Out in the Offense

Out in College, Book 3

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Michael Dean

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Christian Rafferty is a talented quarterback with a big secret. He’s determined to make the most of his final season on the football field and, if possible, avoid any confrontations with his conservative parents about his future. It shouldn’t be difficult; he’s become adept at keeping his public and private lives separate. However, when a math class threatens to derail his plans to graduate on time, he realizes he may need outside help.

Rory Kirkland has a reputation for being a tough guy. He’s a former wrestler and recent college graduate who needs a real job. Until he finds one, tutoring is a decent temporary gig. Luckily, his brain is his biggest asset. Rory is a genius. He credits his sport for helping him deal with angst and rumors about his sexuality when he was younger, but he doesn’t care what others think anymore. He likes his new status as an out and proud bi man, and he recognizes something of himself in Christian. 

But Rory didn’t count on falling for him. When an unlikely friendship collides with intense attraction, both men begin to realize that coming out on offense just might be the surest path to love.

©2019 Lane Hayes (P)2019 Lane Hayes

Absolutely Brilliant!!😍

I adored Christian and Rory's story.


I didn't think I would love Rory as a character, but there us so much more to his personality then is portrayed in the previous books.


I loved how their relationship evolved and the chemistry between them was intense and palpable from the very start.

The narrator performed an enthusiastic Audio delivery and narration.

I actually enjoyed this one so much better in audio

Definitely recommend 🙃

LIked it better as an audio

I just reviewed the actual book last week, so I'm going to sum it up and discuss why I liked the audiobook.

Christian Rafferty is a college football player in need of a tutor for statistics. His coach recommends Rory, a math whiz and recent college grad who fills his time doing odd tutoring and personal training. Rory is an out and proud bisexual after his closeted status lost him the love of a good man. e gets a vibe off Christian that he's not too shy to pursue. Christian won't resist Rory--that former wrestler is too sexy--but he's not sure if he should come out. His teammate Evan did the season before, and Christian's conservative parents weren't best pleased.

Michael Pauley does the audio and he really made me feel like I was in the mix. Whoo boys! His gritty voice really suited both Rory and Christian's masculine characters. I was not disappointed with all the yummy sexytimes in stereo. The audiobook runs about 5.5 hours, and I felt the pacing was spot on, with great accent in all the right places. Hearing Christian's uncertainty and frustration with his meddling father was just as easy as hearing his vulnerability meeting and falling for Rory.

Rory felt a little flat in the book, but he really came to life in the audio, which I liked. He seems like a better guy than the impression we had in the previous story. He's grown up and found himself, and that was fun to experience.If you like audiobooks, I'd recommend any of the ones in this series. They aren't too long, and they have some great characters finding sexy lovers to satisfy them.

Roar! for Rory!

4.5*

This is my favourite story in Lane’s latest series featuring college sportsmen, which also deals with coming out to teammates and family. I thought the chemistry between the two main characters this time around was hot and there were lots of lovely ‘feels’.

If you’ve followed the previous two stories, you will already be familiar with Christian and Rory as they featured before, albeit rather briefly. Rory came across as negative before, but in this story he shines. He’s such a great guy. He’s patient, caring, smart, and smoking hot. And Michael Pauley’s voice made him even hotter! Roar! No wonder Christian fell for him. He’s bi and out of the closet and the sexiest tutor ever. His sense of humour and their banter had me smiling.

I loved how Rory and Christian fall for each other and how the story builds to Christian gaining the courage to come out to his sports friends and family. There’s some conflict along the way that comes via Christian’s ex-boyfriend’s new beau and also Christian’s overbearing father. I’m glad there were no ‘interfering’ female characters this time around. The inevitable ‘break-up’ scene near the end was moving and the public coming out was uplifting. I’d love to read a story set in the future to see how their relationship has developed over the subsequent years!

Although the story could be read as a standalone, I suggest reading/listening to the other two first to gain an insight into the characters and the general background to this series.

Michael Pauley certainly brought the characters to life, matching the various voices to personalities, and making it easy to determine who was speaking. Spot-on pacing and some lovely emotional moments. I love his growly voice and the enthusiasm he puts into his narrative work.

Series Gets Better and Better

This series gets better and better with each book! Exquisitely narrated by one of my favorite narrators as well. Highly recommend!!

Very Enjoyable!!

Hot, romantic tale of awaking passion between unlikely characters. Michael Dean led me to this series, since almost ANYTHING he does requires my attention, but Lane Hayes's series is wonderfully romantic & playfully erotic! They make a delicious team.

On to book #4!😜

Wow. A must read!

Wow. Just...wow. I think this is my favorite book in the series. For starters, it has a hot, tattooed guy, with muscles, playing duck, duck, goose with kids at the YMCA. Take a moment. Second it took a jerk from the previous book, and gave him a redemption story, of sorts. This book takes place AFTER he makes changes, and makes amends, but it goes to show that sometimes jerks are not always what they seem, and anyone can change for the better. I’m the type of person who wants that for those characters in books. To actually find an author who did just that? Epic. I’ve been a fan of Lane Hayes since I discovered her a few weeks ago (early April 2020) and I think everyone needs to read, or listen to, her books. You get a great story, and some sexy time, but you also come away having learned a little something. Sometimes, what you learn is about yourself. This book, as the ones before it, can be read alone, but reading the series in order will enhance your experience. You will see familiar faces, and meet people you see again in the next book or so. I can’t recommend this book enough. Read it, and you will understand

I love this series!!!

Lane and Michael together are amazing. This whole series is amazing and I love the series. I laughed, I cried and fell in love with Christian and Rory!!

Recommended!

Another sweet, low angst story from one of my favorite writers. Out in the Offense is a coming out novel about a closeted quarterback and his sexy math tutor. Both characters were likable and Michael Pauley did a great job bringing them to life. I haven't read the other books in the Out in College Series but I had no trouble keeping up. Recommended!

Great listen!

I loved Rory and Christian! This story was really a feel-good book. There was a teensy bit of angst but it was really just about Christian and Rory getting to know one another and connecting.

I liked seeing the character development of Christian throughout the book. It seemed like he found himself, and Rory was a big part of that. Rory was crazy supportive and a nice influence on Christian. Their chemistry was easy to see and it made their dynamic interesting and sweet. And all of the sexy times were hot which I always appreciate!

Audible Performance: I first read this book a couple months ago and then I got to listen to it on audio and YESSS. I do not listen to many audiobooks and this was my first from Michael Pauley and I was into it. He did a great job of distinguishing between the characters and making it easy to determine who was speaking. I am always a little nervous about listening to audible sexy times but he did a fantastic job of bringing the emotion to life without it being awkward. It was easy to get lost in this story with this narrator!

Great story, excellent narration

Take one hot closeted college football quarterback, add one hot, out-and-proud tattooed former wrestler who’s also a crazy smart math whiz, toss in some solid secondary characters and the obligatory intolerant, controlling parent, and now you have Out in the Offense. Okay, there’s more to it than that…but that alone was plenty to pique my interest, particularly since it’s a Lane Hayes book and I’ve really enjoyed the other books of hers I’ve read previously. And while this is the third book in the series, you don’t have to read the others first before starting this one. It does feature characters from the other books, so it was nice to get a glimpse of them again here.

Christian is well-liked by pretty much everyone. He is a shining example of the classic college quarterback, though he does have that one secret—you know, the closet. And while I really liked his character, I adored Rory even more. Everything about him was irresistible to me since I’m a sapiophile who can appreciate a hot, tatted up former jock…I may be just a bit jealous that Christian got him.

The ease with which the two of them became friends and then more without things being rushed was definitely something I liked. The banter between them flowed easily, the chemistry was electric, and they felt comfortable as a couple even when things weren’t public. The story was relatively angst-free, just a tad showed up when the closet door started opening but things were handled well without a bunch of discord.

Out in the Offense fits perfectly in the series, and was a truly entertaining read. This one was a solid 4-star read for me, and one that I recommend to all M/M romance fans, particularly those who like the college setting as well as coming out stories. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.

The narration: Michael Pauley did Christian and Rory a solid with this one. I really liked the differentiation in character voices, not just for them but for all the supporting characters as well. He easily made the story come alive, and honestly of the audiobooks that I’ve listened to that he’s narrated, I think this is my favorite so far in terms of voice characterization. 5 stars for the narration!

Thoroughly enjoyed this

I make no bones about how much I am loving this series. It is classic Lane Hayes, the story draws you in from the beginning, the MCs are strongly written, and the story flows so naturally. 

I was so keen to find out more about Rory. Gah! What a guy! I want me one...(if I could, I'd have a closet full of my favourite Ms Hayes characters 😉). He's such a juxtaposition; strong on the outside, and just a ball of cuddly sensitivity inside. He was absolutely perfect for poor confused Christian. 

All in all, a great story, with excellent dialogue, and characters you want more of. Loved catching up with Gabe, Derek, Evan and Mitch once again also. Looking forward to the remaining books in the series; hoping for a Max story and even Sky's. I know he was an idiot in this story, but, hey, redemption and all that. Hope you're listening Ms Hayes 😊

The whole series, for all its humour and sexiness, does have a serious side. It points out totally, that even in these so called enlightened times, people can be arse holes about the way in which others choose to live their lives. These books demonstrate this perfectly, and that people should mind their own business. So, all in all, great reads and excellent writing, want more asap. Once again, excellent narration