Stacked
By Linden Bell
Mars Fitness, Book 2
Sawyer
I've been in love with my best friend and roommate since the first day of boarding school over a decade ago. But Preston has always been oblivious, obsessed with his PhD research, and more importantly, straight.
When the new, sexy grad student walks into my gym, I have to wonder... is it time for me to move on?
Preston
Some guy is trying to steal my best friend. I won't let him. Sawyer's mine.
Maybe I haven't appreciated Sawyer enough over the years, but that's going to change now. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him by my side. Even if it means kissing him.
Stacked is a best friends-to-lovers, bi-awakening, nerd/jock MM romance between possessive, protective, and co-dependent roommates. Expect the most tender caretaking, slipping into each other's beds in the middle of the night, and adorable clinginess. It is the second book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.
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Excerpt
“Who the hell are you?”
Mom and I spin around at the new voice.
In the doorway is another boy, shorter than me and scrawny. The school uniform he’s wearing is wrinkled, one pant leg is caught in a sock, and the tie is loose and off-center. He’s got a mop of black hair and thick black-framed glasses, but what really catches my attention are his eyes.
They’re blue. Like the ocean. Like the sky. And they’re zeroed in on me with such intensity that my lungs stop working. My brain stops working. The only response I’ve got is whoa and cool.
Beside me, Mom clears her throat and steps forward. She puts on her mom voice when she speaks. “This is Sawyer and I’m his mom, Ms. Paige. He’s moving into this room today. And you are?”
The mom voice works because the boy shrinks back and clutches the textbook he’s holding closer to his chest. “Preston Boyer,” he says, eyeing Mom warily.
“So nice to meet you, Preston.” Then she hooks her thumb over to my side of the room. “Would all this be yours?”
Preston’s eyes dart from Mom to the bed, piled high with clothes, to me. There’s a little furrow in his brow like he’s trying to think of a response and drawing a blank. Like maybe all this stuff isn’t actually his.
Then he blurts out, “You’re not my roommate.”
Mom’s in front of me, so I can’t see her face, but I know exactly what it looks like. Her eyebrows are halfway up her forehead and her lips are pursed into her “What did you just say?” expression.
Oh sh*t. Preston’s in trouble.
“As a matter of fact, he is. Sawyer’s enrolling as a student at Westbourne and he’s been assigned to this double room. So your choices are to become friends and get along or find another room to sleep in. Either way, you need to move your things. Now.”
With each word coming out of Mom’s mouth, Preston shrinks into himself even further. I kind of feel bad for him, even if he’s being a jerk. Getting on Mom’s bad side is never a good idea.
“Hey, Pres. What’s taking so long?” A pretty blond girl wearing a cheerleading uniform materializes behind Preston. It takes a second for her to notice me and Mom in the room. “Oh! Hi! You must be Sawyer.”
She squeezes past Preston and approaches Mom with a big smile plastered on her face. The girl is brave. “I’m Madison. Preston’s girlfriend.” She extends a hand for Mom to shake, then does the same with me.
“Mads!” Preston hisses like Madison is consorting with the enemy. “What are you doing?”
Madison glances back at him. “I’m welcoming them. Come on, Pres, don’t be a jerk. You knew you were getting a roommate.”
“No, I didn’t!” Preston shuffles into the room, staying behind Madison like she can protect him from Mom. Madison looks like she can hold her own, but no one can stand in Mom’s way if she’s determined.
“Yes, you did.” She rolls her eyes and turns to the mess on Preston’s desk. “The Residence Office sent you a letter, remember?”
She shuffles through his things, tossing them around as Preston’s expression grows pained. He’s probably one of those people who has some weird ass filing system that only makes sense to them.
“Here it is!” Triumphantly, Madison holds a crumpled piece of paper high in the air. It’s the same thick cream-colored stuff that my acceptance letter was printed on. “Sawyer Paige. Moving in September twentieth. Please clear away any personal items that have been stored on the other side of the room.”
As one, we all stare at the personal items that have definitely not been cleared away.
Silence stretches for long moments before Madison breaks it. “No worries! I can help! It shouldn’t take too long.” She marches over with a big grin and grabs a stack of books off the desk.
“No! Wait!” Preston drops the textbook he’s holding and reaches for the ones in Madison’s hands. “You can’t just move stuff around! I have a system!”
Ha. Called it. This guy is strange. Living with him is going to be a drag, but at least I don’t have to worry about being the token loner.
“Fine, here, I’ll hand you the stuff and you put it wherever you want, okay?” Madison takes him by the shoulders and spins him around so he’s facing his side of the room again. “Just keep it all over there.”
Did she say she was his girlfriend? How the hell did a confident, pretty cheerleader end up with this disaster of a guy? I exchange a look with Mom, who has to be thinking exactly the same thing.
Then she sighs and pats me on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re all going to get along just fine.”
It’s going to be a long year.
Carra's Review
I just want to say right off the bat that I adored Sawyer and Preston together. Okay, with that out of the way (because I couldn’t wait to say that), this is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I did enjoy the story, writing style, and characters. Plus having the nerd/jock setup coupled with best friends to lovers…that’s a combo that I couldn’t pass up.
I found Preston especially intriguing, with the way his brain works and where he places his focus at any given time. He gets so wrapped up in his research, totally absorbed and fascinated by what he is doing. Sawyer takes wonderful care of him, and while yes Sawyer admits early on that he’s in love with Preston (to us readers), he’s also keenly aware that Preston is likely not into guys—though Sawyer continues to hold on to the tiniest glimmer of hope.
Yes, Sawyer has dated and hooked up with plenty of guys over the years, knowing he likely will never have anything more than friendship with Preston. And yes, as the book starts off he starts seeing someone, which I wasn’t a fan of but it does act as a catalyst for the story. Once Preston has his “a-ha” moment about what Sawyer means to him, everything from there becomes all about their relationship’s change from supremely close best friends (really codependent) to even closer lovers.
At that point the word to describe Preston I would choose is “enthusiastic”. As in, get ready for a lot of physical scenes that are incredibly hot. As yummy as those are, we also get to see a shift with Preston, and through the entire story his character is the one that experiences the most growth. He realizes his true feelings for Sawyer, starts to adjust his behaviors around others to come out of his tunnel-vision-research mode, and even has a moment with his parents that has been building for quite some time.
Overall Stacked was a very strong 4-star read for me. Preston is one of my favorite characters I’ve read so far this year, and he and Sawyer together are perfect. While this book is part of the Mars Fitness series, it can definitely be read as a standalone and I’d recommend it to any M/M romance fan. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Stacked, Linden is giving away 3 e-copies of the release!
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Check out Book 1 in the Mars Fitness Series:
Ripped
Sometimes heartache is a blessing in disguise.
I thought my life was perfect. I lived with my amazing boyfriend. I worked with my ride-or-die best friend. I was on track to made-it-ville.
Then I came home one day to find my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend.
Now I’m lost with no one to turn to except Donnie, the silver fox who lets me crash at his house until I can figure out what the hell went wrong and how I’m supposed to fix it.
But once I’m there, I’m not sure I want to leave.
Donnie’s a lot older than me and he’s still grieving the death of his husband. My life is a trash fire and my career is non-existent. He’s a svelte spin instructor and I’m a film geek. We couldn’t be more different, but we need each other like we both need to breathe.
So maybe my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Maybe it was the best. It brought me to Donnie.
Ripped is an age gap, nerd/jock, opposites attract MM romance between roommates who cuddle on the couch while watching classic movies. Expect steamy shower rooms, teary confessions, disapproving family, and brand new starts. It is the first book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.
CW: off-page sudden loss of a spouse, off-page homophobia, cheating secondary characters. Happily ever after guaranteed.
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About the Author:
Linden Bell writes contemporary MM romances that heat you up and make you smile.
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