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Hard Pass: Rivals to Lovers Gay Hockey Romance
I've been traded to Detroit. Which means I'm now teammates with Blake Shannon.
The guy I hate. The guy I fought.
The guy I've been having extremely detailed, extremely filthy dreams about ever since.
Blake is everything I shouldn't want. He’s an uptight, controlling dick so deep in the closet he can see Narnia.
He's also my new linemate.
But I can handle that. I just need to keep my head down, play the game, and ignore the way my pulse kicks every time he’s near.
Until he kisses me, and all bets are off.
Now we're hooking up in empty locker rooms and hotel rooms, telling ourselves it's just physical. Just a way to burn off the tension. Nothing serious. No feelings. No one can know.
Except I'm falling for him.
And this whole thing is going to blow up in our faces.
The guy I hate. The guy I fought.
The guy I've been having extremely detailed, extremely filthy dreams about ever since.
Blake is everything I shouldn't want. He’s an uptight, controlling dick so deep in the closet he can see Narnia.
He's also my new linemate.
But I can handle that. I just need to keep my head down, play the game, and ignore the way my pulse kicks every time he’s near.
Until he kisses me, and all bets are off.
Now we're hooking up in empty locker rooms and hotel rooms, telling ourselves it's just physical. Just a way to burn off the tension. Nothing serious. No feelings. No one can know.
Except I'm falling for him.
And this whole thing is going to blow up in our faces.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2025
2 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 15, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4 Stars
Hard Pass by Michelle Payce delivers exactly what I want from a hockey MM romance: tension, chemistry, and emotional payoff—with just enough angst to hurt a little before it heals.
This is a dual POV story between Blake and Charlie, which really worked for me. Seeing both sides of their push-and-pull made the enemies-to-lovers arc feel grounded instead of frustrating. Charlie being traded to Blake’s team immediately puts him in an uncomfortable position, and I genuinely felt for him during the early parts of the book when he clearly feels like an outsider—on the ice and off it.
Blake and Charlie’s relationship is very hot-and-cold, back-and-forth, “we shouldn’t be doing this but we absolutely are” energy. The chemistry is undeniable, the tension is delicious, and the forbidden/teammate dynamic is handled in a way that kept me invested rather than stressed. When they finally get it together, it’s incredibly satisfying.
One of my favorite parts was how the team eventually finds out about them—yes, there’s panic and an accidental outing—but what really stood out was Blake’s response. He loved Charlie, and he wasn’t about to let him struggle through that moment alone. That emotional support and quiet protection really sealed the deal for me and elevated this from just a fun sports romance to something genuinely sweet.
If you’re into:
🏒 Hockey romance
🔥 Enemies/rivals to lovers
💙 Teammate + forbidden dynamics
👀 Closeted MCs with emotional growth
💕 MM romance with heart.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Hard Pass by Michelle Payce delivers exactly what I want from a hockey MM romance: tension, chemistry, and emotional payoff—with just enough angst to hurt a little before it heals.
This is a dual POV story between Blake and Charlie, which really worked for me. Seeing both sides of their push-and-pull made the enemies-to-lovers arc feel grounded instead of frustrating. Charlie being traded to Blake’s team immediately puts him in an uncomfortable position, and I genuinely felt for him during the early parts of the book when he clearly feels like an outsider—on the ice and off it.
Blake and Charlie’s relationship is very hot-and-cold, back-and-forth, “we shouldn’t be doing this but we absolutely are” energy. The chemistry is undeniable, the tension is delicious, and the forbidden/teammate dynamic is handled in a way that kept me invested rather than stressed. When they finally get it together, it’s incredibly satisfying.
One of my favorite parts was how the team eventually finds out about them—yes, there’s panic and an accidental outing—but what really stood out was Blake’s response. He loved Charlie, and he wasn’t about to let him struggle through that moment alone. That emotional support and quiet protection really sealed the deal for me and elevated this from just a fun sports romance to something genuinely sweet.
If you’re into:
🏒 Hockey romance
🔥 Enemies/rivals to lovers
💙 Teammate + forbidden dynamics
👀 Closeted MCs with emotional growth
💕 MM romance with heart.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2025
ARC review
A good hocky romance. It was a bit nerve-racking waiting for them to finally put a name to what was happening between them. When they finally admitted to what they were to each other everything was smooth sailing and they could finally have their HEA.
This read contains a lot of pining, big feelings, difficulties with expressing and admitting their feelings, but the outcome was very satisfying. A lot of physical happening between them without defying what it meant. Michelle Payce is a new author to me, but I liked this read a lot and will look for more in the future.
A good hocky romance. It was a bit nerve-racking waiting for them to finally put a name to what was happening between them. When they finally admitted to what they were to each other everything was smooth sailing and they could finally have their HEA.
This read contains a lot of pining, big feelings, difficulties with expressing and admitting their feelings, but the outcome was very satisfying. A lot of physical happening between them without defying what it meant. Michelle Payce is a new author to me, but I liked this read a lot and will look for more in the future.
December 29, 2025
A good hockey romance. It was nail biting to watch them page after page, trying to figure it all out. I'm so happy to see them finally have it all in the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews