Volley Balls

Tams gives this one 3 Stars...
The threesome didn't work for me in this one
I really wanted to like this story, but the threesome didn't work for me. I felt like it was forced when, given more page time and content, it could have been amazing. That was another issue for me from start to finish, the story felt rushed and compact when it could have been better had the characters and menage been fleshed out.

Narration was amazing. Loved what Russo did with the characters and making sure each had their own voice.

Reviewed by Meredith for Diverse Reader

This is book one of Tara Lain’s Balls to the Wall Series. It is a re-release but I never read the original so I’m not sure what, if any, changes were made.



In this story we have a guy, David. He owns a gallery, he’s out of an abusive relationship with Phil. David actually an amazing character. I enjoyed him a great deal. He may have been in an abusive relationship but he’s strong and has built a terrific life for himself. He’s surrounded himself with outstanding friends.



The book opens with David eating a sandwich on the beach and being verbally assaulted by one of these volley ball players. It’s harsh and of course David has residual fears from his past relationship.

The two volleyball players are Gareth and Edge. Edge is a homophobic guy. Gareth is in the closet. How they are best friends you will find yourself wondering often.



A lot happens in this story a twosome turns into a threesome. There’s very minor drama, little angst. Now, you need to understand; ménage is pretty much one of, if not my most, favorite trope. I read it with a skeptical eye. I get excited about the book and hope for the best.



Here’s the thing about Volley Balls; the chemistry wasn’t there. It was far too rushed and I didn’t believe it at all. One of the most amazing things about ménages is the psychology and I’m sorry to say all it felt like was a prolonged orgy to me. There was so much missing in that aspect and because of that this just wasn’t a book for me.



I am a huge Tara Lain fan so I was sad that this book didn’t work for me. I’m interested in the next book and will read it because the only issue I had with this was the believability in these three guys making it work. Other than that it was quite entertaining.

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Volley Balls is Book 1 in the Balls to the Walls series and is being released with additional content. David owns an art gallery and is very involved in the art world in Laguna Beach. He's come out of an abusive relationship and has made himself stronger. While eating lunch on the beach and enjoying the view of the hot guys playing volleyball, one of the participants doesn't like his attention and verbally attacks him calling him names. David's experienced that type of hate, but not usually in his very accepting neighborhood. He refuses to let the bully see that he's afraid and instead takes his time leaving, making sure they notice him on the way out. David is shaken, and even more so when later he looks out the gallery window and sees the loud homophobe and his friends, who are the Australian Volleyball team. He locks eyes with one of the other players, who seems to make an effort to get his friends away without them seeing David again.

Australian volleyball player, Gareth, is uncomfortable with the homophobic attack by his best friend. He's known since he was young that he was gay, but his best friend and volley ball-partner has never kept his homophobic ways a secret. Between him and Gareth's father, he's never been close to stepping out of the closet. But, being in the U.S. with his supportive mother and stepfather and with his attraction to David, Gareth finds himself willing to come out. He doesn't pick the best way to come out to his team members and it doesn't go well. Thanks to Edge, his partner's reaction, they're no longer in the tournament which gives Gareth time to spend with David. David and Gareth's relationship heats up quickly and is instalove but things change when Edge keeps showing up.

Edge has never allowed himself to even consider that he's not straight, no matter how much he's attracted to Gareth. He's unhappy that Gareth has come out but even more unhappy about David. He shows up to confront David but instead saves him from his abusive ex and then decides he needs to prove he's not gay by kissing David. But things don't go as expected. Gareth and David decide to show Edge what he's missing and after working through things, want to have a relationship between the three of them. Edge and Gareth both love each other, but Gareth isn't willing to give up David either. So they have to come up with a plan for a future.

This book was definitely instalove. The meeting, relationship, love and future happened within days of them meeting. The characters definitely steamed up the page, and it was an easy, quick story to read!

Rating: 4 stars

I am a fan of Tara but this story was just OK for me. I felt it moved too fast and I just couldnt keep up.
I really liked David , he came out of an abusive relationship still strong and proud of himself but a little skittish. He swore off closeted alpha man.
Enter Gareth a alpha male volleyball player visiting from Australia, he is in the closet until he meets David. Here is where it went fast. David meets Gareth when his other volleyball team members start harassing him. Gareth saves him and then Gareth tracks David down. Even though Gareth is in the closet and has really never had a relationship with a man , he jumps right into one with David. His partner, Edge, is a homo phobe who cant believe Gareth is gay. We learn Edge has secrets of his own and wow that was the part I loved. The menage part of this story was really hot. I felt Tara rushed all the coming out in the story. It would have been great to see these men work towards a relationship instead of jumping into it 100%. The supporting characters are really good too. I loved Gareth's mom and David's best friend Rodney. Reviewed by Jodi for Alpha Book Club.