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Coach's Challenge (Scoring Chances #5) - Avon Gale

“It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportunity to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds out the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression—especially when Shane’s rough good looks have Troy thinking inappropriate thoughts about a player, even if he’s set to retire at the end of the season.

Shane’s career in the majors never quite took off. Wanting to quit on his own terms, Shane agrees to a one-year contract with the Ravens and finds himself playing for a coach who thinks he’s an aging goon, and with a team that doesn’t trust him, Troy, or each other. Despite his determination not to get involved, Shane unwillingly becomes part of the team… and is just as unwillingly drawn to the gruff, out-and-proud coach. As the Ravens struggle to build a new identity, Shane and Troy succumb to the passion that might cost them everything.”

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Troy Callahan and Shane North

Tropes: Power Dynamics, Blackmail, Redemption, Age Gap

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 3.5/5

Troy: Troy is an ex-NHL player who was blackmailed out of the league and has since found his place in coaching. He’s gruff, grumpy, and a bit of a lovable asshole. His character arc is focused on moving on from the past and accepting romance.

Shane: Shane is a hockey player who was supposed to be great yet has found himself falling down in the leagues until finally hitting the ECHL. He’s stubborn and defiant, feeling like he has something to prove no matter where he goes. His character arc is focused on accepting his future.

These guys are stuck in their opinions and not going to change for anyone—except maybe each other. They both have some pretty solid personalities, but I’d say at times they became a bit derivative; there wasn’t much depth going on, mostly due to the fact that they very much have accepted their lots in life by the time of the book. Enjoyable personalities with lively interactions, but they fall a bit flat.

Believability (Hockey): 3.5/5

Just as the previous books in the series did, this book follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. I’d say some later administrative aspects of the team (which I will not mention to keep this review spoiler free!) are definitely not how I’d expect things to actually pan out.

Believability (Plot): 4/5

The plot is generally believable, with just a few instances of “how did that work out?” or “you’re really doing this?”. The way the two main characters progressed made sense with their personalities, and some of the actions of the side characters really lined up with what I would anticipate, with an appropriate amount of plot twist.

Uniqueness: 2/5

There isn’t much that happens in this book that is bringing anything new to the table. Some of the subplots are a bit unique, but otherwise it’s not something that I haven’t seen out of other hockey books. This isn’t a book where I’m going to be thinking “wow, I’m really in the mood for ___, I’ll pick up this one!”

Trope Integration: 2/5

This isn’t a trope-y read, to be completely honest. You’re look at a few different things going on, but what is supposed to be the biggest one (power dynamics) isn’t explored within the relationship itself and only has plot significance near the end of the story. It’s there; you just have to squint to see it.

Series Integration: 4.5/5

This was eluded to nicely! The end of the last book predicted the start of this one. While I would have preferred that Troy’s love interest had been an established member of the team already, the progression made sense from the previous book.

General enjoyment: 3/5

This book wasn’t really blowing my mind at any point. I enjoyed it, I thought it was okay, but I wasn’t sucked into it. The characters were enjoyable, but I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading. Overall, I would say it was worth the reading time.

Overall Score: 22.5/35 or 3.1/5

#lgbt fiction #queer books #queer characters #lgbtqia #lgbt books #hockey romance #avon gale #scoring chances #book review #book blog #hockey #echl #ratings #rivalry #coaches challenge

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Empty Net (Scoring Chances #4) - Avon Gale

"Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.

Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.

Please be advised: This book does contain some non-graphic references to past childhood physical/emotional abuse as well as issues relating to ED (bulimia and restricted eating, disordered thoughts about eating)."

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Isaac Drake and Laurent St. Savoy

Tropes: Abuse, Enemies-to-Lovers, Healing, Hurt/Comfort

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 4/5

Isaac: Isaac has attitude problems, a dark past, and blue hair. He mostly enjoys talking with his fists, but he’s trying to learn how to think first. His arc is focused on internal growth but is also highly centered on helping Saint.

Laurent (Saint): Saint is freshly removed from under his father’s thumb, but years of abuse have made him volatile and highly anxious. He feels like he doesn’t deserve anything good and sets out on a mission of self-sabotage whenever things get too good. His arc is focused on healing.

There’s a lot of tragedy with these characters, and I spent a lot of the book feeling bad for both of them.  They’re both well thought out, with qualities that make sense with their base characterizations. They both go through a lot of development and healing throughout the plot, and I really like how their mental health issues are handled. I do think it move a little quickly, and I think a lot of the issues that we see the characters have are solved much faster than they would be in real life.

Believability (Hockey): 5/5

Just as the previous books in the series did, this book follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. The trades mentioned in the book are realistic, along with the trajectory of the games themselves considering the improvements made from the start of last book.

Believability (Plot): 3/5

There’s a whole lot of realistic elements to this book that were made slightly unrealistic by the timeline. Again, we are dealing with a 200-page book taking place across a single season of hockey. There were a lot of things that needed to happen with not much time to do so. I would say there’s a lot of things that took place which, in real life, would probably take many years to occur, or at least more months than they were allotted. I believed everything that happened; I didn’t believe how fast it all happened.

Uniqueness: 4/5

There are not many things that happen in this book that I’ve seen in other hockey books. You’re looking at a story of tragic abuse and how that impacts interpersonal relations and the hockey game itself. When you’re looking at typical plotlines for hockey stories, it definitely isn’t something I have seen before.

Trope Integration: 4.5/5

This book leans heavily on its tropes, but in a good way. There’s a lot of underlying reasons for just about everything that happens in this story, and the plot stays true to those elements. I would have liked to see a couple other tropes, just to help cut through how dark this book leans, but it does well with what it has.

Series Integration: 5/5

I’d say this was a perfect transition from the previous book. We already know Isaac very well before the start of the book, and we were already introduced to the animosity between him and Saint. We see characters from the last book remain highly relevant to this one, leading to a really nice reading experience.

General enjoyment: 4/5

This is an excellent book; it is also incredibly serious, especially compared to some of the other books in this series. I truly enjoyed reading it, but it is also a dark plot with many elements that you can’t really call “enjoyable”. Still, very well written and highly compelling.

Overall Score: 29.5/35 or 4.2/5

#lgbt fiction #queer books #queer characters #lgbtqia #lgbt books #hockey romance #avon gale #scoring chances #book review #book blog #hockey #echl #ratings #rivalry #empty net

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Power Play (Scoring Chances #3) - Avon Gale

"A freak accident during the Stanley Cup Playoffs put an end to Max Ashford’s hockey career. Despite everything, Max gets back into the game he loves—only this time, behind the bench as an assistant coach of the Spartanburg Spitfires, the worst team in the entire league. But nothing prepares him for the shock when he learns the new head coach is Misha Samarin, the man who caused Max’s accident.

After spending years guilt ridden for his part in Max’s accident, Russian native Misha Samarin has no idea what to do when he’s confronted with Max’s presence. Max’s optimism plays havoc with Misha’s equilibrium—as does the fierce attraction that springs up between them.

Not only must they navigate Misha’s remorse and a past he’s spent a lifetime trying to forget, but also a sleazy GM who is determined to use their history as a marketing hook. But when an unwelcome visitor targets a player, Misha revisits his darkest days, and that might cost him and Max the beginning they’ve worked so hard to build."

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Max Ashford and Misha Samarin

Tropes: Denied-Rivalry, Age Gap, Grump and Sunshine, Underdogs, Injury

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 5/5

Max: Max is a canonically disabled, newly hired assistant coach for the worst team in the ECHL. He’s got a positive outlook on life despite his injury taking him out of the NHL and losing him his fiancée. His character arc is more focused on improving the team and leaning into romance than it is on personal development.

Misha: Misha is an emotionally stunted, Russian ex-NHL player with a dark past and secrets he keeps close to his chest. He leans into punishment, most of it self-inflicted. His character arc is focused on allowing himself happiness, wherever he may find it.

These characters are fully fleshed out, with a past connection that makes sense and goals that intertwine nicely. Their development together romantically was set out wonderfully and really led to a believable relationship. The main characters were both very likeable, and the new side characters that were introduced really added to the story.

Believability (Hockey): 5/5

Just as the previous books in the series did, this book follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. I think that the setup for the team, along with the team trajectory, was very plausible. I also think that the strategies exercised by the GM made sense, no matter how bad they were. Overall, the hockey of this book was very realistic.

Believability (Plot): 4/5

I could absolutely see most things in this book being possible. A bit dramatized, sure, but what’s a good book without drama? I liked the trajectory of the relationship and of the hockey team, and I think most of the major plot points made sense. My only critique is that there were a few instances where I found things to be a bit too coincidental, which took away a bit of the realism.

Uniqueness: 4/5

Here we’ve got a hockey book that focuses on the coaches instead of the players, which is a fresh change of pace from about 9/10 hockey romances you’ll read. Their pasts together and separately are unique, and reading the book was a fresh change of pace. There’s a bit of predictability involved, considering the way hockey books usually go, but that doesn’t impact the reading.

Trope Integration: 4/5

Some of the tropes in here are very important to the plot. We’ve got this push for a rivalry throughout the entire story that the main characters fight against every step of the way. The characters themselves are the epitome of grump and sunshine, and I really like how those characteristics play out. The team is full of underdogs, and the plot never shies away from that fact. I would just say that when an age gap is introduced (here, of 11 years), that should play into the plot a bit more.

Series Integration: 2/5

This is the only place where I would say the story fell short. This book is definitely part of the series, but every main character, or important side character, is brand new to the series. The only foreshadowing for the story was a single line in the previous book establishing that this hockey team was getting new coaches. Otherwise, what saves this from a lower is that we at least knew this team existed beforehand, and at times this team focused on in this book plays the team from the previous books. However, this book does mark a separation at which point I can mentally consider the books a different story. If you were not interested in reading any of the previous books, you could jump in here with no confusion.

General enjoyment: 5/5

This is one of the better plots I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. You see a lot of vulnerability from the characters, and I find them all very endearing. There aren’t many low points in this book when it comes to surface level enjoyment. Maybe once you sit down and start really thinking about what happened, you notice some holes, but I’d say most people don’t read hockey books for their philosophical content.

Overall Score: 29/35 or 4.1/5

#lgbt fiction #queer books #queer characters #lgbtqia #lgbt books #hockey romance #avon gale #scoring chances #book review #book blog #hockey #echl #ratings #rivalry #power play

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Save of the Game (Scoring Chances #2) - Avon Gale

"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 new 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. While trying to financially help Ethan, Riley must hide his family’s wealth so as not to hurt Ethan’s immense pride. 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."

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Riley Hunter and Ethan Kennedy

Tropes: Wealth Gap, Roommates, Friends-to-Lovers, Anger Issues

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 3.5/5

Riley: Riley is a somewhat reserved goalie with strict routines and way too much money. He’s a kind person who struggles with what he wants and what he’s never had. His character arc revolves around becoming comfortable in love, whether that be familial, romantic, or friendly.

Ethan: Ethan is a friendly enforcer with more vices than virtues and a general disregard for thinking ahead. He jumps into life without any fear, and generally lands on his feet. His character arc is focused on allowing himself to accept help from others without viewing it as a personal downfall.

The character development in this book is better handled than the first book in the series. We see our two main characters really struggle with what they want and how to obtain it. Because this book is short, sitting at 200 pages, some of the timeline is slightly unrealistic, with arguments ending basically as soon as they begin. Additionally, this book has a lot of tell-not-show: for example, we are told that Ethan has issues with his anger, but rarely do we see him truly mad. Overall, I would see that these characters are realistic with strong conceptual arcs, but their development really suffers from the story being so short.

Believability (Hockey): 4.5/5

Just as the previous book in the series did, this book follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. I think the hockey in this book is generally believable; we see Ethan on the ice as much as we would expect from an enforcer, and Riley has the same idiosyncrasies most goalies have. I think much of the hockey in this book is idealized, with some moments that come seemingly out of nowhere.

Believability (Plot): 3/5

This book sits right on the line of “sure, I guess that could happen”. The son of one of the wealthiest couples in the US on an ECHL team? Why not. Without spoiling anything, the trajectory of the team in this book versus the last one doesn’t quite line up, but I guess it could happen. Generally, I stand by that this book is too short for what it is trying to accomplish, leading to some things being less believable because there weren’t enough pages to build up to it.

Uniqueness: 2/5

There’s a lot of cliches in this book, and it builds up to become a story that I can read that will probably fade into the background. The structure of the relationship is familiar, with very few new elements being introduced to keep it fresh. I have read this book before, and it wasn’t one that really stuck out as a story I absolutely had to reread.

Trope Integration: 3/5

The story leans heavily on its tropes, and some of them are better executed than others. The wealth gap between the characters was very well woven into the plot, while some of the others were only glossed over. Some of the tropes were, again, told-not-shown, which left a little bit of room for a “what if?”. Overall, I’d say the tropes were decently well utilized; maybe not to their fullest potential, but enough that they were noticeable.

Series Integration: 5/5

We saw both of our main characters in the last book, and it wasn’t too much of a surprise that Riley was going to get a story of his own. This story felt like a natural continuation of the previous book, and it was very easy to transition between the two without needing any adjustment time.

General enjoyment: 3/5

It’s not a particularly unique story, but that doesn’t make it bad. I genuinely like both of our main characters, and I was rooting for them the whole time. I never really felt myself get sucked into the plot, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. There’s definitely room for improvement, but it’s generally well written. Again, I think this book just suffered from being short. If there had been more development of the plot elements, I think it could have been fantastic.

Overall Score: 24/35 or 3.4/5

#lgbt fiction #queer books #queer characters #lgbtqia #lgbt books #hockey romance #avon gale #scoring chances #book review #book blog #hockey #echl #ratings #rivalry #save of the game

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Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) - Avon Gale

"Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He's put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship.

Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most."

Did I reread it? Yes

POV: 3rd person limited, alternating between Lane Courtnall and Jared Shore

Tropes: Rivals, Age Gap, Emotional Scars

My thoughts:

Characters/Character Development: 3/5

Lane: Lane is a 20-year-old character that I imagine you either love or hate; I happen to love him. He is absurdly charming, with about no people skills and the charisma to make up for it. He is autistic-coded, and the best part about him is that no one ever asks him or wants him to change. His own character arc is unrelated to any shortcomings of his own, instead following the tense relationship between himself and his parents.

Jared: Jared is a hardened 32-year-old who has seen the ugly side of hockey and is learning to live with it. He’s slightly grouchy and generally rough around the edges, except when it comes to Lane. His character arc revolves around self-acceptance and a difficult family.

Overall, the character development is… okay. We see some changes in the characters, but not much. Lane’s own arc is mostly glossed over and left to the background, and it doesn’t really involve any personal growth as opposed to the growth of the people around him. Jared’s own changes are so incredibly internal that at times it is hard to believe anything is actually influencing them. However, the characters themselves (both main and side) all have very solidly fleshed out personalities that are easy to distinguish and charming. At times, they can be a bit of caricatures, but they are still decently developed.

Believability (Hockey): 5/5

This book specifically follows the ECHL, with accurate depictions of what that means for the characters. The team names themselves are fake, but the structure of the games and league is very real. I can’t exactly say what an ECHL locker room really looks like, nor can I speak on the true personalities on and off the ice of players, but I imagine it could be pretty close to this. Is it a little idealized? Sure. But this is fiction, and I think it’s okay to make things a little better than they probably would be, so long as it’s near the realm of believability.

Believability (Plot): 2/5

This plot is enjoyable, but I didn’t quite believe it. We basically follow two rival teams, yet I’ve been to high school football games with more animosity. I adore happy endings in my romance books, as I’m sure we all do, but I think that anywhere in a book it is important for characters to struggle, and you don’t see much of that here. Additionally, we’ve got a story where everything all works out without really any work done from the characters. Couple in with that an immigration that is way too quick and easy, and you’ve got a book that’s just on the wrong side of realistic.

Uniqueness: 4/5

Every hockey book is going to be at least a little bit similar, so it’s important to look for details you don’t see in other stories. Here, we’ve got our focus on the ECHL, which goes against the common “top in their sport” theme of sports books. The characters have personalities that you don’t come by in many books, especially Lane. Some of the plot points are pretty common in other books, but there’s only so many ways you can write a romance book.

Trope Integration: 2/5

I love the tropes that we see in this book; however, they are criminally under-utilized. We’ve got a sizable age gap, where one character is in his 30s and another can’t even legally drink, but besides a couple ‘old man’ jokes, it doesn’t really play into the plot at all. They’re both on rival teams, but even the rivalry itself isn’t a factor in the romance. We’ve got traumatized pasts and potentially homophobic parents that don’t impact the relationship and are hardly visible in the characters. They are used as talking points more than anything else, but at least they exist in the story at all.

General enjoyment: 4/5

This book isn’t going to change the world, and that’s okay. I love some of the one-liners, especially the ones we get out of Lane. This book is upfront about what it is and unapologetic. At some points I found the humor to be a bit repetitive, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. I have read this book one time before, and I definitely don’t regret reading it again.

Overall Score: 20/30 or 3.3/5

#lgbt fiction #queer books #queer characters #lgbtqia #lgbt books #hockey romance #avon gale #breakaway #scoring chances #book review #book blog #hockey #echl #ratings #rivalry