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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and kept my attention the whole time. The one thing that I had an issue with was how long it took for Dima to get his memory back. Or at the very least he was cleared by the doctors to start playing, and we got to see Dima and Rory play together. I also think another way to do it would be having Dima randomly remember bits and pieces of Rory slowly and not just all at once right at the very end.
3.5
I actually liked most of this book!!
There's still a lot that misses the mark though, but each book is getting progressively better.
I think whats lacking in this series is the depth to the stories and characters. Dima and Rory worked, and I did feel the emotion in the story, but the side characters again just felt like filler.
Dima's family is mentioned twice within a chapter or two early on then never heard from again.
Rory's mum for some reason doesn't want to clear up the misunderstandings between them, but that would have made her more of a character than just a plot device, and could have helped Rory tackle his self esteem issues.
I can't even comprehend why Rorys dad randomly pops up right at the end saying Rory needs to be his succesor - of what?? Never is his family or their business mentioned, nor his dad's desire for him to follow in his footsteps. Again, this could have added some depth and conflict but it literally takes up less than a page and isn't explained! Plus the dude is a 27 year old NHL player, pretty sure he's doing ok for himself and is mature enough to know your parents do not in fact get to plan out your life.
Other than that it was nice to be more focused on the relationship rather than the whole team like in the previous book, even if you do have to suspend your belief somewhat (seriously the media would be all over trying to find a marriage certificate then realising it doesn't actually exist, and would basically undo the lie within hours, but that's not even a concern here??)
Onto the next one!
I actually liked most of this book!!
There's still a lot that misses the mark though, but each book is getting progressively better.
I think whats lacking in this series is the depth to the stories and characters. Dima and Rory worked, and I did feel the emotion in the story, but the side characters again just felt like filler.
Dima's family is mentioned twice within a chapter or two early on then never heard from again.
Rory's mum for some reason doesn't want to clear up the misunderstandings between them, but that would have made her more of a character than just a plot device, and could have helped Rory tackle his self esteem issues.
I can't even comprehend why Rorys dad randomly pops up right at the end saying Rory needs to be his succesor - of what?? Never is his family or their business mentioned, nor his dad's desire for him to follow in his footsteps. Again, this could have added some depth and conflict but it literally takes up less than a page and isn't explained! Plus the dude is a 27 year old NHL player, pretty sure he's doing ok for himself and is mature enough to know your parents do not in fact get to plan out your life.
Other than that it was nice to be more focused on the relationship rather than the whole team like in the previous book, even if you do have to suspend your belief somewhat (seriously the media would be all over trying to find a marriage certificate then realising it doesn't actually exist, and would basically undo the lie within hours, but that's not even a concern here??)
Onto the next one!
emotional
slow-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
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
I checked more than once that this was the first book in the series because the name dropping was so significant that I felt like I was missing things by the first ten pages or so. It let up after awhile and I enjoyed this.
Dima had a head injury and loses his memory so his best friend (who is in love with him) tells a white lie to get in the hospital room. It all goes hilariously wrong when Dima thinks they’re married for real.
I thought this one was sweet.
Dima had a head injury and loses his memory so his best friend (who is in love with him) tells a white lie to get in the hospital room. It all goes hilariously wrong when Dima thinks they’re married for real.
I thought this one was sweet.
Normally, I am not a fan of the amnesia trope. Add pining, becoming accidental husbands to get into the hospital room that becomes the story to be told to the rest of your team, and then to the person who has amnesia, and that person having to play along, while not remembering anything about you - and suddenly we're off to the races at how quickly the story changes from what you first thought it would be.
Rory and Dima are teammates, and for most of it, Rory has had feelings for Dima that Dima shut down after Rory overheard him say that the two of them would not work out together as a couple so they have remained great friends ever since. After the accident that causes Dima to lose his memory, he doesn't remember who Rory is, only knowing that Rory is his husband who has stayed by his side in the hospital. As the rest of the team slowly learn the lie (which their GM is insisting they keep for his own reasons) Dima and Rory begin to put on a performance, while also ensuring that Dima recovers slowly enough to return on the ice with his memories. As he asks Rory for some help in getting those memories back, Rory also has to reel in his emotions, while also being terrified that Dima will regain his memories and know that they are not married - and that Rory lied, for reasons that (apparently) Dima will not know why.
Per any amnesia trope that mixes with friends to lovers (though I think idiot to lovers is more apt) the angst grows, even for a hockey mm romance, and I found it enjoyable (if predictable) how the characters and the events play out for the rest of the novel. While the angst and the re-discovery of the two were great pulls, I did feel at times that the pacing and the narrative were disjointed and kind of seperate from each other.
As I read more of Grey's backlist and see her interconnected novels (that are not part of a series unless otherwise specified - I can start to see where her strengths and weaknesses lie.
Rory and Dima are teammates, and for most of it, Rory has had feelings for Dima that Dima shut down after Rory overheard him say that the two of them would not work out together as a couple so they have remained great friends ever since. After the accident that causes Dima to lose his memory, he doesn't remember who Rory is, only knowing that Rory is his husband who has stayed by his side in the hospital. As the rest of the team slowly learn the lie (which their GM is insisting they keep for his own reasons) Dima and Rory begin to put on a performance, while also ensuring that Dima recovers slowly enough to return on the ice with his memories. As he asks Rory for some help in getting those memories back, Rory also has to reel in his emotions, while also being terrified that Dima will regain his memories and know that they are not married - and that Rory lied, for reasons that (apparently) Dima will not know why.
Per any amnesia trope that mixes with friends to lovers (though I think idiot to lovers is more apt) the angst grows, even for a hockey mm romance, and I found it enjoyable (if predictable) how the characters and the events play out for the rest of the novel. While the angst and the re-discovery of the two were great pulls, I did feel at times that the pacing and the narrative were disjointed and kind of seperate from each other.
As I read more of Grey's backlist and see her interconnected novels (that are not part of a series unless otherwise specified - I can start to see where her strengths and weaknesses lie.
best friends to lovers and one of them has amnesia? so cute and it made me cry
This book kind of... pissed me off.
The couple, as always, was cute, but it was overshadowed by so many nonsensical plot decisions and forced misunderstandings. Dima gets seriously hurt on ice, and Rory, who's loved him for years, tells the medical staff he is the husband to be allowed to stay by Dima's side. When the nurses tell Dima he is married, Rory doesn't correct it, just goes with it and even if he explains that he can't shock an amnesic Dima, it just feels so odd.
Everything feels like it's moving unnaturally, to fit the tropes instead of trying to expand into its own story.
We get introduced right off the bat to a group of players the book seems to convince the reader they are familiar with, and I swear I haven't heard of any of these guys before and I've been reading all the books of this universe. That was so confusing. All the supporting cast was barely touched upon, from Dima's family to Rory's to their teammates?
As much as I'm not fond of the amnesia trope, I don't mind it tooo much, especially that Rory came clean about their absence of marriage quite early on in the story. However, their GM pushing them to keep up the pretence to make his dying son happy felt, again, weird. It's dumb and not something you'd push onto two random people, especially when you're their BOSS and have the power to fire them? Especially when one of the two people has suffered a serious injury and has NO MEMORY of the past 8 years. You just... you don't do that.It also felt like Rory was the only one who treated Dima like he was injured. The rest of the peeps were just like "man, of course you would have done the same for him, y'all tight, what are you doing", as if he wasn't AMNESIC.
And the romance was a little predictable, another layer of miscommunication and useless quiproqo.
That was so strange. I wanted to like it! And I'm sad I didn't!! So yep, not a favourite at all.
The couple, as always, was cute, but it was overshadowed by so many nonsensical plot decisions and forced misunderstandings. Dima gets seriously hurt on ice, and Rory, who's loved him for years, tells the medical staff he is the husband to be allowed to stay by Dima's side. When the nurses tell Dima he is married, Rory doesn't correct it, just goes with it and even if he explains that he can't shock an amnesic Dima, it just feels so odd.
Everything feels like it's moving unnaturally, to fit the tropes instead of trying to expand into its own story.
We get introduced right off the bat to a group of players the book seems to convince the reader they are familiar with, and I swear I haven't heard of any of these guys before and I've been reading all the books of this universe. That was so confusing. All the supporting cast was barely touched upon, from Dima's family to Rory's to their teammates?
As much as I'm not fond of the amnesia trope, I don't mind it tooo much, especially that Rory came clean about their absence of marriage quite early on in the story. However, their GM pushing them to keep up the pretence to make his dying son happy felt, again, weird. It's dumb and not something you'd push onto two random people, especially when you're their BOSS and have the power to fire them? Especially when one of the two people has suffered a serious injury and has NO MEMORY of the past 8 years. You just... you don't do that.It also felt like Rory was the only one who treated Dima like he was injured. The rest of the peeps were just like "man, of course you would have done the same for him, y'all tight, what are you doing", as if he wasn't AMNESIC.
And the romance was a little predictable, another layer of miscommunication and useless quiproqo.
That was so strange. I wanted to like it! And I'm sad I didn't!! So yep, not a favourite at all.