Review: Out for the Holidays and Out for Gold by Lane Hayes (Out in College #9)


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design.

Lane Hayes returns to her fan favorite Out in College series with two short stories involving the original couple that kicked this series off--Derek Vaughn and Gabe Chadwick. If you're new to the series, I highly recommend you read the series starter, Out in the Deep, before reading these short stories to give you a better appreciation of Derek and Gabe and the beginning of their journey as a couple. The rest of the series is about different couples, but they are all loosely tied together because of on-going friendships.

This book is comprised of two stories: Out for the Holidays and Out for Gold. The former was originally part of the multi-authored Gifts for the Season anthology last year, which is why it was a familiar read for me. The latter is new and just in time for the Summer Olympics. Out for the Holidays is focused on Derek and his dream of opening a bistro but encountering a bit of drama from his mother, while Out for Gold shines the spotlight on Gabe and his quest for Olympic glory amidst his complicated relationship with his father.

I had fun re-reading the first story, and I quite enjoyed the second one. I appreciated seeing how domesticated Derek and Gabe had become as a couple and that they truly found home with each other. The drama with their parents--i.e. Derek's mom and Gabe's dad--was resolved quickly, and it was satisfying to see these two strive hard to achieve their dreams. I certainly wouldn't mind checking in with Derek and Gabe in the future to see how they are with life post-HEA. 4.5 stars go to Out for the Holidays and Out for Gold.

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Read my reviews for the Out in College series:


Out in the Deep (book one) - five stars - My Review
Out in the End Zone (book two) - five stars - My Review
Out in the Offense (book three) - five-plus stars - My Review
Out in the Field (book four) - five stars - My Review
Out on the Ice (book five) - five-plus stars - My Review
Out in Spring (book six) - 4.5 stars - My Review
Out on the Serve (book seven) - five stars - My Review
Out in Winter (book eight) - 4.5 stars - My Review
Out for the Holidays/Out for Gold (book nine) - 4.5 stars - My Review (posted above)

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Date Read: 28 July 2021

Learn more about Lane Hayes.

Purchase Out for the Holidays and Out for Gold on Amazon.

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