Roughhousing [Paperback]

Laura Baumbach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2008

James and Bram are back in this sequel to the bestselling A Bit of Rough! They've been dating a while now, but James is still unsure about his feelings for Bram. He's rushed into things before, and it's always backfired on him, so James wants to take it slow. Bram is so forceful, though, so sexy and convincing that it's hard to stand fast against him. In fact, Bram is the one steady thing in James' life, when everything else seems to be shifting like sand under his feet. His job is getting stressful, his apartment is getting dangerous, and James knows he's teetering on the brink of change, but is unsure what to choose. When a project at work seems to have fallen under Bram's influence through the old boy network, James decides to back off and tell Bram they have to cool down their heated relationship. Bram is willing to accommodate James.to a point. But what happens when self-assured Bram has had enough of James' insecurity? Taking up where A Bit of Rough left off, Roughhousing opens up Bram and James' relationship, following along as they become a real couple, and face the troubles that come from trying to blend two lives and two independent personalities. Their need for each other burns as hot as ever, but will that be enough to build a life on?

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Torquere Press (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193416660X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934166604
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #906,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Baumbach is the author of numerous short stories, novellas, novels and screenplays. Her favorite genre to work in is manlove or m/m erotic romances. Manlove is not traditional gay fiction, but erotic romances written specifically for the romantic-minded reader, male or female. She works as an emergency trauma nurse by night and an author by day, with her husband and two sons filling in her free hours.

Among her numerous awards over the years, Laura was the 2007 EPPIE Finalist for best GLBT novel with her book sci-fi adventure DETAILS OF THE HUNT, the first in the Details Series, winner of the 2008 EPPIE for best GLBT novel with her vampire adventure story THE LOST TEMPLE OF KARTTIKEYA and was give Honorable Mention for her collaborative novel MEXICAN HEAT , the first in the Crimes & Cocktails Series, at the San Fransiciso Book Fair. MEXICAN HEAT is also currently a 2009 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Best Gay Romance.

Laura is the owner of ManLoveRomance Press, a small print publishing house that specializes in gay erotic romance, mystery and fiction. (http://www.mlrpress.com) MLR Press was founded in January of 2007. She is also the owner of the promotional co-op for authors of gay romance and fiction, Manloveromance.com. (http://www.manloveromance.com)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars James and Bram from Laura Baumbach's A BIT OF ROUGH have returned in ROUGHHOUSING, February 2, 2007

By 

C. Dionne "Chrissy Dionne" (Cloverdale, OREGON USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roughhousing (Paperback)

If you've read Laura Baumbach's A BIT OF ROUGH then I'm sure you've wondered what happened with Bram and James after the end that book. Did they get their happily ever after? Well, they're back with the rest of their story and are sure to become an inspiration to us all.

Bram and James have been dating for a while, but James is still uncomfortable with showing affection in public and scared that if he does allow himself to become too comfortable with Bram then he'll ruin everything between them. James wants to take things slow. That's not easy though when Bram uses all his forceful charm and sexy appeal to convince James that fast is exactly right for them.

Bram has no doubt about his feelings for James. If he had his way they'd be living together already. He grudgingly accepts James's need to keep their relationship at a slower pace, but that doesn't mean he's not going to do everything in his power to convince him otherwise.

James may want to keep his relationship with Bram at a slower pace but the rest of his life is going at warp speed. The plans he's drawn up for the Becker restoration project have come to his boss's attention. He wasn't even on the project but that will soon change. Staying at his apartment has become dangerous due to his neighbors harassment. He has to find a new place to live. He's comfortable and at peace when he's at Bram's house, but isn't about to risk losing Bram by accepting his invitation to stay there permanently. Bram isn't quite sure how to handle his lover's determined and independent spirit but he's positive that he'll be there whenever James needs him - whether he likes it or not.

A BIT OF ROUGH was such an intensely captivating story that I was thrilled when I learned that Laura Baumbach was writing a sequel for it. ROUGHHOUSING allows readers to delve into the characters psyches and understand them much better. Bram is physically a large man so we expect him to be strong, what surprised me is that James turns out to be quite the scrapper. There's no shortage of emotional scenes anywhere in this storyline that will leave you teary eyed, smiling or practically bouncing in anticipation. Ms. Baumbach touches on issues that were brought up in the first book and adds some new ones as well as some new characters that are sure to delight readers. One of them, Macy, intrigued me and I was stunned at how wrong I was about her. She's a prime example of why you should never jump to snap judgements.

While I believe readers can enjoy ROUGHHOUSING as a stand alone, they'd receive a far better understanding and feel for the characters and their concerns by first reading A BIT OF ROUGH. They're both wonderful stories full of heart, emotional appeal, and lots of hot sex that will make any couple envious.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hot Enough to burn your screen...., April 12, 2007

By 

Terrie Figueora "Muserev" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roughhousing (Paperback)

[..]

Present Day

Although they've been together for only a few weeks, Bram Lord knows deep in his heart that architect James Justin is The One - the partner Bram wants to spend the rest of his life with. From the top of his curly head to the tips of his toes, Bram thinks every inch of his Jamie is adorable and sexy. While submissive to Bram in the bedroom (not to mention the truck and various alleyways), James has his own career and is determined to make a success of it, which is another facet of his lover that Bram finds hugely arousing. Now, if only the brawny contractor can convince his shy lover of his worth.

Brutally disowned by most of his family when they found out he was gay, James has emotional wounds that still haven't healed and they leave him vulnerable, prone to doubt and determined to maintain some semblance of independence from his charismatic lover. Brushing aside Bram's thinly veiled hints to move in with him after he loses his apartment, James goes out and gets himself a new place. Meanwhile, when Bram boasts to James' boss about the work he's done on a project and it suddenly gets assigned to him, James quickly jumps to the conclusion that Bram is pulling strings to further his career. Confronting Bram at his office, James realizes just how successful his lover is and starts to wonder what Bram sees in him. Rather than watch Bram slowly realize his inadequacies, James pulls back. Will his self-destructive behavior and low esteem finally push Bram away?

ROUGHHOUSING continues right where A BIT OF ROUGH left off. Bram and James still have a lot of ground to cover on their path to true love and happily ever after. Bram is the quintessential alpha lover - larger than life, sexy as sin, and possessed of a compassionate heart that's willing to love the insecurity out of his lover. Bram is willing and able to be everything that James needs, making him a perfect fit for the angst-ridden architect. James is working hard at overcoming his insecurities, though he falls off the wagon every so often - but that's okay, Bram's shoulders are wide enough to share his burden. Laura Baumbach does a great job at detailing both heroes thought processes (especially James), so readers can delve into their psyches and see what makes them tick. As for the love scenes, they are hot enough to burn out your screen with just the right amount to kink to kick it up a notch.

Man love in all its glory, ROUGHHOUSING is one for the keeper shelf.

Isabelle Spencer

RRTErotic

[..]

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same Mistakes, Charming Effects, September 1, 2008

By 

J. M. Hanson "Sandtiger" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roughhousing (Paperback)

Roughhousing is a good follow-up to A Bit of Rough ... in terms of general meaning. The erotic scenes are perhaps some of the best I've read, and remains so. The only problem within them is that there are tons of repitition that eventually got on my nerves and made it difficult to read. 'Bram kissed James, licking James' lips and nibbling at the corner of James' mouth while holding tight to James' hips.' [Please note, that sentence is not in the book, but to be used as an example only]. Besides that, L. Baumbach DOES keep to the same characterizations - Jamie is still insecure, although he's getting more confidant, and Bram is still a bit of an over-protective boyfriend. Main problems there: Jamie comes across as a pouting child a little too much, stomping his foot over every percieved problem and then quickly recovering, shrugging it away, and becoming once again the indulged favorite. Bram, to me, was even less believable because he forgave so often, so quickly, and rarely showed a semblance of anger that wasn't backed by genuine concern. Me, I'd have punched Jamie a few times and probably left him for a few days to get his own problems over trust and let HIM decide if he was man enough to come back. [Probably a litte too harsh, but ... he kind of got on my nerves sometimes.]

Bram's immediate and continuous love [obsession] for Jamie, while sweet in the first novel, because a bit repititious [again], and I found myself skipping over his mushy-thoughts more often then not.

There was only one significant part - in my eyes - that made it sincerely worth the read. A wife-abuser lives next door to Jamie's new apartmentand one night he steps in ... what happened next had be clapping my hands and cheering at his new-found backbone. A backbone that - consequently - dissapeared fairly quickly afterward. *shrug* oh, well. There was hope for it, anyway, and I still think it makes the whole book. I only wish there had been more like that one scene.

On the whole, worth reading once, maybe twice, then flipping through later only for the erotica scenes, and the one mentioned above. Reading the whole book is too hard for me now, because I can barely stomach down all the in-between gush...

~ San