Book Review: Out on a Limb by A.J. Truman

Reviewed by Heather C

Title: Out on a Limb
Author: A.J. Truman
Series: Browerton University #2
Heroes: Cameron Buckley/Walker Reed
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance
Length: 278 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 2016
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: No looking back.

That’s the motto of college senior Cameron Buckley, whether he’s kicking his latest hookup out of bed or plotting out his future as a hit screenwriter. With only a few weeks until graduation, he’s ready to put Browerton University in his rearview mirror and start the life he’s been dreaming of ever since he was a kid. But a chance meeting with a sexy stranger in a bar throws a wrench into his Hollywood plans.

For Walker Reed, no looking back is hard to do when you work minutes away from your alma mater and share child custody with your college sweetheart. Almost fifteen years after graduating from Browerton, he can’t stop wondering how he got here. He has an ex who can’t stand him, a five-year-old son he can’t connect with, and a dead-end job he can’t escape.

When Cameron and Walker first meet, they know the rules. They know their friendship has an expiration date, yet it begins changing them in ways they never expected. As graduation looms, they both know things can’t go anywhere, but they can’t keep denying the feelings pulling them closer, even as an offer from Hollywood threatens to tear them apart forever.

OUT ON A LIMB is a gay new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. It’s the second full-length book in the Browerton University series, but can be read as a standalone. The book is intended for readers 18+.

Review:

Out on a Limb is the second novel in the Browerton University series…and completely different from what I expected.  Okay, I admit, I did not read the blurb…I didn’t even skim it.  I read the first one and really liked it, so I figured surely this would be another college story with lots of sex all over the place.  Boy was I wrong!!  No, Out on the Limb tells the story of two men in completely different places in their lives:  Walker with a job he hates, an ex-husband who hates him, and a son who doesn’t want to be around him.  And Cameron, a young man on the verge of graduation getting ready to begin the rest of his life.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was refreshing not reading another new adult story with back to back sex scenes and little relationship building like so many others I have read lately.  Walker and Cameron have a 15 year age difference between them, and yes, that was a major factor in their relationship, but they were determined to be friends before they ever became lovers.  And at that point in their relationship, the age difference wasn’t very important.  Plus, there was TONS of sexual tension and near-misses…making it a long time before Walker and Cameron ever “get busy”.

Then there was Hobie, Walker’s son.  He was totally adorable and the growth in his and his father’s relationship was sweet and completely believable.  I also liked seeing Walker accepting responsibilities and working out some of this longstanding issues he had with his ex-husband.

My only issue with this book is the predictability of it.  I’m not going to spoil the plot, but there were no big twists or surprises…just me waiting to get the next expected step in the progression of the story.  In the end, I still really liked the HEA.

I also wanted to mention that even though this is the second book in the series, and Greg and Ethan from Out in the Open do make serval appearances, Out on a Limb can still be read as a stand alone in my opinion.

Overall, I really liked this book.  In fact, I started reading it first thing one morning and had it finished by lunchtime…I was hooked from the beginning.

Overall Impression: I Really Liked It

*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*