Riley & Max
Rating: 3.5 ?

- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Bisexual MC
- Small Town
- Ex-con Cowboy/Ph.D. Student
- Keeping Secrets

This was a nice introduction to a great group of guys on the ranch. Riley is sunshine and is excited about his research he will get from the ranch that he can use in his dissertation. Everyone thinks he's crazy for taking six months off of school be on the ranch, especially since he is going to pretend to be one of the convicts there for rehabilitation, with the help of the owners of course. Max is a Grumpy Gus that went through the program at the ranch and is now free working there as an employee, not wanting to go back to his former life and snooty family. Max s to be alone with the animals on the ranch and not be bothered by people.

These two are paired together as mentor and mentee with neither one being thrilled about it and Max doesn't know about Riley being a student instead of coming from a jail somewhere. So, you know there's a lot of confusion, angry grunting, and head scratching from Max while he tries to figure out why Riley isn't anyone else that has come through the program. Riley surprises everyone with how he handles blending in and keeping up with the rest of the guys. He has his own past that he has learned from and grown into the person he is now. It has helped inspire his passions and why he is at the ranch in the first place. The other inmates take a quick liking to Riley and he even brings the grump out of his shell.

Max has always had a feeling that he might be bisexual but after what happened when he was nine, he pushed it back into the recesses of his mind to never dwell on it, until Riley shows up. They are both interesting characters and the secondary characters add depth to the story instead of taking away from it. The middle of the book dragged a little bit and some of the time jumps messed with my ability to follow their growing relationship. A few areas were kind of preachy and I wanted to smack Max upside his head for being such a martyr in this book, multiple times. Riley needs to stay away from any animal with hooves because man is he a magnet! I enjoyed the epilogue and their HEA, especially with them having to be long distance after Riley leaves the ranch. I am interested in who else from the group will get their full story told in future installments.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Verse: No
HEA: Yes
POV: Dual
Breakup: Yesbisexual3 s Sophie Reads Stories246

Romeo Alexander is one of my favourite own voice authors and Pushing Riley to the Max is definitely in the top 3 favourite Romeo books (the others are Cake & Comfort and My Chaos, His Calm)

Romeo's writing of the grumpy/sunshine trope is top-tier, and Max is definitely the grumpiest MC I've read from him; he's a borderline asshole with very few redeeming qualities at first glance. But that is what I love about this author's writing: he manages to write complex characters that seem very set in their ways, but over the course of falling in love, you (and them) realise that there is so much depth to them. Not that love changes their whole personality—it doesn't—but it allows other parts of their personalities and characters to come through, showing us why they are someone the MC could fall in love with. 

Riley was also a wonderful character to read. Yes, he's eternally optimistic; yes, he's sunshine and rainbows, but this is an active choice he has made and continues to make daily. 
It becomes clear that he used to be very similar to Max, an asshole and a grump, making bad decisions and on a path to unhappiness, but he made a conscious decision to not be that.

I thought the fact that we do get glimpses of this other Riley was a really great way to show that he is also a complex, three-dimensional character with more depth than you and Max would think.

The story is a slow burn due to the power imbalance between Max and Riley (as employee/mentor and programme participant/mentee), but once the heat is turned up, it's really turned up! 

I would have loved to see some kind of closure with Max's family, because it's a big part of his back story, but perhaps that's planned for a bonus story or short story. 

I loved the side characters and look forward to reading their stories as well.academia_university_teacher bi_pan_demi blue-collar-hero ...more3 s Paige - currently in a reading slump-117

I was very surprised by the quality of the book. I've never read a book from this author before and I'm very surprised. He should be more popular because his writing is on par with some very popular books!
I love the pun of the title and I thought the characters were really cool. I hope some of them will have dedicated books.2 s E150

TOO PREACHY & POLITICAL

It starts off promisingly enough, and I even found the premise and the MCs to be quite interesting. But as the story progressed, the characters started to become exaggerations of their stereotypes, to a point where their actions bordered histrionic and they began to feel more caricatures of real people than actual people. Then the story got increasingly too political and hypocritical that just trying to get through it without feeling I was being constantly ragged on had become an onerous and near-impossible task.

Now, all the reasons I didn’t this might be the same reasons you’ll find this worth a read (because to each their own), but to give a rough run-down of what turned me off about this…

Warning: The following isn’t spoiler-free.

1. Too many inconsistencies. Inconsistencies chip away at credibility. (It also makes for a hella confusing read.) Some of the most recurring examples are with Mr Grumpy to the Max: A.) Max hates people; says he would rather be left alone. But then can’t stop sticking his nose in Riley’s business even if it has no bearing whatsoever on his personal life. B.) He claims to want to have nothing to do with people whom he absolutely loathes, yet he actually craves attention so much that he goes out of his way to provoke, antagonise, and childishly insult people for reasons any true recluse would simply ignore.

2. Unable MCs. A.) I can respect Max if he were actually simply a misanthrope as we are initially made to believe; but it turns out it’s all superiority complex. He thinks he’s better than everyone else, which kind of contradicts the very reason he chose to “humble himself” and “do the right thing” by atoning for his crimes (adding to yet another incongruence in his character). B.) Riley started out cute, but sadly, that didn’t last long. It became clear that he’s actually an insufferable pedantic goody-two-shoes who can’t stop lecturing everyone. 90% of the time, when he’s not preaching, he’s psychoanalysing—the rest of the time? He’s judging or being a manipulative hypocrite. (Perhaps the MCs would have seemed a lot less obnoxious and overbearing if this wasn’t told in 1st-person POV? Then again, maybe that’s what the author was going for?)(Too much ego is just not attractive to me on anyone.)

3. Leaning too much into popular (and rather sell-out) stereotypes. A.) Perhaps in an attempt to “soften” or make Max more “lovable”, he does this weird OTT thing (totally out of character) where he reacts a shy virgin high-school girl at the slightest praise or nicety directed at him; it instantly brought to mind countlessly generic anime scenes where character reactions are all canned, regardless of the gender, age, or background of whoever is doing the reacting, so those instances really turned Max cartoony. B.) 70% or more of all MM romances I have read always have the flawless epitome of femdom and modern (fanatic) feminism: “the intimidating girl boss” who never fails to make all men tremble before her presence. Because of course, there has to be. This is why we read MM romance after all, right? To read about girls being bosses and showing the males who’s the real superior gender (because there isn’t enough of that in heterosexual and sapphic romances already, yeah?). Thank the heavens for MM romances with girls who blessedly have a non-threatening, not-perfect, normal female personality that is actually relaxed and cool and not aggressively trying to prove something to mankind every breathing second of their existence.

4. Feels more a political-statement story than a romance. A.) Every single character gets suffocatingly political at a certain point early on, and they wouldn’t stop pontificating left and right. It begun to feel less and less reading a romance novel, and more I was attending some kind of religious service and being lectured by a panel of zealous preachers. It’s not only Riley who gets preachy, no. Everyone does: From Mona, Mr Isiah, Leon, Max, Max’s family—hells, even Eliot won’t shut up with the platitudes and sermons. Heck, I’m willing to bet that if only the pigs and horses here could talk, they’d be nagging the reader about something too because it got to a point where every available speaking character just felt the author’s mouthpiece to enforce some belief or opinion. B.) We don’t get a speck of actual romance until about the 40 per cent mark! That’s 145 pages of almost non-stop moralising, dogmatising, and sermonising before we actually get what this book is supposed to be about (it doesn’t help that the plot is rather boring and nothing really exciting happens during that time). Worst part is, when we do get to the first real “romance”, it’s a scene straight out of a horror movie; case in point:

5. No, Riley. Being gay is not a fad (AKA: Riley is the biggest hypocrite and also a sexual harasser, and this story attempts to glorify harassing straight people in the cringiest way ever). A.) Riley knows Max is straight? Yes. Does he respect that? No. He jocundly tells Max it’s fine to guys, because er, “it’s the twenty-first century”(??), and I am sorry but WTF? What kind of twisted, misguided line of reasoning is that? For all his good-guy schtick and self-righteous speeches about how he believes people should be treating each other with more respect and consideration and all that jazz, he doesn’t see what’s so messed up about what he’s implying? So okay, one’s sexual orientation is just some kind of trend that should get with the times now? WOW. Just. WOW. That’s one gigantic step back for LGBTQ+ rights right there, when we’re now promoting our sexual orientation as something as shallow as a changing fad. (And no. It doesn’t even end there.) B.) Max reiterates that he is straight, clearly uncomfortable about the whole topic; so what does Riley do? He moves into his personal space and… starts putting his hands on him. WHICH IS NOT CREEPY AT ALL, RIGHT?? Again. WOW. I can’t even. Gee, that’s not predatory at all, Riley! But no, this scene is not portrayed that way… C.) This whole scene is supposed to be… “romantic”? As a gay person myself who isn’t even brave enough to come out, the second-hand humiliation and shame I felt having to experience this scene, even vicariously, was enough to trigger me big time. Yes, this is fiction, but considering the tone of this whole story and how it unabashedly tackles very real-world topics, if people who aren’t educated enough about this (as if we don’t already have enough people who misunderstand LGBTQ+ folk) actually come across this (and it’s written by a gay author to boot, so it has to be credible, right?), then imagine how much less respect gay people, etc. are going to get because apparently sexual orientation is just some kind of fashion statement that should be en vogue, therefore, isn’t that serious to begin with since—according to Riley (a psychology, etc. student even)—sexual orientation is something that we can and should change with the times the latest fashion! —not something intrinsically part of who we are and therefore, to a certain degree, invariable. There may be people who are bisexual and such, but are we generalising here? I know I’ve never been attracted to females, and I know a lot of gay guys who have never been attracted to females ever, and having females make sexual advances on us is hella scary! Now, people us are not even valid too because we should: “get with the twenty-first century??” Furthermore, I know there are gay people out there who have straight-guy fetishes, and I’m not going to kink shame, but Riley of all people? Really?? Mr Holier-Than-Thou is doing this without even getting the slightest tug of conscience that he was not only violating another person’s boundaries, but also taking advantage of someone he claims to treat as a friend no less? To say this made me physically ill would be an understatement. OMG. I want to cry. How is this okay??

6. More MF vibes than MM. I tried so hard, but Riley really acts more a girl than a guy. Not even an effeminate guy or a femme-boy, no. My brain reads his thoughts, dialogues, actions, etc. and it processes the same thing consistently: GIRL. GIRL. GIRLY-GIRL GIRL.

7. OVERABUNDANCE OF EYE-ROLLS. So many eye-rolls, goodness! I’m actually surprised Max’s eyes weren’t spinning perpetually.

As I am with all books I choose to read (or every ARC from Booksprout I choose to claim), I was very optimistic about this. I really gave it my honest all trying to enjoy this, but I signed up for MM romance for romance, not for an ear-lashing. I did not only get something completely different, but a bunch of other unsavoury things that I would never have chosen to read in the first place. So, I am sorry but, this was not my cuppa, at all. I was supposed to give this at least 2 stars for "It's OK." but that part with Riley being a creep was just too horrific, that no. I can't. It's not OK at all.

Just a friendly suggestion: Maybe it would help if the author put trigger warnings or something? :'( I could have known right off the bat that this wasn't for me if it had.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewhell-no mf-vibes-not-mm permafree-or-gifted-or-arc-copy ...more Emily Pennington18.7k 310

Riley and Max’s Story . . .

Riley Song, a Ph.D. student with degrees in Criminal Psychology and Sociology, is spending 6 months “undercover” at the Isaiah Ranch to gather data on whether the rehabilitation of felons through working on the ranch was producing the expected results. The data he gathers will become part of his doctoral thesis. He hopes what he writes can lead to reform of the system, where people are given a chance to change and grow to be better. Prison, locking them away, is giving up on them. But he believes change is possible and worth the effort. Only the owner and his assistant, Mona, is aware that Riley is a student, not a real felon. And no one knows yet that he is afraid of horses. But Riley has been standing in a convenience store for an hour now, invited inside to avoid the Texas heat while waiting to be picked up and driven to Isaiah Ranch. He was starting to feel he was imposing on the woman, and asked how far away the ranch was. She had just asked him why he was being sent “there” when the door opened and an angry man stormed in covered in dust and mud. But his scowl went away as he greeted Miss Penny. Then he hustled Riley out the door. As they drove to the ranch, Riley took Professor Black’s advice and typed up his observations in the Word app on his phone. Meeting the friendly woman, Mona Wilson, at the large house finally made him feel properly welcomed. He did thank the growly cowboy who drove him here, but hoped he wouldn’t run into him often since they obviously did not get along.

Max DeWitt is the grumpy guy who has experienced the program firsthand and now works there. He s being among the animals and avoiding lots of people. But he doesn’t being assigned by Mona as Riley’s mentor! Riley is not the others. Max doesn’t trust easily. But Riley has a “sunshine” type of personality and makes it difficult for people to stay grumpy at him for long. And he also has his own secrets. As the two started working together, Max still could not believe the guy could be so happy all the time. And yet, he worked hard and always exceeded Max’s expectations of him, that of course getting on his nerves. Even the pigs d him! And to his amazement, Riley told him that he truly enjoys Max’s company! Max was speechless. Was there some other dynamic working between them now? And where would it take them?
reviewed Hundred Acre1,146 24

Riley has chosen to join the workers on Isaiah Ranch for six months, he is working undercover, studying the way in which all those who work there have been in prison and are now in rehabilitation. He hopes to be able to understand how this can work in practice, finish his PhD and then continue the fight to have more recognition and funding for these types of projects. Riley is a sunny personality, full of live and with a love for life but that doesn't mean he has no understanding of the lives some of these men on the ranch may have lived, he had a troubled childhood and as the story unfolds we are given insights into that as well as those of others on the ranch.

Max is one of the few who came to the ranch for rehabilitation and have stayed. he loves the ranch, it is now his home. He wants nothing to do with his entitled, rich family and his father who keeps trying t bribe him to come home. He speaks only to Natasha, his older sister. Even then he doesn't tell her everything, in fact there is one secret that he has told no-one and that is the reason that he came to the ranch, chose the route of punishment and not buying out the system with family money. Until now he has been left with being a leader and having responsibility on the ranch. With the arrival of Riley he is about to become a mentor.

There is a twist. Well there are quite a few twists, many of which will ly take you by surprise, they certainly did me! No-one other than Mona and Mr Isaiah know what the real reason is for Riley being on the Ranch and it is meant to stay that way but as things develop between Riley and Max it seems more and more ly that Riley might surrender his secret, but at what cost and is there more going on under the surface than either man realises? With this secret, some more secrets that Max is holding on to, Riley's propensity to have accidents and the dynamics of all those on the Ranch this is a fascinating and completely absorbing book - it really did have me staying up into the small hours because I simply HAD to finish it.

Romantic, realistic, philosophical. This book is many things and will be different for each reader but one thing is for certain the writing and storytelling are strong, really strong and I can't wait to see how the story of those on the Ranch will unfold in future books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.adult romance1 Bol.D.65

Tags: immersive, opposites attract, page-turner, slow burn, witty, heartwarming, profound, steamy, dual POV, no cliffhangers.
I loved this exciting, emotional, almost poetic tale of developing affection, understanding, and love between two opposite men and a seemingly impossible match. On the surface, the story appears as straightforward. However, intense and complex emotions bubbling underneath make this book a profound, enjoyable, and uplifting read.
Riley is a charming, bubbly, "happy-go-lucky, well-behaved guy" with a positive and caring personality. He is a Ph.D. student in psychology, joining an outreach program reforming convicts through ranch work undercover to research the functioning of the project for his Ph.D. thesis. Max is assigned as his mentor, against his will, and oblivious to Riley's mission. He is a grumpy, unapproachable, snarly loner and former convict with a complicated and hidden past along with trust and self-worth issues. They are on opposite sides of the spectrum, from their personalities to their families and backgrounds. Yet, they are perfectly fitting together against all odds.
I love how the tension between them gradually grows and transforms into understanding, deeper feelings, and love. Riley manages to break through the walls Max has built around himself. It is touching to witness how Rilkey dismantles the layers of protection, revealing his true nature and letting Max's tenderness and softness glow through. Though the narrative lacks high drama, angst, and tension, this is a rewarding, dynamic, and immersive read that will make you turn pages from start to end. Besides well-rounded characters with profound insight into their inner thoughts and feelings, a witty back-and-forth between them contributes to the story's appeal immensely. The eloquent and vivid writing is just the added bonus to this book.
Readers who appreciate witty, entertaining yet heartwarming, easy-to-read, uplifting, and emotionally profound novels will love this book; on the other hand, fans of high drama, dark narrative, and stories with angst, complex emotions, and issues might not enjoy it so much.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book. This review is an independent and genuine reflection of my thoughts.
GradyAuthor 49 books1,788

‘The biggest discoveries often come from the heart…’

Michigan author Romeo Alexander has demonstrated that not only does he have a talent for writing romance but also the gift for exploring opposites in people’s lives and stations in life and how exploration of apparent disparities can actually be a source for bonding. Though somewhat shy he is a humanitarian who sees the world in which we live as a community bonded in a natural approach to our feelings and ourselves and our interaction with others. His bisexual nature allows him to create well rounded characters – most all of his novels are M/M romances but they are much more than the usual erotica we encounter in film, television, and social media.

Romeo’s forte is defining characters who are fully visual and credible, and born of a spectrum of types that make his stories unusually unique. In this new volume his lead character is Riley (of the title!) who is a PhD student in Criminal Psychology on a secret mission to Isaiah Ranch in Texas where he will study the attributes of criminals undergoing rehab as opposed to prison. As he shares in the opening, in a conversation with a lady in town, “What did you say you were goin’ to Isaiah’s for again?” ”To be a ranch hand,” I told her with a smile, excited to get a spot, even a temporary one, on the Isaiah Ranch was not an easy feat. Well, if you hadn’t broken the law anyway. Isaiah Ranch was one of the few places meant to rehabilitate people, typically men, instead of shipping them off to prison and ‘rehabilitating’ them there. Which was precisely why I was so eager to work there. To get the experience the ’inmates’ had working on the ranch and evaluate the full effect of their methods…’ And at the Ranch he is, as an undercover ranch hand, assigned a gruff mentor – Max (of the title!) - who is the opposite of Riley’s personality and appearance, yet the two gradually come together in a relationship that, through countless facets, is both mesmerizing and satisfying.

The range of themes in Romeo’s impressively large output of novels always encourages his readership to plead for the next volume. This is a wholly enjoyable and very well conceived and written story with a significant sociological theme worthy of everyone’s attention!
1 Precociousp 100

In "Pushing Riley to the Max," Romeo Alexander once again showcases his talent for crafting richly detailed universes, replete with captivating locales and characters whose backstories resonate deeply with readers. This inaugural entry in the Isaiah Ranch series embraces the "grumpy/sunshine" or "opposites attract" trope, enveloping readers in a western romance ambiance from the outset. The familial bond among the characters is palpable, underscored by their interactions, while a profound connection to nature and animals imbues the narrative with added depth.

At the heart of the story are Max and Riley, two intricately developed protagonists whose authenticity leaps off the page. Riley, an undercover Ph.D. student investigating a ranch renowned for its rehabilitation programs for ex-prisoners, finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Max, a former inmate whose guarded demeanor belies a complex past. Their evolving dynamic, marked by Max's reluctant mentorship and Riley's unwavering warmth, sets the stage for a slow-burning journey of self-discovery and mutual understanding. While Riley's character arc is deftly fleshed out, Max's gradual unmasking leaves readers eagerly anticipating further exploration of his depths.

While Alexander's narrative prowess is evident throughout, occasional instances of didactic dialogue may give pause to some readers. Additionally, Riley's initial interactions with Max may tread uncomfortably close to the line of unwanted attention, potentially unsettling certain readers. However, these minor quibbles notwithstanding, the groundwork laid for future installments—particularly in the vibrant depiction of the ranch and its eclectic ensemble of supporting characters—hints at intriguing narrative avenues yet to be explored.

In "Pushing Riley to the Max," Romeo Alexander delivers a poignant tale of redemption, resilience, and the transformative power of connection. With its richly drawn characters and evocative setting, this novel serves as a compelling introduction to what promises to be an enthralling series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.book-review Lesetiger477 2


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