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rosie_valadez's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Chronic illness
septi's review
lighthearted
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
charliereads24's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence and Homophobia
kj468's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Let me start off this review with the disclaimer that I should have DNF'd this, and I knew I should probably DNF it about 20% in but I stubbornly kept at it anyway. So, sorry in advance for the negativity, if this is your cup of tea, then that's great! Enjoy what you like!
Here's a non-comprehensive list of why it wasn't my cup of tea though:
Here's a non-comprehensive list of why it wasn't my cup of tea though:
- The writing style was really not for me. It could be my rampant, unmedicated ADHD clashing with the style, to be fair. I had a really hard time slogging through all the extraneous details and unusual punctuation choices. The author had a tendency to give a sentence (and then more information) (and then more information) and my brain just couldn't process it smoothly. Two chapters in, I knew it wasn't for me, but I'd seen good reviews and chose to keep going anyway, thinking I'd get used to it. That was the wrong call.
- The author heavily favored telling over showing, to the point that by the time the couple was starting to sleep together and date, they still felt like strangers to me, because I hadn't really seen any on-page interactions -- it was mostly brushed over with paragraphs like "they talked about x and y and LI was grumpy and MC was enamored". At the end of the book, I still have no idea what these two characters like to talk about to each other. And it wasn't just relationship moments that were skimmed over with telling, either; interactions with the LI's family, the MC's coworker, the MC's best friend, etc were all skimmed over. I felt like I was reading a fairly detailed outline of a book, rather than the finished product.
- The least amount of hockey in a hockey romance I've ever read. I think I'd see more hockey flipping channels on a... whatever night of the week hockey comes on. There are a few games that the non-hockey player attends, and it's certainly mentioned that the LI is a hockey player a lot, and the MC mentions his love for hockey a lot... but at the end of the day, the hockey thing doesn't really play any significant role in the plot. The LI could have played just about any other sport, or even just been rich, and nothing about this book would change.
- There wasn't much plot, and I say that as someone who loves low-angst, low-plot, romance-heavy books. There's lots of things that could have been the workings of a substantial plot -- the transition of the LI's daughter to living with him, the LI's migraine disorder, the LI's family having mixed opinions on him dating as a new father, the MC being the LI's daughter's teacher -- but none of them are actual plot points. They're all just kind of... things that occur in the book, largely in the background except for a sentence or two where they're brought closer to the foreground. I kind of feel like I read 250 pages of air.
- The best friend and his girlfriend, as well as the coworker that the MC is friends with, basically disappear once the MC starts seeing the LI. It made them -- and the MC -- feel even flatter as characters
TW: The author uses the f-slur once, which is listed as a warning at the beginning of the book, but it felt like it was really not necessary to have included. Like, it wasn't in quotes from the homophobic high schooler, it was just plopped into the narrative in the MC's internal thoughts almost... naturally. It didn't feel great. Also, the MC's family is really mediocre about him being gay -- in the sense that they didn't kick him out (congrats on that I guess) but also refer to it as a phase and a lifestyle and clearly aren't approving. The MC doesn't go home for the holidays anymore because of it, though he does have half hour long calls with his mom twice a month. So if that's a sensitive topic for you, take that into consideration before deciding to pick this book up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
fran's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
streetmuseums's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
i really wanted to enjoy this but it was just way too short and it didn't feel very fleshed out. i felt like all the characters were strangers and the ending was so abrupt! no proper resolutions just raised a lot of potential issues and then oh the end
i did however enjoy their chemistry, and having a well written child because often they can be completely poorly written in a romance! i also don't agree with other reviews wrt the single pov, i will genuinely always prefer single pov and i think it worked well here esp for exploring zeke's insecurities.
thanks to cait for the arc!
i did however enjoy their chemistry, and having a well written child because often they can be completely poorly written in a romance! i also don't agree with other reviews wrt the single pov, i will genuinely always prefer single pov and i think it worked well here esp for exploring zeke's insecurities.
thanks to cait for the arc!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Chronic illness
allingoodtime's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- 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 was another new-to-me author and it seems she only has a few books under her belt so far. I’ll definitely be going back to read them since I enjoyed this story. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, however.
Zeke and Spencer have great chemistry and Zeke’s natural love of children and high-energy personality give him an instant connection with Spencer’s daughter, Addie. I love the awkward start to the relationship between the two men. The uncertainty that is overridden by the intense chemistry is very well written. Yet the fact that this is written in the third person with the limited internal view of only Zeke was a detriment to this story at times. Although Zeke and Spencer have distinct personalities, sometimes I would get confused about which character the narrator was talking about. I don’t know that I needed Spencer’s POV, but I feel the flow would have been better with a first-person POV for Zeke.
For the most part, this story is low angst. Spencer, as a professional athlete, is not openly gay. His teammates and family know, but it’s not common knowledge. I thought that would be a plot point in this story and it really isn’t. So even though there are some issues Zeke and Spencer have to work through, and Zeke has some anxiety issues, none of it seems insurmountable or overwhelming.
The author used some acronyms without explanation or context clues. I knew a couple but had to look one up. Maybe it shouldn’t, but that annoyed me. There is also a “joke” about Spencer’s reading ability. While Spencer has no problem reading, I found the joke in bad taste because what if he couldn’t? And what if someone reading (or listening?) to this book has a reading disability? I don’t think I’m being oversensitive when I say making fun of someone’s reading ability is not funny.
Finally, I want to stand up for Spencer. I felt as though I was told over and over that he was rude, mean, a jerk, etc. with nothing showing me that at all. I looked at Spencer as a grumpy, shy, hesitant, introvert. Sure, he may be a bit intimidating on the ice, but that’s his job. Not once did I think he was being mean or a jerk to Zeke.
Even with all the little things that didn’t sit well with me in this book, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story. It gave me all the feels I want to feel when reading a romance and I loved both of the main characters and their friends. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
fanboyriot's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Read For:
Single Dad
Mutual Pining
Grumpy x Sunshine
Secret Relationship
Pro Hockey Player x School Teacher
This book was really cute. It had all the feels you’d want in a hockey romance and the characters were quite lovable. I loved the wholesomeness of the single dad trope, it worked really well.
The pacing of this book was great in the beginning, Zeke meeting Spencer at the meet the teacher event. The awkwardness from both of them was hilarious, then it became free hockey tickets and some minor flirting. To me the characters kinda became one dimensional after that point. It was like I blinked and they were hooking up. They made a cute couple and it was a good read but still.
This story was really good and I enjoyed it, I just would have loved a few more chapters.
Thank you so much to the author, Harlequin, and of course, NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: 09, January 2024
POV: First Person
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rep: Gay (MC), Gay (LI), Migraine Disorder (LI)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
duckyreads's review
4.0
I devoured Lucky Bounce in one sitting! Cait Nary drags us into the world of Ezekiel Boehm, who goes by Zeke, a kindergarten teacher surprised by the child of his favorite winger on the Philadelphia Liberty, Spencer McLeod. Zeke tries to keep his fanboying to himself, but as he slowly gets to know Spencer he realizes that Spencer's crunchy exterior has some marshmallow underneath.
Zeke and Spencer's relationship has a very sweet development, and Addie is one of the cutest children I've ever read. I do think adding Spencer's POV would have improved the depth of his character arc, given the circumstances of how he became a single dad. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fairly low-angst sports romance.
Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Zeke and Spencer's relationship has a very sweet development, and Addie is one of the cutest children I've ever read. I do think adding Spencer's POV would have improved the depth of his character arc, given the circumstances of how he became a single dad. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fairly low-angst sports romance.
Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Drug use and Drug abuse
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