Drama! (South Rock High #2) by A.J. Truman

A nerd jock romance with laughs, feels, and plenty of (you guessed it) DRAMA!

From the blurb:

My arch nemesis is my new fake boyfriend. Can you say drama?

I should be a glitter bomb of excitement about my college friends getting married. But all I can think

about is running into my uber-successful ex and his new boyfriend at the wedding…while I’m flying painfully solo.

I need a plus one, stat. Enter Raleigh Marshall.

As luck (or misfortune) would have it, a picture of me and South Rock High’s too-blessed-to-be-stressed football coach accidentally finds its way on social media, making people believe we’re an item.

Raleigh is hot, charming, and one of South Rock’s most popular teachers. The problem is that he knows it. He also seems to derive a twisted pleasure from getting under my skin.

Yet once we stop bickering long enough to have a conversation, I have a hard time remembering what I hated about him.

Pretending to be in love with Raleigh Marshall will be my toughest role to date. But…am I still pretending?

Drama! is an enemies-to-lovers, fake boyfriend, theater nerd/football jock romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. Everett and Raleigh will put the A-plus in HEA, and like all good students, there’s no cheating. It’s the second book in the South Rock High series, which revolves around a found family of nerdy gay high school teachers, but can be read as a standalone.

SNik's Review:

Second in series (South Rock High), can be read as a standalone but might be more fun if read in order. Coworkers/frenemies to lovers. Fake boyfriend. Opposites attract. Slow burn. Dual POV. 

Drama teacher Everett needs a fake boyfriend for his friend's wedding, and when people accidentally think he is dating the school’s football coach, his desperation forces him to ask Raleigh for help. 

Raleigh loves riling up Everett, but he’s an easy-going guy and is willing to help, even though Everett is a little bit of an arts snob and thinks all jocks are dumb and mean. 

Everett and Raleigh are both likable characters, burned by love before and it takes time for them to realize that underneath their bantering and attraction there might be something worth pursuing. Raleigh is definitely more aware and observant when it comes to Everett, but Everett finds that Raleigh is a kind and generous person underneath the hot coach body. 

A fun story with two guys getting to know each other, with a supportive cast of friends, silly wordplay, and some serious attraction and chemistry between them that eventually leads to some high steam.

Eventually, both men realize that there is nothing fake about their dating and are willing to risk more for love. A really entertaining read.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

OMG I just adored this book and all the UST surrounding Everett and Raleigh. I knew in book 1 their bantering ran along the lines of attraction, so it was no shock to me they would be the MCs of book 2. Drama! had all the fun buildup of frenemies to lovers with plenty of heat and plenty of sweet. Raleigh surprised me with his hidden depths. On the surface, he appears to just be another cocky jock, but as you get to know him, you realize he's so much more than that. He feels deeply and truly cares about the high schoolers on his football team and in his classes.

Everett is slightly more reserved than Raleigh, but it doesn't take much coaching for Raleigh to introduce him to some fun. I loved when Everett was dragged to watch a football game with Raleigh and ended up realizing the drama that could be found in a professional game. It was so fun and I definitely laughed out loud at how he described some of the football positions.

"The player positioned for doggie style hiked the ball...

I mean, how can you not giggle at that? I also loved how Everett and Raleigh were both big fans of thrifting. Facebook marketplace seemed to be one of their favorite places to find new things and I found that just adorable. It was so cute when Raleigh would brag about his finds. The text message chain between our favorite nerdy teachers was definitely a highlight. The next book appears to be about Julian and his crush on his most likely not so straight fellow teacher and friend. It's titled Romance Languages and is slated to release in mid 2023.

Rating: 5 Stars

Jacquie's Review:

Drama! was so much fun. It had all the things I love done well - enemies to lovers (more frenemies but loved it), fake dating and a dash of hurt/comfort.

Raleigh and Everett love to hate each other. Raleigh thinks Ev is a stuck up art snob. Everett thinks Raleigh is a dumb jock. Needing a fake date puts Ev on the path to real love.

Their dates were lovely, the chemistry organic and palpable and I loved the little cameos of characters from the single dads series.

I feel like this has to be read after Ancient History to get the friendship dynamic fully, but it could be enjoyed as a standalone.

Loved it

Rating: 5 Stars

Janet's Review:

Drama! Is the second book in the South Rock High series. It was a seriously fun read that keep me flipping the pages! 

Everett needs a fake date and who better to help him than his arch nemesis Raleigh! Everett is the drama teacher and Raleigh is one of the coaches. They seem so opposite but are actually quite similar deep down. The character depth was amazing. These two had sooo much chemistry. They burned up the pages of my kindle. Their banter and snark were hilarious. The secondary characters are fantastic. We even get a snippet of Cal and Russ from The Falcon and the Foe! 

Overall, a fantastic addition to the series, even better than the first. Well written with addicting pacing that kept engaged. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Heather's Review:

Gotta love a frenemies to lovers story, especially when it's also an opposites attract, co-workers fake dating story!  Talk about Drama!!!

This book was such a fun read!   Everett was such an sweet but oblivious guy and Raleigh isn't much better, until surprisingly, they ACTUALLY talk to each other... I love the chemistry, the banter and the sweetness - I just ate it all up with a spoon!

I read Drama! in one sitting - you just won't wan to put it down!  It can be read standalone, but does have a few subtle references and cameo appearances from the first book in the series, Ancient History.

Rating: 5 Stars

Drama! is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.