Out of Frame

In Focus Series, Book 3

By: Megan Erickson

Narrated by: Marc Bachmann

Perpetually shy Quinn Mathers is content to remain in the shadow of his brash best friend, Jess Hartman. But before their college graduation, he and Jess have planned one last hurrah: a spring break Caribbean cruise. And it won't be just any cruise. Onboard are members of the reality show Trip League, which follows young 20-somethings on adventures around the world. Since the show's beginning, Quinn has been fascinated by J. R. Butler, with his amazing body, warm eyes, and killer grin. Unfortunately he's straight - or so the world thinks. At 19, J. R. signed a contract to play straight for the show, and there's no way to get out of it now. Yet with each passing day, Quinn and J. R. find it harder to keep their hands off each other and to keep out of the camera's frame. But when the lens finally focuses on them, J. R. must decide if he's willing to risk his career by admitting his bisexuality, and Quinn must determine if he's bold enough to stand in the spotlight with the man of his dreams.

©2016 Megan Erickson (P)2016 Tantor

sweet and emotional

I enjoyed Marc Bachmann's voice
Quinn and J. R 's story made me smile ❤

Review: Out of Frame, by Megan Erickson

Erickson continues to write great books in her In Focus series. Out of Frame was no exception. In fact, it was more enjoyable than I was expecting.

I wasn’t too keen on the reality show and cruise ship aspects of the book, after reading the description. Those are just two things I don’t normally have interest in. But, it’s a book written by Megan Erickson. I had to give it a chance, especially since I loved the first two books in the series. The two aspects of the book that I wasn’t expecting to like may be the two that made this story as good as it was.

Being on a cruise ship, the characters were limited in where they could go, who they could interact with, and what they could do. Add in the cameras, fans, and script of a reality show…you get a difficult to develop relationship between two characters needing something good to happen to them.

I think if I went into more detail about why Quinn and J.R. were so great, and why I liked them together, this review would end up being too long. Plus, I want to leave readers with things to discover for themselves. Just know, like all Erickson’s characters, there’s a great deal of depth to them. Even the secondary characters. (Maybe Jess could get her own spin-off?)

Out of Frame takes to the seas for a road trip of a different sort. But it still continues on in a series full of memorable moments with memorable characters. I’m confident that when I get to the 4th book, Overexposed, the magic will continue.

Interesting characters with depth

I have enjoyed the first three books in this series. They are well written and the characters are complex and real. But I don’t see new work from Megan Erickson. And her website is gone. Does anyone know what happened?

Fabulous

Its so awesome to be able to rely on an author to consistently deliver great stories. Loved this one and I am downloading the next. I also love this narrator.

Much to love with In Focus audio #3! 4.5 stars!

Out of Frame is the third In Focus audiobook, and while the first two books were set on the road, Megan Erickson's set this one on a cruise ship. Quinn Mathers is a young man who has always played it safe, spending more time weighing all possibilities rather than actually taking a chance on something (or someone). Being on a cruise with his best friend is the perfect opportunity for him to let loose if he'd only allow himself to do so. That's easier said than done, however, considering there's a reality show that's being filmed on the ship, but maybe getting to meet R.J. Butler will be a high point since he's the one participant on the show Quinn has a crush on. But how does Quinn reconcile the R.J. persona from the show with the real Jay he's now falling for?

This was yet another great story penned by Megan Erickson, with two young men who are at a point in their lives where they could either keep going down the road they were on or change lanes and go off on a new journey. I know the term "coming of age" is almost always exclusively used for young adult (YA) books, but I've always felt that its usage could be expanded to the new adult (NA) genre. I feel like Quinn and Jay were coming of age in this story, or maybe you can think of it as coming into their own, becoming more comfortable in their own skin and with the relationship they were building. I saw so much of myself in Quinn, which is why he remains one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Marc Bachmann also did a good job narrating the story, staying nearly consistent throughout. I'm giving five stars for the story and four stars for the performance, with the overall rating averaging to 4.5 stars for Out of Frame. ♥