I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book had all the elements of a book I would love, but I could not connect with the characters, although I found the writing to be lovely I ended up with a DNF for me.

Unfortunately, this one lost my interest and it was a DNF for me. I can't pinpoint the exact issue i had however, I just could not connect with the story or the characters.

DNF

Conservative estimate, I've picked up and put down this book probably six times? But I'm calling it now. I can't do it. I thought I could but I can't. It's like I want to like this author so badly, but I think it's time I come to grips with the fact that her and I aren't suited.

Gouveia has a way with words. There's no doubt about that. She uses them like a paint brush to summon imagery for her narrative. Case in point:

As he let out an animal cry, the water caressed the creamy dunes of his muscular back like a warm Jakarta rain.


It seems pretty clear that she's well travelled as she scatters numerous tidbits of info that only someone with firsthand knowledge would know. I appreciate that. Really, I do. The problem is all of those tidbits lead to words upon words that describe everything to the Nth degree yet say nothing and do nothing to move the narrative forward.

There's also the problem of this being a supposed sports romance and from what little I could get through the number of slights against the NFL were many. I'm well aware of the issues that plague the league and I really don't begrudge them being brought up as the story unfolds, but I'm not interested in being bombarded by those sentiments from the jump. If it's so terrible then why did Quinn even choose to play? Why not go into the MLB? He's got the abilities for either and every college player knows what's coming.

As long as I'm on my soapbox, for as many dirty players and parochial mentalities there are as many if not more good players who do wonderful work within their communities and sometimes with an even wider reach. Those players never get talked about because they don't end up on SportsCenter or TMZ, but the bad ones get held as the standard bearers of the league.

And lastly, there's no way a coach is going to skip his backup and put in his third string QB. Unless the backup is hurt. Not if he wants to keep his job he won't. Then again Coach Smalley was already being groomed into a cartoon villain capable of abusing his players and never suffering the consequences of those actions. Yeah, ok.

So no, I can't recommend it, but I won't rate it since I didn't finish it. Maybe things turned around after I threw the towel in. Who knows?

A review copy was provided by NetGalley.

DNF this one just didn't work for me and am only rating it because I have to on here

Unfortunately I had to call time on this one at about 40%. I actually started skimming at 33% and then finally had to give up.

I tried to read this story twice. Both times, it was unable to hold my attention. I kept it on my shelf thinking I would give it another try, but I just have not - there was just so much backstory, not enough focus on current events unfolding. Unable to connect with either main character. Just not for me.

Not rating

The Penalty for Holding is a hot mess. It started out good, with Quinn's backstory of growing up in Indonesia to a mother and stepfather who don't love him. Then him moving to the US with his Aunt, then him being drafted into the NFL, but yet not being played for whatever reason his obnoxious, narrow minded coach holds for disliking Nik. But, it's when Nik meets Mal and Tam, his soon to be lovers, that the entire story falls apart. I can't even tell you how many times I put down this book, swearing I wasn't going to finish it. But, because this is a book I am reviewing, I forced myself to pick it back up and finish.

I can't remember the last time I read a book that held so many unnecessary details, had oddly formal language, and with a story that bumbled around, ending up not where I had figured it would. I don't mind unpredictability, in fact, that's a plus, but The Penalty for Holding took so long to get nowhere, and took me on a long, not very entertaining journey. I can't say I ended this read with a like for anyone or anything about it. It's rambling, unnecessarily dense and thick with random details, and the characters aren't that likable, especially Mal and Quinn's parents. Tam is OK, but not fleshed out well enough for me to remember him for long. Quinn is OK, too, but just not well fleshed out either. Sigh...I had such high hopes for The Penalty for Holding because I love love triangles and M/M stories, but unfortunately this just did not hold my interest for long.

One word WOW!
Thank you for writing such a great, amazing, tear jerking story. It's been a long time since I've read a M/M book that gave me the feels. It was so well written I thought i was with them. I saw, hear and felt the things they did.
I highly and I mean highly recommend this book.

At times this book was too angsty for words but overall I enjoyed the story and I would read something by this author again.

I gave this one two stars, but sometimes I think that’s too nice. The Penalty for Holding is a difficult book to review. It’s definitely a book that went in a direction I was not expecting. I will say that I didn’t like the way it was written though – and the pace of the book was a bit too jumpy. There were moments in the book that seem to come out of the blue, without any specific explanation. I wasn’t a fan of the ending either, because I just felt like it gave a bad representation of being gay. I can’t really explain without spoiling the book, so I’ll leave it at that.

There is also a case of domestic violence between two gay men that could have been great, but it was very lackluster. The topic wasn’t focused on enough or fully addressed in the book, though there’s a sense it will be in the future. It’s a tricky topic, and it just didn’t work for this book.

Obviously I finished the book, so it wasn’t completely awful. There were moments that I enjoyed. I just felt like nothing really worked out in the way that I hoped/wanted. Definitely not something I can recommend, I’m afraid.

•´¸.•*´¨A touching and¸.•*¨)
ღ✿•*¨thought provoking story.ღ✿•*¨

I had never heard of the author, but the cover, a sexy shirtless man holding a football and a butterfly settled on the ball had me digging for the synopsis. And then I read: "...he attracts the attention of two other quarterbacks who’ve been rivals since high school – Mal Ryan of the Philadelphia Quakers and Tam Tarquin of the San Francisco Miners. Quinn begins a volatile relationship with the narcissistic Mal and a loving one with the open-hearted Tam, keeping each secret from the other" and I had to read it. I chose this story for the football plot. What I got was a poignant telling that brought me to tears and will stay with me for a long, long time.

How do you survive a world where you felt unloved as a child, always on the outskirts of your parents love? Then to lose the one person who offered you escapism. For Quinn, he got the short end of the stick and that is what kept him in denial of being the person he was meant to be. Going from Indonesia to the United States provided him with a freedom he could never have at home. Football became his saving grace, but with a selfish, arrogant coach, Quinn had quite a bit to override.

Meeting the destructive and narcissistic Mal was like a nightmare and I cringed every time Quinn encountered the man. I wanted to just trash the man and just take Quinn in hand and shake him. In this, Quinn was a man in love and even knowing the truth, he was willing to endure and even accept that this was the norm.

On the other hand, Tam was the complete opposite. Sweet, gentle, and a contrast that was as different as day and night. But we learned just how much one man can take when the relationships are exposed and Tam revealed the real reason for his animosity against Mal. Quinn is left once again in a cycle he could not beat.

When an injury brought Tam back into Quinn's life, I thought at first it was a dream. I took deep breaths once or twice at the way Tam interjected his way back and expected Quinn to go with the flow. For Quinn, this time became a journey of self discovery and forgiveness and learning that even loved, he needed to understand what was holding him back from acceptance.

This was meant to be a read to get my mind going for a few hours. It became a rhythmic vessel that explored love and hate, giving us a glimpse of a reality that should never be. In the end, happy ever after was within grasp and I could breath again.

As a side note, my reading of this author led me to book one of this series called The Games Men Play called Water Music. It is interconnected as some characters mentioned make an appearance in this book.

I'm afraid this did not work for me, at all.

From the beginning I felt lost. Lost in a world of sports with a character / voice I didn't enjoy listening to.

I tried, I really did.

But then I just wasn't invested and it and thought it not fair to actually rate and review since I did not finish the book.

Still, I appreciate the time and love the author put into creating this book and its characters. I’m certain there are the right readers this book out there; many probably!

So, don’t let my review hold you back: give it a try! :)

▽
Many, many thanks to the publisher who kindly provided a free copy for an honest and impartial review

4/5

An eARC of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

Firstly, this is not a sequel to Water Music. It is an independent novel. You don’t HAVE to read Water Music. But there are some parts in The Penalty for Holding that can be a spoiler to the first book in the series; mentions of characters and what became of them.

So, if you want to understand some things that happen in this book, you better understand the hierarchical position that Agamemnon and Achilles hold, who they are and their “powers” over people. I study this kind of thing, but if you haven’t a clue of who Agamemnon is, look it up and then read the story. Knowing this is important? No, but you won’t be able to understand what Quinnie is saying otherwise. A clue? Brush-up in your Greek Mythology, and you will be fine (kidding, you can understand with the context).

Quentin lived his youth obsessing with Greek mythology, comparing people to its many characters. He is a Quarterback, and he loves it – aswell as some other quarterbacks…

Synopsis: “When the quarterback of the hapless New York Templars is injured, backup QB Quinn Novak takes the team to the playoffs. There he attracts the attention of two other quarterbacks who’ve been rivals since high school – Mal Ryan of the Philadelphia Quakers and Tam Tarquin of the San Francisco Miners. Quinn begins a volatile relationship with the narcissistic Mal and a loving one with the open-hearted Tam, keeping each secret from the other.
What he doesn’t know is that the two have a complex sexual history of their own. Quinn will have to overcome a thorny present as well as a troubled past if he hopes to have a promising future.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was even going to make a review about this book. I stalled for a really long time (two days after I received it) to begin reading, and I read a little in the morning, then studied during the afternoon, and then took it back in early evening, not finishing it. Not because it wasn’t good, but because the synopsis made me apprehensive of the book’s contents.

And, there is something that I saw in the book that people might disagree: the relationship between Quinn and Mal, and Quinn and Tam, can be seen as the two ways a relationship can go. Meaning? It’s a bifurcated road. A relationship can be “violent”/ not considered ideal like with Mal; or full of love and care like Tam’s. So, in a way, Quinn is experiencing as many call it – an abusive relationship and a loving one at the same time.

If you are one of the people who disagree with me for whatever it was the thing I said, at least try to see my point of view. Sure, there are other kinds of relationships, but rest assured, there are only two “types”: A good relationship, and a bad relationship.

But that is not the point here. Even though the eARC that was given to me has yet to be edited and corrected the story is really good, even if some things happen faster than normal, and it ends in a frustrating but emotional way. The Penalty For Holding is an amazing book, and I would recommend reading it.