Getting experience with the guy next door seems like a great idea—until the lines blur.
Dev, a geeky first year physics student, has zero sexual experience and he’s determined to change that ASAP. After a bad time in halls of residence, he’s starting the summer term with different housemates and a new plan of action.
Ewan lives in the house next door to Dev. He’s young, free and single, and isn’t looking to change that anytime soon. When awkward circumstances throw them together, Ewan offers to help Dev out in the bedroom in return for maths tutoring, and Dev jumps at the chance.
They work their way through Dev’s sex-to-do list, but what starts as a perfect no-strings arrangement gets more complicated as their feelings for each other begin to grow. If they’re going to turn their lessons in lovemaking into something more permanent, they need to work out how they feel about each other—before they get to the end of Dev’s list.
NB: Although this book is part of a series, it is a complete story with different main characters and can be read as a standalone.
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Length: 54,000 words
Genre: Contemporary gay romance
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Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh
Release Date: Wednesday 22nd June 2016
Series info: #3 in the Housemates Series but it may be read as a standalone
Buy Links
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H7V027A
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01H7V027A
Universal Amazon link (will open in your region) http://mybook.to/PMP_JayN
NB: Practice Makes Perfect will be Amazon exclusive for 90 days after release, and will then be available at all the usual sellers.
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Practice Makes Perfect on Goodreads
If you haven’t already read the first two books in the Housemates series you can find them here:
Helping Hand (Housemates #1)
Like a Lover (Housemates #2)
Each story has different main characters and although it’s best to read in order, you could read any of them as a standalone.
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Excerpt
Sitting on his bed, Dev yawned, his full stomach making him sleepy. He stared at his phone as he contemplated calling home but decided he couldn’t face it tonight. He loved his mum, but she did tend to bang on. Once she got him on the line, she’d end up talking for ages and asking him a million questions he was too tired to answer. Instead, he sent his mum a quick text.
All moved in, everything’s good. I’m shattered now so I’m going to have an early night. I’ll call you tomorrow.
She replied within seconds as though she’d been waiting for him to call.
Okay sweetie, glad you’re settled. Sleep well xxx
He picked up his notepad and crossed off phone home. Texting counted. He also crossed off everything else on his list for today. That was Saturday done.
Dev set his notepad aside, opened his laptop, and pulled up his lists app. He liked his notepad for day-to-day organisation; it gave him a certain satisfaction to cross out the things he’d done and to get to the end of the day with all the tasks completed. But for longer-term planning, he kept his lists on his Mac, synced to his phone.
For the first time in six months, Dev could breathe again. Finally he had a safe place where he could get back on track and look to the future. He began to type.
Things To Do This Term
Make some friends
Learn to cook
Research sex stuff
Join Grindr
Get some experience
Find a boyfriend
He stared at the words on the screen and sighed. That seemed like a lot of things to aim for. But it was good to have goals, right? Jez and Mac seemed really nice, so hopefully Dev was already on his way to achieving the first objective. And that bloke Ewan… Dev’s mind conjured up the image of the flame-haired hunk who lived next door. Ewan had been friendly.
Maybe there was potential there too.
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Review by Roroblu’sMum
The best in the series so far, as these guys are lovely – sweet, good-hearted, genuine and real ‘nice’ guys. And,
…we get to catch up with the previous leads from the series. And, is it possible we’re being introduced to some more?? I hope so.
Jay Northcote is an author who delivers, and though I tend to prefer her longer, more involved, deeper, angst-filled tales, this series is all about short and sweet. I love that these guys of uni age are all pretty decent deep down, open to the idea of committed relationships and more than just boozing and shagging their time away. This is the third book so far in the series, all of which can be read as standalones (I read book 2 first, then book 1 and now this one), though they’re best read in order, as previous leads end up as part of the supporting cast, living their HEAs.
In this, there are a couple of really sweet guys, who come across as genuine and very decent – I believed in them. I believed in the premise of the tale. I believed in how their not-really-a-relationship relationship grew and deepened, and I loved the tenderness and RL feel of this tale. I was intrigued by Dev’s name and background and think JN got stuff right; I especially liked that Dev’s family – an ethnic group that’s known for its macho culture and ‘not really embracing’ attitude towards LGBT people/culture, etc. – were accepting of him (not that JN went into any unnecessary detail simply to add angst to the tale).
I liked how there was only a small bit of uncertainty and heartache, which was all resolved realistically and quickly, and yes, despite their young ages, I could see these guys in it for the long term. Hopefully, as with the previous leads in the epilogue here, we’ll see more of them in future tales. And, with the mention of another house full of uni guys, I hope that means that there will be many more tales to come – a certain Ryan caught my interest and I’d like to read more about him.
ARC courtesy of the author and SignalboostPR, in return for an honest review.
★★★★★
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Meet Jay Northcote
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.
She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.
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