Goalie Interference is the second book in the Hat Trick series, and one I was highly anticipating. I definitely feel as though it lived up to expectations!

This book follows the Venom's goalie from the first book, Ryu, as he competes to become the team's starter goalie, fighting for the spot again rookie Emmitt. Ryu and Emmitt immediately dislike each other -- they're competing for the same spot -- but neither man can deny the chemistry between them.

I really liked both Ryu and Emmitt. Ryu is a little cold, although he cares a great deal. Ryu is gay and Japanese-American and we get to see a fair amount of his family. I did have a little issue with his family, however I am not Japanese-American so can't speak accurately about this issue so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I just felt that Ryu's parents expectations of him were a little stereotypical -- basically very strict Asian parent with impossible expectations -- and his aunt, while a lesbian, did quote a couple of Asian proverbs. The things she said, while giving Ryu some advice, wasn't literally a proverb, but it definitely felt that way. One that sticks out to me is: "A seed that isn't planted won't grow." Again, I am not Japanese and cannot speak accurately to this, it just felt very stereotypical to me! Please seek out an #ownvoices review when one comes out!

Emmitt is bi and Black American, and occasionally racism in the professional hockey industry is brought up. I can't speak to how accurately the authors' broached this topic but its appreciated to include these issues because they're so prevalent in real life -- again please seek out an #ownvoices review when one comes out! I absolutely adored Emmitt: he is super sweet and always happy -- even though he is competing with Ryu for a coveted position, he still wants nothing best for the other man. He's just the best!!

There's little tension and angst in the book -- Emmitt and Ryu do hook up pretty soon, however, there's plenty to keep them apart as the competition between them comes to a head. There's not much of a plot to be honest, although I didn't mind that because the book then became quite focused on Ryu and Emmitt. Basically the book revolves around Emmitt and Ryu fighting for this position and then trying to balance their relationship with work. I still really enjoyed the plot because I like slow books!

All in all, this was a great sequel to Off the Ice! I'm super keen for the last book in the series and can't wait to see if the book follows Belzie or Morley!

The premise around book two in the <I>Hat Trick</I> trilogy is competing goalies. Not from opposing teams but the same team. One, the more established regular for the Venom, who we met in book one, and two, a recent trade from the minor league. These two are total opposites in personality but share some surprising similarities, not just limited to being minorities in a predominantly white-populated sport.

“<I>People write erotic stories about you two, bro.</I>”
“<b>What? Where? Why?</b>“
“<I>Enemies to lovers, man. It’s a Thing.</I>”

I’m a total sucker for hate, or enemies, to love (particularly in m/m) and the banter and push and pull and aggression between these two in the early stages of the getting-to-know-you phase was great. Stone cold Ryu facing off with hot-shot cocky Emmitt was a joy. Particularly when offset by all the personas on the team around them. I really am a sucker for the team ensemble dynamic.

“<I>This is the last thing I wanted.</I>”
“<b>Your romantic declarations need some <I>serious</I> work</b>.“

Their relationship becomes one, after agreeing to no-strings, but is put to the test as they approach playoff season when it might come down to a real competition between them, as opposed to the tandem-playing they had settled into in the regular season. This conflict was one the least contrived I’ve experienced and felt very real, and genuine, and I loved how they still tried to keep things civil, despite heartbreak, near the climax. Oh, and the final moments? Delightful.

“<I>Fucking score some goddamn goals or you’re walking back to Atlanta.</I>”
“<b>Wow. I haven’t had a coach threaten to make me walk since Timbits hockey</b>.”

This was a lot of good fun, and I’m so happy it didn’t flounder along the way despite the less than solid start, and while I didn’t love it as much as book one, I’m still so very keen for the final book in this series. Also, I forever love books set in this sport by authors who clearly know and love the game. It always comes through and I always appreciate it. This definitely cured me of my slump and I’m ever so grateful.

** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

Loved this second entry in the Hat Trick series from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn.

The goalie is one of those mysterious characters who always seem to be full of cute and bizarre quirks but here it was more a case of two men, both of colour, fighting for a starting spot and finding they didn't hate each other after all.

I loved the contrast in character and approach to how they tended goal between Ryu and Emmitt, they're complete opposites and this played a major part in the build-up to their first explosive encounter which was full of passion and fire.

However, I truly fell for them as they realised that, in spite of what seemed to be quite different backgrounds, they had so much in common because of a weight of expectation they not only put on themselves but also felt from their fathers (and mothers in Ryu's case).

This is a beautifully written enemies to frenemies to lovers romance and I was cheering all the way for them to make it. The hiccups on the way felt absolutely believable to me, never plot for plot's sake, and I was shouting at my Kindle for them to get their heads out of their backsides and sort it out!

There's a lot more ice hockey in this one than there was in the first book and I loved it, I'm a huge sports fan so I like actually having some sport in my sports romances!

Sexy, sweet and with a very solid HFN that I could see lasting beyond the ice if they were both willing to put the effort in but the readers' expectations are firmly left with the knowledge that these two will be tandem goaling the blue line for the Atlanta Venom for many years to come.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, Goalie Interference can be read as a standalone.

Tristan and Seb are present as secondary characters, but they are not integral to the story. More present is Morley, Emmitt and Riu's boisterous, chill AF team mate, who, I sincerely hope, is getting his own book. Morley sleeps with a lot of women, but his dick isn't picky.

I have a weakness for enemies-to-lovers stories, especially when they involve athletes with all their sculpted muscles. Bonus points when the MCs are men of color: African-American in Emmitt's case, and Japanese-American for Riu.

Diversity is smokin' HOT! I very much appreciate the authors including non-white MCs. More of that please!

Both Riu and Emmitt read authentic and genuine, not perfect, far from it, but real. Riu is so self-contained, he sometimes forgets to breathe. Focused, driven, reserved, Riu strives to be the best for his ultra successful parents.

Emmitt is a bit of a wild card, but he lives big and plays bigger. He's cocky, self-assured, and posts a lot of shirtless selfies. Emmitt has a great relationship with his mom, but struggles with his dad, who has always wanted his son to play football.

Emmitt and Riu agree to a friends-with-benefits situation because their attraction is sizzling, but neither is prepared for falling in love with the competition. Goalies vying for the starter position, the men at once resent and cheer for each other, which makes theirs a rocky road indeed.

While I liked the setup of the story, the MCs, and the sexy times, I didn't hold out a lot of hope for a true HEA. The ending is a HFN, satisfying enough, but how does a relationship like this work in the long term? What if one of them gets traded (not an unlikely scenario)? At the end, they're not even out to their team.

I enjoyed the dual POC but found parts of the story repetitive and think the internal monologues could have been cut in half.

I hope we get to see more of these guys in the next book.

"Off the Ice" introduced us to the Atlanta Venom and gave us a hot-as-all-f@ck romance between defenseman Tristan Holt and Professor Sebastian Cruz. In "Goalie Interference," we are back in net with Venom veteran goalie Ryu Mori and smoking' hot newbie Emmitt Armstrong just called up from the AHL. With the Vemon starting position up for grabs, there is no love lost between the two goalies.

Ryu appeared briefly in the first book in the series, yet his character seems so lightly fleshed-out here, although we get more of a glimpse into Emmitt's personality. But since we don't know much more at this point other than Ryu and Emmitt are attracted to one another and quickly become f@ck-buddies, it's hard to become personally invested in their story at this point. However the authors do a good job of keeping us up to date on Tristan and Sebastian, as well as truly funny asides by and about Morley, aka "Tripod," and no, he's NOT a photography enthusiast.

But finally around 50%, Ryu and Emmitt begin wondering if their arrangement could possibly bloom into something more. As Emmitt thinks:

All this time he'd thought they were about as different as two people could be. It was kind of fucking with his head, because the no-strings-attached, sex-as-stress-relief thing would only work if they barely tolerated each other on a personal level.

And Ryu asks "How could a relationship survive them being in constant competition, let along one of them being chosen above the other?"

Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn write beautifully about hockey - its sheer physicality, the rivalries and friendships, the intensity of community - but at times, the romance plot feels very one-note because, while there's abundant sexual chemistry, Ryu and Emmitt continually worry about who will be named the primary goalie and who will be in goal during the playoffs and little else. But the story all comes together beautifully when the Venom reaches the playoffs, Ryu and Emmitt truly become a couple, and the books ends with a great HEA.

I'm hoping the next book in the series featuring Morley: "I think sometimes if I ever did wanna date a guy, it'd definitely be a hockey player, 'cause think how sweet that'd be." Indeed, dude, indeed. 4 stars.

The second novel in Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn’s Hat Trick series Goalie Interference is an enemies-to-lovers story about rival goalies... on the same team! This is the same hockey team from the first book in the series, Off the Ice, but you don’t need to read it first to fully enjoy this one.

Taking resentment and hostility to a new level, the chemistry between these two athletes is palpable. It’s no surprise that these two talented authors are able to bring it around full circle and turn that animosity into smokin’ hot lust.

When minor league goalie Emmitt Armstrong gets traded to an NHL team, he’s thrilled to find out he’s in direct competition with the current goalie Ryu Mori. Well this arrangement is completely infuriating to Ryu who firmly believes the starting spot should be his.

Gale and Vaughn do a marvelous job creating a situation where the tension between the two men is honest and real. Intense sparks fly between these guys right off the bat, and it’s only natural when they jump into the sack to give each other a little “stress relief”.

The authors’ real skill comes through as we watch their grudging attraction turn to real affection. Keeping it believable throughout an enemies-to-lovers romance is the only way it’s going to work for me, and Goalie Interference works the whole way through.

Fans of sports romances are going to be very happy with the amount of hockey scenes we get in this one. It’s still more romance than sport, but we get some extremely exciting moments! The authors keep the descriptions of the sport scenes easy to understand and it adds to the development of the relationship between characters.

Goalie Interference has a very different flavor from the first book in this series, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I’m looking forward to the third and final installment in this Hat Trick series.

Goalie Interference is a nice read.

It clicks many popular tropes
💜Interracial sports romance
💚Enemies to lovers

Have what all romance novels should have
💛 Hot AF UST and sexual chemistry
💙 Likeable characters

Why no better rating?
😳Long internal monologues aren't my favorite things and Goalie Interference have way too many. It slows down the story and makes it unnecessarily long.

Just reviewed Goalie Interference by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn through NetGalley.

It's all action. Hockey action, sexy-time action, rivalry action, friendship action . . . just all of it. And perfectly woven together to give us a winning story, one I'm going to have to re-read again, and again.

We meet Ryu Mori in book one of this series. I identify a lot with Ryu, not the most social person, not the most open and warm person, not the best in big groups of people, and not the most tactile either. Cool and aloof is Ryu but as the story develops we get to see more. We got glimpses from his best friend Tristan's POV in 'Off the Ice' and now we get Ryu's POV with the full story -- and who he is makes sense. It's partly cultural, partly family history, and of course just who he is. Not everyone can be warm, fuzzy, teddybear types, I should know. ;-)

New comer to the series and the Venom team Emmitt Armstrong was a fun character to learn. He's loud and brash, but also serious about his sport, thoughtful, and what could be surprising but isn't really, is he is usually the voice the reason between the pair. I adored him, He's not ashamed of who he is and what he wants, but he takes his time to think, to use reason, and then he goes for it like a crazy-man.

Watching Emmitt and Ryu shift from rivals to partners was pretty spectacular. And I think the best part was that as their relationship evolved neither men changed who they were, they just found that their differences actually worked better together than against each other. And their snark and sass was on-point throughout.

We get a lot of Hockey in this book. I'm a New Zealander who knows basically nothing about Hockey (give me Rugby and I can have a conversation with you, heh) buuuuuuut, the Hockey was written brilliantly. The intensity, emotion, and thought processes for both Ryu and Emmitt came off the page. And the authors didn't make it too technical that a layman (laywoman?) like me would get lost. I was totally in sync with the wins, losses, and game play. I had to pause my reading to take deep breaths, it was exciting, I got excited.

Fans of Tristan and Sebastian will get plenty of chances to see this couple. I always thought the friendship of Tristan and Ryu was a little one-sided but, I was totally wrong. Ryu adores his friend, their friendship is solid., I want Hockey friends.

MVP goes to Morley. That guy, OMG. For all his loudness and out-there attitude, he's also a great friend and amongst all that gravitas he is incredibly astute.

There were some brilliant one-liners in there too which had me laughing out loud. I'm not going to quote them, you can stumble across those little gems on your own.

A most excellent addition to the Hat Trick series. I'm looking forward to next story by this writing duo.

Goalie Interference is the latest collaboration between Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn, and is book two in their Hat Trick series. It isn’t necessary to read the first book in this series, but it was nice to see Sebastian and Tristan pop up again.
Ryu Mori is a goalie for the Atlanta Venom, and it’s finally his chance to be the starter, but things get complicated when the Venom acquire Emmitt Armstrong, a rising star from the AHL. Naturally, they’re disinclined to like one another because they’re both competing for the starting spot, but they realize that as both goalies and men of color, they have much more in common than they realize. A friends with benefits fling becomes a full fledged relationship, but things get dicey when the Venom enter the playoff series and only one of them can be the starter. They have to figure out if their relationship can survive the high stakes of the NHL and where they both belong both on their teams and in each other lives.
I liked this one better than the first book in this series! Ryu and Emmitt balanced each other out nicely, and I appreciated that Gale and Vaughn took on this issue of the overwhelming whiteness of the NHL. The issue the couple faced was realistic and believable, and I couldn’t figure out how the authors were going to resolve the conflict. Overall, an enjoyable read!

This was cute, I can say that for sure. Although I did find the plot a tab bit dull and I also felt the end of this book was rushed. I liked the characters and the romance. It was kind of forgettable though.

Very entertaining read about a one cocky black and a cool Japanese-American Hockey player!

Content warnings include: temporary sports injury, Hockey related violence; mentions of racism, homophobia and biphobia.

One of my absolute favourite things about Goalie Interference was that this was a queer sports romance were the whole "we need to keep it secret or else we'll be found out" WASN'T an issue. There was no coming-out storyline whatsoever. Though the two characters do come out to a few people at several points, it's never a big deal, the reactions are always positive and it's never to the public or the NHL.
I get that the big public coming out storylines are important and sometimes the appeal of sports romance, but it's often stressful both for the characters and the reader, so I was happy to see that it was not a thing here.

Besides, Emmitt and Ryu had their fair share of other things going on. Both have family stuff in the background, but the main plot was around them both wanting to become the starting goalie for their team instead of sharing the position.
Add in opposites-attract and enemies-to-lovers and Goalie Interfernce had a perfect formula for an extremely entertaining read, which I'm happy to report it turned out to be.

The one thing that bothered me was that very sudden shifts in their relationship. Be it from hate to attraction, from not-so-good-natured teasing to fuck-buddies, or from no-string-attached to serious, I was always a bit jarred when it suddenly happened.
It wasn't so bad that it ruined the flow for me, but I certainly found myself blinking at the book in surprise a few times when these transitions happened.
The worst one for me was at the very end, which sadly made the book end on somewhat of a lower note for me, as it didn't feel properly resolved at all.

I still had an overall great time reading this, and I adored Ryu and Emmitt and their teammates. I liked that they talked about being men of colour playing hockey at a several points, and brought up how their race affected them in their chosen sport.

I have read Avon Gale before but not Piper Vaughn and honestly I thought this was an okay hockey romance. not the best but not the worst either.

This was so good! I love me a good M/M hockey romance, so this was totally my catnip. And 2 goalies?? Sign me up for a 5 star review, because this did NOT disappoint!
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

When it comes to romances, I have high, not expectations necessarily, but standards of a sort. Namely, I like slowburns. And the kind of slowburns that leave you desperate to see the couple get together. Like in physical pain kind of desperate. Which means not so much as an almost-kiss until at least two thirds in, and a steady ratcheting up of tension. Basically, make me want it as much as the characters themselves do, because else I get bored.

So, while I did enjoy Goalie Interference, the fact that they first hooked up around a third of the way through kind of made the next two thirds a bit tension-less, I guess? Like, I was even hoping for a big blow-up angsty scene just to make things interesting. I would even have taken some goddamn miscommunication and you know how much I hate that as a trope.

But let’s back up a sec, and talk about what I liked. As ever, Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn have created two likeable characters who you can so easily root for and a cast that you’ll come to love. In this case, we get Ryu Mori (a side character in book 1) and Emmitt Armstrong (a wholly new character). And almost immediately they latch onto a piece of your heart and hold tight. But they also hate each other. So you think, here we go, here’s some good enemies/rivals to lovers. And, ultimately, it is a good enemies to lovers story. It just happened not to be an amazing one for me.

Because, honestly, they get together too early. Sure, it’s hate-sex or whatever, but it still feels too early. I needed more tension, more pining after one another even as they don’t admit it’s pining. I wanted to want them together more than I did. Once characters get together, it’s more likely I’ll get bored. And that was kind of the case here. Gale and Vaughn’s writing was engaging enough that I wasn’t bored out of my mind, but not enough was happening. Or rather, the tension between them wasn’t there. And that’s when I started wanting some big angst (the angst that did happen was fairly understated and didn’t really fulfil my need. Guess I should just be glad it wasn’t miscommunication based).

Issues with tension and slowburn aside, I did sort of feel like Ryu played into stereotypes a little as a character. It was more a sense I got than anything specific, but yeah.

But if you want a romance where you can just shut off your brain and read? Then this would be it.

I remember how exciting it was to watch hockey when I was growing up, and this novel brought a bit of that back! Ryu Mori and Emmitt Armstrong are competing goalies on the Venoms hockey team! Young, cocky and talented – Emmitt is the kind of guy that Ryu wants to roll his eyes at. Emmitt posts thirsty selfies on Instagram and always seems to be up for a party. Once he’s firmly embedded as Ryu’s competition in goal the tension amps up between them… until it borders on hostility.

Tension… naturally leads to sexual tension, right? It does in this case. In spite of the fact that they seem to rub each other the wrong way, Ryu and Emmitt quickly end up in a physical relationship that’s supposed to have no strings. The problem is that they are still competing for the spot as starting goalie… and the more time they spend together, the more complicated their feelings seem to become. Being emotionally connected to one another is a real issue as the competition for the play-offs continues to pit them against one another and they are faced with wondering if they can even be together.

This book is set in a magical world where there are more than a few players on the hockey team who are living diverse lifestyles, and you have to be able to suspend your disbelief a little when reading. Any time one of the hockey players comes out, the reactions from everyone on the team and fairy-tale perfect… and while I appreciate that this is fiction, I found that a little unrealistic. Homophobia in the sports world is still a very serious problem and this plot kind of glosses over that issue.

I thought the authors did a great job of exploring how it feels to have parents with high expectations. Both the main characters in this novel deal with a parent who isn’t overly supportive of their career choice. One of the things that read as really authentic in the relationship between Ryu and Emmitt was the way they were able to connect as they discussed feelings about not living up to their family’s expectations.

Overall, this is a great story that definitely brings the excitement of hockey to the page and teams it up with a very spicy relationship between two goalies! Don’t worry, you don’t have to know a lot about hockey to read this story! Just the basic positions will do fine! Although not for Ryu and Emmitt!! 😉

This was a great companion to Off The Ice. Ryu was a side character I was really intrigued about in the first book, so I was super happy to read his story along with Emmett.

Avon Gale and Piper Vaughen are such a power duo and write amazing love stories, this book no exception.

Very sweet romance. I did enjoy how Ryu and Emmitt were pitted against each other, yet on the same team in more ways than one. It was great how they were able to make both their professional and personal relationships work really well.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Goalie Interference (Hat Trick #2))
Grade: C

I've enjoyed many books by both of these authors, including the first book in this series, Off the Ice. Much of what I liked about that book is present here too: clear appreciation and understanding of the greatest sport in the world, likeable opposites attract characters, and hot sexual chemistry. Unfortunately, there isn't enough to the story to sustain a full length novel, and there's so much repetition of events and conversations (especially via the internal PoVs), I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over until the story eventually concludes. Goalie Interference is an entertaining, not very romantic ode to hockey. It’s too long and too slight to sustain it’s length, and the authors fail to capitalize on the potential inherent in their couple and their romance.

Ryu Mori and Emmitt Armstrong are goalies with distinctly different playing styles, but their results are the same. They win. A lot. Ryu is a star goalie in the NHL playing for the Atlanta Venom, and Emmitt (Army to his friends and teammates) is the top goalie in the AHL, the NHL’s development league. After a surprise early exit in the play-offs, the Venom sign Army to their team - hoping a partnership with Mori will help them win a Stanley Cup. Army is thrilled by his call up to the NHL, and eager to prove his ability to the team - but he’s wary of the quiet, controlled Mori. He wants the Venom to win, but he also wants to be their number one goalie. Mori isn't nearly as happy. He thought he was a lock for the top spot, and assumes that since Army is joining the team, his coaches don’t think he deserves it. Forced to share game time and compete for a job his thought was already his - with an arrogant, immature and outspoken rookie - he keeps his distance and thoughts to himself. Ryu is Army’s complete opposite - controlled, quiet, and intense. When the coaching staff informs them they aren’t competing for the top spot, and that instead they want them to work in tandem for the duration of the season, their animosity eventually gives way to a begrudging respect.

Once Ryu and Army stop actively disliking each other and competing for the same job, they’re free to acknowledge (internally at least) they’re attracted to each other. Their chemistry is combustible, and after a heated discussion in the showers results in mutual hand jobs, they agree to balance their ice time with some recreational, no strings attached sex. That’s always a great idea.

Everyone in Romancelandia knows opposites attract, and that no strings attached sex eventually leads to ties that bind. Well, sorry: spoiler alert if you didn't actually know that. So, as expected, Army and Ryu spend lots of time having sex, thinking about each other, wondering about these new, not so hateful feelings - and a teensy, eensy bit of time talking and eventually sharing their complicated familial relationships. Army's dad wishes he played football and never hesitates to talk about the sport he once played professionally; he isn't interested in Army's hockey career or talent. Ryu's parents are uber-successful stars in their own chosen professions and expect the same from him. They don't celebrate the journey - they look forward to the inevitable, successful finish. Both men have strong women in their lives who keep them sane, and love them warts and all. Aww. Friends, get out the world's tiniest violins, because FOR REAL, these are the issues that drive this story. Oh, hold up. We also make a brief foray into queer solidarity - ARMY’S BISEXUAL. DEAL WITH IT - after he discovers Tristan is gay and out to their team; and the importance of diversity in hockey (Army is black; Ryu is Japanese/American) after they pair up for a Venom sponsored community outreach program.

Look, I don’t want to diminish the importance of these topics. Queer, professional male athletes exist in sport, and in our toxic hyper-masculine sports world, they’re forced to hide their sexuality. I liked that the authors raise the issue, and offer a compromise of sorts. Tristan is out to the people that matter in his life - and that includes his Venom teammates. Army outs himself as proof of his own tolerance. Apart from this confession - and the authors apparently delusional belief that this compromise solution (coming out to the team) means ‘problem solved,’ there's very little attention paid to the fact that these are two teammates engaged in a same sex affair. Come on, you chose this setting - that's simply ridiculous. Tristan and Ryu are gay, Army is bi-sexual (along with another secondary character), and in this fictional world, it's now a non-issue to the rest of the team and the local community who see them out and about. I don't need suffering and fighting and unhappiness - but let's keep it real. It's not all unicorns and rainbows in the locker room. This avoidance of the topic is disappointing. I was similarly unhappy with their decision to cast a diverse principal couple...and then only barely address their skin color and its impact on their professional careers. Hockey is a mostly white sport; the authors acknowledge this lack of diversity and touch on the racism Army (and Ryu) experienced coming up in hockey, but it’s such a minimal aspect of the overall story, it felt like a missed opportunity. This is a romance set firmly in the world of professional hockey. The lack of diversity in the sport - sexual and racial - deserved more attention in this novel; instead this important issue simply provides window dressing for the budding romance between Army and Ryu...and their relationship, ultimately, isn't very romantic at all.

So what about the romance? No strings sex means these two get busy whenever they’re not in public. Which is all the time. Apparently. Most of it is off the page - so I have to take their word for it, and none of it is romantic or suggests a growing intimacy between the pair. When they aren’t making suggestive comments about all the sex and forthcoming blow jobs (enough all ready! We get it. You LOVE sucking cock!), they engage in one (maybe two?) substantive conversations about their parents and their skin color...and then, duh. They realize their relationship has lots of sticky strings and they should just admit they’re boyfriends. Oh, and from there, it’s a short hop to true love. Oops. Friends, I wanted to enjoy this story - Opposites attract! Sports! Teammates! Hockey! Sexy times! - but the journey from enemies to true love is blink-and-you'll-miss-it, and while I'm willing to believe this love story somehow developed off the page, I was never invested in these two and their happily ever after.

I enjoyed revisiting Sebastian (aka ‘Dad’) and Tristan from Off the Ice, and I'm assuming the authors are setting Morley up for his own story because he makes quite a few appearances in this one. [Although he felt uncomfortably familiar to this romance reader who counts Us and Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, as two of her most favorite hockey/sport romance novels.] This is a cast of characters ripe for creative, entertaining, sexy, romantic sports stories...and I hope in future books there’s less pandering and more story telling.

I'll be nervously back for more.

This is a fun enemies to lovers story.
Ryu has been back up goalie for the Atlanta Venom, and with the previous starter traded, he is sure it is his turn to shine. But then rookie Emmitt shows up and Ryu learns he must compete for the starting spot.
What starts out as no strings attached sex to blow off steam gets complicated when feelings get involved.

This is a M/M enemies to lovers sports romance. Book two in a series (book one is also M/M) and each can be read as a stand alone. Set in the NHL world, a rookie goalie new to the team and a back up goalie fight for the spot of starter. There is animosity between the two as they both feel they deserve the top spot. There is also a physical attraction, though the anger towards each other prevents either from making a move. Once they start getting to know one another, they realize they are more a like than they thought. Both have families they are trying to make proud and despite playing for the NHL they still feel less than stellar when it comes to impressing the parents (though they both know they are a couple of the best in their field and take great pride in their work.) Their home lives may be similar, their personalities are very different. One is a man of few words, and always straight faced. The other is outgoing and very vocal and generally an upbeat person. The side characters bring in some humor and some moral support. It alternates between POVs. There is sexual content, not an over abundance, but enough to deem this worthy for mature readers. While it's not a dark or heavy read, aside from some of the fun antics between the characters, for the most part this is a more serious read. Not a rom-com. There are a couple more emotionally tense scenes. The story seemed to move a bit on the slower side for my tastes, but overall it was a good story with a happy ending.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.