Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper

Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper

Amber Allure

Novella: 101pages

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Blurb:

Jamie Brennan is putting “cad” back into academia!

The son of a well-to-do family and blessed with both dark good looks and buckets of confidence, Jamie lives for the chase. He has a well-deserved reputation around college as a seducer of straight frat boys. No man is off-limits to Jamie—he’s happy to help fellow gay students out of the closet, too. He even has lustful designs on his oblivious English professor, so it’s no surprise that his amorous pursuits often land him in sticky situations.

There's just one flaw in Jamie's perfect world—Roger Hunt. The hunky grad student, who dresses more like a lumberjack than the talented artist he is, gives Jamie hostile looks every time their paths cross. Jamie tries to ignore Roger, but they can't seem to stop running into each other, and Jamie's beginning to wonder if it’s more than chance that continues to steer them down the same halls... 

Review:                                                                                                        

Jaime is a 22 year old college student. He is smart, good looking, and is all about a good time. He has a reputation around campus as being a seducer of straights, he loves the thrill it gives him when he' s blowing some jock in the washroom. No feelings are hurt because hes giving them a new experience and a good time without all the complications of a relationship.

His charms are completely lost on Roger Hunt, the lumberjack looking hottie. Roger doesn't seem really impressed with his playboy attitude or his good looks. Though Jaime is attracted to Roger it seems the attraction might be just one sided because if Roger's scowl is an indication, it's saying 'nope I'm not looking for a good time'.

I can't really call this one a romance, because Jaime doesn't get with Roger until very late in the book. It does centre around their growing relationship, but this book is pretty much the Jaime show and the men in his life until he finally gets with Roger. I am not sure I like Jaime very much and it has nothing to do with him being a little slutty, I just could not bring myself to love him. Ultimately Jaime is a nice guy, who sometimes goes over board with the whole seduction thing but in the end he always ends up alone.

We follow him through many hook-ups with the straight boys, the gay boys, and the closet cases. While he sprouts philosophical ideas on sexuality which I found to be the most enjoyable part of the book. When he goes off on a tangent with his cousin Jo, explaining to her the finesse on he lands his conquest and that it's all a little experimenting on their part and in no way does it make them gay. I don't read many books that explain that it's a lot more than sex that makes a  gay man, and just because you like something in your ass now and again doesn't mean a damn thing.

Overall, I liked the story but something was missing for me. In all honesty I think it has a lot to do with Jaime because I don't really like him all that much. His narrative is humorous but at often times seemed overly obnoxious. I do enjoy Lou Harpers writing style it's crisp and fun, I just had a real hard time connecting to the story and the characters.

3 1/2 Pants Off