Caught Running | 
| Authors: Abigail Roux, Madeleine Urban
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Category: Book
List Price: $11.99
Buy New: $10.79
You Save: $1.20 (10%)
Rating:  12 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 236
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0980101883
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780980101881
ASIN: 0980101883
Publication Date: December 1, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Ten years after graduation, Jake "the jock" Campbell and Brandon "the nerd" Bartlett are teaching at their old high school and still living in separate worlds. When Brandon is thrown into a coaching job on Jake's baseball team, they find themselves learning more about each other than they'd ever expected. High school is all about image - even for the teachers. Brandon and Jake have to get past their preconceived notions to find the friendship needed to work together. And somewhere along the way, they discover that perceptions can always change for the better. Read a full chapter excerpt at www.dreamspinnerpress.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
A winner for me! August 9, 2008
Aunt Lynn (In the kitcken in Berkeley, CA)
I have been reading m/m romance/erotica for about a year now, starting with fan fiction and moving up to original character, for-pay stories in the last few months. Gobbling up what I can find, I admit that much of what I have purchased has been worse than some of the worst free fan fiction (and in some cases, the free stuff is amazingly more well-written and developed). I have been terribly disappointed with the unlikely story lines, laughable dialog, absurd character actions/reactions, bad writing and worse editing. I may not be a gay male, but I live in a very diverse community, have gay friends with whom I have had discussions about their lives and loves, and I can certainly appreciate a good story laced with hot sex regardless of the subjects' gender. For me, much of my immersion into books of any kind is the story, the character development, and the interactions, and the majority of what I have read so far simply doesn't do it for me. They are little more than PWP (Porn Without Plot), which I can get better for free through sites like Nifty.
Enter "Caught Running." I did not have high hopes as I read it in a string of terrible books and was prepared for yet another disappointment. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! I really loved this book, and I can't say enough good things about it. I've read it three times and I'm starting on a fourth. Finally, a keeper!
This is a romance first, erotica (and there are plenty of steamy scenes!) second, so if you are looking for one tumble in the sheets (or the hay, or the sand, or the back seat) after another with little plot in between, this isn't the book for you. I am a sucker for stories where the protagonists meet again years later and/or where a relationship develops once friendship is established, so this one is a match on both parts. Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not a prude -- I wouldn't be reading this genre if I was! -- and I don't mind sex in the first chapter, but it was refreshing for the authors to wait until page 107 before there was even a kiss. It's a slow, gentle builder. I liked that the first half of the book was spent with them learning to put aside biases and prejudices to come to respect one another, becoming friends. Because of this, there is an emotional layer to the physical that many of the other books I've read just don't have. Not that there wasn't a healthy dose of Unresolved Sexual Tension, but that made it fun. I enjoyed watching their mutual attraction as they try to hide it from each other and themselves, and play the "is he or isn't he" game; seems to me that these boys have some broken gaydar! I was glad to see that their insecurities and worries were brought forth to us in a way that didn't make me want to tear my hair out at the angst. And once their relationship was consummated, I was in awe of their reactions to each other, especially Jake's to Brandon.
I can believe this tale; there is no major drama, no moral dilemmas, no character flaws so large that the Happily Ever After is threatened, no Big Misunderstanding, no Secret Past Life that will come back to bite someone in the arse, no hateful antagonists trying to break them apart, no last-minute quickie tying up of the ends, no obviously contrived way to get these two together. None of the supporting characters seemed over-the-top in personality or interference, but were lovable and supportive in their own rights as good supporting characters should be. I thought the pacing was perfect: good buildup for attraction, consummation, commitment. It is a simple, gentle, sweet, romantic story that drew me in and made me want to care and root for Brandon and Jake. I believed in these guys, they seemed real, like they could be friends of mine. Despite their seeming incompatibility, they are perfect for and complement one another. Like other readers, I felt sad for it to end.
As another reviewer mentioned, I admit the only thing that bothered me, or at least took some getting used to, was the shifting point of view. I needed to back a paragraph or two to figure out which character I was living. Once I got used to it, though, I was fine and it flowed better. If you're looking for a book in this genre, I can't recommend this book enough. Go read and enjoy.
One of the best gay romance novels I've ever read! August 7, 2008
Tiffany S. Smith (Silver Spring, Maryland United States)
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one day, I couldn't put it down. I thought that it was really well written. Although there was hot sex, it wasn't on ever other page. There was actually a story to follow and a really good one at that. I actually hope that there is a sequel to this story, although it didn't leave you hanging. I just really enjoyed these two characters. I would definitely read these authors again.
The Best Part of Running is Getting Caught. July 30, 2008
Isan (Canada)
We all know how high school is: the jocks, the nerds, the cheerleaders; the "in crowd" and the "outcasts", the former would never be caught dead associating with the latter. But everyone grows up and sooner or later, High School is supposed to be over and done with.
Brandon a.k.a The Nerd is now teaching Biology and is an all around Science teacher in his former high school. At the beginning, everything is looking the same it did back then for Brandon even though they aren't kids anymore, its painfully obvious that somethings don't change. The teachers in the loundge are still separated between the brains (academic teachers) and the brawns (P.E. and sports coach). Brandon also isnt the only one who ended up back at his old high school, Jake a.k.a The Jock, former varsity star ended up being Parkview's Head Coach. Even though they were in school together they never talked and barely acknowledged each other's presence. Brandon's life was pretty simple and filled with his passion for teaching. He came to school early in the morning to tutor, stay up late at night to grade and work on his doctorate. Living pretty far from school also meant for even shorter nights but he still managed to find time everyday to run. One day, his old geometry teacher now turned principal, Tom, announces that he needs someone to fill in for a few blocks of Health class and help coach the baseball team. It's going to be the turning point in Brandon's life considering Jake is the head coach. After spending some time together, they both start getting attracted to the other. They dance around quite a lot both thinking the other isn't interested and it builts pretty much the whole mood for the story. They discover things that they didn't know and realize there's a lot more then the image they project. Naturally with the attraction between them comes a rising tension that's not going to go away that easy.
When they finally come together, it's absolutely perfect, and everytime after that too, it's intense and deep, it pulls you in and leaves you breathless. Afterwards, it's the struggle and worries of not knowing how to act when they see each other at work and Brandon's lack of confidence to initiate anything faced with the clearly more dominant Jake. I'm still amazed at when Jake told him to be more confident and not be afraid to take the lead when he wanted to. There's always something that doesn't look comfortable or natural when it comes to role reversal in most books I read but in this one it was just effortless, natural and beautiful.
Althought it doesn't have a lot of pages I'm surprised at how absolutely not rushed it was. It seems impossible, I read a lot of books much longer than this that felt it all happened in one day. I was sad when I reached the end because I could have kept reading more and more, and there was plenty left to explore in their new relationship. But, all good things do have to come to an end. I wouldn't be against seeing a sequel in the future though!
A GOOD NOVEL...AND MORE July 25, 2008
CHARLIE (MAINE)
Caught Running is a good novel on any level. The characters are complete, interesting and endearing. This book goes beyond its genre. I would buy any similar book from its authors. We don't need a sequel - just more great books.
Great Love Story! June 26, 2008
PagansRock (Philomath, Oregon United States)
This is a wonderful story of two men who went to school together and now are teachers at the same school. Then, 1 was the star athlete and the other was an outsider. Now, 1 is a science teacher and the other is a PE teacher/coach. Brandon gets volunteered to help Jake coach. Caught Running is a great tale of 2 men becoming friends and then lovers. It had some very humorous moments as well as a few sad ones. I hope there is a sequel sometime.
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