deep in the countRating: 5 stars
Length: Short Story


Cute!  Clever!  Hot!  Sweet!  Take your pick, any and all of these could be used to describe Madison Parker’s short story, Deep in the Count.  And just for good measure, I am going to add, delightful!  I had the joy of reading the first published story by this author a while back and I can honestly say that she just keeps getting better and better. Now all we have to do is get her to write a longer story!

Deep in the Count is a fabulous twist on the old standard–jock meets nerd and falls hard for him.  The difference?  This nerd is confident, thoughtful, and hardly needy.  Corey doesn’t sit around his dorm room pining for anyone.  He has a plan for his life and he’s determined to let nothing derail it.  When Corey’s roommate, Jack, brings home a teammate, Brandon, the last thing on Corey’s mind is getting involved with the guy. But Brandon is smitten and determined to crack the mystery of how to get Corey to notice him.  Even though poor Brandon has incredible confidence on the baseball field, when it comes to getting someone as smart and confident as Corey, he suffers real insecurity.  We watch with just a bit of apprehension, as everything Brandon does to win Corey over seems to fall short of the mark.  This is one stubborn nerd, but our baseball jock sticks to his plan and hopes that in the end he will be able to win over his sweet geek.

Clever—this story was just hands down, clever.  The role reversal of the two characters, the quandary Corey finds himself in as to whether or not Brandon is just looking for a “quick hookup” and the tender way these two boys finally show that they care for one another made this story unique.  Couple all that with author Madison Parker’s beautifully in-depth characterizations and entertaining plot lines and you have a real winner.  While definitely short in length, Parker’s impeccable writing style plunged me straight into the lives of these young men.  The little glimpses of the way they thought about each other, the persistence Brandon had in his pursuit of Corey, it all added up to a very compete and satisfying story.

Now, if we can just get this promising young author to write a longer story, I have a feeling her growing fan base will be shouting with joy—myself included!  She has a style all her own and a voice that breathes life into the characters she dreams up.  As before, I find myself thoroughly enjoying Madison Parker’s imaginative musings.  Deep in the Count is a lovely little gem!

This story is available for free as part of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s Love Has No Boundaries event.  You can download the story in several formats at the bottom of the story page.

sammysig