What do you think?
Rate this book
Playing the Field #1
Icing the Kicker
Lake
I've worked my entire life to succeed in a sport I don't particularly enjoy. I've faced homophobic teammates, hostile locker rooms, and coaches who couldn't care less about me as a person, but nothing could have prepared me for this.
It's my first year - my fresh start - with a Professional League football team and teammates who are blissfully unaware of my sexuality. I have a contract, money to keep my family afloat, and I'm only the backup kicker this season. Perfect, right?
Wrong. Both the starting kicker and punter go out for injuries, and now I'm all the team has. Talk about a heavy weight on my shoulders.
And to top it all off, the most popular guy on the team is . . . pursuing me? Everything he says seems to have a double meaning, and it sounds suspiciously as if he's propositioning me.
Let off some steam, he says.
One time couldn't hurt, could it? Okay, maybe two times. Or three.
*
Kane
Football, family, and friends. What more could a man need?
As one of the best tight ends in the Professional League, I'm living the life I've always dreamed of. I'm one to always go with the flow, and people don't tell me no. Women love me, my fans cheer for me, and my best friend is there whenever I need him.
This is, until I meet our rookie kicker. He's strong, independent, and wants nothing to do with me - which is crazy because I'm such a cool guy! Trying to befriend him leads to a misunderstanding of intimate proportions, and suddenly, I'm not so sure my life is all that perfect the way it is.
He needs help getting his feet under him within the league, and I need help navigating these new feelings I have after our confusing encounter.
Maybe we can help each other . . . After all, a deal is a deal.
*
An MM sports romance featuring rowdy football players and men who don't know they're looking for love. There will be stripping at Halloween, crying at Thanksgiving, witty defense mechanisms, a series of ridiculous misunderstandings, and spice not for the faint of heart. Guaranteed HEA and spin-off to come.
I've worked my entire life to succeed in a sport I don't particularly enjoy. I've faced homophobic teammates, hostile locker rooms, and coaches who couldn't care less about me as a person, but nothing could have prepared me for this.
It's my first year - my fresh start - with a Professional League football team and teammates who are blissfully unaware of my sexuality. I have a contract, money to keep my family afloat, and I'm only the backup kicker this season. Perfect, right?
Wrong. Both the starting kicker and punter go out for injuries, and now I'm all the team has. Talk about a heavy weight on my shoulders.
And to top it all off, the most popular guy on the team is . . . pursuing me? Everything he says seems to have a double meaning, and it sounds suspiciously as if he's propositioning me.
Let off some steam, he says.
One time couldn't hurt, could it? Okay, maybe two times. Or three.
*
Kane
Football, family, and friends. What more could a man need?
As one of the best tight ends in the Professional League, I'm living the life I've always dreamed of. I'm one to always go with the flow, and people don't tell me no. Women love me, my fans cheer for me, and my best friend is there whenever I need him.
This is, until I meet our rookie kicker. He's strong, independent, and wants nothing to do with me - which is crazy because I'm such a cool guy! Trying to befriend him leads to a misunderstanding of intimate proportions, and suddenly, I'm not so sure my life is all that perfect the way it is.
He needs help getting his feet under him within the league, and I need help navigating these new feelings I have after our confusing encounter.
Maybe we can help each other . . . After all, a deal is a deal.
*
An MM sports romance featuring rowdy football players and men who don't know they're looking for love. There will be stripping at Halloween, crying at Thanksgiving, witty defense mechanisms, a series of ridiculous misunderstandings, and spice not for the faint of heart. Guaranteed HEA and spin-off to come.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2023
251 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Ajay Daniel
7 books66 followersAjay enjoys writing romance stories (with a sprinkle of steam, smutt, spice, or whatever word tickles your fancy) where the main characters fall in love. Sometimes the main characters are opposite genders, and sometimes they're the same. Sometimes there are two, and sometimes there are more. Ajay doesn't discriminate because, between consenting adults, love is love. It doesn't need a fancy definition or strict guidelines of what should and shouldn't be, and who is anyone to judge? When the characters appear and offer their story, taking over the author's thoughts be it day, night, during the work day, driving, or trying to accomplish chores around the house . . . Well, Ajay is just going to write it for them.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
November 6, 2023
3⭐️⭐️⭐️
⛔️SPOILERS!
Awwww this was such a cute book!! The kind where you suspend all kind of disbelief and immerse yourself in a sort of fairly tale. It’s a lot silly and a bit cheesy but it’s enjoyable. A lot of ppl would love this and also probably say that Kane was too good to be true . He just came into Lake’s life and swept him of his feet while also fixing his entire life.I loved the guys and I liked that there wasn’t much drama between them . Kane was absolutely besotted with Lake from their first accidental BJ (🤣🤣I looooved that first BJ and its ..circumstances 😁😍). They were cute together but I would have liked more time with them doing cute things and not always having sex. And yes, there’s also an insta everything here but it didn’t really bother me just like I wasn’t bothered by the fervent OTT declarations made to Lake’s sister that made me cringe a bit .
Of course the book lacks a lot of realism, in fact the only realistic thing in the book was the team. We’ve been spoiled so far with unrealistically queer-accepting and family-like teams by all the other authors when probably this is how a team looks like in real life. They’re not bosom buddies, not all of them are allies and they aren’t a big happy family( though I found it a bit harsh that one of their teammates was dying in the hospital and nobody even mentions it. Or visit him.)
Another big ,OTT and unrealistic roll your eyes part was Kane’s and his BFF Nate’s obliviousness. Because I’m sorry but those two were in a relationship and they didn’t even know it. Candle light dinners in fancy restaurants, champagne, necklace with the other one’s name engraved, sleeping in the same bed, cuddling,cute pet names ,watching porn together, being all domestic together. If Nate had been our MC it would have been a textbook friends to lovers. And yes, Nate was partly right, Kane led him on , unintentionally though. Nate’s obliviousness is also eye-rolling, I mean, Lake spent months in their house and in Kane’s bedroom and he even heard them and he had no clue ? Kind of ridiculous.
Now, why isn’t this a 4 stars how I intended? Well, because if I was willing to suspend my disbelief with everything up until that point, I can’t do it when it’s about toxic families. Lake’s parents were made to be too unreasonably villainous and I can’t possibly believe that one minute they’re homophobic (the mother) and trying to legally declare their daughter incapable of making decisions to stop her from leaving and the next they’re all sorry and perfect parents.It would have been ok and more believable if they had changed slowly and in time.. Another reason for taking away a star is because I really don’t agree with the idea of separate locker rooms. I mean why? It’s isolating, demeaning and totally wrong and I can’t believe the author is advocating for something like this. I find it more reasonable to be offered the option of isolated locker rooms to the straight (homophobic) players who don’t want to change in front of a queer guy.
Aaaaand my third reason for this rating has to do with Nate. What he did out of pettiness and jealousy was despicable and he shouldn’t have been forgiven just like that. We don’t even get to see him grovel or explain because it’s all off page! And then they let him sleep in their bed for a week!!! Ew, Kane and Nate’s co-dependent dynamics was making my skin itchy. The next book is his but no thank you. I would have like the cowboy teammate paired with the coach 😁
As for the sports parts , I don’t know anything about American football but I found those bits done quite alright without being overwhelming.
And now let’s mention the smut because let me tell ya , it was HAWT!!🥵
Too much if you ask me and to be honest I skipped a looot of pages of sex because I don’t have that much patience lately for pages and pages of orgasms. That’s the downside of devouring so many smutty books, you become almost immune.
⛔️SPOILERS!
Awwww this was such a cute book!! The kind where you suspend all kind of disbelief and immerse yourself in a sort of fairly tale. It’s a lot silly and a bit cheesy but it’s enjoyable. A lot of ppl would love this and also probably say that Kane was too good to be true . He just came into Lake’s life and swept him of his feet while also fixing his entire life.I loved the guys and I liked that there wasn’t much drama between them . Kane was absolutely besotted with Lake from their first accidental BJ (🤣🤣I looooved that first BJ and its ..circumstances 😁😍). They were cute together but I would have liked more time with them doing cute things and not always having sex. And yes, there’s also an insta everything here but it didn’t really bother me just like I wasn’t bothered by the fervent OTT declarations made to Lake’s sister that made me cringe a bit .
Of course the book lacks a lot of realism, in fact the only realistic thing in the book was the team. We’ve been spoiled so far with unrealistically queer-accepting and family-like teams by all the other authors when probably this is how a team looks like in real life. They’re not bosom buddies, not all of them are allies and they aren’t a big happy family( though I found it a bit harsh that one of their teammates was dying in the hospital and nobody even mentions it. Or visit him.)
Another big ,OTT and unrealistic roll your eyes part was Kane’s and his BFF Nate’s obliviousness. Because I’m sorry but those two were in a relationship and they didn’t even know it. Candle light dinners in fancy restaurants, champagne, necklace with the other one’s name engraved, sleeping in the same bed, cuddling,cute pet names ,watching porn together, being all domestic together. If Nate had been our MC it would have been a textbook friends to lovers. And yes, Nate was partly right, Kane led him on , unintentionally though. Nate’s obliviousness is also eye-rolling, I mean, Lake spent months in their house and in Kane’s bedroom and he even heard them and he had no clue ? Kind of ridiculous.
Now, why isn’t this a 4 stars how I intended? Well, because if I was willing to suspend my disbelief with everything up until that point, I can’t do it when it’s about toxic families. Lake’s parents were made to be too unreasonably villainous and I can’t possibly believe that one minute they’re homophobic (the mother) and trying to legally declare their daughter incapable of making decisions to stop her from leaving and the next they’re all sorry and perfect parents.It would have been ok and more believable if they had changed slowly and in time.. Another reason for taking away a star is because I really don’t agree with the idea of separate locker rooms. I mean why? It’s isolating, demeaning and totally wrong and I can’t believe the author is advocating for something like this. I find it more reasonable to be offered the option of isolated locker rooms to the straight (homophobic) players who don’t want to change in front of a queer guy.
Aaaaand my third reason for this rating has to do with Nate. What he did out of pettiness and jealousy was despicable and he shouldn’t have been forgiven just like that. We don’t even get to see him grovel or explain because it’s all off page! And then they let him sleep in their bed for a week!!! Ew, Kane and Nate’s co-dependent dynamics was making my skin itchy. The next book is his but no thank you. I would have like the cowboy teammate paired with the coach 😁
As for the sports parts , I don’t know anything about American football but I found those bits done quite alright without being overwhelming.
And now let’s mention the smut because let me tell ya , it was HAWT!!🥵
Too much if you ask me and to be honest I skipped a looot of pages of sex because I don’t have that much patience lately for pages and pages of orgasms. That’s the downside of devouring so many smutty books, you become almost immune.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2024
4.5**** stars
First: This book is underrated and therefore needs more attention. So, go grab it!
Second: Wow. This might be the best sports romance I've read in a long while. I felt an instant connection with the two main characters. I liked them right away and had a good feeling of who they are as a person as well as what values and priorities they have.
Third: As someone who has like no knowledge whatsoever about American Football (not even now that the Swifties have entered the football-world) I appreciated that the author gave brief introductions into some of the positions in simple terms so I at least had a small inkling of what their job was on the field.
The story begins pretty unexpected for a classic sports romance —where it has always been the character’s biggest dream to play pro sports since childhood— with the talented NFL player who doesn’t really like playing ball. Never had.
Instead, Lake loves ballet dancing but he had a talent for football early on and with his sister’s medical bills piling up (due to a horrible accident) he plays pro football to cover them all and provide for his parents as well who have both retired from their jobs to care for their daughter full time. So Lake teaches at a local ballet studio in the little free time he has between practice, games and sleeping.
Kane on the other hand plays on the same team with passion for the job as a tight end. When multiple injuries of players put Lake into position to cover both the position of kicker (that’s his starting position) and punter, which is not Lake’s strong suit, Kane is determent to help the guy out in training.
To amuse myself and you, here’s a quote about a misunderstanding of epic proportion with Lake’s mind terrifyingly deep in the gutter while Kane, totally oblivious to his own words, is talking about something 100% training-related (no spoiler):
In Lake’s defense, they were, in that moment, naked in the locker room showers after all. *lmaooo
After this misunderstanding ends later in a totally unexpected but explosive blow-/handjob their romance starts with Lake feeling absolutely embarrassed and Kane feeling guilty but starting to question his sexuality because never has something felt as good as Lake’s hands on him.
It was astounding, and I fucking loved it, how Kane just rolled with his new-found attraction to a man and instantly took responsibility for Lake and his emotional wellbeing with what Lake has on his plate, declaring himself his boyfriend and acted accordingly. That surely took balls and Kane clearly had them. I WAS SWOONING SO. DAMN. HARD!
And while Lake was pretty reluctant, Kane was all in:
I loved their back and forth so so much. Their chemistry was so good and their encounters steamy hot while simultaneously heartwarming and caring.
Still, this book does have flaws and there were a few things I wasn’t okay with, BUT overall it was a beautiful love story and not many books seem to achieve to truly catch AND keep my interest, so I can totally recommend reading it. ♡
Ajay Daniel is a new-to-me author but I loved their writing and storytelling and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series that’s going to be an MMM about Kane’s best friend Nate.
*************
Playing The Field Series
Book 1 - Icing the Kicker (MM) - 4.5 stars
Book 2 - Hat Trick (MMM) - 4.5 stars
Book 3 - Matchup (MM) - coming soon
First: This book is underrated and therefore needs more attention. So, go grab it!
Second: Wow. This might be the best sports romance I've read in a long while. I felt an instant connection with the two main characters. I liked them right away and had a good feeling of who they are as a person as well as what values and priorities they have.
Third: As someone who has like no knowledge whatsoever about American Football (not even now that the Swifties have entered the football-world) I appreciated that the author gave brief introductions into some of the positions in simple terms so I at least had a small inkling of what their job was on the field.
The story begins pretty unexpected for a classic sports romance —where it has always been the character’s biggest dream to play pro sports since childhood— with the talented NFL player who doesn’t really like playing ball. Never had.
Instead, Lake loves ballet dancing but he had a talent for football early on and with his sister’s medical bills piling up (due to a horrible accident) he plays pro football to cover them all and provide for his parents as well who have both retired from their jobs to care for their daughter full time. So Lake teaches at a local ballet studio in the little free time he has between practice, games and sleeping.
Kane on the other hand plays on the same team with passion for the job as a tight end. When multiple injuries of players put Lake into position to cover both the position of kicker (that’s his starting position) and punter, which is not Lake’s strong suit, Kane is determent to help the guy out in training.
To amuse myself and you, here’s a quote about a misunderstanding of epic proportion with Lake’s mind terrifyingly deep in the gutter while Kane, totally oblivious to his own words, is talking about something 100% training-related (no spoiler):
“It’s not that big of a deal, really. You know Nate and I are close, so obviously he and I have done it. Then, there’s McCay, one of the other tight ends. You know him, right? He and I got together a couple of times during training camp. Anyway, what I’m saying is, I can make it practically painless for you, and we’ll both get something out of it. Don’t you want that? And with me, of all people. I mean, come on. Look at me.” I vaguely see his hand gesture over himself.
In Lake’s defense, they were, in that moment, naked in the locker room showers after all. *lmaooo
After this misunderstanding ends later in a totally unexpected but explosive blow-/handjob their romance starts with Lake feeling absolutely embarrassed and Kane feeling guilty but starting to question his sexuality because never has something felt as good as Lake’s hands on him.
It was astounding, and I fucking loved it, how Kane just rolled with his new-found attraction to a man and instantly took responsibility for Lake and his emotional wellbeing with what Lake has on his plate, declaring himself his boyfriend and acted accordingly. That surely took balls and Kane clearly had them. I WAS SWOONING SO. DAMN. HARD!
And while Lake was pretty reluctant, Kane was all in:
Lake is the only one who has caught my attention in such a way, but he seems completely averse to the idea of being with me in any serious capacity. The solution? Make it seem casual and slowly steal his heart piece by piece until he’s in too deep and stuck with me. Easy peasy.
I loved their back and forth so so much. Their chemistry was so good and their encounters steamy hot while simultaneously heartwarming and caring.
Still, this book does have flaws and there were a few things I wasn’t okay with, BUT overall it was a beautiful love story and not many books seem to achieve to truly catch AND keep my interest, so I can totally recommend reading it. ♡
Ajay Daniel is a new-to-me author but I loved their writing and storytelling and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series that’s going to be an MMM about Kane’s best friend Nate.
*************
Playing The Field Series
Book 1 - Icing the Kicker (MM) - 4.5 stars
Book 2 - Hat Trick (MMM) - 4.5 stars
Book 3 - Matchup (MM) - coming soon
November 6, 2023
Dnf 50%. 1,75 star.
There were things that were bad, and there were things that didn't make sense.
BAD:
-Lake calling his beloved sister while talking to Kane "crippled", then backtracking when Kane started to admonish him and explained the concept of "people first".
-Kane's mysoginist slurs "you're a slut for my cock" or "you moan like a fucking whore".
-Kane drugging his best friend /housemate Nate with sleeping pills, because he wants to have sex with Lake without being bothered by Nate.. is.. just awful. I don't know why an author would write such trash. The author even acknowledged that this was bad.
Quote: "Lake stares, appalled. “You’re going to drug our quarterback the night before a game?” He hisses."
Then they get the pills crushed and mixed in Nate's tea. Quote:
"“You’re bad, you know that?” He says softly with a mischievous glint in his eye. I nudge his foot. “Tell me you like bad boys.” Lake smirks. “I like bad boys.” “Hell yes.”"
DIDN'T MAKE SENSE:
-Lake's parents were supposedly loving and had for the last 10 years taken care of Lake's sister, River. Fulltime. Lake and River's dad had been a mathematics professor before retiring to stay at home full time. In the last 10 years Lake had besides high school and university worked at a part time job so his parents could stay at home to care for River, and nevertheless be able to pay the medical bills for River. Now that Lake is a pro football player and earns 800 thousand dollars a year (plus a 500 thousand dollar bonus) he gives this money (everything!) to his parents for his sister's medical bills, and continues to work part time just so he can afford a cheap room in an appartement with 2 college students. What? How did the family survive the last 10 years when now that Lake earns 1,3 milion dollar a year, this isn't even enough for his sister's care AND his own rent??
-and sorry, but why would both parents stay full time at home, watching their son go through highschool and university plus working parttime? Why would not one of the parents work parttime so Lake had more than a few hours of sleep? Surely his sister didn't need TWO people caring for her 24/7?
-Lake came out to his mom at 16 and she just left the room and cried for an hour in her room, never mentioned Lake's confession afterwards, so he was afraid to tell his father. Now that Lake is in the NFL he has a phone call with his dad, who then tells him he has no problem that Lake is gay, that he isn't as conservative as his wife, and that he knew for a long time that Lake is gay. What?? Why didn't he say something in support of his son in the last YEARS? This was so random, unbelievable for a supposedly caring parent.
Yeah, Lake and Kane were sweet together, and for that it's not just 1 but 1,75 stars, but with all these negative issues I can't enjoy a book.
There were things that were bad, and there were things that didn't make sense.
BAD:
-Lake calling his beloved sister while talking to Kane "crippled", then backtracking when Kane started to admonish him and explained the concept of "people first".
-Kane's mysoginist slurs "you're a slut for my cock" or "you moan like a fucking whore".
-Kane drugging his best friend /housemate Nate with sleeping pills, because he wants to have sex with Lake without being bothered by Nate.. is.. just awful. I don't know why an author would write such trash. The author even acknowledged that this was bad.
Quote: "Lake stares, appalled. “You’re going to drug our quarterback the night before a game?” He hisses."
Then they get the pills crushed and mixed in Nate's tea. Quote:
"“You’re bad, you know that?” He says softly with a mischievous glint in his eye. I nudge his foot. “Tell me you like bad boys.” Lake smirks. “I like bad boys.” “Hell yes.”"
DIDN'T MAKE SENSE:
-Lake's parents were supposedly loving and had for the last 10 years taken care of Lake's sister, River. Fulltime. Lake and River's dad had been a mathematics professor before retiring to stay at home full time. In the last 10 years Lake had besides high school and university worked at a part time job so his parents could stay at home to care for River, and nevertheless be able to pay the medical bills for River. Now that Lake is a pro football player and earns 800 thousand dollars a year (plus a 500 thousand dollar bonus) he gives this money (everything!) to his parents for his sister's medical bills, and continues to work part time just so he can afford a cheap room in an appartement with 2 college students. What? How did the family survive the last 10 years when now that Lake earns 1,3 milion dollar a year, this isn't even enough for his sister's care AND his own rent??
-and sorry, but why would both parents stay full time at home, watching their son go through highschool and university plus working parttime? Why would not one of the parents work parttime so Lake had more than a few hours of sleep? Surely his sister didn't need TWO people caring for her 24/7?
-Lake came out to his mom at 16 and she just left the room and cried for an hour in her room, never mentioned Lake's confession afterwards, so he was afraid to tell his father. Now that Lake is in the NFL he has a phone call with his dad, who then tells him he has no problem that Lake is gay, that he isn't as conservative as his wife, and that he knew for a long time that Lake is gay. What?? Why didn't he say something in support of his son in the last YEARS? This was so random, unbelievable for a supposedly caring parent.
Yeah, Lake and Kane were sweet together, and for that it's not just 1 but 1,75 stars, but with all these negative issues I can't enjoy a book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2023
Highly enjoyable sports-romance with a few flaws.
I picked this up because it kept popping up in my feed, despite the fact that I’m usually a bit weary when it comes to (American) football romances. No idea why, but I tend to feel more at home with hockey-tropes, even though I don’t really follow either sport. Ice hockey send a bit more straight forward (they skate, chase the puck, crash and fight). Football seems more complicated to me, there’s a lot of strategy that my European brain struggles to understand 😂
I’m happy to say that it wasn’t too bad here, because the author explained a lot of what’s going on, in a way that didn’t feel like lecturing. So if you’re usually in two minds about football romances: give this one a go.
As for the romance: it’s about Laken (aka Lake) Berry, who’s a new (and gay) kicker in his NFL team. Lake’s passion isn’t football (that’s a first in a football romance), but ballet dancing. Problem is, he’s good at football. And he desperately needs the money to support his twin sister, River (c’mon dear parents- you name your twins Lake and River??? 😂). River is crippled after an accident (and yes, I’m using the term because she explicitly approves of it in this book) and needs a lot of care.
Kane Kennedy on the other hand lives for football, and he decides to help Lake with his training - only that he words his offer in such an ambiguous way that Lake thinks he wants to hook up.
Their subsequent romance is… cute, despite grazing some heavier tropes like River’s illness, homophobia in Lake’s family and in sports and an unrequited love interest. It was fun, and I fell in love with both characters (especially with Kane, who's as close to being THE perfect boyfriiend as it gets).
The book could have done with a bit more editing, I tripped over a few unnecessary errors, like the use of “peace” instead of “pace”, or “sensor” instead of “censor” (sorry if I’m nitpicking, but I really stumble over stuff like this and it interrupts my reading flow 😅)
Still: 4 dreamy stars - and I’m really looking forward to Nate’s mmm book to her how he redeems himself 😊
I picked this up because it kept popping up in my feed, despite the fact that I’m usually a bit weary when it comes to (American) football romances. No idea why, but I tend to feel more at home with hockey-tropes, even though I don’t really follow either sport. Ice hockey send a bit more straight forward (they skate, chase the puck, crash and fight). Football seems more complicated to me, there’s a lot of strategy that my European brain struggles to understand 😂
I’m happy to say that it wasn’t too bad here, because the author explained a lot of what’s going on, in a way that didn’t feel like lecturing. So if you’re usually in two minds about football romances: give this one a go.
As for the romance: it’s about Laken (aka Lake) Berry, who’s a new (and gay) kicker in his NFL team. Lake’s passion isn’t football (that’s a first in a football romance), but ballet dancing. Problem is, he’s good at football. And he desperately needs the money to support his twin sister, River (c’mon dear parents- you name your twins Lake and River??? 😂). River is crippled after an accident (and yes, I’m using the term because she explicitly approves of it in this book) and needs a lot of care.
Kane Kennedy on the other hand lives for football, and he decides to help Lake with his training - only that he words his offer in such an ambiguous way that Lake thinks he wants to hook up.
Their subsequent romance is… cute, despite grazing some heavier tropes like River’s illness, homophobia in Lake’s family and in sports and an unrequited love interest. It was fun, and I fell in love with both characters (especially with Kane, who's as close to being THE perfect boyfriiend as it gets).
The book could have done with a bit more editing, I tripped over a few unnecessary errors, like the use of “peace” instead of “pace”, or “sensor” instead of “censor” (sorry if I’m nitpicking, but I really stumble over stuff like this and it interrupts my reading flow 😅)
Still: 4 dreamy stars - and I’m really looking forward to Nate’s mmm book to her how he redeems himself 😊
dnf
November 19, 2023dnf @ 18%….okay so i only came here to read the miscommunication blowjob bc i wanted to see how that would play out……but to get there i had to wade through a bunch of nonsensical football written by someone who i’m almost 99% certain has never watched any sport, least of all knows a single thing about american football. like for one, you can’t call a field goal just a goal like “i scored the winning goal” like what lmfaoooooo you would NEVER hear someone say that and be referring to football, soccer yea, not football tho. two, i PROMISE u, and pls hear me when i say this, a professional kicker, who has punted before, in college a few times, high school, and maybe even earlier, is not gonna have any trouble with keeping his balance when he punts😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀💀💀😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 plssssssssssss i’m literally crying laughing over this bc it’s so funny……..like idk how to tell u this but these are PROS, they have basic coordination💀💀💀 and then some babes like i’m sorry but it’s just literally laughable that lake would be busting his ass punting a ball when he’s a premier athlete……plus he’s also doing ballet which would give him mad balancing skills……then we get this from lake’s inner monologue: ”When we are forced to punt in the last quarter, I know this will be a dangerous play.” ????????? punting is almost never a dangerous play😭 kickers/punters rarely get tackled and if they do (like lake happens to get) it’s bc the line of players in front of him did fuck all to block the other team, not lake’s fault, and plus you can’t tackle a punter AFTER he’s already punted, that’s defo a foul……also the whole dynamic between players, coaches, the descriptions of practice/games is sooooo bad. like look what you’ve made me do, now i sound like a football stan when i’ve NEVER EVER willingly watched it in my life…..none of this really matters lmao ik this, it’s not the point, the romance is, but shit, what’s with authors deciding to write sports romances and picking a sport they clearly cannot comprehend……truly baffling……(the only author who pulled it off is nyla k, not bc she wrote football well, but bc she’s real af and had a disclaimer stating idk shit about football and it’s too hard so yes i made some shit up…..🫡🫡 like yes girl live ur truth!!!)
back to the main point….never was i ever gonna read this whole book bc after seeing my mutuals reviews, ik it’s like 7 train wrecks put together, but i was intrigued by the miscommunication bj……was it worth it??? 😐 and idk why i was ever under the delusion that it would be but🤷♀️ ya win some, ya lose some……ok apparently i’m not done bc for a man who’s trying really hard not to have any of his teammates find out he’s gay, he sure is QUICK to suck dick after hearing vague mumblings from his teammate and not asking any clarifying questions like oh idk “what EXACTLY are you talking about bc you’re being confusing af”😂😂😂😂 no no he asks kane: “You and Conroy really . . . you know . . . together?”😂😂😂 yes that will certainly clear it up🤦♀️😂😂 comedy y’all comedy……but i also love how ol straight boy SEES lake coming in for a kiss from a mile away and just sits there and lets him smooch all over him😂😂😂 he’s basically like shit i gave lake the wrong impression, better say nothing, kiss him back, and fuck his face enthusiastically💀💀💀💀 okay fineeeee the miscommunication bj was amusing, u caught me…..but i can’t imagine the hell i would go thru if i read the whole thing🥴
back to the main point….never was i ever gonna read this whole book bc after seeing my mutuals reviews, ik it’s like 7 train wrecks put together, but i was intrigued by the miscommunication bj……was it worth it??? 😐 and idk why i was ever under the delusion that it would be but🤷♀️ ya win some, ya lose some……ok apparently i’m not done bc for a man who’s trying really hard not to have any of his teammates find out he’s gay, he sure is QUICK to suck dick after hearing vague mumblings from his teammate and not asking any clarifying questions like oh idk “what EXACTLY are you talking about bc you’re being confusing af”😂😂😂😂 no no he asks kane: “You and Conroy really . . . you know . . . together?”😂😂😂 yes that will certainly clear it up🤦♀️😂😂 comedy y’all comedy……but i also love how ol straight boy SEES lake coming in for a kiss from a mile away and just sits there and lets him smooch all over him😂😂😂 he’s basically like shit i gave lake the wrong impression, better say nothing, kiss him back, and fuck his face enthusiastically💀💀💀💀 okay fineeeee the miscommunication bj was amusing, u caught me…..but i can’t imagine the hell i would go thru if i read the whole thing🥴
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2023
Tropes: hurt/comfort, secret relationship, teammates, rich/poor
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4.5/5
Kinks: some toys, realistic sex
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: paralyzed minor character (who is at times suicidal), financial struggles, homophobia, professional misconduct, past drunk driver incident, homophobic/abusive mother
Whew. This book was all over the place. At times I thought it was going to be five stars for me but then there were some bad plot decisions.
Lake is 22 years old. He's always loved ballet, but he stumbled into being a football player. His ballet skills somehow made him a kicker with exceptional aim. So in high school he played football so that he could get his college paid for and aim to get a NFL contract so that he could make enough money to take care of his paralyzed twin sister. He's in his rookie season in the NFL while also working a side job as a ballet teacher. All of his money from the NFL is going to his family. He's gay and out to coaches but not to his teammates and the public.
Kane is 27. He is the biggest Golden retriever. He thought he was straight, but after interacting with Lake, he's realizing he's bisexual. He's a successful NFL player. Lake is supposed to be a backup kicker, but because of injuries and unforeseen circumstances he ends up taking the dual role of kicker and punter and he needs some extra help to toughen him up to withstand attacks from other players in this new role, so Kane volunteers to help him. However, Kane is a bit of a dumbass himbo and leaves out some critical words in his communications. Lake thinks that Kane is propositioning him over and over again. Lake finally gives in and blows the guy, and Kane is shocked... But super happy with the blowjob.
They make a deal for Lake to help Kane explore his sexuality. Kane is just desperate to get Lake on any terms, really into him. They have to keep their relationship secret though. Feelings develop and they are both committed and in it. But they've got a shitload of baggage to deal with surrounding them.
There's a lot of good stuff happening but also some crummy stuff. The premise was really interesting. There was a lot of slapstick hilarious miscommunications and secretly intensely sweet miscommunications which was fun to see, because usually you hate miscommunications because they cause so much pain and tension. The actual relationship between Lake and Kane was pretty great. When it was just the two of them together, their interactions were pretty darn good, the smut was good, it was realistic, it had feelings naturally developing, they cared about each other and they showed that. It was sensual, it had moments of platonic comfort and support. They had a really good relationship! They loved the heck out of each other!
And I loved how supportive Kane's family was. There were so many hilarious moments in their interactions. I just about died laughing at the Thanksgiving scene when three of his siblings and their spouses all ended up sneaking into the pool house for some nookie all while wearing matching Thanksgiving themed turkey onesies. They all thought the pool house would give them more privacy for a hookup but everybody had the same idea. It was the most awkward almost accidental family turkey onesie orgy. Never thought I'd be writing that.
There were so many moments in this book that I highlighted as awesome moments. But there were also a ton of moments that I highlighted as being crappy plot points. So I'm sad that I can't rate it higher because I really enjoyed a lot of it.
You have to suspend disbelief that Lake would be able to be a professional NFL player traveling to away games and extremely busy, but still managing to hold the job at the ballet studio. You also have to suspend reality and accept that Kane is an absolute golden retriever, willing to do anything for Lake and be a sugar daddy funding all kinds of expenses to make Lake happy and take care of his twin sister River. And it was unrealistic that Lake would just quit football at the end and take a low paying job and leave all the responsibility for caring for River on Kane. I know it's great that he can trust Kane to be a supportive partner, but even in a supportive relationship like that you talk about it more. Seriously though Kane is so sweet. It's adorable how his communication bad habits add a lot of humor and sweetness. He unintentionally causes so much s*** and funny moments by leaving out important words. And at other times he reveals the sweetest things by just finally explaining what he's been doing / saying all along and the meaning behind it.
I wasn't a huge fan of the plot line with Nate. Nate and Kane have been best friends and teammates for years. Nate suffers from anxiety pretty fierce. Kane is a huge support for Nate, an intermediary who protects him in a lot of different situations. They live together. They platonically share a bed when Nate needs comfort. They constantly have threesomes or foursomes because it's just easier given they are roommates to just share rather than sexile each other. Nate is possessive and jealous of the secret relationship that Kane is building with Lake, even before he realizes that relationship is now sexual. He's jealous of the time that Kane spends with Lake. Later on it's revealed that Nate has been in love with Kane secretly for years, but thought he was straight so never made a move. And then he makes a move. And then he's an a****** to the two of them and unprofessional at work. He does something that gets Lake hurt and targeted for hate crime. Oh but it's fine Nate and Kane continue as friends and Nate, Kane, and Lake share a bed platonically for multiple days after. Though Lake does say that he is uncomfortable with the bed sharing and won't be allowing it after they move out to their own house... but nope, that shouldn't have happened. I sympathize with Nate having anxiety but my head was screaming nope nope nope.
It's funny how Kane thinks he can stop having threesomes with Nate and hook up with Lake constantly in the house Kane shares with Nate and keep their relationship a secret. Kane and Nate used to always share their girls, and Kane goes at least 3 months without doing their usual threesomes and he doesn't even have a conversation with Nate about it. At one point they literally drug Nate with sleeping aids so that he will pass out and not interrupt them having sex. I know they don't want to out each other. But be a freaking man, put your big boy pants on, and at least trust and respect your best friend and roommate and tell him only rather than drugging him! I know Nate was horrible for what he did, but Kane wasn't the best friend either. Not an appealing plot line to me. Not sensical storytelling either.
I didn't know what to think about some of the discussions about homophobia in sports. The coaches know that Lake is gay and they make him shower in a different locker room and they make sure that for away games he gets his own room. In a way they're trying to be protective of Lake and keep him safe from homophobia, but on the other end they are basically segregating and saying he can't be trusted with men and the other men should be able to feel safe away from him. This just gave me some twisted feelings. At times, I was supportive of the efforts they were going through to combat homophobia and encourage support of the lgbtqia+ community, but other times I felt like it was unintentionally perpetuating some degree of homophobia.
I wish their early sex life was a little bit more natural. With this deal that they've made, it's like certain things are off the table and what they do has to have a certain order to it. And it just has been dragging on for months and it just doesn't seem realistic that their sexual relationship progressed this way. They just spend months in this kind of awkward zone where they don't let themselves progress past handjobs and b******* and it seems a bit artificially transactional and limited. Like, Kane can't top Lake until Kane personally experiments more with anal play himself on the receiving end. I didn't understand the purpose that was serving. Also another odd thing about the progression of their relationship, at the 95% mark Lake still thinks they could break up over popsicles someday? I wish they had more confidence in their relationship.
Some notable moments:
This guy is such a golden retriever. He has questions! "I have aided my hand in its tiring endeavors with porn of the gay variety. I’ll be honest, they skip all the awkward parts I’m sure must be there in the beginning, going from a sloppy blowjob straight to the pounding, and while that is nice and all, I have some questions."
Abomination! As a baker I love this moment. "“How long did you cook that thing?” “I’m not really sure. I forgot to set a timer. It was last minute, so I added, like, a hundred degrees to the temperature to make it go quicker, so I thought the time part was irrelevant.” A loaded silence blankets the kitchen as we all stare at the abomination Kane baked. “The grocery store down the road probably has some pumpkin pies,” I suggest."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4.5/5
Kinks: some toys, realistic sex
Angst: medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: paralyzed minor character (who is at times suicidal), financial struggles, homophobia, professional misconduct, past drunk driver incident, homophobic/abusive mother
Whew. This book was all over the place. At times I thought it was going to be five stars for me but then there were some bad plot decisions.
Lake is 22 years old. He's always loved ballet, but he stumbled into being a football player. His ballet skills somehow made him a kicker with exceptional aim. So in high school he played football so that he could get his college paid for and aim to get a NFL contract so that he could make enough money to take care of his paralyzed twin sister. He's in his rookie season in the NFL while also working a side job as a ballet teacher. All of his money from the NFL is going to his family. He's gay and out to coaches but not to his teammates and the public.
Kane is 27. He is the biggest Golden retriever. He thought he was straight, but after interacting with Lake, he's realizing he's bisexual. He's a successful NFL player. Lake is supposed to be a backup kicker, but because of injuries and unforeseen circumstances he ends up taking the dual role of kicker and punter and he needs some extra help to toughen him up to withstand attacks from other players in this new role, so Kane volunteers to help him. However, Kane is a bit of a dumbass himbo and leaves out some critical words in his communications. Lake thinks that Kane is propositioning him over and over again. Lake finally gives in and blows the guy, and Kane is shocked... But super happy with the blowjob.
They make a deal for Lake to help Kane explore his sexuality. Kane is just desperate to get Lake on any terms, really into him. They have to keep their relationship secret though. Feelings develop and they are both committed and in it. But they've got a shitload of baggage to deal with surrounding them.
There's a lot of good stuff happening but also some crummy stuff. The premise was really interesting. There was a lot of slapstick hilarious miscommunications and secretly intensely sweet miscommunications which was fun to see, because usually you hate miscommunications because they cause so much pain and tension. The actual relationship between Lake and Kane was pretty great. When it was just the two of them together, their interactions were pretty darn good, the smut was good, it was realistic, it had feelings naturally developing, they cared about each other and they showed that. It was sensual, it had moments of platonic comfort and support. They had a really good relationship! They loved the heck out of each other!
And I loved how supportive Kane's family was. There were so many hilarious moments in their interactions. I just about died laughing at the Thanksgiving scene when three of his siblings and their spouses all ended up sneaking into the pool house for some nookie all while wearing matching Thanksgiving themed turkey onesies. They all thought the pool house would give them more privacy for a hookup but everybody had the same idea. It was the most awkward almost accidental family turkey onesie orgy. Never thought I'd be writing that.
There were so many moments in this book that I highlighted as awesome moments. But there were also a ton of moments that I highlighted as being crappy plot points. So I'm sad that I can't rate it higher because I really enjoyed a lot of it.
You have to suspend disbelief that Lake would be able to be a professional NFL player traveling to away games and extremely busy, but still managing to hold the job at the ballet studio. You also have to suspend reality and accept that Kane is an absolute golden retriever, willing to do anything for Lake and be a sugar daddy funding all kinds of expenses to make Lake happy and take care of his twin sister River. And it was unrealistic that Lake would just quit football at the end and take a low paying job and leave all the responsibility for caring for River on Kane. I know it's great that he can trust Kane to be a supportive partner, but even in a supportive relationship like that you talk about it more. Seriously though Kane is so sweet. It's adorable how his communication bad habits add a lot of humor and sweetness. He unintentionally causes so much s*** and funny moments by leaving out important words. And at other times he reveals the sweetest things by just finally explaining what he's been doing / saying all along and the meaning behind it.
I wasn't a huge fan of the plot line with Nate. Nate and Kane have been best friends and teammates for years. Nate suffers from anxiety pretty fierce. Kane is a huge support for Nate, an intermediary who protects him in a lot of different situations. They live together. They platonically share a bed when Nate needs comfort. They constantly have threesomes or foursomes because it's just easier given they are roommates to just share rather than sexile each other. Nate is possessive and jealous of the secret relationship that Kane is building with Lake, even before he realizes that relationship is now sexual. He's jealous of the time that Kane spends with Lake. Later on it's revealed that Nate has been in love with Kane secretly for years, but thought he was straight so never made a move. And then he makes a move. And then he's an a****** to the two of them and unprofessional at work. He does something that gets Lake hurt and targeted for hate crime. Oh but it's fine Nate and Kane continue as friends and Nate, Kane, and Lake share a bed platonically for multiple days after. Though Lake does say that he is uncomfortable with the bed sharing and won't be allowing it after they move out to their own house... but nope, that shouldn't have happened. I sympathize with Nate having anxiety but my head was screaming nope nope nope.
It's funny how Kane thinks he can stop having threesomes with Nate and hook up with Lake constantly in the house Kane shares with Nate and keep their relationship a secret. Kane and Nate used to always share their girls, and Kane goes at least 3 months without doing their usual threesomes and he doesn't even have a conversation with Nate about it. At one point they literally drug Nate with sleeping aids so that he will pass out and not interrupt them having sex. I know they don't want to out each other. But be a freaking man, put your big boy pants on, and at least trust and respect your best friend and roommate and tell him only rather than drugging him! I know Nate was horrible for what he did, but Kane wasn't the best friend either. Not an appealing plot line to me. Not sensical storytelling either.
I didn't know what to think about some of the discussions about homophobia in sports. The coaches know that Lake is gay and they make him shower in a different locker room and they make sure that for away games he gets his own room. In a way they're trying to be protective of Lake and keep him safe from homophobia, but on the other end they are basically segregating and saying he can't be trusted with men and the other men should be able to feel safe away from him. This just gave me some twisted feelings. At times, I was supportive of the efforts they were going through to combat homophobia and encourage support of the lgbtqia+ community, but other times I felt like it was unintentionally perpetuating some degree of homophobia.
I wish their early sex life was a little bit more natural. With this deal that they've made, it's like certain things are off the table and what they do has to have a certain order to it. And it just has been dragging on for months and it just doesn't seem realistic that their sexual relationship progressed this way. They just spend months in this kind of awkward zone where they don't let themselves progress past handjobs and b******* and it seems a bit artificially transactional and limited. Like, Kane can't top Lake until Kane personally experiments more with anal play himself on the receiving end. I didn't understand the purpose that was serving. Also another odd thing about the progression of their relationship, at the 95% mark Lake still thinks they could break up over popsicles someday? I wish they had more confidence in their relationship.
Some notable moments:
This guy is such a golden retriever. He has questions! "I have aided my hand in its tiring endeavors with porn of the gay variety. I’ll be honest, they skip all the awkward parts I’m sure must be there in the beginning, going from a sloppy blowjob straight to the pounding, and while that is nice and all, I have some questions."
Abomination! As a baker I love this moment. "“How long did you cook that thing?” “I’m not really sure. I forgot to set a timer. It was last minute, so I added, like, a hundred degrees to the temperature to make it go quicker, so I thought the time part was irrelevant.” A loaded silence blankets the kitchen as we all stare at the abomination Kane baked. “The grocery store down the road probably has some pumpkin pies,” I suggest."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2024
I only lasted until 19% before my brain decided to call it quits.
Fucking hell this has got to be one of the STUPIDEST books I've ever read. And people I read a lot of shit believe me. Still this easily makes it into the top 5 of the absolutely most INANE crap ever put to paper. I can't believe some authors CHARGE for this stuff. That's just no. (I also have doubts this has been written with ChatGPT, because I refuse for the love of everything holy to believe an actual human being can be so idiotic).
A non-comprehensive list of the bullshit happening in the short 19% I read:
- Lake earns almost ONE MILLION DOLLARS a year and still his parents struggle to pay all the medical bills and he's got to live with roommates. ROOMMATES.
- Lake's dad decides to mention he's ok with his son's being gay only ten years after him coming out, and we are meant to believe this is normal
- Kane is basically a cunt. Sorry.
- The whole misunderstanding leaning to the blowjob was absolutely insane. Really. A guy tells you LET'S BLOW OFF SOME STEAM and the first thing Lake does is get to his knees. I don't know, maybe ask hey mate what is that you mean by that?
- Lake is made to shower and change in a different lockeroom because he's gay and his coach doesn't want that to create any problems?????????????????
- I was pretty much disgusted when Lake goes on a whole rant about how he doesn't top other football players because they're too masculine and alpha to be topped. Sure, mate.
- Of course this is a gay for you story. When is this trope going to burn into the depth of hell where it belong?
- There are professional athletes, they're in a team that won the superbowl, so a big deal I assume, and still they hit and miss practice like this is the school yard and they behave entirely like they're 12 years old. It was painful.
- I can't really judge the quality of the football here as I am way too European for that, but it did sound ridiculous. Like I'm sure this is not how it works.
please spare your poor brain cells and skip this one, GR friends. Like for real. Don't do this to yourselves
Fucking hell this has got to be one of the STUPIDEST books I've ever read. And people I read a lot of shit believe me. Still this easily makes it into the top 5 of the absolutely most INANE crap ever put to paper. I can't believe some authors CHARGE for this stuff. That's just no. (I also have doubts this has been written with ChatGPT, because I refuse for the love of everything holy to believe an actual human being can be so idiotic).
A non-comprehensive list of the bullshit happening in the short 19% I read:
- Lake earns almost ONE MILLION DOLLARS a year and still his parents struggle to pay all the medical bills and he's got to live with roommates. ROOMMATES.
- Lake's dad decides to mention he's ok with his son's being gay only ten years after him coming out, and we are meant to believe this is normal
- Kane is basically a cunt. Sorry.
- The whole misunderstanding leaning to the blowjob was absolutely insane. Really. A guy tells you LET'S BLOW OFF SOME STEAM and the first thing Lake does is get to his knees. I don't know, maybe ask hey mate what is that you mean by that?
- Lake is made to shower and change in a different lockeroom because he's gay and his coach doesn't want that to create any problems?????????????????
- I was pretty much disgusted when Lake goes on a whole rant about how he doesn't top other football players because they're too masculine and alpha to be topped. Sure, mate.
- Of course this is a gay for you story. When is this trope going to burn into the depth of hell where it belong?
- There are professional athletes, they're in a team that won the superbowl, so a big deal I assume, and still they hit and miss practice like this is the school yard and they behave entirely like they're 12 years old. It was painful.
- I can't really judge the quality of the football here as I am way too European for that, but it did sound ridiculous. Like I'm sure this is not how it works.
please spare your poor brain cells and skip this one, GR friends. Like for real. Don't do this to yourselves
August 17, 2023
OMG FINALLY AN MM BOOK THAT WAS WORTH MY TIME!!
The second half was much better than the first. There were a couple slightly problematic (using the word clean instead of negative and the entire first hookup that kind of gave me the ick). There were a few grammatical errors but were easily overlooked. I absolutely adored this book. Kane and Lake were so effing sweet together. Not to mention the sex scenes were super hot and filled with dirty talk which is my kryptonite.
The second half was much better than the first. There were a couple slightly problematic (using the word clean instead of negative and the entire first hookup that kind of gave me the ick). There were a few grammatical errors but were easily overlooked. I absolutely adored this book. Kane and Lake were so effing sweet together. Not to mention the sex scenes were super hot and filled with dirty talk which is my kryptonite.
August 20, 2024
4.6 stars
May 8, 2024
more than icing the kicker. good book too
https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2024...
***Spoilers here and there***
Reading this book makes me want to read book 2 back over again because I’ve read book 2 before one. I wish I read this one first because ugh. I want to see Nate happy again.
Because again… I didn’t like how Kane treated him in this book and in Nate book as well. I felt like he should’ve gotten made at Nate for not speaking to him. When he told him not to talk to him anymore.
Like he ignored Nate the whole time. Then gotten mad at him for liking and having feelings for him. Nobody can control how they feel as person. Especially if you are Afraid to tell them or you might not think they like you back.
SMH… Kane was all for Lake and diss his best friend but wanted his best friend back as well. SMH 🤦🏽♀️ I just couldn’t with him because it was double standards or something like that …
But I did love how he treated Lake and how he was there for River in the end and gave her free will to be outside of her parents and let her be more independent.
Love that. But anyways can’t wait for book 3… didn’t know it was going to be a third one because I was looking a lot lol …
https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2024...
***Spoilers here and there***
Reading this book makes me want to read book 2 back over again because I’ve read book 2 before one. I wish I read this one first because ugh. I want to see Nate happy again.
Because again… I didn’t like how Kane treated him in this book and in Nate book as well. I felt like he should’ve gotten made at Nate for not speaking to him. When he told him not to talk to him anymore.
Like he ignored Nate the whole time. Then gotten mad at him for liking and having feelings for him. Nobody can control how they feel as person. Especially if you are Afraid to tell them or you might not think they like you back.
SMH… Kane was all for Lake and diss his best friend but wanted his best friend back as well. SMH 🤦🏽♀️ I just couldn’t with him because it was double standards or something like that …
But I did love how he treated Lake and how he was there for River in the end and gave her free will to be outside of her parents and let her be more independent.
Love that. But anyways can’t wait for book 3… didn’t know it was going to be a third one because I was looking a lot lol …
July 27, 2024
Such a heartwarming story!
Wow! Lake and Kane are the book boyfriends I didn’t know I needed.
Kane is an amazing person in addition to being an amazing football player. Though I’ll be honest, in that first chapter or two I wasn’t sure if I was going to like him. His ability to forget important words, his willingness to just roll with it when miscommunication happened, and being exactly what Lake needed, turned him into a character that I wish I knew in real life.
Now Lake on the other hand. I loved him from the beginning. He placed so much responsibility on his shoulders, so that he could take care of his twin. He and River were utterly adorable together and I wished that there had been more scenes with them. I admired him for doing what he felt needed to be done, but also finding a way to do what he wanted as well. Talk about someone who never gives up! He had his moments where he struggled, but after meeting Kane he was no longer alone.
I cannot say enough good things about their story. I think one of my favorite aspects of the story was the “lessons” that Lake would “test” Kane on. The story isn’t solely about the steam, however. It also showcased some good ole American football. 😏
Everything about this book had me devouring it in one sitting. Who needs sleep right? If you like teammates to fwb to more, then you need Lake and Kane in your life.
Wow! Lake and Kane are the book boyfriends I didn’t know I needed.
Kane is an amazing person in addition to being an amazing football player. Though I’ll be honest, in that first chapter or two I wasn’t sure if I was going to like him. His ability to forget important words, his willingness to just roll with it when miscommunication happened, and being exactly what Lake needed, turned him into a character that I wish I knew in real life.
Now Lake on the other hand. I loved him from the beginning. He placed so much responsibility on his shoulders, so that he could take care of his twin. He and River were utterly adorable together and I wished that there had been more scenes with them. I admired him for doing what he felt needed to be done, but also finding a way to do what he wanted as well. Talk about someone who never gives up! He had his moments where he struggled, but after meeting Kane he was no longer alone.
I cannot say enough good things about their story. I think one of my favorite aspects of the story was the “lessons” that Lake would “test” Kane on. The story isn’t solely about the steam, however. It also showcased some good ole American football. 😏
Everything about this book had me devouring it in one sitting. Who needs sleep right? If you like teammates to fwb to more, then you need Lake and Kane in your life.
October 31, 2023
So this is more a 3* but as there was no 80% breakup (yes!), I decided to up it. Shame we don't have half stars. Typical sports read, flowed quite well and the ending was pretty good. Some grammatical errors but I tend to forgive those more these days, not sure why. My pet peeve was that Kane should have been honest with Nate since the moment he starting seeing Lake, whether they were being serious or not. And I did not like the dynamic between Kane & Nate either, it felt off and not ringing true even if Nate had social anxiety. Additionally, what's with naming characters similar names?? Nate & Kane is just too close for my liking.
June 23, 2023
3.5 rounded up
I almost Dnf but powered through and it got better.
But Nate? You neurospicy little gremlin, you best redeem yourself for that nonsense you pulled
I almost Dnf but powered through and it got better.
But Nate? You neurospicy little gremlin, you best redeem yourself for that nonsense you pulled
April 5, 2024
I know it’s a romance novel. I know it’s not real. But so many things in this book were so unrealistic, I couldn’t find any justification. Did I also read it and ate it all up? Absolutely.
August 22, 2024
Je suis dans l'incompréhension.
C'est un livre qui se lit facilement. J'ai quand même passé un bon moment de lecture et j'ai bien aimé la relation entre les deux personnages.
Cependant, je ne suis pas sûr du message que l'auteur a souhaité transmettre. Je ne vais pas spoiler, mais à un moment pendant ma lecture, je me suis vraiment posé la question de si iel est vraiment du côté des personnes queers. Et on est dans un MM !!
Bref, je ne vais pas m'attarder dessus. Personnellement, je ne le recommande pas mais je vous encourage quand même à vous faire votre propre avis.
C'est un livre qui se lit facilement. J'ai quand même passé un bon moment de lecture et j'ai bien aimé la relation entre les deux personnages.
Cependant, je ne suis pas sûr du message que l'auteur a souhaité transmettre. Je ne vais pas spoiler, mais à un moment pendant ma lecture, je me suis vraiment posé la question de si iel est vraiment du côté des personnes queers. Et on est dans un MM !!
Bref, je ne vais pas m'attarder dessus. Personnellement, je ne le recommande pas mais je vous encourage quand même à vous faire votre propre avis.
February 9, 2025
Same old, same old, football player discovers that he ist bisexual by "accident" (this accident was very much constructed), but from then on it continues actually very sweet. Kane really is a treasure, what with wanting to make everyone happy.
I'm just not sure if I will be comfortable reading Nate's book next... but as I know myself the curiosity of how his character is shown will win 😅
I'm just not sure if I will be comfortable reading Nate's book next... but as I know myself the curiosity of how his character is shown will win 😅
July 8, 2024
Åhhhh vad man behöver en okomplicerad sports romance ibland! Och Kane- tänk så var alla i världen lika bra som honom❤️
Blev i alla fall väldigt glad av denna bok och har skrattat flera gånger 🤩
Blev i alla fall väldigt glad av denna bok och har skrattat flera gånger 🤩
July 16, 2024
"...and maybe, just maybe, for once, I have the option to do what I want to do.
And right now, I want to do my boyfriend in our locker room."
And right now, I want to do my boyfriend in our locker room."
January 22, 2024
After a tragic accident Lake takes the world on his shoulders to help his family out. His original goal of ballet gets pushed to the side so he can play ball. This young man is incredibly strong and has felt alone until Kane bulldozes his way into Lakes life.
In my opinion, Kane is one of those characters that you can’t help falling for. What he did for Lake and his twin was absolutely beautiful and he never once looked down on them. In fact, he fully supported Lakes dreams. Both these men are just amazing in my book. 🖤🔥🏈🔥🖤
My favorite quotes from Kane:
• I can barely focus on appearing nonchalant, every testosterone-filled muscle in my body aching to be upstairs already. To get some of that sweet stress relief. To work off some steam with Lake.
• The pet name he has given me should ignite the self-consciousness I always feel when someone mentions my freckles, but it doesn’t. Lake doesn’t make me feel ashamed of the soft brown specks covering my skin—it’s hard to be insecure about something he compliments any chance he can get.
Now, here he is wanting to support me—because he cares—and I’m being stubborn.
• “Start from the beginning,” I plead, placing a gentle hand on the smooth skin of his back, needing to touch him so he knows he isn’t alone. “Tell me, and I’ll be your crutch when you realize the weight of the world doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders. I promise.”
In my opinion, Kane is one of those characters that you can’t help falling for. What he did for Lake and his twin was absolutely beautiful and he never once looked down on them. In fact, he fully supported Lakes dreams. Both these men are just amazing in my book. 🖤🔥🏈🔥🖤
My favorite quotes from Kane:
• I can barely focus on appearing nonchalant, every testosterone-filled muscle in my body aching to be upstairs already. To get some of that sweet stress relief. To work off some steam with Lake.
• The pet name he has given me should ignite the self-consciousness I always feel when someone mentions my freckles, but it doesn’t. Lake doesn’t make me feel ashamed of the soft brown specks covering my skin—it’s hard to be insecure about something he compliments any chance he can get.
Now, here he is wanting to support me—because he cares—and I’m being stubborn.
• “Start from the beginning,” I plead, placing a gentle hand on the smooth skin of his back, needing to touch him so he knows he isn’t alone. “Tell me, and I’ll be your crutch when you realize the weight of the world doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders. I promise.”
October 2, 2023
Okay I actually really fucking enjoyed this but all the cute bright spots of this book got pummeled by the author segregating the locker rooms and lowkey advocating for queer athletes to be relegated to locker rooms away from their team to protect the egos of their seemingly straight counterparts. Like??? It’s giving “it happened to her because of what she’s wearing” ICK. as if the sight of a naked man will send a queer man over the edge and make them wanna jump their bones every time 💀 come onnnn. Also was not very fond of Nate gaslighting Kane into making Nate the victim and not the other way around…
September 11, 2023
I have to say this book is the best gay romance novel I have ever read, and I have read hundreds of them. Kane's and Lake's relationship Intrigued from the beginning, and just kept getting better and better. The mix of raw emotion, sexy times, and even humor was simply perfect. I had to stop myself from crying several times along the way. Kane's generosity and humbleness balanced so well with Lake's insecurities and fears. They ultimately find their own unique happiness and trust in each other. I look forward to reading the book again. Thanks Ajay Daniel!
June 24, 2023
loved it
It was in turn sweet, funny, sad, and hot. The love Lake and Kane have for each other is amazing and beautiful. Also, loved that there was no misunderstanding to cause a breakup or any breakup of any kind that you see in most romance stories. That’s so overdone and it was refreshing to read a story in which that didn’t happen. Highly recommend this book.
It was in turn sweet, funny, sad, and hot. The love Lake and Kane have for each other is amazing and beautiful. Also, loved that there was no misunderstanding to cause a breakup or any breakup of any kind that you see in most romance stories. That’s so overdone and it was refreshing to read a story in which that didn’t happen. Highly recommend this book.
June 21, 2024
I quite liked this one. Very sweet but super sexy. Bi-awakening tight end Kane and ballet dancing special teams star Lake going at it throughout the book had me like woah. The plot with Lake's sister and with Kane's BFF QB were decent as well.
There were several editing snafus that I noticed that were enough for me to pick up on, but didn't take away from the story.
Overall, great read.
There were several editing snafus that I noticed that were enough for me to pick up on, but didn't take away from the story.
Overall, great read.
August 22, 2023
2.5 Stars
This was a solid read for the most part but I’m going to have to throw in the towel. The scene at 81% is just too much for me.
There were multiple points throughout this book where I wanted to Dnf but I pushed through. I was a little annoyed at some things but I told myself to finish the book anyway.
The scene that made me finally quit is the Christmas gift giving scene at Lake’s house. I know Lake’s mother struggles a lot with his sexuality but the things Kane is saying to her are so out of touch. The parents have basically given up their lives to care for their disabled daughter. It’s very difficult and exhausting work so of course it makes sense the mother wouldn’t be happy about them getting a dog for her. It’s just an extra responsibility when they have so much to handle already.
And yet Kane acted like the mother is the devil incarnate for not being a fan of the idea. Why didn’t they discuss all this with the parents before they bought the dogs? Why didn’t they explain that care would be provided so the parents wouldn’t have to worry about having something else to take care of? I’m sorry but this scene is so dumb and Kane ended up coming off way too unlikeable for me to continue.
Confronting the mother’s homophobia is one thing but going after her for being against the idea of getting an extra responsibility when she’s a full time carer is asshole behaviour. And even going as far as saying if she doesn’t want the dog then she doesn’t love her kids. The entire thing is ridiculous.
I’ve never given up this far into a book but there’s a first time for everything. This was a personal gripe of mine so I’m sure plenty of others will enjoy the book. It’s not a bad book by any means.
I don’t like giving books low ratings and I’m sure the author worked really hard on this but I felt I should be honest.
I’m curious about Nate’s story so I’ll keep an eye out for that book. I’ll probably come back and skim this to make sure I don’t miss out on anything.
This was a solid read for the most part but I’m going to have to throw in the towel. The scene at 81% is just too much for me.
There were multiple points throughout this book where I wanted to Dnf but I pushed through. I was a little annoyed at some things but I told myself to finish the book anyway.
The scene that made me finally quit is the Christmas gift giving scene at Lake’s house. I know Lake’s mother struggles a lot with his sexuality but the things Kane is saying to her are so out of touch. The parents have basically given up their lives to care for their disabled daughter. It’s very difficult and exhausting work so of course it makes sense the mother wouldn’t be happy about them getting a dog for her. It’s just an extra responsibility when they have so much to handle already.
And yet Kane acted like the mother is the devil incarnate for not being a fan of the idea. Why didn’t they discuss all this with the parents before they bought the dogs? Why didn’t they explain that care would be provided so the parents wouldn’t have to worry about having something else to take care of? I’m sorry but this scene is so dumb and Kane ended up coming off way too unlikeable for me to continue.
Confronting the mother’s homophobia is one thing but going after her for being against the idea of getting an extra responsibility when she’s a full time carer is asshole behaviour. And even going as far as saying if she doesn’t want the dog then she doesn’t love her kids. The entire thing is ridiculous.
I’ve never given up this far into a book but there’s a first time for everything. This was a personal gripe of mine so I’m sure plenty of others will enjoy the book. It’s not a bad book by any means.
I don’t like giving books low ratings and I’m sure the author worked really hard on this but I felt I should be honest.
I’m curious about Nate’s story so I’ll keep an eye out for that book. I’ll probably come back and skim this to make sure I don’t miss out on anything.
September 6, 2023
Rating: 4 Stars
POV(s): Dual—First Person
Relationship: M/M
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
❥
Another book that I actually enjoyed reading (which felt like a small miracle given I was in a reading slump). The characters, romance, writing, pacing—*mwah*—chef’s kiss. It’d be remiss of me not to mention the fact that there’s also no third-act breakup.
I read the more critical reviews, and whilst I can see why some people had issues with the way Nate and Kane’s friendship plot line panned out—I also struggle with the fact that Kane more or less abandoned his role of the constant support and/or lifeline in Nate’s life, however unintentional/non-malicious that abandonment was—it kind of made sense for Kane’s character: he had a precedent of dedicating himself to helping someone when they’re struggling or alone, enter Lake (who is both struggling and alone) who he quickly fell head over heels for, and…yeah. Still really sucky of him as Nate’s friend, but again it makes sense. I think it’s also important to point out that Nate isn’t innocent, his behavior/treatment (fueled by jealousy) towards Lake was what started the divide between the friends.
Side note, I wish this book was called Pick-Six of I love you, PS, both seem better suited than Icing the Kicker, which held no real relevance in the story.
❥
Title: “Icing the Kicker” by Ajay Daniel
Interconnected Series: Yes
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Triggers: Yes
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Bi-Awakening
➢ Famous-Athlete-MMCs
➢ Friends-with-Benefits
➢ Secret-Relationship
➢ Sports-Romance (Football)
POV(s): Dual—First Person
Relationship: M/M
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
❥
”I’m still looking at Lake, and a random thought crosses my mind that it is very convenient his jersey number is six. Because I think this kicker, punter, and ballet dancer-slash-teacher is my pick-six, and I want the whole world to see how amazing he is.”
Another book that I actually enjoyed reading (which felt like a small miracle given I was in a reading slump). The characters, romance, writing, pacing—*mwah*—chef’s kiss. It’d be remiss of me not to mention the fact that there’s also no third-act breakup.
I read the more critical reviews, and whilst I can see why some people had issues with the way Nate and Kane’s friendship plot line panned out—I also struggle with the fact that Kane more or less abandoned his role of the constant support and/or lifeline in Nate’s life, however unintentional/non-malicious that abandonment was—it kind of made sense for Kane’s character: he had a precedent of dedicating himself to helping someone when they’re struggling or alone, enter Lake (who is both struggling and alone) who he quickly fell head over heels for, and…yeah. Still really sucky of him as Nate’s friend, but again it makes sense. I think it’s also important to point out that Nate isn’t innocent, his behavior/treatment (fueled by jealousy) towards Lake was what started the divide between the friends.
Side note, I wish this book was called Pick-Six of I love you, PS, both seem better suited than Icing the Kicker, which held no real relevance in the story.
❥
Title: “Icing the Kicker” by Ajay Daniel
Interconnected Series: Yes
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Triggers: Yes
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Bi-Awakening
➢ Famous-Athlete-MMCs
➢ Friends-with-Benefits
➢ Secret-Relationship
➢ Sports-Romance (Football)
January 28, 2024
DNF @50%
It was the scene where Kane calls his TWIN SISTER crippled for me. SIR ITS BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THE ACCIDENT AND YOU STILL THINK THATS OKAY??? And even Nate or Lake or whoever he was talking to was like, hold up. It would be different if he was the disabled one but damn, that conversation came out of nowhere.
I've read a LOT of MM sports romance books and not ONCE has the coach or team made the only openly gay player have his own locker room, shower or hotel room. Trust that he's a grown man who is professional and lets not push the stereotype that gay men are predatory with straight men. And even when the coach heard Kane was bisexual he said, oh, let us know so you can get your own locker room. Like, its a TEAM sport and that is 100% discrimination and you can't tell me otherwise.
Nate. Mans was all torn up about losing his best friend, and even left Lake's shoes OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN, left him notes saying 'go home' and stuff like that. Like, sir, you are too old to be doing dumb shit like that instead of using your words to communicate. They didn't have to drug him though. And the way they made out his anxiety to be a burden (oh, he'll be '220 pounds of a trembling mess') to even his best friend. And the random addition that they used to share women, but just out of convenience? Idk this plot was going like 10 different directions.
Last issue I had. Lake's salary was more than ONE MILLION DOLLARS and his parents were still struggling to pay his sister's medical bills. While mans is out here busting his ass, living with roommates, not having a car, etc. I dont want to say that his parents seemed to only care about him for the money buuut 💁♀️
Final point, I promise. How tf did they make a whole language with just squeezing their hands? Theres so many different assistive devices for communication nowadays and that's what the author went with? No like eye gaze communication board or something? Just this imaginary language? Okay 🤷♀️
And the miscommunication bl*wjob? We love enthusiastic and continuous consent around here, and that wasn't it.
It was the scene where Kane calls his TWIN SISTER crippled for me. SIR ITS BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THE ACCIDENT AND YOU STILL THINK THATS OKAY??? And even Nate or Lake or whoever he was talking to was like, hold up. It would be different if he was the disabled one but damn, that conversation came out of nowhere.
I've read a LOT of MM sports romance books and not ONCE has the coach or team made the only openly gay player have his own locker room, shower or hotel room. Trust that he's a grown man who is professional and lets not push the stereotype that gay men are predatory with straight men. And even when the coach heard Kane was bisexual he said, oh, let us know so you can get your own locker room. Like, its a TEAM sport and that is 100% discrimination and you can't tell me otherwise.
Nate. Mans was all torn up about losing his best friend, and even left Lake's shoes OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN, left him notes saying 'go home' and stuff like that. Like, sir, you are too old to be doing dumb shit like that instead of using your words to communicate. They didn't have to drug him though. And the way they made out his anxiety to be a burden (oh, he'll be '220 pounds of a trembling mess') to even his best friend. And the random addition that they used to share women, but just out of convenience? Idk this plot was going like 10 different directions.
Last issue I had. Lake's salary was more than ONE MILLION DOLLARS and his parents were still struggling to pay his sister's medical bills. While mans is out here busting his ass, living with roommates, not having a car, etc. I dont want to say that his parents seemed to only care about him for the money buuut 💁♀️
Final point, I promise. How tf did they make a whole language with just squeezing their hands? Theres so many different assistive devices for communication nowadays and that's what the author went with? No like eye gaze communication board or something? Just this imaginary language? Okay 🤷♀️
And the miscommunication bl*wjob? We love enthusiastic and continuous consent around here, and that wasn't it.
January 17, 2024
KU
Hmm I honestly don’t know. 4 ⭐️ seems a bit low
I liked it, I maybe half loved it but I didn’t LOVE it, you know?
I quite liked the beginning (didn’t connect fully with the characters to begin with, but we got there!) but then as soon as it was obvious that Nate was in love with Kane I just got really anxious for when it all inevitably came out I won’t lie 😂 and then the end was really sweet, especially when Kane build the house for River and the tattoos! Also really loved how Lake was finally free to do ballet instead of football ❤️
Loved the dual POV as always 🤣
I think part of my problem was because it’s about American Football, and there was quite a bit of description about their football games which I didn’t really like. It’s not why I’m reading the book 🤣 and it all just went completely over my head. A lot harder to follow than ice hockey 😂
I had to keep on reminding myself that they weren’t in college (uni) - I think mainly because Lake lived in the shared flat, but it was weird to me that they were 23 and 27 (I think?)
So yeah, I think part of the slightly off feeling was seeing Nate and Kane interacting, knowing Nate is in love with him (downside of reading the blurb of the sequel before reading the first book 🤣)
Also saw a few ‘you’re’s when they should have been ‘your’s which was really annoying I won’t lie. How is this stuff not picked up?
Don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel - partly because it’s about Nate and I really don’t know how I feel about him as a character, a lot of his mannerisms were explained away by his anxiety? Just felt a bit off to me - and partly because it’s MMM and that’s not really my bag. But might be interesting because we’ve met all three of them in this book 🤷♀️
Hmm I honestly don’t know. 4 ⭐️ seems a bit low
I liked it, I maybe half loved it but I didn’t LOVE it, you know?
I quite liked the beginning (didn’t connect fully with the characters to begin with, but we got there!) but then as soon as it was obvious that Nate was in love with Kane I just got really anxious for when it all inevitably came out I won’t lie 😂 and then the end was really sweet, especially when Kane build the house for River and the tattoos! Also really loved how Lake was finally free to do ballet instead of football ❤️
Loved the dual POV as always 🤣
I think part of my problem was because it’s about American Football, and there was quite a bit of description about their football games which I didn’t really like. It’s not why I’m reading the book 🤣 and it all just went completely over my head. A lot harder to follow than ice hockey 😂
I had to keep on reminding myself that they weren’t in college (uni) - I think mainly because Lake lived in the shared flat, but it was weird to me that they were 23 and 27 (I think?)
So yeah, I think part of the slightly off feeling was seeing Nate and Kane interacting, knowing Nate is in love with him (downside of reading the blurb of the sequel before reading the first book 🤣)
Also saw a few ‘you’re’s when they should have been ‘your’s which was really annoying I won’t lie. How is this stuff not picked up?
Don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel - partly because it’s about Nate and I really don’t know how I feel about him as a character, a lot of his mannerisms were explained away by his anxiety? Just felt a bit off to me - and partly because it’s MMM and that’s not really my bag. But might be interesting because we’ve met all three of them in this book 🤷♀️
February 22, 2024
What a mess
Wow is this book a disaster. And the worst part, the couple is great!! I enjoyed the two MCs and how they got together and how sweet they were together! They fit great and the story of them falling in love was kind of perfect! But everything else was so so messed up.
The whole storyline with Nate was ridiculous. With his intense anxiety and complete dependence on Kane to handle literally anything, how the heck is he a professional athlete let alone team captain!? He can’t even do interviews himself but he’s supposed to support an entire team!? No.
Then somehow he doesn’t notice his roommate and best friend is constantly having sleep overs and is suddenly attached to the hip of Lake, and yet he’s supposed to be secretly in love with him!? Wouldn’t he have been watching Kane and noticing his eyes always being on Lake?
Plus the whole thing of Kane and Nate having threesomes throughout their entire friendship is so cringey to me. And the “movie nights” and sleep overs. Blah NO! It irked me so much.
Then the whole thing with Lake’s parents. The dad seemed great at the beginning. Then was written like he was indifferent or at least going to not stand up for his own son. Then he and his jerk of a wife threaten to sue to control their daughter’s decisions? And then it all goes away because the wife has ONE therapy session?? Again, NO!
Seriously this book would have been great if it had only been about Kane and Lake. Everything else was crap.
Tropes: First times, Bi-Awakening, Coming Out, Professional Athletes, Football, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5
Wow is this book a disaster. And the worst part, the couple is great!! I enjoyed the two MCs and how they got together and how sweet they were together! They fit great and the story of them falling in love was kind of perfect! But everything else was so so messed up.
The whole storyline with Nate was ridiculous. With his intense anxiety and complete dependence on Kane to handle literally anything, how the heck is he a professional athlete let alone team captain!? He can’t even do interviews himself but he’s supposed to support an entire team!? No.
Then somehow he doesn’t notice his roommate and best friend is constantly having sleep overs and is suddenly attached to the hip of Lake, and yet he’s supposed to be secretly in love with him!? Wouldn’t he have been watching Kane and noticing his eyes always being on Lake?
Plus the whole thing of Kane and Nate having threesomes throughout their entire friendship is so cringey to me. And the “movie nights” and sleep overs. Blah NO! It irked me so much.
Then the whole thing with Lake’s parents. The dad seemed great at the beginning. Then was written like he was indifferent or at least going to not stand up for his own son. Then he and his jerk of a wife threaten to sue to control their daughter’s decisions? And then it all goes away because the wife has ONE therapy session?? Again, NO!
Seriously this book would have been great if it had only been about Kane and Lake. Everything else was crap.
Tropes: First times, Bi-Awakening, Coming Out, Professional Athletes, Football, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: ⭐️⭐️ 2/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2024
Eye Rolls and Typos
It was a cute story, Kane is such a retriever and I liked how Lake, although a ballet dancer and kicker, wasn’t made out to be this effeminate twink. I loved the representation of actual prepping for most of the steamy scenes. I also liked how, unlike most books with a rich MC, Lake didn’t reject Kane’s generosity toward his sister/family/himself and actually allowed Kane to do something good with his gobs of money.
I am not against unrealistic plots and happenings in a book, but goodness this book was absolutely full of them. Like the fact that the MMCs snuck around for months and months without Nate noticing when he’s supposed to be the best friend? The other thing it was absolutely full of? Typos. Seriously, how to I get a job as a proofreader? I’d be more than happy to do it. As an avid reader, grammatical errors are a huge no-no for me.
The other thing I took issue with was Kane’s reaction to Nate coming on to him. I mean, okay, both of them could have been more mature about the situation, but I totally had sympathy for Nate and feeling like he got major mixed signals from Kane. I was so sad when Kane got mad at him and called their whole friendship a lie when Nate confessed his feelings. It left a bad taste in my mouth for Kane’s character.
Overall, it was an entertaining read. It made me shake my head and eye roll every once in a while, but I’m happy to give the author some artistic license. I’m off to read Nate’s story now because hot dang, that poor man needs some redemption. Fingers crossed this one was reviewed and edited better, because if not, I might have to put it down.
It was a cute story, Kane is such a retriever and I liked how Lake, although a ballet dancer and kicker, wasn’t made out to be this effeminate twink. I loved the representation of actual prepping for most of the steamy scenes. I also liked how, unlike most books with a rich MC, Lake didn’t reject Kane’s generosity toward his sister/family/himself and actually allowed Kane to do something good with his gobs of money.
I am not against unrealistic plots and happenings in a book, but goodness this book was absolutely full of them. Like the fact that the MMCs snuck around for months and months without Nate noticing when he’s supposed to be the best friend? The other thing it was absolutely full of? Typos. Seriously, how to I get a job as a proofreader? I’d be more than happy to do it. As an avid reader, grammatical errors are a huge no-no for me.
The other thing I took issue with was Kane’s reaction to Nate coming on to him. I mean, okay, both of them could have been more mature about the situation, but I totally had sympathy for Nate and feeling like he got major mixed signals from Kane. I was so sad when Kane got mad at him and called their whole friendship a lie when Nate confessed his feelings. It left a bad taste in my mouth for Kane’s character.
Overall, it was an entertaining read. It made me shake my head and eye roll every once in a while, but I’m happy to give the author some artistic license. I’m off to read Nate’s story now because hot dang, that poor man needs some redemption. Fingers crossed this one was reviewed and edited better, because if not, I might have to put it down.
July 16, 2024
Engaging with some glaring issues
I really enjoyed this story, it felt fresh and kept me engaged. After a weird, inappropriate start, the MCs had great chemistry and grew well together. I also liked the way Lake's family issues were resolved.
I had some issues, detailed further below to avoid spoilers, centred around inequality, consent, and a few other ideals.
Tropes include teammates, bi-awakening, unsupportive family member, sometimes humorous/sometimes frustrating miscommunication.
If you'd like to know my concerns more in-depth, scroll down BUT if you'd like to avoid overt spoilers, I fare thee well now.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
First issue: the coaching and management team insist that Lake use a separate locker room to avoid making anyone uncomfortable and, apart from a brief discussion towards the end, it's not painted as being discriminatory; the MCs even go so far as to support the idea.
Second issue: Lake outs a teammate to Kane without his permission, and it's just glossed over.
I also took issue with the way Kane and Nate's friendship is exploited for dramatic tension, as well as the glaring ignorance of consent in Lake's speech to Kane when they begin their deal-friendship. I think both those aspects could have been dealt with in a better way, one that embraces emotionally intimate male relationships and another that embraces consent more fully.
I really enjoyed this story, it felt fresh and kept me engaged. After a weird, inappropriate start, the MCs had great chemistry and grew well together. I also liked the way Lake's family issues were resolved.
I had some issues, detailed further below to avoid spoilers, centred around inequality, consent, and a few other ideals.
Tropes include teammates, bi-awakening, unsupportive family member, sometimes humorous/sometimes frustrating miscommunication.
If you'd like to know my concerns more in-depth, scroll down BUT if you'd like to avoid overt spoilers, I fare thee well now.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
First issue: the coaching and management team insist that Lake use a separate locker room to avoid making anyone uncomfortable and, apart from a brief discussion towards the end, it's not painted as being discriminatory; the MCs even go so far as to support the idea.
Second issue: Lake outs a teammate to Kane without his permission, and it's just glossed over.
I also took issue with the way Kane and Nate's friendship is exploited for dramatic tension, as well as the glaring ignorance of consent in Lake's speech to Kane when they begin their deal-friendship. I think both those aspects could have been dealt with in a better way, one that embraces emotionally intimate male relationships and another that embraces consent more fully.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews