Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Iced Out

Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Iced Out by CE Ricci

13 reviews

levilore_'s review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I thought this book would do more for me, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Some parts were funny but I didn't love Oakley and thought the drug plot was unnecessary. Plus there was very little exploration of their families which disappointed me.

I wish the author focused on Quinton forgiving Oakley rather than having a time jump because that would have been interesting to see. For a book that was pretty much just about the two of them, the characters felt underdeveloped. It would have been cool to hear more about Oakley coming out as gay for instance or even about his relationship with his uncle. I felt like the author missed an opportunity with these characters.

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aelin_morgenstern's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kamxoxo's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.5

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sienasummerrreads's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

“I want to bottle this entire moment up in a single heartbeat and cherish it in all its glory”

This follows Oakley and Quinton in college at Leighton U playing on the same Hockey team butting heads at everything. Things change and flip on an axis when they really see each other for the first time. Lots of tension and angst with some betrayal unravel through this book.

Wow, I have been missing out all this time on reading MM. My brain chemistry is obsessed. The hate was seeping through this book and the tension. It was delicious. I will say there was more spice than I thought there would be but it was perfect. I will say we have graphic spicy scenes but also some fade to black which I didn’t mind it was brilliant either way. I loved the superstitions, the socks and the puck storyline. My heart loved but also hurt throughout this book. Quinn is my favourite and this man deserves the world but I also love Oakley.

I will say I loved these two together but I honestly thought Quinton would be a bottom. That man gave me domination feels, I was surprised when the roles were reversed but still loved it!
I honestly just wanted more and a little more plot but other than that a fantastic start into MM.

If you love:

🔹Sports Romance
🔹Hockey Rivals
🔹Hate To Love
🔹Angst & Tension
🔹Betrayal
🔹Incredible Spice

Genre/Type: Sports Romance 18+
APK: Paperback
Pages: 394
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5 ( Maybe 🌶️🌶️🌶️ as there are quite a few scenes
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 In The Leighton U Series
Tropes or Themes: Hockey, Hate To Love, MM, Rivals, Forced Proximity, Enemies With Benefits, College, Agreement, Angst, Tension, Grovelling, Chemistry, Betrayal, Lies, Cursing, Sexual Content, Bi Awakening, Dirty Talk, Some FTB, Shower Scene & Library Scene. Mentions: Drugs
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫

All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
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queen21's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

5.0

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negs's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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4.5

i wanted some enemies-to-lovers smut and this DELIVERED!!! the tension between oakley and quinton was amazing. i literally was kicking my legs and screaming because i was eating up every moment between them 😌 i also love that there wasn’t this huge sexual identity crisis - quinton was just like “i’ve never liked men before but i like oakley?? okay bet.” i really liked the plot/premise keeping them together and their chemistry was just *chef’s kiss*

⚠️: injury/injury detail, violence, drug use, child abuse, abandonment, homophobia, toxic friendship

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akirokis's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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galleytrot's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

READ: May 2023

FORMAT: Digital

BRIEF SUMMARY:

In this contemporary sports romance, hockey rivals Oakley and Quinton never expected they would wind up as teammates throughout their university years. At year four, there is animosity in the team over the captain position falling into Quinton’s lap, especially considering the circumstances that caused Oakley to miss his chance at it. When the pair's fighting comes to a head, bursting past sexual tension and right into a steamy encounter the night before their first win of the season, the superstitious duo form an agreement: no-strings-attached sex on the nights before their games, for as long as the wins keep on coming.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4 / 5⭐

As far as sports romances go, I don’t think it’s difficult to get the formula wrong. Athlete falls for someone, performance either suffers or excels in the face of it, something-something Big Tournament, agents/scouts are watching... this book hits all of the typical beats without adding much of anything new. I haven’t seen the superstition angle used before, though; turning relationship-development into a ritual with rules and stipulations is admittedly a new one to me, which has made this book stand out a little among others.

Oakley is your typical hockey-is-in-our-blood prodigy whose father and uncle each went pro in their time, and he’s set up (and working hard) to follow in their footsteps. He’s a stickler for the rules and for playing his best game, but Quinton’s short temper and flying fists have put multiple road blocks in his path throughout the years. Quinton has the natural talent, having took to the rink like a fish to water as a child, but his parents have the family business in mind for his future and they’re waiting for the day he gets bored of the sport so that he can step up. He’s damn good at the game, and he feels his happiest out on the ice, but he was raised in a world where cunning and deception were the prime method of crushing the competition. In Quinton’s eyes, Oakley’s family ties put him at an infuriatingly unfair advantage while he is forced to put in the hard work and effort it takes to play among the best.

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3.25 / 5⭐

This book was my introduction to Ricci’s work. While I wouldn’t say there was much here that would stand out among other authors of similar works, I still enjoyed this story well enough to give her her due. Critically, there were a lot of awkward or strange phrasing choices made in this book. It happened often enough for me to take note of it, but clunky wording is fairly low on my list of offenses compared to inconsistencies, typos, and grammatical errors.

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.75 / 5⭐

I wanted a spicy hockey rivals-to-lovers, and that’s precisely what I got. If it’s what you’re looking for, I see no reason to pass this one up. The spice in this book is its strongest asset– our guys have got chemistry. No complaints from me on that front.

This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. There is otherwise little in the way of diversity.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains: sports injuries, fighting; mentions of drug use (performance enhancing drugs, opiates); strained family relations (unsupportive parents); and, alcohol use.

Content Warnings

jupiterlee's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad 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

5.0

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