Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: Swimming Against the Tide by Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood

15 May of 2023 by ButtonsMom2003

Swimming Against the Tide By Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM, New Adult

Tropes: Friends-with-benefits, secret relationship, coming out

Released: May 11, 2023

Publisher: Wainscott Press

Length: 132 Pages

Cover Design: Kate Farlow @ Y’all That Graphic

Synopsis

Zach
I wanted what I thought was the ideal college experience—an excellent school and a great fraternity. Since I was a legacy, it was Zeta from the get-go. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I had so much fun I didn’t pay enough attention to one very important thing—the culture. The very conservative, closed-minded culture. The culture that welcomed no one who wasn’t a carbon copy of everyone else. The culture where a gay man has only one option: live in the closet and survive on occasional anonymous hookups.

I made it work until I saw a gorgeous guy jump into the bushes one night after a party. I went after him, and my life was never the same.

Connor
After my best friend ditched me at a frat party, I had nothing to do but drink away the time and wait for my own Prince Frat Bro to rescue me. Yeah, right. I was pretty sure I was the only gay guy there, and I finally gave up and left. Then, the night took an interesting turn on my walk home.

I guess you can’t find love when you beat around the bushes.

Swimming Against the Tide is a romance between two very different young men: a closeted frat bro sophomore and an out-and-proud freshman. Neither can resist the connection made at the most awkward, incredibly sweet, and impossible-to-forget meet-cute ever. How can they get what they want without being swept away by the tide?

This gay college romance features themes of Greek life, a secret relationship, undeniable chemistry, and steamy moments full of delightfully dirty talk. There are also tough decisions, coming out, and an HEA that will pull at your heartstrings every time you read it.

Teaser Graphic

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Hot as fire but also sweet!

Connor and Zach felt an instant attraction to each other even though the circumstances were a bit unusual (quirky meet-cute anyone? 😊) They fight the attraction and agree to try a friends-with-benefits arrangement but it soon becomes apparent that they mean more than that to each other.

Things are complicated because Zach is closeted and a member of a fraternity that wouldn’t tolerate having a gay member. He has to make a decision whether to be out and proud with Connor or to continue hiding. Zach and Connor get up to a lot of steamy, sexy time in this novella! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This was a quick read, with a good HFN and an epilogue set one year later, but it packed a lot of story into a few amount of words and I really enjoyed reading it.