DNF

This was amazingly real, and I adored it. I loved the demisexual rep here for Alex, and it made so much sense for how he fell for Mitch (who was an absolute annoying sweetheart throughout). Both of their backstories were so great along with those around them as well; the character development here is superb. I’m immediately jumping into the next in this series (hallelujah that the library has all of them), and I’m so glad to have found this author (thanks to SBTB as per usual). ( )

While I enjoyed the over all story, it felt hollow somehow. I am disapionted but cannot put my finger on exactly why. I think that the demisexuality was played up too much and became bothersome. ( )

Not your usual hockey romance. There isn't much actual playing time in it. And it also isn't a sexually explicit novel.

Mitch is an in-your-face kind of guy, very smart and hard-working, but an annoying little brat. He tries to charm the pants off Alex, who's basically unresponsive. That kind of behavior just doesn't do it for him. He also thinks Mitch is not really like that, he just put on a mask to protect himself. They got off on the wrong foot, but through teasing and banter Alex and Mitch become friends; and the possibility of becoming more is there on the horizon. And it's a really slow process, but I had no complaints about that. I liked both MC's and the secondary characters too, especially Cody, the best friend. And Mitch's Dad was awesome too.

A couple negatives I should mention:

In some of the scenes/dialogues, especially in the beginning, the MC's were thinking too much for too long. For example they stood at the opposite end in a room, heading towards the other, and staring at each other. It should've took only a minute to get to the other, but the monologues in their head took so much longer then that. Or when Alex said something that required a simple response and simultaneously put his hand on Mitch's knee. Mitch was thinking what the touch meant, 4-5 pages long inner monologue and when he finally gave an answer I had to go back, cause I didn't remember what they were talking about. Am I explaining this right? I hope.

An other annoying thing was that demisexuality was explained five times in this book. Five. I get that a lot of people don't know what it means, hell even I didn't know 2 years ago, but I understood it the first time, or the second. I didn't need more. Also I think readers of this genre must have come across a demi character a time or two. Unless this is their first MM novel.

All in all I loved the book up until the point when eventually the pair got together. After that it felt like the story ran out of steam, and the author was just dishing out solutions to the problems that occurred during the story, like Mitch's money problem, his estranged brother, Alex's sick grandfather, and then the book release. So the last 20% was choppy. But I really, really liked the slow-burn part. And despite these little annoyances I'm sure I will read more by the author. ( )

I absolutely loved this book!
Mitch was a bright and ambitious college sophomore who portrayed annoying confidence with everything, but he was a very hard worker. Driven to get drafted by the NHL, he was still working hard toward a plan B career. He's had some heartbreak (not of the romantic kind) which leads him to be pretty closed off and put on a front in pretty much every situation. When he meets Alex Dean, NHL defenseman, Mitch tries to keep up with his obnoxious appearances, but Alex somehow sees right through him. Despite Mitch trying to hook up and constantly flirt with Alex, those advances go nowhere since Alex is demisexual, and they work on forming a true friendship.

I absolutely loved watching Mitch grow in this book. He was confident on the outside, but fearful on the inside. He was able to finally take ownership of who he was and how he was feeling. Letting Alex into his life really opened so many doors for him. I loved reading about his journey of discovery. I also loved watching Alex fall in love and figure out what he really wanted out of a relationship. There was such a huge amount of respect between the guys, and they made sure to show that. No one was pushed for more than they were ready for, and they genuinely cared for and loved each other.

My only disappointment for this book was the large gap of time between the final chapter and the epilogue. I was glad to see that things were wonderful a few years down the road, but most of those years would have been so interesting to me. I wanted to see how they got to where they were. I saw how they started and formed their base, but I just wanted more. So much more. I want to see how they truly make things work now that they are both in the NHL. I wanted to see the proposal and wedding. I am so glad to see that this is labeled as book 1 in a series. I loved this author's story and writing style.

I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by LesCourt Author Services ( )