A review by adhdandread
Jaded by Lex Easton

emotional funny hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.5

Jaded by Lex Easton 
Day River Dingoes #1 
Length:  480 pages 
Source: Gay Romance Reviews eARC 
Publication date: May 29, 2025 
 
4.5 ⭐️ 
2 🌶️ 
 
What to expect: 
~ Friends to lovers 
~ Grumpy/sunshine 
~ Hurt/comfort 
~ Single dad 
~ Spicy slow burn 
~ Mental-health rep
 
Summary 
Nat Taylor is 35, going nowhere in his hometown, and drives a Zamboni for a living. Unable to move on, he feels compelled to somehow remain tied to hockey, even to a failing team like the Dingoes, after bad decisions ended a promising career and the dream of getting out of Day River for good. And if he can’t do that, he’s determined to help his daughter get out instead. 
 
Olli James is 29 and new in town, a hockey player determined to use his new position as the captain of the Dingoes as a springboard for moving on and moving up to the NHL. It’s been his dream his entire life, to the point that nothing else can occupy his time because it might take him away from the game. But Olli’s mental health has so far kept him from making the leap to the majors. 
 
In an attempt to get the town interested in the Dingoes again, the two pair up to figure out how the Ice Out, a tough underground hockey league and the town’s worst kept secret, can be so popular while the hockey team plays to an empty arena game after game. Along the way, they have to figure out how their burgeoning relationship fits in with the dreams they thought they’ve always wanted. 
 
My Thoughts 
Yet another new author for me, and I’m so happy I requested this one. The writing is emotional, descriptive, almost lyrical. There are some moments where the internal monologues and narrative borders on too much telling and not enough showing, but overall it’s a beautiful book. The depiction of depression and anxiety—I don’t want to romanticize the difficulty of living with these conditions, but the story is so incredibly perfect in the way it presents them. There are entire chapters that had me in tears, nodding along. 
 
Olli and Nat are kind of imperfectly perfect together. Watching them fall in love is funny and sexy but also quiet and comfortable and sometimes heartbreaking. I also enjoyed the concept of the Ice Out and the author’s deliberate decision to not place Day River in a specific city or state. It could be Anytown, U.S.A, and the grittiness with which the town is depicted could be my hometown as easily as another reader’s. And if you’re a hockey fan, the writing here is the real deal: awesome on-ice descriptions of the game. 
 
Content warnings 
Depression, anxiety, extremely negative self-talk, on- and off-ice violence, familial trauma, physical abuse by a parent (implied, off-page), explicit sexual content. This certainly isn’t going to be a complete list, so please check first if any of these are triggers for you. 
 
— A 
 
Thanks to Gay Romance Reviews and Lex Easton for an eARC of this book. All opinions are mine.