| Title | : | Love You So Hard (Love You So Stories, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 76 |
| Publication | : | First published June 2, 2013 |
I saw him at my local corner store when I stopped in for some soda after work. He was wearing that damn T-shirt and now I can't get it out of my head. I'm thirty-two years old and have never topped in my life. Guys seem to think I have a sign on my forehead that says “bottom only”. The one time I asked, it didn't go well. But now it seems I see this kid, he's twenty if he's a day, everywhere, and that T-shirt text is burned in my brain. I wonder...
Can be any genre you like, and as explicit as you like. I'm not too fussy, but a first time top should be fun.
Photo Description:
The slim, taut torso of a young man from neck to hips wearing a T-shirt that says “I Would Bottom You So Hard”
Genre:contemporary
Tags:first time top, age gap, gaining self-worth, bottom you so hard, younger teacher/older student, beautiful boy
Word count:20,237
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Love You So Hard (Love You So Stories, #1) Reviews
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3 1/2 Stars for a sweet (freebie) novella about topping and change you life to the better - I enjoyed!
Love You So Hard is a fast read short amusing story (around 100 pages). It's about doing what you longed for and never thought possible.
Craig Elson is a pretty invisible guy just over 30, who doesn't know his own worth. Neither at work, where others stealing his ideas, or private where he never takes courage and follow his own desires. He gets squashed down and is a bottom guy who really yearn for something else. In simple terms, a smooth gray invisible man in a boring tie that almost blend into the wall.
Most days is he drinking coffee at the same cafe. He knows that the good-looking younger guy with the challenging t-shirt usually show up there.
The ten year younger Jessie Randall is the opposite of Craig. He is outgoing, cheeky, fashionably dressed, happy, and healthy fun, sexy and he knows his value. For some reason, he has recently taken the slightly beige man in the diner. One day when the older man looks extra distressed joins Jessie at the man's table and starts talking (and start to flirt).
Jessie sees something more in Craig and offer to teach Craig to be an excellent Top Man. Of course Craig say yes (...YES!!!!!) to the guy he is dreaming (wet) about.
~ No one can deny that Craig succeeded outstandingly well on his first try. Top Point from me...and Jessie! ~
But to make Craig a little more colorful (.. yes, maybe whole his gray-beige life) believes Jessie some changes are necessary. I agreed and cheered.“We'll deal with those things a bit later. No guy who gives a blo**ob like that should wear white boxer shorts.”
Jessie is a wonderful good-hearted, kind, sugar cube. I just want to hug him because he managed to do a miracle. This story made me happy, cuddly and glad. A perfectly simple, maybe a bit predictable, "bluntly" romance for romance-hungry readers who like a little yummy heat.
They are so cute together and Craig ... yes, he takes courage and grows .... much. ~ And what an excellent Top he becomes.
‘He lowered Jessie into the big, ugly, super-comfortable, brown recliner neither of them had been able to given up when they moved in.
“Celebrating our anniversary, baby?”
Craig nodded. "This chair is the first place I ever topped you.”
Sure there are maybe one or two things to express opinions about, but why be so picky? This IS a lovely "fairy tale" to make life a little more enjoyable. ...and colorful! - Recommended when you just want to be entertained for a moment. I enjoyed.
...And maybe even better to hear, Love You So Hard is for free here:
http://www.mmromancegroup.com/2637. Puch, jump over and get it!!
I LIKE - clever, funny and very sweet
~~~~~~~~~~~
...a fun strip about topping -
I liked this LHNB story but didn't love it. I think there was something awkward about the depiction of their relationship. I don't know if it is because I kind of felt like Craig was being taken advantage a little bit by Jessie (financially) or the speed of their relationship at the end . Still, a nice story and FAB prompt!
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3.75*
Craig is smart, good looking (at least Jessie thinks he is) and a genuinely nice guy, but his low to no self-esteem has him think he doesn't deserve the good things in life.
It takes having a promotion literally stolen from him and having an asshat insult him at a bar for him to decide he needs to do something about it.
Now he doesn't exactly do it, he has Jessie this young guy he's been lusting after at the coffee shop 'tutor' him.
Jessie has a lot of self-esteem and slowly but surely helps Craig change his life.
Now, I had a small issue with Craig thinking he has to top in order to be the person he wants to be? He seemed to think that was the changing factor for him, he kept repeating it all the time, what would a top do? And I'm a top..etc.
Not that that's wrong, I don't think that was a self-esteem solver ...I think it's more getting recognized for his accomplishment ..like making Jessie feel good and the headhunters really wanting him, practically sight unseen, and his ex-boss recognizing his value.
I sort of wished I was sure that's how he saw it, and not as the topping or bottoming making the difference. ( cause Jessie certainy didn't have an issue with self esteem and motivation and he's a bottom).
The financial disparity I can live with, although the beginning negotiations were a bit strange.
But it's a cute, sweet story and I like that he takes care and loves his mom and that Jessie is so close to his dad. -
4.25 STARS--I am so happy with the story that came from this prompt!! One of the more funnier stories about anal I've read so far this year.
Craig is 32, never topped, always is looked over and doesn't believe in himself. And it takes a delicious graduate student who loves to bottom hard to help him find his self worth. There's a couple of giggles, MANTEARS (brief bouts), instalove (I mean it's not a novel, people) and Cinderella HEA.
Well if Cinderella was MM contemporary. Craig would be Cinderella and Jessie the fairy godmother/prince mixed into one. And of course there's hot sex, did I mention that?
Great coupling. (Pun intended) -
4.75
I loved this story and the prompt picture is fantastic. -
This is a sweet feel good read.
I love the whole insecure overlooked shy guy finally gets recognised for the great guy he is.
While this was a little corny in places, and the sex wasn’t really to my liking, the overall feel to this fic was enough to counter act my negatives.
A 3.5 but pushed to a 4 just for the joy of it lol. -
This is a very cute, very sweet story about a wonderful guy who has no idea how great he is. With its uplifting tone, simple but touching storyline, and some interesting secondary characters, it had me interested from the very start.
Craig, with all his insecurities and hidden talents just tore at my heartstrings, and the fact that he was so willing to try, rather than wallow in self-pity made him all the more likeable. He really just needed a little nudge to go out and try new things. Not recognized in his current job, feeling ignored by the world, and not getting anywhere with his life makes him realize he needs a change. Jessie's offer to tutor him is just what he needs.
Jessie is much younger than Craig, a graduate student at only twenty-one, and has clearly fallen for Craig. I think Craig must be the only one who doesn't see it! Jamie wants to be a teacher and based on how well he tutors Craig, he'll be a great one. He is compassionate, understanding, asks the right questions, and knows what is "in".
If you're looking for an uplifting story about a guy who could have it all, if he only realized he "deserves" it, if you enjoy stories about two guys helping each other out and becoming true partners, and if you're looking for a sweet, hot read, then you will probably like this free novella as much as I did. -
It was so sweet and uplifting to see Craig finally grow up and get some
ballsconfidence. (On the topic of balls, from the descriptions of sex acrobatics I gathered that his must be pretty long - reaching around mid-thigh. They're more like pendulums.) The romance was cute and pretty hot, but Jessie just didn't convince me as a character and as a love interest. What would you think of a guy who gets on all fours on an armchair, places his hands on his "lower cheeks" and starts wiggling his ass on the first date? Confidence is totally a turn on, but this would just creep me out, and this wasn't the only instance where Jessie got a bit too weird. Also, the sentence "Fuck meeee" - written exactly like this, though I can't remember how many e's there were - is not the way you dirty talk. But then, I think we all know that dirty talk in books is never good enough for me.
That said, the romance was cute and heartwarming and I absolutely adored Craig. I could totally relate to him. I just *huff* can't get over creepy Jessie. -
Offered for
FREE from the M/M Romance Group's
Love Has No Boundaries Anthology: Volume 6. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
I thought this was sweet and I enjoyed reading it. Yes, Craig's insecurity and self-pity was annoying at times. Yes, Jessie's bedroom talk was occassionally cheesy and porn-tastic. Yes, they jumped the gun at the end but overall I liked it.
I was a little surpeised initially at their negotiations and the whole tutoring thing, I really just wanted Craig to ask Jessie out. But I get the attempt to make the plot more fun and interesting, and it worked out since the guys weren't awkward or weird about it and laughed a lot. -
Short, sweet, free and its from Tara. I loved it. A great addition to the LHNB stories that are turning out to be really great. This is sexy, cute and feel good. Don't need to waffle on any more! I'm smiling and feeling the love! Thanks Tara... I've decided, I want to live in Laguna Beach. :))
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Another enjoyable addition to the LHNB collection, but not as fabulous as many I've already read. But I think it says a lot that these free reads are better than 75% of the drivel we are paying for now-a-days.
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Me impresionó tanto que cuando lo terminé me di cuenta de que ya lo había leído... Lo encontré rebuscando en shorts que tenía en el kindle acumulado, y es eso, un short con mucho que abarcar y pocas páginas para profundizar. Además, me ha dado mucha grimica las conversaciones sobre lo que debe ser un top y un bottom. Eso me pasa por leer sin atender a sinopsis. Al menos fue gratuita.
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An amusing, smexy and cute read...it was HARD not to love this book!!
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Really cute story but just a little too dependent on the sex for my taste...although, I can't deny it was hot...vary, vary hot. Full review to follow soonish!
Get ready for more of the sweet and adorable...
When Craig Elson gets passed over for a much deserved promotion it's the straw that breaks the camel's back and Craig takes it as a sign that he maybe should take a little vacation after all he hasn't done so in years so he's got the time and then some.
One of the first things that Craig does is he goes to his favorite coffee house so he can get a look at the 'hottie' with the tee shirt that says "I would bottom you so hard." something that no one's ever let Craig do and something that Craig spends a lot of times wanting to do with said hottie (otherwise known as Jesse). When Jesse approaches Craig the last thing that Craig figured would happen is that he'd ask Jesse to tutor him, but that's what he does...he pulls on his big boy pants and ask Jesse to tutor him on how to be a top and what follows is a warm, sweet, sometimes funny adventure of Jesse and Craig as Jesse helps Craig to become the top that he knows he can be.
First off I loved Jesse...he was just too freakin' cute for words...like this guy was seriously adorable and perky...I don't think I could handle him first thing in the morning...just sayin'. Also on a random thought here, that I'm hoping someone who's more familiar with this authors works than I am can clarify for me. I'm somehow feeling like maybe we've met Jesse before...say, in one of the Laguna Beach stories? If you have a definite answer for me on this feel free to let me know in the comments, thanks.
And then there was Craig, I liked him...a lot! He was just so lacking in self esteem but he was also such a sweet guy. I loved how he was with his mom and really with everyone. What I didn't love was how some people took advantage of his sweet and unassuming nature but hey, what goes around comes around and I think in the end everyone got what they deserved especially Craig and Jesse...because they got each other.
Sadly what took this from 'I love it' to 'it was ok' for me was the sex...I just felt like Jesse and Craig's relationship was too dependent on it and I know all things considered this probably seems a bit weird since their relationship started out with Craig asking Jesse to teach him how to be a top...but, I guess I was hoping that the sex would ease back and there would be a bit more focus on an actual relationship developing...I don't maybe, I'm just being to picky or quirky here but still at the end of the day it's how I felt.
I fully realize that while 'Love You So Hard' isn't a complicated or profound story, it is a sweet, fun and totally feel good story about discovering how to be the best person you can be and finding love along the way and in reality that rarely happens between the sheets so as fun and sweet as it was this left me feeling a little disappointed.
From a purely audio perspective though this was my second chance to enjoy the narrations of Ry Forest and I have to say his narration was absolutely delightful. I truly can't wait to see what's next with this narrator and will definitely be keeping an eye out for his name on future audio books.
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An audio book of 'Love You So Hard' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. -
Love You So Hard written by Tara Lain was submitted for the MM Romance Group’s Love Has No Boundaries 2013 Prompt Event. The prompt for this story was a young man in a black t-shirt with the words ‘I Would Bottom You So Hard’ written across it.
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This is a great short story. It's so sweet and a real uplifting piece. I'm not a fan of whiny low self-esteem main characters. While Craig does have low self-esteem, he wasn't whiny. He was lost in a haze of grey fog. He was cruising through life in the slow lane, letting things pass him by. With a shift kick in his ass by a a credit stealing co-worker, Craig comes to what I call, a little mid-life crisis. This is wonderful because he's hit rock bottom and now he can only go up from there. He decides to make a few changes with the help and encouragement of Jesse.
Ms. Lain does an excellent job writing a beautiful tightly woven story. The plot is straight forward and easily relate-able. The characters are charming and their romance is quite sweet. Maybe Ms. Lain could be convinced to write a full story about Jesse and Craig! This touching tale is highly recommended to m/m romance lovers who root for the underdog. -
Craig realizes he needs to make some changes when he doesn’t get a promotion he expected and asks Jesse, a cutie who regularly frequents the same coffee shop, to help him.
He ends up overhauling his life, from upgrading to a nicer apartment to getting a better job at a rival company. He also ends up with Jesse as a permanent fixture in his life and bed.
This was sweet and hot, I loved how Jesse was supportive and encouraged Craig to go after what he wanted. Since Craig approaches Jesse for help, I never felt like Jesse was trying to change him into someone he’s not.
Even though it’s short, the relationship never felt rushed. -
This was my prompt and I adored what the author did with it. I loved Jessie. He was so fun and light and breezy and was a nice counter for Craig's more Gloomy Gus personality and I loved how he was able to pull Craig out of that and get him to see his own worth. Craig's relationship with his mom was sweet too and a bit sad.
And hey, I love the baby endearment. ;-) To each his own. -
Like the magic peen, the magic bum cures all.
Makes you faster, stronger, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Oh, wait...not really.
This story just ticked me off, another case of magic sex makes everything better. Fuck therapy to help you with years of issues trapping you in, and holding you back. A week of hawt toppy sex cures all!
*headdesk* -
Is it me or does their sex sound an awful lot like staged porn?? Ha! I could almost cue to the music in my head.
"Oh baby, oh God, that’s so great. Please don’t stop. Please.”
“That’s good but hurry, baby. Need you in there. Go fast.”
“Oh baby, oh baby. You turn me inside out. I never want you to stop fucking me.”
“I’m so done. I’m going to explode into a million pieces because you are the bessssst.”
So. This story was okay.
I kept waiting for someone to say Jessie was a set up. Their coming together was kind of awkward.
Plus, all Jessie did was change everything about Craig. I wasn't feeling the connection between these two at all. -
For all my MM friends, you really miss out if you miss this free, short story in the Love Has No Boundaries, line up from the MM Group. Tara kicked butt with it. It was written for the t-shirt a guy is wearing that says, 'I Will Bottom You So Hard." Loved her story and loved her main characters.
Highly Recommended, -
Sweet, short, and enjoyable, the MC was well meaning--and anything but invisible.
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3.5 stars
Nice short read. Insta-love at its best. -
3.5 Stars overall
This book is on the shorter side, super light and cute, with no angst. It’s also pretty funny and interesting. The storyline and character personalities are a little over the top ridiculous at times, but I think that makes this book worth the time to read and/or listen to, since it will get you out of your head and keep you amused for a few hours.
Craig is a dork - I mean he’s smart and awesome in his own way, but he’s just not confident in anything he does and tends to let people walk all over him. He just doesn’t know what to do in life to move past his depressing/negative attributes. He is totally clueless about everything that happens to him that I simply don’t know how he has survived up to this point in life.
That’s where Jessie comes in. Jessie is confident and outgoing and knows exactly what to do in order to get what he wants in life. Since he’s had a crush on Craig from the moment he sees him, he offers to “tutor” Craig to help him become more confident in going after everything he wants. Jessie is basically a force of nature that Craig never sees coming. And I really do like how they have an instant connection but neither of them seem to know quite what to do with it. They are just kind of adorably awkward about the entire situation they get themselves into.
Audio - I really did appreciate the narration of this book in audio too. The narrator, Ry Forrest, does a great job with the voices of both characters, making them unique and making it easy to follow the storyline. I think he did a great job getting us into this audiobook for such a short story and I would be happy to listen to more of his narrations in the future.
*** Audiobook copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. *** -
Awesome prompt! When I saw Tara Lain had claimed it, I knew it was going to be something special. Who better to write about a "first-time-top" than the author of
Fire Balls. :-) #TeamRodney
I loved the way Craig's sex life and his attitudes about sex mirrored other areas of his life. With Jamie's help, Craig's confidence grew both in and out of the bedroom. Craig was such a sweetheart and made an adorable top! What a sweet couple. <3 -
A really cute short story and another wonderful free read from LHNB, great job Tara! Plus I really love that T-shirt ;)
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4-4.5*
Great read! Enjoyed it very much and left me with a smile :) -
"Love you so hard" is a cute short story with a guaranteed happy ending.
Craig is feeling out of sorts. He is passed over for promotion, which is a big blow since he was counting on it. Then he is insulted by a creep at his favorite bar. Talk about a bad day.. He is sick and tired of being invisible and not having the confidence he needs to succeed in life, but he does not know how to change that. Then he finally gets to talk to his secret crush, Jesse, and they make a bargain - Jesse will tutor him and teach him how to be a top. And then the real fun begins. Just a few days in each other's company will change both their lives.
While I like the idea and an easy style of it, I was slightly disturbed by the notion that Craig changes everything about himself - his looks, his wardrobe, his apartment, his car, his job. There is nothing wrong with improving your circumstances, but by the end of this little transformation, it felt like he was a completely different person. If he is so concerned about saving money for his mom's bills and needed that job so badly to help with paying them, then the whole "spend a bunch of money on trivial stuff"part was rather shallow. And so was Jesse for that matter. It felt like he was using Craig for his money and I didn't feel any real connection between them besides the sexual one. I think it would have been nice to have an alternative Jesse's POV chapters, which might have helped to get to know him. Since this whole book is from Craig's POV, it felt very one-sided and that might have been what made their relationship also feel one-sided. Maybe. I don't know.
Overall, it was nice enough. It was a short, fast read that while not very deep, could still lift the mood after a hard day.
**I was provided an ARC of this book from the author for an honest review** -
3.5 stars- Cute story, but a little cheesy. Rounding up because of a narrator who's new to me
Love You So Hard was a short story full of the smexy times I’ve come to expect from this author coupled with an adorable plotline. I loved the lighthearted feel of the story and dialogue, but also appreciated that we got to see a couple who was clearly made for each other.
The pace of this short is pretty brisk with Jesse and Craig’s relationship moving forward quickly and feelings being declared relatively soon after the two get together. Even so, I couldn’t help but smile at these men and really liked seeing Jesse bring out Craig’s confidence while appreciating his sweet, caring side. I also enjoyed the narrator’s delivery. The pacing and emotions he conveyed fit perfectly with the book’s tone. This was the first audiobook I’ve heard performed by Mr. Forest, but I’ll be on the lookout for more from him the future. I do have to note there were some extra cheesy parts that garnered a few eye rolls, but the narrator’s performance smoothed some of those over and overall I found myself enjoying the fun, flirty style of Love you So Hard and will be checking out the next in the series.
Reviewed by Annie from
Alpha Book Club
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A
Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This is a sweet and sexy story. It’s rather short—a novella that takes just under three hours in audio—but packs a good deal of emotional punch. I really enjoyed the narrator’s smooth and playful voice, and he does Jesse especially well. Craig’s parts really transmit a sense of desperation and borderline depression. He’s a good guy who strikes out, for no fathomable reason. Perhaps, it’s his lack of assertiveness, or perhaps he’s just surrounded by jerks. The second part’s definitely true, though it’s likely not the full story. I liked how kind Jesse is, and how he’s able to fit into Craig’s personal world without any difficulty. The sexy explorations Craig makes with Jesse are all the heat such a short book could hold. I have read the sequel to this story, which was why I jumped at the chance to listen to this audiobook. The story is kinda light and fluffy, with only a little bit of easily-resolved conflict, and the narrator made me enjoy it even more.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety
here.
