Out in the Surf

Out in College, Book 10

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Michael Dean

The hockey player, the surfer, and a lesson neither can forget....

Luca

I love the beach, and I’m a good athlete. Learning how to surf should be a breeze, right?

Wrong.

In a twist, hockey is nothing like surfing. That’s okay—I just need a diversion to round out my new life in So Cal while I figure out what comes next. As long as I keep my head above water, this could be fun.

Bonus…my instructor is hot.

Cal

Teaching newbies to surf is easy money. Usually. My newest student is a wild card who seems to think his jock status should make him a natural at everything he tries, and I can see why. Luca is…special. He’s dynamic, energetic, and fun. It’s hard not to like him. But I like him a little too much.

This could be trouble.

Out in the Surf is a low-angst MM romance, bisexual-awakening story. When the teacher becomes the student, it may be time to come out in the surf.

©2023 Lane Hayes (P)2023 Lane Hayes

Beautiful

Stars

Audio

Narrator: Mr. Michael Dean

Mr. Dean did a wonderful job with the audio presentation. Luca’s expressive voice fits the character perfectly. Cal’s voice had an easy, laidback quality, and I could envision him on his surfboard. The narration flowed, and I never had any issue following along. My favorite part of the story was the first kiss, and the narration made it as wonderful as the book. Mr. Dean really brought this beautiful love story to life, and I adored all the emotions that washed over the story. I highly recommend this A+ audiobook. Happy Listening!

Storyline 

How does Lane do it? For a novella, she beautifully crafts her characters and gives you a memorable story. You are left feeling like you really know the MCs. The tale is part of Lane’s Out in College series and is easily a standalone.

Luca has moved to California after an injury curtailed his hockey career. He is saddened over his loss of a game that has been a major part of his life. Luca remains determined to find some new avenue to explore so he doesn’t feel the loss so greatly. He settles on surfing and gets so much more than he bargained for.

Cal is working hard to purchase a surf shop and establish himself as a premier surfboard maker. He tries to make extra money whenever possible and takes on a new surfing student. Luca is instantly attracted to Cal and has a series of embarrassing mishaps during his first lesson. This was my favorite part of the story.

The men spent more and more time together. There was no earth-shattering angst or miscommunication. Lane wrote a perfect romance that captured my heart and made me sigh. I can’t wait to visit Cal and Luca again and can’t recommend this memorable story enough. Thank you, Lane.

 

Listening Pleasure

Story: My first thought starting this book is that poor Luca is never going to get back on a surf board. 🫣 Then I thought kissing bandit and started giggling and laughing my 🍑 off and that’s all in the first chapter! Luca and Cal had chemistry in spades from the very beginning. What made their story even better was how they developed their friendship just as much as their benefits. They fed off each other, helping fill a void within the other. This book had it all, fun and friendship, laughter and love. Oh and epilogues! I love epilogues!! They hit the sweet spot for me, because I like to think about what happens next. I love a sweet love story that just flows and this story just flowed from meeting to friendship to love. Lane Hayes gave me what I didn’t know I was looking for last night, a sweet funny love story.

Narration: This was my first Michael Dean narrated book to my knowledge. His voice is smooth and you just sink into the story. He vocalizes surfer boy Luca pretty well. He makes Cal sound so sexy and cool. I enjoyed reading this story so much and listening to it became a guilty pleasure in my car while I ran errands. 😊

Another great book in this series!

I’ve read all of the books in this series and after nearly two years since I read the last one, I was happy to be reading something from this series again. Out in the Surf was part of a giveaway in 2022 but I never got around to reading it. 😢 I don’t really regret that as I now got to experience this new version that has a bonus chapter.

Surfing isn’t nearly as easy as Luca thinks it will be and Cal ends up rescuing him. Overwhelmed by what has happened, Luca impulsively kisses Cal. Even though he has additional lessons coming, Luca is too embarrassed by what happened to ever sign up for his remaining ones.

I loved that Cal tried to seek out Luca and when that didn’t work, they ended up meeting randomly at a bar when each of them were there with friends. When Luca apologized for kissing Cal, Cal let him know that he wasn’t upset and wouldn’t even mind if it happened again.

This was a very sweet and hot, bi-awakening story and a great addition to the Out in College series.

Lovely Read

Such a great addition to the Out in College series. This surfer meets hockey guy has such a dramatic meet/cute. Which I loved.

With little angst, but lots of maturity as these two navigate everything from Cal’s newfound interest in men to their visions for the future.

Their support for each other's dreams, big and small was lovely. I also have a special appreciation for Cal's interest in learning all the fun sexy sides of being with a man.

With a great laid back surfer vibe, this story, though quick, is a terrific romance. Brought to life by narrator Michael Dean, who does a really good job with Cal and Luca.

Fun story

This is a short novel that the author put together a complete good story. The first meeting of Luca and Cal made me laugh. The whole scene started on an awkward event and makes the next meeting uncomfortable but the two move on and find that the instant attraction and curiosity soon evolves into more than friendship. I wish there had been a little more about Cal’s background but with the story and the bonus at the end I felt this story was very enjoyable. The narration by Michael Dean is perfect for these characters.

SoCal for the win!!

Michael Dean was such an incredible choice for narrator!! There’s just something about a SoCal accent, and Michael nails it to a tee, bringing so much life and energy to the characters. His ability to differentiate between the two characters was appreciated, allowing for a more enjoyable experience of dialogue.

𝕀𝕗 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕘𝕒𝕪 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕀 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕀’𝕞 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕚𝕥

Cal and Luca were so much fun getting to know! Not to mention, Cal’s bi-Awakening was so organic and flowed naturally. The fact that Cal sought out after Luca was different (and unexpected), especially since he’s technically “straight”. Their chemistry and connection was great, and the storyline was fantastic!

Outstanding!!

Loved it!! so well written with an instant attraction turning into instant love. this is definitely one of the best stories in this series. Michael Dean was the perfect narrator for this book, he always gives his all in bringing books to life. You did a great job with this book Lane Hayes.👏💖🔥

Smooth, easy read

It's been a bit since I've read or listened to a Lane Hayes book, and starting at book 10 in a series probably wasn't the logical choice, but it is what it is. Thankfully, this one is a standalone, at least, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. For the most part, Out in the Surf is a fun, easy listen. There is a wee bit of angst, but even then, it's an easy-going book. It's also a steamy listen, and Cal and Luca have some good chemistry going on. They're both likable and easy to root for and the story just kind of flows, which makes sense for a surfing romance. The book is about 4 hours long, so it's perfect for a road trip or even listening while you're out running errands. Michael Dean gives voice to the characters, and he does a really good job of capturing the lighthearted friendship and romance between Luca and Cal. I think this is my first time listening to Dean, and now that I've heard him, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up an audiobook with his narration. I enjoyed both the story and narration, and Out in the Surf reminded me of how much I like Lane Hayes's work.