REVIEW: The Lines We Draw by CD Rachels (Artists and Athletes #1)

THE LINES WE DRAW

Artists and Athletes - Book One

by CD Rachels

Release Date: February 2, 2022

Review

A secret relationship between the soccer captain and art major. It’s not as angsty as you might expect, but also not without some tension.

Ravi is closeted, and Steven has a bad romantic history with closeted men, so there is bound to be tension. But there is also a very strong bond that is fun and sweet, and a little ridiculous in the way the young can be!

But they also had some good discussions, and ultimately did a good job of working through things.

It’s a great series, and lots of other wonderful couples to come.

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Synopsis

Staying a closeted soccer player was a lot easier before I met this gorgeous arts major. Now I want so much more, but is he worth the risk?

Ravi

I’m perfectly fine in my comfort zone. As co-captain of my university soccer team, I know my place. I play hard on the field and my teammates look up to me. Would they look up to me if they knew I liked guys? Probably not, so I’m okay staying a closeted virgin.

That is, until I’m forced to take an arts class, and I’m seated next to the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen. He helps me pass art class, makes me laugh, and has me wanting things I never thought were possible. As the semester goes on, we get closer, and trying to keep my hands off him and stay away from him becomes nearly impossible.

What will happen to my position on the team if I ask him out? I don’t think I’m willing to find out. Now I just gotta stop dreaming about kissing him and holding him… Damn.

Steven

As a fine arts major, I have to focus on creating good work and impressing my professors. Part of that entails sitting in on this beginners arts class, and I just so happen to be next to a gorgeous athlete this semester.

Relationships are a sour note for me, but flirting with the co-captain of the soccer team could be fun. I know it’s not going to go anywhere- he’s straight. Over time, though, becoming friends with Ravi, teaching him how to visualize his art, and learning about his life makes me question what we’re doing.

I don’t know if I’m ready to let someone else into my heart again, least of all a potential closet case (no matter how sexy he is). Still with the way he makes me smile and how my heart beats when I’m near him, I think we’re both in too deep now.

[“The Lines We Draw” is a low-angst, male/male romance, friends-to-lovers story involving art classes, soccer games, nude models, drunken parties, and discovering what sex and love can really feel like, HEA guaranteed.

It is the first of a series and can be read as a standalone.]

About CD Rachels

CD Rachels has been coming up with stories since he was little. At first it was all about superheroes and pocket monsters, but his genre of choice has expanded since

puberty.

He’s been consuming young adult gay fiction since he was a teen, but within the past five years, he’s moved up to the big leagues of gay adult romance. In 2020 during quarantine, he burned through more male/male romance books than he ever had in the previous 29 years combined.

He lives in New York City with the love of his life and works in health insurance. When he’s not reading and writing, he’s playing board games and practicing music. He is honored to become a published author, and if you’re reading this, your support means so much to him that it’s giving him a tingly feeling (in a good way).

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