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jackiehorne's review against another edition
DNF at 30% in
Cute characters, but not a lot of plot and the writing was often clunky
Cute characters, but not a lot of plot and the writing was often clunky
frenchpressbookworm's review against another edition
2.0
Great story but so slow
The story itself was great and the characters had potential to be awesome but the lack of chemistry and slow build made me lose interest so fast. Which as a bummer because j loved island heat so much j was expecting the same spark and it wasn't there
The story itself was great and the characters had potential to be awesome but the lack of chemistry and slow build made me lose interest so fast. Which as a bummer because j loved island heat so much j was expecting the same spark and it wasn't there
msshelleyh's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
In certain small moments, Cameron fell for Noah all over again.
3.5 stars. This was super super cute. A pretty low angst romance about an ex-hockey player who quits the game and moves back to his hometown after experiencing health problems. He hits it off with an adorable art curator, who also gets him involved in beekeeping and some casual hockey. I can't really call this a sports romance since hockey doesn't play a huge part in it, and it's more about Cameron trying to move on from it, but it was still really interesting, him having that background. The relatively small town feel was also nice and cosy. I really liked the low angst; it felt like we really concentrated on mundane dating stuff between the guys, and sometimes that's really nice. There were a couple little issues that could have blown up into huge misunderstandings, but they were instead approached very realistically, in the way I feel like any two regular people who just started a relationship would. On the flip side, I did feel like in a few parts the road to their romance felt too smooth, but only in terms of the pacing. As ever, I'm someone who enjoys a slower burn, and this entire story takes place in like, what, a month?
Still, Cam and Noah were really adorable, and this was steamy and great. I could have maybe done without the chapters from Jackson's POV, but since Cam's brothers are so important in his life, I understand why we got them. And the brotherly bond was something I really enjoyed, and look forward to seeing more of.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Michael Dean, which was great. I just love his character voices, though maybe at times it was a biiiiiit much. I bought the entire series on an impulse, so I'm sure I'll be back with the brothers at some point.
liza5326's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, I can't believe I actually read the entire book in one sitting. For me, that is a glowing recommendation! Not quite 5 stars, a few nagging things kept it from completely knocking it out of the park, but definitely a series I will continue. Like everyone else, I don't get why he kept hockey a secret and hope that the heart issues get resolved in a future book.
elenajohansen's review against another edition
1.0
This is a plot that never had the potential to be more than okay, made worse by poor construction.
The quick and easy complaints: Leading with a sex scene as prologue when the characters haven't been introduced is not going to get me interested. A character spending most of a chapter doing absolutely mundane things that don't advance or even relate to the plot is not going to get me interested. Randomly diverting to one of the lead's brothers for a POV is going to irritate me, especially when the lead just had a chapter he spent doing absolutely mundane things that I don't understand why I had to read about. So why didn't the plot point in his brother's chapter happen then instead? Why did we constantly have to see important things through a side character's perspective when nothing much happens during the lead's POVs?
A slightly more complex complaint: Did we spend so much time with the minutiae of Noah's work as an art curator so that he didn't feel less developed than Cameron and his almost-hockey career? Because Noah's job at any given point was either boring or explained poorly--I never got a sense of what he did or why it was causing him so much stress. He would say he was stressed but then a single phone call would clear up the problem; or he would whine that he wasn't going to have space for everything he wanted because the big, bad (I don't really know how to describe his antagonists here--building owners? angry stupid rich people? who did he answer to, anyway?) didn't give him enough space. But then later he'd turn around and need to commission something new from a different artist...why do you need more art if you're already worried about space for what you have?
Finally, as a romance this story fails the "why aren't they together now?" question at nearly every stage, because the couple is together for most of the book, and there's nothing really to keep them apart. There's no real tension in their relationship, because they're so open and honest with each other about nearly everything. Don't get me wrong, I like to see men talking about their feelings, whether it's m/m romance or not--but the only "obstacle" they encounter late in the story is Cam hiding his almost-hockey-career. From Cam's perspective, it's not even framed as a lie, just as an "I haven't told you this yet" because a) they're not serious yet, and b) he's enjoying the relative anonymity. Noah finds out accidentally from Cam's brother, sits on that knowledge for a chapter or two, then immediately forgives Cam without any fuss when he confesses. So, again, no tension. Cam's ex is a total piece of trash who obviously isn't going to storm back into his life, no matter how the brother worries Cam would take him back--obvious, pointless red herring. And there's never any reason to suspect Cam is going to return to hockey and leave Noah behind, so the ultimate question of relationship success is merely "are they compatible or not?"
Which the narrative made it clear very early that they are. Their happy ending was inevitable--this is a romance, after all--but it was never once truly threatened, so I never had a reason to get invested.
The quick and easy complaints: Leading with a sex scene as prologue when the characters haven't been introduced is not going to get me interested. A character spending most of a chapter doing absolutely mundane things that don't advance or even relate to the plot is not going to get me interested. Randomly diverting to one of the lead's brothers for a POV is going to irritate me, especially when the lead just had a chapter he spent doing absolutely mundane things that I don't understand why I had to read about. So why didn't the plot point in his brother's chapter happen then instead? Why did we constantly have to see important things through a side character's perspective when nothing much happens during the lead's POVs?
A slightly more complex complaint: Did we spend so much time with the minutiae of Noah's work as an art curator so that he didn't feel less developed than Cameron and his almost-hockey career? Because Noah's job at any given point was either boring or explained poorly--I never got a sense of what he did or why it was causing him so much stress. He would say he was stressed but then a single phone call would clear up the problem; or he would whine that he wasn't going to have space for everything he wanted because the big, bad (I don't really know how to describe his antagonists here--building owners? angry stupid rich people? who did he answer to, anyway?) didn't give him enough space. But then later he'd turn around and need to commission something new from a different artist...why do you need more art if you're already worried about space for what you have?
Finally, as a romance this story fails the "why aren't they together now?" question at nearly every stage, because the couple is together for most of the book, and there's nothing really to keep them apart. There's no real tension in their relationship, because they're so open and honest with each other about nearly everything. Don't get me wrong, I like to see men talking about their feelings, whether it's m/m romance or not--but the only "obstacle" they encounter late in the story is Cam hiding his almost-hockey-career. From Cam's perspective, it's not even framed as a lie, just as an "I haven't told you this yet" because a) they're not serious yet, and b) he's enjoying the relative anonymity. Noah finds out accidentally from Cam's brother, sits on that knowledge for a chapter or two, then immediately forgives Cam without any fuss when he confesses. So, again, no tension. Cam's ex is a total piece of trash who obviously isn't going to storm back into his life, no matter how the brother worries Cam would take him back--obvious, pointless red herring. And there's never any reason to suspect Cam is going to return to hockey and leave Noah behind, so the ultimate question of relationship success is merely "are they compatible or not?"
Which the narrative made it clear very early that they are. Their happy ending was inevitable--this is a romance, after all--but it was never once truly threatened, so I never had a reason to get invested.
tltravis's review
5.0
When one door closes
Another opens. I can't imagine how hard it would be to give up your dream, but falling in love with the right person can help you get through anything.
Absolutely loved it and am off to start book 2.
Another opens. I can't imagine how hard it would be to give up your dream, but falling in love with the right person can help you get through anything.
Absolutely loved it and am off to start book 2.
novel_nomad's review
3.0
I must admit I do love an uncomplicated relationship where both characters are drawn to each other, and it is only the external forces that cause complications - a super cute start to a series