A Novel in the Long Pass Chronicles Will Ashford lives in two closets. He meets his wealthy father’s goals as both the quarterback for the famous SCU football team and a business major, but secretly he attends art school and longs to live as a painter. And he’s gay. But if he can win the coveted Milton Scholarship for art, he’ll be able to break from his father at the end of his senior year. In a … of his senior year.
In a painting master class, Will meets his divergent opposite, Noah Zajack. A scarred orphan who’s slept on park benches and eaten from trash cans, Noah carefully plans his life and multiple jobs so he has money and time to go to art school. Will’s problems seem like nothing compared to Noah’s. Noah wants the scholarship too and may have a way to get it since the teacher of his class has designs on him, a plan Will isn’t happy about.
more
In-the-closet times two, the handsome blonde jock (Will Ashford) is a gay artist that struggles between wanting to live his own life and trying to meet the expectations of everyone else especially his father. In a painting master class he attends on the sly, he encounters an artist model (Noah Zajack) whose beautiful face is ‘enhanced’ by a scar he got living hard as a street orphan. Both men want the Milton Scholarship desperately and both have fallen for each other with the same amount of fervor and need. For Will, winning it will mean being able to come out of both closets without depending on his demanding father. But there’s a guy on campus that isn’t as taken with Will Ashford and his football teammate buddy Jamal Jones. Both boys must tread carefully. In true Tara Lain fashion, the characters are intelligent, proactive, problem solvers that move the storyline forward with little or no frustration to the reader. She avoids making characters focus and labor on points that can not be resolved until later in the book. Instead, things are moved onward with other unexpected twists and turns that are plausible and solved reasonably. This requires extra effort for the writer and Tara Lain proves herself willing to expend it in her books time after time. Thus far, she is the only writer whose books are read in one sitting. Once I open that first page, I’m in ’til the end.
College football star, dating the head cheerleader, fast track to a buisness degree and a fablous job for my father’s company…..one more year. Then I see him, gorgeous and naked, he’s the model for my secret painting class but really he’s one of the students too. I had it all planned play ball, date Tiffany and finish school, win a scholarship tell my family the truth and live my life on my terms and then I fall for Noah and their goes my plans. This book was so good you were drawn into the story from the very first page and just couldn’t out it down till you found out if things worked out between Will and Noah.
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance Reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Will needs this scholarship to be able to give up playing the football his father wants him to. Will’s art is what he really lives for. But coming face to face with Noah, who is also after the scholarship, knocks Will’s axis and sends him into a tailspin like he’s never been in before. He can’t have Noah AND the scholarship.
I’m not usually one for college age characters, but something about the NEWER version of the blurb pulled me in.
And I enjoyed, a great deal!
Will knows he is hiding who he is from everyone, even himself. Meeting the beautiful Noah as a model in his art class means he can’t hide from it anymore. But coming out might be the only way to keep Noah, and Will isn’t sure if he can yet. Noah, on the other hand, is out and proud. He needs the scholarship to be able to continue his art degree. Will is a distraction he can well do without, but very quickly Noah realizes he really CANNOT do without Will. Dealing with homophobic members of Will’s football team, and ex girlfriend who never really was and Will’s father, is a lot for them to take on but they do it together. I liked that they worked together, to keep each other, I really did.
When pitted against each other, I liked that it was Will, with the most to lose, who stepped down, who was willing to give it all up for Noah.
I loved the supporting cast of Will’s friends: Jamal and his family especially. They play a huge part, and Jamal has his story next.
It’s not a particularly original plot line, but I liked being able to see everything coming at me. Will’s dad, though?? He does surprise me, in a good way, in the end.
A thoroughly enjoyable. . . .
4 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Will and Noah are total opposites who are pretty much drawn to each other from the minute they meet. Noah denies it, but Will pretty much knows he wants Noah no question! With this story being told from both POV I totally enjoyed from the start each of their inner musings about the things they said and did after they did them! Especially Noah’s because he is so sarcastic in his head! With Will being an in the closet athlete and both of them needing the same Milton Scholarship for very different reasons these two have a lot of hurdles to cross to be true to each other and themselves. When they are alone together though they have scorching steamy times! I received an ARC of this book and you will want to read yourself to see how the Scholarship and the Romance work out! I cannot wait for Jamal’s book! Loved him and his sister Ev!