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The Secret of Obedience
Opposites attract, but secrets divide... Ronnie Durand is a country boy who transfers to the University of Washington after two years at Central. He'll have to give up playing football, though finishing his education at a major university in Seattle--and being out and proud without having to look over his shoulder--makes the sacrifice worthwhile.
But finding friends at a huge school is tough, especially when the hottest guy Ronnie meets makes him doubt his own sanity.
Sang's been on his own a long time. He's only a couple steps away from living on the street, and he's got dreams so big they don't leave space for a steady boyfriend. Then he meets Ronnie, who just might be strong enough to break through his barriers....as long as Sang lets him in on one big secret.
But finding friends at a huge school is tough, especially when the hottest guy Ronnie meets makes him doubt his own sanity.
Sang's been on his own a long time. He's only a couple steps away from living on the street, and he's got dreams so big they don't leave space for a steady boyfriend. Then he meets Ronnie, who just might be strong enough to break through his barriers....as long as Sang lets him in on one big secret.
- GenresM M RomanceRomance
44 pages, ebook
First published November 27, 2015
About the author
Liv Rancourt
49 books178 followersLiv Rancourt writes romance of all kinds. Because love is love, even with fangs.
Liv is a huge fan of paranormal romance and urban fantasy and loves history just as much, so her stories often feature vampires or magic or they’re set in the past…or all of the above. When Liv isn’t writing she takes care of tiny premature babies in the NICU. Her husband is a soul of patience, her kids are her pride and joy, and her dogs – Trash Panda and The Boy Genius – are endlessly entertaining.
Liv is a huge fan of paranormal romance and urban fantasy and loves history just as much, so her stories often feature vampires or magic or they’re set in the past…or all of the above. When Liv isn’t writing she takes care of tiny premature babies in the NICU. Her husband is a soul of patience, her kids are her pride and joy, and her dogs – Trash Panda and The Boy Genius – are endlessly entertaining.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 23, 2015
No BDSM – All Hot Sweet Romance
Sorry, I had to do the BDSM disclaimer because the title hints strongly at a different type of story.
I loved this story and I’m not sure how to describe it. Jock/Twink? New Adult? New Beginnings? None of the catch-phrases seem quite adequate.
Hot. Sweet. Bright. Hopeful. Those are maybe a little closer.
Yes, there really is a secret, and I won’t divulge it. You can read the blurb if you want the premise, but the blurb won’t tell you the best thing about this book. For me, the strengths of this story were Sang and Sugar Cookie. Sang with his delicate exterior and tough attitude. Ronnie (Sugar Cookie), the jock, who’s arrogant about his athletic prowess but adorably nervous about life in the big city. Both men felt incredibly real to me. I fell a little in love with them during their first meeting on the street and I was rooting for them all the way.
Definitely a recommended read for me.
Sorry, I had to do the BDSM disclaimer because the title hints strongly at a different type of story.
I loved this story and I’m not sure how to describe it. Jock/Twink? New Adult? New Beginnings? None of the catch-phrases seem quite adequate.
Hot. Sweet. Bright. Hopeful. Those are maybe a little closer.
Yes, there really is a secret, and I won’t divulge it. You can read the blurb if you want the premise, but the blurb won’t tell you the best thing about this book. For me, the strengths of this story were Sang and Sugar Cookie. Sang with his delicate exterior and tough attitude. Ronnie (Sugar Cookie), the jock, who’s arrogant about his athletic prowess but adorably nervous about life in the big city. Both men felt incredibly real to me. I fell a little in love with them during their first meeting on the street and I was rooting for them all the way.
Definitely a recommended read for me.
November 27, 2015
This exquisite little novella packs a solid punch of sass and feels. I love the frank narrative voice of Ronnie, “gay country boy” and ex-footballer, who acknowledges his naivety but goes the hell after what he wants. And that’s the sassy, eyeliner-and-lipgloss-wearing Sang — elusive, effervescent, Ronnie’s own “freaky, funky beauty”, who gives his “sugar cookie” a run for his money.
The language in this novella is wonderful. Liv has totally nailed her descriptions with witty images and clever details that are just spot on. And the banter between all the characters is saucy and honest and very real. The naughty scenes are hot and written at just the right level, and there’s no mistaking the depth and growth of feeling Ronnie and Sang have for each other across only 40 pages. Normally I find this length too short for strong character/emotional development, but not here.
There’s also a couple of well-drawn supporting characters, and a nod to the Washington state Referendum 74 to approve or reject the February 2012 bill to legalize same-sex marriage.
Overall the novella is a really neat little package with depth and diversity and satisfying levels of emotional intensity. The “secret” aspect of the title isn’t all that difficult to pick, but this is not a mystery story, so who cares. It’s about love and acceptance and fighting for what you want — and quirky fashion.
I love this one rather a lot. Highly recommended for m/m (in fact all romance) fans!
The language in this novella is wonderful. Liv has totally nailed her descriptions with witty images and clever details that are just spot on. And the banter between all the characters is saucy and honest and very real. The naughty scenes are hot and written at just the right level, and there’s no mistaking the depth and growth of feeling Ronnie and Sang have for each other across only 40 pages. Normally I find this length too short for strong character/emotional development, but not here.
There’s also a couple of well-drawn supporting characters, and a nod to the Washington state Referendum 74 to approve or reject the February 2012 bill to legalize same-sex marriage.
Overall the novella is a really neat little package with depth and diversity and satisfying levels of emotional intensity. The “secret” aspect of the title isn’t all that difficult to pick, but this is not a mystery story, so who cares. It’s about love and acceptance and fighting for what you want — and quirky fashion.
I love this one rather a lot. Highly recommended for m/m (in fact all romance) fans!
December 17, 2015
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
What an unexpected treat this story was. Unexpected because this was the first book I have read by this author and just within the first few pages she captured so many intriguing sparkles of thought. For the duration of the story we are with Ronnie as he is first adjusting to life in the city. Ronnie is an athletic guy and has always been attracted to smaller men, but he is so not prepared for Sang. Rancourt uses an edible supply of descriptions that only added to the erotic feel, and when the guys meet, Sang immediately has a nickname for Ronnie and Ronnie is entirely captivated.
Ronnie is a straight forward guy but Sang has a secret as is referenced in the title. The mystery of Sang is unraveled throughout the book, but Sang was such an intriguing character and more from him or more of him would have greatly added to their story. This story was a great read with enough character development to carry most of it and, while I could have used an additional scene as the ending was abrupt and rushed, such is the nature of a short story. So instead of me pulling out yet another quote to share with you, pick up your own copy of The Secret of Obedience. As an added incentive or to take note of: “All proceeds from the sale of this story will go to the NOVA Project, Seattle Public Schools alternative high school.”
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
4 stars
What an unexpected treat this story was. Unexpected because this was the first book I have read by this author and just within the first few pages she captured so many intriguing sparkles of thought. For the duration of the story we are with Ronnie as he is first adjusting to life in the city. Ronnie is an athletic guy and has always been attracted to smaller men, but he is so not prepared for Sang. Rancourt uses an edible supply of descriptions that only added to the erotic feel, and when the guys meet, Sang immediately has a nickname for Ronnie and Ronnie is entirely captivated.
Ronnie is a straight forward guy but Sang has a secret as is referenced in the title. The mystery of Sang is unraveled throughout the book, but Sang was such an intriguing character and more from him or more of him would have greatly added to their story. This story was a great read with enough character development to carry most of it and, while I could have used an additional scene as the ending was abrupt and rushed, such is the nature of a short story. So instead of me pulling out yet another quote to share with you, pick up your own copy of The Secret of Obedience. As an added incentive or to take note of: “All proceeds from the sale of this story will go to the NOVA Project, Seattle Public Schools alternative high school.”
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
November 28, 2015
I want to say this was a awesome book you have two guys from two sides of the road i think love the neck names in this book and the banter between sugar cookie and Sang they are so awesome together. You will fall in love with these two and i hope that everybody that reads this book will get how they are together. This is a book for everybody to read so go ahead and one click you will love it for the country boy and the city slicker.
December 14, 2015
3.5 STARS
Twenty-one year old Ronnie Durand is a little overwhelmed. He’s just moved to the University of Washington, he had to give up playing football and for the first time he can simply relax and “be gay”. Problem is, his only friend is straight, and hardly wants to go hang out in gay bars with Ronnie. Luckily for Ronnie, the perfect guy for him practically runs straight into his arms on the street one night. Sang is so small and pretty and feminine that at first Ronnie isn’t completely sure that he’s a man, but he decides that he likes Sang so much he doesn’t even care. The two men hook up a couple of times, but whenever Ronnie sees Sang at school, Sang pretends that he doesn’t know him.
This short story is told from Ronnie’s first person point of view, and I really liked the way the author executed it. To begin with it felt kind of awkward or stilted, like Ronnie was relating a story that he wasn’t confident in telling. But either I got use to it and stopped noticing, or the story became smoother. And actually, I decided that I rather enjoyed “Ronnie’s voice”. This is the first book that I’ve read from this author, so I can’t say if all of her stories are written this way or if it’s unique to this one, but it matched the character of Ronnie really well – a little bit awkward but moving forward without hesitation.
We never learn a huge deal about Sang, he pretty much remains shrouded in mystery until the very end. Halfway through the story you kind of get an idea of what might be going on with his behavior, but it isn’t really a let down, rather it’s a validation that he isn’t a dick.
This was a cute, quick read and I’ll definitely check out more from Liv Rancourt in the future. This author also uses the best description I’ve ever come across to create a picture of her clubbing twinks – they looked like artfully decorated cupcakes. I love that!
Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2015/12/1...
Twenty-one year old Ronnie Durand is a little overwhelmed. He’s just moved to the University of Washington, he had to give up playing football and for the first time he can simply relax and “be gay”. Problem is, his only friend is straight, and hardly wants to go hang out in gay bars with Ronnie. Luckily for Ronnie, the perfect guy for him practically runs straight into his arms on the street one night. Sang is so small and pretty and feminine that at first Ronnie isn’t completely sure that he’s a man, but he decides that he likes Sang so much he doesn’t even care. The two men hook up a couple of times, but whenever Ronnie sees Sang at school, Sang pretends that he doesn’t know him.
This short story is told from Ronnie’s first person point of view, and I really liked the way the author executed it. To begin with it felt kind of awkward or stilted, like Ronnie was relating a story that he wasn’t confident in telling. But either I got use to it and stopped noticing, or the story became smoother. And actually, I decided that I rather enjoyed “Ronnie’s voice”. This is the first book that I’ve read from this author, so I can’t say if all of her stories are written this way or if it’s unique to this one, but it matched the character of Ronnie really well – a little bit awkward but moving forward without hesitation.
We never learn a huge deal about Sang, he pretty much remains shrouded in mystery until the very end. Halfway through the story you kind of get an idea of what might be going on with his behavior, but it isn’t really a let down, rather it’s a validation that he isn’t a dick.
This was a cute, quick read and I’ll definitely check out more from Liv Rancourt in the future. This author also uses the best description I’ve ever come across to create a picture of her clubbing twinks – they looked like artfully decorated cupcakes. I love that!
Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews
http://lovebytesreviews.com/2015/12/1...
July 26, 2017
4.5 stars. The title of the book is misleading but the story is wonderful. I liked Ronnie's acceptance of himself, his likes and preferences are his own and he makes no apologies for them. Sang impresses me with his self assurance. His drive to be who and what he wants seems incongruent with his diminutive size. I loved that he seemed to be the one driving the relationship.
Adult read
Adult read
March 31, 2016
3.5
Maybe a bit too short (especially the ending is a bit abrupt), but I loved this story and the two MCs.
It is also nice to know that: «All proceeds from the sale of this story will go to the NOVA Project, Seattle Public Schools alternative high school.»
Maybe a bit too short (especially the ending is a bit abrupt), but I loved this story and the two MCs.
It is also nice to know that: «All proceeds from the sale of this story will go to the NOVA Project, Seattle Public Schools alternative high school.»
April 2, 2016
I really liked this story. It was short and sweet. I figured out the secret almost right away but there was much more to it than what I thought. I don't go for shorts usually. But this was a nice treat. 4 stars.
February 6, 2017
3.5 stars
Enjoyable read. The pace was quick, the plot was unique and the romance was satisfying.
The short length and abrupt ending of this story were the weaknesses for me.
Overall a good story.
Enjoyable read. The pace was quick, the plot was unique and the romance was satisfying.
The short length and abrupt ending of this story were the weaknesses for me.
Overall a good story.
March 17, 2016
Really lovely, hot story.
July 10, 2017
A story with many surprises, unexpected delights. Unique characters and enjoyable read.
February 24, 2016
Really wanted this one to be longer, loved the characters.
June 29, 2017
I loved the idea of this book, a big football player with a pretty, petite boyfriend. Instead I was disappointed, it was a series of blah hookups, some misunderstandings, and some preachiness. I was glad I only paid $.99 for it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews