Scan barcode
eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 Stars
It feels like forever since the last Avon Gale book (though it's only been a year) and I was really excited about this book. We met one of the main characters, briefly, in the last book. Ryu was seen to be quiet and reserved, but also supportive and sensible. That hasn't changed, though we got to know his motivations better.
Ryu is a goalie and a really hard worker. His family has always encouraged him to be the best at whatever profession he chooses for himself. It can be a lot of pressure and given he's such an introspective and introverted person, he doesn't let loose often. Or ever. He's very serious and keeps to himself. The other MC, Emmitt, is the complete opposite. He's outgoing, cocky and likes posting shirtless selfies on Instagram to show off his abs. He and Ryu are in competition over the main goalie spot on the Venom roster. Venom is their NHL team.
The two of them clash from the start. Part of it is because of the competition, and part because of their very different personalities. So sexual attraction aside, they didn't like each other at all.
And this is the part where I tell you how the two slowly grew closer and fell in love and stuff. But I can't say that this time. Yes, they did develop some level of friendship. But it was mostly because they're both decent people who have good sex. I couldn't really see a romantic connection there. In fact, I almost went back to reread the first half in case I missed the part where they came to have feelings for each other.
That was a major problem for me. No, there's nothing wrong with sex in a book or a relationship that begins with a no-strings arrangement. And since this a hockey book, I'd expected the focus on that as well. But most importantly, this is a romance novel. And the romance was missing. The book invested more time on the mutual attraction and the hockey.
That's not to say that I never wanted the two to work out. The authors were definitely able to make me care about the relationship, and I liked both the characters individually, especially Ryu. But I just don't see them as being in love, or at least how they fell in love in the first place. This isn't a big book and I think the authors could've kept a better eye on what the focus of the book should be. I liked all the other aspects of the book and, had it not been sold as a romance, I would have rated it higher.
Still, it was a decent read. I enjoyed the last 10% more than most other parts. I'd like to see what happens with Ryu and Emmitt in future book, even though they'll only be side characters.
It feels like forever since the last Avon Gale book (though it's only been a year) and I was really excited about this book. We met one of the main characters, briefly, in the last book. Ryu was seen to be quiet and reserved, but also supportive and sensible. That hasn't changed, though we got to know his motivations better.
Ryu is a goalie and a really hard worker. His family has always encouraged him to be the best at whatever profession he chooses for himself. It can be a lot of pressure and given he's such an introspective and introverted person, he doesn't let loose often. Or ever. He's very serious and keeps to himself. The other MC, Emmitt, is the complete opposite. He's outgoing, cocky and likes posting shirtless selfies on Instagram to show off his abs. He and Ryu are in competition over the main goalie spot on the Venom roster. Venom is their NHL team.
The two of them clash from the start. Part of it is because of the competition, and part because of their very different personalities. So sexual attraction aside, they didn't like each other at all.
And this is the part where I tell you how the two slowly grew closer and fell in love and stuff. But I can't say that this time. Yes, they did develop some level of friendship. But it was mostly because they're both decent people who have good sex. I couldn't really see a romantic connection there. In fact, I almost went back to reread the first half in case I missed the part where they came to have feelings for each other.
That was a major problem for me. No, there's nothing wrong with sex in a book or a relationship that begins with a no-strings arrangement. And since this a hockey book, I'd expected the focus on that as well. But most importantly, this is a romance novel. And the romance was missing. The book invested more time on the mutual attraction and the hockey.
That's not to say that I never wanted the two to work out. The authors were definitely able to make me care about the relationship, and I liked both the characters individually, especially Ryu. But I just don't see them as being in love, or at least how they fell in love in the first place. This isn't a big book and I think the authors could've kept a better eye on what the focus of the book should be. I liked all the other aspects of the book and, had it not been sold as a romance, I would have rated it higher.
Still, it was a decent read. I enjoyed the last 10% more than most other parts. I'd like to see what happens with Ryu and Emmitt in future book, even though they'll only be side characters.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, this was even better the second time through, and this time I might even go back and read the first one, despite the lamentable lack of goalies.
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ☆
Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais je suis complètement fascinée par les joueurs de hockey, c'est vraiment un sport qui me fait rêver. Du coup, j'ai un gros faible pour les romances avec des hockeyeurs, et si c'est du M/M, eh bien c'est encore mieux !
Ici, en plus du hockey, on a un autre trope qui me plaît bien, à savoir le 'ennemies-to-lovers', qui est en fait plutôt ici du 'frenemies-to-lovers'. En effet, Ryu & Emmitt sont tous les deux goals dans l'équipe de Venom (en NHL, soit l'élite du hockey nord-américain). Les dirigeants & entraîneurs de l'équipe n'ont pas nommé de titulaires, du coup, les deux héros se retrouvent en concurrence pour obtenir le poste convoité de gardien en titre. Si Ryu n'en est pas à sa première année de NHL, Emmit évoluait jusqu'ici dans la ligue inférieure, c'est donc un grosse promotion pour lui, et le rêve de toute une vie ! Si dans les premiers temps, leurs rapports sont tendus, Emmit & Ryu vont nouer une certaine amitié, jusqu'à ce que celle soit ... et plus si affinités. ^^ J'aurais voulu que les tensions entre eux durent plus longtemps, je suis restée sur ma faim en ce qui concerne cette promesse que me faisait miroiter le résumé.
Les auteurs ont mis en scène des personnages 'de couleur', et abordent ainsi la question de la représentativité des Afro-Américains et Asiatiques dans une NHL très très blanche. C'est un aspect du récit que j'ai trouvé intéressant. La question de la culture et de l'origine est aussi très marquée pour Ryu, qui subit la pression de ses parents, pour qui les émotions ne doivent pas être montrées et dites, et l'excellence doit être atteinte.
La romance est mignonne et sexy, mais c'est très compliqué pour eux d'être à la fois amants et concurrents ... Ce qui fait que je suis moyennement convaincue sur leurs chances à plus long terme, mais enfin bon, on a quand même un HFN !
Petit point bonus pour un personnage secondaire : Morley, qui m'aura fait beaucoup rire, même si je trouve que c'est un copier/coller complet de Blake, personnage secondaire inoubliable [b:Him|25686927|Him (Him, #1)|Sarina Bowen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436433289l/25686927._SY75_.jpg|45514970] & [b:Us|29475332|Us (Him, #2)|Sarina Bowen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457596574l/29475332._SY75_.jpg|47775179], la géniale série de Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy).
Une sympathique romance dans l'ensemble donc !
Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais je suis complètement fascinée par les joueurs de hockey, c'est vraiment un sport qui me fait rêver. Du coup, j'ai un gros faible pour les romances avec des hockeyeurs, et si c'est du M/M, eh bien c'est encore mieux !
Ici, en plus du hockey, on a un autre trope qui me plaît bien, à savoir le 'ennemies-to-lovers', qui est en fait plutôt ici du 'frenemies-to-lovers'. En effet, Ryu & Emmitt sont tous les deux goals dans l'équipe de Venom (en NHL, soit l'élite du hockey nord-américain). Les dirigeants & entraîneurs de l'équipe n'ont pas nommé de titulaires, du coup, les deux héros se retrouvent en concurrence pour obtenir le poste convoité de gardien en titre. Si Ryu n'en est pas à sa première année de NHL, Emmit évoluait jusqu'ici dans la ligue inférieure, c'est donc un grosse promotion pour lui, et le rêve de toute une vie ! Si dans les premiers temps, leurs rapports sont tendus, Emmit & Ryu vont nouer une certaine amitié, jusqu'à ce que celle soit ... et plus si affinités. ^^ J'aurais voulu que les tensions entre eux durent plus longtemps, je suis restée sur ma faim en ce qui concerne cette promesse que me faisait miroiter le résumé.
Les auteurs ont mis en scène des personnages 'de couleur', et abordent ainsi la question de la représentativité des Afro-Américains et Asiatiques dans une NHL très très blanche. C'est un aspect du récit que j'ai trouvé intéressant. La question de la culture et de l'origine est aussi très marquée pour Ryu, qui subit la pression de ses parents, pour qui les émotions ne doivent pas être montrées et dites, et l'excellence doit être atteinte.
La romance est mignonne et sexy, mais c'est très compliqué pour eux d'être à la fois amants et concurrents ... Ce qui fait que je suis moyennement convaincue sur leurs chances à plus long terme, mais enfin bon, on a quand même un HFN !
Petit point bonus pour un personnage secondaire : Morley, qui m'aura fait beaucoup rire, même si je trouve que c'est un copier/coller complet de Blake, personnage secondaire inoubliable [b:Him|25686927|Him (Him, #1)|Sarina Bowen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436433289l/25686927._SY75_.jpg|45514970] & [b:Us|29475332|Us (Him, #2)|Sarina Bowen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457596574l/29475332._SY75_.jpg|47775179], la géniale série de Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy).
Une sympathique romance dans l'ensemble donc !
dpit's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
heabooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
GOALIE INTERFERENCE was a solid read and while it had its high points for me there were also low points that have made rating this one hard. I'll start with the good: I loved both Ryu and Emmitt and together they were on fire. Creating likable and enjoyable characters is obviously a strong suit for Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn. I strongly related to Ryu's introverted and reserved nature and his intense focus. In contrast, Emmitt is cocky, flashy, and extroverted and I loved every second of it! Together they're complete opposites but they help to balance each other out and their competitive battle works to make them better hockey players. I also loved seeing more of Tristan and Seb because I adored their book, OFF THE ICE, and as a complete surprise, I fell hard for Morley. He's loud, obnoxious, and goofy and all of those are compliments; I really hope his book is next!
What made this book hard to rate for me is the excessive telling. The majority of GOALIE INTERFERENCE felt like I was getting a summary of everything that was happening instead of actually experiencing it live. It made for a lot of internal monologues, info dumps, and quickly breezed by events. It made it much harder to connect with the story and if not for the strongly written characters I would have rated this lower. I waffled a lot on what to rate this and ultimately decided on 4 stars because I still really enjoyed the story overall.
**ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
What made this book hard to rate for me is the excessive telling. The majority of GOALIE INTERFERENCE felt like I was getting a summary of everything that was happening instead of actually experiencing it live. It made for a lot of internal monologues, info dumps, and quickly breezed by events. It made it much harder to connect with the story and if not for the strongly written characters I would have rated this lower. I waffled a lot on what to rate this and ultimately decided on 4 stars because I still really enjoyed the story overall.
**ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
my_personal_escape's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
jessierenee's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
emilyreadstoomuch's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
polkadotgirl's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 stars:
I received an e-ARC of this story through NetGalley in exchange on an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!
Goalie Interference was a fast-paced and interesting M/M sports romance. I really enjoyed it and it can definitely be read as a stand-alone even though it is the second book in the Hart Trick series.
The romance between Emmitt and Ryu isn't really slow-burn but it still felt well-developed. The two characters share some pretty good chemistry from pretty much the beginning of the book and then we see it build into something deeper and more romantic. I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book better than the last one because the end was a little rushed and raw, in my opinion. Still, I really rooted for the couple from beginning to end.
I liked this book enough that I am now intrigued to read the first book of the series and I'm going to be keeping an eye out for the last book of the series.
I received an e-ARC of this story through NetGalley in exchange on an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!
Goalie Interference was a fast-paced and interesting M/M sports romance. I really enjoyed it and it can definitely be read as a stand-alone even though it is the second book in the Hart Trick series.
The romance between Emmitt and Ryu isn't really slow-burn but it still felt well-developed. The two characters share some pretty good chemistry from pretty much the beginning of the book and then we see it build into something deeper and more romantic. I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book better than the last one because the end was a little rushed and raw, in my opinion. Still, I really rooted for the couple from beginning to end.
I liked this book enough that I am now intrigued to read the first book of the series and I'm going to be keeping an eye out for the last book of the series.
harrow_nash's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5