One of the best books of the year. Do yourself a favor, put aside what you heard - it's not accurate at all and read this book. From the very beginning they suck you in. So well done, I just can't do this book justice. It's raw, gritty, engaging, fun and so well written. I could see the characters they tried to portray so clearly. I'm reading it again for a second time. Just read it and then lets talk. I want to start a group over the greatness of this book. I really liked the story.

This was my first m/m romance. In a word: Amazing. So why would a grandmother enjoy this book thoroughly? It was beautifully written, the plot fresh, the characterization a true accomplishment, and heck, I've lived my life surrounded by men and I enjoyed reading a totally realistic portrait of men loving men in our complicated and wonderful world. I laughed. I cringed. I did get angry a few times, and my eyes were glued to the page other times. Isn't that what a love story should do to a reader? The steamy bits~and they were more than that. They were smoking hot~ I can only say one thing about that. I will never think of an elevator quite the same way again***smiling***. I didn't want to get to the end of this book and I couldn't wait to. It was all so new to me, unexpected, unknown, that I kept asking myself how will HEA look for these two complex men. Oh but it was delightfully happy and perfect. I love it when an author stays consistent with who the characters are and lets their happiness be a reflection of them. A wonderful book. I highly recommend.

5 Stars
Black Balled by Andrea Smith and Eva LeNoir was an amazing book.
I know there has been a lot of controversary over this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was about learning to love one another even when you think they are the worst people ever. Hot sexy alpha males with some really steamy sex.

It's the story of Larson and Troy two broken men in their own ways, who just seem to be going threw the motions of life.
Larson or L. Blackburn is an Indie author and Troy or Babu is a book reviewer which are not always the nicest.

The book starts out with Babu's review of Larson's latest novel and it was not a nice review at all. Babu never even finished the book but basically said it was crap. Well Larson is not going to take it and without consent from his manager he responds back to Babu. These emails and messages make up a good deal of the amazing writing in the book.

"Given the choice between having a root canal with no anesthesia and finishing Quincy's Soul?
I chose the root canal.

Given the choice between burning my corneas and finishing Quincy's Soul?
Bye-bye corneas.
Review by Babu

"Thank you Babu, for that life-altering review of my work. No, I don't use the word lightly because, unlike you, I actually "worked" to finish my novel."
L.Blackburn response to review

Larson and Troy meet a party without either one knowing who the other is which leads to some fireworks in an elevator.
It does get interesting when they start to see each other and they realize it. Love does have a way of just sneaking up on you.

I quite thoroughly enjoyed the banter in this book and if you can get past the controversary surrounding this book I honestly think you will too.
First book I have read by either author but will not be my last.

Here is the thing ... I am well aware of the controversy surrounding this book but I also like to be able to make up my own mind. So when I was asked to review an ARC of this title, I was happy to say YES.
For the record, I am not a BFF of either author nor am I particularly familiar with their previous work.
I went into this with ZERO expectations and ...

I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by 'Black Balled'! Everything about this book was FLAWLESS! The story line is pretty unique which already sets this book apart from so many others. The 'hate to lust to love' relationship between two main characters is superbly executed. The online banter is priceless! I laughed out loud on several occasions. The erotic factor .... OFF THE CHARTS! The writing ... OMG! THE WRITING! I already used the word FLAWLESS but that's what the writing IS! The story just flows. This is only the second author collaboration I am reading (Christina Lauren's books being another) and I am really impressed at how seamless the transition is from one author to another.

Bottom line is, I'm really glad I agreed to give this a go. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I even ended up buying a copy once the book went LIVE. If you are into a well written M/M erotica, I think you'll really enjoy 'Black Balled'.
 

I loved Andrea Smith's book, "Black Balled"!

Since I am also a fiction writer, I am always interested in reading about other writers. In this case, it was a writer and a critic. The critic is down right mean in many of his literary criticisms and seems to never give authors the benefit of the doubt on anything.

What starts out as out and out HATRED of one by the other, first turns to LUST, then finally to LOVE.
And in the end LOVE wins and ... oh well I don't want to give away the ending, but believe me, you will enjoy this book if you are fan of the m/m erotic romance genre.

Standing ovation!! Seriously....Andrea Smith and Eva Lenoir...take a bow ladies and a huge pat on the back because you f***ing rocked the sh*t out of this book!!

I once had a blog and I loved and enjoyed it immensely. But I gave it up all for the wrong reasons. I never got the love and support from the one person who should've had my back and in the end he left me anyway. So to say that I truly related to the underlying messages you get from this book...it touched me. I got it. I understood it. And this book really makes me miss my blogging days.

This story left my heart fluttering. The storyline was amazing. The characters blew my mind. And when you throw in two dominant men...phew...HOLY F***ING HOTTNESS!!! I may have creamed my panties a time or two....or ten!!!!

The story flowed so well and held me captive from beginning to end. Larson and Troy will blow your mind or your load...whatever, no judgement ;) I'm almost tempted to just go back and re-read all the s*x scenes because JESUS H. CHRIST *fans self* they're f***ing HOTT! Like graphic-leave-no-room-for-imagination HOTT!

The story in a whole is so worth the read. Definitely a must read. I'm a sucker for M/M and some have fallen short but not this one my friends. This is my first time reading anything from these two authors and I gotta say it was one helluva introduction to their work. I'm pretty sure this tops any M/M I've ever read and I've read quite a few. Definitely worthy of more than 5 stars from me. Andrea & Eva totally 8 stars worthy. Thanks for rocking my book world on this one!!

FANTASTIC!! I loved this book from the start. The authors did a fabulous job of combining heat, wit, plot, and did I mention heat? There were several fan your face moments that had me wanting more. The character chemistry kept steam rising from the pages. That's not to say the storyline didn't have a deeper meaning, because it did.

Kudos to the writing team for producing a book that I thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover. It would be nice to read an update of the characters in an additional book because I'd love to know how the rest of their lives go.

This book was all new territory for me, in many ways. Babu is a very harsh literary critic who spares no punches with his negative reviews. Blackburn is the enemy as a self-published author who lacks a filter and isn’t ashamed of it. Honestly, if it weren’t for their backgrounds, they would be incredibly unlikeable. With their backgrounds, they are merely tolerable. While it isn’t unusual for me to not connect with a character or two or even dislike a character, it is unusual for me to enjoy disliking them and to embrace the characters’ flaws. These characters were real. There is no fantasy, no saints and no perfection to be found. There is no miracle transformation but there is self-discovery and acceptance in a real way. Babu and Blackburn are deeply flawed human beings. Oddly, that is exactly what held my attention. Throughout the book, these alpha males struggle with themselves and argue with each other. Their antics are immature, vulgar and hilarious in a completely distasteful way. While some may be turned off by their behavior, I loved it. It was refreshing and set the book apart from most of the romances I’ve read. Sure, I have read lots of stories about enemies turned lovers but this just felt different to me.

Black Balled was well written with a steady pace. The dual perspective was well done with each character holding a distinct voice. The sex was more than steamy and quite frequent. If you are looking for something sweet, this isn’t it. If you are looking for something utterly and wonderfully filthy and erotic, you have found it.

***FIVE STARS ****

We have an author L. Blackburn who in a nice way is very arrogant. He believes that all his books are amazing. Sadly there is 1 reviewer who thinks otherwise. Babu “Troy” runs a column and reads and reviews books and plays on the side of not being very nice about his reviews. He walks a fine line between being a reviewer who gives constructive criticism and bashing. He too is very arrogant and thinks that his opinion is golden in the review community. Bad mistake for Babu when reviewing the work of L. Blackburn because he doesn’t hold back. Blackburn than does the very wrong thing and comments on his review and this is where the story kicks off and takes you on a wild ride.

Back and forth banter between the 2 men was very amusing for me to read. There was never a dull moment. Both author and reviewer taking jabs at each other and never giving in. Babu is set out to ruin Blackburn’s career and Blackburn sets out to destroy Babu’s creditability in the reviewing community. These boys are relentless in their pursuits and it makes for a very entertaining story to read.

When fate steps in and brings these 2 hot heads together explosions set off in more ways than one. The chemistry is boiling hot between Troy “Babu” and L. Blackburn “Larson”. You know that saying, “love/hate relationship”? I think that saying was based around these 2 alpha stubborn ass men. They love to hate each other and hate that they very well could love each other. The fighting and arguing is unreal but the make up is sinfully sexy. There is no top/bottom in this relationship because both men are very much 100% alpha male and they need to learn how to adjust and make “them” work. Both characters will have to set aside their professional lives in order to make their relationship work. They will have to learn how to communicate with each other and trust each other. They will learn how to give and take and compromise.

In Black Balled there is a lot of male testosterone. A lot of fighting and arguing back and forth. And when the clothes came flying off – watch out because things explode (pun intended)

I can’t tell you how many times both these crazy men made me giggle and laugh because at times they acted more like my 9 year old than grown ass adults. They were rude, crude and I loved them.

Their journey together is not always easy. There are times where everything is tested. Where outside influences will test everything both Larson and Troy have fought for. Even with all the drama surrounding this book I must say bravo to the authors because it wasn’t lets bash on reviewers/bloggers, etc. They took jabs at both. It was an honest read and very intriguing. Not only sexy but entertaining as well. I am very much hoping that these 2 authors join together again for another m/m romance novel because I would love to see what boys they give me next. If you enjoy a good hot m/m romance with a great storyline that will make me experience numerous different emotions than I would recommend reading Black Balled. Great job ladies! Bravo!

I have to say this book is delightful, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Larson and Troy's story. They are two beautiful men who find love in the most amazing way! The banter between the two characters was so much fun to read. There were so many laugh out loud moments in this book, my husband thought I had lost my mind with all the laughing!

OH and Larson, sigh, he is my new book boyfriend. His one liners are classic and had me rolling with laughter. I love that he was unapologetically himself. He didn't care what anyone thought, he is who he is and you just have to love him or hate him. He doesn't care, because he is comfortable in his own skin. I really could relate to Larson on many levels, he is my kind of people!

It was so much more than just funny, it was also bittersweet. I think my favorite thing about this book is Troy finally accepting himself as is, it was just a beautiful moment.

And it wasn't just Larson and Troy who made the book enjoyable. The supporting cast of characters really added to the story. Ida is a hoot! And let's not forget Muffy the caviar loving cat!

The loves scenes in this book caught my kindle on fire! I don't know what it is about M/M romance, maybe it's the intensity, IDK but it sure gets my motor running.

Eva and Andrea outdid themselves with this one. It's funny, sexy as hell, a little raunchy and deliciously decadent.