Coach Stare Down

For Puck's Sake #6

by Crea Reitan

All it takes is just one look.

Adak

After a series of relationships where I’ve been made to feel inadequate because of my asexuality, I’ve made the sole focus of my life my coaching career. I love hockey - the chill of the ice, the fast paced, high stress game. I love the fans and the atmosphere. The energy. Now that I’m coaching in the NHL, I feel a sense of serenity and comfort with life. All that’s left is to get my team to The Stanley Cup.

A series of unfortunate injuries has riddled the Bobcats into a serious funk. The frustration that my boys feel echoes through me and after one of the most horrible plays I’ve ever witnessed, I turn my back on the ice - only to catch his eyes. Suddenly, I know what I’ve been missing. In a sea of over 15,000 faces, I found the one I’ve been waiting my entire life for.

There’s sadness in his eyes that’s only overcome with the fear behind it. Nothing will stop me from making Oren mine and giving him the life and love he deserves. Nothing.

Oren

My life is shit. I’m the pariah of my family for hell knows why. All I want is to get away. But I tried once - at nineteen, I ran and my father with his buddies on the police force dragged me home. I’ve since been dragged down into submission.

But then I meet his eyes and everything inside me just… shifts. Adak takes a chance on me and I think that perhaps my father has finally met a wall he can’t barrel through to keep control. That is, until he starts blasting his hate everywhere.

I wouldn’t blame Adak if he chooses to leave. This is his career on the line. His image and reputation. Am I worth it?

***

This is a LGBT+ story with content not intended for those under 18 years of age due to graphic scenes and situations.

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

348 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2024

About the author

Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. When she can't fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center - and utterly swoon-worthy! Don't ask her how many book boyfriends she has...

When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don't even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

It finally clicked!! I can now see the Creaverse as a soap opera with totally crazy plots 😂

Again, loved the Ace representation with Adak. I relate to him so much!

Oren has had such a traumatic life but he got the Cinderella experience and usually I'm not a fan of that trope but I loved it for him.

There is a lot that happens that is just so.... ridiculous? But the wider cast makes more sense to me now. I think when I'd only read two books I couldn't figure out why all these different people were getting mentioned, but now I'm like oh hey that's the guy from that other book 😂

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yall, Adak was seriously not playing in this book. He literally zeroed in on Oren in the stands at their hockey game and immediately knew he wanted to get to know him more because he was instantly drawn/captivated by him. Their communication? Top notch, even though Oren is extremely hesitant to reveal how his home life truly is. I just loved everything about them and especially how everyone at the hockey rink took to supporting and looking out for Oren at every turn because they knew he was special to Adak, but they also had a feeling that he his safety was in jeopardy in some way and saw the red flags.

Now, I've read just a couple asexual MM books and it was nice to see Adak's take on it fully explained to the reader in case they didn't know what it meant (even though it has many definitions and examples of different lives that people have with being ace)

But, despite that, these two were still able to have their intimate cuddly moments together to where everyone was satisfied and not feeling left out or having any regrets.

I received an ARC from Chaotic Creatives and this is my honest review

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better! I adored Adak and Oren’s story. Adak has always had trouble when it comes to relationships because he identifies as being asexual. As much as he explains what that means to him to his partners, all it does is leave him feeling awful. All he wants is to find his person. Someone who understands and respects him and loves him just the way he is. He never expects to find Oren in the crowd of the hockey game he is coaching. He never expects to have one look and just know, deep in his soul, that Oren is the person he has been looking for all this time. And all Adak wants is a chance to make Oren his. Oren has been living in fear his entire life. His father and older brothers have treated him terrible for a very long time. The one time he tried to run away at 19, he was dragged back by them and even cops his father was friends with. Even though he was legally an adult. Now at 24, he still is a prisoner in his own home. Doing whatever he can to keep his head down and draw attention from himself. But it isn’t enough. Oren has learned to come up with plans and masks to hide himself away. But then he meets Adak. And everything just changes for Oren. He wants to be with Adak and he doesn’t want to be controlled anymore. And he finally just snaps and lets that inner strength of his come to light enough to run straight to Adak’s arms. But even being away isn’t enough to keep the dangers away. His father will do whatever to make Oren come back but Oren will fight for himself and those he loves. This book had me on the edge of my seat! Oren’s situation was heartbreaking but I loved seeing him break free and learn to be himself even as he let himself fall in love and have a relationship with Adak. They were just the sweetest. And I loved that Adak had finally found someone who could understand him. They just worked so well together and I couldn’t put their story down! Yet another great addition to this series and as usual, I cannot wait for the next one!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[bookdiaryofyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

really liked it! Oren is so precious!

[Xanthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crea Reitan has quickly become a favourite author and this is just another example of her excellent character writing and storytelling.
**Please be sure to read the content warning at the beginning of the book. The author clearly explains that this book has an asexual MC**
Oren's story is heartbreaking with the way he is treated by his family but Adak truly sees him, from across the ice rink at a hockey game and instantly wants to take care of the younger man. It's a battle between what he wants and what his family demands but with the support of so many people now in his life, both new and old friends, Oren is able to live for himself.
Adak's asexuality is also a big part of this story and, as there should be, there are no apologies for it. Communication is key between him and Oren, constantly ensuring they are both comfortable and understand each other. The way Adak was treated by partners in the past is, unfortunately, not a rare thing for those on the Ace spectrum but Oren is different. Caring, compassionate and accepting of every part of Adak which just makes the older man fall for him even more.
The secondary characters are so great, the good ones anyway. Oren's friends are steadfast in their support and protection of him whilst the team Adak coaches are equally fun and there for both men from the start. There are some we've met in previous books and some who we will see again in the future, which I can't wait for.
Another fantastic book from this author with superb representation of asexuality and the individuality of it. Oren's story is also well told, if not hard to read in places.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.

[Jeanette Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, how gorgeous is the cover. Crea is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and this was another great story. It wasn't your typical steamy romance but it was a beautifully and emotionally written story. We met Adak in Shiver but I didn't expect his story to be like this. He's a hockey coach and he has had no luck with relationships due to his asexuality but he's desperate to find the one. During a hockey game he spots Oren in the audience and feels instantly drawn to him and the feeling is mutual. However Orem is hiding how bad his home life is. His dad and brothers have been emotionally abusive to him for years and his dad is very controlling. After a bad argument Oren manages to escape to Adak's house. It makes them closer quickly and they're good for each other. Adak helps Oren heal and find himself and Oren is very understanding and respectful of Adak's asexuality. I really enjoyed reading this and I enjoyed all the side characters too.

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...

Adak from Coach Stare Down is asexual!

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Chaotic Influencers and Cera Reitan for this ARC 💛

Oren lives in an abusive home with his father and brothers, he has never felt safe before and was never given the freedom of choosing life decisions such as his own CLOTHING. However this all changes when Adak layes eyes on him.

Adak is a coach for a hockey team, he’s always surrounded by people but he’s lonely and wishes for a partner that he would take care of and love, especially since he’s asexual and relationships were never easy for him. But when he catches Oren’s eyes from the sea of 15,000 he knew he found the one.

I loved how Adak immediately pursued Oren, but also made sure he’s comfortable with he’d do.
Adak had to basically show Oren how to live a normal life with a supporting and loving boyfriend by his side 🥹.


Tropes:
•Age Gap
•Slow Burn
•Asexual Rep
•Touch Starved

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard not to see, after 6 books, just how much every instalment tries to be different. I mean in several ways or tropes, really, because the overall feeling (that comes from the author's style) is and will be the same. There are series where that might have seem like a desperate attempt to distinguish copy-paste books but here, I would go as far as to say it's an exploration of various situations, stories, kinks, family and friend dynamics... an exploration of life.

Well, here we arrive at the unique combination of an asexual older coach and gaming, abused (by his family) young men ready to be free and to thrive.

The abusive family was not the selling point but while authors frequently (as Reitan did here) do the whole "take care of yourself, don't read this if you etc." spiel which I totally respect and everything, I mostly just skipped those parts. That's my version of respecting my triggers and my mental health because as long s the rest of the book is worth it, I would rather just not see some scenes (however emotional) instead of giving up the book altogether.

The asexual thing was... let's call my feelings mixed. I should definitely prefer this, considering how many sex scenes (especially in audiobooks) I skip and in some regards, this book didn't give me many reasons to do that. I say many because there were sexy times and I would have actually preferred to go without even though it was interesting to see how they incorporate intimacy and communicate their needs. But that part was fine, most of it was fine except the... reasoning. Reitan hinted at incorporating her own experience in this area (like this always happens but sometimes, it's stronger) and I blame that fact on how defensive it all sounded. Their relationship, their sex talks often devolved into this rant-like speech on how awful people can be, Oren was so inexperienced and scared of doing the wrong thing so it felt even worse to constantly repeat the mistakes his predecessors did. All characters bring baggage to the table and this one felt like her personal feelings got involved and that anger felt overblown considering we only met that one guy for like one short scene and as a reader, I wasn't given enough "proof" to be angry with her. I am not sure if I am explaining this right but the practical side of things was okay, it was good to see asexual representation but I couldn't completely agree with how it was handled. Oren was guilty until repeatedly proving himself innocent and that wasn't something I like in a romance book.

Having said that... You absolutely should not change your writing to please readers because what will please some will offend others so it's really a pointless endeavour. Also, reading reviews of your own book... not recommended.

I don't think I am going to read or adore every book in this serial but it's obvious now I gel with Reitan's style and tropes a lot and I am definitely giving them all a chance.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I want someone to look at me like that. I want to be the one to put a smile on their face.”

Oren and Adak both needed something they never thought they would have, and they found it in each other. One look set a new course, one look changed their lives.

“The first time I held Oren in my arms, I could feel the way he clung to me. This man is touch starved.
Severely. I hug him close as often as I can and he's always very content just to be held. More than anything, Oren has wanted to be loved. He wants to be important to someone.”

I just feel so much for Oren and Adak. Oren is so broken, held captive in a life his father dictates for him. He isn’t strong enough to break free, he has no voice of his own, his every move is another’s choice. A heartbreaking example of abuse that you can’t see, it has no evidence but cuts just as deep.

Adak has his own place in the world, he knows who he is and what he wants but he misses someone to share it with. He has had issues in previous relationships where his partner cannot accept his a-sexuality.

They find their other half in each other. Adak helps Oren to find his voice, his freedom. Oren gives Adak everything he was missing in his life, an understanding partner with an open mind. I love how innocent, yet curious Oren is, he is unsure but asks to be sure. It lifts their intimacy to the next level and shows so much love between them.

“A stadium full of fans are here to cheer on the Bobcats.
As I'm turning back, my attention catches on a single person... I stare. I don't know why, but I can't look away.
The world around me-the chaos, the lights, the noise-it all fades.”

Every book in this series has amazing and complex characters that will captivate you. Stories filled with lots of love and support. I love how Crea shows a side of people and society that often lacks a voice. Issues and aspects of a person’s inner core that get glossed over and dismissed too much. She gives room to explore these deep truths in a safe place. It’s what makes me love these stories and always have me coming back for more, even if the make me ugly cry.

“If you hadn't picked me out of the thousands of people and taken a chance on me. I wouldn't have fought back, Adak. I wouldn't have run.
Even when I didn't know where I was running to, I was running to you. I wanted to be loved by you, and I wanted to love you unconditionally in return."

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[BooksBooksandmoreBooks69 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hoping for a better story this time as I wasn’t too keen on the last one!
This one I loved, we got the hockey side (which I missed in the last one) we got a few little steamy moments. But it was the connection between Oren and Adak that I adored.

Adak is an ice hockey coach. We’ve met him a couple of times in previous books. It’s not necessary to read the previous ones as they all stand on their own. It was just great that he finally got a story.
He loves the game, his team and the fans that come out to support the team week in and week out.
But he’s lonely, he has a loving family, but he wants what his nephew has with his new husband. He wants a connection to another soul…. Past partners have put pressure on Adak to bend to their needs and make him feel guilty when he doesn’t conform to what society thinks is normal.

I love meeting new characters, I like that it’s not always about the s€x. The author has shown us that love comes in many shapes and forms like humans do. Just because you love someone differently, doesn’t make it wrong.

Oren had me in the first page. His home life is horrid. A father that controls every aspect of his life…. From the clothes he wears to the food he eats. From the job he should be doing (luckily Oren stuck to his principles on that one!) to the friends he should have. He was verbally beaten down, until Oren had nowhere or no one to turn to!! Even his brothers joined with the verbal beat down!! 😔

Fate, or whatever you want to call it put Oren in Adak’s sights. And from then on it gave Oren the strength to fight for what he wanted. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, in fact reading parts of the struggle to gain his freedom had me in tears and shouting at my kindle!! His confidence was nonexistent, his self worth was at an all time low. He constantly questioned himself, and had nothing but anxiety when around his family.

It also gave Adak the partner he deserved. One who loved him just the way he was, didn’t expect anything but love/cuddles and understanding.

This book does have triggers. This book is hard going (but sooooo worth the effort) and this book is now my second favourite in the series (Rakesh and Egon will always have my number one position) I just loved how they grew stronger after each incident. I chuckled at the most inappropriate times, and smiled at all the cuddling within this book.

Slow burn ? 🤔 almost borders on the sweet side. But it’s a great read, and one I’m highly recommending. 🫶🏻👌🫶🏻



🦋

[Emmi (bookish_redpanda) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Format: 📱 eBook 📱
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Honestly, there is not an MM book by Reitan that I won't devour. She's quickly become one of my favourite authors. This book is just another in the list that I'm obsessed with.

Oren and Adak's story is a rollercoaster of emotions, and I could not put the book down once I started it. These two men go through so much on their path to happiness, and I 100% felt all the emotions with them as their story unfolded.

Adak, from the get-go of the book, just wants his person. He's seen how happy his nephew - Rake from the first book of the series, Shiver - is with his husband, and he just wants someone to unconditionally love. His asexuality has always made it difficult for relationships. The way Reitan wrote his characterisation, how he explains to Oren about asexuality and what it meant, made my queer little heart sing. Reitan is always amazing with her representation in her books, but this one knocked all previous ones out of the park. I was so glad to read how Adak got his person, and the lengths he would go to in keeping Oren safe and loved.

Oren. How my heart broke for him. I was so happy when Adak saved him from his awful family, and when he finally opened up with the truth of just what was going on in his house. Watching him grow to be the young man he was always supposed to be - with Adak's guiding love - was something to behold. Reitan wrote him in such a beautiful way when he was getting the first experiences that he had been robbed off due to his family, and my heart swelled as he fell in love with Adak, and realised that he could be himself - whoever that was - once he discovered it. This touch starved man had my heart from the very outset of this story.

I enjoyed that this book was heavily focused on the characters and their learning and growth, as opposed to outside relationship drama. This was about healing, acceptance and learning, and I honestly wish there was more from these men. I'm not ready to say goodbye to them.

Thank you to the author for the eARC opportunity.

[Elise H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

Sometimes, all it takes in one look.

One look, and Adak just knows. He knows he has to meet Oren. He knows he just saw someone exceptional, someone who’s made for him.
And he’s ready to fight for this, this feeling, this possibility, this hope. ❤️

Oh gosh, I just LOVE the way Crea wrote Adak’s character, so realistic, so true, so reliable.
Because I’m asexual, like Adak, and that’s a type of character you never see on romance, I just feel really glad for this book.

And then, there’s Oren. 💔
A young man kept prisoner by his family. A father and two brothers who tried their best to broke him, to subdue him, but never succeeded. Because Oren is strong. So fucking strong.
After his whole life being belittled, having no freedom, being forced to live a certain way, being ignored and picked at at the same time, Oren is still standing. He’s still fighting. He never gave up. Yes, he stayed in this awful home. But he managed to have a job, to hide some possessions, to keep in touch with his friends. And to be mentally strong! Despite everything!

Adak fights for Oren, for freeing him from his family, for showing him his true value, for telling him he deserves to be loved and praised.
Oren accepts Adak entirely. Always tries not to make him uncomfortable or asking too much from him.

Their relationship is a fast one. One look, and they’re smitten. One touch, and they’re addicted.
Never once they doubt each other, or their feelings. They just move on, together, every step of the way. They talk, they share, they learn. As if without the sex and desire component, everything else is more focused, more important.

It’s beautiful, it’s sad, it’s sweet. I think it’s my favorite book of the serie. Maybe because there is almost no smut. Or maybe because I understand them so well. Or just because they’re so right for each other than you can just feel it through the pages, through the wonderful writing of Crea.

« I’m pretty sure I’ve been waiting my entire life for you, Oren. We were put on this earth to rescue each other. To heal each other. » ❤️❤️❤️

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was mostly ok. I’m really enjoying the dynamics between the main characters in this series. It’s everything else that left me kind of….iffy.

Some cons:

Personally, I think casually referring to premeditated murder amongst friends in a contemporary novel is wild. It left me off kilter to the point that I had to put the book down for a bit before coming back. The whole section about Randell never made any sense and was honestly better left out of the book. That relationship ended over 10 years ago, the author makes references to Adak being genuinely concerned in Randell’s belief but then he disappears and never causes another issue? The car bombing, weirdly, kind of made sense but I think it was a bit too extreme.

This one is more of a pet peeve - I hate when we’re reading a scene that is a build up to another scene but we never get that second scene. For example, we read a whole chapter about Adak, Oren, and Colby getting ready for a pool party but we never see the pool party. Or we read a chapter about Adak and Oren preparing to tell the team they’re leaving but we never get the scene of them telling the team they’re leaving. Drives me crazy.

Some pros:

I appreciate when an author takes a more realistic approach to trauma. The whole book I was expecting Oren to flat out forgive Haze for standing by all those years but we get the bittersweet goodbye i was surprised by. I loved how uncompromising Adak was in his identity and the time and effort he put into making his relationship with Oren work.

I’ve skimmed the rest of the blurbs for this series and I’ve seen a few more that I’d like to give a shot. Here’s hoping 🤞🏻

[Erin-Jayne Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what can I say? I absolutely love this story and I love how you learn more about LGBQIA+, I didn't know much about being asexual and this opened my eyes to understanding it more.

I love Oren and Adak's story. When love at first sight is true, who knew being forced to a Bobcat's hockey game would change your life for the better.

Oren, didn't have the best life growing up being constantly controlled and bullied by his father and older two brothers made it difficult for Oren to live a normal life, being told what to eat, what to wear and everything in-between. But a chance eye lock at a Bobcat's games changed all of that for Oren, when he locks eyes with Bobcat's coach Adak and from there it all begins.

The start of their relationship is kept hidden from Orens family as he knows what would happen if the found out but the love he receives from the Bobcats and Adak's family and friends is worth the secrets from them. I love the relationships that Oren has with his friends as well, and what they do to help Oren when they can.

What Oren and Adak go through to get their happy ending will put the best of relationships to the test and I am so glad that they found eachother!

This has to be one of my favourite books of the series and there are so many characters that I adore from it, Gibbs, Min, Egon, Rake and the list goes on.

I so can not wait to see what Crea Reitan comes up with next because if it's like any of her other books it's going to be amazing!

[the1mmbookspot_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh my heart. Adak came into this book literally locked and loaded onto Oren.
I loved everything about this book. Five stars is not enough but everything by Crea Reitan has so far been a five-star read for me. This book is no different.
Crea did a wonderful job expressing and representing asexuality through Adak. The internal battles that Adak goes through break your heart because it is a concept of sexuality that people cannot grasp. Through Adak, Crea does an amazing job of expressing his doubts, his self-consciousness, and maneuvering through his relationship with Oren. I couldn’t get enough of Adak’s POV and how patient he was with Oren. I loved everything about their instant connection and how protective Adak was towards Oren.
Oren needs to be protected at all costs. I loved everything about him and how his heart knew he belonged to Adak while his mind caught up. Except for Oren’s family. I hated them. Crea did an amazing job writing characters that a reader can absolutely hate. Lol. But I loved his development after coming from such an abusive home and how Oren was so determined to try for himself and Adak. I loved how realistic his thoughts were towards Adak and his sexuality. He cared more about hurting Adak than gaining something from Adak. Ugh, swooned.
Overall the book was amazing. The plot was *chefs kiss*, and protagonists were well hated, the side characters were everything, and I would highly recommend a hundred times.

[Malissa Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Book!

Adak and Oren meet at a hockey game and sparks fly. Adak being asexual hasn’t had the best of luck with relationships. At 39 he’s almost given up hope until he happens to look up in the stands and sees a young man who he has to meet. Oren is a twenty two hopeless young man that can’t seem to get away from his father and abusive brothers. When his dad tells them that all of them are going to a hockey game Oren has no idea how his life is about to change. As he watches the game his eyes land on Adak the coach for the Bobcats. He’s seen him on a magazine cover but seeing him in person takes his breath away.
When their eyes meet, Adak knows that nothing will stop him from meeting him. From this point the story just takes off. Crea Reitan doesn’t hold back. There’s all kinds of triggers and warnings in the front so please read. Don’t take this lightly because things like this happen. It truly doesn’t matter whether you’re asexual, straight, bi-sexual, etc. Or if you rich, middle class, or below. If doesn’t even matter is you’re a boy or girl, male or female, man or woman it could still happen to you. And it has probably happened already to others. Just because you may not be able to relate doesn’t mean others can’t. I give this a 5 ⭐️ rating. Hands down! 💜

[Monikat · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars.

This is important.
From the Author's note at the beginning of the book:

"Within these pages you’ll find many tropes/themes/kinks/topics and maybe some triggers. Among them are as follows: asexual representation of a main character, age gap, meet-cute, touch starved, sweet, hurt/comfort. I’ll warn you now that this is low spice, as can happen with Ace characters."

The above said, this book is not just about the sex, It's about an abusive family and how Oren gets saved by a loving Adak. A deep and impactful story. It gripped me from the very start. I loved them, I loved their dynamic and the way the people around them became their found family safe spaces.
The messages in this book are so important, we all need to be more vigilant and do our little part to help in these situations. I loved this story. Crea Reitan is a master.



my notes as reading:
**HA! I love that Oren is an online modmin. I've been there and done that, I can really relate. :D

** Just go with it-just go with it-just go with it. The way they meet is so highly improbable. But it was great.

**omg, so dark, so devastating. The claustrophobia of Oren's abuse is evil.

*and then I got so swept up in this book I just couldn't write any more notes. Read it, It's a great book.

[Kate Seymour · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑆𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡, 𝐸𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒

Adak is the head coach for the Anaheim Bobcats hockey team. Oren’s family has season tickets to watch the team play. Adak becomes enamored with Oren when he sees him in the stands and has security invite him back to his office. Oren’s father and older brothers are upset that Oren gets this privilege, but it's typical for Oren’s lousy home life, where he’s basically a prisoner.

After their first meeting, Adak and Oren start seeing more of each other and soon begin dating. However, Oren has to be very secretive about it because he doesn't think his father would allow him to date even though he’s 24. Oren is very inexperienced, which is fine with Adak. Adak is asexual, which Oren researches so that he can be respectful of Adak’s boundaries.

“Coach State Down” is a medium-angst romance between two very sweet men. Although the relationship between Adak and Oren started quickly once they met, it felt very natural. Due to the fact that Adak is asexual, there weren’t a lot of spicy scenes, but I feel that the love and affection between the two men more than made up for it. I also felt that the way Oren’s abusive family situation was handled was done well.

[Sara Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

We meet Adak in book one of the series whis his nephew Rakesh falls in love, now it is Adek's turn for love. He finds Oren in the stands at a game when he is coaching. Their eyes meet and destiny steps in.

Oren is an emotionally and financially abused gay man living in his oppressive childhood home. His father and brothers are his tormentors. He is not allowed to work a job he wants, go to college in his chosen major, wear clothes he likes, or choose his own food. The only 2 things he has that are his are his phone and bank account and *shocker* his father wants access to those.

He meets Adak and his world opens up. Adak is a professional hockey coach with the NHL and an asexual gay man who only wants to find love. In the post he was emotionally marginalized and manipulated to conform to his former partners sexual needs and wants.

Adak and Oren heal each others wounds and start to find a life together. Hard decisions are made, life altering event impact their lives and with each other theylook for peace, understanding, and forever love.

Reitan gives voice to a misunderstood population of the LBGTQIA+ community and opens her readers eyes to abuse of power in a family and social system that fails to protect Oren. Another amazing book.

[Naurarwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story so much. It gave me a whole new perspective on someone who is asexual that I didn’t know before. And while it’s not spice heavy there is still subtle undertones of it and I really liked that about the story. Adak is firm in who he is and while he makes a few compromises, he is firm in the fact that he won’t make himself feel uncomfortable just to please someone else. Oren is the sweetest as well, he’s a virgin with not a lot of experience and a family who are the complete polar opposites to him. His father and two of his brothers are mean, unkind and basically bully’s and not in a good way.

If you are looking for a story where someone changes something about themselves to please their partner then this isn’t the book for you. If you want a more in depth look into the perspective of a relationship from someone who is asexual then it’s perfect. It’s beautiful to see that a relationship doesn’t have to be solely based on intercourse and that you can still have a healthy, growing relationship without it.

Bravo to the author cause you really pulled it out of the bag with this one.

[Stacey Foss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every book in this series they are all so filled with emotion and love that it melts your heart. This book is no different. Adak has been feeling lonely but finds it hard to connect with people easily. When he sees Oren in the crowd of a hockey game he feels the connection instantly. Oren has had a rough life since his mother passed, his father and two of his brothers are absolutely horrible to him and treat his so poorly. I loved how these two feel so drawn to each other and the communication they have with each other makes their relationship so much more. They understand and complete each other in so many ways. This book shows you that you can have intimacy without it been super sexual and build a relationship just as strong. I loved that this book really goes into details of what Asexual means and how it affects relationships and how these two navigate around what each other is needing. It was beautiful to read and so well written from start to finish. I as given this book as an ARC for my honest review.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know, I know, I say this every single new book, but I think this one is my favorite in this series! It was so amazing, it's really not my fault I keep changing my mind. They keep getting better and better! In this one, we have Coach Adak (who we know from the very first book, Shiver) and Oren. Coach Adak is asexual, and I just loved the way his orientation was written as there are very few accurate, credible depictions of ace representation out there in romance books. Oren is living a very difficult, mentally abusive home situation. They meet at the hockey game and live through so many obstacles created by Oren's family that it's not even funny. I seriously wanted to throw the book at the wall a few times just because I was so angry at the villains of this story. It's a testament to how great Crea Reitan's writing is. I felt things, many many things. I was almost in tears one second and so angry the next. Give this book a chance, I swear you won't regret it. It's so rare to find ace rep in romance books and this one is simply amazing.

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★. Thank you to Chaotic Influencers and Crea for this ARC! This was such a cute, but also heartbreaking story about Adak and Oren. Age gap, touch starved, hurt/comfort and a man calling his man “baby, sweetheart and honey”. Not too hard to know it’s 4 stars. I loved the author’s representation of Asexuality and how the conversations were always there for both parties!

I loved how Adak immediately went to be with Oren and knew he was the one for him. He didn’t hesitate to go and save Oren from his piece of shit family. He was always there for him helping him and making sure Oren had a choice in everything. Oren coming from a mentally abusive family and finally finding himself was so heartwarming. I loved how the author didn’t put any unnecessary drama and make it too angst worthy but just the right amount.

The reason for it being 4 stars is that I felt like it fell a little flat at some points and I could’ve used something else to keep my interest.

[Ashley Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the For Puke Sakes series. This one is Coach’s story. We met him in Rakes and Egon’s story. He is Rakes uncle. Love how each character is relatable in some way or more than one way. Love how you get to learn about the characters and their sexuality. Love how everyone is different. Oren has a really difficult home life. The only escape he has is when he goes to work. I don’t like his family at all. Adak is a hockey coach. His team is having an off season to many injuries. At one of the games he spots Oren in the crowd. Their eyes meet and it’s all over from there. They spend time together. Much to Oren’s families dislike. There’s a big fight between Oren and his family. He escapes and Adak gives him refuge. They work on their relationship while trying to stay away from Oren family. Will Oren finally get out from under his family’s control? Or will he end up back with them?

[Collandherbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crea has done it again. Another absolutely beautiful story. I adored both characters and loved them together. And their meet cute? Awww so good. Eyes meeting across a stadium. Hearts just knowing. They were meant to be!

The romance!!!! Top tier romance.

There were some really tender moments and equally tender words shared between Adak and Oren.

Oren's family were horrid, and he had so much strength to deal with them on a daily basis. Adak helped him escape, but it was Oren's own strength that set him free.

Adaks' support and love for Oren was heartwarming. They communicated with each other honestly and openly. Adak encouraged Oren to find his voice, and it was great to see those moments where he did.

Adak was honest with Oren about being asexual from the start. It was so sad that he'd been treated poorly because of it in the past. I thought this aspect of the book was so well written.

They both got the HEA they deserved.

Loved this book!

[tilda Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think i originally read this book maybe in april? i don’t know. it was early this year, though.

but this book, it made me sob. oren finally getting the gentle love he deserves after everything that had happened to him, adak finally being in a relationship
where he feels loved and accepted without having to ‘fix’ himself.

my favourite part in this book is when adak’s team comes over so willingly to help oren, and how carolina’s first question when adak calls them is how are he and oren? i honestly find the sense of community in this book just so overwhelming in the best way because it’s full of love that maybe oren wouldn’t have had otherwise.

i am an absolute sucker for happily ever afters, and i’m so glad oren got his, otherwise i would’ve sobbed.

this book honestly made me realise how horrible humanity can be, though, because of the way jessup treats oren like shit on his shoe, but also cares for him the same as, if not more than, his brothers?

[RomanceLand65 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this really gave me insight into a person who identifies as ace. This book gave the reader a less smutty page turner and an emotional look into a victim of childhood trauma into adulthood and one man who could never find the person who understands what ace is. I will admit I don't think I still understand this. They were destined to find one another. Oren needed to escape from the mental abuse of his family. Adak needed that one person who understands what he has.
I thought this book was a great read and in my opinion educated the reader to a person who identifies as ace. As I said I don't really understand it the way that person identified as this but maybe it's not for me to understand. But accept. I really want to encourage readers to take a chance on a book like this to understand what the life of a person with ace is about.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

My emotions went through it with this book. Both Oren and Adak have their own struggles for very different reasons. But they aren’t grumpy or bitter from it either.

These two are real, deep, and complex characters. The person Oren becomes is beautiful. I’m so proud of him. I love that Adak won’t change who he is and takes the time to educate Oren about his needs. Communication is key.

A chance moment brings Adak and Oren together. It’s a long and rough road to their HEA. But these two are each other's missing piece. Finding your person is always worth the wait and the journey.

Although this is a slow burn romance with a low level of spice it is still very intimate.

And as always with this series there is an incredible amount of love and support from the supporting characters. These found family vibes steal my heart.

[Richelle Zirkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the sweetest couples I’ve read this year. The way Adak cares for Oren… Swoon! First, Oren is in a tough situation. I can’t even describe the hardships he endures daily to navigate life safely with his family. As an adult, he’s still a prisoner in his father’s home, fearful of what might happen if he asserts his independence or attempts to make a bid for freedom. When Adak’s eyes land on Oren at a hockey game, it’s all over for him. He’s found his person. These two have undeniable chemistry and a lot to learn together, but I can’t imagine two characters who are more perfectly written for one another. Did I mention how I swooned? In Oren, Adak finds his compliment and an understanding partner. In Adak, Oren finds the support and unconditional love he always should have had. I’m in love with this HEA, and I can’t wait for the next book!