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Sawyer Price is the broodiest, most stubborn guy I ever had the joy of tutoring. He is also the sexiest, most irresistible jock at Northwood U. His hockey scholarship depends on passing the general courses and I’m the cleverest physics cog on campus. I’m kind of brilliant. Not that I’m bragging. But the line of students in need of my help has got to mean something, right? And because I can’t tutor them all, I’m forced to choose my students another way. The thing is, no matter how smart I might be, I’m a total dating disaster. So when Sawyer and I find a mutually beneficial arrangement, I have no way out. He’s going to teach me how to score a guy. And I would be mad to refuse. After all, everyone is dying to hang out with Sawyer Price. The problem with having no dating experience whatsoever is that my tutor quickly becomes my newest obsession. But a guy like that would never want to have me for real, right? I’m just a hopeless nerd trying to trade my V-card and he’s the star goalie for Arctic Titans . We are polar opposites in every way. Even if we take things a step further, we can never really be together.

It seems like the final dating lesson I must learn is on the subject of heartbreak.

Scoring the Keeper is the second book in Hayden Hall ’ s Arctic Titans of Northwood U series of gay, college hockey romance novels. Expect fiery encounters on and off the ice, very thorough tutoring sessions, and the emotional rollercoaster of self-discovery, acceptance, and growth into adulthood. Scoring the Keeper can be read as a standalone, but it's more fun to read the books in order.

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2023

268 people are currently reading
928 people want to read

About the author

Hayden Hall

72 books768 followers
Gay. Sweet. Steamy.

Hayden Hall writes MM romance novels. He is a boyfriend, a globetrotter, and an avid romance reader.

Hayden's mission is to author a catalog of captivating and steamy MM romance novels which gather a devoted community around the Happily Ever Afters.

His stories are sweet with just the right amount of naughty.

You can get in touch with Hayden on Facebook or through his website at haydenhallwrites.com

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
Profile Image for ivy.
638 reviews360 followers
September 19, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
The classic set-up:
F*ckboy jock coaches nerdy virgin in how to get boys, in exchange for the nerd tutoring the jock so he doesn’t lose his scholarship and can never play hockey ever again.

Or as our MC Noah’s best friend, Matt puts it:

“An aggressive hockey goalie and a temperamental genius who’s actually scared of strangers in the same room. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.”

and it plays out so sweetly. 😋

Loved our hockey player Sawyer. Confidence on high. The boy doesn’t hold back anything. He made me happy.

”It was like he could cast a spell over you and plant himself in the center of your heart with little more than a mischievous smile or arching of an eyebrow.”

Sweet Noah - physics nerd with general anxiety, lacks confidence but he is no pushover.

”He was like a treat everyone else missed out on, unaware he was the sweetest kind.”

This was very charming. Perfect no angst fluff to get you out of a funk.

This is peak Hayden Hall. Can be read as stand-alone. I did not read the first book in this series. Thank you to GRR for the advanced copy. Gah, I love this cover model, Gustavo Daisuke.
Profile Image for L Ann.
745 reviews160 followers
July 2, 2024
I listened to the audiobook and was bored for the majority of the story. The plot was very simple, which I normally don't mind, but it was also too wordy. The first sex scene was over 20 tedious pages of Noah commenting on everything Sawyer said and did. It killed anything sexy about the moment, and after a while, I just skipped it altogether and moved on to the next chapter.

I didn't know anything about the main characters other than that Noah was an inexperienced nerd and that Sawyer was a jock with serious fuckboy tendencies. There wasn't any depth to their personalities, and because of this, I felt no connection to either one of them.

Their confessions of love at the end was so unbelievable that I literally laughed out loud. It's not that I don't think it possible for them to fall in love in such a short amount of time, it's just that this wasn't an instalove story and I didn't see that development in the story. I did see that they had feelings for each other and wanted to be in a relationship, but I didn't see them falling in love. There were a lot of off-page interactions and study sessions, so maybe I just missed it. 🫤 Also, the "nerdy" voice the narrator gave Noah was annoying. 1.5 stars, rounded up
Profile Image for Iman (hiatus).
726 reviews260 followers
October 25, 2023
This book didn’t have a good start, I was struggling in the beginning, but it picked up then I realised I was enjoying it.

This is very the highschoolers vibes, I usually avoid them, so it was definitely a surprise to enjoy this. I didn’t expect to love this tutor x hockey player trope because it’s all kinds of cliché, but this one was very smooth and entertaining. It’s only 200 pages but I was hooked by their relationship. I enjoyed it soo much. There was like four times I couldn’t stop smiling and giggling reading this book. They are such cuties and they fit so well.

And the climax wasn’t dragged and easily solved, I appreciate that. The depth of hockey theme is not much, so don’t look forward to that.
Profile Image for Bookish Meag &#x1fa75;.
234 reviews101 followers
September 25, 2023
Released on September 21st!

“The broody bad boy was a sweetheart in disguise and the thought made my heart leap.”

🏒MM Romance
🏫Cute Nerd
🏒Low Angst
🏫Dating Coach
🏒Physics Tutor
🏫Tattooed Jock
🏒Virgin/Playboy
🏫Sports Romance
🏒College Romance
🏫Opposites Attract
🏒 Bisexual Teddy Bear

“I was doing this whole thing wrong. I was teaching him how to attract a guy. But what I should have been doing was holding mass lectures on how to get Noah Foster to like you.”

Scoring the Keeper is book two of the Arctic Titans of Northwood U series by Hayden Hall. It was so fast paced, I loved it. I read it all the way through without stopping.

Sawyer is a broody bad boy, the goalie for the hockey team, and he is also the notorious playboy. He is currently failing physics for the second time and needs Noah’s help to pass.

Noah is the cutest, sweetest nerd, with a feisty side. He brought my heart so much joy. I adored his character so much. He is a highly sought after tutor, and gets to pick and choose who he helps. He is also awkward, nervous and needs help with dating.

These two made me swoon so many times. I loved all Sawyer’s thought about Noah, and how he wanted to protect him. This was so sweet, both of the MC’s were. This book brought me so many laughs, I loved the sarcasm from Noah and Sawyer. The playful banter, the heated looks, and just all of the study sessions were perfection.

“He was a growly one when someone looked my way, but so was I when they lusted after my keeper.”

I received a free copy from Gay Romance Reviews for my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Drache.... (Angelika) .
1,519 reviews218 followers
October 21, 2023
4,5 stars.
This could have been just another college / hockey / mm romance, but was surprisingly so much fun!

Scoring the keeper was my first book by Hayden Hall, and I'm quite impressed.

The storyline was obviously nothing new, and despite the fact that the book wasn't even 200 pages long, Noah and Sawyer's characters were beautifully developed, their chemistry and falling in love awesome.

I especially loved how Sawyer was focused on Noah from the moment they met and made their pact. He wanted to help Noah in return for Noah's physics tutoring, and took this committment seriously. He went all in without really realising how much Noah meant to him for a long time. It was super sweet how adorable the cool hockey player was with Noah, never doubting himself or Noah.

I enjoyed this a lot!
Profile Image for Kaitlyn.
463 reviews180 followers
September 15, 2023
The broody bad boy was a sweetheart in disguise and the thought made my heart leap.

🌟 Star Rating - 4/5
🔥 Spice Rating - 3/5

What To Expect:
🖤 MM Romance
❤️ College Hockey
🖤 Opposites Attract
❤️ Player/Virgin
🖤 Low Angst
❤️ HEA

You are amazing just the way you are. You are everything I could have wished for and more. The day you change, the stars will go out.

𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘

This book was super sweet, full of cute scenes and spicy moments. Low angst is what Hayden Hall does best, and I just swooned the entire time. Very character driven, this book was about two complete opposites, a broody hockey goalie and an awkward physics nerd, and they were just super cute! Despite the grumpiness towards Sawyer at the beginning, Noah became the gooeyest character in the history of gooeyness and I just wanted to protect him with all my being! I really enjoyed this light read, Hayden is an auto-buy author for me and this one did not disappoint!
Profile Image for Julia (bookish.jka).
935 reviews284 followers
September 21, 2023
"When I thought he would growl and grunt, he merely sighed. The broody bad boy was a sweetheart in disguise and the thought made my heart leap."

I'm loving how Hayden Hall is switching it up in this series, moving away from the angsty, enemies to lovers vibe (which I adore!) in book 1 of the series, Crossing Blades, to this cute, funny but also steamy, friends (of sorts!) to lovers story in Scoring the Keeper.

Scoring the Keeper is book 2 in Hayden Hall's Arctic Titans of Northwood U series which is based on the life and loves of the Titans ice hockey team. This instalment showcases Noah and Sawyer's 'opposites attract' romance, with minimal angst but ALL the first times!

Tropes:

❣️MM sports romance
❣️Nerd/jock
❣️Virgin/bad boy
❣️Opposites attract
❣️Friends first
❣️Steamy first times
❣️HEA

Such a sweet yet steamy read!

4 stars.
Profile Image for ⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven•.
1,577 reviews296 followers
September 24, 2023
A college MM romance between a secretly handsome (& virgin) Physics nerd & a sexy tattooed Hockey goalie who needs his help! This story is the sweetest, I loved Sawyer & Noah. Devoured my #ARC in 5hrs.

This story is low angst with a kinda disastrous meet-cute, some pleading from Sawyer, & then double tutoring! Noah teaching S physics while S teaches ways to bag a guy 😉. Along the way, they get close...then closer 🤭. Can this fling be more?

I just wanted to hug these 2 when they thought that the other couldn't possibly want em! So sweet, I loved their love progression. Dunno man, I liked this book better than the 1st one 🤷. I was anticipating a 3rd act conflict, which became the climax, but it actually is handled quite swiftly & maturely. Enjoyed this!

This book timeline runs concurrently with the 1st one, but it's not heavily focused on the team & more on these 2. I'm excited for Caden & Beckett's book, cause holy shit! Poor Caden.
P.s. Gosh, I'm in love with this cover 🤩.

Story Ratings:

POV: 1st person, Dual POV
1) Overall Enjoyment—> 5/5
2) The Characters: 5/5
3) Top feels: 🥰😍😉🤨😏🤭🤓🥺😜😔🙋
4) Steamy scenes: 2.5/5
5) Levels: Cute+Swoon: 4.5/5
Angst: 2/5
Dark: 1/5
6) Creativity + world: 4.5/5
7) Plot arc: (Physics & Sweetly falling in love) 4.25/5
8) Writing style + pace: 4.7/5
Profile Image for True Loveislovereview.
2,851 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2023
Sawyer needs a physics tutor and the one he wants is Noah Foster, who’s non-approachable and unavailable, everyone wants Noah as a tutor.
Sawyer is desperate so he finds a way to approach him and makes it a win-win situation.
Noah will be his tutor and Sawyer will help Noah to date, the guy is super smart, but he’s a dating disaster.
Noah is a kind of growling and haughty guy, with a hidden v-card, and Sawyer is a stubborn jock, a stubborn, sexy player.

Sawyer is attractive and Noah ditto, but they don't even fit, they are so opposite, and couldn’t be more different from each other. They didn’t even like each other.

Sawyer will be Noah’s wingman at the bar, while Noah will give his first try to pick someone up.
Everything changed when Sawyer understood this was Noah’s first first time.
Their whole dynamic changed.

Gosh while I had startup trouble in the beginning, the rest of the story was more than wonderful.
The real Noah and Sawyer separately and together were a sight to the eye.
The course of the story was greatly done, the writing was enthralling, and the author had an eye for juicy details and made a lovely appetizing story, with all the feels.
Profile Image for J.
1,559 reviews37 followers
November 20, 2023
I thought this was a really sweet take on the jock/nerd relationship. Sawyer was the perfect bad boy who needed love, and Noah really was the eager virgin who only needed one man.

I'll say this about this series: Hall writes the best sex scenes I've read in a long while. Nothing is rushed, things are imaginative, and he knows how to describe things in a way too many authors don't.
Profile Image for Monica.
553 reviews32 followers
September 24, 2023
What a beautiful and sweet book! I loved this story so much, it was such a fantastic read and I just couldn't put it down so I finished it so quickly and I even felt sad to let these guys go.
Sawyer is an ice hockey goalie for the team at his University and he needs help with Physics as he's failing it. Noah is the king of Physics at his University and everyone wants him to tutor them, but he isn't that good at socialising and much less, at relationships. Noah wants to lose his virginity so he accepts to tutor Sawyer in exchange for flirting lessons.
I just loved this couple from the beginning. It was so clear they were just what the other needed. I had such a good laugh at the way they met, I wouldn't call it a meet-cute but it certainly led to the start of their relationship.
Sawyer was a player, always hooking up and being the broody, bad boy. Eventually, after spending a few weeks with Noah, he realised he didn't want to carry on doing that. I enjoyed so much witnessing how Sawyer slowly changed and got into Noah as he got to know the nerdy guy. However, Noah was head over heels for Sawyer from the first time they met.
This book was such a lovely read. I swooned at both MCs every time they were together and I found Noah's notes very romantic. This was one of those stories easy to read because you get hooked on it from the first chapter. There are funny situations, steamy moments and two guys discovering love and falling for each other. There are not many ice hockey scenes in this book, but it's still a very recommended read.
Profile Image for Dani (Daniiireads).
1,967 reviews325 followers
September 17, 2023
- hockey
- opposites attract
- virgin & the bad boy
- low angst

Goalie Sawyer Price needs help bringing up his grades asap or else he can kiss his hockey scholarship goodbye. Meanwhile physics nerd Noah Foster is brilliant and has a long line of people waiting for his help, but has no clue how to talk to guys and is desperately wanting to lose his v card.

The pair strike up a mutually beneficial arrangement—Noah will tutor Sawyer while Sawyer “tutors” him in the art of snagging a guy. The sweet nerdy virgin is absolutely in over his head though! Sawyer is nothing like he expected, and Noah soon finds himself crushing on his dating tutor. Likewise Sawyer realizes he wants to be the one to take his virginity after playing wingman.

These two were absolutely precious. I loved how jealous and possessive Sawyer was over Noah, but he was also really sweet and thoughtful too. Noah is a soft little cinnamon roll beneath all his snark, and I loved him to pieces. Their story is so sweet and low angst and gave me all the feels.
Profile Image for tarrnum \(^o^)/.
96 reviews
February 3, 2024
Sawyer and Noah have my heart ♡♡ Loved this one!! Except for the instalove part which makes it a 4 star, they were pretty cute together!!! And I adored all the physics part, very geeky vibes.
Profile Image for Maggie May.
908 reviews12 followers
January 1, 2024
Something was just a little off with this one. The first thing that jumped out at me was that we were being told that Sawyer was one way (brooding, slightly edgy, a little dark) but everything we were shown contradicted that. Then the romance was supposedly progressing but I wasn’t seeing any chemistry. Eventually they start hooking up but Noah is in his own head so much it wasn’t as hot as it should have been, and I didn’t feel them connecting. In theory these were great characters in a great story, but in reality it just wasn’t great. 3.5 stars rounded down because it took too long in the setup.
Profile Image for caffeinated.crystal .
533 reviews10 followers
September 25, 2023
Scoring the Keeper by Hayden Hall was EXACTLY what I needed. Are you a fan of the jock/nerd trope? My 90s romcom loving heart sure is, and that made Scoring the Keeper absolutely perfect.

Sawyer needs to pass his physics class if he wants to stay on his college's hockey team. The best tutor, Noah, has been booked out for years. But Noah is really only good at science and not other people. How about an exchange? Physics tutoring for dating tutoring?

*screams at the cliché because it's perfect and everything I ever wanted!*

Fuckboy meets awkward virgin is a sub-trope that usually goes along with the jock/nerd trope and it hits perfect with Sawyer and Noah.

When they fall, they fall fast. These two were perfect for each other and I LOVED getting to be watch them fall.

I loved this story.

I was once talking with my tattoo artist about the fact that clichés are clichés FOR A REASON. Scoring the Keeper was proof that the jock/nerd trope is popular because it works.

I highly recommend this one, y'all *chef's kiss* and don't worry about this being book 2. I haven't read book one, and this was still a top-tier read.
Profile Image for B.
396 reviews47 followers
September 18, 2023
I absolutely flew through this and really loved it! I really really liked book 1 in this series but omg I love Sawyer and Noah SO MUCH.

This was just exactly what I needed atm too, so sweet but spicy, and I couldn't put it down.

We meet grumpy Sawyer in book 1, he is on a scholarship and is failing Physics, he needs a tutor. Noah is the local tutor/genius but he's also in high demand, expensive, and doesn't want to take on anyone else.

Noah ends up meeting Sawyer at a party where they have a lil moment, which leads into another LIL MOMENT and Noah agrees to tutor Sawyer - if he agrees to teach him how to talk to men and how to date them.

Some of my favourite tropes in this! Nerd x (alt) Jock, tutoring, first times, actual communication between the MCs, adorable moments, spicy moments, tender moments, ice hockey...

It was also SO INTERESTING, I love space (even though it terrifies me and sends me into existential crisis) and I really loved how much knowledge Hayden poured into this book. It is a hockey book but I loved that there was so much of the "nerd" side, Noah's passion for physics was so nice and warming to read, and can I just say again that I loved it cos I JUST DID OKAY 😂

Very excited for book 3 in this series!

~I received a free copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest opinion~
Profile Image for Fny.
649 reviews17 followers
December 29, 2023
I stuck with it to the end. Yay me… gosh this was so boring. I just wanted have a fun quick reading time… but I didn’t feel anything other than uttermost boredom tbh. I hope to anything this isn’t my last read of the year because sad if it is…
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The beginning was best. Everything up until the first numbing sex scene was actually pretty decent. Then I just tuned out most of the time… Not much plot happened after that scene except some more outdrawn sec scenes I didn’t care for in the slightest. No heat and no chemistry just felt like a A slot into B kinda writing and all too described but no finesse in the writing.
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But now I know that I can steer away from this author altogether. I’ve tried two books, dropped one and finished one but for what cost..so yeah he and his books aren’t for me.
The premises always sounds promising but yeah the execution lefts me waiting.
.
It can totally be much of a me thing but also…I need more real emotions in my reads but this story fell kinda flat in that notion. Their emotions felt plastic & constructed. The characters didn’t really felt like more than words on paper. And that’s the worst verdict I can give a book tbh.
Then, I also just compared this book to other better ones that I’ve read through the years honestly.
Profile Image for Hanna.
362 reviews10 followers
November 22, 2023
Okay, so this was significantly better than the first book. The two characters were a lot more interesting, had better interactions, and were overall adorable. I liked this couple, they were just cute and fluffy. The writing style is not my favorite and I was not completely involved in the story, because it was not written in detail so it seemed like the plot disappeared. You can read this one without reading get first one, there is overlap but it is not that important.
Profile Image for Beaumont.
844 reviews
April 11, 2024
Audio narration: 3 stars
Story: 4.5 stars

Noah is a cis white gay 21 year old college student. He’s on the lean side, not tall or short, and wears glasses. I think he has green eyes and blonde hair but I can’t remember. He’s great at physicals and a sought after tutor and student, but bad at flirting. He’s a virgin and has no romantic experience with guys or girls (but is gay). He agrees to type Sawyer in exchange for flirting/dating/pickup lessons. He gets a crush on Sawyer after their first conversation and tries initially to ignore it. He’s pretty convinced Sawyer won’t ever like him romantically because he thinks Sawyer can do a lot better. Even when he mistakenly thinks Sawyer is trying to tell him that, he’s understanding about it. Sawyer wasn’t, of course, but this poor guy was made to think he’s inadequate (parents mostly) and it takes some time to grow out of that. He’s also pretty desperate to not be a virgin anymore. I hugely appreciated he had sex for the first time with someone he trusted but also not someone he was seriously dating. Too many people get married/committed JUST to have sex. That’s some expensive sex with a lot of pressure and strings. Just have fun!

Sawyer is a cis Asian bisexual 21 year old college student. He’s strong, muscled and very fit, but on the smaller side for hockey players. He’s about an inch taller than Noah and is broader. He’s the guy on the cover. He likes piercings and doc martens. He’s very popular and is basically a fuckboy. He’s definitely a jock character, and is a little ditzy/bro at times. He’s been sexually active since 16 with his first sexual experience with a girl, though he says it was awkward, and so was sex with the next few girls. He slept with a guy for the first time at 18. He’s failing physics and needs a tutor. He offers Noah anything he wants for tutoring, and agrees to train him to flirt with guys. Sawyer is very popular with men and women and says he sleeps with men and women about equally. However, he states he’s “low key” about his bisexuality, meaning he’s open/public about the girls he’s with but not the guys, so almost everyone thinks he’s straight. He does feel sad that Riley and Cameron are (very) open about being together, but he can’t do that with Noah like he would be able to with a girl. He vaguely thinks Noah is kind of cute after their first meeting but definitely isn’t into him at first. He gets jealous at times but has no idea that’s what’s happening. He doesn’t even consider he might be into Noah until about halfway through.

The “flirting” practice in the book is weird. Sawyer basically looks hot, is a jock, and acts like he’s not interested and insists this is what flirting is. It works for him, but it was both a little disturbing (the idea that acting uninterested is the way to actually appear interested has bad implications for consent), and bit hilarious because he’s not great at flirting, he’s just hot, lol.

I thought the main couple had very nice chemistry. They made pretty good friends too, which helps! However, I thought the brunette girl with green eyes had amazing chemistry with Sawyer! It was a bit unfortunate since this was a pivotal scene in Sawywr realizing he was into Noah, but I didn’t even care! She was similar to him and they seemed to get along so well and has such cool chemistry! I honestly started yearning for them to end up together! I love Noah, but I really felt this girl would be better for Sawyer. Noah is such a sweetie, and he already thinks Sawyer isn’t into him, I know he’d fine another guy. I know that wouldn’t happen, but I could hope! Not that I don’t want the MCs together, I do, they’re great, just for me not as great as I thought Sawyer would be with that girl. :,(
This happens to me sometimes; I end up accidentally shipping a side character with someone harder than the main character.

I’m not sure the narrator was cast appropriately for this. He wasn’t bad, but his interpretation was often at odds with how characters’s personalities were described. Also the sex scenes were both uninteresting and grating to listen to (a combo of “horny” sounding whiny/high. So I rented the ebook and just read the scenes, much better.

Some of this writing is too flowery/sappy for me, but this is an individual preference. I don’t enjoy phrasing that’s supposed to be poetic or something, but if you do I’d totally recommend this book and this author in general.

I really liked that eventually Noah decided to do what he loved and was good at rather than chasing a dream of his parents’ to constantly outdo himself with more and more prestigious things.

Content warnings and tropes:
—Explicit sexual scenes
—No sex until after 50%
—Jock doesn’t realize he likes nerd until after 50%
—Nerd likes jock almost immediately
—Very minor sports element
—Nerd x jock
—Minimal size difference (both guys are on the leaner/smaller side, though Sawyer is stronger)
—POC MC
—Gay nerd x bisexual jock
—Virgin MC x sexually experienced MC
—College

Other:
—First person dual POV
—No cheating
—Minor romantic “rivals” only in the sense that tons of people are constantly flirting with and being flirted with by Sawyer for half the book
—No breakup (they almost “break up” even though they’re not dating, but they don’t)
—Sexual roles: strict (Sawyer prefers to top and be somewhat dominant, Noah enjoys bottoming and being slightly more submissive)
—HEA implied
Profile Image for m.
816 reviews70 followers
September 27, 2023
“Noah Foster, I’m going to make a fuckboy out of you. Just help me pass this one course.”
ARC Review~

Classic nerd/jock setup - the jock needs tutoring desperately to keep his spot on the team and the nerd is so booked up that he’s going to require something more than just money to secure his time.

In this case, Sawyer the hockey team’s goalie needs tutoring in physics and Noah is pretty much a physics genius. Noah is terrible at relationships though and wants to lose his V-card so he agrees to tutor Sawyer in exchange for lessons on how to pick up guys.

This was such an enjoyable read and I can definitely see myself rereading time and time again. Sawyer falls first, he falls harder, and every time he tries to coach Noah to do something differently to be sexier he mentally kicks himself because he thinks Noah is perfect. *swoon*

It’s low angst and steamy and I absolutely adored sweet and snarky Noah paired with former-playboy Sawyer 😍
July 3, 2024
5,0 Stars

Read: 21/11/2023

RTC

Arctic Titans Of Northwood U Series:
1. Crossing Blades - Riley & Cameron's Story
2. Scoring The Keeper - Sawyer & Noah's Story - 5,0 stars
Next Caden & Beckett's Story :
3. Big Stick Energy - 4,7 stars
4. Icebound Rivals - Avery & Grayson's Story
5. Rebels Of The Rink - Sebastián & Tyler's Story - 3,5 stars
6. On Thin Ice - Asher & Jordan's Story
7. Coaching Prince Charming - Carter & Nate's Story
Profile Image for c.
211 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2024
reading, enjoying, and LOVING a book is a privilege i will NEVER EVER TAKE FOR GRANTED EVER FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE. this was the cutest thing EVER and the sex scenes were top fucking tier. i have WAAAY more to say but those are the basics. UGH. i’m overcome with EMOTION!!!!!
Profile Image for Lady Macbeth.
1,091 reviews30 followers
September 17, 2023
4 stars
Second book of the Arctic Titans of Northwood series, this is Sawyer's, Riley and Cameron's teammate, story.

Swayer is broody, grumpy and very popular among men and women at college; he's failing physics so he needs a tutor to help him pass the test. Noah is the best tutor around, a kind of genius and full booked.
A casual meeting at a party we'll put them in a position to help each other.

The plot is not very original (Sawyer agrees to help Noah with dating), but I really liked the characters: Sawyer, despite is reputation, he's a very thoughtful and caring guy and the more he gets to know Noah, the more he finds himself attracted to him; Noah is different from all the people Sawyer knows, he's smart, but also naive when it comes to people, he's spontaneous and there's nothing artificial about him. It doesn't take long for Sawyer to feel the need to protect Noah's innocence and uniqueness, he goes from being a fuckboy to being totally smitten. I loved how Noah's confidence grew thanks to Sawyer's support.

The first time they have sex is very sweet and romantic, but maybe a little too long (like other sex scenes in this book): it shows all the feelings the two guys are not ready to say to each other.

A little bit of miscommunication and drama make the story a little tense, but nothing too angsty (especially if we compare this to the first book).

Next book will be about Caden and Beckett: I'm not very fond of the latter so I'm very curious to see what the author has in mind for him.

Recommended.

I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for Jess.bookrecs.
618 reviews56 followers
February 18, 2024
Okay I really really enjoyed this one!
This characters intimacy was SKY HIGH. When they talked, laughed, cried, had smex? It was beautiful
Noah and Sawyer were really made for each other and I love that the author didn’t write this like your average “jock X nerd” romance where the nerd will tutor in exchange for something of the sexual nature.
With Noah and Sawyer it was real. Confession of attraction were made prior and communication was their companion! Cheers to THAT lol.
This is lighthearted too. No homophobia, No discourse from the hockey team on the LGBTQ committee, acceptance from teammates(even if I do which the author showed more of the romantic relationships at the hockey house, I mean Riley and Cameron were meant to be dating around the timeline for this book and they only had one scene) acceptance from both MMC’s parents…. again in a perfect world.


_________
This was not an interaction between the MMC’s but I found it funny HAHAHA

“𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡. 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

“𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡. 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚.”
Profile Image for Sarah.
727 reviews13 followers
September 27, 2023
I could read this trope 100 times and never get tired of it! This book was so fun to read I absolutely flew through it. While book 1 gave us great frenemies to lovers, this delivered a perfect example of the jock/nerd trope where they trade physics lessons for dating lessons *chef's kiss*

Based on the glimpses we get of Sawyer in book 1, I definitely expected him to be more of a grumpy character but instead, he is a swoony tattooed cinnamon roll, while Noah is a dichotomy of socially anxious while also having killer snark.

Once Sawyer realizes there is more to Noah than meets the eye, all bets are off. And I really enjoyed how Sawyer just wanted Noah to be true to himself and the things he loves, and their communication was great!

*I received an arc of this book, all opinions are my own*

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