Ten years ago Jake and Brandon graduated from the same high school. Today they find themselves back as teachers, but still moving in opposite circles. Jake “the jock” is now a coach and Brandon “the nerd” is a science teacher. After a staffing shortage Brandon suddenly finds himself filling in as a coach with Jake and old feelings soon reemerge. The more they are thrown together the deeper Brandon finds himself falling. Unfortunately, Jake isn’t gay and Brandon knows that his infatuation is pointless. Or is it? Jake has secrets of his own and Brandon isn’t the only one taking a lot of cold showers.

Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux have taken the stereotypical story of the “jock” and the “nerd” and turned it into a delightful story. Brandon is an introverted, studious man working on his doctorate while teaching high school. He is dedicated to his students and often spreads himself thin trying to help them be successful academically. Jake appears to be the typical high school jock and Homecoming King who went to college on a sports scholarship and then chose teaching P.E. when his injuries prevented him from going Pro. But Jake is so much more. The attraction between the two develops slowly but then takes off and builds to a crescendo. Both men are smart, funny, and dedicated to their students but Jake spends a great deal of time hiding his intelligence. Ironically, both men are gay but neither knows about the other. The authors have done an excellent job of portraying the sexual frustration that the mutual attraction engenders and the effort that Jake and Brandon go to to hide that attraction, from themselves and others. Once together the sensual scenes are arousing and well written, they convey the emotional depth of their feelings coupled with the anxiety because both feel that it’s too good to be true.

Reviewed by: Hayley