Rating: 3.25 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Mike has just transferred to a professional hockey team and is ready for the next phase in his life. However, his teammates, known for their pranks, greet him by covering him in lube. It was supposed to be the best day of his life, but Mike is broke, covered in bruises, and now the day’s joke. And, even though he’s moved away, his parents are still on his case about a girlfriend, marriage, and money. But Mike is determined to make it and finding a place to live is next on his list.
Alexei is a veteran hockey player and has ten years on Mike. He’s always been known as the prankster on the team, but he also gets the job done covering the goal on the ice. He keeps his private life just that, private, but something about Mike’s defeated stance on that first day draws him in. The two become close friends, yet neither one of them realizes that they could have so much more than friendship.
I don’t have an extensive TBR list (it’s true!) and finding a book for the TBR Pile challenge that I hadn’t read and also that hadn’t been reviewed here yet was, indeed, a challenge. Crashing the Net offered friends to lovers and a sports theme so it sounded like a good one.
This book was easy to read and moved quickly. However, it was mostly a superficial story with little depth, character development, or even hockey. We meet Mike on his first day with the Ice Cats where he’s being pranked. Alexei is a jokester and maybe the joke gets turned around on him when he sees Mike in the shower already bruised and defeated. Before Alexei knows what is happening, his protective instincts kick in and he’s offering Mike a place to stay.
The two become the best of friends, they spend time together, and there is attraction stated. I get what this book was trying to do and the outline was there, but it just didn’t come across for me. We don’t learn much of anything about Alexei. We learn a little bit about Mike, but his story wasn’t fully developed either. The story behind his initial bruises is disclosed, but it seemed just added in. Mike’s family is also background and they were one-dimensional characters and that story also remained on the surface, as well as a seemingly random pop-up scene with Alexei’s ex.
There is one on-ice hockey scene that occurs much later in the book and most of the hockey action is them passing through the locker room or talking about practice or games. At one point, Mike decided at the last minute to travel with the team and a point was made to mention that he had to pay the difference in the cost of the air travel and then when the hotel was fully booked, he was left on his own with no accommodations until Alexei offered to share his room. It wasn’t clear at all how this professional hockey team was taking care of its players. There was also a time where the name of the team switched from the Ice Cats to the Wild Cats, with a few additional inconsistencies mixed in as well.
Mike and Alexei state several times how they are the best of friends, yet neither one has any idea that they are both interested in men. When they finally do get together, they certainly make up for lost time with heated scenes. But Alexei keeps saying that taking their relationship further is not a good idea, yet in the very next breath he’s all over Mike and it was another area that was underdeveloped. There was also an intimate power exchange being addressed with Alexei wanting to dominate and Mike wanting to submit that also wasn’t explored in any depth.
The ending was rushed and coupled with a lack of complexity for both the characters, as well as a lack of any hockey time, it was a basic and average read for me. As far as a recommendation, it’s one of those where if the set up sounds interesting, give it try as it may work better for you.
This review is part of our September Reading Challenge Month for TBR Pile Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win one of this week’s fabulous prizes from NineStar Press. One lucky winner will receive a copy of all the NineStar Press releases for six months in ebook, and another will win a collection of seven print books. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press. You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on TBR Pile Week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes!
Too bad that this book didn’t quite hit the spot for you, Michelle. (And I’m in awe of you having only a few books on your TBR pile; I have hundreds!)
I actually have this one on my e-reader somewhere too, but haven’t tried it yet. I do get really frustrated with a lot of hockey romances, though, especially when they paint both the romance and the on-ice stuff in broad strokes. I’m guessing that the story involves either a major junior league or something lower-tier like the ECHL (which can complicate the travel logistics), and that wasn’t made clear. (That’s strange, since some of the most compelling m/m hockey romances involve the ECHL scenario.) I can’t remember if a two-way contract (where a guy earns less money if he gets sent down to the AHL from the NHL) affects that sort of thing or not. I’ll probably read it eventually, since I’m missing hockey right now and the NHL Network reruns aren’t doing it for me. (I can’t watch this year’s Stanley Cup documentaries and replays, since the moment where my Sharks lose the Cup in Game Six still hurts too damn much. Sigh.)
Thanks for an interesting review. This book sounded too average to add to my really big TBR pile.
After reading this review I think I’ll give it a pass.
It’s hard to believe your TBR is relatively small…mine is massive, but I’ll get to a few of them this month. 🙂
I’m fortunate that Jay supplies me with lots of books-in exchange for a review of course. I hear all the time about massive TBR piles but I prefer to purchase as needed so I know I’ll get to them. It’s great you’re joining us again so you can work on your list!
Thanks for the review! Too bad this one did not work out for you, but appreciate your help in deciding I will pass on it. My TBR list is way too long already.
Love age gap romances, and just got started in reading hockey romances. Might give this one a try. Thanks for the review.
Too bad that it didn’t work for you. I actually loved this one. I gave it a 4* read. Probably because it matched my mood when I read it back then (I read it a couple of years ago). I have read the short follow-up , which wasn’t as good. But I haven’t read book #2
Thanks for the in depth review. Too bad this didn’t work for you.
When I saw the cover I thought it sounded familiar but reading the synopsis it doesn’t ring a bell. So I guess I didn’t read this one yet. Thank you for the review, I’ll think I’ll give it a read.
Thank you for the excellent review, Michelle. Too bad the book did not live up to the expectatives, because it sounded really good on the paper. As a general rule, I love books about hockey, that’s why Crashing The Net was also in my TBR list. I’ll move to the end of it…
I read this. I remember liking it well enough. I think I got it with a 90% off coupon at Kobo so my expectations may have been pretty easy to meet. I read most of the series a while ago. I remember that the MF one in this series was pretty good.
Great review, i have read this book and to me it was a fun low angst read but It didn´t wow me but overall i did enjoy reading this book.
I can’t relate to not having a large TBR. This one has actually been on mine for quite awhile. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hopefully I’ll enjoy it more that you did.
It’s too bad it didn’t have the quality or depth. The set up for this one sounded good! I am in love with Avon Gale’s Scoring Chances series, so I would have loved another good hockey story/series to get into. This doesn’t sound like it’ll be one to fill in the time before her next one.
I gave this one 4* when I read it originally, but I can see why it didn’t quite work for you. I think I enjoyed it because this story is in the same “world” as Wayland’s other hockey romances (which are much better than this, to be honest).
The blurb sounded really interesting. I’m sorry to see that it didn’t deliver it though.
Since I’m not a big sports romance, I think I’ll be passing on this one. Thanks for the review!