Bestselling authors Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy return with their first Male / Male romance in 3 years.LobsterShorts, 21. Jock. Secretly a science geek. Hot AF. LobsterShorts: So. Here goes. For her birthday, my girlfriend wants…a threesome. SinnerThree: Then you’ve come to the right hookup app. LobsterShorts: Have you done this sort of thing before? With another guy? SinnerThree: All the … With another guy?
SinnerThree: All the time. I’m an equal opportunity player. You?
LobsterShorts: [crickets!]
SinnerThree, 21. Finance major. Secretly a male dancer. Hot AF.
SinnerThree: Well, I’m down if you are. My life is kind of a mess right now. School, work, family stress. Oh, and I live next door to the most annoying dude in the world. I need the distraction. Are you sure you want this?
LobsterShorts: I might want it a little more than I’m willing to admit.
SinnerThree: Hey, nothing wrong with pushing your boundaries…
LobsterShorts: Tell that to my control-freak father. Anyway. What if this threesome is awkward?
SinnerThree: Then it’s awkward. It’s not like we’ll ever have to see each other again. Right? Just promise you won’t fall in love with me.
LobsterShorts: Now wouldn’t that be life-changing…
Q&A about Top Secret:
Q: Have we met these characters before in another book?
A: No! These guys are brand new, and we can’t wait for you to meet them.
Q: Is this story MM? Or is it a MMF / MFM / menage?
A: This book is MM.
Q: Is this a love triangle story?
A: Not really. You’ll see.
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4.5 Well I started and finished reading Top Secret in one day. Sarina and Elle are some of my favorite authors so I was so excited to read their new book. I loved the concept and storyline of this book, it made for a very interesting and funny read. I really liked both guys and enjoyed getting to know them. Their family situations are completely different, but I still felt bad for both of them due to them. They both grow and discover a lot about themselves in this book. I found them to be a very cute pairing. My only complaint is that the end of the book happens quite fast and I would have liked even more of their happily ever after; I didn’t want it to end.
5
I just adore these 2 writting together! The set up for this story was super interesting and had me very excited before even diving in. I loved seeing the growth of Luke and Keaton together and just their own personal growth. These two could be from further walks of life and I really liked what that added to their story. Both guys had really good character development and I loved seeing them both really come into their own. I loved seeing their relationship build up and it was so fun and sexy. These two had be so engrossed in their story all I wanted was to read about how much LobsterShorts was cleary into SinnerThree. They may not make sense on paper, but tell that to their sexual tension they had going on. It was really fun to see these two not only develop a friendship but then become a bon a fide couple. I just fell in love with these two!!
I freaking love when Sarina Bowen writes MM. And with Elle Kenndy on top!
Luke and Keaton were just plain cute. And adorable. And so sweet to see them all open up and trying to figure it all out.
And I don’t want to give it all away.
But let’s just say, I reread it within 2 weeks. That says it all.
I CANNOT believe I waited so long to read this book. I devoured it in one sitting and absolutely loved every page turning moment. Top Secret was such a unique and interesting concept for a story line and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out where the story was going to lead.
This is a M/M story, although it doesn’t start out entirely that way, but that just adds to the uniqueness of the story. It is also an enemies to lovers story, which I have not read a ton of, but this one was done extremely well.
I enjoyed this story line, the banter, these characters, just everything. There were some heartbreaking moments with family drama, but there was also some seriously hot and steamy moments. Sarina and Elle can do M/M like no other!!!!
I’ve had a break in ARC’s which have let me read a few books I’ve been wanting to read. First up is this MM romance.
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Keaton is in a relationship and his girlfriend is trying to spice things up and wants a threesome for her birthday with another man. Keaton is open to this and begins his search.
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In his search, he comes across ‘SinnerThree’. The two of them hit it off and I enjoyed the easy fun flirting between them. Eventually they agree on a date, time and place to meet for the threesome. When SinnerThree (Luke) turns up both are shocked to find out they live across the landing together in their college fraternity. Keaton is taken aback by this and tells him to go. Once Luke leaves, Keaton and his girlfriend decide that they should go their separate ways as both are wanting different things now and feel their relationship is more friendship than anything else.
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When they get together, his pair are hot and sparks definitely fly. They go through a lot together and few things are complicated with their families and I did get a little annoyed with Luke dragging his heels, but by the end they come full circle realising their true love for each other and it swept me right of my feet.
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This is a fun read that any MM fan would love. There’s angst, low drama, no cheating (IMO), plenty of heat and an all round great story.
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Overall Ratings;u2063
First Sex Scene @ 57%
POV – Duel
Hero Keaton –
Hero Luke –
Story –
Angst –
Steam –
Chemistry –
So first off, this book was immaculately written. It’s so refreshing to read a book that’s really written so well. No mistakes, no errors, no repetitiveness. Even traditional books have it, so it’s nothing new. What is something new is reading a book with no issues at all. It was almost perfect! It was funny, the dialogue was believable (which is a HUGE thing to me), and the story had the right flow.
The only thing, and I mean ONLY thing I would change about this book was the slight lack of heat. The romantic scenes were fire but they were over before they started. When reading MM, I really love a good descriptive sex scene, especially with two hotties like Luke and Keaton. They were so dang hot together!! Why oh why didn’t you let me live through them and all they’re sinfully sexy moments?!?!
This book could have easily been one of my favorite reads of the year if they turned up the heat a few notches.
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful book. Funny, sweet and heartwarming. I loved both characters to death. Luke, the stripper with issues, and Keaton, the dude who saw the light after a ride on Bailey’s magic penis. Honestly. I loved it. Applause for my boys, LobsterShorts and SinnerThree <333
Another outstanding job from the dynamic duo, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.
Keaton and Luke live in the same frat house and come from completely opposite lives.
Keaton’s girlfriend, Annika, wants a threesome for her twenty-first birthday, so he finds himself on a hookup app called Kink. When he matches with a guy, Luke, who fits exactly with what they’re looking for, their ongoing messages have Keaton questioning and answering his own sexuality.
These two have a lot more in common than they think! If anyone has read this writing team’s previous MM books, namely Him, and the follow up, Us, they’d know right away what a treat they’re in for—the writing style alone is five-star worthy.
Funny, sexy, and tons of feels ~ along with Keaton’s random knowledge of any animal’s sexual habits easily makes this a five-star read for me. I highly recommend this one! (less)
Not going to lie, this book started out slow for me. I don’t know if it was my state of mind, because I liked Keaton and Luke. Or maybe that it has a pretty big build up and story, which I liked, to get our characters ‘together’. The story didn’t drag, but I seriously thought about setting it aside for now, not shelve it forever, but to pick it up in a bit. I gave it one more try, as I was in about 36% in, and the rest was history.
Stayed up all night reading, couldn’t set it down, grabbed the bonus epilogue, and now have Sam Smith playing on a continuous loop in my head, happiness! Luke and Keaton, oh what to say, they were perfect for each other. Complete opposites in their upbringing and lives, but needing the other so much to make them happy, whole, and complete
Between Keaton’s desire to make everyone happy, his thirst for scientific knowledge, and his tenacity in pursuing his wants, he was irresistible. Luke with his brooding, life scars, and survival instinct, made you want to wrap him up. Lucky for us, Keaton comes through, and Luke wakes up, but they took us on quite the journey to get there
Now, about Annika…….
I love Bowen’s and Kennedy’s combined writing. It’s spectacular, on point and utterly engaging. However, I have to admit, I’m a bit on the fence about Top Secret. Maybe it’s because I started out with such high expectations, and that I was counting on being as blown away as I was by Him and Us.
The story takes place in a small American college town, and the two main characters are members of the same fraternity. Keaton is the rich and, supposedly, spoilt football player and Luke is the broke scholarship student with a seriously dysfunctional and shitty family. Keaton and Luke couldn’t dislike each other more but, unknowingly to both, they really hit it off on a hook-up app when Keaton is fishing for a third for the threesome his girlfriend wants for her birthday. What starts up as online vetting for his girl makes Keaton realize that he’s definitely not as straight as he once thought. Going by the handles LobsterShorts and SinnerThree the guys start to chat and, as the exchanges grows hotter, Keaton realizes that at some point he has become way more invested in this threesome than his girlfriend is. When they finally meet and realize who they’ve been chatting with, drama ensues. Of course, after the intial upheaval, the good stuff begin.
I had a really hard time to like either of the characters for a good while. I couldn’t quite sympathize with Keaton’s naive cluelessness or with the gigantic chip on Luke’s shoulder. The first half of the book, the parts that I enjoyed reading the most were the chat-sessions which were both hilarious and dirty. The in-betweens were a bit like when you’re wearing badly fitted clothes. It doesn’t feel quite right and you squirm but can’t really pinpoint exactly what’s wrong.
It may be that the setting was so very alien to me. As someone living in a country where education is free, the whole rich vs poor thing feels so very foreign. The fear of loosing a scholarship, being kicked out of student housing with the end result being missing out on a degree, is just plain weird. And the idea of having to work two (or more jobs) while simultaneously studying full-time just to be able to eat is also way out of my normal reference frame. Modern, western societies don’t work like that. Well, apart from the US that is. Of course, either way, it’s good drama. But it also highlights how utterly priviliged I feel for living where I do.
The story really hits it’s stride when Keaton and Luke meets irl and eventually start fooling around. After that, it’s super engaging. And I don’t say that just because that’s when it gets seriously steamy. You learn more about Luke’s awful family and about Keaton’s struggle to stand up to his father. The last half of the book, I couldn’t put it down it was so awesome. But – there is a but – I was kind of bummed out at the end. It felt sort of unfinished. Not because there wasn’t a HEA, because of course it was. But there were several loose ends left. Or rather, they were tucked away a bit too hastily and I would have wanted to get an expanded fictional closure of all the discord.
My final thought when I reached the end was ”I want to know more!”
All in all, Top Secret was a great read even though it wasn’t what I expected. Although, I don’t think this story will stick with me in the same way Bowen’s and Kennedy’s earlier work has. However, I would absolutely recommend it if you’re looking for an easy, hot romance.
https://reflectionsofaswedishgirl.blog.se/
4.5 stars!
Oh, this book is so much fun! The writing combination of Bowen and Kennedy is an absolute dream, and this book is both funny and heartfelt, with a chemistry-filled m/m enemies-to-lovers romance that is absolutely gorgeous. An NA read that is a complete standalone, I devoured this book and I loved Keaton and Luke’s story so much.
Keaton is a college student who is gorgeous, smart and wealthy. He plays football, he’s passionate about his studies, and he’s running for president of his fraternity. He also has a long-term girlfriend who wants a threesome for her birthday. Always wanting to be supportive, and secretly really curious to explore something a bit outside of his ‘normal’, Keaton signs up with a hook-up app and meets a man that sparks his interest.
Luke’s background couldn’t be more different from Keaton’s. His family life is difficult, he is at college only because he scored a full scholarship, and his work as a stripper barely gets him by. He’s also bisexual and enjoys varied and random hook-ups, with no interest in relationships. And he is intrigued by the man he meets on his hook-up app looking for a threesome. Luke isn’t a stranger to that sort of set-up, and his honesty is confronting but so refreshing, but there’s something about the online newbie that attracts him.
“Logging out of the app last night was painfully hard. So was the state of my dick. You have no idea how hot it is helping a guy explore his sexuality.”
A wild flirtation soon begins that is funny, sexy and full of chemistry and fantastic banter, and as they get to know each other from a distance, I could not get enough of the wonderful back-and-forth.
“SinnerThree: … Tell me more about lobster sex, if you want. I’m not picky about sex talk as long as someone’s fucking.
I laugh softly. This guy’s funny, I’ll give him that.
LobsterShorts: I’m fresh out of lobster sex facts atm. BUT…lemme tell you about sea slugs.
SinnerThree: Omg yes. I can’t wait for this. Hold on. Let me undo my pants.”
But everything changes when Keaton and Luke finally figure out that they actually know each other in real life. In fact, they are neighbours in the same fraternity… and they hate each other. What follows is a fun, flirtatious and seriously sexy story as these two enemies become something so much more.
“I told Luke that most of me wants to hook up with him again. That’s not the case anymore. All of me wants it. Right here, right now—I’ve never wanted anything, or anyone, more.
Goodbye, sexual confusion. Because confused is the last thing I’m feeling at the moment. There’s no other way around it—I like dudes.”
I won’t go in to details, because you just need to dive in and experience this one. It’s not only a gorgeous romance where two very different people finding something special together, but it’s a great character story with fantastic growth and development as these two guys figure themselves out, learn to follow their hearts and fight for what they want.
“What was I ever thinking? I need this man. And even if being half a couple doesn’t come easily to me, I have to try. Nobody has ever gotten under my skin the way he does. Nobody has ever needed me the way he does.
Not one person.
It’s terrifying.”
It’s emotional at times, but mostly it’s a wildly entertaining read, and I fell hard for both Keaton and Luke. They are both so different, with well-defined voices, and the authors write them so well! The laugh-out-loud humour is perfectly blended with the emotion, and the love story is sexy and fun, and I couldn’t get enough of these two together!
“I’m just a guy, standing on a beach in nothing but his favorite pair of lobster shorts, waiting for the right man to love me.”
As if we needed any more proof that these authors are a winning combination, they’ve done a fantastic job with this book. I absolutely loved it!
4.5 stars!
OMG, OMG, OMG — this book. I could not put it down. Sarina and Elle have done it again, and I couldn’t be more thrilled if I’d written it myself. The characters, their inner monologues, their back stories, their dialogue — it’s often hilarious, and just as often deeply heartfelt and authentic. It’s drop-dead sexy, and also deeply conflicted. It’s fictional magic and I’ll be under its spell long after it cools down on my kindle.
I’ve read these authors before in solo work and together. This is a mm contemporary story set in a USA College environment. Keaton and Luke are amazing together and the difference journey each makes is wonderful. This story has all the feels. Can’t wait to read more from these authors.
I loved this witty, deliciously sexy, and entertaining read. It was everything I was hoping it would be – and then some.
This story made me smile, had me fanning myself, and left me sighing with satisfaction. I loved everything about it.
I ADORED Him and Us so I was SO happy Sarina and Elle connected to do another book together. this was a fun read and I love that it dived into the dating app troupe, it’s becoming a favorite of mine. I had to take it slowly because my heart couldn’t take too much at a time. very fun and steamy!
Reviewed on behalf of The Book Boyfriend Addict. A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Keaton Hayworth and Luke Bailey couldn’t be more different or hate each other more but being in the same fraternity and both running for president makes them have to see and deal with each other often. When Keaton’s girlfriend asks for a threesome with another guy he obliges and starts looking for the perfect candidate. In comes SinnerThree who completely catches him off guard and entices him in ways he never expected. As things progress his connection to SinnerThree starts to get more intense and he’s starting to question if what he’s doing is still really for his girlfriend or if it is just for him.
Luke Bailey has lived a hard life and due to his excellent grades he got a full ride to Darby University excluding room and board. So working two jobs and going to school full time leaves him with little energy for much else asides from the occasional hook-up with his Kink app. Deciding to look for a threesome he messages LobsterShorts to see how interested he is to set something up. The more time Luke spends talking to LobsterShorts the more he is starting to like the guy, as their conversations heat up he finds himself really looking forward to their hookup.
I am a very big Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy fan with Him and Us being my all time favorite M/M books so when I found out they were doing another M/M I could not wait to get my hands on this! I really loved the flaws these characters have and the personal and relationship growth they go through. Luke was just everything you want to see in a more alpha character and I absolutely loved him for his confidence in knowing who he likes and not being ashamed for it. I was afraid that Keaton wouldn’t be able to win me over but he certainly did, from his humor to knowing what he wants to be to his incredibly caring side I really loved him by the end.
If you enjoy a good M/M book that has a bunch of weird animal facts, humor, self discovery and hot sex than this book is perfect. And if you haven’t check out the Him and Us books you should certainly add them to your TBR
Top Secret is the perfect moniker for Keaton Hayworth and Luke Bailey’s story because everything that they go through, both separately and together..Keaton’s desire to choose his own career path and not takeover the family business, his confusion about his sexuality, the way that Luke makes money, the walking disaster that he calls his family, their anonymous messenger conversations as LobsterShorts and SinnerThree, their secret hookups, and the fact that these two adversaries just might not detest each other like their fraternity brothers assume.
Keaton and Luke couldn’t be more different from each other, and it’s their differences that make them not get along. Keaton’s upbringing, his family’s money, and the fact that he’s never seemed to struggle with anything, doesn’t sit well with Luke, partly because he’s jealous but mostly because Luke works his ass off day in and day out but doesn’t have much to show for it except a mother and a brother who use him and a constant fear that he’ll never be able to make something of himself regardless of his intelligence and drive. Luke is extremely closed off and keeps everyone around him at an arm’s length, so the fact that he finds himself drawn to LobsterShorts who turns out to be one of his fraternity brothers – one who he is constantly combative with is a complication that he doesn’t know what to do with, especially when Keaton uncovers several of Luke’s secrets and forces Luke to let him in and truly be present in what’s building between them.
Keaton and Luke’s growth throughout the duration of their story is something that ebbs and flows depending on the circumstances. A huge part of Keaton’s development comes from him questioning his sexuality and exploring his deepest desires with Luke. But as much as Keaton learns exactly who he is and what he wants, he and Luke hit a bit of a stalemate because Luke refuses to see a future with Keaton, even if he’s catching just as many feelings for Keaton as Keaton is for him, and while it’s beyond frustrating for Keaton, he attempts to remain steadfast when it comes to his relationship with Luke, even when Luke does his best to push him away and prove the fact that they come from two very different worlds isn’t something that they can move past.
Keaton’s self-discovery when it comes to his sexuality is a huge part of Top Secret’s story line, and Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy do a good job of illustrating his progress as well as his uncertainty as he works through everything he’s feeling. I will admit that Luke frustrated me multiple times throughout the text, but after I finished it and had a full picture of everything that Luke had to deal with and accept, I understood his issues with Keaton as well as Luke’s inability to wash his hands completely of his family members as well as take a chance on something permanent with Keaton.
Top Secret definitely puts its characters in rather precarious and unique situations, and while neither of them handles everything the best, that’s to be expected given the magnitude of what Keaton and Luke are sorting through as well as what’s at stake for both of them.
4.5 Poison Apples
When I heard that Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen were releasing another co-authored male/male romance, I was overjoyed and also a little scared to read it. I loved their last co-authored series (Him/Us) so much. Jamie and Ryan have held a huge place in my heart. I didn’t know if another couple would capture my love like those two did. I’m thrilled to tell you that I added Luke and Keaton to my gay book boyfriends hall of fame list lol. I loved these boys. I’m grinning like a loon after devouring Top Secret. Watching their unlikely, top-secret relationship develope from just a simple text exchange was so charming and perfect. They had no idea what sexy life-changing experience was hiding in plain sight, on the other side of a keyboard.
Top Secret was hot, heartfelt and humorous. This GFY Gay-For -You romance is not to be missed. It’s no secret that top Secret will release on May 7th. This book is absolute Kindle Crack!Top Secret
Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen are wonderful when they write their own stories (and I have read all of them), but when they team up and write together, they create absolute magic. Their storytelling is just seamless and I am so overjoyed that they’re back writing together.
Top Secret is one of those books that made me smile the entire time. This is a sweet and funny NA college, enemies to lovers romance. Ridiculously cute, I simply devoured this and I never wanted it to end! A feel good story that just worked in every way possible. I easily fell in love with both, Luke and Keaton and I loved their interactions. I can’t say enough how much I loved their story. Top Secret was the whole package for me.
There is so much to adore about this story; the brimming sexual tension and the witty banter, the heartfelt chemistry and the steamy secrecy. I adored these two characters and I truly appreciate a story about characters coming into their own, discovering their true selves and finding their well deserved happy ending following a road full of uncertainty and difficulty. This was a solid satisfying read and it was definitely a treat to get a new release from this much loved author duo. An addicting love story that’s as satisfying as it is adorable with a perfect happy ending.
I was absolutely ecstatic to hear one of my favourite duos were once again teaming up to bestow another gem of a read upon us. The success of the HIM and WAGS series meant I was less concerned about the blurb, and more concerned about when I could get my greedy little mitts on it.
Keaton Hayworth III or “Mr Jockface” if you ask Luke Bailey, is the well liked, well bred jock that is his serious contender in the vote for frat president. They are opposites in almost every way. Keaton was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and quite literally has everything served on a platter to him. In Luke’s eyes everything appears to comes way too easy, and their race for frat presidency has created a somewhat rivalry between them.
There is of course the small matter, unbeknownst to the both of them, of the rendezvous they are arranging over the hookup app, Kink. Luke is self assured in his sexuality but for Keaton it’s an awakening of sorts.
Keaton is under no illusions he lives a charmed life. His father is CEO of a pharmaceutical company and he has a job waiting for him after he graduates. Although he does not have financial struggles, he has come to a crossroads in the struggle over his identity. The life laid out in front of him takes a turn Luke Bailey enters it. What he took for hostility towards Luke soon becomes admiration when Luke is forced to ask him for help.
The messages over Kink brought humour, intimacy, and stoked the simmering passion between them, but it’s not until they discover who the other really is that we are treated to the wonder and vulnerability of their budding relationship.
Sarina & Elle can always be counted on when it comes to the “unputdownable” factor, and whatever that secret may be, TOP SECRET definitely has oodles of it.
Oh man. This was a fantastic read. I loved all the messages back and forth, the flirting, the discovery. I loved the animal facts and dirty, DIRTY banter.
Keaton is such a loyal sweetie. He was with his girlfriend forever, does everything his dad wants even though it’s not what he wants, and just wants to settle in and figure out this new thing. Luke is his new thing. Luke has walls and family issues and secrets, oh and all the moves. I can’t express how much I loved their story. I was so in it with both of them, this is one I will read over and over!