Time to start a new week and with a new week comes a new featured story. Timothy M offered to do a review for the blog and chose the story "The English Year" by Promising Author: Jwolf. I hope you enjoy his review and if this sounds like something you'd like, then go read! Don't forget to leave Jwolf a review, or two, to let him know what you thought!

Reviewer: Timothy M.
Status: In Process
Do you like roller coasters? Are you OK with tearing your hair out in frustration over the main characters and their actions, because you’ve gotten completely involved in them and their story? Can you relate to the desperate efforts of a college student to stay on top of the intricate dance of status, academics, house mates, friends and foes, but in particular sex and love?

If so, try reading The English Year by Jwolf.

I’ll admit I was skeptical at first. The whole Frat Society maneuvering and scheming together with the heavy drinking and partying almost made me wash my hands of the main character and the whole story. But I hung on and by now I’m completely addicted, as are several other GA members. We anxiously await new chapters and plunge into the – often unexpected – twists and turns of each installment. Afterwards we divide into various camps and leave heated reviews on the chapters and argue about the content via posts in the story forum.

The English Year tells the tale of Corbin, who is out, clever, fascinating, manipulative, loyal, promiscuous, and hides his insecurities behind an almost impenetrable façade of self-confidence and social pushiness. We meet him at the beginning of his third year at college, where he faces the daunting task of rebuilding the social status of his Frat House, after the failures of the previous year. He gets friendly with a British student on exchange (hence the name of the story), and a large part of the story revolves around Corbin’s efforts to work out his feelings about Pete, and whether they are mutual or not.

But the inscrutable Brit isn’t the only guy Corbin is interested in, and this is where the story gets complicated. We participate in the roller coaster of emotions experienced by Corbin, and readers have been known to change sides more than once (I did). We also spend time yelling at Corbin, Pete, the other guy (who shall remain unnamed, so as not to spoil anything), Corbin’s house mates, other students, the College Dean, and most of all poor Jwolf. Though I guess he’s not quite blameless due to the number of cliff hangers and 180 degree turns he has subjected us to.

Be warned that the story is not yet complete, and so far the end is not in sight, nor any indication of a HEA. There are several steamy hot sex scenes, and other features add to the impression that this tale is not for the innocent of mind and weak of heart.

However, the story is compelling, and the writing is brilliant, creates vivid images and evokes both laughter and tears. Not only the main characters, but also the whole cast of people around them, have interesting and complex personalities, and Jwolf should be praised for daring to choose a 1st person POV character who is not always likable. I’ve wanted to slap some sense into Corbin on several occasions, lol. But no matter how much Corbin frustrates us and people around him, we cannot help admire his efforts to achieve his dreams of finding love and a secure place in the world.

Don’t miss out on a great story, but give The English Year a try. Once you’ve caught up, join the discussion in the story forum. I promise you won’t regret it if you survive the experience of a gut-punching, heart-breaking, yet exhilarating and sometimes hilarious love story.