Jack is the perfect person to get his own story for #2 in this series, Bend or Break.

He was an angry wild man at college so much so he recklessly threw away his prospects.

Fortunately, Tom Worthington and Reese from #1, Off Campus, reappear here too. The touching love story between Jack and Miguel rang with the same pathos as Tom and Reese's story.

I will be working my way through this series.

Once 2 books out of 3 I'd consume were romcoms, but these days I find that edgy stories and characters like this series has are more fulfilling. At minimum the romcom has got to have some edginess, like Isabel Lucero's South River University series, which I'm reading concurrently, for my imagination to be snared. ( )

This one felt real. Each character is wonderfully distinct, the time it takes them to figure out their problems is realistic, the hurdles in the way feel genuine, the resolutions are organic. All of it combines into such a whole that I had to sit here several minutes to figure out how to say what I wanted to say. I loved the first book in this series. You should read it, to appreciate just how badly Jack screwed up (and also because it is a fantastic story). This one could stand alone, but it means more following Off Campus. ( )

3.75 Stars ( )

2.75 stars
Jack Tarkington comes home to his hometown in Iowa, dragging his suitcase and banjo and other personal baggage along behind him, fresh off of being expelled for the rest of the semester of college for bullying (book 1 in this series). He's embarrassed and angry and desperate to go back. However, before he can go back he's got a lot of growing up to do and he needs to work his way through some childhood/teenage trauma with his own family, as well as find a new balance with the guy he left behind to go to college.

The set up is great, this story had sooo much potential. Unfortunately, Ms. Cousins is so busy trying to get Jack and his high school boyfriend, Mike Vargas, bed as often as possible, she only tells us about the tension between Mike and his father, or the tensions between Jack and his mom and his father. I felt disconnected from the characters and honestly found the ending of the story to be the opposite of uplifting (though it was meant to be uplifting, I'm sure).

I don't think Ms. Cousins' writing is for me. Absolute minimum character development and way too many pages dedicated to having sex of some kind or another. One scene took 13 pages of text to get through. The phone sex scene took up 9. I did not go back and count earlier scenes.

Yes, these guys are 21, but they both act like they're in high school when they're together. I get they're young and horny, but both are good at avoidance. It's so frustrating to read. Usually I like second chance romance, but this one just fell flat on its face. >splat ( )

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author via the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's "Don't Buy Me Love" program in exchange for an honest review.]

Jack Tarkington messed up. When he gave Tom Worthington a hard time because Tom's father caused Jack's parents to lose all of their savings (and Jack's college fund) in an investment scheme, he hadn't exactly realized the implications of his actions. Now suspended--and facing expulsion--for harassment, he is forced to do the one thing he told himself he would never ever do. He's returning to his hometown in Iowa. Jack left so much behind when he left, and he still feels most of that was for the better. But he's not in town for long before he runs into the one thing he left behind that he regrets--MIguel. Jack's high school best friend (and boyfriend) certainly hasn't forgotten that Jack left him, either. And when he's only back because he was forced to come home, not because he wanted to, certainly doesn't give Miguel any hope that Jack has changed. But will the break from school and return to his past help Jack find what he really wants? And will he be able to make the best of the second chances he finds for himself and for Miguel?

In the first book, Jack is nowhere close to a likable character. Even though we earn a bit about his motivation in the end, it's still not enough to get past the way he acted toward Tom and Reese. Learning more about him and his past, however, added a whole dimension to Jack that helped me to understand him even better. The character development in this book (both for Jack and for Miguel) is incredible while never feeling forced or overdone. I am very much a fan of the way this series seems to be progressing and am definitely looking forward to the next installment. ( )