Review: Rip Cord: The Reunion & The Weekend (Rip Cord #1 & 2) by Jeanne St. James

The Reunion:
Gil Davis hated high school. Ever the geek, he has no intentions of attending his 10th year class reunion. The last thing he wants is to relive the taunting and teasing he received during his teenage years. However there is one thing he misses from high school: the star Varsity football player. The one he had a crush on from the first day he laid eyes on him. But the last thing he expects is the now pro football player to come back to their home town to attend a lame high school reunion. Known as the Bad Boy of the NFL, Ripley “Rip” Cord, not only shows up, but shows up without a date and an eye for Gil.

The Weekend:
Geek extraordinaire Gil Davis hooked up with his long-time crush Rip Cord, the Bad Boy of the NFL, during their tenth year class reunion. It was a dream come true for Gil, so when Rip surprises Gil with a trip to the pro football player’s cabin on the lake two weeks later, Gil looks forward to their weekend alone. Since Rip is still deep in the closet due to his career, Gil will take any stolen moments they have. Little does Gil know, those moments will be filled with a blindfold and ropes, as well as a bad tumble down the mountain.

But a few bumps and bruises won’t stop Gil from spending precious time with Rip and his toys. However when the weekend ends, will Rip disappear again? Or will Rip want to take their relationship to the next level?


The Reunion –
Gil Davis was a nerd in high school who loathed his time there as he was made fun of and constantly bullied. He really did not want to go do his 10 year high school reunion but his best friend and roommate Katie talks him into it. When it’s about time to get his table assignment he hears that Rip Cord will also be attending and it spikes Gil’s anxiety and attraction. You see Ripley “Rip” Cord was the captain of the football team and the captain of all Gil’s high school fantasies. Gil followed Rip through his professional football career after school and never thought he’d see him again, let alone that Rip would remember who Gil was and more.
This moved pretty fast but it was pretty hot so I am just going to go with the flow. It really helped that Rip knew not only who Gil was back in high school, he knew Gil liked him and Rip liked Gil right back. What made it bittersweet is Rip being in the closet because of his bad boy reputation both in high school and now in his professional career that he doesn’t quite know how to rescue Gil or simply just be with him.
“I feel I still have a reputation to live up to. I’m the Bad Boy of the NFL. That’s who I am. Who I’m expected to be. I don’t know how to be anyone else.”
“Can you be yourself with me?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I just don’t know myself anymore.”

The Weekend – 

Only a few weeks after the reunion and Rip calls up Gil, telling him he has an hour to get ready for a weekend in the mountains. Gil of course is still on a high from fucking his high school crush and “NFL Bad Boy” that he starts packing immediately. When Rip shows up on his motorcycle and tosses just about all the essentials Gil needed for his trip out, Gil is a bit confused but he is dick drunk and just goes along with all Rip wants.
I get the Alpha male deal but Rip was starting to bug me at this point. If he likes Gil and wants to spend any amount of time with him, you’d think he would let Gil bring what he wants and not try to control every damn thing. It’s guys like Rip that were abundant in M/F romance and why I stopped reading it. You can be an Alpha male and still be a decent human being. I am not even going to go into their first time up at the cabin and what Rip did and did not do before he tied up Gil and fucked him… just ugh. Consent is more than asking someone if they are ready and then calling them a liar after they only nod. 

I hoped it would get better, that Rip would become softer at least with Gil and we do see bits of it, of his vulnerability with his career, his reputation and how it all conflicts with his sexuality and coming out. We do get an even softer Rip when he takes care of Gil after the hike and when he expresses his wants and why he can’t have them. It was sweet that you could tell Rip likes Gil for more than just the fuck he promised but what will Rip to do and change what he can?

This ended pretty abruptly and while it was a possible HFN with the second story, I am going to read the next and hope for a much softer Rip, a totally confident Gil and a HEA that these two deserve.




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