4.5 Stars!

Once again, there's not much I can add to the dozens and dozens of reviews who have already raved about this book.

What I can say is that I appreciated this. I appreciated that the angst was well thought out and not gratuitous or overly torturous. I appreciated the wonderful chemistry between Jamie and Ryan - that the evolution of their feelings were again realistic and not too fast or too slow, definitely building upon a strong foundation that was years in the making. And of course, I absolutely appreciated the seriously scorching UST, toe curling sexual exploration and the well varied, holy mother, hot as hades reciprocation. Mmm hmm.

It doesn't hurt at all either, that both these characters were so easy to like. Jamie, with his sweet laid back attitude; his only desire is to reconnect with his long lost friend, having missed the seamless camaraderie they easily shared. Ryan, so appealing in his carefree, cocky, confident demeanor that really, only mostly serves to hide his secret yearnings and insecurities. Both of these guys were wonderful, and their interactions were fun, funny, intimate, vulnerable - and in case you weren't paying attention in the beginning - absolutely yummy.

Extra bonus points for the hockey trope. There's just something about these types of players and their mentality surrounding the sport that appeals so much! Bring on the recs please! Unf. ( )

Read January 2024. An easy and short read. In Him, Wes and Jaime find their way to love in a friends-to-lovers hockey themed world. What I liked about the book was that the spicy sections were fairly accurate and detailed enough to be enjoyable without being cringeworthy. I also liked the style of writing. However, the book is clearly designed around the sexual encounters between Jaime and Wes as the plot is only detailed enough to keep the story moving. Sometimes, the lack of thought to the story and the characters shows and I wasn't left with a clear impression of the characters unique personality traits. Overall enjoyable and would recommend to anyone that prefers more spice than substance. ( )

This was going to be a mini review but then I started writing it and realized that wasn’t happening! First and foremost, If you are unsure that M/M romances are for you, this is not the one to start with! This is a VERY open door romance and it is hot! Bowen and Kennedy are a force of nature when paired to write a sports romance. Throughout this incredible series you witness the two bring what they are best at - Bowen’s obvious zany humor and Kennedy’s heart. This book was just - I don’t even know how to describe it but I wasn’t expecting it to be as extraordinary as it was. I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t put the series down! I read Him, Us, and Epic in less than two days. I just found out there is a bonus “love letter” that I fully intend to read after I finish this review.

Him kicks off a love story that anyone would envy. Wes has been in love with Jamie since he was 13 years old, even if he didn’t understand how deep his love was until he was 16. Each summer only confirmed more and more that his heart belonged to his best friend, except his best friend was straight! The ultimate of unrequited love, Wes kept his attraction under wraps for as long as he could but when they reached their final summer of hockey camp, he decides to go big or go home - making a bet with Jamie that would change the trajectory of their friendship forever. Fast forward to four years later, Jamie’s college team is gearing up to head to Boston for the Frozen Four. Unknown to him, Wes’s team is also competing to be in the championship. Having dropped out his life after summer camp, Wes needs to apologize and clear the air with his former best friend. Restarting an old tradition, the two meet up again and make amends only to go their separate ways after Jamie’s team loses and is out of the championship. Apparently absence does make the heart grow fonder as the brief reunion wasn’t enough for Wes. He realizes quickly that he needs time with Jamie more than he needs his next breath. Learning through their quick connection that Jamie still teaches over the summer at the camp where they met, Wes signs up to volunteer. He knows he can never have what he wants most in the world but little does he realize that hope has a funny way of making the impossible possible.

Wes and Jamie’s story is just too wonderful for words. It isn’t simple, straightforward, or easy. It is messy, complex, heartbreaking, and eye opening. I once heard someone say that being gay doesn’t mean you come out once, you literally come out every single time you meet someone new. We witness acceptance and we witness hatred/ignorance through the eyes of these characters.

The spice is off...the...charts in this book! Bowen and Kennedy's spicy scenes are like a fire in a chemical lab (out of control and explosive). There are moments that are so insane I had to fan myself!

As I couldn’t let Jamie and Wes go, I jumped right into Us. As I read them back to back, I am trying to make sure I don’t add any crossover but will say if you thought this was funny, dramatic, and generally an emotion whirlwind, you haven’t seen anything yet. ( )

Can I please give this more than 5 stars?

Holy cow, this is a new top fave for me, what a wonderful story, I loved every single word. ( )

Geez, I'd been looking forward to borrowing this audiobook from my library forever...it's recommended on so many romance novel lists.

Finally, my library told me that it is only available on Audible - and it's true, I've checked half a dozen libraries, and Hoopla, and NONE have it, though two have the ebooks.

So thank goodness for Audible, which is also the publisher.

And yes, it met my expectations, though it wasn't quite what I expected. Of course I was lured to the end in less than 24 hours - why was it so good?

You know how sometimes an author creates a character, and here there are two - Jamie Canning and Ryan Wesley - who are so sweet, passionate, earnest, charismatic, vivacious, adventurous - everything in fact that we wish WE were. It's seeing, or believing for a moment, that we might be seeing our own alter ego, in these most attractive of human beings.

I can see why Him came to my attention after I had finished reading Rachel Reid's series, also about hockey players ... it has the same aura around the men who discover another man who rocks them off a cliff, thanks to lots of tender funny writing. There's a charm and innocence to these love affairs.

I don't think it's because they are friends to lovers stories, or unrequited love themes or ,,,. It's because these books build stories out of the universality of longing! for that one amazing connection - out of which grows intransigent emotional commitment. The longing nestles prettily on a bed of nostalgia and awakening passion - these boys have grown up together, and their boyhood platonic friendship has a magic devotion buried in it. What do they do with that as they become adults?

PS: Thanks for your quotes below this, addictofromance - spot on! I recall each of those quotes vividly. Just because I raced through the audiobook, doesn't mean it didn't stick...when the words are as romantic as that!

(Later) I have a handful of books that I re-listen to because the protagonists are magnetic, the story and the writing hit EXACTLY the right note, and the narrators nail it. This is one of them - I have heard it twice more since the first go round last year.

Looks like I haven't mentioned that Jacob Morgan narrates Wes and Teddy Hamilton Canning. I read recently on Goodreads or somewhere a comment that the narrators should have swapped roles. That caught my attention because I thought that at first too. But no, now that I've got to know Wes, he's better off with Jacob Morgan. Morgan is new to me and he doesn't have many audiobooks in my libraries. Wes is the introvert, the thinker.

Teddy Hamilton is much better for Canning, who is one of those people who is liked by everyone, is friends with everyone, is jam-packed with laid-back charm, and everything he does is charged with enjoyment. He's adventurous, good looking, confident and successful. Irresistible in other words.

If you are in love with him, like Wes has been since an early teen, you are always left wondering if the fun you have together is because that's HIM, or is it something special that he has with you? Teddy Hamilton, who never fails to elevate a romance to 4 stars, has the sass and charisma to portray Canning. Jacob Morgan was just right for the driven, tattoo-ed sexy bad boy Wes who hides a crush on his straight best friend. ( )