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levilore_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.0
This might have been my favorite book so far. I LOVED both these characters and the exploration of hockey as a system of violence was so well done. The other books had very pro hockey characters, which worked well for those stories, but it was an compelling story to follow a character who didn't like hockey anymore.
I loved how queer this book was, not just gay but truly queer and that was awesome to read in a sports romance. The exploration of anxiety, addition, and sexual intimacy was so well done!
Alsothe ending where Shane and Illya were caught making out was so awesome and I loved seeing how Ryan and other players saw their relationshipfrom the outside. I really appreciate how this series builds upon the previous books because it establishes how many different queer relationships are happening at the same time and how separate they all are.
I didn't expect to be so invested in this world building of a hockey romance series, but I'm eagerly awaiting for everyone to find out about Ilya and Shane.
I loved how queer this book was, not just gay but truly queer and that was awesome to read in a sports romance. The exploration of anxiety, addition, and sexual intimacy was so well done!
Also
I didn't expect to be so invested in this world building of a hockey romance series, but I'm eagerly awaiting for everyone to find out about Ilya and Shane.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, Blood, Suicide, Violence, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Minor: Stalking and Body shaming
jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Violence, Homophobia, and Sexual content
crystalmackey's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
fuzzywilson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Suicide, Homophobia, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
4.0
this is straight up pornography.
like i’ve said before, this series can be hit or miss. i had mixed feelings about this one. i thought Ryan’s body issues and sexual dysfunction were really realistic, and the treatment of sex and intimacy was very healthy and realistic. Rachel Reid was definitely experimenting here with all the sex toys and sexual positions… and i wasn’t mad about it.
Ryan’s character arc flew by quickly, and i didn’t think he got the believable development he deserved. Fabian also had some inconsistent character traits, and the third act breakup felt like it was really out of the blue.
i did really like the exploration of anxiety and mental health, as that is apparently a big, important issue for the author. i felt like the depictions of social anxiety were really authentic, and i really empathized with Ryan throughout.
i totally understood the message here: don’t let your “dream” destroy you in the process. i liked THIS as a central conflict more than the outing/coming out plots that are way too common in this series. but i still think it needed some developmental work. i believe in my girl Rachel, though. she’ll get there!
i would maybe read this one again as a comfort read, but it’s not the best in the series.
like i’ve said before, this series can be hit or miss. i had mixed feelings about this one. i thought Ryan’s body issues and sexual dysfunction were really realistic, and the treatment of sex and intimacy was very healthy and realistic. Rachel Reid was definitely experimenting here with all the sex toys and sexual positions… and i wasn’t mad about it.
Ryan’s character arc flew by quickly, and i didn’t think he got the believable development he deserved. Fabian also had some inconsistent character traits, and the third act breakup felt like it was really out of the blue.
i did really like the exploration of anxiety and mental health, as that is apparently a big, important issue for the author. i felt like the depictions of social anxiety were really authentic, and i really empathized with Ryan throughout.
i totally understood the message here: don’t let your “dream” destroy you in the process. i liked THIS as a central conflict more than the outing/coming out plots that are way too common in this series. but i still think it needed some developmental work. i believe in my girl Rachel, though. she’ll get there!
i would maybe read this one again as a comfort read, but it’s not the best in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
tragicgloom's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Death, Blood, and Suicide
littlewishling's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I loved the exploration of anxiety in this. It felt true to life. I also adored Fabian’s friends because they reminded me of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia
cluckieduck's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
I found the first half more enjoyable. The latter half felt a bit rushed and would have benefited from some fleshing out. It seemed spackled together to get to a quick HEA. This has been the quickest read of the series for me, so even just a few more chapters would have helped cement their relationship for me. Heated Rivalry is a hard act to follow, and this is almost like a palate cleanser.
That being said, the MCs were both great. Ryan, my anxious, burly bear - I have never related with a hockey player more. And the way Fabian approached Ryan’s anxiety and low self-confidence was lovely. It’s a very sweet story.
That being said, the MCs were both great. Ryan, my anxious, burly bear - I have never related with a hockey player more. And the way Fabian approached Ryan’s anxiety and low self-confidence was lovely. It’s a very sweet story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Homophobia
aromarrie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
never before could i have imagined giving this book the high rating that it really does deserve, but i just absolutely adored ryan & fabian’s povs…so much. the exploration of mental health, sex, and the burdening issues playing as intense of a sport as hockey is was very heavy, but it portrayed these two characters in a way that made me love them both; fabian in all his queerness and creativity in music, and ryan, who’s always been pushed to only use his fists on the ice in order to be deemed useful, but who’s so incredibly gentle and doesn’t care for any of the violence in hockey, who shows how much fun it could really be without that violence as we see him help some kids in this book who love just getting to play with each other.
i admit this high rating didn’t come into play until after a relatively sobering reveal that occurs regarding a certain NHL player, but i just appreciated so much how much depth there was that the author was exploring here about the sport. i loved that as distant as it felt to both ryan & fabian (who has some prejudices towards hockey due to a lot of the bad experiences he’s associated with it growing up), it was in a way where it didn’t show the camaraderie it brings among fans & teammates as we usually see in some hockey stories, but mainly the isolation it can bring to those pushed to the side or branded as some pariah.
this book was just really well-written, and again, i really loved ryan & fabian, and all of fabian’s friends, and ryan’s friend, wyatt—there were some really good people in this book, and we even got to see ilya!! maybe he & ryan could have the friendship that i desired for ilya in the last book, but we’ll see :’) this was a good reading experience, that’s all for now.
i admit this high rating didn’t come into play until after a relatively sobering reveal that occurs regarding a certain NHL player, but i just appreciated so much how much depth there was that the author was exploring here about the sport. i loved that as distant as it felt to both ryan & fabian (who has some prejudices towards hockey due to a lot of the bad experiences he’s associated with it growing up), it was in a way where it didn’t show the camaraderie it brings among fans & teammates as we usually see in some hockey stories, but mainly the isolation it can bring to those pushed to the side or branded as some pariah.
this book was just really well-written, and again, i really loved ryan & fabian, and all of fabian’s friends, and ryan’s friend, wyatt—there were some really good people in this book, and we even got to see ilya!! maybe he & ryan could have the friendship that i desired for ilya in the last book, but we’ll see :’) this was a good reading experience, that’s all for now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
marysbookinit'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Death, and Drug use
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