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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nico is fun, flirty, and has always had it easy, with 4 loving parents and a super talent for playing hockey. August is a hockey referee, and Nico is the player who drives him the most crazy. So, when he runs into him on the night his ex is getting married to someone else, an ill advised, but great, hookup between them is unexpected.
When Nico has a seizure after a couple of hits on the ice, August worries he made a bad call, so he goes to see Nico. Only family are allowed, so he pretends he’s Nico’s fiancé.
When Nico wakes up after he’s been diagnosed with a brain tumour and had surgery, some memories are fuzzy. But he believes he’s engaged to August, and the charade begins. Even after he figured it out, it’s better for their careers to play their parts. August is accused of being partial to his fiancé as a player, so they’re both suspended.
They decide to make the most of it all, and August falls in love. But he doesn’t think he can be enough for Nico, who actually wonders if he’s enough with his slow recovery.
Once they’re honest with each other, they decide to stay engaged, and face the consequences, and plans for he future together.
I love Nico’s best friend, and how he matures after his challenges. His parents are all great too, as is August’s brother, Julius.
I received this ARC for free, and am happy to share my honest review in thanks.
When Nico has a seizure after a couple of hits on the ice, August worries he made a bad call, so he goes to see Nico. Only family are allowed, so he pretends he’s Nico’s fiancé.
When Nico wakes up after he’s been diagnosed with a brain tumour and had surgery, some memories are fuzzy. But he believes he’s engaged to August, and the charade begins. Even after he figured it out, it’s better for their careers to play their parts. August is accused of being partial to his fiancé as a player, so they’re both suspended.
They decide to make the most of it all, and August falls in love. But he doesn’t think he can be enough for Nico, who actually wonders if he’s enough with his slow recovery.
Once they’re honest with each other, they decide to stay engaged, and face the consequences, and plans for he future together.
I love Nico’s best friend, and how he matures after his challenges. His parents are all great too, as is August’s brother, Julius.
I received this ARC for free, and am happy to share my honest review in thanks.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
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:
No
fast-paced
<strong>A touching and sweet story</strong>
This is a hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, fake fiancé, forced proximity story. A referee and a hot shot hockey player who are constantly at odds end up having a one night stand on a tough emotional night for the referee. Shortly afterwards the player suffers a horrific incident during a game and the referee, afraid he may have been responsible shows up at the hospital to check on him. Chaos ensues with the help of the hockey player’s best friend.
This follows a typical fake fiancé path as things get increasingly more complicated. But in the process of brain surgery recovery and rehabilitation, as well as the consequences of a player/referee relationship, both Nico and August catch feelings. The romance is sweet and supportive. The author does a good job conveying the hurt/comfort aspect of the storyline with Nico’s recovery process. Secondary characters add a lot to the story and we get a preview of a future couple’s story.
This is a hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, fake fiancé, forced proximity story. A referee and a hot shot hockey player who are constantly at odds end up having a one night stand on a tough emotional night for the referee. Shortly afterwards the player suffers a horrific incident during a game and the referee, afraid he may have been responsible shows up at the hospital to check on him. Chaos ensues with the help of the hockey player’s best friend.
This follows a typical fake fiancé path as things get increasingly more complicated. But in the process of brain surgery recovery and rehabilitation, as well as the consequences of a player/referee relationship, both Nico and August catch feelings. The romance is sweet and supportive. The author does a good job conveying the hurt/comfort aspect of the storyline with Nico’s recovery process. Secondary characters add a lot to the story and we get a preview of a future couple’s story.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Head Game is the second book in Brigham Vaughn's Relationship Goals series. It could be read as a standalone. Here's what you can expect from Nico and August:
💚 MM contemporary romance
💚 Third person dual point of view
💚 Guaranteed happily ever after
💚 Hockey player and referee
💚 Fake engagement
💚 Traumatic 0n-ice injury
As always, ensure you review the content and trigger warnings to decide if this book is right for you. Note that this list of warnings and triggers may be incomplete. Please take care of yourself while reading. This book contains non-graphic scenes involving brain surgery and discussions about brain tumors and cancer.
💚 MM contemporary romance
💚 Third person dual point of view
💚 Guaranteed happily ever after
💚 Hockey player and referee
💚 Fake engagement
💚 Traumatic 0n-ice injury
As always, ensure you review the content and trigger warnings to decide if this book is right for you. Note that this list of warnings and triggers may be incomplete. Please take care of yourself while reading. This book contains non-graphic scenes involving brain surgery and discussions about brain tumors and cancer.
“Baby,” Nico leaned in to whisper in August’s ear. “I’m the best bad decision you’re ever going to make.”
I'm so happy that I'm diving back into this series! Brigham writes a fantastic hockey romance that's filled with steam, romance, and doesn't shy away from hard issues or situations. We meet Nico as a secondary character in the first book, The Husband Game, and although he has a big personality, something's off with him as he suffers from occasional headaches. Although Dustin makes him promise to see the team doctor if they persist, we leave it there.
I know romance fans ask for a player/referee pairing a lot. And I love the spin Brigham put on it for fans! It's not an easy concept to write, no matter how many creative liberties an author is willing to take. At the end of the day, a player dating an on-ice official is a conflict of interest. Hard stop. I wasn't sure what to expect when reading this for the first time, but I thought she did a great job at writing a story for August and Nico. Somehow, a chance hookup in an alley for them turns into a fake fiancé when August rushes to Nico's hospital room after an on-ice seizure that leads to a complicated surgery and months of recovery for Nico. At first, I'm frustrated with August and I imagine other readers are, too. There were points when it felt like he was either lying to or taking advantage of Nico. My frustration definitely didn't last long though, and at that point, I felt myself rooting for them to make their fake engagement real. Watching Nico and "Auggie's" relationship blossom while Nico recovered from surgery was just so sweet. Although August comes off fairly serious and abrasive at times (with Nico being the complete opposite), I loved watching them work as a team to tackle Nico's recovery and salvage August's career.
This series doesn't shy away from the hard issues, and The Head Game is no exception. Just because their relationship morphed from fake to real (although, let's be honest, it never really felt fake, did it?) doesn't mean it magically fixed all their issues. Watching them tackle their adversity together was very special. Their chemistry was off-the-charts, and the steam Brigham added to the book only deepened that connection.
Now that I've re-read the first two books, I'm very much looking forward to reading the three remaining ones in the series for the first time. Similarly to The Husband Game, don't let the page count (just under 600 pages) intimidate you. If you love hockey romance and a book that dives into the nitty gritty, I can't recommend Brigham's work enough. Happy reading!
He had these perfect little moments with this strange uptight man who pretended to find him irritating but looked at him like he was everything.
He had a big fluffy cat and he was co-parenting a fish named Marty, and he wanted all of it.
Forever.
In the beginning, I found both MC’s to be annoying (actually longer than just the beginning), but I loved the slow burn and their sweetness together. Well written and great overall. Oh, I did find the delay in telling Nico the fake part was drawn out of course to create drama. But August had plenty of chances to tell him earlier.
4.5 stars
Read on kindle unlimited
4.5 stars
Read on kindle unlimited
emotional
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:
Complicated
These two were so cute, opposites attract, fake dating silliness that somehow centred around a brain tumor without that bringing the mood down!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes