A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review : Pretty in Pink (Housemates #6) by Jay Northcote

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

I totally enjoy this Housemates series—each book has had the underlying theme of college-age guys living together under one roof—but each book is totally unique.  In this case, the characters are new to the house so it can easily be read as a standalone. 

Johnny is effeminate—or at least he prefers to dress that way.  His long blond hair and the eyeliner he wears around his beautiful gray eyes are the first things Ryan notices when he spots him at the birthday party for one of his mates.  But Ryan is straight, or at least he had been, but maybe not so much, considering he finds Johnny so attractive.  And he especially loves Johnny’s rear view. 

After a quick encounter back at Johnny’s place, Ryan can’t wait to leave.  Embarrassed by his desire for this man, he’s left in a quandary—a quandary that gets worse when he runs into Johnny again on the street one day.  Yes, he looks away, and yes, he’s ashamed of himself.  But no fear, Jay Northcote brings them back together when Johnny moves into the house with Jez and Mac—the house next door to Ryan’s.  Admitting he’s enjoyed their time together and apologizing for his past snobby behavior, Ryan agrees to being friends with benefits—especially now that they are neighbors. 

But of course, it’s never that easy in a romance novel, and before either man knows it, their encounters are getting more frequent and they are growing closer.  Yet neither one verbalizes their changed feelings, so when Ryan misinterprets a message he sees on Johnny’s phone late one night, their relationship is off.   

None of the stories in this series brings earthshattering emotional drama, and yet each does have its emotional tug of war, angst, misunderstandings, and most of all happy and sexy reunions.  This one was similar, plus it had two of my favorite tropes—the guy who really isn’t straight and the guy who wears pretty underwear—manties.  Love them!  And Jay Northcote did an excellent job in bringing the characters to life.  Plus, for those of us who’ve read the series, we get the bonus of a revisit with the other guys in the house so we can see how far their new relationships have come. 

I very definitely recommend this one to all who like a nice MM romance with a bit of the culture of uni life in Great Britain thrown in. 

~~~

Cover art by Garrett Leigh is a photo of the nude upper body of a young man as he’s lying back in bed with his head thrown back.  Mostly black-and-white with pink tones surrounding the title, it’s okay, but I don’t think it fits the MC in this story and certainly doesn’t indicate any hint of pink, lacy underwear. 

Sales Links:     Universal Buy Link

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 211 pages
Published February 21st 2018 by Jaybird Press
Original TitlePretty in Pink
ASINB079TS27XS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesHousemates #6

Review Tour and Giveaway– Pretty In Pink (Housemates #6) by Jay Northcote

 

 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design
 
Length: 58,000 words approx
 
Housemates Series
 
Book #1 – Helping Hand
Book #2 – Like A Lover 
 
Blurb
 

Ryan isn’t looking for a relationship with a guy–and Johnny isn’t looking for a relationship at all.

Ryan’s always been attracted to tall, leggy blondes–normally of the female variety. When Johnny catches his eye at a party, Ryan’s interest is piqued even though he’s never been with a guy before. The attraction is mutual, and the amazing night that follows opens Ryan’s eyes to his bisexuality.

Experience has taught Johnny that love hurts. Staying single is safer, and there’s no need for complicated relationships when hooking up is easy. When he moves in next door to Ryan, they’re both interested in picking up where they left off, and it seems like an ideal arrangement: convenient, mutually satisfying, and with no strings attached.

Despite their best intentions to keep things casual, they develop an emotional connection alongside the physical one. Both begin to want more from the relationship but are afraid to admit it. If they’re going to work things out, they need to start being honest–first with themselves, and then with each other.

Although this book is part of the Housemates series, it has new main characters, a satisfying happy ending, and can be read as a standalone.


Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short storyójust to see if he couldóand found it rather addictive. He hasnít stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available as audiobooks.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.

www.jaynorthcote.com
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Release Blitz – Pretty In Pink (Housemates #6) by Jay Northcote (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 
Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design
Length: 58,000 words approx.
 
Housemates Series
 
Book #1 – Helping Hand
Book #2 – Like A Lover 
 
Blurb
 

Ryan isn’t looking for a relationship with a guy–and Johnny isn’t looking for a relationship at all.

Ryan’s always been attracted to tall, leggy blondes–normally of the female variety. When Johnny catches his eye at a party, Ryan’s interest is piqued even though he’s never been with a guy before. The attraction is mutual, and the amazing night that follows opens Ryan’s eyes to his bisexuality.

Experience has taught Johnny that love hurts. Staying single is safer, and there’s no need for complicated relationships when hooking up is easy. When he moves in next door to Ryan, they’re both interested in picking up where they left off, and it seems like an ideal arrangement: convenient, mutually satisfying, and with no strings attached.

Despite their best intentions to keep things casual, they develop an emotional connection alongside the physical one. Both begin to want more from the relationship but are afraid to admit it. If they’re going to work things out, they need to start being honest–first with themselves, and then with each other.

Although this book is part of the Housemates series, it has new main characters, a satisfying happy ending, and can be read as a standalone.

Excerpt

Ryan was a few drinks down and feeling pretty buzzed when he first caught sight of blond hair through the crowd of partygoers.

He nearly hadn’t bothered coming out tonight. He had his third year project to write up, and should have been working on that, not partying with his next door neighbours. But the rest of Ryan’s housemates had talked him into it and he could do with letting off some steam, so he hadn’t put up much of a fight. One night couldn’t make too much difference, right?

The blonde arrived late and headed straight into the throng of dancers in the living room, bottle in hand. Tall and leggy in black skinny jeans with shit-kicking boots, Ryan’s interest was piqued immediately and a spike of arousal made his cock wake up. Tall and blonde was completely Ryan’s type, but when this blond slid a leather jacket off slender shoulders and tossed it on the back of the sofa, his washboard-flat chest made it clear he was a guy—so not Ryan’s type after all.

Despite the gut punch of disappointment at that revelation, Ryan found his interest persisted. The guy drew Ryan’s attention like a magnet lining up iron filings, and no matter how hard he tried, Ryan couldn’t stop watching him.

Spurred on by alcohol and reckless impulsivity, Ryan made a conscious decision not to question his attraction and just roll with it. He gradually edged his way into the group where the blond was dancing, and when he finally managed to make eye contact, the guy gave him a knowing smile that reflected Ryan’s interest right back at him. It curled around Ryan’s balls like the gentle, insistent squeeze of a hand.

Game on.

University was supposed to be all about new experiences, and Ryan only had a few months left before he graduated. He’d never hooked up with a guy before, and it had always been on his sexual bucket list, but not a high priority. As a young teen he’d sometimes admired androgynous male models on the pages of magazines that his mum used to buy and felt a confusing interest in them… but he’d never seen a guy in real life he’d wanted to fuck enough to actually do something about it.

Until tonight.


Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn’t stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. He has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press. Many of his books are now available

www.jaynorthcote.com
Twitter
Facebook profile
Facebook Author Page
Newsletter
Jayís books