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

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?

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.

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. ♥

beautifully written and narrated

Jess is Colin’s sister from book 2. Her BFF is Quinn, a shy, bookish ginger. They’re both on Spring Break from their last year in college and both are determined to have a rip roarin’ good time.

They pick a cruise in which a crew of reality tv stars will be filming – Jess has a crush on Casey from the show and Quinn on JR. But mostly they just want to enjoy spring break, regardless of what happens with the tv personalities.

JR has been stereotyped as an angry, straight, black man on this “reality” show and he HATES it. He’s nothing like the man he’s portrayed as, and is tired of hiding his true nature and his bi-sexuality. But… he signed a contract and though it’s about to expire, his agent has him headed for other auditions that demand JR stay in the closet – and JR NEEDS the money so…

When JR sees Quinn something in him just shifts. He suddenly can’t keep the secret he’s had all these years for one more moment. Though he’s well aware of the risks he is compelled like nothing before to pursue something –ANYTHING- with Quinn.

Quinn, who has been burned by a closeted boyfriend before, knows his heart is bound to be broken, but can’t say no to the enigmatic JR (aka Jay).

In time, both men have to face the music and decide what the future will bring – no matter who it hurts.

**

This is another beautifully written and narrated story by the team of Megan Erickson and Marc Bachmann.

Megan has a gift for giving us angsty new adults and showing us in their time of growth. Her sex scenes are hot without dominating the storyline and the feels are strong and feel authentic and possible.

Though I “pictured” JR’s voice as a little more gruff than it was portrayed in the audio, I loved, loved, loved Quinn’s cute little drawl!
(The epilogue is great – we get to catch up with the previous MCs from books 1 and 2!)

If you’re a fan of the series this is a must – though you don’t have to read the books in order to appreciate the magic in each one.

Highly recommended.

4.5 of 5 stars

This a a wonderful series.

I love this series and how the guys intertwine but each book can be read as a stand-alone

Cruise Ships and Romance

Quinn is shy and a little lost. His entire life he’s done what he’s parents expect of him. J.R. is a household name since he’s joined a reality show, but his contract forces him to live a lie. It doesn’t seem likely for two very different people, living very different lives, to meet. But anything is possible on cruise during Spring Break. J.R. and Quinn meet on the cruise and find a purpose in life beyond what the world expects from them. Megan Erickson is a very good writer, and the story she creates is fun, full of hijinks and romance.

Out of Frame

I think this series just keeps getting better as we go. Although Focus on Me book 2 is still my favorite and will probably stay my favorite cause I love Riley the most.
I really liked the premise for this one, that the setting is a cruise ship. Quinn (who is seen in book two for a few seconds at the end) is a super shy Ginger. He and his best friend Jess (Colin from book2's Sister) take a cruise for Spring Break along with a group of reality show stars. Quinn ends up repeatedly coming into contact with reality star Jay R. Butler. And they start a Spring Break Fling, even though JR is in the closet as being BI and Quinn is totally out. They find ways to avoid the cameras, and watchful eyes. They end up getting through the end of the cruise and go their separate ways. At the end they decide to "Come out" and be together. They never made it off the boat during the cruise to do any sight seeing but I don't think that really took away from the story, it seemed like more of a floating adventure at sea. Also, I really hope to see Levi, one of the secondary characters get his story in one of the next books in this series that would be great.
Audio - Marc again does a great job. I love his voice and love listening to his narrations. He not only does good with the main characters but the supporting (female) ones. I like how he sometimes has the southern drawl come out when its needed as well.

Cute and funny

Any additional comments?

This series just gets better with each book. These characters were my favorite by far. I felt this book had a lovely warm and funny feel that I greatly enjoyed.