Frat House Troopers (Manga) (Brandt and Donnelly Capers)

OK, so state-trooper Brandt has the unlikely undercover job of trying to infiltrate a gay porn operation featuring supposedly straight college guys... This IS explained, whether you buy it or not is another thing. But although there is a HUGE suspension of disbelief gap to get over, the tone of the writing is so sure and smooth that I could put any reservations on a back-burner and just go along with it. Brandt is not happy with the assignment, but he's young and good-looking enough to actually not be laughed at as he tries to get into the operation to see if there's cooked books or something illegal going on. The feelings of doing something way beyond his usual boundaries (yeah, he's straight and has never even looked at another man in lust), is eased by some sweet/cute intro to the gay life as he tries to dress for the part. The shop assistants at the kookily named shops are just hilarious. Stereotypes, perhaps, but kindly depicted and lots of fun. And the Intro to Gay lessons keep going in a way that is sometimes over-the-top, but seemingly fitting in this whole crazy scenario. I had to say that I really, really enjoyed the read. It was somewhat serious, not entirely believable, but I WANTED to believe, and was otherwise just plain fun and not a little bizarre, but in a good way. The crazy mix made it a bit of a stand-out where m/m romances can sometimes get as formulaic as the m/f romances. This one was different (even when employing lots of familiar tropes), and a heck of a lot of fun. Hot and sexy love and crazy characters just add to the spicy fun. And it's not quite as silly as the title implies. I can hardly wait to read more from this writer.

4.5 Stars! Jointly reviewed:[...] Gitte: So Jenny I absolutely LOVED this book, what a surprising read, for so many reasons. I almost didn't pick it up because I thought, at the time, this title is kind of cheesy and I wasn't too keen on the cover, but then that's me, I am a cover snob. However, this story was not only hot, it was so funny, sweet and most importantly very well written. This story was just what I needed! Jenny: I absolutely agree GG. Great find and yes, it was all that and more. I will admit it, when you first said we should read this I wasn't sure what to expect, given the title and the cover, I was the same. I thought it would be a bit of a cheesy romp but wow! How wrong was I? I absolutely loved this book. It was indeed well written and well, just an all `round fun, sweet, hot and entertaining read. Gitte: I thought this story was really well paced. We got to know the characters, connect with them and fall love with them, as the story unfolded naturally. The intrigue had me guessing all the way through and there were just enough twists and thrills in regard to the undercover case which Brandt was working on. Gabriel and Ethan were gorgeous and so lovable; especially Gabriel, I have to say he had me *sighing*, he was such a funny and "take me as I come" character, with a hint of vulnerability too. I wanted to cuddle him so many times in this story. Now, Ethan, umm wow...shower scene!! What is it about shower scenes?? Jenny: Without a doubt GG! I definitely connected with Troopers, Ethan Brandt and Gabrielle Donnelly (geez, even their names are hot!) and absolutely loved the interaction between these two. Both characters brought so much to the story and both these men were such relatable and loveable characters and ummm yeah, THAT shower scene.....gulp!!!! The story was indeed well paced and I especially loved how the author tested the waters with their relationship and let it build in its own time right to the end. It wasn't rushed and it certainly wasn't slow. Yes, this story unfolded perfectly for me. Gitte: Okay Jenny, so what did I love? I loved the friendship between Gabriel and Ethan. I loved the comical scenes with them on their shopping trips, the "handholding" when things went outside the comfort zone, as well as the "pretend Chess scene". I loved that once the "discovery" had been made how sweet they went about trying things out. It wasn't full on; it was hesitant and loving from the start. I LOVED Bryce...seriously I wish I knew a Bryce because he has to be one of the most FAB-U-LUSH and vivacious characters I have come across oh and Nestor...the pair of them...hilarious. Seriously Jenny, can you imagine us two on a night out with them...how FUN would that be!! Jenny: Haha! GG the shopping trips floored me!!! Two "heterosexual" guys shopping in a gay shopping precinct made for some fun reading. There were so many funny lines on those shopping trips I would have been highlighting for pages. Bryce absolutely killed me. He was gorgeous and so bloody funny! "Your panties need to say, "Tear me off, for I contain wonders!" Those say, "Look away while I complete your tax forms" I loved the comical discussions they had: "what do you think women use theirs for? Shooting out doves at weddings?" (folks you'll have to read the book to understand that one haha) and yes, I absolutely loved seeing these two outside their comfort zone and how they reacted. The relationship was handled so well and it was never rushed nor felt contrived. Gitte: Now I have no idea whether or not the straight to gay psychology in this story is realistic, but I have to say I don't really care. I think this story has some great emotional moments, fab humour, and intrigue and yeah it was hot!! I read it in one sitting because I could simply not put it down. Jenny: Oh me neither! I don't care if any of it's true or realistic. It didn't matter to me because I was swept up in this story. I just loved it for what it brought and how I felt reading it. I enjoyed the emotional, the funny, the steam factor and I enjoyed the warmth of the characters both main and secondary. They all brought something to the table and made this such an enjoyable read that we both couldn't put down. "He studied Brand's face carefully, as carefully as Brandt had searched his, and then he knew - he knew what Brandt meant"

This can't be a first novel - it has got to be a pseudonym for someone who's done a lot more writing than this. This book is incredibly well written, and that's coming from a fellow gay erotica writer who's grudging with his praise. A lot of self published work has terrible grammar, syntax, spelling, punctuation, and overall bad writing, but this is the gold standard right here, folks. The characters are realistic, the plot is believable and interesting, the jokes are funny, the erotic elements are incredibly hot...maybe the romance is a little corny for me but I'm not the sentimental type. If you want some top notch entertainment with a hot erotic element, here's the real deal. Brad Vance ([...])

When thrown into an undercover assignment from hell, at least that's how Brandt sees it, embarrassment leads to arousal which leads back to embarrassment. Next comes shock followed by epiphany and finally love. When the case is all said and done, Brandt and Donnelly walk away with new friends, new discoveries, occupational recognition, and the best of all a new found love. How they get there is a unique blend of comedy, mystery, sex, and love that makes this series a guilty pleasure that I don't feel all that guilty about enjoying.

It wasn't the greatest book I've read, but it was ok. I thought some parts were good, but others were kinda hard to grasp. Things just didn't follow a normal progression to me. Some parts took forever and other parts it was like "Wait... where did that come from?"

Okaaaaay - I should give the book 3 stars but I'll make it 4 stars. Why??? Because it's just cute and the guys are funny. The author delivered for me the best dialogues. Therefore they get the additional star. I laughed a lot in the beginning. Brandt and Donnelly are just hilarious together and very entertaining. But...and here are the reasons why it should be less stars: I hated the indecisive POV. Generally I'm not against changing POVs. But then it must be well written and thoughout the whole book. Here we start with Brandt for a long time, then suddenly we get short and less short POVs from secondary characters like Bryce and Eugene (and there was really no reason at all why we did). Then back to Brandt for a while and suddenly we do a ping pong in headhopping between Brandt and Donelly, in some scenes I felt like being in both heads at the same time. Seriously..sometimes I wasn't sure in whose head I was while reading. And for me...sorry, the sex didn't do it. That was kind of over the top exagerated and a bit ...*cough* boring. I started to skip the 69. Less would have been more in my opinion (and seriously I love good sex scenes). So that had been all I had to nag about, both a reason to deduct a star. But as I said, for the funny dialogues I'll add another one.

I must of read this book half a dozen times and I'm always finding new things I love about it. I've read the whole series many times and it just gets better as the series goes on! Ethan Brandt handles everything thrown at him like a trooper that he is! He is very serious about his job, and even when he gets he latest assignment to infiltrate a sex-cam operation he takes it seriously. Poor Donnelly is just along for the crazy ride. The outfits he ended up wearing always bring a chuckle up. He really grew as the book went on, and he really did himself proud. At first he says away in his mind that he might like Donnelly more than a friend, but with the help of Nick from the cam site, he learns a lot about himself. There are many people who help him on his journey of discover, it's amazing to watch it happen. Gabriel Donnelly just melts my heart. He has been through so much and he is still so optimistic. He takes to this new assignment with gusto and it brings up so many funny moments. He is so waring with his growing feeling for Brandt, and it all explodes to the surface when he has to do the one on one cam session. It was so hot though! He has and easier time coming to terms with his feelings for Ethan, he has many good role models to lead the way. He also becomes more aware of what his brother had to go through as a gay man, and it was really touching to see that. He will always be my favourite! I liked their growing relationship, and they are so sweet together. They make each other stronger and don't let the thoughts of others pull them down. The best example is the scene in the cafe. They handled it amazingly well. The sex scenes are so hot, and they have so much electricity when they are together! The side characters were amazing! I loved Will and Luca as they really parallel the relationship between Brandt and Donnelly! Bryce was so funny. He really lived up to his flaming queen status. Then just throw in Nestor with him and it's twice as funny. Nick was such an amazing friend to Ethan through all this. One moment set about with him in the story, sets about a big change in himself for Ethan. I love seeing the array of different relationships in this book. It just truly shows us that love is love! When Ethan and Gabriel commit to a relationship together, they got at it with gusto. It all just flowed together really well and the storyline gets so much better as the book progress. This is just the starting point of the amazing and loving relationship between Ethan and Gabriel. I loved the story so much that after time I got use to the back and forth of character point of view. It doesn't detract from the book. I so recommend continuing on this amazing journey with them, you won't be disappointed!

The DA wants to clean up the city so State Troopers Ethan Brandt and Gabriel Donnelly are sent to dig up evidence against a sex-cam enterprise which masquerades as a frat house, with Brandt going undercover and auditioning to be a budding gay porn star and Donnelly acting as his handler. Brandt and Donnelly have always been straight, so they find things pretty confronting at first; however, Brandt’s undercover role challenges both men’s assumptions about themselves and each other. I loved every moment of this, it’s a flimsy excuse for a very steamy story but very entertaining and a whole lot of fun! There are plenty of hilarious characters and Peter B. Brooke does an excellent job of channeling them and the humour on the audiobook. This is the first in a six-book series but, unfortunately, it’s the only one on audio.

So. What I want to know is, where has writer been hiding from me all these years? I discovered accidentally - through the recommendation of one of you fabulous people - a book by Xavier Mayne called Frat House Troopers. A sort of GFY story but so much more. The story is cute; the angst there but not overwhelming. Dialogues are simply sensational. There is drama and humour - I frightened the dogs on my beds a few times with my outbursts of laughter. The supporting cast is to die for.The writing is divinely liquid and simple. I enjoyed this so much that I went out and got all the published books in the series. I have started the second one and yes, it was not a fluke. As good as the first one... Do your jaded palates a treat!

Ich fand den schreibstil grottig. Außerdem war viel zu viel gay for you vorhanden. Die shopping Trips haben nach dem zweiten mal auch nur noch genervt. Die Love Story war unglaubwürdig. Nicht meins kann ich nicht empfehlen.