1/10/2024 0 Comments Game On by Amy AislinSuch a cute and heartwarming third (and last?) book in the Vancouver Orcas series! This series is definitely one of my favorite MM hockey romance series with its strong, but sweet and kind, hockey players, supportive teammates and steamy romances! The books in this series can be read as standalones, as each book focuses on one of the Shore cousins at a time, but I enjoy seeing the characters from the previous book as an extra bonus.
This time, the main character is hockey player Jamie Jamieson (yes that’s his real name), who’s had a really bad time at his previous team after breaking up with the captain’s brother, and who can’t wait to start over, never ever getting involved with anyone associated with a teammate again. But one glance at his new housemate, Coach Shore’s cousin Dorian, and he knows he’s in big trouble. This was such a sweet story! Jamie was such a cinnamon roll, so crushed after the mean treatment by his last team but so full of love for his friends and family and the dogs he’s fostering. Dorian was a bit harder to fully take to my heart. He’s been part of the previous two books as well, but I never truly got him then either. He’s supposed to be super intelligent and caring, but comes across as quite aimless and a little too self-centered. It’s like he was always overthinking things and making everything so much more complicated than it needed to be. And he was so focused on how he never got any support or love from his parents that he kind of forgot to be supportive to and interested in others. That said, I still loved Jamie and Dorian together. They really made sense as a couple! I loved the snarky banter, the forced proximity and suppressed attraction, the slow burn and how they lifted each other up, helped each other in their struggles and made each other feel secure and worthy of love. I also loved all the lovely side characters with Jamie’s big family, the other Shore cousins and the teammates in the Orcas. And Poppy of course! Since there are no more Shore cousins (that I know of?), I’m afraid this might be the last book in the series. I hope not, but if so, it was a truly heartwarming finale and another wonderful and uplifting story in the intriguing Orcas universe! Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I’m leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Amy Aislin
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Pucking Around is an MM holiday hockey anthology with eight short stories by authors such as K.C. Kassidy, Amy Aislin, Hope Irving and others. As in all anthologies there are stories you enjoy more than others, but all were really sweet, fun and festive and certainly added to the holiday spirit with their holiday hookups and hot queer hockey players! My favorites were Unwrapping the Truth by Victoria Denault, Shut Out by Amy Aislin and Snowball’s Chance by Brigham Vaughn but I will do a short review of each story below. Delayed for the Holidays by Kimberly Knight and Rachel Lyn Adams is about a chance meeting at the airport between the New York Ranges goalie Baylor and the Wall Street day trader Micah. When a storm hits and all flights are cancelled, they spend the night together. A brief encounter that neither of them can forget… This was a sweet and heartwarming story, but too cheesy and insta lovey for my personal taste. It was also a bit repetitive with the two POVs that were overlapping. I like to get into the head of both main characters but it’s not necessary to replay every single scene from them both. (2.5 stars rounding up to 3)
Taking A Shot At Love by Jeff Adams is about the two childhood friends and former hockey teammates now rivals, Cole and Miles, who gets to spend a few days together after a holiday travel mishap. It was a light and sweet read, but I didn’t really root for the main characters unfortunately. They were supposed to be in their thirties but felt like teenagers and the way Miles overreacted was just silly. Furthermore, it didn’t make any sense that they’d never told or showed each other how they truly felt until now, but at the same time I couldn’t really feel the chemistry so maybe that’s why… (2 stars) The Holi-gay Breakaway by K.C. Kassidy is about editor Hudson, who just lost his job and is invited by his friend to a Holi-gay Jingle and Mingle Shinding to cheer him up. On the way he’s pranked by his roommate to be, hockey player Beckett, in a way that definitely makes his gloomy thoughts vanish… So, this was perhaps not really a ‘hockey romance’ to be honest, but it was so fun and steamy I don’t mind. Not at all actually… (3.5 stars rounding up to 4) Snowball’s Chance by Brigham Vaughn is about an unexpected reunion between pro-hockey player Shane and his former tutor, now hockey analytics professional, Noel. This was a really cute second chance nerd-athlete romance. So sweet and adorable! And a true hockey romance compared to the other stories! I’ve never read anything by Brigham Vaughn before, but I’ll definitely check out her hockey romance series from now on! (4 stars) From the First by Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer is about a chance meeting that, literally, makes theater producer Kingston fall head over heals for hockey player Malcom. When Malcom agrees to help out to save the fate of Kingston’s Nutcracker performance sparks start to fly… This was a meet cute story that honestly didn’t have much to do about hockey. But it was nevertheless a sweet story with adorable main characters, just a little uneventful somehow. (3 stars) Unwrapping the Truth by Victoria Denault is (finally…) a real hockey romance! It’s about hockey player Noah who has been low-key obsessed with his brother’s best friend, Luke, since he walked in on Luke hooking up with a guy one Christmas. Years later they’re bort professional hockey players, but have barely spoken since that awkward moment. Until Noah clears the air and let’s Luke know that they might be on the same team, in more ways than one. This was such an adorable story with so many great tropes - brother’s friend, sexual awakening, first time – and a sweet plot about Noah having to deal with the person who got him questioning his sexuality (and who’d been in his wet dreams ever since) now being his team captain. Amazing chemistry and first time sweetness! A wonderful mm hockey holiday romance! I think I’ve found a new favorite author with books to devour! (5 stars) Shut Out by Amy Aislin is a sweet second chance story about two teenage BFFs who never admitted their feelings for one another but who end up at a New Year’s Party single and unprepared for the old feelings to resurface. Amy Aisling is already one of my favorite authors, and the reason why I wanted to read this anthology in the first place. And she certainly didn’t disappoint with this sweet and heartwarming second chance childhood friends romance with two gorgeous hockey players. I loved how vulnerable they were, and how committed they were to make it work when they finally realized they both felt the same way for each other. Also amazing side characters as always in Amy Aislin’s stories. (4.5 stars rounding up to 5) The Prodigy’s Playbook by Hope Irving is a story about Joshua and Jules and about obsession. Joshua has trained all his life dreaming of facing Jules on the ice, but the one game they met as rivals changes his life forever. Now, Joshua tries to persuade him to face his past for a Christmas-themed charity even, but end up finding out how Jules’s secrets might be the most life-changing gift of all. So, I’m sorry, but I just didn’t get this story. Everything about it just felt weird and off. The prologue was supposed to be from a time when the main character was very young, but the tone was still very adult which made it difficult to understand the premise. And from there it just continued with a lot of confusing events. Not my cup of tea, sadly. (2 stars) Thank you so much to author Amy Aislin for the free copy, which I have voluntarily reviewed! 11/20/2023 0 Comments Get Frosted by Amy AislinThis was such an adorable small town best friend’s brother romance full of Christmas sparkles! Low on angst and truly bitter rivalry, but full of family, sweetness, Christmas decorations and fun banter. I love Amy Aislin’s hockey series about the Vancouver Orcas, so when I found out that Amy had written a holiday story with former hockey players, I immediately had to sign up for an ARC! And I’m so happy I did! This story truly gave me all the warm and fuzzy Christmas feels.
Mik and Rudy have been rival hockey players since Mik’s rookie season, when a reporter pitted him against his older brother’s best friend. Now, they’re both retired and have continued their rivalry to the respective local pubs they’re managing in small town Christmas Falls. But when agreeing to help Mik’s brother Josh and his pregnant wife out by hosting a surprise party, they start to realize that maybe the rivalry was more of a habit than a real thing and that there might be other kinds of feelings hidden beneath it… This story is pitched as a rivals to lovers one, but it really isn’t. It’s more about one of the MCs pining for the other for years and the other being oblivious to it. It was a great story, but it didn’t have that intensity and animosity that you expect from the rivals/enemies to lovers trope. It was also very low on angst and the MCs often, especially Mik, felt more like colleges guys than retired 30 plus hockey players. But that said, it was a super cute Christmas story! When I got into the right mindset about the MCs dynamics, I loved their teasing banter, their loyalty to and support for Mik’s brother/Rudy’s best friend, the way Rudy had been pining for years but still didn’t think he was allowed to truly have Mik, and all the holiday feels. Get Frosted is an absolutely lovely, sweet and fastpaced holiday story that is guaranteed to get you into the Christmas mood. Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the ARC! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Amy Aislin 6/26/2023 0 Comments Game Changer by Amy AislinAmy Aislin has done it again! Game Changer is another cute and heartwarming MM romance in the Vancouver Orcas series! The books in this series can be read as standalones, as each book focuses on one of the Shore cousins at a time, but I enjoy seeing the characters from the previous book as an extra bonus. This time, the main character is hockey player Blair Brawsiski, who has a scheduling problem with all his extra duties helping his various family members out. To facilitate his life, his coach, Matt Shore (from the first book in the series), arranges for his cousin Charlie Shore to help Blair as a PA. But the immediate attraction takes them both by surprise. Especially since Charlie has trust issues and dating his boss is a big no no…
This was such a sweet story! Blair and Charlie were both such wonderful, kind and adorable characters and they were the absolute perfect match for each other. I also loved all the lovely side characters with the family members and the teammates in the Orcas. There could perhaps have been a little more drama or suspense to make the story a bit more intense, but sometimes it’s alright with a book just being sweet and heartwarming! All in all, this was a great second book set in the intriguing Orcas universe, and I can’t wait to continue the series with Dorian’s story next! Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I’m leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Amy Aislin 4/8/2023 0 Comments Game Plan by Amy AislinThis was such a cute and heart-warming second-chance MM romance with adorable characters that immediately stole my heart! I also really appreciated the added depth with a main character suffering from depression. Game Plan is the first book in the new Vancouver Orcas hockey series, which is a spin-off of Amy Aislin’s Stick Side series (but with new characters so there is now need to have read the Stick Side books to understand the characters and plots in this new series).
The story follows Matt Shore, the new head coach of the Vancouver Orcas, who is openly gay but struggling with his dating life. Somehow, he ends up only dating guys who are not relationship material, probably because he’s still too heartbroken from being left by the love of his life two years ago, Pierce Langley-Brown. Pierce on his hand, still regrets leaving Matt, when his increasing depression and his son’s car accident made it impossible to focus on anything but being there for his son. But when his son joins Matt’s hockey team, there’s no avoiding the man who once owned his heart… I truly rooted for both Matt and Pierce, and I really appreciated the way in which they slowly began to open up to each other, and for Matt to possibly forgive Pierce, and for Pierce to deal with his runaway problems. There was also some great representation with binary, bisexual and gay characters. I would have appreciated some more background to the characters though. I’d loved to know more about things like when Pierce realized he was bisexual and if he’d ever been with a man before Matt, or when Matt decided not to stay in the closet anymore and be an openly gay hockey player and the reactions he’d received after that. Without this, the story felt a bit thin at times. But all in all, this was a heartwarming, sweet and addictive reading experience and a great way to start a new series! I can’t wait to read Charlie’s story in the next installment! Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Amy Aislin 10/30/2022 0 Comments A Gift-Wrapped Holiday by Amy AislinThis is the perfect Christmas reading! Such a sweet, wholesome, small town mm romance full of Christmas sparkles! I truly warmed my heart and made me want to start wrapping Christmas gifts and bring out my Christmas decorations even though it’s only October... A Gift-Wrapped Holiday is set in the New England small town Lighthouse Bay, where Luca has fled from LA and his ignorant family to start his own business, an eco-friendly gift-wrapping store. Little did he expect to be so warmly welcomed by the community, nor that a certain single dad should make his heart beat so hard. All Mal wants is to give his six-year-old son the best Christmas ever, to make up for moving him across the country after having lost his job. Falling in love was certainly not on the agenda. But the magic of the season had other plans…
This was such a wonderful feelgood story with all the right Christmassy ingredients; Christmas markets, charity tournaments, hot chocolate, gift-wrapping, family celebrations and of course, a truly sweet and heartwarming love story. Great fleshed-out and relatable characters, with a wonderful small town community. Very low on angst, but full of warmth, forgiveness, redemption and kindness. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to get into the Christmas spirit and read a book that will warm your heart and make you smile! Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed. Rating: 5 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Amy Aislin 1/5/2022 0 Comments Chasing Sunsets by Amy AislinThis was such a cute and heart-warming second-chance M/M novella with adorable characters that immediately stole my heart! I also really appreciated the diversity with a main character on the ace spectrum. This fast-paced and highly enjoyable short story follows NHL player Dane Roxborough as he flees Boston and seeks refuge at his parents’ inn for the summer to hide from a kiss-and-tell story with leaked indecent photos from a one night stand. But as if that isn’t enough, the big love of his life, Grant Lilly, is working at the inn and reconnecting again resurrects all the feels.
I really rooted for Dane and his shame for being fooled and used for his one night stand to claim his fifteen minutes of fame, and it was so adorable how he longed for Grant and tried to vow him with mismatched flowers and Boston sightseeing tours. I also really loved Grant. He was such a sweet character, who’d never had any sexual feelings for anyone but Dane, but still hadn’t gotten over his broken heart. Even though it was a short story, it had more depths and felt more fleshed out and thorough than many full length novels. The romance was a wonderful slow burn one, with some amazing character growth and realistic doubts. The only thing I really didn’t like was the way Dane’s parents kept Grant in the dark after all the things he’d done for them and always being loyal. It felt like a back stab and made Dane’s family seem very selfish and false. But all in all, Chasing Sunsets was such fast-paced, sweet and engaging story about falling in love with your best friend and about awakenings; to realize what you truly want in life and about being brave enough to chase after it. Highly recommended! Thank you to Prolific Works for the free review copy! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Amy Aislin |
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September 2023
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