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eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
I can't say I was very excited about this book. This series has had some ups and downs for me. My favourites are still the first two. But I liked the premise of this book, so I gave it a shot. And while I can't say I disliked it, I didn't enjoy it either. It was also very unmemorable. Like, I was trying to remember what had happened in it three days after finishing it.
The story follows Kris and Rory, who we met in Risking the Shot (and maybe before, but I don't remember). They're both on the same NHL team, but they knew each other before because Kris is best friends with Rory's older brother. Rory has liked Kris for years, but Kris has only ever treated him as his best friend's brother. Until recently. And even then, it's not until Rory gets injured and Kris steps in to take care of him that their relationship starts changing.
Only... it takes forever for that change to start. The first 40% of the book barely has any meaningful interactions between them. There also isn't much else going on except a problem with Kris's public image. The first half is just a lot of mundane life stuff, and I was bored.
The romance, when it happens, is good. Rory and Kris are sweet together, and they care about each other. There also encourage each other to be their best selves. I liked them. But they weren't enough to pick the book up for me, partially because I loved neither of the conflicts.
The first conflict was the one I mentioned above, about Kris's reputation. Through no fault of his own, Kris is being painted negatively in the media, and it's affecting his personal and professional life. I actually liked this conflict until it was hinted that there was more to it. Except nothing came of that hint, which bothered me.
The second was an ongoing issue about Rory's insecurities which stemmed from childhood bullying. My problem is that the bullying is only ever mentioned briefly, and it's always the same instance over and over. And for an issue that's a big part of the book, I need more than just, "boys in school teased me about my trains." It's like the book wants to have conflict but is afraid to dive deeper into any of them.
This book, like the last few by the author, has been lacklustre for me. I don't know why, but Aislin's books aren't doing much for me. They don't have enough humour to be entertaining or enough conflicts to be tense or interesting. The romances are usually lukewarm. And there's no emotional punch. But they're still readable.
I don't know if I'd recommend this book. Depends on how much you liked the others. And if you haven't read any others, then I'd definitely start somewhere else. This one also has a bunch of cameos from past MCs that likely won't be fun for new readers. Try On the Ice first.
The story follows Kris and Rory, who we met in Risking the Shot (and maybe before, but I don't remember). They're both on the same NHL team, but they knew each other before because Kris is best friends with Rory's older brother. Rory has liked Kris for years, but Kris has only ever treated him as his best friend's brother. Until recently. And even then, it's not until Rory gets injured and Kris steps in to take care of him that their relationship starts changing.
Only... it takes forever for that change to start. The first 40% of the book barely has any meaningful interactions between them. There also isn't much else going on except a problem with Kris's public image. The first half is just a lot of mundane life stuff, and I was bored.
The romance, when it happens, is good. Rory and Kris are sweet together, and they care about each other. There also encourage each other to be their best selves. I liked them. But they weren't enough to pick the book up for me, partially because I loved neither of the conflicts.
The first conflict was the one I mentioned above, about Kris's reputation. Through no fault of his own, Kris is being painted negatively in the media, and it's affecting his personal and professional life. I actually liked this conflict until it was hinted that there was more to it. Except nothing came of that hint, which bothered me.
The second was an ongoing issue about Rory's insecurities which stemmed from childhood bullying. My problem is that the bullying is only ever mentioned briefly, and it's always the same instance over and over. And for an issue that's a big part of the book, I need more than just, "boys in school teased me about my trains." It's like the book wants to have conflict but is afraid to dive deeper into any of them.
This book, like the last few by the author, has been lacklustre for me. I don't know why, but Aislin's books aren't doing much for me. They don't have enough humour to be entertaining or enough conflicts to be tense or interesting. The romances are usually lukewarm. And there's no emotional punch. But they're still readable.
I don't know if I'd recommend this book. Depends on how much you liked the others. And if you haven't read any others, then I'd definitely start somewhere else. This one also has a bunch of cameos from past MCs that likely won't be fun for new readers. Try On the Ice first.
harrow_nash's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
zaza_bdp's review
3.0
3.5 ⭐
Une histoire douce (très !) et mignonne. Avec moi, le coup du petit frère du meilleur ami, ça marche toujours, et cette fois, ça a encore bien fonctionné, avec ce joli couple formé par Kris et Rory.
Comme souvent chez Amy Aislin, on est beaucoup dans la tendresse et l'affection, ce qui donne une couleur douce et reposante à ce roman. J'ai aimé ces deux hommes, et le regard que chacun pose sur l'autre. La présence du hockey est assez discrète, on voit peu de matchs ou d'entraînements, mais on voit pas mal les coéquipiers de Kris et Rory, et tous forment une belle bande soudée.
Une jolie histoire toute douce donc, qui souffre de quelques longueurs, mais qui m'aura fait passer un moment plein de tendresse, et qui m'aura donné envie de manger ces maudites gaufres qui Rory passe son temps à réclamer !
Une histoire douce (très !) et mignonne. Avec moi, le coup du petit frère du meilleur ami, ça marche toujours, et cette fois, ça a encore bien fonctionné, avec ce joli couple formé par Kris et Rory.
Comme souvent chez Amy Aislin, on est beaucoup dans la tendresse et l'affection, ce qui donne une couleur douce et reposante à ce roman. J'ai aimé ces deux hommes, et le regard que chacun pose sur l'autre. La présence du hockey est assez discrète, on voit peu de matchs ou d'entraînements, mais on voit pas mal les coéquipiers de Kris et Rory, et tous forment une belle bande soudée.
Une jolie histoire toute douce donc, qui souffre de quelques longueurs, mais qui m'aura fait passer un moment plein de tendresse, et qui m'aura donné envie de manger ces maudites gaufres qui Rory passe son temps à réclamer !
dsauriol1991's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my god the slow burn in this book is sooooooo good! Rory's pining and Kris' obliviousness of his own feelings were perfect. I loved how Kris helped Rory reclaim the things he used to love as a kid. On the flip side I adored that Rory helped Kris come to terms with his own inner demons. These two make each other stronger and their shared history (Kris being Rory's brother's best friend) just made it all the more sweet as they fall for each other.
lollymac's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Bullying, Sexual content, and Biphobia
tdekorte's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
eliezrah's review against another edition
5.0
This was another great hockey romance in the Stick Side series. You don't have to have read the other books first, but the ones I've read were all just as good as this one. Two-Man Team is a brother's beat friend, friends to lovers, teammates story. It was great to see characters from previous books appear in this one. I loved seeing how Kris & Rory took care of each other and were so perfect for each other.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
kjnrose's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series and this one did not disappoint. This was a sweet, sexy, low angst read from a wonderful author and was well written with a wonderful storyline. You don't have to read the whole series to understand this book, but I recommend you do because they are great.
aboulle's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first introduction to this series and I definitely want to go in and read the other books now. I loved Kris and Rory together. Kris is such a sweetheart with community service projects aimed to better kids, not just in hockey but in the areas they love and care about but he keeps being made out to be the bad guy by the media. Poor Rory was a little bit weaker then I typically like a MC but he was just what Kris needed and Kris really brings him out of himself.