Title: Save the Game
Series: Scoring Chances 02
Author: Avon Gale
Genre: Contemporary, Sports
Length: Novel (200 pages)
ISBN: 978-1-62798-047-0
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (29 Jan 2016)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.
Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences. Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.
Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/save-of-the-game-by-avon-gale-1806-b
Review: Save the Game is the second book in Avon Gale’s series, Scoring Chances. It is fun, sexy and fully of hunky hockey players – so it’s got a winning formula already. You probably don’t need to read the series in order as they can be read as standalone novels.
The story follows teammates on ice hockey team, the Jacksonville Sea Storm, Ethan and Riley. We see both the characters and the team grow as we see another couple start to form in the sidelines for the Sea Storm. Ethan was recruited to the Sea Storm from New York and he is very much an out there sort of character in more ways than one. Then there is Riley. He seemed to have a bit of a chip on his shoulders in the first book but this guy is like an onion – he has layers and it is clear from the get go that Ethan and Riley do have the beginnings of something special. And the minor characters – including the Sea Storm and even Ethan’s family play a big and very enjoyable role in proceedings.
Yes – you can see I enjoyed this book but there were a couple of reason why I could only give this book an average rating.
- Ok, so a bit of a spoiler but this is more a warning about something I know a lot of people dislike in their MM fiction – one of our main characters has sex on page with a woman (pretty much at the beginning of the book). While that works in some cases this is one of those times when I thought it was unnecessary to have it happen on page. Ok, one of the characters does have problems coming to terms with his sexuality but for me it didn’t fly.
- While the characters were very well developed the plot was sometimes a bit plain and the pace was rather slow for the first two third of the book. The story never really fell flat but I suppose that there wasn’t enough excitement to hold my attention.
This is the type of book for people that love a good dose of MM romance with their ice hockey, though if you prefer sweetness over action this would probably be more the book for you. It also goes without saying that fans of the first book in Scoring Chances should also give this a go.