Review: The Jock by Tal Bauer
SYNOPSIS:
Wes Van de Hoek clawed his way off his family’s West Texas ranch under the Friday night lights, earning a football scholarship to the state’s best university. Three years in, he has it all: he’s the starting tight end, team captain, and, according to ESPN, maybe the best college football player in the nation. But he’s been keeping a secret from everyone.
Justin Swanscott has three certainties in his life: he’s gay, football is overrated, and he really, really doesn’t like cowboys. He should never have fallen into Wes’s open-range eyes or let his heart run wild when Wes gave him that shy little smile over summer. But he couldn’t stop himself.
Everyone’s asking questions about Wes this season: How is he playing so well? Will Texas be undefeated this year? Will he take the team all the way to the national championship? What’s next for him?
The truth? Wes isn’t dreaming about an NFL contract. His heart belongs to Justin, even though the world wants it to belong to football.
Wes has stadiums packed with screaming fans, ESPN is all over him, and the NFL wants him badly. He’s living under a microscope, and the pressure keeps building as the team keeps winning. Everyone wants something from him, but all Wes wants is to love Justin.
Something’s gotta give.
REVIEW:
This story took me a minute to get into. Tal Bauer has a unique way of writing and at moments it feels a little too wordy and I want to skip ahead to actual conversations and actions. But once I was invested in the story, I couldn’t put it down. I was utterly captivated by Wes and Justin.
Around 20% in, the story really starts to pick up. Wes was such a teddy bear and Justin was fierce and strong. I loved these two together and all the trials and tribulations of their relationship. From their escape in Paris, to the harsh realities of life, they truly put my heart through the ringer. The pressure placed on Wes was such an accurate depiction that it had my heart aching. And that doesn’t exclude the pressure on Justin to keep things a secret and essentially go back in the closet.
The romance was enchanting, even though Wes didn’t have much, the endless depths to his love was more than enough. This is romance done right, where the characters build each other up and make them better versions of themselves. The whole Swan Lake ballet reference was a beautiful way to interweave Wes’ love for Justin. I swear I swooned every time I saw “White swans mate for life”.
I also adored the secondary characters and football focus. Justin’s dad, Nick, truly stepped up and not only mended his relationship with Justin but because a champion for Wes and Justin’s relationship. Then there was the football team and after all the dust settles, there were some absolutely endearing moments with the team and Justin that had me grinning. A positively beautiful story that left me floating on a cloud of feels and hope.
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