Derek and he was so darn cute asking questions and willing to try anything. Gabe took good care of him, let him relax and just feel. The writing is great, the story well developed and the characters wonderful! I’m looking forward to more in the series!
Such an adorably sweet read! Derek and Gabe are so darling, I love them! This was a really easy, fun summery story. No real angst or drama, but filled with lots of feels. I hope we’ll get to see more of these two in the coming books!
While this is definitely a light-hearted read, Ms. Hayes really brought home how odd, and honestly sad, it is that those who aren’t heterosexual have to “come out”, that they just can’t date who they want without it becoming this huge deal. Not that it was made into a huge deal in the book, it’s just for some reason that part of the story really hit a chord with me.