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SCU Hockey #3
On the Edge
Henri Vasel has perfected the art of people pleasing. He’s a good student, a fair hockey player, and he has a group of friends he’d do anything for. He’s happy. Or, rather, as happy as he can be when he has a class with the one person he can’t seem to please at South Carolina University.
Atlas Kaiser hates a lot of things, but right now he hates Henri Vasel the most. He doesn’t want to have to stare at his perfect face, or listen to his adorable German accent. He wants to be left alone. Unfortunately, they’re partnered together for the semester so he’ll have to grit his teeth and try to make it work.
Animosity morphs into a tentative friendship, which eventually leads to more. But while Atlas doesn’t trust their budding relationship, Henri wants more.
Atlas Kaiser hates a lot of things, but right now he hates Henri Vasel the most. He doesn’t want to have to stare at his perfect face, or listen to his adorable German accent. He wants to be left alone. Unfortunately, they’re partnered together for the semester so he’ll have to grit his teeth and try to make it work.
Animosity morphs into a tentative friendship, which eventually leads to more. But while Atlas doesn’t trust their budding relationship, Henri wants more.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2025
387 people are currently reading
2184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 623 reviews
April 6, 2025
4.5 stars.
This was such a heartwarming book that truly resonated with me. The author has an incredible talent for crafting relationships that feel authentic and relatable; it's as if the characters are speaking directly to my emotions. This series has become one of my all-time favorites, and I had high expectations for this installment. Fortunately, it did not disappoint.
From the moment Henri was introduced, I found myself completely captivated by him. I had always hoped he would get his own story, so I was overjoyed when I learned that he would be the focus of this book. Henri is portrayed as a delightful "cinnamon roll" character, exuding warmth and comfort that envelops the reader like a cozy blanket. One aspect I particularly admired was the way the author represented Henri's asexuality; it was presented in a respectful and understated manner, seamlessly integrated into his character without it dominating the narrative. This thoughtful portrayal emphasized that his identity was simply a natural part of who he is, rather than a plot device.
On the other hand, Atlas was a character who brought me both empathy and frustration in equal measure. His struggles mirrored my own feelings so closely that it often made me uncomfortable. Atlas has a deep-seated difficulty in opening up and trusting others, which understandably colors his experiences. He carries a rather cynical view of the world, often focusing on the negatives in both people and situations, leading to chapters that feel heavier and more somber. Despite these challenges, I found myself loving him deeply, even when his actions left me exasperated.
The relationship between Henri and Atlas is beautifully depicted, marked by sweetness and a sense of mutual respect. I admire how this author understands that communication is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. Unlike many romance novels, misunderstandings were refreshingly absent here. Atlas’s patience and understanding toward Henri were heartening, especially in moments when he reassured Henri that he had nothing to apologize for regarding his sexual boundaries. Henri's unwavering patience, love, and insight into Atlas's struggles created a dynamic that was not just romantic but profoundly supportive.
I believe that Henri was the ideal partner for someone like Atlas, guiding him toward self-acceptance and a newfound belief in love. Their connection embodied pure love, understanding, and friendship—qualities that are often hard to find in romance books. While I did feel a twinge of annoyance at the traditional third-act breakup (as I generally dislike that trope), I appreciated that the author managed it well. The conflict was resolved swiftly, allowing for a satisfying reconciliation that left me feeling happy.
In conclusion, this book was a resounding success for me—it exceeded my expectations and solidified my enthusiasm for the series. I cannot wait to dive into the next installment and see where the adventure will take me!
This was such a heartwarming book that truly resonated with me. The author has an incredible talent for crafting relationships that feel authentic and relatable; it's as if the characters are speaking directly to my emotions. This series has become one of my all-time favorites, and I had high expectations for this installment. Fortunately, it did not disappoint.
From the moment Henri was introduced, I found myself completely captivated by him. I had always hoped he would get his own story, so I was overjoyed when I learned that he would be the focus of this book. Henri is portrayed as a delightful "cinnamon roll" character, exuding warmth and comfort that envelops the reader like a cozy blanket. One aspect I particularly admired was the way the author represented Henri's asexuality; it was presented in a respectful and understated manner, seamlessly integrated into his character without it dominating the narrative. This thoughtful portrayal emphasized that his identity was simply a natural part of who he is, rather than a plot device.
On the other hand, Atlas was a character who brought me both empathy and frustration in equal measure. His struggles mirrored my own feelings so closely that it often made me uncomfortable. Atlas has a deep-seated difficulty in opening up and trusting others, which understandably colors his experiences. He carries a rather cynical view of the world, often focusing on the negatives in both people and situations, leading to chapters that feel heavier and more somber. Despite these challenges, I found myself loving him deeply, even when his actions left me exasperated.
The relationship between Henri and Atlas is beautifully depicted, marked by sweetness and a sense of mutual respect. I admire how this author understands that communication is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. Unlike many romance novels, misunderstandings were refreshingly absent here. Atlas’s patience and understanding toward Henri were heartening, especially in moments when he reassured Henri that he had nothing to apologize for regarding his sexual boundaries. Henri's unwavering patience, love, and insight into Atlas's struggles created a dynamic that was not just romantic but profoundly supportive.
I believe that Henri was the ideal partner for someone like Atlas, guiding him toward self-acceptance and a newfound belief in love. Their connection embodied pure love, understanding, and friendship—qualities that are often hard to find in romance books. While I did feel a twinge of annoyance at the traditional third-act breakup (as I generally dislike that trope), I appreciated that the author managed it well. The conflict was resolved swiftly, allowing for a satisfying reconciliation that left me feeling happy.
In conclusion, this book was a resounding success for me—it exceeded my expectations and solidified my enthusiasm for the series. I cannot wait to dive into the next installment and see where the adventure will take me!
April 25, 2025
I'll explain my rating, obviously.
(Tldr at the end of my rant).
I liked the romance, chemistry and relationship development (once Atlas quit being an insufferable, disrespectful and rude prick, so basically in the second half of the book).
I liked the ace rep but sadly the MCs Henri and Atlas NEVER talked about Henri's asexuality. Atlas was respectful and always made sure during their intimate moments that Henri could stop him any time and needed to tell Atlas if he wasn't feeling it. Awesome. Outside of their sexual encounters there was zero acknowledgement of Henry's asexuality between them, though.
My second complaint: the author wrote a book about a German student (Henri) who had lived and studied for 4 years in the US without bothering to research a thing about the german language. Does she think her readers are stupid?
She even wrote in her author's note at the end of the book that she thanked xx for her help with everything German. Lol. Way to go, maybe you should have written something you knew a smidge about.
There were so many stupid and easily avoidable mistakes regarding German as first language, it was beyond cringey.
German and English are both West Germanic languages, meaning they come from an older ‘version’ of German. Each has its own history, but that shared past means they still have a lot in common. Many words sound similar (Vater –> father, Sonne –> sun, Pass –> passport, Schuhe –> shoe, Haus –> house, Wasser –> water), grammar is similar, the language structure is similar (English: I love you. German: Ich liebe dich.). All this knowledge is only a quick search on the internet away, imagine that!!
So, not even considering that the author obviously thinks Germans are stupid, since Henri after living and studying for 4 years in the US wasn't fluent (he was fluent in 4 other languages like Russian and French, but NOT English, lol), nearly everything the author wrote for Henri to make him sound not-English was not making sense:
-he doesn't know what a groupie is when in reality the same term is used in German?
-he thinks 'cyclical' is the correct term instead of 'cynical'...when in German the term is 'zynisch'?
-his constant use of "I am wanting to" and "I am wishing to" is illogical, because in German it's "ich will" and "ich hoffe" so the automatic way to translate to English is "i want" and "i wish". To feel the need to say "i am wanting/wishing to" the German way would have to be "ich bin willens/wünschend zu" (these aren't used/don't exist).
This quote tops it all:
"I shrug off my American accent the same way I shrug off my suit jacket. I’ve worked hard the last few years, making sure my broadcasts are all easily understood by dampening my accent. Atlas prefers for me to sound German, though, so I happily don’t have to pretend at home."
I guess the author speaks only one language, because how would that feel like not pretending? When you've achieved a smoother pronunciation without a strong accent, trying to talk again with the stronger accent would be pretending, not the other way around.
Tldr: the MCs' chemistry and relationship development in the second half of the book were positive, sadly the ace rep wasn't developed in a satisfactory way. The author's total disregard to research her book's main topic wasn't only frustrating but inexcusable in my opinion.
(Tldr at the end of my rant).
I liked the romance, chemistry and relationship development (once Atlas quit being an insufferable, disrespectful and rude prick, so basically in the second half of the book).
I liked the ace rep but sadly the MCs Henri and Atlas NEVER talked about Henri's asexuality. Atlas was respectful and always made sure during their intimate moments that Henri could stop him any time and needed to tell Atlas if he wasn't feeling it. Awesome. Outside of their sexual encounters there was zero acknowledgement of Henry's asexuality between them, though.
My second complaint: the author wrote a book about a German student (Henri) who had lived and studied for 4 years in the US without bothering to research a thing about the german language. Does she think her readers are stupid?
She even wrote in her author's note at the end of the book that she thanked xx for her help with everything German. Lol. Way to go, maybe you should have written something you knew a smidge about.
There were so many stupid and easily avoidable mistakes regarding German as first language, it was beyond cringey.
German and English are both West Germanic languages, meaning they come from an older ‘version’ of German. Each has its own history, but that shared past means they still have a lot in common. Many words sound similar (Vater –> father, Sonne –> sun, Pass –> passport, Schuhe –> shoe, Haus –> house, Wasser –> water), grammar is similar, the language structure is similar (English: I love you. German: Ich liebe dich.). All this knowledge is only a quick search on the internet away, imagine that!!
So, not even considering that the author obviously thinks Germans are stupid, since Henri after living and studying for 4 years in the US wasn't fluent (he was fluent in 4 other languages like Russian and French, but NOT English, lol), nearly everything the author wrote for Henri to make him sound not-English was not making sense:
-he doesn't know what a groupie is when in reality the same term is used in German?
-he thinks 'cyclical' is the correct term instead of 'cynical'...when in German the term is 'zynisch'?
-his constant use of "I am wanting to" and "I am wishing to" is illogical, because in German it's "ich will" and "ich hoffe" so the automatic way to translate to English is "i want" and "i wish". To feel the need to say "i am wanting/wishing to" the German way would have to be "ich bin willens/wünschend zu" (these aren't used/don't exist).
This quote tops it all:
"I shrug off my American accent the same way I shrug off my suit jacket. I’ve worked hard the last few years, making sure my broadcasts are all easily understood by dampening my accent. Atlas prefers for me to sound German, though, so I happily don’t have to pretend at home."
I guess the author speaks only one language, because how would that feel like not pretending? When you've achieved a smoother pronunciation without a strong accent, trying to talk again with the stronger accent would be pretending, not the other way around.
Tldr: the MCs' chemistry and relationship development in the second half of the book were positive, sadly the ace rep wasn't developed in a satisfactory way. The author's total disregard to research her book's main topic wasn't only frustrating but inexcusable in my opinion.
March 19, 2025
I would like to adopt Henri, please and thank you! What a lovely character!!
I connected to Henri so easily because he's on the Ace spectrum and I have had so many similar experiences to him. I loved the way he was so proper, and such a genuinely nice guy. I also knew my GCSE German would come in handy one day 😂 I definitely empathised with Henri's struggles to become fluent in English too. If it wasn't the language I was born to, there's no way I would find it easy to learn because it is all over the place! French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish all have like a set structure so they're so much easier to learn, whereas English is like here's one word sound, spelt three different ways and they all mean something different, but until you see the full context you're not going to know which variant this is 😂😂😂 So yeah, Henri's struggles were realistic and I loved how much detail we got about his character overall.
My favourite part of this whole book though was how Henri woos Atlas with apples! So fucking cute, and the way apples become their thing was so endearing. Atlas's mug though.... definitely swoony.
Atlas is so prickly, but understandably so, and I loved watching him realise that maybe, just maybe, he was a little wrong about relationships! I loved that we got to see his home life with his brothers, and his friendship with Nate was really fun - it was nice to see that he did have people who were there for him outside of Henri, even if he was reluctant to see it. His dad and Carter's dad would probably be BFF's...
I really loved the ending to this book too. I've complained before about how abruptly this author's books seem to finish, but this was so perfect and fitting for the characters and their story. There were no loose ends, and that last scene between Henri and Atlas... full on heart eyed over it! I hope we see more from this series and these character's too because I adore the friendship group and I just want more of them.
Can't wait for the next book.
*****
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review
I connected to Henri so easily because he's on the Ace spectrum and I have had so many similar experiences to him. I loved the way he was so proper, and such a genuinely nice guy. I also knew my GCSE German would come in handy one day 😂 I definitely empathised with Henri's struggles to become fluent in English too. If it wasn't the language I was born to, there's no way I would find it easy to learn because it is all over the place! French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish all have like a set structure so they're so much easier to learn, whereas English is like here's one word sound, spelt three different ways and they all mean something different, but until you see the full context you're not going to know which variant this is 😂😂😂 So yeah, Henri's struggles were realistic and I loved how much detail we got about his character overall.
My favourite part of this whole book though was how Henri woos Atlas with apples! So fucking cute, and the way apples become their thing was so endearing. Atlas's mug though.... definitely swoony.
Atlas is so prickly, but understandably so, and I loved watching him realise that maybe, just maybe, he was a little wrong about relationships! I loved that we got to see his home life with his brothers, and his friendship with Nate was really fun - it was nice to see that he did have people who were there for him outside of Henri, even if he was reluctant to see it. His dad and Carter's dad would probably be BFF's...
I really loved the ending to this book too. I've complained before about how abruptly this author's books seem to finish, but this was so perfect and fitting for the characters and their story. There were no loose ends, and that last scene between Henri and Atlas... full on heart eyed over it! I hope we see more from this series and these character's too because I adore the friendship group and I just want more of them.
Can't wait for the next book.
*****
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review
March 20, 2025
This is a porcupine x marshmallow romance. If the marshmallow is unyielding. And just stays there being happy and all while the porcupine's quills fall off one by one.
Actually it's more like the marshmallow keeps expanding around the porcupine until it surrounds him completely. He fights it, but where is there to go, really? He simply must surrender to the softness.
Give in to the goo.
I also really loved the ace representation in this. There's no big angst around it, simply 'this is probably how I am' and 'I enjoy you, however you are'.
And Henri is so fucking literal it's adorable. So hard to offend😂, and trust me, Atlas tried HARD. No idea if it was the language barrier or just his personality but it made for a lot of fun frustration for Atlas.
I really REALLY hope the narrator does an exceptional job with Henri because even just via text, the syntax of his speech conveys the fact that English is not his first language and I think this is something that will translate well to audio. He's so bloody adorable and I hope whoever voices his character captures that.
This is a LOT more lighthearted than the previous one(in spite of Atlas' backstory) and that was a huge relief because that book had me wanting to curl up in a corner and cry but this one had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Love that for me. And Henri. Atlas is probably off scowling somewhere about how happy he is.
I'm trying really hard not to post spoilers as this is yet to be published but let me tell you: a love declaration from a literal person? Whew.
Incredibly sweet things going on here.
"I won’t tell you that I won’t leave you. I will simply stay, and perhaps that will speak for itself."
I do have one complaint, though. These cameos from previous couples. I have read all their books. Why do they KEEP. COMING. UP?!?!
They're like mushrooms. Can they just go live happily ever after? Why are they in the whole book then also in the epilogue OMG when shall I be free of MCs that I loved when it was their turn but now can't stand?!
THIS IS NOT TO SAY I DIDN'T LIKE THE EPILOGUE. I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THAT EPILOGUE. 🥰
Wondering if we'll get a book for Nate. Everyone on this team is queer in some form so far but hey, we've literally had hundreds of series with all straight MCs so fuck it, we ball.
Actually it's more like the marshmallow keeps expanding around the porcupine until it surrounds him completely. He fights it, but where is there to go, really? He simply must surrender to the softness.
Give in to the goo.
I also really loved the ace representation in this. There's no big angst around it, simply 'this is probably how I am' and 'I enjoy you, however you are'.
And Henri is so fucking literal it's adorable. So hard to offend😂, and trust me, Atlas tried HARD. No idea if it was the language barrier or just his personality but it made for a lot of fun frustration for Atlas.
I really REALLY hope the narrator does an exceptional job with Henri because even just via text, the syntax of his speech conveys the fact that English is not his first language and I think this is something that will translate well to audio. He's so bloody adorable and I hope whoever voices his character captures that.
This is a LOT more lighthearted than the previous one(in spite of Atlas' backstory) and that was a huge relief because that book had me wanting to curl up in a corner and cry but this one had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Love that for me. And Henri. Atlas is probably off scowling somewhere about how happy he is.
I'm trying really hard not to post spoilers as this is yet to be published but let me tell you: a love declaration from a literal person? Whew.
Incredibly sweet things going on here.
"I won’t tell you that I won’t leave you. I will simply stay, and perhaps that will speak for itself."
I do have one complaint, though. These cameos from previous couples. I have read all their books. Why do they KEEP. COMING. UP?!?!
They're like mushrooms. Can they just go live happily ever after? Why are they in the whole book then also in the epilogue OMG when shall I be free of MCs that I loved when it was their turn but now can't stand?!
THIS IS NOT TO SAY I DIDN'T LIKE THE EPILOGUE. I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THAT EPILOGUE. 🥰
Wondering if we'll get a book for Nate. Everyone on this team is queer in some form so far but hey, we've literally had hundreds of series with all straight MCs so fuck it, we ball.
April 2, 2025
Ugh, that was so much fun to read!
Meet Henri and Atlas, the sweetest cinnamon roll and the grouchiest porcupine to ever exist.
And when I say grouchy, I mean it. Atlas is the ruuuuudest person ever, holy shit. The way he gave Henri a hard time for not speaking perfect English in the beginning made me weirdly protective of Henri. Because, SIR, HOW IS YOUR GERMAN? OH YOU DONT SPEAK ANY? THEN SHUT TF UP!
But also: it IS a bit weird that Henri’s English level is where it’s at because we Germans (especially the younger generations!) start learning English in preschool AND he’s been in the US living and studying in English for 4 years AND he’s apparently a language genius, sooo. You’re doing amazing, sweetie, but I have questions 😂
On that note, you can tell the author isn’t super familiar with German (absolutely understandable, it is a hard and strange language!), especially with words like groupie, which Henri apparently doesn’t know - even though it’s literally the same in German. I get that this won’t bother most readers, but it pulled me out of the story quite a few times.
Also, Henri’s accent felt a bit… robotic? Honest question: do we Germans sound like that to you when we speak English? 😅
Now, onto the good stuff: prickliest black alley cat meets the most precious golden retriever in all the lands. And while Atlas is the prickliest of them all, I loved that he was still so soft, careful, and tender with Henri - especially when it came to his boundaries during sex. That contrast was perfection.
However: Atlas’ anti-love, nihilistic, one and done, ‘relationships are a waste of time and energy and happy endings are a fabrication of consumerism and Disney’ got on my nerves a bit, ngl, even though you do understand why he is like that.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a porcupine character, but only if the same character is also a little marshmallow when it comes to their love interest; if they fall HARD and irrevocably you know? And I didn’t always feel that with Atlas.
Still, there was so much I did love:
🍎 The ace rep? Loved.
🍏 The Apple gifts? 100% adorable.
🍎 The nickname Bärchen (little bear)? Instant serotonin, because that’s what I call my cats lol.
🍏 And Henri? Such a national treasure. So chill, so literal, so kind and wholesome, so unintentionally hilarious. Loohoooved him.
🍎 The cameos of all our previous, well loved couples? So satisfying 😍
Also, just putting it out there: I’m team green apple all the way. 🙈
So yeah, loved it for the absolute most part. The ending was abrupt again, but the utterly lovely epilogue more than made up for that 😍😍
PS: JJ Mulder, if you by any chance read this, I’d be more than happy to provide a few notes on the German inaccuracies that understandably slipped through (like the ‚groupie‘ thing), if you’re interested 🫶
Thank you to GRR for this arc, this is my honest opinion!
Meet Henri and Atlas, the sweetest cinnamon roll and the grouchiest porcupine to ever exist.
And when I say grouchy, I mean it. Atlas is the ruuuuudest person ever, holy shit. The way he gave Henri a hard time for not speaking perfect English in the beginning made me weirdly protective of Henri. Because, SIR, HOW IS YOUR GERMAN? OH YOU DONT SPEAK ANY? THEN SHUT TF UP!
But also: it IS a bit weird that Henri’s English level is where it’s at because we Germans (especially the younger generations!) start learning English in preschool AND he’s been in the US living and studying in English for 4 years AND he’s apparently a language genius, sooo. You’re doing amazing, sweetie, but I have questions 😂
On that note, you can tell the author isn’t super familiar with German (absolutely understandable, it is a hard and strange language!), especially with words like groupie, which Henri apparently doesn’t know - even though it’s literally the same in German. I get that this won’t bother most readers, but it pulled me out of the story quite a few times.
Also, Henri’s accent felt a bit… robotic? Honest question: do we Germans sound like that to you when we speak English? 😅
Now, onto the good stuff: prickliest black alley cat meets the most precious golden retriever in all the lands. And while Atlas is the prickliest of them all, I loved that he was still so soft, careful, and tender with Henri - especially when it came to his boundaries during sex. That contrast was perfection.
However: Atlas’ anti-love, nihilistic, one and done, ‘relationships are a waste of time and energy and happy endings are a fabrication of consumerism and Disney’ got on my nerves a bit, ngl, even though you do understand why he is like that.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a porcupine character, but only if the same character is also a little marshmallow when it comes to their love interest; if they fall HARD and irrevocably you know? And I didn’t always feel that with Atlas.
Still, there was so much I did love:
🍎 The ace rep? Loved.
🍏 The Apple gifts? 100% adorable.
🍎 The nickname Bärchen (little bear)? Instant serotonin, because that’s what I call my cats lol.
🍏 And Henri? Such a national treasure. So chill, so literal, so kind and wholesome, so unintentionally hilarious. Loohoooved him.
🍎 The cameos of all our previous, well loved couples? So satisfying 😍
Also, just putting it out there: I’m team green apple all the way. 🙈
So yeah, loved it for the absolute most part. The ending was abrupt again, but the utterly lovely epilogue more than made up for that 😍😍
PS: JJ Mulder, if you by any chance read this, I’d be more than happy to provide a few notes on the German inaccuracies that understandably slipped through (like the ‚groupie‘ thing), if you’re interested 🫶
Thank you to GRR for this arc, this is my honest opinion!
May 7, 2025
✨i love how J.J. Mulder is nailing every single book in this series✨
Henri is a people pleaser. He’s sweet, happy and an extrovert, so he has loads of friends. But there is always an exception to the rule, and that exception is Atlas, Henri’s partner for their communications class. Soon, Henri’s only goal is making sure that Atlas likes him. However, the more Henri gets to know him, the more he wants Atlas to be his friend. Or maybe more than friends because, for the first time in his life, Henri is not against the idea of kissing someone.
On The Edge was another great addition to the SCU Hockey series, which may be my favorite ongoing MM romance series (not counting danmei). While I struggled a lot to get into the story, once I started to care about the characters I had a blast reading it.
My main problem with this book was how difficult it was to believe in the main characters. They are both a bit over the top, and it was hard to see them as actual humans. Henri, for example, was supposed to be great at talking with people but, let’s be honest, he was weird. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE weird. I’m always into characters who are awful at social interaction, which I’m sure was Henri’s case, so I couldn’t understand why he was described as being good at social interaction when he was kind of awkward. I don’t know if I’m explaining myself, but his character was very contradictory to me and, for that reason, I had a hard time believing in him.
On the other hand, Atlas was the typical grumpy guy who is angry at the world and hates everyone around him. I’ve read too many of these characters already, so I was also not interested in him. That means I spent the first half of the book not vibing with the story and struggling to understand why Henri was so obsessed with Atlas, when Atlas was behaving like a jerk, and with the contradictions on Henri’s character.
Once I get bored with a book, there is no coming back. For some reason, this is one of the few books that was able to make me care about the characters when I had already given up and was playing with the idea of dnfing it. I started to care about both of them, especially Henri, and I started crying along with them and falling in love with their relationship. Basically, I experienced that special connection I felt with book one, it only took me a while to get there.
The best thing about this book was, hands down, the demisexual/asexual representation; that was the reason why the story won me over. I always love demisexual rep because it often means slow burn romances that aren’t too spicy, more focused on the emotions behind the attraction, and mixing the romance and the smut the way I like it. However, this was one of my favorites because Henri is more in the asexual spectrum than the demisexual characters authors often write about. There is still spice (I love having a bit of spice), but it’s hard for Henri to want to do more than kissing. I appreciated seeing that rep, and how Henri struggled when Atlas was in the mood but he wasn’t.
Overall, this book and I didn’t start off on the right foot, but I ended up falling in love with it. I enjoyed the demisexual rep and how beautiful they were together, especially Henri. He was an adorable ray of light that this world doesn’t deserve. I hope this isn’t the last book in the series, I can’t wait to read more!
↬ SCU Hockey
1. Shots on Net: 4.25 stars
2. Save the Game: 3.5 stars
3. On the edge: 3.75 stars
Henri is a people pleaser. He’s sweet, happy and an extrovert, so he has loads of friends. But there is always an exception to the rule, and that exception is Atlas, Henri’s partner for their communications class. Soon, Henri’s only goal is making sure that Atlas likes him. However, the more Henri gets to know him, the more he wants Atlas to be his friend. Or maybe more than friends because, for the first time in his life, Henri is not against the idea of kissing someone.
On The Edge was another great addition to the SCU Hockey series, which may be my favorite ongoing MM romance series (not counting danmei). While I struggled a lot to get into the story, once I started to care about the characters I had a blast reading it.
My main problem with this book was how difficult it was to believe in the main characters. They are both a bit over the top, and it was hard to see them as actual humans. Henri, for example, was supposed to be great at talking with people but, let’s be honest, he was weird. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE weird. I’m always into characters who are awful at social interaction, which I’m sure was Henri’s case, so I couldn’t understand why he was described as being good at social interaction when he was kind of awkward. I don’t know if I’m explaining myself, but his character was very contradictory to me and, for that reason, I had a hard time believing in him.
On the other hand, Atlas was the typical grumpy guy who is angry at the world and hates everyone around him. I’ve read too many of these characters already, so I was also not interested in him. That means I spent the first half of the book not vibing with the story and struggling to understand why Henri was so obsessed with Atlas, when Atlas was behaving like a jerk, and with the contradictions on Henri’s character.
Once I get bored with a book, there is no coming back. For some reason, this is one of the few books that was able to make me care about the characters when I had already given up and was playing with the idea of dnfing it. I started to care about both of them, especially Henri, and I started crying along with them and falling in love with their relationship. Basically, I experienced that special connection I felt with book one, it only took me a while to get there.
“One day, I will tell you something,” I promise. “You will not believe me if I say it today, so I will wait for now. But, one day.”
The best thing about this book was, hands down, the demisexual/asexual representation; that was the reason why the story won me over. I always love demisexual rep because it often means slow burn romances that aren’t too spicy, more focused on the emotions behind the attraction, and mixing the romance and the smut the way I like it. However, this was one of my favorites because Henri is more in the asexual spectrum than the demisexual characters authors often write about. There is still spice (I love having a bit of spice), but it’s hard for Henri to want to do more than kissing. I appreciated seeing that rep, and how Henri struggled when Atlas was in the mood but he wasn’t.
Overall, this book and I didn’t start off on the right foot, but I ended up falling in love with it. I enjoyed the demisexual rep and how beautiful they were together, especially Henri. He was an adorable ray of light that this world doesn’t deserve. I hope this isn’t the last book in the series, I can’t wait to read more!
↬ SCU Hockey
1. Shots on Net: 4.25 stars
2. Save the Game: 3.5 stars
3. On the edge: 3.75 stars
April 7, 2025
As a German, this was painful to read. Felt like the author googled "mistakes learners of a foreign language make" and just took ones that absolutely do not happen with German (but with Russian and Spanish, so I guess points for trying?).
It was so inconsistent and just made reading from Henri's POV painful (though he is very cute and kind!!). Maybe readers who aren't German may like it, though?
Also, the other guy was portrayed as a bully for so long that by the time we learn the "motives" behind it, I just hated the guy and didn't care about his reasons for being so mean to Henri. If you tell me someone is an asshole and he behaves like one? Yeah, I'm going to believe you.
It was so inconsistent and just made reading from Henri's POV painful (though he is very cute and kind!!). Maybe readers who aren't German may like it, though?
Also, the other guy was portrayed as a bully for so long that by the time we learn the "motives" behind it, I just hated the guy and didn't care about his reasons for being so mean to Henri. If you tell me someone is an asshole and he behaves like one? Yeah, I'm going to believe you.
April 6, 2025
So sweet. Beautiful characters! Henri is so precious, and Atlas, oh poor Atlas, be patient with him, he is so unlikable at first haha.
I throughly enjoyed this book, be ready to get a bit emotional, but you will also laugh and swoon ◡̈
The ending is beautiful.
I throughly enjoyed this book, be ready to get a bit emotional, but you will also laugh and swoon ◡̈
The ending is beautiful.
November 24, 2025
JJ Mulder has hit us with another swoon-worthy romance. I love how these books stay low on plot and high on vibes. There is something so comforting about watching two men exist together, work through their baggage, and slowly fall in love. The writing carries an emotional weight that makes your heart ache in the best way.
Henri Vasel is the obvious standout. Easily of the sweetest, purest cinnamon-roll MMCs I have ever read. His kindness overwhelmed me to the point of tears. Atlas, on the other hand, is endlessly frustrating, but in a way that feels painfully human. I wanted to shake him and hug him at the same time. He reflects the worst parts of all of us, and somehow that makes him impossible to dislike.
This book honestly cements SCU as one of my all-time favorite MM series. It’s tender, it’s heartfelt, it’s quietly devastating in all the right ways. Mulder knows exactly how to write love that feels real, soft, and deeply human, and this book is such a perfect example of that.
Henri Vasel is the obvious standout. Easily of the sweetest, purest cinnamon-roll MMCs I have ever read. His kindness overwhelmed me to the point of tears. Atlas, on the other hand, is endlessly frustrating, but in a way that feels painfully human. I wanted to shake him and hug him at the same time. He reflects the worst parts of all of us, and somehow that makes him impossible to dislike.
This book honestly cements SCU as one of my all-time favorite MM series. It’s tender, it’s heartfelt, it’s quietly devastating in all the right ways. Mulder knows exactly how to write love that feels real, soft, and deeply human, and this book is such a perfect example of that.
March 31, 2025
What a freaking delight.
Light-hearted, so sweet your teeth might start rotting (in the best way possible though!) and so so so heart-warming.
Although I'm pretty sure I love J.J. Mulder the most when the stakes are a smidge higher and the angst is a smidge angstier (Max's story will probably remain my favourite of hers to date <3), but all in all, this was a delightful palate cleanser.
Obviously, Henri shone in this one. I knew he would, but he still managed to surprise me and steal my soul even more than the previous books had: a people pleaser through and through, anxiety riddled, a bit of a control freak, would die for his friends (HE'S SO ME), plus the ace rep? *chef's kiss* I loved him.
I loved Atlas too. Not in the beginning, and not at a certain point near the end, but when he wasn't being a dumbass, I loved him. Prickly, feral alley cat with a grudges a mile long and barbed wire all around his heart? He was fabulous. Despite the dumbassery, lol.
Like I said, I would have loved for this book to have felt slightly more higher stakes, and I think the emotional arc of Atlas and Henri's slow burn relationship felt a smidge off at times, but yeah, I still loved them. They were so sweet and wholesome and delightful together.
I adored the group scenes: MAX, MY LOVE <3 I was so proud of him. And Zeke and Carter!!!!!!! My pookie bears.
I LOVED Nate too, and I seriously cannot wait for the next book.
Wholly recommended!
TWs/CWs: heavy drinking, self-destructive behaviour, parent abandonment, parent neglect, rape (mentioned, side character).
Thank you GRR for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.
Light-hearted, so sweet your teeth might start rotting (in the best way possible though!) and so so so heart-warming.
Although I'm pretty sure I love J.J. Mulder the most when the stakes are a smidge higher and the angst is a smidge angstier (Max's story will probably remain my favourite of hers to date <3), but all in all, this was a delightful palate cleanser.
Obviously, Henri shone in this one. I knew he would, but he still managed to surprise me and steal my soul even more than the previous books had: a people pleaser through and through, anxiety riddled, a bit of a control freak, would die for his friends (HE'S SO ME), plus the ace rep? *chef's kiss* I loved him.
I loved Atlas too. Not in the beginning, and not at a certain point near the end, but when he wasn't being a dumbass, I loved him. Prickly, feral alley cat with a grudges a mile long and barbed wire all around his heart? He was fabulous. Despite the dumbassery, lol.
Like I said, I would have loved for this book to have felt slightly more higher stakes, and I think the emotional arc of Atlas and Henri's slow burn relationship felt a smidge off at times, but yeah, I still loved them. They were so sweet and wholesome and delightful together.
I adored the group scenes: MAX, MY LOVE <3 I was so proud of him. And Zeke and Carter!!!!!!! My pookie bears.
I LOVED Nate too, and I seriously cannot wait for the next book.
Wholly recommended!
TWs/CWs: heavy drinking, self-destructive behaviour, parent abandonment, parent neglect, rape (mentioned, side character).
Thank you GRR for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.
Read
July 30, 2025DNF @ 12%
Nope, can't do it. This isn't how language works, there's no way a German would struggle with English in the ways described especially after spending 4 years in the US. It's already driving me nuts, doing a whole book of this feels unnecessarily cruel to myself so I'm out
Nope, can't do it. This isn't how language works, there's no way a German would struggle with English in the ways described especially after spending 4 years in the US. It's already driving me nuts, doing a whole book of this feels unnecessarily cruel to myself so I'm out
March 30, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
“𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. “𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
“𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬,” 𝐈 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲.
“𝐍𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”
“𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”
Henri Vasel is an angel baby and I loved him so much, but I think my expectations for this book were a bit too high.
I still thoroughly enjoyed his book though and will forever read anything JJ writes, but everything about Atlas and Henri’s characters felt surface level and wished there had been a deeper dive into their backgrounds and lives.
What to expect:
- people pleasing hockey player + rude loner who hates everyone
- ace + bi rep
- black cat + golden retriever
- hockey, obvi
- opposites attract
- apples
- slow burn
- first times
“𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. “𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
“𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬,” 𝐈 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲.
“𝐍𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”
“𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”
Henri Vasel is an angel baby and I loved him so much, but I think my expectations for this book were a bit too high.
I still thoroughly enjoyed his book though and will forever read anything JJ writes, but everything about Atlas and Henri’s characters felt surface level and wished there had been a deeper dive into their backgrounds and lives.
What to expect:
- people pleasing hockey player + rude loner who hates everyone
- ace + bi rep
- black cat + golden retriever
- hockey, obvi
- opposites attract
- apples
- slow burn
- first times
March 24, 2025
⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️
🎧𝒮𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝑀𝒶𝓉𝒸𝒽 — 𝐼'𝓂 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒻𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝐼'𝓂 𝒻𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓎 𝐸𝓁𝓀𝑜🎧
// Wish I could change your mind
Maybe then you'd still be mine
I know it's not me, I treated you right
But you just needed to learn how to smile //
TROPES:
🏒 Hockey player
🍎 German MC
🏒 Golden retriever vs black cat
🍎 Ace Rep
On The Edge was super fluffy, extra sweet gooey-ness. Adorable German puppy meets prickly alley cat boy, proceeds to break down all his walls. Adored Henri, so genuine and just fucking nice to everyone.
And even if he was prickly, Atlas cared so much for Henri. Loved how gentle he was with him, how he didn’t care about Henri’s sexuality. He just wanted to be loved.
Even though the epilogue was, again, very sweet and lovely, it felt maybe a tad abrupt. Maybe, I just wasn’t ready to let these two go.
Awesome ace rep, a bit of found family, a cute friendship turned into a heartwarming relationship, romantic dates — just fluff and sweetness and exactly what I needed today.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Parental neglect/abandonment
- Commitment issues
- Virgin MC
- Ace rep
- Low spice/closed doors
- No penetrative sex
🎧𝒮𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝑀𝒶𝓉𝒸𝒽 — 𝐼'𝓂 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝒻𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝐼'𝓂 𝒻𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓎 𝐸𝓁𝓀𝑜🎧
// Wish I could change your mind
Maybe then you'd still be mine
I know it's not me, I treated you right
But you just needed to learn how to smile //
I was doing fine before a big, goofy, floppy-haired German brought me an apple.
TROPES:
🏒 Hockey player
🍎 German MC
🏒 Golden retriever vs black cat
🍎 Ace Rep
On The Edge was super fluffy, extra sweet gooey-ness. Adorable German puppy meets prickly alley cat boy, proceeds to break down all his walls. Adored Henri, so genuine and just fucking nice to everyone.
“We’re not dating,” he reminds me, although the words lack any conviction at all. “We’re just fucking.” “With feelings,” I add cheerfully.
“No feelings.”
“A few feelings.”
And even if he was prickly, Atlas cared so much for Henri. Loved how gentle he was with him, how he didn’t care about Henri’s sexuality. He just wanted to be loved.
How could I want someone else when Atlas is in the world?
Even though the epilogue was, again, very sweet and lovely, it felt maybe a tad abrupt. Maybe, I just wasn’t ready to let these two go.
Awesome ace rep, a bit of found family, a cute friendship turned into a heartwarming relationship, romantic dates — just fluff and sweetness and exactly what I needed today.
“One day, I will tell you something,” I promise. “You will not believe me if I say it today, so I will wait for now. But, one day.”
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Parental neglect/abandonment
- Commitment issues
- Virgin MC
- Ace rep
- Low spice/closed doors
- No penetrative sex
April 4, 2025
This was not what I expected. At all. Yes Henri was wonderful and Atlas was as well in his own way. However, it really bugged me how Henri was speaking English and couldn’t really express himself enough. Especially because he spoke so many languages! After working and traveling in the US, the UK and Australia I know from experience that after about a few months being completely submersed in another language without any other people who speak your language, you start dreaming in that language. He’s lived there for years, and hardly spoke any German. He goes to university in English. There’s no way he still speaks so little English. Of course, like me, he’d still make a lot of little grammar mistakes. Not such obvious ones though. It felt ignorant.
And what also didn’t really make sense were their (non)sex scenes and the lack of communication about them. Also to the reader. Apparently Henri is on the Ace spectrum. Atlas definitely wasn’t. How do they resolve that over the years? Why wasn’t that more of a theme?
So yeah, I was a bit disappointed all in all. I loved the other books in this series, especially the second one. I hope the future ones will be more to my liking again.
And what also didn’t really make sense were their (non)sex scenes and the lack of communication about them. Also to the reader. Apparently Henri is on the Ace spectrum. Atlas definitely wasn’t. How do they resolve that over the years? Why wasn’t that more of a theme?
So yeah, I was a bit disappointed all in all. I loved the other books in this series, especially the second one. I hope the future ones will be more to my liking again.
March 21, 2025
5 stars
Another fantastic story from JJ Mulder, she's so so good and I love her writing.
Henri Vasel is one of the most precious character in MM romance: he's so attentive, caring, thoughtful, even with strangers, like Atlas. I adored that his first thought was that maybe he needed a friend. Henri is a gentle soul and he deserves all the love his friends have for him (the way Carter is protective of him, gahh!).
I could easily connect with him and his struggles with the English language since it wasn't the language I was raised with, just like him. I felt every ounce of his embarrassment every time he chose the wrong word or his every hesitation to speak.
Atlas is really a feral stray cat: I hate that his past made him like that, I hate how much he suffered and I completely understand his struggles to let people in; despite being grumpy and feeling unworthy, though, he cares about people, we can see that when he spends time with his little brothers or when he bickers with Nate.
And Henri's kindness, care and affection will break the wall around his heart little by little.
I loved how the author described Henri's sexuality (he's ace) and especially how Atlas never, ever, pushed him or belittled him for that. I loved that Henri's sexuality was never an obstacle between them.
The epilogue is one of the most fantastic ever, it made me literally cry. It was perfect, so very perfect for their story!
And of course, seeing all the other guys has been awesome.
Sadly, I'm in withdrawal right now, I hope JJ won't make us wait a long time for her next story.
So so much recommended!
I received an ARC of this book from the author and this is my honest review
Another fantastic story from JJ Mulder, she's so so good and I love her writing.
Henri Vasel is one of the most precious character in MM romance: he's so attentive, caring, thoughtful, even with strangers, like Atlas. I adored that his first thought was that maybe he needed a friend. Henri is a gentle soul and he deserves all the love his friends have for him (the way Carter is protective of him, gahh!).
I could easily connect with him and his struggles with the English language since it wasn't the language I was raised with, just like him. I felt every ounce of his embarrassment every time he chose the wrong word or his every hesitation to speak.
Atlas is really a feral stray cat: I hate that his past made him like that, I hate how much he suffered and I completely understand his struggles to let people in; despite being grumpy and feeling unworthy, though, he cares about people, we can see that when he spends time with his little brothers or when he bickers with Nate.
And Henri's kindness, care and affection will break the wall around his heart little by little.
I loved how the author described Henri's sexuality (he's ace) and especially how Atlas never, ever, pushed him or belittled him for that. I loved that Henri's sexuality was never an obstacle between them.
The epilogue is one of the most fantastic ever, it made me literally cry. It was perfect, so very perfect for their story!
And of course, seeing all the other guys has been awesome.
Sadly, I'm in withdrawal right now, I hope JJ won't make us wait a long time for her next story.
So so much recommended!
I received an ARC of this book from the author and this is my honest review
April 7, 2025
“I have never been interested in kissing before, until I met you,” he says, head tilted and eyes contemplative on mine. His gaze drops to my mouth. “But I like your hair, and I like talking to you even though you can be rude and think I’m strange. I like looking at you.”
I would die for Henri I love how literal he is. Atlas I hated at first but he grew on me as time went on in the book! Loved the ace representation with Henri and how understanding Atlas was with it, they gave each other a lot of grace to be themselves. JJ Mudler has a way of writing characters you can’t help but to root for. The banter between these two were hilarious with English being Henris second language.
And I read it with my eyes and we all know I’m the audiobook king.
Anyways I loved this and I’m hoping the next book features atlas roommate Nate because he was also funny and endearing!
I would die for Henri I love how literal he is. Atlas I hated at first but he grew on me as time went on in the book! Loved the ace representation with Henri and how understanding Atlas was with it, they gave each other a lot of grace to be themselves. JJ Mudler has a way of writing characters you can’t help but to root for. The banter between these two were hilarious with English being Henris second language.
And I read it with my eyes and we all know I’m the audiobook king.
Anyways I loved this and I’m hoping the next book features atlas roommate Nate because he was also funny and endearing!
July 19, 2025
Henri is one of the sweetest characters I've read about all year; an absolute sweetheart who I wanted to protect against every insult and injury. While his story didn't impact as much as I would've liked it to, I will always remember how much I cared about him and celebrated his HEA. 3 stars
SCU Hockey
Book 1: Shots on Net 4.5 stars
Book 2: Save the Game dnf
Book 3: On the Edge 3 stars
SCU Hockey
Book 1: Shots on Net 4.5 stars
Book 2: Save the Game dnf
Book 3: On the Edge 3 stars
March 19, 2025
I will forever love Coach Nico but Henri Vasel just managed to snag the #1 spot as my favourite character in this universe.
Henri is a German hockey player and a student in SCU. He loves his schedule, he loves apples, he loves loving and being loved. While he struggles with English, he tries his best to succeed in college. He gets assigned to Atlas in one of his classes.
Atlas is a black cat through and through. He’s snippy and a little angry at the world. He wants nothing to do with the Polo Shirt wearing student who keeps offering him apples. He’s had a tough childhood and doesn’t believe in love or relationships.
The word that describes Henri best is simply - beautiful. Inside and outside, just beautiful. He’s the most selfless and gentle soul to exist. The way he loves his friends. The way he thinks everything through. The way he craves a connection. The way nothing phases him. I adore him. I adore him and his khaki wearing ways. He’s an over-thinker, a people pleaser and a caretaker. He says things the way he sees them and always tries to put himself in other peoples’ shoes as to understand them better. I relate to him on a visceral level. The way he struggles to express himself in English was adorable but there were times when it was hitting me right in the feels. I am Vas and Vas is me.
Atlas is an extremely complex character. A very misunderstood man who claims he hates love and always keeps people at arms length. He can’t resist the charms of Henri though and his walls slowly start crumbling. His character also contradicts his actions. He never pushed Henri for more than he could give. He was also so gentle and respectful. It took me a good minute but he grew on me!
The ace representation was truly amazing. The way their connection built slowly. The soft way they always interacted. There was never any rush. Their exploration was so tender and adorable. I just love them so much.
Seeing the cameos was everything. The way Henri loves those boys is fucking beautiful. The way they love him back is just…🥹 I ate up every detail about Coach and Anthony because I fucking love them too.
All the feels in this book. Favourite read of the year so far.
Henri is a German hockey player and a student in SCU. He loves his schedule, he loves apples, he loves loving and being loved. While he struggles with English, he tries his best to succeed in college. He gets assigned to Atlas in one of his classes.
Atlas is a black cat through and through. He’s snippy and a little angry at the world. He wants nothing to do with the Polo Shirt wearing student who keeps offering him apples. He’s had a tough childhood and doesn’t believe in love or relationships.
The word that describes Henri best is simply - beautiful. Inside and outside, just beautiful. He’s the most selfless and gentle soul to exist. The way he loves his friends. The way he thinks everything through. The way he craves a connection. The way nothing phases him. I adore him. I adore him and his khaki wearing ways. He’s an over-thinker, a people pleaser and a caretaker. He says things the way he sees them and always tries to put himself in other peoples’ shoes as to understand them better. I relate to him on a visceral level. The way he struggles to express himself in English was adorable but there were times when it was hitting me right in the feels. I am Vas and Vas is me.
Atlas is an extremely complex character. A very misunderstood man who claims he hates love and always keeps people at arms length. He can’t resist the charms of Henri though and his walls slowly start crumbling. His character also contradicts his actions. He never pushed Henri for more than he could give. He was also so gentle and respectful. It took me a good minute but he grew on me!
The ace representation was truly amazing. The way their connection built slowly. The soft way they always interacted. There was never any rush. Their exploration was so tender and adorable. I just love them so much.
Seeing the cameos was everything. The way Henri loves those boys is fucking beautiful. The way they love him back is just…🥹 I ate up every detail about Coach and Anthony because I fucking love them too.
All the feels in this book. Favourite read of the year so far.
May 4, 2025
im going to be so impatient waiting for this to come out
So.... it came out and I have read it. 4.5 stars.
Despite the amount of page time my arch nemesis Zeke, got, this was by far the best J. J. Mulder book yet oh my god? Its been 3 months since I read all of their books in like one sitting on a random week I had off of school and from what I remember this one is by far the most well written, with the most complex characters, and the best plot. I felt for these character in ways none of their other books have made me feel (other than from coast to coast which makes sense as that was their other most recent book. I can see the improvement in the writing of this author over time and it has been such a treat to get to read all of these books and I sincerely hope this author gets to writing another one soon. Vas has always been my favorite characters in the SCU hockey series because I just found him so likable and this book only expanded on that. I loved Carter before I started SCU Hockey and he quickly lost his appeal and the same thing happened with Corwin in the other series but finally has a character stayed consistently amazing. I am Vasel's #1 fan and I just hope we get Nate and Marcos' story now. Cant give this 5 stars on principle of it just didnt have the sparkle that 5 star books have, if it would have made me cry I think I would have given it 5 stars, but still very, very good.
So.... it came out and I have read it. 4.5 stars.
Despite the amount of page time my arch nemesis Zeke, got, this was by far the best J. J. Mulder book yet oh my god? Its been 3 months since I read all of their books in like one sitting on a random week I had off of school and from what I remember this one is by far the most well written, with the most complex characters, and the best plot. I felt for these character in ways none of their other books have made me feel (other than from coast to coast which makes sense as that was their other most recent book. I can see the improvement in the writing of this author over time and it has been such a treat to get to read all of these books and I sincerely hope this author gets to writing another one soon. Vas has always been my favorite characters in the SCU hockey series because I just found him so likable and this book only expanded on that. I loved Carter before I started SCU Hockey and he quickly lost his appeal and the same thing happened with Corwin in the other series but finally has a character stayed consistently amazing. I am Vasel's #1 fan and I just hope we get Nate and Marcos' story now. Cant give this 5 stars on principle of it just didnt have the sparkle that 5 star books have, if it would have made me cry I think I would have given it 5 stars, but still very, very good.
April 1, 2025
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
Rating: 4 ⭐️
On The Edge is the first book I've read by J.J. Mulder, and it certainly won't be the last! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, and I don't regret it all. I enjoyed this book way more than I anticipated. I'm completely in love with the author's writing, and the characters she created, especially Henri Vasel.
This man is the definition of the word precious. I don't think I have met a character with such pure intentions! He's a great friend (I wish he was real...), and a great partner. I don't know if it makes sense but I felt like a proud mom when it came to Henri; I just wanted to give him a big hug. I could easily understand his issues with English, and the fact that he felt homesick.
I was a bit hesitant about Atlas, at first. His rudeness toward Henri was a lot, and I wanted to slap some sense into him. However, the more I read about him, the more I sympathised with him. I'm glad Atlas found a partner like Henri; those two were a great pairing. And his obsession with Henri's thighs was so fun to read! Was he annoyed with Henri? Absolutely. Was he attracted to him? Without a doubt. Did he become kinda pathetic about him at the end? Also yes.
Henri's asexuality was well-portrayed, in my opinion, but what stood out the most were the intimate scene between the two main characters. I really appreciated them, because they were well-written and very romantic. Atlas never pushed Henri with intimacy, and let him set his own pace. I like that a lot. Even though it was a rough beginning for them, their connexion felt real, and not rushed.
I appreciated the side characters too, especially Max and Luke. I'm glad Henri had great friends. The friendship between Max and Henri was too precious. My heart couldn't take this much sweetness.
As I expected, and without spoiling too much, there was a third-act break-up. And yes, I was annoyed. Really really annoyed, because Atlas hurt my boy who didn't deserve this. But fortunately, they solved their issues pretty quickly (they're separated for a month). Nonetheless, I wanted more grovel from Atlas, and I wanted him to be the first to reach out, but he easily recognized his mistakes so...
Overall, this book was great. I'm obviously going to read Save The Game because I want to know more about Max and Luke!
Rating: 4 ⭐️
On The Edge is the first book I've read by J.J. Mulder, and it certainly won't be the last! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, and I don't regret it all. I enjoyed this book way more than I anticipated. I'm completely in love with the author's writing, and the characters she created, especially Henri Vasel.
This man is the definition of the word precious. I don't think I have met a character with such pure intentions! He's a great friend (I wish he was real...), and a great partner. I don't know if it makes sense but I felt like a proud mom when it came to Henri; I just wanted to give him a big hug. I could easily understand his issues with English, and the fact that he felt homesick.
I was a bit hesitant about Atlas, at first. His rudeness toward Henri was a lot, and I wanted to slap some sense into him. However, the more I read about him, the more I sympathised with him. I'm glad Atlas found a partner like Henri; those two were a great pairing. And his obsession with Henri's thighs was so fun to read! Was he annoyed with Henri? Absolutely. Was he attracted to him? Without a doubt. Did he become kinda pathetic about him at the end? Also yes.
Henri's asexuality was well-portrayed, in my opinion, but what stood out the most were the intimate scene between the two main characters. I really appreciated them, because they were well-written and very romantic. Atlas never pushed Henri with intimacy, and let him set his own pace. I like that a lot. Even though it was a rough beginning for them, their connexion felt real, and not rushed.
I appreciated the side characters too, especially Max and Luke. I'm glad Henri had great friends. The friendship between Max and Henri was too precious. My heart couldn't take this much sweetness.
As I expected, and without spoiling too much, there was a third-act break-up. And yes, I was annoyed. Really really annoyed, because Atlas hurt my boy who didn't deserve this. But fortunately, they solved their issues pretty quickly (they're separated for a month). Nonetheless, I wanted more grovel from Atlas, and I wanted him to be the first to reach out, but he easily recognized his mistakes so...
Overall, this book was great. I'm obviously going to read Save The Game because I want to know more about Max and Luke!
October 12, 2025
Henri is the sweetest soul in the universe and deserves every single good thing to happen to him forever. He is soooo sincere and thoughtful and just ughhhh
This was a cute golden retriever/black cat romance with a very prickly Atlas and Henri. Tbh I would've been so done with Atlas but Henri persisted and of course, once Henri started breaking down those walls and seeing the Atlas' vulnerable side it was so very cute.
I also loved the asexual and demi rep here - not sure exactly how Henri identifies but it was done really well and Atlas was so very respectful of Henri.
Shots on Net - 3.5 stars
Save the Game - 4.5 stars
On the Edge - 4 stars
This was a cute golden retriever/black cat romance with a very prickly Atlas and Henri. Tbh I would've been so done with Atlas but Henri persisted and of course, once Henri started breaking down those walls and seeing the Atlas' vulnerable side it was so very cute.
I also loved the asexual and demi rep here - not sure exactly how Henri identifies but it was done really well and Atlas was so very respectful of Henri.
Shots on Net - 3.5 stars
Save the Game - 4.5 stars
On the Edge - 4 stars
March 28, 2025
I love them your honor! Omg I love them so much. Once again JJ Mulder has written a book that is to become my personality 😂 I was literally giggling and smiling from the start. These two are so different from Max and Luke and Zeke and Carter but no less adorable 🥹
Now I did have a bone to pick with Atlas at the beginning bc while I knew he was gonna be prickly I was ready to fight a fictional man over my bby Henri 👊🏾 The enormous walls he had up were understandable after you get to know his character and hag ass dad, it gave him depth that made you care, even while annoyed with him. He was just mean enough but those moments of softness that bled through the spiky exterior made him feel relatable. He tried so hard (not really 🤭) to fight his feelings for Henri and lost every time, I didn’t feel bad at all bc Atlas deserved it 🤷🏾♀️ I already knew the softening was coming bc hello this is a romance book but when it did, every time I was like, “Awe, what a soft bby marshmallow 🥹”
And Henri! My adorable, sweet, kind, beautiful, bby Henri. Not to be dramatic but I would protect him with my life. This story was not as sad as the last one but man his loneliness and eagerness to be liked was so palpable, I just wanted to give the strongest hug along with a forehead kiss. He was such an endearing character before his own book, but being inside his head multiplied that x 1000! What a sweet hulking gem 💎 I love how his sexuality was written, his asexuality felt believable and real. Also the way Atlas respected the pace that Henri needed to take and accepted the fact that he might not ever respond in the same way showed his considerate and kind nature under all that spiky snark. I severely swooned. Henri is such an amazingly written character that truly deserves the world 🥹🥰
I adored these two, like I knew I would bc hello?! JJ Mulder! I cried a lot as usual, laughed and smiled a lot and loved being back at SCU. Luke remains such a beautiful (and clearly my fave) character, Max is a sweetie and Carter and Zeke made me smile every time they were together on page. All these guys are my bbys 🥰
Now I did have a bone to pick with Atlas at the beginning bc while I knew he was gonna be prickly I was ready to fight a fictional man over my bby Henri 👊🏾 The enormous walls he had up were understandable after you get to know his character and hag ass dad, it gave him depth that made you care, even while annoyed with him. He was just mean enough but those moments of softness that bled through the spiky exterior made him feel relatable. He tried so hard (not really 🤭) to fight his feelings for Henri and lost every time, I didn’t feel bad at all bc Atlas deserved it 🤷🏾♀️ I already knew the softening was coming bc hello this is a romance book but when it did, every time I was like, “Awe, what a soft bby marshmallow 🥹”
And Henri! My adorable, sweet, kind, beautiful, bby Henri. Not to be dramatic but I would protect him with my life. This story was not as sad as the last one but man his loneliness and eagerness to be liked was so palpable, I just wanted to give the strongest hug along with a forehead kiss. He was such an endearing character before his own book, but being inside his head multiplied that x 1000! What a sweet hulking gem 💎 I love how his sexuality was written, his asexuality felt believable and real. Also the way Atlas respected the pace that Henri needed to take and accepted the fact that he might not ever respond in the same way showed his considerate and kind nature under all that spiky snark. I severely swooned. Henri is such an amazingly written character that truly deserves the world 🥹🥰
I adored these two, like I knew I would bc hello?! JJ Mulder! I cried a lot as usual, laughed and smiled a lot and loved being back at SCU. Luke remains such a beautiful (and clearly my fave) character, Max is a sweetie and Carter and Zeke made me smile every time they were together on page. All these guys are my bbys 🥰
April 11, 2025
First and foremost, the only thing i currently want in my life is a hug from Henri Vasel and maybe a kiss here and a kiss there
Secondly, i LOVED this book. It was sweet, it was adorable, it had the cutest feral alley cat x cinnamon roll-y golden retriever trope. This book was literally a warm hug (and god knows i needed it sb). And the cherry on top, it has an epilogue!
Secondly, i LOVED this book. It was sweet, it was adorable, it had the cutest feral alley cat x cinnamon roll-y golden retriever trope. This book was literally a warm hug (and god knows i needed it sb). And the cherry on top, it has an epilogue!
April 7, 2025
3.25 stars. Cute, and Henri was not a cookie cutter character, which I liked (Atlas was, though). He was such a sweet guy!
I do have to say that some of the choices the author made didn't make sense to me. Henri was fluent in 5 languages, but for some reason still struggled a lot with English after 4 years in the States? There were random words he had to look up, but then he used more obscure ones in the next sentence? Also, when he was actually texting or speaking to people his language was a bit stilted, but when we were in his pov and read what he was thinking, he had no trouble with English. So, I missed consistency and it would have made a lot more sense to me if the guy was a science major who had trouble with a second language, or something like that.
I liked the ace representation and I really liked that Atlas never asked for more than Henri could give, but I expected them to have a bit more conversation about it, especially once they were a real couple.
So, this could have been a lot more, but it was exactly the kind of fluff I needed after reading the entire Executive office series by Tal Bauer. After all that drama, torture and backstabbing, I needed something sweet and simple.
I do have to say that some of the choices the author made didn't make sense to me. Henri was fluent in 5 languages, but for some reason still struggled a lot with English after 4 years in the States? There were random words he had to look up, but then he used more obscure ones in the next sentence? Also, when he was actually texting or speaking to people his language was a bit stilted, but when we were in his pov and read what he was thinking, he had no trouble with English. So, I missed consistency and it would have made a lot more sense to me if the guy was a science major who had trouble with a second language, or something like that.
I liked the ace representation and I really liked that Atlas never asked for more than Henri could give, but I expected them to have a bit more conversation about it, especially once they were a real couple.
So, this could have been a lot more, but it was exactly the kind of fluff I needed after reading the entire Executive office series by Tal Bauer. After all that drama, torture and backstabbing, I needed something sweet and simple.
June 8, 2025
If I had a nickel for every time a character named Henri(y) was a little socially awkward, posh and had horse riding thighs to die for i’d have 2 nickels and that’s not much but it’s weird that it happened twice.
In all seriousness, that was such a cute book. I think it might have been my favorite of the series, mostly because Atlas and Henri were the funniest to read about in my opinion I liked the slow burn, and the non-urgency in their relationship, too.
3.75 ⭐️
In all seriousness, that was such a cute book. I think it might have been my favorite of the series, mostly because Atlas and Henri were the funniest to read about in my opinion I liked the slow burn, and the non-urgency in their relationship, too.
3.75 ⭐️
April 3, 2025
Had to DNF at 68% 😭 I LOVED the first two books but this one I just couldn’t connect with…
I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Atlas and Henri & also disliked Atlas and his rude characteristics😬
Also as a German this was HARD to read bc the way Henri spoke English was very very stilted and formal/proper.. it felt kinda outdated bc that would be how older german people (boomer and older) would sound like.. and tbh younger Germans who are not fluent in English are still more likely to use slang or less formal wording bc of friends, social media & tv/movie influences…
It kinda felt like the author took inspiration from this comedian named Flula Borg, which btw is a put on character and not at all how the majority of Germans actually sound like…
And lastly: Bärchen… when I heard that I cringed and immediately closed the book… nope nope nope… maybe this is personal preference but again kind of a pet name that older people would be more likely to use… I’ve heard it once in my life time and it was a wife talking to her 60 year old bearded & beer bellied husband😂
Honestly the most common pet names in Germany would be: Baby/Babe, Schatz (Treasure), Maus/Mausi (mouse), Hase/Hasi (bunny)… but mostly just Baby and Schatz..
Idk this is all personal preference but I just couldn’t continue, which makes me so sad bc I love this series and loved the first two couples!!!😭😭
I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Atlas and Henri & also disliked Atlas and his rude characteristics😬
Also as a German this was HARD to read bc the way Henri spoke English was very very stilted and formal/proper.. it felt kinda outdated bc that would be how older german people (boomer and older) would sound like.. and tbh younger Germans who are not fluent in English are still more likely to use slang or less formal wording bc of friends, social media & tv/movie influences…
It kinda felt like the author took inspiration from this comedian named Flula Borg, which btw is a put on character and not at all how the majority of Germans actually sound like…
And lastly: Bärchen… when I heard that I cringed and immediately closed the book… nope nope nope… maybe this is personal preference but again kind of a pet name that older people would be more likely to use… I’ve heard it once in my life time and it was a wife talking to her 60 year old bearded & beer bellied husband😂
Honestly the most common pet names in Germany would be: Baby/Babe, Schatz (Treasure), Maus/Mausi (mouse), Hase/Hasi (bunny)… but mostly just Baby and Schatz..
Idk this is all personal preference but I just couldn’t continue, which makes me so sad bc I love this series and loved the first two couples!!!😭😭
April 26, 2025
so adorable! I wanted to squeeze Henri all the time, he's too precious for this world 🥹🥹
February 27, 2025
I love this book. Once again, I read a JJ book in one sitting. I love Henri so, so, so much. He is precious. He's such a kind, gentle soul. A people pleaser to his core (same). So smart, but thinks so little of himself. He is genuinely such a great guy. Then there's Atlas. He's prickly and stand offish. He can be mean. But he really just won't let himself have what he wants. He's been hurt and jaded. He cares for Henri and he treats him so well (most of the time... when he's not running from getting hurt).
I love seeing these two go from reluctant seat mates to friends to lovers. I enjoyed all the cameos and Henri's friends. It's nice to see how loved he is, even if he doesn't always feel it. I love how Henri recognizes important moments and makes sure to remember them. I teared up multiple times because it was just so sweet or I was thinking of these friends far apart from each other as they grow up and leave college. I love how Nate and Marcos' story was set up and I am already eager to read that one, too.
The bottom line? JJ can't miss, especially with this series. You do not want to be late on the JJ Mulder bandwagon, I promise. This book was just precious and it's going to stay with me for a long time.
Notes: 1/5 spice levels, ace rep, grumpy/sunshine, hockey, family issues (dad), enemies to lovers kind of, strong friendships, loner mc, black cat/golden retriever, jealousy, nickname in another language, slow burn, virgin mc
I love seeing these two go from reluctant seat mates to friends to lovers. I enjoyed all the cameos and Henri's friends. It's nice to see how loved he is, even if he doesn't always feel it. I love how Henri recognizes important moments and makes sure to remember them. I teared up multiple times because it was just so sweet or I was thinking of these friends far apart from each other as they grow up and leave college. I love how Nate and Marcos' story was set up and I am already eager to read that one, too.
The bottom line? JJ can't miss, especially with this series. You do not want to be late on the JJ Mulder bandwagon, I promise. This book was just precious and it's going to stay with me for a long time.
Notes: 1/5 spice levels, ace rep, grumpy/sunshine, hockey, family issues (dad), enemies to lovers kind of, strong friendships, loner mc, black cat/golden retriever, jealousy, nickname in another language, slow burn, virgin mc
May 1, 2025
This author is so hit or miss for me.
This unfortunately was a miss. The characters are interesting and the relationship development was good, but I was so bored.
Henri is clearly very asexual, and Atlas is definitely not, but they never talk about it. It’s fucking weird. Atlas wants to have sex often, and Henri doesn’t. Atlas is crazy respectful of it but they NEVER TALKED ABOUT IT.
The whole German struggling with English thing also made no sense considering the root language that German and English both come from, and that Henri spoke a million other languages and was actually very smart.
There just felt like a ton was missing and the entire book felt almost like an introduction, where you’re waiting for the story to achieve something, which it never did.
This unfortunately was a miss. The characters are interesting and the relationship development was good, but I was so bored.
Henri is clearly very asexual, and Atlas is definitely not, but they never talk about it. It’s fucking weird. Atlas wants to have sex often, and Henri doesn’t. Atlas is crazy respectful of it but they NEVER TALKED ABOUT IT.
The whole German struggling with English thing also made no sense considering the root language that German and English both come from, and that Henri spoke a million other languages and was actually very smart.
There just felt like a ton was missing and the entire book felt almost like an introduction, where you’re waiting for the story to achieve something, which it never did.
April 7, 2025
Shit.
Probably an American author, cause no way would Henri not know English, even if he didn’t go to school in the states he would have learned it in Germany. But after 4 years studying abroad? Yeah no he wouldn’t have any problems with the language.
Dnf at like 2 %
Probably an American author, cause no way would Henri not know English, even if he didn’t go to school in the states he would have learned it in Germany. But after 4 years studying abroad? Yeah no he wouldn’t have any problems with the language.
Dnf at like 2 %
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