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Practice Makes Perfect (Housemates Book 3) Kindle Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 670 ratings

Getting experience with the guy next door seems like a great idea—until the lines blur.

Dev, a geeky first year physics student, has zero sexual experience and he’s determined to change that ASAP. After a bad time in halls of residence, he’s starting the summer term with different housemates and a new plan of action.

Ewan lives in the house next door to Dev. He’s young, free and single, and isn’t looking to change that anytime soon. When awkward circumstances throw them together, Ewan offers to help Dev out in the bedroom in return for maths tutoring, and Dev jumps at the chance.

They work their way through Dev’s sex-to-do list, but what starts as a perfect no-strings arrangement gets more complicated as their feelings for each other begin to grow. If they’re going to turn their lessons in lovemaking into something more permanent, they need to work out how they feel about each other—before they get to the end of Dev’s list.

NB: Although this book is part of a series, it is a complete story with different main characters and can be read as a standalone.
Length: 54,000 words approx.
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There are 6 books in this series.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Practice Makes Perfect was the perfect blend of sweet and dirty. I love this series." -- My Fiction Nook

"From start to finish this story was an utter delight ... Jay Northcote has a knack for writing characters that come alive on the page and worm their way into the reader's heart." -- The Way She Reads

"I loved this story! It's sexy, well-written, FUN, humorous, a little bit angsty, and did I mention sexy?" -- My Fiction Nook

"This is the third book in the Housemates series and can be enjoyed on its own--though I HIGHLY recommend the previous two books, as well." -- V's reads

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01H7V027A
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jaybird Press (June 22, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 22, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.1 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 230 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 670 ratings

About the author

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Jay Northcote
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Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England. He comes from a family of writers, but always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed him by. He spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content.

One day, Jay decided to try and write a short story—just to see if he could—and found it rather addictive. He hasn't stopped writing since.

Jay writes contemporary romance about men who fall in love with other men. Jay has five books published by Dreamspinner Press, and he also self-publishes under the imprint Jaybird Press.

Jay is transgender and was formerly known as she/her.

Web: www.jaynorthcote.com

Newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/JN-readers

Twitter: @jay_northcote

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaynorthcotefiction

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
670 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book adorable and seriously hot, with well-developed characters and a delightful story that flows well. They appreciate the writing quality, with one customer noting it can be read as a stand-alone, while another mentions the balance between personality types is brilliant. The romance receives positive feedback, with one review highlighting how love and sex are deeply intertwined, and customers enjoy the book, with one noting it gets better with each book in the series.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

12 customers mention "Adorable"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book adorable and sweet, with one customer noting its unparalleled dirty sexiness.

"...are a couple and the boy next door is an adorable Scotsman, with a big smile and a sexy accent. Dev lives his life by lists...." Read more

"...By by 35-40% CLICK!! - Yes, completely connected with them. Adorable geeky (love the Northcote geeks) and sexy ginger, Ewan...." Read more

"...This one is funny and cute and deliciously sexy. Dev is sweet and awkward and shy, kind of geeky and totally innocent...." Read more

"Awww, this book was absolutely adorable! Not my first purchase by this author, but my first read...." Read more

11 customers mention "Story quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, finding it delightful, with one customer noting it's filled with real-life circumstances and another describing it as a sweet tale of coming into adulthood.

"...Her ability to combine innocence and everyday blokes with utter dirty sexiness is unparalleled...." Read more

"This was *wonderful!* Light and funny but with real heart, this one grabbed my heart from the get-go. I absolutely adored both Dev and Ewan...." Read more

"...This one is funny and cute and deliciously sexy. Dev is sweet and awkward and shy, kind of geeky and totally innocent...." Read more

"...Plenty of steamy scenes, written quite expertly, but with an underlying humour that had me highlighting and giggling like crazy. (Oh Dev!)..." Read more

9 customers mention "Character development"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting the brilliant balance between their personality types.

"...I absolutely adored both Dev and Ewan. The balance between their personality types was brilliant, Dev so structured and focused but uncertain, Ewan..." Read more

"...is always relatively low, the sex scenes great, and the characters fun in some way...." Read more

"...lot of sex acts in the book, I found there to also be a good amount of character development...." Read more

"I wanted to give this one five stars, because I really liked the characters and the dynamic, and the resolution...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and enjoyable, with one customer noting that the series improves with each installment.

"...My favourite of the series and I am already impatiently waiting for the audio to come out!..." Read more

"As always, a positively delightful read from Ms. Northcote...." Read more

"This was a pretty good read. Hoenestly, I just finished reading the story and have a hard time remembering most of it...." Read more

"...I've seriously read the first three in just two days. Very addicting stuff!" Read more

8 customers mention "Romance"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romance in the book, with one customer noting how love and sex are deeply intertwined, while another appreciates the perfect length for the couple's story.

"...Dev and Ewan are adorable and hot together and it was lovely to meet the couples from the two other books again...." Read more

"...What an oddly framed romance this one is--a gorgeous openly gay college guy needing help in Maths at uni and getting a chance to be tutored by what..." Read more

"...but at the same time, I do feel like each book is the perfect length for that couple’s story. (But I’d never turn down more couple time.)" Read more

"...but I love that the biggest take away lessons is that love and sex are deeply intertwined; pretending otherwise is actually bad for us...." Read more

7 customers mention "Enjoyment"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one mentioning it kept their attention throughout.

"...It was really fun to listen to and will be one I come back to listen to again." Read more

"This was so much fun to read!..." Read more

"...Loved this couple and thoroughly enjoyed Practice Makes Perfect." Read more

"...I've seriously read the first three in just two days. Very addicting stuff!" Read more

6 customers mention "Heat level"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the heat level of the book, with one mentioning plenty of steamy scenes.

"...Dev and Ewan are adorable and hot together and it was lovely to meet the couples from the two other books again...." Read more

"...Nice concept, handled well, sweetly done, quite hot in spots...." Read more

"...Plenty of steamy scenes, written quite expertly, but with an underlying humour that had me highlighting and giggling like crazy. (Oh Dev!)..." Read more

"...This book is seriously hot and seriously adorable as Dev and Ewan studiously (ha!) work through Dev's sexual exploration checklist...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting it can be read as a stand-alone, while another mentions that Northcote's reads are always a delight.

"...This is the third in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone, if you wish...." Read more

"...So, they trade tutoring for tutoring. Nice concept, handled well, sweetly done, quite hot in spots...." Read more

"...Plenty of steamy scenes, written quite expertly, but with an underlying humour that had me highlighting and giggling like crazy. (Oh Dev!)..." Read more

"...The characters are wonderfully developed and written. The story flows well and kept my attention. Oh, and it's hot!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2016
    4.5 stars

    I love lists. Seriously. I live my life by lists and the happiness of checking of items of said lists. So when Ms. Northcote acted as a temptress and posted Dev's list on her facebook page, I caved! Even if buying this book was not on my list of things to do this week!

    But I forgive her for her evil ploy, because it was adorable! My favourite of the series and I am already impatiently waiting for the audio to come out! I just know it will be a go-to comfort read, which is why I am rounding it up to 5 stars, even if there were a few things that niggled....

    Dev is moving out of the dorms and into shared housing. College so far, has not been exactly what he had been dreaming of, and he hopes this will be a fresh start for him. And it seems like he might be right. Almost all of his new house mates are nice and friendly, two of the guy's in the house are a couple and the boy next door is an adorable Scotsman, with a big smile and a sexy accent.

    Dev lives his life by lists. Short term goals and long term ones. His long term goals include making friends, learning to cook and joining Grindr to get some sexual experience, in order to get a boyfriend. What could go wrong?

    Dev and Ewan are adorable and hot together and it was lovely to meet the couples from the two other books again. This is the third in the series, but can easily be read as a stand alone, if you wish. However, please do not cheat yourself out of the cuteness that are the two first books of this series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017
    As always, a positively delightful read from Ms. Northcote. Her ability to combine innocence and everyday blokes with utter dirty sexiness is unparalleled. Had just the tiniest bit of trouble in the beginning with the connection between Dev and Ewan. Wasn't clicking for me. By by 35-40% CLICK!! - Yes, completely connected with them. Adorable geeky (love the Northcote geeks) and sexy ginger, Ewan. Would have loved a bit of backstory on these guys but that was fine. Loved the combination of "cookery" lessons, sex and tutoring. So real. Great to see Josh and Rupert from Like a Lover (Housemates, #2) by Jay Northcote and the others. So, um, do we get a book about Ryan, the flirty, maybe not so straight housemate??? One can only hope.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2016
    This was a pretty good read. Hoenestly, I just finished reading the story and have a hard time remembering most of it. I tend to have issue following stories that are written using slang from other countries. So, I really have nothing bad to say about the story. I just had a hard time following it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2020
    This was *wonderful!* Light and funny but with real heart, this one grabbed my heart from the get-go. I absolutely adored both Dev and Ewan. The balance between their personality types was brilliant, Dev so structured and focused but uncertain, Ewan easily accepting of these qualities and utterly smitten. But even more than that, I loved that Northcote didn't really make an *issue* of the way Dev responded to things. It's so hard to find an atypical character written well, and I never felt like Northcote was trying to capitalize on Dev's neurodivergence; it was simply a part of him, and that was a brilliant, respectful choice. Dev and Ewan's relationship development felt entirely real to me. I loved their banter and emotional chemistry - the importance of being able to laugh with your partner gets so overlooked in romance novels sometimes - just as much as I loved the build of heat and attachment between them. (Fabulous sex scenes, btw!) I'm so pleased to have stumbled across this one, and I'd rec it to anyone.

    Oh, and in case the writer ever reads his reviews: your grindr screen names made me choke out coffee all over my phone, I was laughing so hard. (A small touch, but sometimes those matter the most lol.) So thanks for that. 😂😍
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2016
    Well, I didn't really care too much for the first in the series, skipped the second, and was not interested in reading this one until I discovered someone had posted a head shot of what could have been Ewan--wildly deep red ginger boy and I simply could not resist. Teamed up with Devrim,, the geek on the cover, offered possibilities.

    The possibilities were fulfilled and then some.

    What an oddly framed romance this one is--a gorgeous openly gay college guy needing help in Maths at uni and getting a chance to be tutored by what he thinks is a very hot geek who is not openly gay yet because he needs to find out all about sex. So, they trade tutoring for tutoring. Nice concept, handled well, sweetly done, quite hot in spots.

    As a bonus for the author, Jez and Mac from the first book are in their second year and so much more genuine in this one, and the two MC's in the second book which I skipped (Josh and Rupert) play a crucial role in this one, and so I will now go back and read it.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2018
    My Favorite in the housemates series....
    You can read/listen to this one as a standalone, but you will be seeing some of the characters from previous books so you might want to just start at the beginning since the first two books are great too.
    This one is funny and cute and deliciously sexy. Dev is sweet and awkward and shy, kind of geeky and totally innocent. He likes to make To-Do Lists for everything, even when deciding what Sexual things he would like to learn about and do. lol. And once Ewan finds out how inexperienced Dev is he comes up with the excuse that he needs help studying math just to help Dev mark items off that sexy to-do list. I think this book was even better once you listen in Audio too, I was Laughing and Blushing right along with Dev and Ewan during Mark Stedman's narration of this book. I really liked his accent used for Ewan's voice since it was so different from all the others so far, I think it gave the audio a little extra that was needed for this book. It was really fun to listen to and will be one I come back to listen to again.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Brown One
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cute with heat
    Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2022
    I didn’t love this one quite as much as the first two books in the series, but still gave it a 5⭐️rating. The author crafts a good story, decent character development, simple straightforward story, with enough depth and heat to be engaging. This one definitely had some steam. On a personal level, I was a bit annoyed with both mc’s and their lack a being willing to try to take the relationship forward. But I’ve read a few similar themed/trope books lately so, it’s me, not the author. Cute story all around. Easy to read. Will grab the next in the series and look for more by this author.
  • Hazel Rayson
    5.0 out of 5 stars A sweet story about catching feelings when you don't mean to. Dev and Ewan are utterly adorable.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2021
    This story is much like others of this trope. You find yourself wanting to knock the heads of the main characters together and tell them just how ridiculous they're being. Dev and Sean's relationship begins as a 'gentlemen's agreement' to help Dev gain some sexual experience. But what happens when one or both of them catch feelings for the other? Friends to lovers trope, with a very sweet happily ever after. I look forward to the next in the series from Jay Northcote.
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars This story was cute
    Reviewed in Germany on June 29, 2016
    I loved the tension an that they were drawn together! Can't wait to read more of his stories and the other stories!
  • Client Kindle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Parfait comme toujours
    Reviewed in France on April 1, 2020
    J'ai absolument adoré ces deux personnages principaux !
    Dev est chou et adorable et Ewan est tout autant.
    Ils forment un couple trop mimi et je suis tout à fait fan !
    Le tome 5 reste mon préféré mais celui-ci est deuxième dans ma liste !
    Report
  • Meags
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best in series!
    Reviewed in Australia on August 26, 2016
    I love the books in this series, not to mention the delicious men who fill their pages. I daresay Practice Makes Perfect is now officially my favourite Jay Northcote read to date.

    First we have Dev; he is sweet and innocent, with his thick-framed glasses, mad math skills and his obsession with list-making. Dev is a virgin and is on a mission to experience it all, and, luckily for him, he finds his ideal teacher in his sexy red-haired new neighbour Ewan. Ewan is older (by a year) and definitely more experienced than Dev, but he’s also a really nice guy who Dev knows he can trust himself with.

    The two form a “gentleman’s agreement” (this made me laugh), the terms of which involve Dev tutoring Ewan in statistics in exchange for sex lessons. Dev even has a sex to-do list – seriously, this guy is the cutest. It doesn’t take long for Dev and Ewan to heat up the sheets and mutually (but non-communicatively) fall for one another, hard.

    The angst here is super light, with a small amount of silly boy miscommunication towards the end which is sorted out in quick order and rounded out with a delicious HFN ending.

    The chemistry between Dev and Ewan was spectacular. Just when I think M/M sex scenes couldn’t get any hotter, Northcote smacks me in the face with one tasty scene after another. Although, the scene (at the 66% mark for those playing at home), involving the two boys and Dev’s special Amazon purchase, was so ridiculously hot that I had to read it twice. Steam factor aside, I think Dev and Ewan may be my favourite Northcote M/M couple yet!

    I hope this series is far from over because I adore all these characters and continuously enjoy their stories, so the more the merrier!

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