Crossing the Touchline

Auckland Med, Book 2

By: Jay Hogan

Narrated by: Gary Furlong

What if you’ve worked your whole life for a dream, to play rugby for the most successful sports team on the planet, the New Zealand All Blacks?

What if that dream is so close you can smell it?

What if you meet someone?

What if you fall in love?

What if your dream will cost the man who’s stolen your heart?

And what if the dream changes?

Reuben Taylor has a choice to make.

Cameron Wano is that choice.

©2019 Jay Hogan (P)2021 Jay Hogan

Jay Hogan just went from my top 5 to #1

I love these characters -- richly written, courageous, and real -- brought to life with great depth of emotion by narrator Gary Furlong.

AMAZING

This one was a roller coaster in the best and hardest way.

Cam and Reuben’s story is not light. It’s slow burn. It’s emotional. It’s frustrating at times. And it’s very real.

Reuben is chasing the biggest dream of his life -professional rugby, the All Blacks- while carrying the weight of a deeply toxic family. There’s bullying. There’s homophobia. There’s pressure to conform. The threat of not seeing his nephew again. And underneath all of that, there’s a man who is terrified of losing everything if he chooses to live honestly.

His family life is heartbreaking. The dynamic with his father is painful. His brother is a mess. And then there’s his nephew -the most adorable little boy-, who is on the spectrum, and Reuben trying so hard to be the one stable, safe adult in that child’s life while barely holding himself together. It’s heavy. It’s layered. It hurts.

And then there’s Cam.

Cam is unapologetically himself. Lingerie. Makeup. Femme. Strong. Sassy. Soft but not fragile. He knows who he is and he refuses to shrink. Watching him love Reuben while also demanding respect and honesty was powerful. He isn’t there to be hidden. He isn’t there to beg. He stands in his truth.

The tension between them? Slow. Aching. Worth it.

There’s so much suffering in this book. So much internal battle. So much fear. But there’s also growth. Reuben slowly taking his strength back. Slowly choosing himself. Slowly choosing love over fear.

It’s emotional. It’s tough. It’s up and down.

But it also gave us the happily ever after we were hoping for. The kind that feels earned. The kind that feels like two people fighting through everything to finally stand in the light together.

Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. This book reminds you of that. But it also reminds you that choosing love anyway is powerful.

And yes… the chemistry is there. The heat is there. But what stayed with me was the emotional payoff.

We also get to see more of our favorite sexy doctor.

Reread and still love it! Gonna listen to “You are cordially invited” their wedding story now.

5/5/5

Absolutely fabulous second book in the series... Jay Hogan only gets better with subsequent books and I just can't get enough of Auckland Medical Staff... Cam was sheer perfection and Ruben was perfect for him, after some trials and turbulence but knowing everything that was going on with his dad... brother... nephew you can't blame the guy but cheer for him and his romance with Cam... I absolutely adore this couple and couldn't get enough... can't wait to read the rest of the books. Jay Hogan does wonderful job to make story and characters real... conversations are not over the top and fake... they are very .. very realistic... loved it... Gary Furlong is a new narrator for me but he did absolutely great job and did this story justice... it just brought it to life for me.... so yeah.... 5+ stars for the narration... 5+ for the story.... and 5+++ for the overall :)

Great story by a talented writer!

I read and listen to a romance novel expecting to be pulled in and held there from beginning to end by the writer. Jay Hogan does exactly that, from when Reuben and Cameron met, through their lives, up to the moment of the outing in the hospital. The story plot weaves around them perfectly, I loved it every step of the way. And listening to this novel is made a treat with Gary Furlong’s talents; he is a man who can really tell a story, with all the voices! Beautiful!
I recommend this book, no, I recommend this whole series. ❤️

Loved this book!

The writing here was so good! Almost too much angst for me, the on-again, off-again romance was heartbreaking. But the good times in between make up for it. I really got the book bc of Gary Furlong, and he did not disappoint!! I could listen to him read a grocery list, lol.