Product Description

Football, friends, and film are the most important parts of Simon Murray's life, likely in that order. Despite being lonely, Simon is cautious about looking for more, and his best friends despair of him ever finding that special someone to share his life. Against his will, they drag him to a party, where Simon barges into a football conversation and ends up defending the honour of star forward Declan Tyler -- unaware that the athlete is present and listening. Like his entire family, Simon revels in living in Melbourne, Victoria, the home of Australian Rules football and mecca for serious fans. There, players are deemed gods and treated as such - until they do something to cause them to fall out of public favour. Declan is suffering a horrendous year of injuries, and the public is taking him to task for it, so Simon's support is a bright spot in his struggles. In that first awkward meeting, neither man has any idea they will change each other's lives forever. As Simon and Declan fumble toward building a relationship together, there is yet another obstacle in their way: keeping Declan's homosexuality a secret amidst the intrusion of well-meaning friends and an increasingly suspicious media. They realise that nothing remains hidden forever... and they know the situation will only become more complicated when Declan's private life is revealed. Declan will be forced to make some tough choices that may result in losing either the career he loves or the man he wants. And Simon has never been known to make things easy - for himself or for others.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113527 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 376 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent
My first review vanished mysteriously, and I don't want anyone to miss this great book, so I'm leaving another. The main characters are well-written, imperfect heroes that sometimes make you want to smack them, but you fall in love with them so you hang on for the ride. The secondary characters are all well realized as well, making them fun to read. Even some of the less pleasant people in the book are believable. The romantic couple clearly enjoy each other, but the sex is alluded to, making this a book that almost anyone would be comfortable with. I know I'll be rereading it and I highly recommend it. It's funny, angsty and romantic.

Brilliant novel
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gay romance, because it is a romance, not full-on erotica. The sex is discreet, mostly referring obliquely to what happened off-screen, so I think that for most people, it wouldn't be uncomfortable to read. All of the characters are extremely well developed and written, even the most minor are interesting. The two main characters, Simon and Declan, are both not expecting what they get when they find each other, and have to learn to adjust to expectations and very differing lifestyles. The book is also very funny, although it tackles some difficult issues, like a public sports figure choosing to acknowledge publicly that he's gay, and what happens to an "out" partner who dates a closeted man. The story is poignant and realistic as they struggle with some people with negative reactions to their relationship. Both men have friends who attempt to support them, even when they're being jerks, snarking at them when they deserve it, but giving them a swift kick when they need it. I enjoyed this book without reservation, it's a novel that I will be reading again, probably every year.

Absolutely a must read!
Simon, a stubborn, self deprecating, pessimist finds himself guilted into going to a party with his best friends Roger and Fran. Little does he know that this party will be the catalyst that throws his life into a whirlwind of drama. Simon finds himself willingly back in the closet only to be thrown out of it with a force that throws his life into chaos and uncertainty. Tigers and Devils will captivate and keep you on your seat with drama. With well developed characters that you come to love and hate then love again this book will definitely satisfy the romantic in you. Definitely a must read!