jamieb_19's Reviews (277)

Off Season

Jodi Oliver

4.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

He’s like sunshine personified, and I’m a lazy street cat seeking his warm rays.

Ethan Parkes is the beloved captain of the Chicago Thunder but throughout his nearly twenty-year career, he’s always kept his teammates at arm’s length. When it comes to hockey, he’d do anything for them but when it comes to letting them in when it comes to his personal life, he’s struggled. A big part of why is because the last person he let get that close broke his heart. Now, ten years later, he’s set to come face to face with the man who left him heartbroken while they both attend Ethan’s cousin’s wedding. Not wanting to show up alone, Ethan takes his teammates' suggestions and decides to bring a fake boyfriend with him. And who better to ask than Jacob Lowry, the sweet man he’s become friends with after Ethan helped save his bakery a few months earlier?

Jacob is happy for the break and agrees to go with Ethan to the wedding, he’ll just have to keep his crush to himself. But it doesn’t take long for Ethan to let his guard down around Jacob and share things he’s never told anyone before. Despite how close they are becoming, both physically and emotionally, Ethan is still hesitant about offering anything more than an off-season fling. Can Jacob convince Ethan that there’s more to him, and to life, than hockey or will he have to settle for a summer fling and a broken heart come fall?

"Don’t you see it? You can ask me anything, and I’ll say yes. You just have to stop being afraid to ask.”

I enjoyed this next installment in the Chicago Thunder series. It’s such a great group of characters set in a world that’s much friendlier than our own so it’s been a nice escape to get caught up in this series. Ethan and Jacob were both a little bit broken inside and I thought it was so sweet seeing how they helped each other work through these things. Ethan was a bit of a grump and Jacob was sunshine and they complemented each other so well. Jacob was a surprise to me, in the first book he seemed so shy and timid but we learn that the weight of everything he had on his shoulders had caused him to sort of shut down. But he blossomed when they were together in England for the wedding and I loved his character! He was flirty and sexy and wasn’t afraid to go after what he wanted. He also wasn’t afraid to call Ethan on his bullshit and that was something Ethan needed in his life.

“You make my life better just by being in it. I don’t think you realize the power your smile has, or your positive energy. You’re so... vibrant. Just being around you brings color to my world.”

I thought Jacob’s journey with finally dealing with the grief he’d buried for years was well done. I loved the way he opened up to Ethan and finally found someplace to set down that heaviness. Ethan was great with him. These two got quite close during their time away together when they were only supposed to be pretending, there was no way they were going to abide by the “off-season only” rule. There was a teensy bit of angst surrounding that, but overall this one will leave your heart intact.

The timeline of this story was mostly set during the off-season but there was still plenty of page time for all my favs in this universe. It was good seeing Blaine and Alex some more, plus Zach and my personal favorite, Elliot! You can always count on him to deliver a comedic moment when you need it most. He’s the best. I loved seeing Ethan take steps to open himself up more to his teammates. These guys are one big family and it meant a lot to them that Ethan was finally letting them in. Loved it! And look forward to continuing with this series very soon!

He’s chased away some of my clouds. All I need to do now is figure out how to bring down the barriers and let him in completely.

Manhandled

L. Blakely

4.0

funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Luke and Tanner were a lot of fun and I enjoyed being back in this world. I read the other books in this series a while back but never got around to this one. But after picking up the audiobook on sale, I figured there's no time like the present! I always enjoy the Teddy Hamilton/Jacob Morgan narrator pairing and they did another great job with this one.

Luke and Tanner are friends, and while they acknowledge their attraction, they've never acted on it. But then their other buddies dare Luke to bid on a date with Tanner at a charity auction and things quickly change between them. These guys had amazing chemistry, there was no shortage of spice here. Plus they were also really sweet together.

The angst near the end got me riled up. I was a little mad at Luke. Even if things wrapped up fairly quickly after that, I did appreciate his apology and was pleased with how everything ended.

Trade Deadline

Jodi Oliver

4.0

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

All I’ve ever wanted since I was a kid was to play hockey in the NHL.
To play the best sport in the world on the biggest stage.
I can’t let someone take that away from me, even if that person is me.

If he hopes to keep his place on the team, pro hockey player Blaine Olsen can’t afford any more scandals. He’s vowed to keep his name out of the headlines and focus on his game but then he meets Alex, the adorable fan he spots in the crowd at his game. Alex is more than aware of who Blaine is and his reputation; despite the obvious attraction, he’s determined to resist. But Blaine is persistent and the more he gets to know Alex, the more he’s convinced he’s finally met someone who can see past the playboy persona - someone who makes him want to change for the better. Now he’s just got to get Alex to see that all while trying to keep his game on track so he can steer clear of the trading block.

“Alex, it fucking terrifies me that I can already see myself handing my heart over to you, and that you have the power to crush it.”

I really enjoyed this introduction to the Chicago Thunder universe! Blaine and Alex were adorable together. I loved how Alex made Blaine work for it when they first met. Blaine was not used to that but he rose to the challenge and his pursuit was fun to read. The cheesy texting was delightful! I liked seeing Blaine let his guard down for a change, allowing Alex to see what a good guy he was. He was very supportive of Alex and quite respectful of their power/financial imbalance. He wanted to help and did what he could without overstepping, I appreciated that.

There was also a fair amount of hockey content (which isn’t always a given even in a hockey romance) and I loved that Alex was a fan of the game/team and not just some unsuspecting guy who got caught in the crosshairs of a pro-athlete. I think that helped him bond with Blaine. It was also fun getting to know Blaine’s teammates, there were a lot of entertaining secondary characters in this one. Blaine’s brother, Elliot, was my favorite, I loved him so much and hope he gets a book of his own eventually! In the meantime, I look forward to continuing with the other books in this universe!

“You should get two minutes for tripping, ‘cause I’ve fallen for you.”

Romeo Falling

Jesse H Reign

4.5

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It’s him.
Romeo.
My Romeo. My friend. My lover.
My life.

Jude and Romeo met when they were boys and Romeo moved to the neighborhood. They quickly became inseparable and experienced all manner of firsts together over the year. Even as they grew and changed, the one constant was their place in each other’s lives. But a falling out in their early 20s saw Romeo get married and Jude leave town. After not speaking for 5 years, Jude is back in town to oversee the renovations on his childhood home and must come face to face with the only man he’s ever loved, the only man he could never get over no matter how hard he tried. Could it be possible that Romeo has been harboring the same feelings for all these years?

He was the night. He was light and dark woven together. He was quiet moments coated in stardust. He was perfect. He was everything I’d ever wanted. Everything I would ever want.

Oof, if you want some epic pining, you’ve come to the right place. Told entirely from Jude’s POV we get a front-row seat to see how much he’s pined away for Romeo for so many years. He tried to move past it but no matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the feelings. His agony over seeing Romeo with his wife was palpable, it was pure torture for him. I usually prefer dual POV, but I liked that we only had Jude’s POV here because we never really knew where Romeo’s head was, which intensified everything Jude was feeling. I also liked the Then and Now timeline, we know they’ve had a falling out but we need to experience all the Then chapters to figure out what happened. And we also got to see how their relationship developed as they grew up, which I loved.

Is your window open?
Always

The writing was beautiful, it was so vivid and at times poetic. It drew me right in and kept me engaged throughout. Jude and Romeo’s journey was not an easy one, get ready for all the feels, but the one irrefutable thing was that somehow, some way, these two belonged together. I’ve had this book on my TBR since it came out last year and I’m glad I finally read it!