Bobby Green

This story has so much strength, caring, pain, and hope in it. Bobby has left behind a hard situation at home and is committed to helping his mother. Despite being knocked down he gets back up and keeps going. Reg is also loyal and hard working. It took me a minute to realize where this story overlaps the previous books but once I figured that out it was easy to follow the story. And Bobby's mom is a wonderful woman as well.

Tams gives this one 5 Stars...



The grass isn't always greener
Five books in and the author still manages to bring something new to the story. I was so drawn to both these guys right away, to their struggles and their differences that wrapped them together in a messy, tattered and knotted bow from that first scene. Bobby might have been young, but he was far from naive. Reg, ten years his senior, was forced to grow up far too soon being the only person to care for his schizophrenic older sister. And though he's a little slow and (in my opinion) autistic and never diagnosed, he manages to tread water at the very least. Drawn to each other from the start, Bobby dismisses his feelings while Reg honest to god doesn't even realize why he gets so nervous around the new guy with the great body and stunning green eyes. One day at a time they go from co-workers to friends then lovers, but a relationship? Out of the question. That would me they'd have to tell someone else and neither are ready for that.... yet.


I loved the push and pull in this story, the way Bobby slowly circled Reg, knowing he was like a scared rabbit that wanted to be chased, to be loved, but would run like hell the second Bobby released his grip. The way Lane described Reg's thoughts and feelings when Bobby made love to him, like the only thing that ever made him feel whole, feel truly safe was Bobby. It was almost like Bobby touched his soul from the inside. It was a thing of beauty.


I tell you what though, the chapter where the guys from Johnnies go to Dogpatch to help Bobby get his mom packed made me laugh so hard. But then there needed to be some lightheartedness in the story as it's very intense and emotional. Pugh did a really great job coming in on book 5 and still managing to stay true to the original characters while bringing Bobby and Reg to life and giving each and every person their own unique tone in the story.


Definitely a must for fans of the Author or series.

I absolutely loved this story. But first I am going to admit I didn't remember Reg, even though I re-read all of the Johnnies books before starting this one. He just didn't stand out to me. But in Bobby Green, it was easy to see why Reg didn't stand out, why Reg wouldn't want to stand out. This was a slow burn friendship to romance, and I absolutely loved the back stories and I kept saying, 'I remember that scene'. But this book made me sad and I hurt for Reg because of his sister Vee. Mental health is a slippery slope, especially for the caretaker. It becomes difficult to ask for help and in Reg's case it paralyzes him and keeps him chained to Vee, the system, to the house and to Johnnies. It's very clear this is not healthy but when it's all you know, moving forward is frightening and letting go nearly impossible.

Bobby was amazing to watch. This boy/man had so much growth in this story, that is was truly amazing to watch. And it didn't hurt that Bobby had a mom that loved him and accepted him. That scene in the kitchen when she finds out about porn is priceless. She is warm and loving and caring and concerned, what a mom should be. She was a wonderful addition to the Johnnies family. Bobby took it slow in his relationship with Reg, and it was a wonder to watch. So young, yet so strong and proud, and the perfect person for Reg.

There is so much more I could say, but at this point, just read the story and be amazed. It was well worth the wait for Bobby and Reg's story.

It’s hard to believe it has been three years since the last release of a ‘Johnnies’ novel. It is a comfort to be back with the guys and since Reg has always been on the periphery, and I certainly know how the others think and feel about him, ‘Bobby Green’ is more than just coming home, it’s getting to know someone in a whole new way. This novel begins very shortly before Chase’s attempted suicide so, much like with Reg, I’ve been aware of Bobby as part of the Johnnies crew, but the author is finally giving me his story. I love that it’s written in a way that I am aware of things that happened in the lives of the other characters, but the focus is still on Reg and Bobby. Be forewarned that Kleenex is a requirement and, for some, a whole bottle of wine might be needed to get you through this.

Vern Roberts, aka Bobby Green, is from Dogpatch, California. Literally. His alcoholic and abusive father left them years ago, and it has only ever been just his mom and him trying to survive in the tiny house they rent from the farmer who owns the land it rests on. The same farmer whose daughter is Bobby’s girlfriend and whose son likes to hang out with Bobby and just “play around like guys do”. Except, Bobby doesn’t understand why he wants the tender moments more with Keith than with Jessica, even knowing Keith would kick his a** for trying. Bobby heads to Sacramento for work and just like most of the other guys somehow ends up at Johnnies.

“All the small things he’d been denying about himself for so long, from this twisted relationship with Keith Gilmore to his willingness to give up girls at Johnnies—even his teeny-tiny sweetheart crush on Dex after their scene—all of it. He knew. He’d always known. Kissing Reg the night before, promising him… promising him a relationship—but here, in this house, with these guys in their underwear, he had the words.
“I’m gay,” Bobby said in wonder.”

Reg has been at Johnnies for ten years now. It pays a lot better than McDonald’s and the guys there take care of him and help him with his sister, V, who is difficult. Reg knows he isn’t very smart but no one at Johnnies makes him feel bad about that. Then one day he meets Bobby and they become friends. Friends who talk to each other, hold hands in the dark, and share their lives, but don’t have sex. The sex thing really screws with Bobby’s head until he can figure out the difference between porn sex and friend sex, or “work sex” and “heart sex”, and realize that he wants a whole lot more with Reg. Reg knows he isn’t good enough for this younger, smart guy, but Reg wants that whole package too.

“He was all the way inside, and Reg shook from his toes through his heart, just trembled with all the pleasure, all the sensation, all the awesomeness of having this boy, this beautiful boy inside him, driving out sadness, pain, and fear.”

Reg’s sister, Veronica (V), is older than he is and a paranoid schizophrenic who doesn’t like to take her meds. Reg’s entire life revolves around watching out for her, not just her needs, but to make sure she doesn’t try to kill him in the night. Again. Or, stab him with a knife she found. Again. Reg made her a promise that he would never put her in a home but she’s gotten older, sneakier, meaner, and more cunning. I can’t imagine having to put my sibling in a three-point restraint and force pills down her throat. But this is Reg’s reality.

The author was right when she told me to “strap in” for Reg and Bobby’s story. I wasn’t very far into it when I realized the reason it’s been three years since John’s story is that Amy Lane has been storing up a sh*t ton of angst and pain for ‘Bobby Green’. These two men hit me in every single emotional pore I have and they burrowed in, and when I least expected it, they exploded out taking their pain, and my blood, with them.

Love isn’t always enough. I learned that lesson a long time ago and I’ve never forgotten it. You can love someone with your whole heart and soul but if you can’t communicate, or compromise, then the love will fade and die. Luckily for me, the author may enjoy tearing me up inside, but her boys always get the happy ending. They have to work for it - DAMN HARD - but they get it. So even though Reg and Bobby had so much stacked against them, they had more going for them than even they could realize. Because when the chips were down, Dex, Kane, John, Galen, Ethan, Jonah, Lance, Trey, and all the men of Johnnies, weren’t going to let anything get in the way of these two finding their happiness together. But when it came right down to it, only Reg could make the decision whether he and Bobby would even have a future together.

I don’t think this review has done justice to the beauty of ‘Bobby Green’. Take it from me. I’ve read practically everything by this author and she might tear my heart out, but I always come away from her books with a better appreciation for the amazing thing we all share called life. There’s beauty and ugliness, but at the end of the day how you dealt with both is the only thing that really matters. I wouldn’t change a word of this book. It definitely lives up to the wonder that is ‘Johnnies’.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is full of all the grit and angst I love in Amy Lane’s best writing. I’d almost forgotten how much I loved the Johnnies books.

There is a formula to the books in this series. For the Johnnies models, porn is an escape from difficult circumstances and like the rest of the Johnnies crew, both Reg and Bobby are tethered to difficult circumstances in their real lives off-film.

Many of Amy Lane’s familiar tropes resurface here – the healing powers of the boys’ ‘family of choice’ is explored and Bobby’s mum takes on the wholesome, nurturing parent role readers will be familiar with. Bobby and Reg are wonderful. They feel real and honest and I loved them both from the start.

Like Reg, I’m a carer for someone with serious mental health problems and I really appreciate the way the author approaches mental health issues and the incessant emotional and practical demands on carers.

The plot does wander. Between Bobby and Reg’s problems, I think there are probably a few too many plot threads in this story, which makes it somewhat cumbersome at times. My one reservation about the whole series has been the overlapping timelines. These stories take place simultaneously, not sequentially and this has confused me from the start. I also enjoy catching up past characters while reading a series and the Johnnies boys are kinda fixed in time.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Bobby Green (Johnnies #5) by Amy Lane to read and review.