Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new New Adult M/M romance from Lane Hayes. OUT IN WINTER is the eighth book in her Out in College series, and features a gorgeous waterpolo player falling hard for the manager a coffee shop owned by his former teammates. Catch my reviews for OUT IN THE DEEP END, OUT IN THE END ZONE, OUT IN THE OFFENSE, OUT ON THE ICE and OUT IN SPRING for more on this sweet and sexy series. This book features Drew, who we briefly met in OUT ON THE SERVE, finding a real love with an athlete he’d written off as “too young”.

Scroll down to catch an excerpt and enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card.
About the book:
The grad student, the jock, and some winter fun…
Drew
My new job at the bistro is fun. The owners are good guys, and the staff is made up primarily of boisterous water polo players. I know nothing about the sport except there’s a Speedo involved, and Liam likes to wear his everywhere. Yes…Liam—the chatty, handsome, utterly charming waiter I can’t seem to stop thinking about. Ugh. Note to self—do not fall for another younger man.

Liam
Getting Drew to notice me hasn’t been easy. He’s a little intense, and he knows how to keep his distance. Something tells me he’s not immune—he’s just stubborn. Maybe a weekend of bonding on the ski slopes will win him over. And if I can get him to come out in winter, I might be able to convince him that we have a chance at something special.

Out in Winter is a low-angst MM, bisexual romance starring an oh so serious grad student, a goofball water polo player, and a little winter magic. This story is part of the Out in College series, but each book can be read as a stand-alone.

How about a yummy taste?

The stunning winter wonderland panorama was dotted with impossibly tall evergreens flocked with snow and the pristine hills glistening in the morning sun. It was so quiet, I could almost imagine we were alone in the world. That was precisely the kind of thought that freaked me out sometimes. But not today. Today the idea seemed…promising. Maybe even cleansing, like a new start.

“It’s beautiful,” I said reverently.

“This is one of the reasons I like coming out here early. The light is so brilliant. It looks like a postcard or the photo in the dictionary next to the word ‘hope.’ ”

“That’s a nice thought.”

We shared a smile; then he adjusted his goggles and inclined his head meaningfully. “Ready?”

“Yeah, but…you go first.”

“C’mere.” Liam crooked his finger.

I shuffled forward until I stood beside him with our skis pointing in the opposite direction, expecting him to impart some advice about the terrain or maybe remind me how to stop. Both might have been helpful, actually.

“What is it?”

“Hold on to my sleeve. Stay still. That’s perfect.” He stroked my chin before leaning in to press his lips to mine. “You taste like cherry ChapStick. I like.”

I grinned. “Thanks. So do you.”

He kissed me again, twisting his tongue with mine and leaving me breathless. “Mmm. I’m making it my personal quest to make sure you get down this mountain safely and that you have fun doing it.”

“Good luck with that,” I sighed, aware that my voice had taken on a dreamy quality.

“I don’t need luck. I’m an expert,” he bragged playfully. “I’m going to give you a couple of tips. Listen up.”

“I’m listening.”

“Bend your knees and stay loose.”

“Like this?” I bent my knees and wiggled my arms like a rubber band.

Liam chuckled. “Something like that. We’re gonna take it slow, moving from side to side, making wide turns. I’ll go first. Follow me and remember to keep your gaze forward.”

“As opposed to?”

“Looking at your skis. You don’t look at your feet when you’re walking, so don’t look at your skis when you’re skiing. It’ll fuck with your balance. Ready?”

“Yeah.” I licked my lips and nodded.

Liam glided smoothly down the incline, veering sharply to the right. He stopped with a flourish, sending a plume of powdery snow skyward before raising his poles triumphantly. I snickered at the silly display. He made it seem fun and relatively easy. All right, then. I could do this.

I grasped my poles in a vise grip and dug into the snow, propelling myself forward. I aimed my skis in Liam’s general direction and honestly, it felt pretty damn good. I was in control, a cool breeze on my face, and a light wind at my back. Best of all, I appeared to be closing in on my correct destination. A hot guy was waiting for me in front of a huge pine tree with—

Oh, fuck.

I couldn’t stop. I picked up speed and barreled forward, trying to remember his advice. Knees bent. Check. Don’t look at your skis. Check. Stay loose…

Nope. Not possible.

I was wound so tight my head felt like it might pop off. Every muscle in my body was rigid as I zoomed closer to Liam…and the tree. It occurred to me as my life began to flash in front of my eyes that if I turned downhill, I could avoid the tree and move in the right direction. I might not have control of my skis, but Liam seemed to know what he was doing. No doubt he’d catch up easily and offer tips on how not to kill myself along the way. A comical vision of him doing circles around me while I tumbled into a giant snowball flashed in my head.

And that might have been when things went sideways.

My Review:
We met Drew in OUT ON THE SERVE because he is Elliot’s ex-boyfriend who was hoping for a reunion. It didn’t work out, and Drew swore off dating younger men, especially athletes. Especially closeted athletes. Since then he’s been working two jobs, and going to grad school. He’s managing a newly-opened cafe and bistro run by two former Long Beach State waterpolo players (we met them in Book 1, OUT IN THE DEEP) and he’s pretty close to quitting the bartending gig–if the bistro takes off he will be able to make ends meet. Most of the waitstaff at the bistro are current waterpolo players and that includes Liam, who is big and burly and everything Drew wants to avoid in a man. He’s flashy and free spirited and hopefully quitting the bistro soon.

Liam has definitely noticed Drew and desired him for a bit of time. Liam is closing in on the end of his senior year and trying to make decisions that will carry him into the future. He’s got some immediate job prospects, but thinks he’d be better off career-wise looking into a master’s degree in engineering. While Drew is attracted to Liam, he doesn’t want to mess around with a coworker, and Liam takes this as a challenge to push Drew out of his comfort zone.

When it turns out the Drew and Liam have booked time on the ski slopes in the same mountain town, Liam makes sure to use his athletic skills to thaw Liam’s uptight heart. Liam is a natural skier and snowboarder and Drew is…a danger to himself and others. But Liam has patience and his unique humor and flirty ways get Drew down the runs faster and faster than ever before. Their connection on this weekend idyll kindles a fire from that flame of attraction, and neither Drew nor Liam want to call it quits.

I liked this one. I didn’t have a great feeling about Drew from the previous stories, and I was glad to see he was redeemable. He liked Liam a lot, but he was also afraid to hold him back, keeping him in Long Beach when he really should be moving on to a career path. It was thoughtful, if a little self-serving. Because Liam would have loved to know that Drew had fallen so hard for him, reciprocating his own feelings. They didn’t have a lot of angst, mostly keeping their relationship on the down low because Drew didn’t want to make things weird at work. The pace is quick and the sexytimes are hot, with a few silly sexcapades that had Drew really thinking over his life choices. I liked how they made it work, and figured out their futures were moe in line than they had previously anticipated. Very sweet.

Interested? You can find OUT IN WINTER on Goodreads and Amazon.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $25 Amazon GC.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and won First Prize in the 2016 and 2017 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.

You can reach out to Lane on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon.