see the lightRating: 3 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


Jason Monroe is a hockey player and is training for the Olympic games. He’s also gay and, like all gay hockey players, is deep in the closet. Patrick Parker, 15 years Jason’s senior, is an advisor to the Olympic hockey team, having played professionally until an injury ended his career. During one of their training sessions, Jason notices Patrick and is immediately attracted to him. Patrick wonders what he has done to keep Jason so distant, not suspecting that it’s his desire for him that makes him so uncomfortable.

Before too long, it becomes clear that these two will no longer be able to fight their feelings. They have a few obstacles to overcome, however, including both being closeted and the fact that Patrick is Jason’s superior. Neither one wants to risk their career in order to live their lives out in the open, but it becomes more and more difficult to ignore each other in public. As things get more serious, the stakes get higher, and when a major traumatic event occurs, it will test the relationship between these two. Is it just physical attraction that keeps these two together, or is it something more?

A book that takes place within the world of sports is sure to have a good amount of aggression and testosterone, and, in this regard, this book does not disappoint. These men are big and strong and their interaction with each other are fueled by lust and passion. There’s a bit of a game going on between these two, just as strong and sexy as the sport itself. Jason and Patrick are driven by desire, and there is plenty of sex in this book to prove that they connect on that level.

Unfortunately, there was too much sex and none of it was all that exciting. My biggest complaint about this book was that, sadly, it was fairly boring. There’s not a lot going on here. Two men fall in lust. They’re in the closet. Their feelings grow. They have to make a decision as to whether they will come out of the closet and risk everything to stay together due to a major event in the book that is the driving force. And that’s about it. There’s not a lot about their lives outside of the hockey rink. There’s a short attraction period, plenty of sexual encounters, and a little aftermath. And when things might get interesting — when the decision is made and changes occur — it ends. Abruptly.

This is m/m romance 101, I’m afraid. There’s not anything new here. There are plenty of overused tropes, such as the continual use of “older man/younger man” and “baby/babes” aplenty. And what is here is just not very interesting. I think the author needed a better initial idea. The hockey world is exciting. There’s plenty that could’ve been explored. But this book just fell flat. There are many hockey books out there that are quite a bit better. I know Cassandra Carr is a prolific author, and perhaps one of her other books are better developed than this one. However, I’d give this one a pass.

Amy sig