Out of Position Paperback – January 23, 2009

I actually really liked this. I’m not much for sports but I liked the way this described football - I learned a lot! Dev and Lee were interesting characters. The furry details made this unique and added another layer to the gay athlete coming out story.I definitely want to read the next book!

People have been trying to get me to understand football for years. I was very apprehensive reading this story because I did not want to read about football. But... it grabbed me. All of it. Going over the plays. I was reading and rooting and hollering like I was watching a game on TV. I absolutely loved this story. Dev and Lee are absolutely awesome. I got mad at Lee, not sure I truly forgave Lee, but I respect that Dev forgave him and I enjoyed the story. I wanted more smut, of course. And was very shocked and surprised by the illustrations and totally wanted more. I hope there are more illustrations in the rest of the series. Loved!

Honestly, I cannot say what I expected of the book before purchasing it. I've never been into sports of any kind, and I'm generally the kind to shy away from romance of any sort due to a strong dislike for the tropes and stereotypes the genre embodies. Yet I found the book charming. It's characters are (more or less) relatable and the writing is approachable and well-crafted. This is what made me truly love it. The trials and tribulations that are faced are not only very real, but understandable, and being able to see the growth of the protagonists through each other's eyes was a good choice. My only real complaint is that I found a few of the characters only existed to further the plot instead of enhancing it and didn't really belong beyond that. Also, in some situations it felt like it fell under the 'lots and lots of characters' problem, though only to a slight extent. And despite being very sports-oriented, I found myself very glad to learn about the game, its history, and how it really works. It's also kind of nice to see the behind-the-scenes workings of college, and later professionals, sports. I say this because of how well presented it was. It felt like a part of the story without making it the story in and of itself. It's extremely entertaining and delightful, and I recommend this to you if you're on the fence. My only final comment is, of course, that it is adult-oriented and when it comes to this content, you need to make your own conclusions and decisions.

Out Of Position is the second novel set in Kyell Gold's contemporary anthropomorphic 'Forester' universe, and the more mature. Like the previous book, OOP is a coming-out story and a gay romance centered on two characters: Lee, a fox, outspoken and an activist, and the closeted football-playing tiger, Devlin, he inadvertently comes to love. Told from alternating first-person perspectives, the story follows Devlin's career as he graduates from college football to the professional league and his relationship with Lee, as they attempt to reconcile their love with the homophobic, high-pressure world of pro football.Like Waterways, the previous book in this series, OOP is notable for the author's emphasis on characterization and dialogue. The cast is somewhat smaller this time, but the two central figures, Lee and Dev, are both compelling, believable, and subtly rendered. This is not a novel about youths, but a mature story about the end of youth and the compromises we make in the process.The fact that this novel centers on football may concern some potential readers, but have no fear - this reviewer could hardly have less interest in the game, but its presence in OOP did not make the story any less enjoyable. The sport is explained early on for the benefit of ignorant readers like this reviewer, and each appearance in the text drives the plot forward.The coming-out story is a classic theme in gay fiction. If the previous book drew on the internal struggle to accept our sexuality, this novel looks at the public aspect - the sacrifices we make as adults to achieve our goals in a straight world. OOP is not just good furry literature - it is simply good literature: entertaining, ably-written, and authentic.

I really am in love with this book. This is the second anthropomorphic gay romance I have read (and the first one and also recent one was the book by the same writer - Waterways), however it is not like I never read or watched cartoons with animals acting like humans before, but his stories are in completely different league, really.Ok, he does make you forget that these guys are furry creatures very very fast, you are reading the story of two college kids growing up, falling in love, maturing, figuring out who they are, etc, etc. I mean from time to time you will read that character's ears or tail will flick down or swish, or something like that, but that only serves to show the reader how character is feeling more strongly, if that makes sense. No matter what I still thought that I am reading about human beings and these are very very well fleshed out characters, with depth and definitely multidimensional. Lee is struggling with reconciling who he is and who he was and how he is changing when he met Dev and the same is very true for Dev. And they will do stupid things, however they will not spent half of the book sulking about them, they will act as I would imagine normal people do.And of course they are in love with football and believe me, I do not understand american football AT ALL and I was mesmerized by the energy of the game and easy explanations this writer gives, probably the best explanations I have ever heard.Wonderful, wonderful book.

Out of Position - A Gay, furry, sports based romance story, that even people who don't like sports can enjoy!Out of Position follows the story of Devlin (Dev) Miski, an American College Football-playing tiger (yes, we're in the land of talking animals here), who takes home a pretty Foxy girl from a club one night......except she turns out not to be a she! He is, in fact, Lee Farrell, a gay Fox studying at the same college (Forester University, the same setting for Kyell's previous novel, "Waterways") as Dev. After the first fateful night, the novel follows both Dev and Lee's reactions and attractions to each other, along with a lot of soul searching and inward contemplation for both characters as they come to terms with their feelings. It can't be easy for a Football playing Jock to discover that he actually has a thing for guys, nor for a Gay rights activist to fall for an athletic figure, sometimes seen as the most homophobic stereotype on campus.Kyell writes exceedingly well, drawing you into their world so deeply that you can feel for both characters, and wonder how the cast of family, colleagues and friends around them will react. Yes, there's also some fairly explicit scenes in the book, but they're written with thought and feeling, not just to tittilate. Also, I thought that the whole sports angle would put me off, but I find it to be a brilliant mechanism for the story, and I've actually developed both an interest and an understanding of American Football because of it!This was most certainly, for me, one of those "Once you've picked it up, you can't put it down" books. If you're unsure, go read his free "Gold Standard" compendium, for an excerpt.

I like the story but I'm not sure what story is being told as it takes place over a long period of time. I think it needs a stronger plot throughout and focus on the end result to boost it all the way up to five stars.Characters are fantastic, especially Lee, whose nature is refreshing for a main character. It would be a great read for anyone interested in college sports, relationships, gay relationships, furries and mild drama.

I wasn't sure about the book at first because of the football but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It deals with a very serious subject of gay players in Football. The characters mature as the book progresses. I liked both Dev and Lee. I would recommend this book to everyone. Very enjoyable

I absolutely love this book! very easy read and immersive in its story. Kyell Gold clearly put a lot of time and effort into this and it really shows with the amount of detail put into the world and characters taking it past the general mature book I expected it to be going in. Also Kenket's artworks goes fantastically with the book. Love it!Absolutely would recommend this to other readers and furries.

Words escape me. I didn't think it was possible for myself to fall in love with furry romance novels, but Kyell Gold certainly proved me wrong.The complex relationship of Dev and Lee and how it affects one another and their every day life just had me yearning for more.