Hi there! I’m so excited to share a review and giveaway for a new contemporary M/M New Adult romance from Jay Northcote. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT is the third book in her Housemates series, and can be enjoyed as a standalone. Though, to be honest, I’m sure you’ll enjoy HELPING HAND and LIKE A LOVER, too.

Check out the tasty tidbit, and get in on the giveaway, below.

About the book:
Getting experience with the guy next door seems like a great idea—until the lines blur.
Dev, a geeky first year physics student, has zero sexual experience and he’s determined to change that ASAP. After a bad time in halls of residence, he’s starting the summer term with different housemates and a new plan of action.

Ewan lives in the house next door to Dev. He’s young, free and single, and isn’t looking to change that anytime soon. When awkward circumstances throw them together, Ewan offers to help Dev out in the bedroom in return for maths tutoring, and Dev jumps at the chance.

They work their way through Dev’s sex-to-do list, but what starts as a perfect no-strings arrangement gets more complicated as their feelings for each other begin to grow. If they’re going to turn their lessons in lovemaking into something more permanent, they need to work out how they feel about each other—before they get to the end of Dev’s list.

How about a little taste?

Dev reached across the table and took the teaspoon out of Ewan’s hand, then tangled their fingers together and squeezed. The sympathetic touch eased the ache in Ewan’s chest. He let his gaze slide up to meet Dev’s and saw understanding there. He gave Dev a tentative smile.

“Well, look who it is!” A loud, mocking voice from behind Ewan made Dev start and drop Ewan’s hand as though it were on fire.

Ewan turned to see a group of three blokes, all with matching mocking grins on their faces as they looked at him and Dev.

“Hey, Devreem.” The same voice as before, belonging to a skinny guy with brown hair, a scruffy half-arsed attempt at a beard, and mean eyes. “You finally found someone with a real dick to fuck, then? Look out, mate,” he addressed Ewan. “This one’s into some weird shit.”

Ewan pushed his chair back with a screech and squared up to him. “What’s your fucking problem?”

Beardy Guy’s attitude shifted immediately to unease. Ewan was taller, bigger, and angrier than he was, and he suddenly looked as though he realised he was picking on the wrong guy. “I… uh….”

Ewan continued in a menacing tone. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t give a shit because you’re not worth my time. But you and your friends are interrupting us, so why don’t you fuck off before I break your nose.”

Ewan had barely been in a fight in his life, but he’d played rugby at school and was pretty sure he could handle this twat. Beardy Guy’s two sidekicks were already backing off, so it didn’t look like he was going to get much support from them.

“It’s okay, Ewan. Just drop it.” Dev was standing behind him now, and he put a hand on the tense muscles of Ewan’s shoulder.

Ewan looked around and realised that all eyes in the café were on the unfolding drama.

“Yeah, you should piss off like he says,” called a girl from a couple of tables over, glaring at Beardy Guy. “Take your homophobic bullshit elsewhere.” A few murmurs of assent and the arsehole flushed, taking on the look of a hunted animal.

“Whatever. It was just supposed to be a bit of a joke.”

“Well, nobody’s laughing, Matt.” Dev said sharply. “I see your idea of what’s funny hasn’t developed since last term.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Beardy Guy—Matt—was done. “Come on, guys, let’s hit the bar. We don’t want to hang out here anyway.” He glared at Ewan again. “Losers.”

Ewan remained standing with Dev beside him until the three had gone. Then he let out a long breath and turned to Dev. “What the fuck was that about? You know him?”

Dev sighed, his face tense and unhappy. “Long story.”

My Review
This is the third book in the Housemates series and can be enjoyed on its own–though I HIGHLY recommend the previous two books, as well.

Dev is a nerdy, gay virgin away at uni and hating his life in the dorms–mostly due to some seriously homophobic hallmates. He’s a physics major and ultra capable with to-do lists, computing, and maths (it’s Plymouth, England, folks. “Maths” it is…) but not so competent at people, or relationships. After a disastrous event he confides in a workmate, IT supervisor Reuben from LIKE A LOVER, who helps him let a room in his boyfriend Josh’s old house. There he meets Jez and Mac, from HELPING HAND, and Dev finally feels settled.

Ewan lives next-door to Dev and they meet by chance on the sidewalk. And then, again, when Ewan opens a package that was misdelivered. A box that contains a rather nice sex toy. Ewan’s only a little ashamed at the awkwardness–he’s a bit turned on to determine that the doe-eyed boy next door bats for his team. And, well, his attraction turns to alarm when he finds Dev’s “shy virgin seeks experience” profile on Grindr.

To save Dev from (literally) getting reamed by the creepers, Ewan proposes a partnership; he helps Dev safely gain sexual experience and Dev helps him not fail statistics.

Break out the lists and the lube.

OMG. Such a fun and soul-affirming read. These guys are so tender and kind, really eager to help the other learn. And still, funny and compassionate. I just loved it from the beginning to the end, except that it ended and I wanted to keep on going…so that part was bollocks. Bollocks aside, and there are plenty of those on the page, their arrangement spans several weeks and involves not just their Friday night “study” sessions, but also some coffee/milkshake dates, and widens to include mid-week cooking lessons for Dev–which double as foreplay.

Lookit, the whole series rocks. I’m a goner for these helper-to-lover plots, and Practice Makes Perfect is a bit like Helping Hand, but with a definite Like A Lover quid pro quo. I loved the cameos from the other books’ characters and how all of these people interacted naturally. It was so fun to have the typical housemates squabbles and also the knowing looks–because Dev and Ewan collect A LOT of knowing looks from their amused (and not so amused) housemates.

I got the book, I read the book–shoving aside other planned reading–because I’m just that excited about this author’s work.

Looking forward to reading and reviewing Housemates #74, the good lord willing.

Interested? You can find PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT on Goodreads, and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****
Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $10 gift card.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

You can find Jay on her website, Twitter, Facebook Author Page, and Amazon.