ccanread 's review for:

One-Touch Pass by J.J. Mulder

4.25

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One-Touch Pass is the fourth book in JJ Mulder’s SCU Hockey series. You can read this on its own, but to understand some of what Marcos has been through, I recommend at least reading Max and Luke’s book, book 2, Save The Game. That’s one of my favorites in the series, so I was looking forward to this book to learn more about Marcos. 

 

Nate is a hockey player for SCU and sees Marcos at a party one night. His attraction was instant and surprising to Nate, but it didn’t hinder him from acting on it. It was nice to see him go with the flow on this, which was on par for his character. 

 

Marcos is an SCU baseball player and roommates with Max, another SCU hockey player. He has a strong aversion to touch that has been exacerbated by recent events (re: book 2) and is often labeled a grouch. Insert golden retriever Nate, who sees beneath the coping mechanisms put it in place by Marcos. I love that Nate doesn’t try to “fix” Marcos, just places himself into Marcos’ life in the most comfortable way possible. 

 

These two were so, so precious. Marcos went through something traumatic, and even though he was not the main victim, the event itself left a lasting impression on him. I wish we got to learn more about his healing journey, but I think that by allowing Nate into his life, he also allowed himself to start to move on. 

 

I thought I was going to not like this as much as I actually did, the main reason being the time jumping. There is a note at the beginning that explains how this book takes place during the time that book 3 was taking place. If not done well, this makes me feel like I’m reading the same book all over again which is a huge turn off for me. This book did NOT do that. Nate and Marcos’ initial meeting happened way earlier than I thought it did, but we don’t see any repeated scenes from the other books. 

 

While their relationship began as insta-lust, I love that we still got that slow burn emotional development. They took a step back and became friends, and by doing so, enabled themselves to develop feelings for one another. I loved that Nate followed Marcos’ lead for what he was comfortable with, and it was so touching to see Marcos open up more and more. The scenes on the ranch were some of my favorite. I think the interactions with the animals (Tuna!) and the installation of hard work/routine really helped Marcos on his healing journey.  This is probably up there with Save The Game for me as one of my favorites in the SCU Hockey series. 

 

📖 One-Touch Pass, book four in the SCU Hockey series by J.J. Mulder is available July 2nd. 

Please read content warnings should you require them. 

I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.