One on One by V.L. Locey

Title: One on One

Series: Cayuga Cougars 05

Author: VL Locey

Genre: Contemporary, Sports

Length: Novel (182 pages)

Publisher: V.L. Locey (14th January 2019)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Blurb: The past few years have been a bit chaotic for Cougars new associate coach, Lancaster Hart. After an amiable divorce he began living his life as the gay man he’d kept closeted for far too long. With the recent move to Cayuga, he’s away from his support system and properly made sweet tea. Despite a roster filled with new friends and associates, he’s spending his nights alone.

As his team gears up to make a run at the Calder Cup, Lancaster discovers that not everything in upstate New York is wine, woodlands, and chilly conservative ideals. At a summer music festival, he first lays eyes on Townsend Harris, folksy/blues singer by night and mayoral office assistant by day. Lancaster is enraptured with the man’s powerful sultry voice. Also, Town just might be the most beautiful man he has seen in all his forty-one years.

The two hit it off at an informal meet and greet after the show, where they spend the night talking and sipping wine. One evening of conversation and an incendiary goodbye kiss leads them into a scorching love affair that might be exactly what Lancaster has been searching for his whole life. Can his team pull off professionally what he’s hoping to do privately as well? Or will capturing their dream evade both the Cougars and Lancaster?

ISBN: B07MMPDX26

Product Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: One on One is the fifth and final book in VL Locey’s series Cayuga Cougars, I love a good MM hockey romance and I particularly love Locey’s own brand of style when it comes to romance between these awesome alpha male athletes she creates. I don’t want to go too much into things, because this was awesome end to a completely wonderful and somewhat surprising series for me. Surprising in the way that I had never thought to completely love the series, as well as a certain character (cough Vic you lovable, unlovable rogue).

This series has had a roller coaster of emotions, particularly when it comes to the characters Dan and Vic who we met at the start. And while we do get to check in on them and their little family again (and there will be more books around these guys separate to the series), I really loved the sweet romance as we were introduced to Townsend and Lancaster. While you can probably get away with not reading the entire series, I think it’s an injustice to you as the reader as well as to the author to not appreciate the full scope of the characters. All characters, including the newest couple, are really well fleshed out and were very relatable.

One on One is a very sweet, low key and low drama romance that shows two ordinary guys find their own happily ever after. Lancaster Hart is the new associate coach for the Cayuga Cougars ice hockey team and moving to the new team is just the start of things. He’s newly out of the closet and being divorced means he can finally live as the real version of himself. He is still friends with his ex-wife as well as her partner, which is totally nice, I’m over the usual trope of a vengeful ex who hates the fact her ex is gay and becomes some sort of harpy. Lancaster is down to earth and I felt an instant connection to his character, I wanted him to find the man of his dreams from the get-go.

A chance meeting after a concert with Townsend Harris, folk musician by night and mayoral assistant by day, sets the scene as we begin to explore Lancaster’s journey to be the man that he is. In a way, this is gently guiding us to not only get to know Townsend, but to realize that Townsend is the man that Lancaster needs in his life and in his bed. They don’t just fall into bed and then into love in the space of two minutes, instead they get to know each other.

The story is told completely from Lancaster’s POV, but I don’t feel that I lost anything in terms of getting to know Townsend. I keep using the word gentle to describe this story, but it truly is. A beautifully sweet and gentle romance that just happens to be set with some fast pace hockey and wonderful secondary characters we’ve known all along for the most part.