Michael (Mike) Sato and Daniel (Danny) Garcia are both enforcers in the NHL, playing on rival teams and fighting each other in every game that their teams play against each other. One summer night during the off-season they run into each other off the ice and their relationship takes a turn that neither of them expected.

Mike is small for an enforcer and feels like he has to make up for it with his aggression, but he’s let his basic skills fall to the wayside because he only sees himself as a fighter, not a quality hockey player. Danny is older, in the later years of his career, and all of his injuries are catching up to him and his addictions for pain management are getting worse and worse but he can’t give up hockey because he doesn’t know what comes next. These two have a strange relationship - there’s a physical side that comes early but then they start talking more, sharing more and falling for the enemy, using their on-ice rivalry as their unique kind of foreplay. They end up being good for each other in a few different ways both personally and professionally, but the secretive nature of their relationship, the deep-seeded hate that it grew from and the aggressiveness of things when they were together without a real conversation just didn’t work for me.

I really wanted to love this book - it has everything I typically enjoy: MM, hockey, enemies to lovers. But, it ultimately ended up feeling like a mash-up of a few different hockey romances I’ve read in the past and loved, like the best parts of those books were all jammed together but they didn’t quite work. I also didn’t love the addition of Bee to the story - it felt like a weird diversion from the main story to add her playing on Mike’s NHL team to the mix and have it just be a side note. While I understand giving Mike someone to lean on, she felt absent a lot of the time and her story and struggles took up too much time in the story for a side character in my opinion. But, I did like the story enough to finish and to be curious about where the series will go next. We shall see!

GAME MISCONDUCT is the first in Ari Baran’s m/m hockey romance series. Michael Sato and Daniel Garcia fight every time they meet on the ice. It’s a bit of a surprise to themselves that off the ice? Their fiery energy eventually leads them to connect no less fiercely but with a slightly different outcome.

Mike and Danny are physical opposites, on opposing teams, with Mike being the slightly built near rookie while Danny’s a tall, broad guy who is at the point where he’s beginning to consider how much longer he has on the ice. But they’re both a hot mess inside, and some slight connections via social media give them the opportunity to begin building on that tenuous start.

Ari Baran writes Mike and Danny’s on and off ice time really well, getting readers into their heads and onto their skates. Game Misconduct takes place over the course of the year, with Mike and Danny’s relationship unfolding against the backdrop of their respective teams’ season. Readers fall into the rhythm of the game and the pressures they face on and off the ice, that they try to self manage with varying success.

I was completely swept away by Game Misconduct and look forward to more from the talented Ari Baran. The writing and characterization and story are all top notch. Ultimately I loved this story where two arguably broken men go from fighting each other to fighting for each other.

To be clear, the content warnings are certainly warranted, and the portrayals memorable. A stellar debut.

I like my romance books to have a bit more romance than I got in the Game Misconduct. So often the interactions between the two barely felt like a hookup, let alone something that will lead to a long-term relationship. Both Danny and Mike felt really rough and messed up. Which I know was the point, but I needed someone to have some type of stability, so I felt like there was growth both as individuals and as a couple, but this book didn't have any of that. I finished, but I kind of wish I had DNFed earlier and started something that I liked better.

Loved it! I've never watched much ice hockey, so I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about the sport, and whilst I knew fights happened a lot on the ice I never knew there were enforcers whose job is to start tactical fights as a key part of game strategy. I understand they're being phased out of the modern game, but this book is a fascinating look into how playing that role within a team can take its toll on players.

Mike and Danny give so much of themselves to their teams; willing to break themselves over and over for the sport. Their slow journey of realising they deserve more than being beaten to a pulp on the ice, (and the discovery that maybe they quite like playfully fighting in the bedroom) is wonderful to read.

Their relationship has a very dramatic opening and their dynamic might not be for everyone—there's lots of under-negotiated kink exploration as they grapple with development of feelings from 'hatred' towards love. (Though it's clearer to the reader than it is to the characters that they never really hated each other, it was more of a misunderstood crush). Personally, I loved it.

There are some heavy themes in this book, (including problems with drugs, alcohol, depression), but they're handled carefully and the characters help each other so much throughout the story. By the end of the book they're both so utterly fond and soft with each other; the character development is so great.

The supporting characters are all amazing too. I Ioved Bee and the idea of a female hockey player joining the league. And the hints of Singer and Reed's story in the background was brilliant (I particularly loved their Captain America / Winter Soldier Halloween costumes)—and I'm so excited they're going to be the stars of the sequel. I can't wait to read more in this series!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an emotional and beautiful story. Danny and Mike have a lot of layers and complications that make their relationship a challenge but they push forward to put their love first.

Standard sports romance. I really have a hard time reading stories with third person POVs. I wasn't able to easily keep straight who was doing what and when. Hard to finish, but that's mostly because of my own taste. If you like sports romances, give it a shot to see if it's for you.

Okay I wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t get past the start to their relationship. Enemies to lovers? Love it. Hockey players falling in love? Love it. Good character development? Love it.

However, they have seriously under negotiated kinks and even when consensual it’s fairly violent. Their relationship basis was essentially based on violence, and I had a hard time getting past that in the book.

I love that Danny got good mental health and addiction rep, with people who loved and supported him. I love that he found the strength to start taking care of himself. I wanted more of his story so we could truly see him in a happy and healthy place.

I love that Mike is such a big softie, and how much he tries. I love the support he both gives and receives. He comes into his own and becomes the better version of himself.

There were so many good things about this book but man I just couldn’t really get into their relationship with how much of the foundation of it was based in violence.

Sports-based romance and erotica have been around the block, but there’s been a lot of focus on hockey recently in these genres. Thanks to #BookTok, readers can’t seem to get enough.

Game Misconduct by Ari Baran is the first book in a new Penalty Box series and follows Mike and Danny, two defensemen on opposing teams. Mike is a bit undersized and learning the ropes, while Danny is approaching retirement. The two butt heads (literally) every time their teams face off on the ice. But it’s the chemistry off the ice that heats things up!

It’s obvious that Baran is a fan of the sport. The subject matter as it relates to the story definitely sounds like it’s coming from a pro. Readers who aren’t hockey fans won’t have to worry about that affecting their enjoyment of the story. Besides the love affair between Danny and Mike, there are enough secondary characters and storylines taking place outside of the rink to keep you engaged.

We follow Mike most of the time as he works out, hangs with his best friend Bee, travels to games, and interacts with his parents. Meanwhile, Danny is battling alcoholism as he contemplates the end of his run as a professional athlete.

The story is pretty linear. The book might have benefited from some bigger conflicts involving the other characters. We get a tiny glimpse at Mike struggling with his sexuality when it comes to his relationship with his parents, but the book could have benefited from just a bit more. Maybe Bee could have had a more developed side story, or even an ex love interest of Mike or Danny could have come into the picture and stirred things up a bit.

Either way, the reader will be anxious for the Mike and Danny scenes when they do happen! And when the two get together, it’s not a candy sweet romance. Playing hard (and fighting) is drilled into their psyche and so it plays out the same way in the bedroom. They want to fight. They know they are supposed to hate each other when it comes to sports, but when it comes to matters of the heart, there’s a lot more on the line.

As the two struggle to straighten out their feelings, Baran treats the reader to some surprising encounters that get better each time Danny and Mike meet up. If you like your fictional sex scenes a bit on the tepid side, this read is not for you. Let’s just say there’s some biting and punches and a few bruises after the love making is over.

The dialogue also feels very natural for the sport world and for two men dealing with their emotions. A lot of their back and forth takes place via text and Snapchat, but didn’t feel clunky and gives a nice modern tone to the book. The sexy book cover is a bonus; the only thing missing are the tattoos that are frequently mentioned in the descriptions!

Overall, this is a great start to a series that will probably be quite popular. Well done for Baran’s first publication as well! Game Misconduct releases May 16th from Carina Press.

This book was... a lot. But, like, in a really good way -- for me, anyway. Game Misconduct is the rivals to lust to friendship and love story of Mike and Danny, rival pro hockey players. It is very romantic and quite hot, the characters are flawed and feel very real, and the story arc is sweet and painful and satisfying. Note the CWs on this one -- there's a lot of navigating mental health (including suicidal ideation) and under-negotiated BDSM -- but I felt the author handled these themes with tenderness and care, and they felt true to the characters involved.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a great book and a fabulous debut at that. Be mindful of the trigger warnings that come with this book, because some people are going to be surprised to see what happens in this book. Mike and Danny are serious rivals, but I loved their journey of going from two people who hated each other (like to the point of physical altercations) to two men who find out they have more in common than they think and eventually fall in love. A LOT of serious topics are covered in this book, such as sexual assault, some serious angst, kinks, violent sex, alcohol and drug use disorders, depression and LGBTQIA characters. I loved the representation in this book, and I thought the story itself was really well done, with a conclusion that made me feel like both characters really grew. It's a tough and complex book, maybe not for everyone, so adjust your expectations accordingly. It was dark, but the characters go through a lot to come out on the other side seeing some light. I really recommend checking this book out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for an eARC of this book.

I enjoyed the story overall and was glad to see Mike and Danny's growth, though at times their behaviour was frustrating.

Thank you for the opportunity to rate and review this book.

I think this is a “me” thing, honestly, but I wasn’t very thrilled with this MM…romance. I’m having trouble even calling this one a romance because it felt more like two Uber masculine men with a lot of emotional trauma just seeking rough pleasure with each other.

These two lacked communication and relationship development, which are two things I look for in romances. They were both too angry and self-traumatized to be good for each other.

There was also substance abuse that wasn’t mentioned. So I didn’t really enjoy this one.

God I feel like I need to send Ari a thank you note. I don’t read romance as much as I used to, and I miss it constantly. Something about the ennui of the times, the reading for comfort, reading to feel good not being as fulfilling. It’s a me-problem, I’m being pretentious, I know, but it doesn’t stop the disappointment each time I pick up a book and it’s not only unfulfilling, but it’s unfulfilling in the exact same way that the last three books I tried were. It’s part of why I stopped reviewing, stopped requesting ARCs. I’m sorry. This is a positive review, I promise. I’m out of practice. I just want the time I’m taking on books to matter, I want the journey the characters are taking to mean something, to feel fulfilling, and god did this deliver. Fucking finally.

I kept coming across things that had bothered me recently in other books and not minding them, to be reminded that it wasn’t the trope, just bad writing before, and a relief to see it done so well here. (No, I don’t dislike the miscommunication trope, I just get annoyed when they’re so goddamn stupid about it). This book is written (and edited--I don’t get to say this very often!) so fucking well. The sex is hot, obviously, no one needs to worry about that. The hockey is super well-researched. Full disclosure, part of the reason I wanted to review this was because I’d heard the author talk about how much, and what kind of research they did for it (I’m a librarian, I couldn’t resist!), and it shows. This story is so lovely because the relationship, the sex is the easy part, but the conflicts are perfect and horrible because no one can know but the other person. Like why it’s so hard to discuss work woes with a partner in an entirely different career field. No one but another hockey player could understand the need to be on the ice in spite of everything, the horrible justification for a dependence on alcohol and pain meds to keep going, the fear and isolation of feeling like there are no other options. It’s devastating to read, and I kept repeating “it’s a romance, it has to have an HEA” like a mantra during the worst scenes, because I’m a hockey fan and you see these stories play out constantly in real life. Speaking of, I loved seeing so much actual hockey being played!

But my favorite is the character development. It progressed so naturally and realistically! These characters are all so good and well-developed, even the side characters. Danny is devastating, and I adore his weird little overeager and earnest rookies, Landry and Gears, I hope to see them again. His relationship with his sister and niece give great insight into the isolation he’s feeling, Mäkelä and Bee being there for Mike in such distinct ways, and of course Mike, who I’m irreversibly attached to at this point and will protect to the death. His growth wasn’t as dramatic as Danny’s maybe, but god I loved being in his head for it. “It was one of those months where he was having more than one emotion at the same time for more than one day and that alone kind of made him furious.” Like you come out just feeling so proud of him, because Garcia gets through it because he has Mike, but Mike gets through it because he decides it’s the only option. He’ll help Danny out of pure determination, out of spite, out of love.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

A romance with no miscommunication or unnecessary 3rd act break up/relationship drama? Sign me up! I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and would have liked to see a bit more of Danny's recovery/future.

I tried to like and appreciate this book, but eventually, I put it aside.
I don't see them falling in love, they are so violent in everything that it's impossible to imagine any sort of romance between them.
Up until I read it, it was a frustrating read.


Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh I really wanted to like this. I really did.

This book simply didn’t work for me. I found the writing stilted. I’m not a fan of writing where the inner monologue drives the plot forward as opposed to character interactions. And when they were it felt distant. I’d describe it as a story being told at me rather than to me if that makes any sense, especially at the beginning.

I love myself a good old fashioned rivals to lovers but this book didn’t deliver it well. I can get past the characters having a fist fight off the ice as they do genuinely dislike each other but that scene, our first introductions to these characters, lead immediately to a blow job. It felt very jarring. I don’t understand why it lead to that or even if there was anything leading up to it.

The characters themselves felt flat. I feel like there was enough time to get to know them in what I read but I still got little impression.

Really do wish I loved this but oh well.

This is a DNF for me 20 pages in. It does not work for me that the characters are physically assaulting each other right away. At first it started with references to them fighting in hockey games and one of the characters recounting a time when he broke the nose of the other one and then when they do see each other off the ice, they are immediately throwing punches and physically harming the other. That's just not a book I want to read, especially a romance.

I have mixed feeling about this book. On one hand, I will always appreciate any queer hockey romance with BIPOC main characters. On the other hand, I want their identity to actually play a part in the story. I can assume that Mike is Japanese based on his last name, Sato, but it's not ever explicitly mentioned. There are a few reference to having delt with racist behavior in the past but nothing concrete. I can also assume that Daniel is Hispanic based on his last name being Garcia, him telling Mike to say his name right (though we aren't told how to actually say it), and the few Spanish words sprinkled in. But again, there's no real mention of it. In a sport that is predominately white and conservative I find it really unrealistic to have this not be at least part of the story. It doesn't need to be the main focus but if you don't give it some sort of real mention than I assume you are just making the characters BIPOC for the hell of it and that it really annoying. Another issue I have with the story is the literal violence between the two MCs. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good enemies to lovers trope. And I have no issue with some consensual BDSM stuff if that is what you are into. But Mike is just kind of a violent prick. He literally drunkenly attacks Daniel in an alley for no reason and then Daniel rewards him with a BJ. That is some really unhealthy shit right there. Also, there is a somewhat unsatisfying ending to the book. Though I did enjoy the interview at the very end. As for the actual writing, it's not terrible. My main complaint is that Mike says the word "like" way to much for someone who is supposed to be from the PNW. But all said and down, I stayed up until 4 in the morning to finished it so I guess that means I liked it.

In many ways, this book has a strange start to a romance story, with our two heroes not only hating one another but actually starting with a physical fight. It might not be the most obvious love story but there is a very thin line between love and hate and Mike and Danny certainly cross it.
I loved the way that not only did Mike and Danny need to sort out their feelings for one another, but they also had things in their own lives to come to terms with. For Mike, it was dealing with his parents and allowing them to see him both as a gay man and how important the sport that he plays is. For Danny, he is nearing the end of his career, a career that possibly by right should have been ended years previously. He now bears all of the scars his body and mind have been subjected to.
For such a violent start to the story, it was actually quite sweet. I couldn't help but like both Mike and Danny lots and the way that they were around one another was really nice. I loved this book and really enjoyed the unfolding romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

2.5 stars rounded up

This book was straight up baffling to read. The two main components of the book, the hockey and the romance, were equally weird and made me question if I knew anything at all about hockey or reading romance.

To start, the hockey. I was initially ok with the idea of the two main characters being enforcers but they were Extreme Enforcers who fought multiple times every game. In the year of our lord 2023, hockey fighting and enforcers are barely a thing. The players in real life hockey who fight a lot have maybe 12-14 fights an entire season! What makes it even more confusing as a character choice is this is a league that's progressive enough to have a female hockey player. It makes no sense to have both of these be true at once and still have a homophobic league.

As for the rest of the hockey it was all a little...off. Like words might be used in hockey but they were slightly out of place or lacked context or seemed tacked on to prove Hockey Knowledge. Normally I can look past this but it was way too much and the romance wasn't enough to distract me.

Which leads me to the romance. There is barely any of it in the book which was disappointing. Everything seemed to happen off page except some very long explicit scenes and the fighting. And the bulk of the book was preoccupied with Danny's addiction issues and his refusal to get help about it and then it was all just handwaved away at the end.

I rounded up to 3 stars because there was enough to keep me reading but I would've preferred way less hockey and fighting and serious addiction and mental health issues that weren't well represented in the book anyway and way more romance and caretaking and pining and buying flowers for each other. I am intrigued enough to try the author's next book but I really hope they try to do way less things in it.