Proud (DC Pride #1) by Tatum West

Proud (DC Pride #1) Reviews

• 
  Anna Torres

  Desperation can sometimes lead you to more than you bargain for!
  
  What happens when a desperate man applies for a job he does not have the degree for? What happens when someone who seems to have everything does not really have the most important things in life, someone to love and share his successes with?
  
  Two characters who are as vastly different from each other as water and oil, but somehow they find a way to slay their individual demons with each other’s help and come out having someone they can love and trust with their heart.
  
  Abuse can come in any form, and sometimes the worst of it is inside where people cannot see it and it can totally incapacitate the person and make him wary of feeling strongly for another person. It takes a very special person to make that person trust again. A person who will love him unconditionally, with all his quirks and imperfections.
  
  A story that will break your heart and heal it, making it stronger and ready to love again. Thank you and Congratulations Ms. Tatum West, a very real story of how much we endure for the people who mean the world to us, or so we thought! Looking forward to more! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• 
  Yue

  It has a promising start, but I honestly couldn't like Jesse, he was grumpy and rude towards Will, whose only sin was that he was born rich. Rich boys have also their own problems, and I understand that some of them are spoiled brats, but to dislike someone only because he is a rich boy seemed too silly to me.
  
  The night when they hook up felt so rushed. Jesse calls Will one night, after practically ignoring their first kiss, play darts and it is, mere minutes later, a "let's go home". They don't even talk about nothing.
  
  I guess I wasn't expecting such a heavy story (Jesse used to date an abusive asshole, who now stalks him and threatens him every minute).
  
  By the end of the story, I think Will was more into Jesse than Jesse into Will. And too bad, I wasn't into any one of them, nor into both of them together :(
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/20/2019)! 🎁
• 
  Kim Stone

  I’ve read this author before. This is a mm contemporary story set in the USA. Main characters are Jesse and Will. Jesse has left a very toxic relationship behind, but his ex keeps stalking him. Will has just been waiting for some one like Jesse to show him the rainbow world. I really enjoyed reading this story.
• 
  Lena Grey

  
  “I strongly believe that love is the answer and that it can mend even the deepest unseen wounds. Love can heal, love can console, love can strengthen, and yes, love can make change.” ~ Somaly Mam (The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine)
  
  Jesse, of ‘Proud’ by Tatum West, is running from an abusive relationship. He is hiding ou’ at his cousin Vince’s, apartment. He should feel relatively safe, but, since he is still receiving threatening text messages from his ex, Gabe, he doesn’t. Jesse is scared and alone, afraid to even go outside for fear that Gabe will somehow find and be waiting for him. He needs to connect with someone so he creates a Grindr account but, so far hasn’t used it. Yet he is captivated by a man named WILL3. Jesse needs a job. He applies for one for which he is not qualified, but gets an interview. Imagine Jesse’s surprise when the boss who is to interview Jesse turns out to be WILL3., the man Jesse has been secretly lusting after.
  
  Jesse bluffs his way through the interview; Will is so impressed with him that he hires him on the spot, without even checking his references. Jesse sighs in relief. He really needs the money. He is behind in the rent and can’t afford to buy food. Jesse tries to appease his guilt about lying by endeavoring to learn the job well and to be the best he can be at it. To Will’s surprise, Jesse turns out to be one of their best employees, bringing in a substantial number of contracts for the company. Jesse is also determined not to become involved with Will, no matter how much he wants to.
  
  Will is impressed by Jesse’s dedication and success; he’s convinced that he made a good decision by hiring him. When Will gets another call from his mother, reminding him of his sister’s debutante ball and suggesting a young lady that she should bring, he loses his temper. He has told his parents many times that he is gay but they will not accept it. As an act of defiance, Will tells her that he will come and will bring a date, but that it will be a man. She is upset, but chooses not to believe him. Since Will isn’t dating anyone right now, he decides to ask Jesse to go with him as his pretend boyfriend. If Jesse accepts his proposal, it will be strictly business and he will be well compensated. To prepare for the farce, Will and Jesse hang out together, practicing the whole boyfriend thing. All is going well until Jesse on an alcohol fueled impulse, kisses Will. After that, Will can’t help but think that their relationship could be more... a lot more.
  
  This book was even better than I expected. Although it incorporated a lot of serious issues like partner abuse and the lasting effects of being in that situation, it also offered hope, not letting the past dictate your future. There were a lot of obstacles to be overcome, but eventually, love turned out to be a healing force for both Will and Jesse. Another feature of the story that tickled me was that Tatum included characters from her ‘Abingdon’ series who I had grown to know and love: Gil, Nikki, and his husband Fox as friends of Jesse’s. Since I live in Northern Virginia, near DC, many of the things she mentioned are familiar, adding to my reading pleasure. I’m going to venture a guess that the next book in the series will be about Vince and Bates and I am looking forward to seeing their relationship progress. Thanks, Tatum, for a great read.
  
• 
  Lora Graham

  A few things kept this book from being better for me, and that was because they simply weren't even there. For one, Jesse got the job by lying, but why? The story makes no mention of him ever having tried to apply for any other jobs and getting rejected. In fact, the story starts out with him saying he barely even leaves the apartment? How hard did he really try? On top of that, who risks their whole company and everything they've worked for (Will) by hiring someone whose background doesn't pan out? That's not mentioned until near the end, but Will knew all along that Jesse wasn't right. And honestly, Jesse's funky attitude alone would've prompted me to do a thorough check; you're in dire need of a job, yet you act like a jerk? Yeah, okay.
  
  Also missing was more info, IMHO, on Will's background issues with his parents and the conversion therapy. Did he ever seek counseling for that? But most of all, how did Gabriel keep finding out every single thing about Jesse's whereabouts and actions? When Jesse got a burner phone, Gabe got the number. Gabe found out about his new city, new job AND Will's address. There is no indication that Gabe was a detective or related to one, or that he was some kind of hacking genius. This alone knocked the story down a star.
• 
  Jessica Kerns

  I just couldn't find it very believable. I actually got about halfway through it, but it took me 2 days (I usually read a book this long in a few hours).
• 
  George

  2.75 Stars.
  
  While Tatum West’s ‘Proud’ (DC Pride #1) begins with a promising story to tell, and is filled with wonderfully developed characters, it simply doesn’t live up to its potential.
  
  Every time the narrative approached a point of serious development, pages were wasted in describing the sexual fantasies of one or the other of the two main characters, or gratuitous descriptions of their actual sexual interactions.
  
  ‘Proud’, without all the extraneous material, could have been a remarkably good novella.
• 
  Jodie (JT)

  Enjoyable
  
  I have never wanted to hit a fictional character as much as I did Gabe but then I'd be no better then him. I hated how Jess thought of himself but it's often the case with survives they blame them selfs because that's what the abuser makes them feel when in fact it's the abusers that are wrong.
  
  
• 
  jules0623

  I think the heavy topics of homophobia and domestic abuse got away from the author here. There was not enough time devoted to building either characters' situation to give it the depth required to really draw the reader into the story.
• 
  Tammy Casteel

  Love
  
  I really love this series. I am looking forward to more books by this author. The books I've read so far were awesome.
• 
  Greg Petruska

  haven't read the series this spun off from, but this was a cute and fun read. a few issues with consistency, but otherwise a good fun read...
• 
  Antisocial Recluse

  Author is very hit or miss. Too much wrong with this one.
• 
  Mary Weiser

  Sweet
  
  This was a beautiful story filled with hardships and fun beautiful drag queens and an intolerable ex and some lovely naughty scenes
• 
  Laura ~Passion flower

  
  
  Proud (DC Pride Book 1) (ARC) was graciously provided to me by the author for an honest review. I have voluntarily read this book and have provided my own opinion.
  
  "A Heartbreaking, Nurturing, Prideful Story.."     
  
    An intensely gripping, heart-pounding story of hopes and prideful dreams took me on a ride full of dips and turns and slowly morphed into such a heart-warmingly beautiful read..     
  
  Proud, by Tatum West, is an immensely busy and important story for all readers and non-readers to consider reading.  It is a story containing a whole lot of heart-breaking angst and seemingly insurmountable moments that despite semi-frequent moments of peaceful respite and heat-filled chemistry, it had this reader consistently reading with varied levels of emotions throughout the story.   
  
    Proud is a very realistic and deep story with an overflowing storyline, a massively gripping plot, and, plentifully varied characters.  While it could be perceived as having too much of a plot with numerous sub-plots, amongst all of these layers, is a slowly-developing touching love story between Jesse and Will.  Two young men who meet, per chance, who wind up discovering such a strong need for love and support, as the difficult and harrowing times they are facing are too painful to confront alone and therefore need that all-encompassing, deeply rooted kind-of-support.  As the men learn the value of loved dependency, these times, which do involve multiple triggers such as domestic physical and mental abuse and familial bigotry, they both discover that through severely hurtful and debilitating moments, this radiating source of a love and comfort has provided that needed balm necessary for healing and quite the welcomed future.    
  
    First and foremost, I so love Jesse and Will..  I loved their friends-to-lovers, incredibly necessary, heart-warming story.  I giggled, cheered, teared up, laughed, got angry, and cheered even louder while fist-pumping right into the air, as I read.  I also really liked many of the secondary characters and hope for future books, as their own stories are just brimming with anticipation already.  On the other hand, I was also flustered..     
  
  Proud, by Tatum West, is an underlying great story.  But..oh boy..there is such a strong need for editing due to the existence of so many typos as well as that need for more.  This story somehow contains simple typos, missing words and phrases, a few general discrepancies, and, the frequent use of words and phrases that just simply do not fit with the actual sentences.  I also feel that there is a need for more depth and development as well as a need for some sort of attention to the recreational drug use as well as the unprotected sex.  For this, it is in this reader's opinion, that, this large need for editing did play a part in the final review of this story.   
  
    While the story did contain some challenging moments for this reader, it also contained so many warm and fuzzy moments as well.  Once the clouds dissipated, and everything smoothed out, the storyline was actually a great one filled with diversely addicting characters, many of whom were wonderfully strong, and devoted loving characters who contributed nicely to this heart-warming, sexy, and pride-filled story..:)   
  
  
   *star rating: 4.00 'I liked it' stars*
• 
  Tina

  I've read and loved all of Tatum's Bridge to Abingdon series. This book does not feel like Tatum wrote it. The 'flow' feels all broken up and the depth of feeling is missing. Plus for having such a great friendship...Will and Bates don't have the bond you expect to find and see if all her Abingdon stories. Just this one gal's opinion.
• 
  Ilona Ahrens

  Gladly I am leaving my review for this ARC as I very much enjoyed this start of the new series by Tatum West.
  
  As the two main characters are introduced in the beginning of the book, it seems like one is acting from a position of power and the other´s actions are a result of affliction.
  Jesse, fleeing from an abusive relationship is in desperate need of a new job. Being a stunt man (actor) himself he uses some of his creative skills to successfully apply for a position at Will´s start up.
  Will soon offers to extend their business relationship further into a fake romantic relationship.
  At this point we can already see that the lines of the positions Jesse and Will seem to be set in are blurring.
  Tatum West manages beautifully to reveal the different layers of her MCs. It is a pleasure to see how they are evolving, revolving around and turning towards each other. With their different backgrounds and experiences they turn to balance each other out in a gorgeous way and they start to benefit each other way beyond their initial business relationship.
  Still the past is coming back to taunt them in more than one way and threatening their happy end together.
  I am so very happy about this new series by Tatum West. Will and Jesse are two beautiful souls and it was marvelous to watch them get together. The reader is already introduced to and intrigued by characters that hopefully will get their own book in the series. And as a special bonus we get to „feel the appereance“ of some old friends from Abingdon.
  I cannot wait for the next book in this series and higly recommend you to read this one while waiting for it!
  
• 
  Cait

  I absolutely loved this story. Both MCs had their issues but were still loveable.
  And while there was major angst throughout the story, there wasn’t a major breakup and get back together scene at 80%! So cliche and I didn’t want that for these characters.
  
  You could see them fall in love throughout, and what a beautiful love story it was.
  
  I 100% recommend this book and I can’t wait to read Vince and Bate’s story next.
  
  
  Cait’s Rating & Review System:
  
  Basics
  a. Main Characters (1-5 x2) - Will = 5, Jesse = 5
  b. Side Characters (1-5) — 4
  c. Plot (1-5) - 5
  d. Writing * (1-5) - 5
  e. Angst (None - Can’t Read Again) - Medium
  f. HEA or HFN? HEA
  g.Would I recommend? - Absolutely
  Overall Basics Score - 24/25
  
  Sexy Time
  g. Level of Smut ** (G-X-Rated) — R
  h. Quality of Smut *** (A+ - E) - B
  i. Did it Make Me Sweat ;) ? ****(1-5) — 4
  Overall Sexy Time Score - 12/15
  
  Cait’s Score for Proud : 36/40, 90%
• 
  Anabela.M.

  Jesse is broken, both emotionally and physically. He finds himself running from an abusive ex,hiding in a new city and without the will to put his life back together. But he really needs a job, that's why he fakes his way into working for Will's company. My heart broke for his struggles and seeing how he considers himself unworthy of Will's interest. And I must say,Will is awesome in treading Jesse's moods. Despite his own insecurities, he does everything in his power to show Jesse how truly deserving he is of being loved and happy.
  
  I'm truly amazed with the way Tatum West writes emotions, so real and affecting. I could actually feel Jesse's desperation and fear,or Will's need for validation. I loved how the author brought together two men that seem to have nothing in common, put their connection to trial and eventually have them realize how beautiful and strong they are together.
• 
  Catlou

  This is so much more than a simple love story. It’s Jesse’s story of survival, trying to escape an abusive relationship, & Will’s story of courage, struggling to be his own man against his uptight and strait-laced upbringing. It’s a tale full of drama, dealing with rigidly prejudiced parents and a sociopathic ex, and the effects of domestic violence, and Will’s determination to break through Jesse’s wall of insecurities and lack of self-esteem. The emotional pull of this story starts out slow in the beginning but eventually reels you in to the very end. The characters and storyline are well-developed and engaging with plenty of hot, steamy passion. This is an appealingly good start to this new series which will leave you anxious for the next one. I hope it’s going to be Bates’s story!
• 
  Brenda Motza

  I just freaking loved this book.
  
  I was wondering how Tatum was going to move on from the boys of Abingdon and well, she just proved it.
  
  Jesse and Will. Jesse is running from his physically and emotionally abusive ex, Gabe. Will, owns the start-up company that Jesse just happens to apply for employment at out of desperation, even though he knows he is not qualified. Both of these men have issues. Will has told his parents time and time again that he is gay and they just won't accept it until Will shows up to his sister's Deb Ball with Jesse on his arm.
  
  This book was just fan-damn-tastic and a total page turner. This book has all the feels and a fabulous start to a new series.
• 
  Kathryn

  PROUD is the first book in the DC PRIDE series, by Tatum West. It is a fun fake boyfriend turns real m/m romance. There are secrets, lies, family drama and a crazy stalking ex. There are sweet moments and heat passionate kisses... and so much sexier scenes between Will and Jesse. Theres humor too that will make you smile. Will and Jesse are great characters and the evolution of their relationship is sweet. Supporting characters are fun... There are a few I really want to know more about and hope will show up in future books... afterall I want to know who won the bet.
  
  I received an advanced reader's copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
  
   
• 
  Clyde

  Will Marshall comes from 'old money' which means that he must conform to long-held societal norms, but he's gay and that won't work for his family. Jesse Boatwright forged a career as a stuntman that aggravated his partner. A stunt that went wrong leaves Jesse unable to continue as a stuntman and his partner has become dangerous, so he takes off to try to start over. He gets a job, with a padded resume, at Will's company. The interview ignites instant attraction. The plot is full of twists and turns, betrayal, danger, family angst, and a burgeoning relationship. The characters are fully developed, showing their strenghts and flaws. This is a self-affirming story of two gay men.