{"id":54974,"date":"2020-09-29T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=54974"},"modified":"2020-09-29T08:52:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:52:56","slug":"release-arc-review-orientation-benchmarks-2-by-kate-canterbary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=54974","title":{"rendered":"Release &#038; ARC Review: Orientation (Benchmarks, #2) by Kate Canterbary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"55039\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=55039\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?fit=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Orientation Live Graphic\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-55039 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?resize=640%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Live-Graphic.png?resize=650%2C650&amp;ssl=1 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3kYA6L8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/ortnab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Books<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/ortnbn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/ortnkb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobo<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--Yasr Overall Rating Shortcode--><div class=\"yasr-overall-rating\"><div class=' yasr-rater-stars'\r\n                           id='yasr-overall-rating-rater-d69b829be6593'\r\n                           data-rating='4.5'\r\n                           data-rater-starsize='32'>\r\n                       <\/div><\/div><!--End Yasr Overall Rating Shortcode--><\/h4>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Max Murphy\u2019s no-fail plan for kicking this year\u2019s ass and getting his life back on track:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Forget about the cheating ex. Forget all about him. No more sad sack moping. None of that downer vibe. None of it.<\/li>\n<li>Look for a new place to live in order to move out of my sister\u2019s basement. Free digs are great but killing my sex life.<\/li>\n<li>Return the intramural softball league to glory and greatness.<\/li>\n<li>Fall in fresh, lusty love with Jory Hayzer, the hot new science teacher the minute I see him and his sexy Superman hair.<\/li>\n<li>Get the hot science teacher on my trivia team. Couples who play together stay together.<\/li>\n<li>Spend an entire school year wooing the very hot but also very skittish science teacher. Fall in hard, crazy love with him in the process.<\/li>\n<li>Freak out, screw it all up, and hope to hell there\u2019s a way to make it right.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Please note, this couple originally appeared in the\u00a0<\/i>Unconditional: Love Is Love\u00a0<i>print-only limited release anthology from The Book Worm Box. Since then, this novella has been revised and expanded.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/OrientationGR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"55041\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=55041\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?fit=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Orientation Teaser 4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-55041 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?resize=640%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation-Teaser-4.png?resize=650%2C650&amp;ssl=1 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><b>4.5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I love this book! A funny, sweet, sexy and romantic m\/m romance that is functional, witty, and super freaking cute. Opposites attract as an alpha sports teacher and uptight science geek fall hard and fast in this fun novella.<\/p>\n<p>This is the second book in the <i>Benchmarks<\/i> series, a spin-off from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?page_id=14569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Walshes<\/a> series (which you don\u2019t have to read first, but you should because it\u2019s awesome), focussing on the teachers at a progressive school run by Lauren Halstead-Walsh (heroine from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Underneath It All<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s orientation day for the new teachers at Bayside School, and science teacher, Jory is a mess of nerves and anxiety. After bouncing around from job to job, he is desperate to make a good impression so that he can finally settle into a job that fulfills him. School sports teacher and coach, Max, has been at the school since it\u2019s opened, and after taking one look at the sexy but nervous new science teacher, he is smitten. The attraction goes both ways, and the flirtation between the two guys is bold, exciting, and hella swoony!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i>\u201cI think I\u2019d like to fall in love with you. If you\u2019ll let me.\u201d<br \/>\nHe pressed his lips to my wrist and my knees damn near buckled. \u201cI\u2019ll think I\u2019d like to let you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s slow going, as Jory\u2019s anxiety won\u2019t allow him to jump into anything too quickly, but Max is patient, and it\u2019s so, so gorgeous watching these two guys take the tentative steps towards a relationship \u2013 openly, honestly and whole-heartedly. The anticipation was sizzling as I watched it all unfold, and it\u2019s sexy, sweet, and so beautifully romantic.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i>\u201cLoving you is the easiest thing I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>We get to see moments in time with these two guys over the course of the school year, which I thought was a really fun way to read their story. There\u2019s very little angst or drama, just enough to add depth to their relationship and bring some emotion without getting stupid, and I loved every bit of their story.<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely gorgeous, I\u2019m so excited for more from this series.<\/p>\n<p>4.5 stars!<\/p>\n<p><i>An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Benchmarks<\/strong><\/h4>\n<div data-post-id=\"54203\" class=\"insert-page insert-page-54203 \"><p><strong>A spin-off from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?page_id=14569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Walsh Family<\/a>\u00a0series<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"53953\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=53953\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Professional-Development.png?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Professional Development\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Professional-Development.png?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-53953\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Professional-Development.png?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Professional-Development.png?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Professional-Development.png?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/> \u00a0<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"54476\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?attachment_id=54476\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Orientation\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation.jpg?fit=150%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-54476\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation.jpg?resize=80%2C122&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation.jpg?resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=80%2C122&amp;ssl=1 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Professional Development (#1)<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=54142\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3iOSTY2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon\u00a0<\/a> | \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/pdab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Books<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/pdbn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/pdkb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Orientation (#2)<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=54974\">Review<\/a><br \/>\nBuy: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3kYA6L8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/ortnab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Books<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/ortnbn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/ortnkb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>More books to come&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>Kate Canterbary<\/strong>\u00a0doesn\u2019t have it all figured out, but this is what she knows for sure: spicy-ass salsa and tequila solve most problems, living on the ocean\u2013Pacific or Atlantic\u2013is the closest place to perfection, and writing smart, smutty stories is a better than any amount of chocolate. She started out reporting for an indie arts and entertainment newspaper back when people still read newspapers, and she has been writing and surreptitiously interviewing people\u2014be careful sitting down next to her on an airplane\u2014ever since.<\/p>\n<p>Kate lives on the water in New England with Mr. Canterbary and the Little Baby Canterbary, and when she isn\u2019t writing sexy architects, she\u2019s scheduling her days around the region\u2019s best food trucks.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/eepurl.com\/_OG_X\">Newsletter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bookbub.com\/authors\/kate-canterbary\">BookBub<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kcanterbary\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katecanterbary\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/29fCLeD\">Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Amazon\u00a0 | \u00a0Apple Books\u00a0 |\u00a0 B&amp;N\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo &nbsp; Blurb Max Murphy\u2019s no-fail plan for kicking this year\u2019s ass and getting his life back on track: Forget about the cheating ex. Forget all about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335,36,9,29],"tags":[59,1178,231,48],"class_list":["post-54974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mm","category-novella","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-benchmarks","tag-kate-canterbary","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Orientation.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-eiG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/54476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}