Call It Home

by Catherine Cloud

On the worst day of his life, Ryan Harris, formerly a rising star, gets traded to the Connecticut Cardinals. On the best day of his life, Louie Hathaway, struggling hockey royalty, gets called up from the Cardinals’ farm team. When they decide to move in together for convenience’s sake, worlds collide. While Ryan tries to find his place among his new teammates, all Louie cares about is his performance on the ice. The more time they spend together, the more common ground they find – along with some inconvenient feelings.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, M M Romance, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary, LGBT

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 23, 2024

About the author

Catherine Cloud writes queer sports fiction with a lot of kissing and Golden Retrievers. Yes, there's actual hockey in the books. And, yes, all those Golden Retrievers are totally necessary.

Free stories and extras are available via Tumblr (thesameoldstreets.tumblr.com)

Impressum: https://linktr.ee/thesameoldstreets

Reviews

[Snjez · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not much I can say that I haven't already said about this author's books. It's another lovely and cozy story with two endearing main characters, Louie and Ryan. I loved Ryan just a bit more, because he is such a sweetheart.

Great set of side characters, as always: Dominic, Liam and his family, Ryan's family, to name just a few. Plus a lot of cats. And my favourite book cover so far. 😊

[Lau ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being the son of an ex-NHL star and the brother of another hockey star is not easy. All Louie has ever wanted is to have a spot in a NHL team and stop being a constant failure for his family. Every time they ask him to cover a spot of an injured man on the NHL team, he hopes they are finally going to keep him, but they never do. This time isn’t going to be different.


Ryan has messed up. He wasn’t thinking clearly when his boyfriend broke up with him via text, so he drove the car despite the snow and ended up in a ditch. Now everyone’s saying that he was driving drunk, and his team doesn’t want him anymore. He gets traded to the Cardinals, where all the strays go, where he has to hide that he’s gay and that he’s just broken up with. He really needs to stop destroying good things.


This is my first book by Catherine Cloud and it will not be my last. It’s written in third person POV, which is my favorite when it’s done right, and this was amazing. I can’t remember the last time I highlighted that many quotes in a book, I just loved how her characters’ feelings resonate with me. By page 17, I was in love with three characters already (Louie, Ryan, Liam), by the end of the book I had a dozen favorites.


Call it Home is for those who love a good slow burn romance. Louie and Ryan didn’t love each other at first sight, they just developed a friendship because they joined the team at the same time and decided to share an apartment. Ryan was trying to find a new buddy, because he’s awful at being alone, but Louie was too worried trying to train harder, be better, to care about anything else.

“(My dad) was a good hockey player() He does know what he’s talking about. People pay a lot of money to send their kids to his camps.”
“And you got all of that for the low price of zero dollars and some childhood trauma.”

The pacing of the book, though slow, was good. It focused on the characters and their feelings, but you always felt how they were moving, growing, changing. It was in the little details: Louie helping Ryan with what to say to the reporters, Ryan driving them to the game when Louie was too anxious to even sleep, Louie getting a crush on Ryan’s thighs, Ryan inviting Louie to his home because Louie clearly needed a break from his family… Their romance started from zero and slowly built up to a friendship, and then more. That’s why it felt so real.

“So that’s why you haven’t followed me back,” Ryan says, “I was started to think you secretly hate me.”
Louie stares at him. () He sits up and says, very gently, “Ryan, social media follows don’t matter. At all. I washed your stinky socks yesterday. Do you think I would have done that if I didn’t like you?”

The author really knows how to show feelings instead of overexplaining them, that’s why I highlighted so many quotes: I felt moved by the straightforward sentences. There were so many characters to love, you are going to adore this if you are into friendships and team bonds: I loved being part of their world. Also, the dialogues were amazing, I loved seeing how the dynamic changed depending on who was talking (Liam was almost always dad mode but Carrot-Ryan had the best banter, and the two little girls were adorable).

Louie almost wants to give him a hug, except he’s not a hugger and Ryan Harris won’t change that.

Take into account this is not a light, spicy sports romance. Call it Home focuses on feelings, which I love, and the spice is low, which I'm okay about. What I missed was the characters leaving a bigger impact on me. I really enjoyed reading the book, but it's been two weeks and I kind of forget about what happens in this book (maybe because it was so focused on feelings). Also, the ending is quite abrupt and there isn’t an epilogue, which was my only actual problem while reading it. I wanted more of them, I wanted to see them being alright, saying sappy things to each other and living happily ever after.


Overall, Call it Home is one of those books that gives you a whole team of great characters to fall in love with. I adored Louie and Ryan, they were real, beautiful human beings who were far from being perfect. I believe in their love, their friendships and their struggles. I’m only sorry that it was over too soon and it’s not part of a series, because I wanted more of them (can Nick be bi/gay and have his own book, pretty please?). I kept looking up the names of the author’s other books and I couldn’t find my characters there 😭😭 ANYWAY, Call it Home is a hidden gem for all of you looking for beautiful slow burn hockey romances that feel real and deep. I’ll be reading more by this author.

“I was just…enjoying that I get to sit here.” Ryan laughs under his breath. “I feel like there’s never enough time to just sit somewhere. You have to really…make yourself sit. And not think about the next thing and the next thing, you know?”

*Rating: 3.5 stars

[Drache.... (Angelika) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread 07/2025
Overall enjoyed this the second time around, too.
Not so sure about Ryan's abandonment issues and his constant "I ruin every good thing" ... both weren't really believable to me. I decided to just go with the flow, though, and loved to see Louie getting stronger and independent.
3,75 stars.
------


4,5 stars.
Lovely and heart warming mm hockey romance.
Louie and Ryan getting slowly closer, facing doubts and struggles, was beautiful to read.
I LOVED the demi rep!!!!

Overall the plot felt lighter than in Catherine Cloud's earlier books. That's not to say that there weren't heavy topics, though.
The focus of this book wasn't so much on being gay and in the closet as hockey player, but more on the athletic issues, being worthy for the team, and on unhealthy father/son relationships.
The character development was believable and genuine, the relationship development, too.

I don't know another author who is so consistent in their work, every book by Catherine Cloud is special and awesome.

[ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can always count on Cloud to deliver on the hockey cozy comfort reads.

Look, if you’ve read Cloud’s books and love them, you will no doubt love this too. If you haven’t read Cloud yet, I definitely recommend you do, but I would not start with this book, honestly. I would read in order of publication. Just my two cents.

[ancientreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someday Catherine Cloud will discover the narrative past tense, right? And experiment with subordinate clauses? I would love that for her. Who knows -- there could even be semicolons in her future! Dream big, that's what I say.

Anyhow. I tagged this "characterization problems" because one of the MCs, Ryan, mysteriously suffers from abandonment issues and feelings of unworthiness even though his family exuberantly adores him and he also has good friends. Granted his bf dumps him via text just before the story opens, but that doesn't strike me as sufficient backstory for a problem we're supposed to see as deep-rooted. I record-scratched at every mention.

Louie saves the day, though -- I mean, Louie's character does. In the first place, his struggles as a hockey player and as a person falling in love are credibly grounded in his family dynamic: he comes from hockey royalty, but he's not the same kind of player as his legendary, hypercritical father or his younger, more successful brother. Louie hits his stride when, thanks to Ryan, he stops trying and inevitably failing to be a carbon copy of his father.

Louie is also dryly hilarious. Shortly after they meet, Ryan comes out to him; Louie reacts by telling Ryan that his, Louie's, older, non-hockey-playing brother is gay.

Ryan tilts his head and considers him. “What did you say to your brother when he came out?”

“That I love him,” Louie says. “Didn’t seem appropriate right now.”

Louie also hates

"...those guys with the kindness tests. Like, they’re out there pretending that they need help and then they say, oh, actually, I don’t need help, I just wanted to see if you were gonna be kind to me and then they give them a thousand bucks. Hate those guys.”

“You hate the guys who give nice people money? ... Why?”

“Because if you have a thousand bucks to give away, just give it to someone?” Louie sits up and leans closer to Ryan. “Just go to Applebee’s, eat some chicken fingers, drink a margarita, and give your server the tip of a lifetime. Even if they’re having a bad day and aren’t groveling at your feet.”

Thank you, Louie, and no wonder Ryan falls head over heels for you. Ryan and I are as one.

[NicoleR.M.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah..I just love Catherine Cloud's books so much! There’s just something about them that makes me swoon, turns me into a romance loving fool, something about them that plasters a stupid smile on my face from the moment I meet her characters and I get all swooped up into her story's. They are just so good, so heartwarming and wholesome! When I read a Catherine Cloud book I know for certain that I am highlighting like crazy. That says it all, doesn’t it?

This is the story of Ryan and Louie and it's part of the hockey world she has created in her other books, or so I understood. This is just my third book by her and since this is her latest, I'm apparently reading them out of order. But they are so good, once I have found out what order is the right one, I will read them again. I already miss Ryan and Louie; they surely have found themselves a permanent place in my heart, next to Catherine's other characters.

What I truly love about this author's story's is that they are very well balanced between hockey and the emotional development her characters go through. Hockey is still part of it all, (and for some reason I'm hooked on mm hockey romances right now) but I love how she makes the story's about the characters. This is a slow burn, a VERY slow burn, I believe their first kiss is at around the 70% mark, but it feels so natural. We see them grow towards each other first, see how their relationship slowly develops from 'not interested in being friends' to friends, to...more. It was great to see how sweet Ryan was with Louie, how patient and understanding and HE HAS THE BEST FAMILY EVER! I loved spending time with them at his home in Pennsylvania. That's another thing this author does really well: the cast of secondary characters. The family, the friends, the team - they were all part of Ryan's and Louie's journey, they were very supportive and understanding and I loved that about them.

To the mm hockey romance lovers who have not yet read a book by Catherine Cloud I can only say you are missing out if you don't give these a try. If you enjoy Taylor Fitzpatrick you will love these as well. These books are just extraordinary and on a different level and I highly, highly recommend!! I think I can safely say that Catherine Cloud is the most important author I discovered this year and I can't wait to read more by her.

[Kati *☆･ﾟ]

***no rating***


First I want to say that this author’s writing- and storytelling skills deserve all the stars. I loved it and I loved the characters she crafted.

I absolutely didn’t mind that both main characters dealing with their personal issues was a big part of the story… BUT as a romance reader with preferences this was not at all to my taste as for most of the book there was nothing romancing at all. Nothing burning. So I wouldn’t even call this a slow burn. And when very slowly by like seventy percent or so things are about to start (again, very slowly) it was too little too late for me. And even then it wasn’t much we got anyway.

Still, it was a beautiful story and therefore I understand everyone who loved this book dearly.

And yeah, I absolutely love the cover.

“The door. Fucking love that door.”

side note: you know what was really weird? The end of the book. There was the last sentence of the story and then… nothing. No The End, no ramblings from the author, no acknowledgements, no infos about the author or their backlist, nothing. Just the end of the book. I’ve never seen it like that. It felt like there were pages missing. *lol

[X · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 32%. I legit am like, is it me? Because this is just not working.

The characterizations are just not consistent, or compelling, or different enough from each other. Part of this issue is that maybe that the book starts out with Ryan having a very bad day, and Louie having a very good one - but then it turns out that Ryan is actually the happy-go-lucky one and Louie is actually the unhappy one, and there’s no attempt to call out or emphasize that switch, so it just feels like they’re kind both the same character and that character’s characterization isn’t consistent.

But it’s also like - just on a line by line basis this doesn’t work. It’s kinda hitting all the hockrom elements but in ways that don’t convince, or just aren’t well-written. Why do the MC and the big bro teammate who lets him borrow a room both have names that start with L, especially when they’re two of the four key characters within the first few chapters? And the way the tense is present in that hockrom way, except when it switches into past with no warning and no transition.

And there are all these little anecdotes/asides that this ao3 style loves to include to built character - but none of the little anecdotes or asides are building toward any kind of consistent characterization - they’re just ~in the style of~, frankly.

Yeah, so the writing and characterization don’t work. And frankly Ryan as a romance MC just doesn’t convince me, and where the seeds should be laid for [forgot his name]’s gay awakening there is just…. nothing.

It’s frustrating because Catherine Cloud has written such good stuff in the past - and even when it’s not good, it works on some fundamental level that this book does not.

Basically, there’s no there there.

[Fearne Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very late contender for one of my fave M/M contemporary romances of the year. And even better, it's a new to me author with a back catalogue. What I like: the writing is fluid, funny, well edited, and entertaining. Neither of the characters are huge stars in the NHL which is nice and they feel like real people. A hard recommend.

[Arta reads at night · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
I just LOVE the way Catherine Cloud writes.
And this was another great example of her wonderful writing. Louie and Ryan are sad babies and I’m so happy for their hea 🥹💗

[Marthea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4+
Catherine Cloud to absolutnie mój człowiek 💙
Właściwie wszystko mi u niej pasuje i wszystko mi się niezmiernie podoba - napisałam już na ten temat sporo przy innych tytułach (także tych, które są udostępnione na AO3 pod nickiem thesameoldstreets) 😁
Nie inaczej było tutaj. Tylko symbolicznie odejmuję pół gwiazdki, bo trochę zbyt gwałtownie się książka skończyła - mogłoby być kilka rozdziałów więcej, albo choć epilog. Ale to naprawdę symboliczne odjęcie, bo i tak zaokrąglam w górę 😁

[juli✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“i—i don’t even know why i’m here,” louie says.
ryan picks a big piece of dorito out of the bag. “you’re here,” he says, “because you needed a friend.”

so, stinking, sweet! call it home is a great example of how to properly mesh the slow-burn and friends-to-lovers tropes.

[Jinja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Call It Home by Catherine Cloud.

After having read all of Catherine Cloud’s book I was very excited about Call It Home. This book promised all the cozy autumn/winter vibes I was craving.

The story starts with our main characters, both starting fresh with the Connecticut Cardinals, albeit due to different circumstances. Ryan Harris was traded to the Cardinals while Louie Hathaway was called up from the farm team. They have very different outlooks on their situations and life in general, but they make it work when they move in together.

Both have their own struggles, which they try to hide from each other, but sharing close quarters makes this difficult. Having to make new friends after a blown-out-of-proportion scandal and moving to a different country should keep Ryan busy enough, but he can’t stop worrying about his roommate who lives and breathes hockey. Throughout the season, they get to know each other better and become friends until circumstances tear them apart.

This story deals with family drama, unrealistically high expectations others have and how to heal from childhood trauma. All those touchy subjects are handled with care. The story's pacing is very slow, focusing more on the development of the characters than the plot, which is typical for Catherine Cloud. The book delivered the cozy vibes I was hoping for.

5/5 stars

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It’s cozy and cute. The characters are lovely, and it’s a simple story with little drama or angst.

Ryan was the sweetest, but we don’t really learn much about him. He has a great family who rally around him and support him as best they can in a sport none of them understand. They throw a huge birthday party with little notice for his friend and call him nonstop to check in on him. At the end, we’re told he has abandonment issues, but we’re given no explanation as to why; surely that can’t just be off Kaden? I think this needed more.

Then we have Louie, who has a plethora of family issues he has to navigate whilst trying to achieve his dream in the NHL and coming to terms with his sexuality. He doesn’t always manage his feelings well, and at times, I think he takes a lot of those out on Ryan. However, he’s funny and endearing; he’s trying to navigate a lot, and having Ryan’s support finally gets him to open up and choose something for himself.

The story itself isn’t new, but I enjoyed it. The trade, the ‘scandal’, the coming out to a new team, and the coming to terms with sexuality. The pacing is slow, and you don’t get much time with the characters once they’ve decided to give it a go. I feel like there were some unanswered questions in regard to Louie’s family. I would have liked an epilogue. But it was cute and felt nice not having a load of homophobia or team drama to wade through before they could be together.

It’s my first book by this author, and I’d definitely come back for more.

[Zofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 starts. This was a cosy and relaxing read. Despite employing a number of hockey romance cliches, it felt nice and fresh. This author has always worked out for me so far.

[Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited for this and it did not disappoint! It’s lovely, the exact amount of sweet I hoped it to be. I’m a sucker for stories that explore the rocky journey of overcoming a traumatic upbringing + coming into your own person as an adult, specially when there are both strong (Ryan) and gentle (Liam) friends along for the ride.
Also, I feel like this story highlights Catherine Cloud’s style/voice in a way that their previous feel like a build up to this. Funny, lighthearted but packing punches—I personally enjoyed it a LOT, makes the reading experience flow really well without being shallow.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ⭐️

Ugh, this was lovely — just LOVELY. No notes, just classic Cloud goodness (without an abrupt ending!). I pulled so many amazing quotes from it 🥰. The way Cloud builds physical intimacy between her MCs is just stunning ❤️. Awesome demi-rep too.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🩷

Catherine Cloud can do no wrong.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid story. Lovely romance. This author is a favorite of mine. She can do no wrong imo

[Anna M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but very PG. I enjoyed the slow burn, but feel like we didn’t get enough of the relationship element. An epilogue would’ve been nice. Anyway, I’m on a M/M romance bender so catch me later.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow burn and build.
Distracting Time to Shine vibes,
but satisfying.

[erraticdemon · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was very sweet

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louie Hathaway stammt aus einer Hockey-Familie und ist es gewöhnt sich beweisen zu müssen. Wieder einmal wird er vom Farm-Team ins Team der Connecticut Cardinals einberufen um einen verletzten Spieler zu ersetzen. Dieses Mal muss es klappen, denn der Druck ist wahnsinnig hoch. Zur gleichen Zeit taucht auch Ryan Harris bei den Cardinals auf. Jedoch nicht freiwillig. Nach einem Skandälchen, das zu einem Skandal hochstilisiert wurde, wollte ihn sein altes NHL Team schnell loswerden und an die Cardinals weitergereicht.

Im neuen Team fühlt er sich etwas verloren, auch wenn ihn die neuen Mitspieler durchaus freundlich aufnehmen. Lieber sucht Ryan jedoch Anschluss bei dem ehrgeizigen und sehr fokussierten Louie. Und so kommt es, dass sie schon recht bald eine WG gründen, die aufgrund Louies Status im Team von Anfang an ein Ablaufdatum hat.

Call It Home entwickelt sich nur langsam. Erst lernen sich die beiden Männer kennen und die Freundschaft braucht Zeit. Ryan und Louie sind sehr unterschiedlich. In ihren Lebensweisen, aber auch ihr familiärer Hintergrund könnte nicht unterschiedlicher sein. Auch ihre Persönlichkeiten scheinen so gar nicht zusammenzupassen.

So ist es kaum verwunderlich, dass die Beziehung zwischen ihnen sehr langsam an Tiefe gewinnt. Ryan fand ich toll. Er ist ein wirklich netter Kerl, dem zu Beginn übel mitgespielt wird und der sich an dieses neue Leben erst gewöhnen muss. Und auch weil ihm alles fremd ist und er mit der Einsamkeit nur schwer zurechtkommt.

Louie hingegen lebt nur für den Sport, seine Karriere und zerbricht fast an der Erwartungshaltung seines Vaters, an dem Konkurrenzkampf mit seinem jüngeren Bruder und der ungesunden Familiendynamik, aus der nur sein älterer Bruder Domenic scheinbar unbeschadet herausgekommen ist. Leider ist sehr Charakter jetzt nicht so sympathisch und manchmal konnte ich ihn nicht so recht leiden; da habe ich einfach auch mit Ryan mitgelitten.

Die Geschichte hat viele Höhen und Tiefen. Die Helden sind nicht einfach gestrickt und in fast jedem Kapitel kann man schon mit einem Plottwist rechnen. Ein paar Seiten mehr hätten dem Buch nicht geschadet. Und ich fand auch das Ende sehr knapp bemessen. Da hätte ich mir doch ein wenig mehr erwartet und erhofft; das hätten sich die Charaktere nämlich wirklich verdient.

[Capreacula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet slow burn book

Team mates to room mates to friends to lovers. What a nice surprise that it took those two sooooo long to act on hheir attraction. I liked this bit s lot - no ravishing the other one each way to heaven like in many other books.
Louie and Ryan are really great guys, very lovable.
Also, the story is more about everyday life and work=hockey. But we don't get to see that much hockey strangely enough. Not much sense of the team as a whole. Liam was the one most fleshed out, but Nick and Waldo remained chiffres and the other team mates simple names. Even Carrot, Ryan's old friend, remained strangely faceless. Hm...

Why not 5 stars: I kept having a hard time visualizing the MCs. Louie has green-broen eyes and is a tad shorter than Ryan. Ryan is a d-man yet I see him as a slender twig which he obviously is not. Yet from his soft core and insecurities, I cannot help but see him differently than he should be.

The only bit that

[DJO · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and endearing story, with great writing by a new to me author. Delightful humor, just a lot of fun. A couple niggles. The ending felt too abrupt--we didn't get enough of them as an established couple, something an epilogue could've easily addressed. And I really, really wanted more sex scenes 💁‍♀️ I only recall the one. Overall though, a winner.

I'll be looking into CC's backlist for sure.

[Kristin Martini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little hockey boys 😭. Loved the slow burn, loved the character development. Perfect little cozy winter read 😻

[Mhor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. Solid story, could have been a little longer.

Maybe a little more angst or conversation about Louie’s sexuality (Ryan was never told he was Demi).

[❥ Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

Cute and cozy comfort read about two sweet hockey boys slowly falling in luuurve 🥹

[Mandy Huibregtsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* very cutesie but -0.5 for the one unnecessary nsfw scene