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emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such a sweet love story. I am not a sports person at all but I have learned a lot about hockey and football thanks to Tal, haha. Another great sports romance that is heartfelt and well written.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
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
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Yes
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:
Yes
Of course I loved this. Of course I couldn't put it down. Of course I got sucked in right away. Of course I fell in love with our main couple, Bryce and Hunter. Of course, of course, of course.
Tal for me is just one of those authors to me that basically always does it right. I was even worried going into this - as I am with most of his work, thinking 'is this the one exception that I dislike? Is the one Tal Bauer book that I just will not click with? I mean I have given one of his books 4 stars instead of a 4.5 or 5 lol, but I still enjoyed it, is the thing. So I always wonder if I'm going to run into a book of his that I didn't like that much or absolutely adore.
Well, it hasn't happened yet for me.
I always see reviews that get annoyed with his purple prose or think it's too gushy or corny in the romance department for their tastes, etc etc. And I get that, on an objective level, those could be annoying.
But to me, Tal always writers those tropes right, he always does it so well, that I just don't care that maybe sometimes he's a little too corny or over the top in his prose.
Because he just writes these characters so well and writers their romance amazingly well, that those little things never really bother me.
He just has a way about his writing that pulls you in, and I basically, 99% of the time, fall in love with his characters and romance. This was no exception.
He even keeps me invested, plot wise, 99% of the time. This is a hockey romance, after all, and hockey romances can kind of follow a formula, in some aspects.
There's even a part near the end where and I was reading this part, going "oh fuck, here we go again" as that part started. I guess in sports romance the "one characters gets severely injured" trope has gotten a little tiring for me.
But then, BUT THEN, of course, this being Tal, he turns it on its head, in my view. Because it so instead of me being like *rollseyes* and getting through this overused trope, I was actually on the edge of my seat and I was freaking out and wondering what was going to happen, how this was going to go.
And the emotion, GOD, Tal writers emotion so fucking well, I just can't get over it. It was just...I was feeling what our MC's was feeling, it felt like I was in the moment, and I was freaking out for one of them. And the other was just so fucking heartbreaking and I was almost losing it, it was just done so fucking well.
That's what, to me, Tal can do. Take some pretty tried and true tropes, some fairly overused ones that get used a lot and in other works feel like the same 'ol, same 'ol, and then make it his own. Make it something similar, but also kind of new at the same time. A different way of using that trope.
That's what's so masterful to me about Tal. What I love so much about his writing. When I started to read that part that is a overused trope, I was prepared to give this story 4.5 stars because I was like *sigh* here we go, but then he made it unique, completely his own.
I absolutely loved this.
Of course everything works out all right and our heroes have their triumph and it was so glorious and the payoff was done so well, I just absolutely loved it.
And of course, our main couple, Bryce and Hunter, were amazing together. I loved their chemistry from the start, and they worked perfectly together.
We had some angst in this with them, but I'm kind of glad they weren't just 100% in right away and they had time to think it through and work out what they wanted.
Because Hunter is the more cautious one, and he has to work things out in his head. He's younger too, by a few years, and he's never thought about his sexuality or why he's never been all that into women. He's just been so focused on Hockey that he hasn't processed that he might be into men, and then into Bryce specifically.
Because it is kind of inst-lovey, but of course Tal writers them in a way that I felt it so easily between these two. I felt that connection and the strong feelings there. They send All Star-Week with each, basically, and it's a few days together, but it's enough for there to be strong feelings. And we get to see that connection grow, which is done so well and so expertly by this author.
But I also love how they don't just kiss, and then are like "oh yeah, that's what I want, lets do this" and then it's happy sailing from there.
Nah, we get some angsting and time where Hunter is figuring stuff out and Bryce is heartbroken and thinks Hunter doesn't want him at all.
It's good stuff.
I highly recommend this, especially if you're such a fan of this author and his work. It's up to par with his usual and I absolutely adored it.
*happy sigh* I can't wait for more from Tal, he's just so amazing at this craft and I get sucked in every time.
This is one of the best hockey romances I've ever read. And of course Tal was the one to write it
Tal for me is just one of those authors to me that basically always does it right. I was even worried going into this - as I am with most of his work, thinking 'is this the one exception that I dislike? Is the one Tal Bauer book that I just will not click with? I mean I have given one of his books 4 stars instead of a 4.5 or 5 lol, but I still enjoyed it, is the thing. So I always wonder if I'm going to run into a book of his that I didn't like that much or absolutely adore.
Well, it hasn't happened yet for me.
I always see reviews that get annoyed with his purple prose or think it's too gushy or corny in the romance department for their tastes, etc etc. And I get that, on an objective level, those could be annoying.
But to me, Tal always writers those tropes right, he always does it so well, that I just don't care that maybe sometimes he's a little too corny or over the top in his prose.
Because he just writes these characters so well and writers their romance amazingly well, that those little things never really bother me.
He just has a way about his writing that pulls you in, and I basically, 99% of the time, fall in love with his characters and romance. This was no exception.
He even keeps me invested, plot wise, 99% of the time. This is a hockey romance, after all, and hockey romances can kind of follow a formula, in some aspects.
There's even a part near the end where
Spoiler
one of our MC's gets badly injuredBut then, BUT THEN, of course, this being Tal, he turns it on its head, in my view. Because it
Spoiler
was so much more serious than a badly broken leg or arm, etc etc, as most sports romances do. Nah, this one was seriously life threatening and it was truly terrifyingAnd the emotion, GOD, Tal writers emotion so fucking well, I just can't get over it. It was just...I was feeling what our MC's was feeling, it felt like I was in the moment, and I was freaking out for one of them. And the other
Spoiler
having to watch the other almost dieThat's what, to me, Tal can do. Take some pretty tried and true tropes, some fairly overused ones that get used a lot and in other works feel like the same 'ol, same 'ol, and then make it his own. Make it something similar, but also kind of new at the same time. A different way of using that trope.
That's what's so masterful to me about Tal. What I love so much about his writing. When I started to read that part that is a overused trope, I was prepared to give this story 4.5 stars because I was like *sigh* here we go, but then he made it unique, completely his own.
I absolutely loved this.
Of course everything works out all right and our heroes have their triumph and it was so glorious and the payoff was done so well, I just absolutely loved it.
And of course, our main couple, Bryce and Hunter, were amazing together. I loved their chemistry from the start, and they worked perfectly together.
We had some angst in this with them, but I'm kind of glad they weren't just 100% in right away and they had time to think it through and work out what they wanted.
Because Hunter is the more cautious one, and he has to work things out in his head. He's younger too, by a few years, and he's never thought about his sexuality or why he's never been all that into women. He's just been so focused on Hockey that he hasn't processed that he might be into men, and then into Bryce specifically.
Because it is kind of inst-lovey, but of course Tal writers them in a way that I felt it so easily between these two. I felt that connection and the strong feelings there. They send All Star-Week with each, basically, and it's a few days together, but it's enough for there to be strong feelings. And we get to see that connection grow, which is done so well and so expertly by this author.
But I also love how they don't just kiss, and then are like "oh yeah, that's what I want, lets do this" and then it's happy sailing from there.
Nah, we get some angsting and time where Hunter is figuring stuff out and Bryce is heartbroken and thinks Hunter doesn't want him at all.
It's good stuff.
I highly recommend this, especially if you're such a fan of this author and his work. It's up to par with his usual and I absolutely adored it.
*happy sigh* I can't wait for more from Tal, he's just so amazing at this craft and I get sucked in every time.
This is one of the best hockey romances I've ever read. And of course Tal was the one to write it
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes