Tag: caught stealing ce ricci

Total Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

I don’t know if he’ll forgive me for falling in love with you.❞

— CE Ricci, “Caught Stealing”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

It’s not stealing if he’s meant to be mine…

Let me tell you how Holden Sykes operates. As the campus playboy and one-and-done king, he doesn’t do strings. Or repeats. Or names, for that matter. So when he tries making my best friend the next notch on his bedpost, I react poorly.

Some would call it jealousy or an unrequited crush, but friends protect each other from making mistakes. The same ones I’ve already made. Which is why driving Holden away seems like my only option.

Too bad he’s not giving up without a fight. Each prank leads to another until he turns this into a game far more precarious than intended. One filled with stolen moments and heated glances, drawing me into his orbit.

But the undeniable attraction simmering between us leaves me caught in the crosshairs of an impossible decision. Loyalty…or love.

*Caught Stealing is the second in a five book standalone college sports romance series featuring a road-tripping rubber ducky, two guys fighting for the upper hand, and enough cock-blocking shenanigans to make your cheeks flush. Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age*

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CE Ricci has become a go-to author for me for MM romance for a reason, and the main one is how easy it is for me to get swept up into her books and truly enjoy the story. What can I say; I just really enjoy her writing and really connect with it and her characters!

Caught Stealing is another one that was definitely a hit for me. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely grabbed my attention and was a thoughtful and truly engaging story throughout as you see what happens with Phoenix and Holden.

Holden is a total player, man-whore type character with the list of who he hasn’t been with is probably shorter than who he actually has hooked up with…you get the idea. Well one night, Phoenix is one of his conquests at a college party where they meet, sparks instantly fly…but then Holden was so drunk that he doesn’t remember any of it the next day. But of course Phoenix does, which makes the brutal sting of rejection all that more sharp, and thus starts his resentment towards Holden.

It doesn’t help that Holden starts a flirtationship with his roommate and childhood best friend, Kason, two years later during their senior year and still acts like their tryst still never even happened…

That’s the main premise that leads into this story, which is a lot of banter, side eye, sneaky lustful looks, and “hate to still be attracted to you” kinda vibes. I was totally here for it all! I know that sounds bad, and there’s definitely a line that may be toed or crossed with people with this, but I still believe it was handled well in this case with this book. I could be wrong in some people’s eyes, but everyone can have their own opinion on the matter, and it definitely gets addressed in this book too.

I also love that even though this is book 2 in the Leighton U series, it can definitely still be enjoyed as a standalone title without much ruined for readers who hadn’t read the previous title, Iced Out, before starting this…although, I personally say why WOULDN’T you read Iced Out because it was so so good! There honestly wasn’t much if anything spoiled from book 1–you know the characters end up together in the end so that’s not exactly spoilery–and you may even notice a scene from book 1 given more attention and new context too!

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What I Liked:

1. The Prank War! The banter between Phoenix and Holden is a major highlight, and as Holden is starting to swoop in on Nix’s friend/roommate, battle lines get crossed and a prank war begins! Definitely some comedy mixed in with some heat as things get more and more tense between these two
2. The Sneaking Around! Like I said before, this part may or may not sit well with some readers because it toes the line of cheating, but I think it was fine in this book and even Holden admitted that him and Kason were never exclusive. It does get addressed, but it also toeing the line of taboo and forbidden also added to the hot factor and definitely raised the heat and sexual tension in this story.
3. Holden As The Reformed Player…I’m such a sucker for the player/rake who falls super hard once they discover their attraction to the other MC is more than just lust. Holden is a great example of that! He’s definitely slept his way through campus, but once he discovers he has true feelings for Phoenix, he becomes this devoted, thoughtful, and caring guy who really wants the affection from him. A golden retriever kind of character if you will…plus it’s hot when he still wants to get down and dirty with some spicy scenes too!

What I Didn’t Like:

1. I Have Questions About Kason and Phoenix’s Friendship…This relationship raised some questions and I’m going to talk about them here…It seemed odd that a friend like Kason would have Phoenix give up his dream school to come to Leighton University with him like he apparently did, and then the lying to him and sneaking around that Phoenix does…I mean, if they’re childhood best friends they should’ve definitely been able to have a more open conversation about these things and not let them all fester and become so resentful like they clearly did…I mean, sure that makes for the plot and inner conflicts to become more apparent, but I do question if lifelong best friends would’ve gotten to that place in the first place? Possibly some plot armor or plot convenience here, but I could definitely be wrong with the terminology on that, but the relationship itself in this regard still seemed odd to me.

Conclusion:

Overall, another great MM romance title from CE Ricci where I believe if you’ve enjoyed her other titles, you’re almost guaranteed to really enjoy this one too!

The banter, the spice, the sexual tension, there are some similarities to book 1 that you may catch with the dynamics of the two guys in this one too; it’s another rivals-to-lovers kind of story, but there’s more history between the two MC’s in this one and the situation luckily isn’t EXACTLY the same as Quentin and Oakley’s relationship! The two stories definitely stand a part enough from each other too.

Definitely a book to check out if you’re a MM romance fan!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell