Andy Tyler has always been a daredevil and his best friend Jake Masterson is his wingman. As college draws to a close and the guys get ready to relocate to different coasts, Andy has one more stunt involving fireworks. Unfortunately, rather than delighting their friends, the guys end up severely injured, badly burning their palms. It’s going to take all summer to recover, and with no use of their hands, the guys decide to spend the summer recuperating in Andy’s family cottage in Cape Cod.

Trying to manage without the use of their hands is incredibly challenging, even with a nursing aid stopping by daily. Andy and Jake are mostly managing to adapt, but the biggest problem they can’t solve is getting off. So Andy comes up with one more wild dare: the guys can resolve their horniness if they help each other out.

Jake knows that Andy sees this as no more than a convenient way to get sexual release and a bit of a lark. But Jake has been struggling with his feelings for Andy for years, and has just managed to put them aside so they can maintain their friendship. He isn’t sure he can bear intimacy with Andy when Andy doesn’t return his feelings. Andy doesn’t even know that Jake is bisexual and Jake worries if he knew, it would add an awkwardness to their relationship. But Jake finds he can’t resist Andy, and soon he gives us to the blow jobs and more.

The more time the guys spend together, the more both of them are enjoying the new level of intimacy they have added to their friendship. But Jake is getting ready to move to California, and he is struggling to keep his feelings for Andy hidden. For his part, Andy is finding he is enjoying their sexual connection much more than he ever expected. He craves it in fact, and it has only brought the guys closer. But Andy has his future mapped out (with the help of his controlling father), and it doesn’t include a male partner. He doesn’t see a future for himself with Jake as anything other than a friend. But as summer draws to a close, the guys may find that it is not so easy to leave their romance behind.

Five Dares is a fun and sexy friends to lovers story that I really enjoyed. While the book follows the structure of the five dares the guys undertake over the course of the story, the real focus of the book is on the relationship between Andy and Jake. They are the best of friends and have an easiness about them when they are together. For most of the book, they are alone in the house in Cape Cod, and there the friendship between them has a chance to grow into a romance. There is a lovely sense of isolation, a little bubble that the two of them are in alone, that adds a real intensity to the story. They are together 24 hours a day with little to do, especially at first when they can barely move their hands. Even as they heal, the guys spend long hours talking and bonding, and later sexing it up. So we can really feel that emotional intimacy between the guys, and watch it grow from friendship to more. The pair are super sexy together as they get to experimenting, but there is also just this incredible connection between them that their time alone together only enhances.

On the other hand, there is some stress here for both of them. Jake is hiding his sexuality, as well as his attraction to Andy. As much as he knows this can only lead to his broken heart, he has never been able to say no to Andy, and right now he doesn’t really want to. We can feel both his anxiety about the emotional risk, as well as the thrill as the intimacy between them grows. For Andy’s part, at first it all starts as kind of a lark. He is horny and sucking each other off is just another crazy stunt to try. But it doesn’t take long before Andy is really craving that sexual connection, and pushing the boundaries a little at a time. At the same time, he has his future planned and he can’t figure out how a relationship with Jake works in it all. Andy could have been a frustrating character, but Easton does a great job helping us to understand the pressure he feels to live up to his father’s goals for him, and how that sense of obligation has been guiding him. And when it comes down to it, Andy makes the right move and we get a really lovely ending for the pair.

So this is a great, sexy story that really has a lot of heart too. Easton manages to take a light and easy premise and add a real layer of depth, both in these characters as well as the growth of their relationship. I enjoyed this one quite a lot and would definitely recommend it.

So, the setup is completely ridiculous but you know what? I don’t even care!

Here it is:

Andy and Jake have been best friends for years. The pair are known for doing stupid stunts but the latest is the stupidest of all. While drunk, Andy decides that holding lit firecrackers will impress their college buds so Jake goes along with it. Andy says he’s tested this out, so why not? The stunt predictably leaves them both with badly burned hands that will take months to heal. They decide to heal together at Andy’s family cottage (his family is wealthy) where two kind souls come in daily to help them shower, provide nursing care and prepare their meals. Soon they tire of Netflix and the inability to, ahem, pleasure themselves (kind of tough without hands) and they start experimenting with each other. Andy, previously straight, starts getting feelings for his bisexual friend who has loved him forever and you just know this is going to get messy.

I told you the setup was ridiculous but hey, I still don’t care. It’s sexy and fun and sometimes you just need a little frivolity in your reading life.



These two were best friends and that came across in their thoughts and actions. Neither wanted to step over a line and lose the other and neither could come right out and express their true feelings fearing they’d lose their best friend. It’s a sticky situation, to be sure. The relationship started out as simply a means to ease their sexual pain but it soon morphed into something that had been simmering below the surface for years.

I really enjoyed this story for all of its sweet sexiness. The only thing I wasn’t too thrilled about were all of the flashbacks to their silly stunts in the past. Those kept throwing me out of the current story. One or two would’ve done the trick, if anyone were asking me. Other than that this story was exactly what I hoped it would be. There was plenty of time spent developing both characters which would’ve been a complete disaster done wrong as they were pretty much the only two in story! There’s a little angst but it was never unbearable. I actually enjoyed Andy’s struggles to figure basically everything out; his future, his sexual preferences, his career path. Argh, so stressful! But when the light finally turns on it feels genuine. That isn’t something I can say about a lot of romances. I really loved these two and almost finished this book in one sitting because I just didn’t want to put it down. They were both sweet and slightly goofy and acted their age without being obnoxious. If you’re ever looking for a fun romance this is a pretty good one.

Five Dares by Eli Easton is a sweet, romantic, bromance of a read. I could not stop reading this one over and over again. Just makes me smile to read it.
Andy and Jake have been together since they were little. They are best friends. Every time that Andy feels out of control or that Jake might leave him, he does these hair-brained schemes. Of course, Jake does them with him.
Their latest stunt involving firecrackers has left the both burnt and healing up in a summer cottage together. Now Andy has never openly admitted showing he loves Jake. But Jake has strong feelings for Andy.
When things happen, and Jake feels he cannot hide his feelings anymore, he runs. He runs to LA and new school. Andy left without his best friend must come to terms with what he wants out of life and how to get his best friend back.
I loved best friends becoming lovers. I think that is the way all true love should be. I stated at the start this is one story that kept me smiling. It does. Andy is a character, and Jake is his wingman all the way. When you want a story to make you believe in true love with humor thrown in I recommend this one.


Five Shooting Stars

Cleaning up my TBR.

This book was just ok. I read it in a day but it didn't give me the joy I look for in books.

Mare~Slitsread

Reviews shared on Goodreads, Amazon, B& N and V's Reads: https://vsreads.com/2018/01/11/the-thrills-continue-five-dares-a-review/

Andy and Jake have been best friends for a decade or more. They grew up together in the Boston area, went to school together and have been roommates for four years now at NYU, from which they’ve just graduated. As kids and adults, Jake has had a secret crush on Andy, the wild and charismatic son of an esteemed lawyer and a financial planner. Andy has a penchant for planning outrageous dares that Jake has been a part of as well, either as the front man egging him on and ginning up the crowd (at Andy’s behest) or as a co-participant. Jake gets a thrill out of being Andy’s closest confidant, but he’s wanted more for a long time now. Jake’s anxious to move to the west coast, knowing that he’ll leave Andy behind, so that he can maybe get the space he needs to find a boyfriend who can love him, unlike Andy who he believes is happily heterosexual.

Andy plans a spectacular dare for a big graduation party–and for once it goes horribly wrong. Andy and Jake end up with second degree burns on their palms, and Jake’s unable to leave for his new job; they both need eight weeks of rest to allow their skin to heal. Andy’s father is frustrated that Andy pulled another stunt, one that sabotaged his summer internship before he starts Harvard Law school in the fall, but Andy’s somewhat thrilled. He gets his father to let him and Jake their family cabin on Cape Cod in which to recuperate. They have daily nurse visits, and the cabin caretaker’s willing to make some meals for them while they both remain bandaged and a bit surly through recovery. Andy didn’t want to see his best friend leave, and this affords them a chance to have some uninterrupted time together before the next phase of their lives begins. Andy’s known that Jake is bisexual, at the very least, for more than a year, and he doesn’t understand why Jake never told him. Doesn’t Jake trust him? Doesn’t Jake want him? Should Andy want Jake to want him? It’s a hornet’s nest of jealousy, in Andy’s mind.

As the days and weeks pass and the boredom sets in, Andy comes up with a new dare, one that will scratch his itch for Jake’s undivided attention: that they combine forces to get each other off. They have no other sexual outlet, and can’t use their own hands to do the deed, not with all the bandages in the way, but some careful positioning might just allow for physical release. Jake’s not down with it, though, because he’s already too in love with Andy, and doesn’t want his heart smashed just for some experimental fling. The thing is, Jake’s been well-trained to go along with Andy’s dares, and this time he’s going to get more than a rush out of it. They only have a handful of weeks left together. And they make the most of it…until the next dare: falling head over heels in love.

This is such a sweet friends-to-lovers story. They history is carefully added in a series of vignette flashbacks that really demonstrate the bond between Andy and Jake, a bond Andy didn’t recognize was love until he’d almost lost Jake, and himself, in his new and lonely future. Andy’s father is a stern taskmaster and Andy can’t see veering of the path they outlined years ago, when Andy was still just a teen. But he’s not happy, and he misses Jake terribly. Their summer of love ended too soon, and his heart can’t take the thought that Jake will move on without him. Andy hadn’t considered himself bisexual, at all, until their summer together, but he’s miserable when Jake moves on to his new job. Jake isn’t doing much better, even though he likes his job and reconnecting with his sister, with whom he now lives. That said, he’s moping over the separation, and had to cut all contact with Jake in order to heal his busted heart. Naturally another dare brings them back together–not a good one, actually, but the more they chat the more Andy recognizes the reason for all his dares, stemming for the very first one, was gaining Jake’s attention and admiration. From then it’s just some career-plan gymnastics to reunite this couple for real.

There’s so much tenderness on the page, and some really steamy bits, too. We get both Andy and Jake’s point of view, so we can see all the internal anguish they manage as their relationship morphs. It was cool how Andy reached out to his mom for help, and advice, and how their conversation allowed Andy to re-evaluate his life goals and tailor them to his current dreams. He’s always been super athletic, and the branch of law he’d initially chosen wasn’t suitable to his outgoing and active personality. Plus, what’s the point of playing it safe all the time? For a dare-master like Andy it’s go big, or go home. And he’s never just gone home. It’s probably why he and Jake fit so well; their mutual love of the thrills in life. It’s a happy ending all around.

The author is one of my favorites but for some reason I didn’t enjoy this book. I didn’t connect with the characters or plot. I can’t pinpoint why, it’s purely a taste thing.

Andy Tyler and Jake Masterson have been best friends all the way through school to college. Andy came up with the outrageously dangerous dares they became infamous for and Jake was his wingman, always backing him up. However, their last and most dangerous dare goes wrong and they both end up with serious damage to their hands making everyday life difficult. They head off to Andy’s family costal cottage to recover and become even closer than ever. Andy doesn’t think twice about the obvious way of relieving their frustration but Jake tries to resist as he has been fighting his attraction to Andy for years.
It’s a sweet and funny look at men’s feelings and resistance to the norm. Plus its seriously hot, I really enjoyed it.

Loved this book, Jake and Andy are wonderful characters, the story is sweet, sad, angst filled and full of love. This was a great read.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Five-Dares-Eli-Easton-ebook/product-reviews/B0763HKS82/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

This was a fun read about two prankster best friends who accidentally burn their hands and have to spend the summer together while they recuperate. The premise seemed a bit far fetched, but it was executed well in a way that made it seem more believable. Overall, this was a fun read!

Five Dares is a m/m romance novel written by Eli Easton. I normally prefer m/m historical romance novels, but the plot sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try.

Andy and Jake have been friends since childhood. Andy has always been a prankster, and Jake is part of the act because he always “dares” Andy to perform the dangerous stunts. Nothing has ever gone wrong, but that changes at their college graduation party. The accident leaves both of them with two bandaged hands.

As they spend the summer recuperating on Nantucket, they share their frustrations about not being able to use their hands. Of course, their primary frustration is not being able to tend to personal urges, so a joking suggestion is tossed out that perhaps they could help each other out with that. They quickly realize that their connection is palpable and transcends friendship. But what will happen when the bandages come off and they don’t need to rely on each other anymore?

This was a fun story. It’s told from both Andy and Jake’s points of view, so it’s interesting to see their different thought processes. Their scenes together are very well written, and while the focus is on the physical aspect, there’s also an emotional component.

I would recommend Five Dares to fans of m/m romance novels. Easton really had me wondering if there would be a happily ever after! I’m pleased to have discovered a new author, and I’ll look out for more Easton novels in the future!

Overall it was a nice story, I just had a few issues with it. I can't imagine two young men being best friends all through middle school, HS, and four years in the dorms at NYU and Andy never suspects Jake's attracted to him? Not wanting to get into spoilers for this review I won't talk about the events at the lake house, but I was definitely scratching my head, "humm...?"

Throughout the whole story I felt like both characters were pretty two dimensional, and not real enough. Easton could have trusted these guys with a little more, a little sooner.

I also felt we got too bogged down by the details. Details of the dares, details of the families, girls, jobs, finances. So I was hoping to get back to the hot sex, cuz that part worked for me.

A big redeeming factor in this book was the ending. It had some nice spins and was pretty original. And, of course, as with everything Eli Easton writes the story flows well and is perfectly edited. I just found my interest lagging at times.

This was perfect. I ADORE ANDY AND JAKE! Together they were fantastic. I loved the setting.

Man. They had so much chemistry, and my my my was it yummy! But also sweet and well, very very enjoyable!! :)

Beautifully written, wonderful storytelling and just my kind of humor.

I WANT MORE.

Would highly recommend :)

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

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this story as so many other people did. I found parts of it entertaining, but for the most part implausible. Now, if you are looking for something light and carefree, this would be it. The sex is intense and I did like when it was Jake's POV because he truly had feelings for Andy already and it was nice to see how he thought of their "relationship."

In all truth I didn't like these characters because they were so immature and I didn't see the situation at all realistic. Yep, I knew what I was getting into with this story but I had different expectations on how it would play out, and that is probably why I didn't care for the story - preconceived ideas not realized.

I didn't like the flash backs to when they were kids as I didn't see there value in present day. Yes, it shows them being close as kids and all that, but I've read lots of stories with friends going back years and there is no need for flashback to prove their bond.

And since I can't think I anything really nice to say I will leave it at that. ;)

I would have liked this book so much more if it was called Four Dares...

Up until that last part everything was great:

We have two childhood friends who have just graduated from college and are experiencing a bit of a separation anxiety as they are about to start living different lives far away from each other for the first time.

The book is split in five parts and each of them contains a dare in present time and a dare that happened while they were growing up.

Most of their old dares were dangerous but Andy had planned most of them beforehand in order to make them as safe as possible. They were mostly stunts, designed to wow and scare a crowd. I guess you can say they were showmen.

While they were young I could understand them doing stupid and dangerous things but as they grew up it seemed that they should have matured and moved on from all that (with that I'm refering to the pool scene in the last chapter of the book).

Normaly, I'm not a big fan of flashbacks but here I enjoyed reading about their past adventures. Those chapters gave us a better understanding of the relationship those two friends had. They were a team and always the most important person in each other's life. No other friends or past girlfriends could compete with the connection they had.

In present time we saw Andy and Jake becoming closer and witnessed their relationship change from friends to lovers. It was handled really well by the author and she managed to convey their feelings about this change in a great way. It happened over the summer and not over a night and we saw the little things that made this change emotional as well as physical.

The fifth part of the book was so different than what came before it. It was corny, silly and constantly made me want to roll my eyes while reading it. It's the last few chapters of the book so I won't go into detail as I don't want to spoil anything but I wasn't a fan of most of the events that took place there.

I would have rated higher but because of that last part I'm going to give this 3.5 stars.



* A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. *

Five Dares is a fun, sweet, sexy friends-to-lovers romance.

Jake and Andy have been best friends for years. They've just graduated from NYU when Andy comes up with one of his brilliant (not so much) dares to hold lit fireworks in the palms of their hands to freak out their friends at the celebratory party they're attending. Of course the dare goes wrong and the boys end up with first and second degree burns all over their hands. Which means 6-8 weeks of not using their bandaged hands, which means no immediately moving to California for Jake for his new tech job, and no immediately moving to Boston for Harvard Law School for Andy. When faced with 2 months at a summer cottage in Nantucket, the boys are restless and unable to get themselves off. When Andy comes up with another dare - get each other off using only their mouths (since they're not supposed to be using their hands for anything), how does poor Jake react? Poor Jake, who's bi and not out to Andy, and who has been in love with his best friend for years? At first he says hell no, but then caves like he ALWAYS caves to Andy's dares/stunts. And this is where it all went wrong. Because it never, ever goes right when one friend is in love with the other, he or she always, always gets his or her heart broken by the one without the feelings.

That's not to say that Andy doesn't love Jake, because he does, as a best friend. He's just unaware of Andy's more romantic feelings. AND, and it's a big and, Andy is one of the most oblivious, un self-aware people I have ever come across in fiction. I really felt for Jake because I could see the heartbreak coming a mile away. Thank God for Andy's very perceptive, surprisingly loving mother, because if Andy hadn't had her, I doubt Andy would have ever had his epiphany that was necessary for our two boys to get their s*** together and sort things out.

If you love MM, friends-to-lovers, or just simply charming, sweet, and sexy romances with two adorable guys, put Five Dares on your TBR list today. It's a gem amongst some of the really bad romances I've had the displeasure of reading lately.

**I received a copy of Five Dares from Riptide Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

Five Dares by Eli Easton is a stand alone m/m novel that will have your heart wrapped around both Jake and Andy's story from the first page. It's the first time I've read Eli Easton and look forward in reading more of her books.

Andy Tyler is a dare devil who manages to convince Jake to join in on every dare that he's done but it will take the entire story before he realizes why he does the stunts. But heeding his parents wishes he's off to Harvard law after graduating with his BFF from NYC and convinces Jake to do the firecracker dare with very series results. They decide to spend the summer at the Tyler's Cape Cod cottage, where both of them soon realize that there is more to their relationship.

Jake Masterson has been Andy's friend since 7th grade, he's carried a secret crush on him for what seems like forever. While their hands heal Andy comes up with five dares that will take them to the next level but will someone end up hurt at the end of the summer? When Jake goes to California and Andy begins his law degree at Harvard, there will be broken hearts and a sudden realization that perhaps the dares will lead them to a life together. Can they convince their families that this is real and forever?

Author Eli Easton does romance unlike any other. Her offerings are sweet, lighthearted, and offer a few moments of delightful escapism for anyone wanting a story that always ends happily. Her latest offering, Five Dares, doesn’t break that form, but, as usual, it gives us two wonderful characters you can’t help but love.

Andy and Jake have been friends forever, and they’ve had each other’s backs from the very start. Every time Andy gets the itch to do something crazy, Jake is right there with him, sometimes playing the straight guy to Andy’s seeming madness, and other times joining in the insanity. They have very few secrets from each other, except for one very important one—the fact that Jake has had a hard-core crush on his best friend for years. Jake has known for some time that he is bisexual, and even though he has dated both sexes, it’s Andy who has really captured his heart. But Andy is blissfully unaware of his friend’s feelings until one last dare turns wrong, and both men must spend the summer recuperating in a cabin together. Suddenly the dares that Andy has always come up with hit a bit too close to home for Jake, particularly since they involve no-strings-attached sex with his very straight best friend.

Andy views his dares as nothing more than a means to an end. Since neither he nor Jake can use their hands due to the accident that landed them both in the cabin together, why not put their mouths to work instead? The only problem is that what should be nothing more than a means to get off and ease some of the sexual tension Andy is feeling, turns into something more. Could Andy be gay? No, but there is definitely something happening every time Jake touches him, and Andy will eventually have to come to terms with the fact that he enjoys his best friend taking on the role of his lover. When Jake comes clean and admits his attraction and the fact that he is bisexual, a light bulb goes off for Andy, and his once clear-cut future implodes.

First, I need to say that I really appreciate that the author did not go the wrong and easy path of giving us a gay for you trope that would cheapen and deny the idea of her characters embracing their bisexuality. These were two men who could not only acknowledge that both sexes turned them on but that their feelings for each other were also rock solid. They were comfortable in their sexuality, once they understood it, and the author treated it with respect. Was the story a bit far-fetched in terms of coincidences and how neatly it wrapped up? Yes, I cannot deny that it was pure fantasy, given the intensity of Andy’s parents (particularly his dad, who had mapped out Andy’s life for years), and the anxiety that presented. But despite the fairly quick resolution, this was still a satisfying love story that had humor, passion and genuine sweetness.

The chemistry between Andy and Jake was undeniable, and the foundation for their relationship was built on years of friendship which made the transition to lovers much easier to understand and accept. The use of flashbacks that revealed just how close these two men had grown to each other over the years only aided the swiftness of their emotional involvement, and built a case for the way in which Andy was able to thwart the plans his father had so carefully laid out for his future. In essence, we watched these two young men grow up and mature, which gave credence to their deep emotional attachment to each other.

Five Dares may not be some involved, angsty romance that teeters on the brink of self-destructing at a moment’s notice, as so many do these days, but it is a deeply satisfying romance nonetheless. It’s light, whimsical tone allows us to escape into fantasy for just a little while, and weaves a story that will leave you smiling in the end.

If you can get over the complete absurdity of the plot, then this is actually a good book. I honestly enjoyed it - I mean the guys were totally hot and worth continuing to read. I enjoyed their slow-build love, but some parts just had me saying 'seriously?' and rolling my eyes. I mean it's perfectly normal for a straight guy to suggest mutual pleasure in varying degrees with another guy and it not mean a thing, right? I wasn't buying it, but again, I still enjoyed the sex scenes (they were hot) and liked the way this all turned into something more.

Andy and Jake have been inseparable for a long time. Andy is always coming up with these insane stunts and somehow he always convinces Jake to go along with his plan and join in. Some are pretty tame, but I have to say, Andy seemed to have a death wish for some of the others, including the one that finally caused them physical harm. The last 'dare' involved them holding a lit firecracker in their hand, only it went off earlier than expected and left them with bandaged hands for the summer. So what do these recent college grads do? They stay in Andy's family cabin and have some help from a nurse and cook during those weeks. Only they start to go a bit crazy with pent up sexual frustration the first few weeks and since they have no use of their hands, Andy comes up with a plan to get them both off. This was just the first eye roll moment for me - especially since they get off several times a day (that doesn't scream 'I'm straight' at all). It was obvious that Jake had a thing for Andy, but Andy just wasn't seeing it. So Jake loved it, of course, since it meant he finally got the one thing he wanted, only he doesn't really have Andy the way he wants.

These 'dares' to relieve sexual tension continue throughout the summer and only get increasingly more intimate. By the end of the summer, Jake is still in love with his best friend, but is moving to California and Andy is going to Harvard law school. Andy comes to his senses, realizes why he's been doing these dares most of his life with Jake and they get their HEA. I thoroughly enjoyed the last 20% of the book and loved the way these two made things work in the end. This was my first Eli Easton book, but will probably not be my last.