Title: Tank
Series: Ballsy Boys: Book Two
Authors: K.M. Neuhold and Nora Phoenix
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 282 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: This is a great story, low on angst, high on the humour, and full of lessons about how first impressions can often be deceiving.
Reviewed By: Ky
Blurb: Tank
Shallow pretty boy, conceited fuckboy, immature assclown. Take your pick, they all apply to Brewer. The world is his ass buffet, and we’re all on the menu. I’ve never hated anyone like I hate Brewer. But when Rebel pairs us to do a scene together, I have to admit I’m looking forward to taking all my irritation out on his…well, you get the picture. When one scene turns into a whole fake relationship, I’m not sure we’re going to make it out of this without some bloodshed.
Brewer
Tank has got to be the most boring, stuck up ass I have ever met. That man doesn’t know how to have fun, not even when he’s doing a scene. And if there’s one reason to smile, it’s working with me, right? All the more reason to keep my real self from him because he’d laugh me out of the room. But when we have to pretend we actually like each other, something unexpected happens. The more time we spend together, the more I see a different side of him…and dare to show a different side of me. What the hell is happening?
Tank is the second book in the Ballsy Boys Production series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s more fun reading the series in order. Expect plenty of laughs and a lot of sparks.
Review: Tank is the second book of the Ballsy Boys series but the first one I’ve read. It’s fine as a standalone, though there are some spoilers about the couple from the first book.
This is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story about two porn stars who met through the Ballsy Boys studio. Tank and Brewer have known each other for a few years, but there is only hatred between them. It’s not just a dislike, it’s pure hate, and the reason is nothing deep, angsty or dramatic. It’s pretty simple and hollow, they hated each other at first sight because something about the other’s personality bugged each of them. They didn’t click and that, through time, translated to hate. They disliked each other’s character and didn’t make an attempt to get along.
Then they find themselves doing a scene together and the Internet goes wild, so they agree, with the help of a sizeable bonus, to do a series of scenes together and pretend to be boyfriends in real life to increase the fans’ interest. So, yes, there is also a fake-boyfriends trope here!
Slowly and through many months, they begin to get to know the real person behind the porn persona and become good friends. There is attraction, which they fight and try to convince themselves is strictly business. The transition from enemies to friends was realistic, and the portrayal of feelings was convincing. It took time and a lot of struggle before they admitted defeat and called each other a friend.
The secondary characters were interesting, but because we don’t know most of their stories yet, we get to know them only as their porn persona, and we learn little or nothing at all about their private lives. But it’s okay, it heightens the excitement for the next books!
The cover was one of my least favorites; I’m glad I read the blurb and didn’t abandon the book as soon as I saw the cover. Just another case of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. There are a few continuity errors in the story, but nothing major, and other than that, the text was very well edited.
There aren’t any descriptions of the characters in this book, and I found this weird. I’ll check if they have already been described in the first book, or the prequel, and that’s why we didn’t get one here, because we got a description for a character who made his first appearance in this book.
One of the things I enjoyed most in this story is the positive atmosphere that revolves around the porn studio. None of the guys is depressed for having that job, and everyone seems to enjoy doing it. The owner and the director of the films are respectful and care about their guys, and there is a friendly vibe that surrounds the whole story. These guys are each other’s family and, even if they don’t share many personal facts, they share strong bonds. I liked that there was no drama and no angst about what they did for a living. They weren’t ashamed of it, they didn’t do it out of desperation or as a last resort to make a living, and they didn’t feel less for earning their money doing porn. It was all painted in a very positive light and even though neither Tank nor Brewer were content to do that for the rest of their lives, they were happy doing it for now and were enjoying it.
Minor Spoiler
This is a great story, low on angst, high on the humour, and full of lessons about how first impressions can often be deceiving. 4.5 stars for this book about two porn stars finding love on the set!
You can buy Tank here:
[zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B07CQ27PQ2?d” style=”blue” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon/Kindle Unlimited [/zilla_button]