Better Be Sure

Harrison Campus, Book 1

By: Andy Gallo, Anyta Sunday

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Orphan Jackson Murphy just staked his legacy on a bet. Holy shit, his impulsive ass is in trouble.

Bring a guy to the fraternity formal? Pfft. Easy. Won’t be him kicked of the house.

So what if his luck with guys on campus has been shitty? Ed Knowles is Jack’s winning ticket.

Tall, handsome, hardworking - and he doesn’t go to Harrison.

With every stolen look, every secret kiss, every clandestine touch Ed becomes more than just an answer to a bet.

These cloak-and-dagger meetings that set Jack on fire? They mask one tiny, enormous obstacle: Ed’s not out. Can’t attend the dance. What does Jack do now? Hold on to his legacy...or his heart?

Better Be Sure is a sweet, slow burn M/M romance with a heart-pounding HEA. This new adult, college, opposite sides of the tracks novel can be listened to as a stand-alone and in any order.

©2019 Andy Gallo, Anyta Sunday (P)2020 Andy Gallo, Anyta Sunday

Wow! What a treat!!

I really enjoyed the story from beginning to end. Nick Russo's performance was spot on. I wouldn't mind listening to more stories read by him. Andy and Anyta are super fantastic authors, both with their own preferred writing style and preferred genres. They have come together to pen this fabulous tale of love, compassion, and friendship. All in all, I'd recommend everyone who loves a good story of young love to give this one a listen. It's well worth it.

Better Be Sure

This is a slow burn as Ed is afraid to come out and Jack is out and still wants to be with Ed. There is a bet going on in Jack's fraternity house and he could lose Ed before their relationship really has a chance to get started. I really enjoyed the end of this book. But there were inconsistencies about things Jack told Ed. One that really bothered me was when they were at the yard sale and Ed asked Jack why he was looking at old books. It was Ed that arranged their day going to yard sales because Jack told Ed his he and his dad would go to yard sales and look for first addition books. I got confused.
Narrator Nick J. Russo does a fabulous job.

Enjoyable

Jack is in college and is forced into a bet. Ed is deeply closeted and worried about losing his job for which his family is dependent on the income to survive. This is a debut for Andy Gallo and Andy does a great job revisiting why the characters are the way they are. Nick Russo does an excellent job with the narration!

I bet you’d like this one! 😉

I enjoyed listening to this low angst, new adult love story between Jack and Ed.

It all started with an impulsive bet, which had Jack’s standing in his fraternity on the line. Then Jack met Ed, who was so far back in the closet, he’s basically living in Narnia.

The storyline was good, realistic. The bet is too. The characters are very relatable and Jack’s melancholic recollection of fond memories with his parents tore me up. Ed and Jack’s chemistry was very hot. The supportive characters are great too.

I can’t wait to hear more from this series. It’s my first listen to Andy Gallo’s work.

Nick J Russo, stellar as always.

** thanks to GRR for the opportunity to listen and review **

A sweet, steamy opposites attract!

This is book 1 in the Harrison Campus series and can be read as a standalone.

This was a sweet, steamy opposites attract MM romance with all the feels.

Jackson needs to bring a guy to the fraternity formal and Ed Knowles just happens to be the key.
There’s just one hiccup, Ed isn't out.
Will Jackson pull out all the stops to win his bet or will he listen to his heart?

This was such a sizzling slowburn romance!
Andy and Anyta are definitely a winning combo for me.
The characters were likeable, relatable and engaging. The writing style was compelling and pulled me in from the very start.

As always Nick Russo performed an exemplary audio delivery which made this all the more enjoyable to listen to.

You are my biggest win

I’m have always love Anyta Sunday and her witty writing style so I was quite excited when I heard that she has a new book coming. This is sweet and funny, a bit silly at times and quite light.

Jackson had to deal with the loss of his parents when he was very young so he isn’t without hidden traumas and wound. And it meant everything for him to be attending the university his dad attended. When an impulsive bet was made when he was pushed to his limits, Jackson had to go to desperate means not to lose the bet and his legacy. And Ed can’t afford in anyway to come out of the closet. He needs a job desperately because his father lost his job. And the garage he worked at fired a guy a few weeks after he came out. When Jackson and Ed met, the attraction is undeniable and the chemistry is sizzling. Can Ed give up everything to be with Jackson?

Lighthearted and fun with some episodes of angst. I love how well-built the the secondary characters are in this story. Ed and Jackson are sweet together and I’m glad they were able to overcome some misunderstandings between them. I’m intrigued to see where this series will go. And NJR did a great job narrating the story.


4 You are my biggest win stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Audio rating

Story - 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Narration - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Overall - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb doesn't do this one justice

I have to admit I only bought this book because I was in the mood for a new audiobook and this is a pretty dry week for M/M new releases. The blurb was sort of all over the place, but it looked halfway interesting so I took a chance and bought it not really expecting to enjoy it much.

With any fictional story that involves a bet, you can usually pretty much map out the plot before it even happens: guy makes bet, then falls for another guy (or girl I suppose), stays with them for the sake of the bet, then they fall in love, then the other guy finds out about the bet, gets mad, blah blah blah. Well, this book subverted my expectations in the best way, mostly because our protagonist, Jack, is just the sweetest, most self-sacrificing guy imaginable. It's rare that you see such a selfless character in fiction without it seeming like it's overdone, but somehow the author makes it work here. I was also expecting to be annoyed by Ed, the love interest, but he surprised me too. I liked Jack's best friend/brother Marcus as well, and his frat brothers. The only character I really could have done without is Jack's female friend Brittany, who comes across as sort of abrasive occasionally, but she didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.

In fact the blurb doesn't do this story justice at all, awkwardly inserting "orphan" before the protagonist's name, which makes it seem like that's going to be a huge thing. And it was a large part of his character, I suppose, but it was so well done it didn't seem forced or anything. And the bet was done relatively believably too. It was a great, great listen and I'll definitely add Andy Gallo to my insta-buy list.

Oh, and Nick Russo is amazing as he always is.

good story

I really enjoyed this and felt for Jack through the whole book. I hate that he didn't feel worthy and while Ed was a good guy his actions and words hurt Jack. I think Ed meant well but sometimes couldn't help but feel that he wasn't worthy of Jack's love with the push and pull he gave.

As always Nick Russo was great, he was the reason I picked this story up to begin with.

Sweet story

This was a sweet slow burn story. I found it a little difficult to connect with the MCs and the story itself at first, since it started off a bit slow for me, but it picked up after the first few chapters. It ended up being really enjoyable.

Enjoyed

This is a sweet NA romance with a touch of angst. I felt for Jack and the devastating loss he has suffered. While I understood Ed’s fears I felt that he kept contracting himself, giving mixed signal to Jack. I really enjoyed the narration by Nick J Russo.