Heart Taker: MM College Hockey Romance

by Ava Olsen

Silas
At twenty-two, I’m the oldest guy on the college hockey team and I’ve heard the jokes but the truth is, I put a year of my life on hold. I've worked hard to prove that I have a future in this game, but Coach Damien Banning doesn’t believe in me. Damien doesn’t think I’m good enough, but he doesn’t know me at all. I’m ruthless. And when the icy tension between us ignites, it’s too late. But it’s not about hockey anymore.

Damien
I played pro hockey until an injury sidelined my career, my marriage, and brought me to small town Vermont to coach college hockey. I know every player on my team and Silas Moss isn’t cutting it. He’s a skillful d-man, but something’s holding him back. I push him, with good intentions, until summer training camp. I thought my heart was frozen, but no, it’s beating again. And Silas, ruthless player that he is, has taken it.

Heart Taker is a college hockey MM romance. Both MCs have something to prove and everything to lose.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Hockey, Contemporary, Sports Romance, Sports, College

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2025

About the author

Ava Olsen writes steamy & dreamy contemporary romance.

Reviews

[Book Binge: Reviews by Melissa DaSilva · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I realized that this was going to be a coach/player romance I was so incredibly excited. I’m a big fan of those type of “forbidden” stories. This one absolutely didn’t disappoint! I would recommend reading the rest of the series as well to really get these characters but it could be read as a standalone.

I loved Silas and Damian together and honestly it made a lot of sense that they would get together with everything Silas has gone through and his maturity level. Their story was awesome to read and I highly recommend it. Probably my fav in the series!

[⭐Toonasa⭐ •Romance Book Lovers' Haven• · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MM forbidden romance between Coach x College hockey player, Age gap (~8yrs), heat & banter, "Fell at 1st smiles", dreams, camaraderie, coming out, Gay x Bi reawakening & unexpected love!
I'd been so excited for Silas & Damien's book, & finally read it. Devoured this in 9hrs (tho I did read last couple ch in next day 6 am lol), loved them!

Silas (22) is a college hockey player, mature & responsible beyond his age, has experienced loss. S has the drive & works hard towards achieving his NHL dream. S can be grumpy, but he's pretty fun, "ruthless" & sarcastic too. He's guardian to his teen brother. I liked his dad!

Damien (30) is ex-NHL player & current hockey coach in college. He'd experienced highs & lows of sports career, now onto a new goal. D can be a strict, hardass but with good intentions. I liked that he's open minded & gives snark right back 😂.

This story is basically 2 "alphas" colliding, but feelings sparked at first smiles 👀. It's moderately paced, with a dash of Forced Proximity in summer 🤭. I liked their tension, banter & how All In they were after getting together, even if there were still fears (especially D's).

I liked the coming out acceptances, closeted to out & a reawakening 😳 (interesting concept!). I love me a vers couple 🥰. Also, dang that climax was dramatic & fast, yet it made me so giddy 😂. That's a great solution for "forbidden/scandalous" couples 😉. Cute ending, tho all did resolve fast & I'd've liked more chapters on it!

The bonus was fun. I'm looking forward to bestie Finn's & teammate Ethan's books.

Story ratings: Enjoyed—> Yeah! 5/5
POV: 1st person, Dual POV
1) The Characters: 5/5
2) The feels: 🥺😯🤭😅😂😍😩😌😳😆😭🥵🍔🥳💐🥰😉 🏒
3) Sexy/Steamy scenes: 2.5/5
4) Levels: Lowish Angst, Very Cute, Low Dark
5) Build up & Style: 4.5/5

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[Alicia Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

I have had such a hard time with this series. I once again just didn't buy the relationship and the emotional aspect to it. It felt like it was making jumps from scenario to scenario making me have a hard time not believing the whole thing.

[li (stupid canadian wolf bird fanatic) · Rating 1 out of 5]

ava i am sorry I love your books and this series has been good but i couldn't do it. I struggle with age difference as it is but when it's with an added power imbalance that also is commented on but ignored (or no sorry forgot, the adult friend thinks it's "hotter" it's a student) i just can't do it. it's gross. I wish romance books could just stop this.

[Christina Sturgill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5 🌟
Spice: 2.5/5 🌶️
Characters: Damien and Silas

[bubblegumpopper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blink and you will miss them falling in love. It went from "that guy is kind of hot" to "OMG!!! I LUV U FOREVER AND EVER AND I WANT YOU TO HAVE MY BEBES!!!!" so fast!

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars*
while i couldn’t stop reading (a good sign) i did spend the last 15% of the book questioning the decision-making skills of everyone involved. did i hate it? no. did i look insane mumbling “what??” to myself over & over? maybe. all in all, a nice conclusion to the bar down trio of books & worth the read if you like this series/author

[Betty Loves Books Galore · Rating 5 out of 5]

story of Silas and Damien

This is a coach x player age gap college romance, featuring Silas and Damien, and is book three in the Bar Down series.

Silas is determined to prove himself on the ice after putting his life on hold, but his toughest opponent might be the Coach, who doubts his potential. As their mutual tension turns into something far more dangerous during summer training camp, it’s no longer just about hockey—it’s about the unexpected heat between them.

I absolutely loved this story! The chemistry between these two was fantastic - they fall hard and fast for each other, and it’s so swoony to watch it all unfold. There were a couple of unexpected surprises that kept things interesting, and the found family was just perfect. Don’t miss the bonus short story.

Things to expect in this book are:
Book 3 in series
MM college romance
Hockey player x coach
Small age gap (30/22)
Hurt / comfort
Loss of a parent
Sick dad & brother
Flirty texts
Secret relationship
Both fall fast
Spicy times & dirty talk
Edging
S*x toys
Video s*x
Calls him Baby
Secrets revealed
Found family
Swoony HEA

[Theodore · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 22%

I don't get why we needed to see Silas worrying about paying for his brother's operation when the majority of his struggles got timeskipped anyway. Might as well have started the story at his tryouts if we weren't going to get the emotional impact of Silas choosing to take a break from hockey + working his ass off to pay for the medical procedure.

Silas being so antagonistic to Damien, aka the guy who had the authority to reject him from the team was kinda wild. You'd think he'd be more deferent who held that kind of power, but instead he showed nothing but attitude from their very first interaction.

It was lazy that we just timeskipped Silas proving himself to Damien. It would've been fine if he and Damien started off on good terms, but since they were already fighting, I wanted to see Silas being proud that he proved himself worthy OR Damien begrudgingly accepting Silas into the team despite his attitude.

Silas: "Damien Banning's problem with me was still a mystery"... Uhh, maybe it was because you showed up five minutes late THEN proceeded to give attitude to your coach the first time you met him? Or that you continue to give him attitude? Idk maybe Silas really was just dense as a rock and had absolutely no critical thinking skills, but being continually rude to someone seems like a no brainer reason for them to have a problem with you.

So much in that first chapter after the second timeskip was weird to read. Silas says that Damien was judging him, didn't have faith in him, and thought that he was "good, but not good enough" but like he got accepted onto the team? If the coach truly thought he wasn't good enough then surely he would have been benched or given extra attention so that he was up to snuff (aka like every coach would do). Silas' teammate pointing that out just made Silas look like an idiot imo. "Coach has it out for me and thinks I'm bad". Well maybe if you didn't give him so much attitude he'd have a better opinion + he hadn't been benched so idk why Silas automatically assumed Damien thought he was a bad player. Weird characterization for sure.

Both Silas and Damien suddenly changing their opinions of one another the second they won the tournament was super super weird. The first few chapters established that they really didn't like each other but then one win and suddenly Silas is all "Damien's hot and wants everyone to be their best" and Damien's all "Silas has a beautiful smile" as if neither one of them had disliked the other. Why? Was one win really enough to suddenly (and independently) change both of their minds? As if Silas hadn't spent most of his time giving Damien attitude? As if Damien hadn't made Silas think he was subpar as a player?

Also was Damien aware and accepting of the fact that he was into men or not? His internal question "Since when did I notice of a guy was beautiful? Not since... no." implied that he was unsure that he was attracted to men and he explicitly attributed it to the alcohol, but two pages later he goes "Besides, I've done my share of exploration. I'm not as straight as all that." like he was so confident in his sexuality. He clearly knew he wasn't "as straight as all that" so why'd he need to question himself earlier about finding men beautiful?

Damien's friend suggesting that he sleep with Silas gave off creep vibes. People actively pining for partners much younger than them stopped being socially acceptable in the early 00s. Tbf 8 years is hardly robbing the cradle, but the power dynamic was what made this less acceptable in my eyes. Idk what the author wanted to convey, but actively suggesting that Damien sleep with one of his young players was NOT at all a good look for the side character.

I had to give up when both Silas and Damien just continually spouted the "I suddenly find him attractive?!" schtick over and over again. Where the heck was the turning point and why did the moment suddenly make the two of them attracted to one another? The lack of any real answer just makes it instalove. No, winning the hockey game does not count because neither of them did anything special or meaningful to each other that would justify such a significant change in subconscious opinions.

1.5 stars.

[Rebecca Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, it's fine.

Typically I hate an age gap that has someone more powerful or in charge of the other as the elder person, and that definitely happened here, but it was set up in a way that made me feel like Silas didn't really listen to Damien as his coach so it wasn't so bad? I mean, it was still there and not that great, but I didn't feel like Damien used his authority over Silas for anything, so that's nice. Ish. Again, we had the "eating" of mouths thing that I mentioned hating in the last book, so I'll just say that and leave it alone. Why was there another person with a mullet in this book, too? What's with the terrible hair cuts?

The book is fine. It's not exciting or different than the other two, just fine. Even the angst of being caught didn't feel like angst, though, so it wasn't high stakes or worrying. Something I didn't like that happens in a lot in mlm romances is the "Let's make the woman a bad guy" thing with Damien's ex-wife. I cannot stand that because it's cheap and gives the impression that women are in the way of the gay relationship, when in reality, women are usually the most accepting of the queer community and are a part of it themselves. Would have been nicer to have them divorce because Damien had either figured out he was gay or because after his injury, they had realized they didn't love each other anymore after spending so much time together post surgeries and such. They could have remained friends. But no, she is the enemy because misogyny and puck bunny stereotypes. Yuck. Did I finish it? Yes, to see if there was growth of the author. Would I recommend it? Not really. It was, again, fine. Just...fine.

[Kata · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that feeling when you read a book and you love it, then you read another one you love even more—without realizing you’ve already read a different book from the same series—and then it suddenly hits you: wait a second, there’s going to be a sequel… but you have to wait for it. And by the time it finally comes out, you’ve completely forgotten about it. Yeah. That’s me 😅

After Rule Breaker and Play Maker, I somehow forgot about Heart Taker entirely. And then I stumbled across it again and thought, okay—now it’s finally your turn 😂

Silas absolutely did not disappoint. I loved his personality, the constant teasing between him and Damien, and the way they slowly come to realize that the attraction between them is undeniable. Their communication is excellent, and what really stood out to me is how these two strong, confident men are also capable of genuine tenderness when it matters. There’s no exhausting power struggle over dominance—just mutual respect and growth.

When a small incident with a reporter occurs and Damien’s first instinct is to explain their situation by saying they’re married, everything shifts. Not their relationship—because that remains solid and beautifully supportive—but the circumstances around them. Silas stands by Damien without hesitation, while Damien briefly fears he may have ruined everything. Once the initial shock passes, however, they’re met with far more understanding and support than expected.

And then there’s the bonus chapter. That was the moment Ethan completely captured my attention. The second he received the jockstrap, I knew his story was coming—and now I can’t wait to finally read his book as well.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silas has been through a lot. His mom passed away, his dad had a major stroke not too long after, and his little brother has his own health issues. Drowning in needing to take care of everyone, he takes a year off from college and hockey to get it all done. Now he is back and ready to prove himself. Even with the hectic schedule still in effect. But by the look in his coach’s eyes, Silas knows he will have to show Damien that he has what it takes. But even after a successful season, the look isn’t gone. Summer training camp is what Silas needs in order to continue getting where he needs to be and show Damien that he isn’t backing down. But something has shifted between them. There was always a tension but now it has a whole new level to it. And Silas is beginning to realize that Damien is looking back at him with the same expression. Could there be something between them and are they brave enough to take it? Damien knows getting involved with his player is a bad idea. Their age gap is less than ten years, but still. It won’t look good. But Silas isn’t like anyone he has ever met. And so mature for his age. The tension between them is only heightening and it is just a matter of time before it snaps. I really liked getting to know Silas and Damien. They definitely started wary of one another, but I liked how slowly they got to see something in the other despite the walls they built around themselves. You can’t help but root for them because what is between them is the real deal! Another fun story in this series!

[C. Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Silas and Damien more and more with each page. Silas carries the weight of his world on his shoulders everyday and never complains about it, the guy is a huge teddy bear. Damien had to restart his life after an injury took him down years ago and the last thing he was expecting was Silas to flip his world once again. Absolutely adore these two so much. 🖤🔥🏒🔥🖤

My favorite quotes:

• Silas: I didn’t know how to describe what was happening between me and Damien. We hadn’t done anything yet, and I was already consumed with thoughts about him. I’d never felt such a pull towards a guy before, like if we didn’t touch soon, I’d go out of my freaking mind.

• Damien: My gut told me that Silas was different.

Whatever this was between us, it was right. And he could be trusted.

• “What’s the number one rule of defense?” he whispered.

I grinned.

“Always back up your partner.”

[A🦄🌻🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️


I was waiting for this book to come out ever since the first in the series. And it was a good time! The MCs definitely had firey times and we got peeks behind the curtain to earlier events that slowly brought these men together. I was a bit let down because even though the timeline is over basically 2 years - the relationship aspect felt very instalust/love and it felt like almost complete 180s on the characters behaviors and feelings towards one another with seemingly no catalyst. So yeah, while I had a good time I was also a bit bummed out because the romance didn’t feel all that real to me and didn’t have me feeling much of a connection to the characters themselves. I’m still be reading the new series she’s gonna come out with based around the rowing team

[mj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas and Damien are such a hot couple
their chemistry?? incredible. I loved the slow burn in the beginning, it was perfect and lasted for just the right amount of time. I was anxious to see how their relationship would unfold, but pulling the whole "we're married" thing was genius. i'm glad Silas found someone to keep him happy after everything he's been through (i'm also glad that Jo is doing much better). and I love that Damien found someone to give his life meaning. overall they are perfect together and I loved their banter (especially in the beginning). such a good read - couldn't put the book down.

[anna_79_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have waited for Silas book. We have seen quite a bit of him in the previous books but never gotten to know the real him. Just the grumpy team-mate that never has the time to hang with the team outside of training.

I love the banter between Silas and Damian, they are both grumps but so sweet to each other. It was a breath of fresh air to see them act like grown-ups and talk through everything. Once they had decided this was it for them, they were all in and worked together to make things work for them.

Considering Silas upbringing he's mature for his age so I found the 8 year older Damian to be the perfect match for him. And Silas brings joy and spice to Damians life.

The side characters are amazing, so much fun to see the characters from the other books as well.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm never really sure about college romances, the guys are usually too immature for my taste, but I do love a hockey romance, and really, Silas may only be 22, but he had to grow up fast and Damien was already on his second career. Eight years is not a big age gap and that didn't bother me, but I did struggle a little with the whole coach/student dynamic, they were just so blasé about it and the possible consequences. However I really enjoyed the slow burn lead up and then the fireworks when they finally got together. This is not Ava's best book, but it is a good book

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally don’t go for coach x player books, I’m not into that kinda arrangement of roles BUT having read the previous 2 books and getting to know the MCs and enjoying the writing style I was too curious to not give this a read. I enjoyed it, good banter, green flags characters, I was surprised to realise this was the best book from the trilogy. The only complaint I got is the cover is god awful, the model looks far too old for a 22 years old character! I much prefer the alternative cartoon version covers.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ for Heart Taker by Ava Olsen. I really liked the banter between Silas and Damien. Their back and forth was believable and fun. I also loved Silas’s background. His relationship with his brother and the care for his dad made me like him so much more. The only problem I had with this book was near the end when Silas’s and Damien’s relationship was exposed. I was just like, hmmm. Not sure how I feel. It was still 4⭐️, but it had the potential to be more. However, I’m going to continue the series and I’m ready for Ethan and Jett’s story next.

[Mariansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly the story I hoped it would be. It has banter, like I would expected after meeting them in the other books, it has pining and swoony moments!

These two are both kinda grumpy, and I love when a grumpy character is just the sweetest towards his crush. I love how they talk through everything together and how they just know that they can make it work TOGETHER!

Some scenes are smoking hot! Love me some dirty talk 🫦

Loved the storyline, side characters and writing 💛

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

SILAS & DAMIEN


Love all the books Ava Oslen writes. This one was a bit too fast for me but I liked how there was angst in the beginning between the MCs and they didn’t jump right into smex. I loved how sweet this story was tho. Fr need myself a cabin like Damien’s 🥹


4⭐️

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆
🅢🅟🅘🅒🅔:🌶🌶🌶
🅛🅐🅤🅖🅗🅢:🤣🤣
🅣🅔🅐🅡🅢:🥲
🅜🅒🅢: Silas, Damien
🅟🅞🅥: 1st Dual
🅣🅡🅞🅟🅔🅢: Age Gap, Coach/Student, Forbidden, Bi-awakening,




Damien🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩


Este libro arranca fuerte las situaciones en la.vida de Silas son duras y todo lo que hace para seguir adelante es de admirar y luego esta Damien el coach perfecto en serio que no esperaba tanto de esta historia y me ha dejado feliz y satisfecho 😏

[Emilyrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to revisit the team in this book and get to see what was going on with Silas. He was such a hardworking, determined and protective guy and I thought he was well-suited to Damien. They had good chemistry and I liked how settled they were with their HEA by the end of the book. I'm so excited for Ethan's story with the new series linked to the rowing team- definitely going to be fireworks I think! Overall, a great mm romance.

[Megan Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE

This book was so good! I’ve been waiting for this since I saw the sparks in the previous books and was so excited to read their story! I didn’t want to stop reading it. Their story is so sweet and emotional and I was rooting for them together!

[Crisana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* rounded up. I liked the slow burn and how they couldn't resist each other in the end even though it was 'wrong' for them to be together.
However, I was not too keen on how it went at the end and I felt everything happened too fast but it was a very good read in the end.

[Jennifer Schaeffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the wait!

I knew there would be something amazing between these two. The sparks started in book one, continued in book 3 and their book didn’t disappoint. They are exactly what the other needed.

[Jacqueline Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart Taken

I loved this book. It was sweet, spicy and fun. It was a lovely story oh how they were so sure of each other that any angst or conflict was really on the outside of their relationship.
Looking forward to reading more of the team.

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book for this series. I loved it and I loved how their story unfolded. I also love how the team reached to Damien and Silas’s relationship especially since they were terrible at hiding their relationship.

[Yas]

dnf @ 59%

[Megan]

Dnf 24% (7/19/25) I’m bored. There are a lot of errors. And, it felt like scenes kept basically fading out instead of being a cohesive story