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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
emotional
One night stand to forced proximity. Bros with access to their feelings.
Author does a great job with trigger warnings.
Author does a great job with trigger warnings.
Contract Season
⚠️ Possible triggers :⚠️
I personally did not have any problems reading this, but here you go, just in case:
Implied homophobia, alcohol abuse, forced outing, religious fanatics/hypocrisy
I just recently started reading LGTBQIA+ novels. I am personally not that much into steamy novels. They are fine, but I need a good story as well, not only smut. For this one, the spice level was slow burn and moderately tame. If this is important to you, here is my spice rating: 2/5
⚠️ Possible triggers :⚠️
I personally did not have any problems reading this, but here you go, just in case:
Implied homophobia, alcohol abuse, forced outing, religious fanatics/hypocrisy
I just recently started reading LGTBQIA+ novels. I am personally not that much into steamy novels. They are fine, but I need a good story as well, not only smut. For this one, the spice level was slow burn and moderately tame. If this is important to you, here is my spice rating: 2/5
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hockey and Country music, the mashup that everyone should have thought of but somehow hasn't.
I love the way that Cait Nary begins with flawed characters and doesn't allow love to be their fix. Yes, love motivates the characters to change, but they have to make the conscious decision to do so and put forth the effort to improve their lives and also to make their relationship work.
I love the way that Cait Nary begins with flawed characters and doesn't allow love to be their fix. Yes, love motivates the characters to change, but they have to make the conscious decision to do so and put forth the effort to improve their lives and also to make their relationship work.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beyond just fake dating, this explores how heteronormativity impacts (for lack of better phrasing) sexual experience/practice especially in less welcoming areas like the South or country music. At first I was put off by how focused Sea was on having “real” sex but as I read further it made more sense from his perspective.
Brody reminded me of Eric from Common Goal with his focus on the game and taking care of his body for the game. He and Sea were good balances for each other.
On Nary’s website she says she likes forcing characters who aren’t good at and don’t like to communicate to do so, and that def was evident here. I like books with both characters not understanding what the other gets out of their relationship but responding to that with “Wtf how do you not know how amazing you are” and this paid that off so well.
Brody reminded me of Eric from Common Goal with his focus on the game and taking care of his body for the game. He and Sea were good balances for each other.
On Nary’s website she says she likes forcing characters who aren’t good at and don’t like to communicate to do so, and that def was evident here. I like books with both characters not understanding what the other gets out of their relationship but responding to that with “Wtf how do you not know how amazing you are” and this paid that off so well.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fake dating, my most beloved romance trope! I was looking forward to the second book in this series and I was not disappointed. Once again, this is definitely a hockey romance for hockey fans, which I appreciate.
Brody and Seamus's relationship development was so enjoyable to read and made my heart hurt but also grow 3 sizes by the end. They start out rough, after spending one night together, including Sea writing a song about being ghosted and I just loved the drama of it all.Obviously a big part of the book is the forced coming out after they are outed, so that's something to be careful with, but I felt like it was handled well.
In the end, Brody and Seamus definitely need to work on their communication, but I loved reading their story and seeing the happy ending.
Brody and Seamus's relationship development was so enjoyable to read and made my heart hurt but also grow 3 sizes by the end. They start out rough, after spending one night together, including Sea writing a song about being ghosted and I just loved the drama of it all.
In the end, Brody and Seamus definitely need to work on their communication, but I loved reading their story and seeing the happy ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
Yes
I enjoyed this but found it a bit frustrating: while it mostly makes sense for the characters and their particular anxieties, most of the book is two people who care about each other more than they expected/planned not talking to each other about problems that were eventually cleared up in one conversation. It would have been great to have the conversation earlier and then showed them working on communication, to keep the same basic story and length.