Never Have I Evan by D J Jamison ~ Review
NEVER HAVE I EVAN
A Games We Play in Granville Novel
I don’t know about you, but every once in a while, I get the urge to change things up with my reading habits. This time I found a few low-angst book recommendations in a Facebook group. The recommended reads were all MM romance + sexual awakenings with a dare/game type theme. Never Have I Evan was recommended a lot by my fellow readers, and as you know, I already read and loved the prequel novella to the author’s Games We Play in Granville series. I’m happy to say, I also loved this first full-length novel in the series.
Let’s dive in and talk about it, shall we?
BOOK REVIEW
In Never Have I Evan, author D J Jamison gives us Evan, a shy, inexperienced 19-year-old tech geek, and Dawson, a straight, slightly older, former football athlete, who is trying to rebuild his life after a terrible accident stole his dreams.
Evan is an overachiever, almost to the point of wearing himself out, but even when he is exhausted and overworked, he still puts everyone else first while quietly working overtime to achieve his own dreams. He’s ridiculously smart, a truly good guy, and willing to do whatever his family and friends need, including putting in the time to help high school students meet their academic goals.
Dawson is a guy who thought he’d be in the NFL one day but had his dreams shattered due to some poor decision-making. His backstory is probably the only real issue I had with this book, because what happened to him made him a hero in a sense, but he never got credit for his actions because of his heartbreak over his own loss and his guilt and shame over some other choices that night. He’s a bit of a protector, even when the person he is protecting doesn’t quite deserve it and actually needs calling out for the choices they made and the tragedy that befell him because of their actions.
As far as the relationship between Evan and Dawson went, I absolutely loved it. I thought the author did a great job with Evan’s inexperience and his attraction to Dawson and Dawson’s growing attraction to Evan and his subsequent journey of self-discovery because of that attraction. Their relationship was far from simple and yet, it was such a blast to read. They fit so well together and their chemistry was amazing, hot and sexy and also comforting and safe. They were well-suited and I love that the author chose to give them a sense of normalcy rather than an over-the-top sensationalized romance because the normal, every day stuff worked well for them and for me as a reader.
If you’re looking for a well-written MM romance with a sexual awakening between a shy, inexperienced tech geek and a confident assistant football coach, look no further than Never Have I Evan. It was fun, sexy, and a great read that I devoured in one-sitting. Highly recommend checking it out.
RATING: 
BOOK INFORMATION
Never Have I Evan Series: The Games We Play in Granville #1 Published by Indie on April 7, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ+ Romance, MM Romance
Pages: 360
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Source: Amazon Purchase
Buy: Amazon | Goodreads
Rating:
Series Rating:
Also in this series: Two Truths and a Lyle, Truth or Darren
Never Have I Ev... Wait, what was the question again?!
What happens when an ill-advised party game makes it obvious I've still got my V-card?
Embarrassment. A lot of embarrassment.
Especially when the sexy, older guy at the party who witnessed the whole thing turns out to be someone I have to see every week. Not to mention my best friend's cousin.
He's not only straight, but way out of my league.
It's going to be so awkward for both us.
Or awesome...if his protective nature and flirty attempts to teach me how to date lead to the kind of tutoring that lives in my fantasies. But how likely is that to happen? I'm not known as the sweet, naive one among for my friends for nothing.
I'm probably imagining those looks he throws my way. Probably projecting my own want onto his expression.
But...what if I'm not?
Read this book if you like:
- inexperienced, shy tech geeks
- confident assistant football coaches
- quirky town residents
- sexual awakenings
What did you think of our review?
Let us know in the comment section below.
BOOK RATING
About DJ Jamison
DJ Jamison writes romances about everyday life and extraordinary love featuring a variety of queer characters, from gay to bisexual/pansexual to asexual. DJ worked for more than a decade in the newspaper industry before chasing her first dream to write fiction. She’s spent a lifetime reading and continues to devour her fellow authors’ books each night. She lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, one snake, and a sadistic cat named Birdie.
