Out of Bounds (Vallie’s review)

Title: Out of Bounds (The Boundaries Series)
Author: A.R. Barley
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: March 14, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Page Count: 154
Reviewed by: Vallie
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

When the weather outside starts cooling down, inside the dorm things are heating up. Can these college roommates fall in love without going out of bounds?

Beaten and heartbroken, Jesse Cole is placed in a new dorm room after his last roommate attacked him. Just wanting to be left alone to heal in peace, he’s shocked when tall, dark and dangerous-looking Nick Moretti walks in.

Nick doesn’t have time to tiptoe around his new roommate—he’s too busy working in order to pay for school. But something about Jesse brings out his protective instincts. As their cautious friendship grows and becomes loaded with sexual tension, he wants to make Jesse comfortable.

Enter the perfect plan: a line of tape down the center of the room. Boundaries established.

But as innocent movie nights become hours-long temptation marathons, and whispered chats from across the room delve into straight-up dirty territory, crossing the line has never been so satisfying.

Yay for the college boys! I love college romances. There’s something special about characters on the cusp of adulthood that tugs at my heart-strings. And even though this particular story isn’t super original or fresh, it executed its purpose well.

Nick and Jesse are very different. While Jesse comes off as very fragile but aggressive –like a kitten hissing at you- Nick was protective and considerate. The whole “out-of-bounds” theme was used to demonstrate just that in a physical way, when Nick drew a line in the middle of their dorm room so Jesse would feel safe after his traumatic experience. And of course, they both crossed that line, literally and figuratively. Yes it was a bit cheesy and formulaic at times, but overall a very enjoyable read.

I adored Nick and Jesse together. This isn’t a sex-fest, but the connection Nick and Jesse shared was palatable and expressed physically with moderation but very successfully so. They were so very hot together!!! But more importantly, they fell in love and it was so beautifully shown in the story. The writing facilitated that easily and I fell in love with the characters.

The plot itself did not stand out much but I did not care. Give me college boys, sweet loving, and cuddles, and I’m a happy reader, adding two amazing characters to that cake of course.

If you enjoy N/A college romance novels, this will be just right for you. Recommended.

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