Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Gravity

Two hockey players, one already a legend, and a rookie player who worships him, meet in the All-Stars Tournament and find they have an instant connection.

My 3rd read by him and I have fallen in love with how Tal Bauer develops characters and romance. It’s swoony as hell and I love it. There was a lot of intense things happening around these two but it was just so sweet it became…cozy angst? And it’s all very lyrical writing. He’s probably gonna be an auto-read/comfort read author for me now.

I really loved where the name of this book came from. I loved how gob-smacked Hunter is when he first meets Bryce. That whole interaction was adorable. It was a gay-awakening hockey story - tried and true combo but I was sucked right in and couldn’t put it down. Once again, I don’t know flip about hockey and that didn’t bother me at all. Translating all the French didn’t even bother me either. Since he was a French Canadian it felt more authentic for Bryce to think/speak that way and I appreciated the risk taken here. Bryce seemed so wise beyond his years his character seemed older than 26. And I loved how Hunter was caring for Bryce right from the start. The external 3rd act conflict was a total gut punch - this was pretty gruesome

traumatic injury, and as a former ICU/trauma nurse, he captured the frantic intensity of the moment so well and did not hold back on graphic detail

I can see how some people could find this to be over the top sweet but I loved it and was all in with these two.

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kearstenkeepsreading's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

"This is the man I have been missing. Not my hero. Not the man from the posters on my teenage walls. The real Bryce, the man from midnights and empty drives and lonely rivers, and the man who looked me in the eye and dared to risk everything because, somehow, I made his heart beat faster."

The way this book had me in my feels! It follows the story of professional hockey players Bryce and Hunter as they navigate being a new couple and professional athletes. Its a story of found family, belonging and love. It tackles issues such as imposter syndrome and the pressures of being a professional athlete. The feeling of not being enough for the ones you love and the fear of letting them down.

This book had me crying, laughing, shocked, angry and more. It put me through the ringer but also glued me back together again. Not only do we have two amazing MC's but the side characters are truly the best. You feel the love and respect they all have for each other and you can't help but root for them.

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lost_windsock's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-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? No

3.75

The beginning of this book really bummed me out. It felt lazy, it didn't build background like I was hoping, and the character development left a lot to be desired. I had a hard time caring about Bryce, and a hard time believing Hunter's feelings for Bryce. Around the 68% mark, once they were properly together, the relationship felt more real and sturdy, and it makes me think that the author just wanted to rush through the building phase and get to the good stuff, which I can understand, but it leaves me feel the book was lacking. Excellent writing where the hockey elements came in, though. I felt like I was watching a real game, and the excitement and tension were very intense during the games! Overall, I liked this book, just wished it had taken the time to give us the peeks into the characters at the beginning that we needed.

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