Book Review: "Frat Around and Find Out" by Devon McCormack

I like reading “important” books that challenge me as much as the next person. But sometimes I need a smutty M/M romance. This hit the spot and actually had more emotional complexity than I was expecting.

Sigma Alpha and Alpha Theta Mu are two rival fraternities. They’re constantly trying to one up each other, and when the annual TaskFrat challenges come around, the two are always neck and neck until the very end.

Lance is the president of Alpha Theta Mu. He takes his responsibilities seriously, especially when it comes to battling their foes. And he has a worthy rival in Ty, the Sigma Alpha president.

Ty is supremely confident about everything, including his prowess with women. He’s the type to love ‘em and leave ‘em, and he teases Lance for focusing more on feelings than conquests. But he also can’t seem to get Lance out of his mind, and not for competitive reasons. What’s that about?

Lance, too, realizes that Ty has an inexplicable hold over him. Is it possible that he’s crushing on his rival? The more they’re pushed together, the more they’re drawn to each other. Is this just a curiosity thing for the both of them, or are there feelings behind the attraction? And how will the brothers of both of their frats handle this?

I’m excited that this is the first book in a series, because I really enjoyed it. Both Ty and Lance are dealing with grief-related issues, and it was nice to see how each helped the other. (And in case you were wondering, the steam was pretty hot.)

Book Review: "Royal Scoundrel" by Saxon James

Saxon James’ “Frat Wars” series was really enjoyable (and very hot), but in my opinion, it was too short. I definitely wanted more than three books!

Royal Scoundrel is a prequel which takes place about 20 years before the other books in the series. Dash is a scholarship student at a school where the rich legacies rule. And the Rho Kappa Tau fraternity is the worst of them.

“They’re all rich, all entitled, and ninety percent of them are white guys with generations of being told they’re God’s gift to the universe.”

It figures that the one guy Dash can’t get out of his mind is Archie—Archibald Levine III, to be exact. Archie always has women hanging all over him, so he’s way out of Dash’s league, right? Then why did he stop Dash from a random hookup during a Kappa party?

It turns out Archie is interested in Dash, but he’s totally closeted. Archie’s father expects him to marry a suitable woman and become a lawyer; he certainly wouldn’t accept a gay son. But as much as Dash can’t stop thinking about Archie, Archie feels the same about Dash. Maybe if they fool around a bit (in secret, of course), Archie can get Dash out of his system and go about pursuing what his father expects of him.

This was such a steamy book. Even though I knew where the plot would go, I couldn’t get enough of the chemistry between Archie and Dash, as they both tried to reconcile what they feel for each other with what is expected of them. What’s cool is that these characters are actually the fathers of a character in the third book, Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos.

Book Review: "Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos" by Saxon James

Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos is a tremendously satisfying and sexy conclusion to a terrific series.

Zeke has been president of Sigma Beta Psi for a few years now. He loves the job and he loves his fraternity brothers, but with graduation not too far in the distance, he’s ready to move on. He wants to focus on pursuing his dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer.

Charles is the president of Rho Kappa Tau, their biggest rival and usually the target of their pranks. He never really wanted to be president but agreed to step into the role. The Sigmas annoy him and his brothers but dealing with Zeke is a definite plus, although he wouldn’t admit that to anyone.

When rumors about hazing—and particularly the Sigmas’ role—surface, Zeke needs to find out who is making the false accusations and why. And while at first it looks like Charles and his fraternity might be behind the rumors, Zeke trusts they’re not responsible, and he and Charles team up to track down the troublemaker. But the closer they work together, the more they realize their feelings go beyond rivalry—and those feelings could affect both of their futures.

This series is excellent—it’s super-steamy, romantic, funny, and thought-provoking. It definitely turns some stereotypes on their head. I’ve really become a huge fan of Saxon James (she's also the co-author of the Puckboys series I'm loving)—and would love it if this wasn’t the last book in the series!!

Book Review: "Frat Wars: Master of Mayhem" by Saxon James

This book was a sexy frat house romance that stole my heart!⁣

⁣ “This brotherhood you love so much? The idea that we’ve all got each other’s backs through thick and thin, no matter what. That’s what a relationship is.”⁣

⁣ Robbie and Brandon are fraternity brothers and very close friends. They couldn’t be more opposite, however. Robbie is loud, cocky, competitive, and the king of pranks at Sigma Beta Psi. Brandon isn’t as comfortable being the center of attention, and as the frat’s risk manager, he’s always worrying about the havoc Robbie and the other brothers cause with their schemes.⁣

⁣ When Robbie decides he’s curious about what it’s like to have sex with a guy, no one thinks it’s that big of a deal. But when none of his frat brothers—not even those who are gay—are willing to experiment with him, no one is expecting that Brandon will volunteer to kiss Robbie to see what he thinks. And of course, no one is expecting them to love it.⁣

⁣ Although there is some initial reluctance to take their friendship to this level, after a while their attraction to one another is too strong to ignore. But Robbie has never been the type to want a relationship, they’ll be graduating soon, and Brandon isn’t sure if he’s bi, gay, or what. Is this just college fun, or something else?⁣

⁣ I loved the first book in this series, King of Thieves, and this is just as good. It’s super-steamy in places, romantic and funny in others. It was a very quick but emotionally satisfying read, and I can’t wait to pick up Presidential Chaos, the third and final book in this series.

Book Review: "Frat Wars: King of Thieves" by Saxon James

How can you resist a book with a quote like, “We’re basically Romeo and Juliet. But dudes. And without all the dying.” I certainly couldn't pass up Frat Wars: King of Thieves.

I was intrigued when my friend Phil reviewed this a little while back, and I’m so glad I did. The book was the perfect combination of humor, romance, and steam which was, in the words of one character, “frat as f—k.”

Sigma Beta Psi and Rho Kappa Tau are rival fraternities. The brothers are always pranking each other, with the stakes getting higher and higher, and they compete against each other all year long, with one frat being named King of Thieves. Perhaps no one gets more into the rivalry and mischief than Sigma VP Chad Doomsen—he’s a football player, supreme prankster, and bro—but he’s secretly bisexual.

When he meets Bailey Prince at the first Sigma party of the year, he falls completely. Bailey recently transferred for senior year but is legacy in the Kappa fraternity. He is immediately attracted to Chad but how can he sleep with/date someone from his frat’s biggest rival?

Of course, they can’t keep away from each other, and as much as a relationship was the last thing they were looking for, their feelings for one another are far too strong. But what happens when their relationship is discovered? Which frat will reign supreme this year?

I really enjoyed this. It was much sweeter, more sensitive, and more romantic than I expected—and damn, it was hot!! I’m all in for the next book in the series!!

Book Review: "Top Secret" by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

With Top Secret, my favorite duo delivers again, with a super-hot, M/M, enemies-to-lovers, frat romance.

Keaton is a football player and fraternity member at Darby University. When his girlfriend suggests she’d like to have a threesome with another guy, Keaton is far more intrigued than he thought he’d be. And when he starts chatting with a potential participant on a hookup app, he realizes he may be more interested in the other guy than his girlfriend is.

Luke is one of Keaton’s fraternity brothers, who has to work multiple jobs just to stay in school. His decision to challenge Keaton for fraternity president is more out of economy—he’d get a free room—than actual desire to run the fraternity. But speaking of desire, he’s intrigued by this guy he’s been chatting with on a hookup app who is looking for someone to join him and his girlfriend in a threesome.

Hmm...

Bet you know where this one goes!! Even though it’s predictable, I loved the combination of steam, romance, and strong character development. Keaton starts realizing more about himself and his need to take control of his life rather than let his father dictate what he should do. He knows what he wants most, though—if only he can convince the other person.

I cannot get enough of Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy’s books. They’re compulsively readable and they leave me with all the feels and a little red-faced from the steam.

Book Review: "Fraternity" by Benjamin Nugent

Benjamin Nugent's collection, Fraternity is full of quirky, thought-provoking, and, at times, surprisingly sensitive stories about the goings-on in—yep, you guessed it—a fraternity.

If you went to college/university, did it have fraternities and sororities? Were you in one? I worked full-time in college so I didn’t participate but I’ll admit there was always something so intriguing and, dare I say, hot (I was a closeted college kid, so don't judge) about fraternities.

Nugent’s short story collection takes place at the Delta Zeta Chi house on the campus of a college in Massachusetts. The interconnected stories follow a motley crew of characters—Newton (aka Nutella), the charismatic fraternity president; Oprah, so named because he likes to read and ask a lot of questions; even a girl the fraternity calls God.

As you might expect, many of the stories involve some sort of drug- and/or alcohol-fueled antics, but even within those, serious issues are touched on. There’s discussion about sexual insecurity and coming to terms with one’s sexuality; what constitutes sexual assault; friendship and loyalty; and missing the glory days of youth.

Not all of the stories work as well as some do, but overall, Fraternity is a good collection. I was impressed at how well the stories actually treated women for the most part, not something you traditionally expect of fraternities.

Sometimes an unexpected bookstore find reaps great dividends!