Title: Goal Line

Series: Harrisburg Railers 06

Author: R.J. Scott & V.L. Locey

Genre: Contemporary, Sports

Length: Novel (197pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-78564-129-9

Publisher: Love Lane Books (8^th August 2018)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Fear and sadness mark Bryan’s life, can Gatlin show him that you have to trust before you can love?

Gatlin Pearce is creeping up on thirty-eight and is still single. It’s not that he wants to be alone, it’s just that he’s too damn old to be in clubs filled with glittery gay boys who can’t even tell him who the Rolling Stones are.

Better to just spend his evenings at Hard Score Ink – his tattoo and artwork shop – creating masterpieces on human flesh, listening to the Railers games, and nursing a cold beer.

His solitary life is about to end when Bryan Delaney, the new Railers backup goalie, shows up at his shop looking for new artwork for his helmet. There’s some sort of sad story in those beautiful eyes of Bryan’s, and Gatlin finds himself more than a little infatuated with the tender new goalie.

Bryan Delaney leaves home at fifteen to live with a billet family. He just wishes that he could have escaped his alcoholic father and strictly devout mother earlier. Drafted to the Arizona Raptors he finds a new family, and his first love affair even if that relationship is marked with violence.

Being traded to the Railers is a shock to the system but the team isn’t like any other he’s ever played on and they truly seem to care about him. It’s only when he meets artist Gatlin, with their shared love of music and hockey, that he realizes how hard it is to escape the past.

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Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order.

Gatlin is a tattoo artist who does tattoo’s and gear designs for the Railers, when the new backup goalie is brought into his shop he is immediately struck by the younger man’s looks but it’s his haunted eyes that really capture Gatlin’s attention.

Bryan is scared to be excited about his move to the Railers, he’s had it dung into his head that they will turn on him at the first opportunity and Bryan doesn’t know what to believe when they seem to welcome him with friendly open arms. Meeting Gatlin has Bryan questioning the ‘relationship’ he’s in and it takes the friendship of both Gatlin and the Railers for him to see the abuse that he receives for what it is.

This is an amazing addition to the Harrisburg Railers, I will give a warning that there’s a scene that will take your breath away in shock but I won’t give any details so you can discover it for yourself.

Bryan is a sweetheart who has been beaten down first by his birth parents and then by his last team, his so-called boyfriend was the worst of the abusers and he’s still got his hooks in Bryan. While Bryan begins to fight off the ingrained bullying he begins to open up to Gatlin and it’s with Gatlin’s silent strength that Bryan finally shakes off the chains that held him back.

Gatlin hasn’t had the best relationships in the past but he’s willing to give Bryan a chance and after a couple of false starts his relationship with Bryan blooms. Bryan and Gatlin make a fantastic couple and while they both have things from the past that haunt them they overcome them with the support of the other.

I can honestly say that it was a pleasure to catch up with the Railers team, especially Stan (he’s my favourite J ), we are treated to the entire team making Bryan welcome so there’s some high jinks and fun. There’s also the amazing support that they show each other, the coming together of brothers in arms, the emotional support and the steadfast refusal to let anything shatter the team. This really is an outstanding story.

I recommend this to those who adore men finding the strength to face down bullies, who love a sweet love story playing out on the pages, who adore a fast paced hockey story with fantastic characters, and who love storylines with a happy ending for a lovely couple but a storyline that still needs to play out. 

Title: Last Defense

Series: Harrisburg Railers 05

Author: R.J. Scott & V.L. Locey

Genre: Contemporary, Sports

Length: Novel (200pgs)

ISBN: 9781785641145

Publisher: Love Lane Books (14^th May 2018)

Heat Level: Low – Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Two men afraid to feel, have to make choices that could end up breaking down their defenses and leading them back to love.

Every time Max Van Hellren steps on the ice he knows it could be his last time. At thirty he’s past his hockey prime but he’s also hiding a life-threatening injury that private doctors warn could kill him. This is his last season, and there’s a chance he could lift the Stanley Cup after fourteen years in the NHL. He just needs to stay safe and healthy; difficult when he’s known for his heavy hitting and with a propensity for dropping the gloves and putting his body in the way of pucks to keep his team safe.

A one night stand with a sexy man was just what he needed, dangerous and hot, but what if it turned into more? Would he actually have to share the secrets he so desperately tries to hide?

Ben Worthington had it all. A fulfilling job running the CrossRoads Shelter, his loving aunts, and a husband that understood his devotion to animals. Then, the love of his life left him, succumbing so quickly to an unexpected sickness that Ben never had time to say goodbye. The violent loss scarred him.

Unable to move past his fears, he moves from lonely encounter to lonely encounter, slaking a desperate need that is eating away at him, but never making a connection that could lead him back into love. One night with Max makes him want more, but will giving into the temptation open the door to feelings he can’t contain?

Can these two broken men ever find a way to be together?

Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords | B&N 

Review: This story is an excellent addition to the Harrisburg Railers series, and while Max says goodbye to the team the story fulfils its happy ever after with bright hope for the future as he finds love with animal lover Ben.

Max has a secret he has hidden from everyone, but he’s hoping that his last season will fulfil his dreams of a Stanley Cup win. Meeting a man he could love never crossed his mind but bumping into Ben from the local no kill shelter has him evaluating just what he wants after his hockey career ends.

Ben has sunk himself into his shelter for the past couple of years after losing his husband so suddenly, when he meets a sexy hockey player who ticks all his boxes he doesn’t know if he should take another chance on love. When his nephew turns up it’s up to Ben to keep him safe from the boys’ father, his brother-in-law who despises Ben, and Ben finds himself in the man’s crosshairs.

I have to say that this story is attention grabbing, with the various issues that crop up there is never a dull page. We get drawn in pretty quickly and as we get to know the characters we root for them to overcome their fears and accept the love they are offered.

Ben is a sweet man who has a heart of gold, the loss he still feels for his husband is poignant and his fears over losing someone else is understandable, especially when Max reveals his secret. Max first comes off as someone looking for a good time, but it soon becomes clear that he is searching for something that he didn’t know he was looking for. Together they make an amazing couple, their feelings for each other plain to see and their hotness just blazes the pages.

This story is well written and the characters are brilliant, whether it’s Ben and Max or the Railers team as a whole each character is well developed and as each graces the page their individual personalities shine through. The storyline is crafted in such a way that you never know when the trouble will strike and that ending! OMG it was brilliant executed, smacking you in the face with shock.

I recommend this to those who love fantastic characters, great storylines of exciting hockey, finding new love and a dash of danger.