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Offside: A Spicy MM Hockey Romance
The hit that destroyed Viktor Lindqvist’s knee made Cole Kiernan the most hated man in hockey. A year later, when a trade lands Cole in Chicago, Vik is waiting, and he has not forgotten.
Cole knows he deserves every cold shoulder, every cheap shot, every ounce of hatred Vik throws his way. What he does not expect is how fast that tension shifts. How quickly anger turns into heat. How impossible it is to ignore the pull between them once they are sharing ice, locker rooms, and far too much space.
Vik spent a year dreaming of revenge.
He did not plan on acting on something else entirely.
What starts as reckless quickly becomes complicated. Because in the NHL, nothing stays secret for long. And when the past comes calling, both men will have to decide what matters more, protecting themselves or fighting for each other.
Offside is Book 1 in The Ice Breakers Series, a spicy MM hockey romance featuring rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
For readers who
Enemies-to-lovers with fast-burn chemistry
Spicy MM sports romance
Forced proximity and locker room tension
High heat early in the story
Professional hockey settings and team dynamics
Cole knows he deserves every cold shoulder, every cheap shot, every ounce of hatred Vik throws his way. What he does not expect is how fast that tension shifts. How quickly anger turns into heat. How impossible it is to ignore the pull between them once they are sharing ice, locker rooms, and far too much space.
Vik spent a year dreaming of revenge.
He did not plan on acting on something else entirely.
What starts as reckless quickly becomes complicated. Because in the NHL, nothing stays secret for long. And when the past comes calling, both men will have to decide what matters more, protecting themselves or fighting for each other.
Offside is Book 1 in The Ice Breakers Series, a spicy MM hockey romance featuring rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
For readers who
Enemies-to-lovers with fast-burn chemistry
Spicy MM sports romance
Forced proximity and locker room tension
High heat early in the story
Professional hockey settings and team dynamics
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 8, 2026
Is this author joking? Is this meant to be funny?
I truly cannot tell if Holly Knotts used AI to write this or she's just that bad of a writer. Was there any editing? An entire scene seems to be missing, almost every chapter ends the same way for the first half of the book, and there's so much repetition of specific phrases?????
Also. Based on the publication date, I can make some assumptions about what TV show the author was inspired by. None of the hockey was correct. There is no handshake line at the end of a regular season game. What exactly does she think the trade DEADLINE means? The major twist in this story is completely unbelievable across any team sport and is frankly insulting in a sports romance. Bare minimum research can get you there.
A massively irritating waste of time.
I truly cannot tell if Holly Knotts used AI to write this or she's just that bad of a writer. Was there any editing? An entire scene seems to be missing, almost every chapter ends the same way for the first half of the book, and there's so much repetition of specific phrases?????
Also. Based on the publication date, I can make some assumptions about what TV show the author was inspired by. None of the hockey was correct. There is no handshake line at the end of a regular season game. What exactly does she think the trade DEADLINE means? The major twist in this story is completely unbelievable across any team sport and is frankly insulting in a sports romance. Bare minimum research can get you there.
A massively irritating waste of time.
February 10, 2026
I wanted to like this story but I couldn't finish it.
between the disconnect of events, continuity issues and even things on a scene not making sense what this story needs is an editor.
Example, coach say they are rooming on the road.
secondary character talks about Vik as he is his roommate. The scene plays out as Vik and Cole as roommates,next scene same secondary character acts and talks like Vik was his roommate.
then MC agree to meet up to talk, it never happens.
at a bar Cole gets jealous about a woman paying attention to Vik, when they talk the whole scene is in reverse Vik is the one saying he was jealous of Cole.
This all happening within same scene, makes no sense.
between the disconnect of events, continuity issues and even things on a scene not making sense what this story needs is an editor.
Example, coach say they are rooming on the road.
secondary character talks about Vik as he is his roommate. The scene plays out as Vik and Cole as roommates,next scene same secondary character acts and talks like Vik was his roommate.
then MC agree to meet up to talk, it never happens.
at a bar Cole gets jealous about a woman paying attention to Vik, when they talk the whole scene is in reverse Vik is the one saying he was jealous of Cole.
This all happening within same scene, makes no sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2026
I liked the characters in this story but it had loads of idk how to say it but different scenes would overlap and sometimes the whole storyline would switch making it hard to follow along I would have rated this a bit higher if it hadn't been for that bc that was my only problem I am definitely reading the next one though and hopefully it won't have the same issues
2026-dnfs
March 10, 2026I am dnf'ing at 34%.
There are some issues with the writing that I'm struggling with.
There is this weird overlapping sense of time. I don't even know if that's the right way to phase the experience? Events flow into one another in really confusing ways and I can't tell if it's the same day or a week later. It's like the reading equivalent of watching the editing choices of a non-sober party memory in a teen movie, only take away the visuals of a movie that help orient the viewer. I spent some time trying to reorient myself, going back pages to confirm where and when I thought we were and then gave up.
Inconsistencies that editing could have caught:
- our MMCs being told they are rooming together only for the next day another teammate to comment on how his roomie, one of those MMCs, was out (this is one of those things that lends to the blending/wonky time; because were there two different hotels on this road trip? Who knows?!)
- a hoodie being pulled up -- implying to me from the bottom hem at the waistline? -- to kiss/bite a neck. The hoodie neck should get pulled over to expose the neck or we need the words "up AND OVER" to let us know the whole hoodie came off to make it make sense
- ponds aren't frozen in the summer for shirtless hockey... "Danny Kowalczky from down the road had taken off his shirt during a summer hockey game on the frozen pond behind Cole's house" is the exact line of text.
"Pond behind Cole's house" implies outdoors. The guy mentions growing up in "the Iron Range in the mid-2000s" in this scene, which from a quick Google is around Lake Superior in the USA and Canada. So we're looking at Minnesota or Ontario as the most northern possibilities for a cooler summer. As an Ontarian, I've never seen a frozen pond in summer. You'd have to be playing pond hockey at a high altitude in the Rockies or in Nunavut/NWT to find a frozen pond in summer in North America.
And it's exactly this kind of nonsense, of my brain being unable to suspend my disbelief, that has me dnf'ing this.
There are some issues with the writing that I'm struggling with.
There is this weird overlapping sense of time. I don't even know if that's the right way to phase the experience? Events flow into one another in really confusing ways and I can't tell if it's the same day or a week later. It's like the reading equivalent of watching the editing choices of a non-sober party memory in a teen movie, only take away the visuals of a movie that help orient the viewer. I spent some time trying to reorient myself, going back pages to confirm where and when I thought we were and then gave up.
Inconsistencies that editing could have caught:
- our MMCs being told they are rooming together only for the next day another teammate to comment on how his roomie, one of those MMCs, was out (this is one of those things that lends to the blending/wonky time; because were there two different hotels on this road trip? Who knows?!)
- a hoodie being pulled up -- implying to me from the bottom hem at the waistline? -- to kiss/bite a neck. The hoodie neck should get pulled over to expose the neck or we need the words "up AND OVER" to let us know the whole hoodie came off to make it make sense
- ponds aren't frozen in the summer for shirtless hockey... "Danny Kowalczky from down the road had taken off his shirt during a summer hockey game on the frozen pond behind Cole's house" is the exact line of text.
"Pond behind Cole's house" implies outdoors. The guy mentions growing up in "the Iron Range in the mid-2000s" in this scene, which from a quick Google is around Lake Superior in the USA and Canada. So we're looking at Minnesota or Ontario as the most northern possibilities for a cooler summer. As an Ontarian, I've never seen a frozen pond in summer. You'd have to be playing pond hockey at a high altitude in the Rockies or in Nunavut/NWT to find a frozen pond in summer in North America.
And it's exactly this kind of nonsense, of my brain being unable to suspend my disbelief, that has me dnf'ing this.
March 28, 2026
AI slop
March 24, 2026
Really 1.5. The way it was written was rough. Simple example, he'd be cooking dinner and then next chapter it was the first time he'd ever cooked dinner and you were like wait what, didn't that just happen?
Needs better editing.
Needs better editing.
March 9, 2026
Needs major editing
The book has a really good story— unfortunately it reads like a first draft. There is not enough build into what happens between the two MCs. Additionally the author continually repeats information that changes slightly and also there is no linear pattern because the details jump all over the place.
The characters are very good but they need more development. Additionally, it does truly read like this is a first draft and I think with some major editing and better character development this book could’ve been truly excellent.
The book has a really good story— unfortunately it reads like a first draft. There is not enough build into what happens between the two MCs. Additionally the author continually repeats information that changes slightly and also there is no linear pattern because the details jump all over the place.
The characters are very good but they need more development. Additionally, it does truly read like this is a first draft and I think with some major editing and better character development this book could’ve been truly excellent.
March 30, 2026
Enemies to lovers trope but actually it wasn’t really hate but repressed attraction/desire that went twisted. Two broken MCs with each carrying own painful baggage, who ended up hurting each other when what they truly wanted was the opposite. Despite how messy that sounded, it was mostly medium angst between them once they reunited and quickly resolved issues as they came and ultimately stuck together till the end.
I liked Vik’s recap of the injury and how it really felt, the brutal aftermath. It was raw, painful but extremely important to talk about and it gave a great insight into recovery process, not just from the physical point of view but the often ignored mental aspect. However, the more it was revealed about the hit, the less neutral I was about Cole, the implication of what he did felt too wrong.
And the trade, Cole was an utter cowardly asshole, at this point Vik deserved someone far better. It pissed me off how it was Vik who fixed this when it was fucking Cole’s mistake! Grow up some spine Cole for fuck’s sake. This just showed how toxic and unbalanced their relationship was and will be (Cole didn’t redeem himself at all imo), Vik always reaching out, giving while Cole taking and running away, I didn’t believe in HEA here. I wish Novak kicked Cole’s loser ass for hurting Vik. Heck, Maja should kick his ass too. Why did everyone treat Cole with kid gloves but let Vik to suffer alone, fuck that. The least Cole could do was to take action to reverse the trade.
Spice came up early on (some detailed but quite a lot off page) which I usually like but there was not enough background and build up tension for it to grab my interest so instead I didn’t feel as excited.
The story was ok, not bad but nothing thrilling, the romance wasn’t it for me (I couldn’t stand wishy washy Cole) but I must admit I was oddly more invested in hinted side love stories of secondary characters (next book’s MCs).
“The wounded parts of him fit the wounded parts of me. We match in a way I didn’t know was possible.”
I liked Vik’s recap of the injury and how it really felt, the brutal aftermath. It was raw, painful but extremely important to talk about and it gave a great insight into recovery process, not just from the physical point of view but the often ignored mental aspect. However, the more it was revealed about the hit, the less neutral I was about Cole, the implication of what he did felt too wrong.
And the trade, Cole was an utter cowardly asshole, at this point Vik deserved someone far better. It pissed me off how it was Vik who fixed this when it was fucking Cole’s mistake! Grow up some spine Cole for fuck’s sake. This just showed how toxic and unbalanced their relationship was and will be (Cole didn’t redeem himself at all imo), Vik always reaching out, giving while Cole taking and running away, I didn’t believe in HEA here. I wish Novak kicked Cole’s loser ass for hurting Vik. Heck, Maja should kick his ass too. Why did everyone treat Cole with kid gloves but let Vik to suffer alone, fuck that. The least Cole could do was to take action to reverse the trade.
Spice came up early on (some detailed but quite a lot off page) which I usually like but there was not enough background and build up tension for it to grab my interest so instead I didn’t feel as excited.
The story was ok, not bad but nothing thrilling, the romance wasn’t it for me (I couldn’t stand wishy washy Cole) but I must admit I was oddly more invested in hinted side love stories of secondary characters (next book’s MCs).
“The wounded parts of him fit the wounded parts of me. We match in a way I didn’t know was possible.”
February 22, 2026
The story itself was good. The way the book was written was my issue with it. There were too many times where I had to back up and re-read something because the transition was bad and it made absolutely no sense to me. There were times where sentences were repetitive, writing about actions as if they were brand new, when they weren't. I'll read the next book in the series because I really do what to see what happens with Jesse and Eli, and I really hope that the flow of the story is better.
February 15, 2026
Disappointed
First, this book is tagged as a spicy MM romance...it is the least spicy MM romance I've read in years. It's like the author has no idea how to write a sex scene involving two men. Also, it was kind of hard to follow since the timeline was not very fluid. The two MCs were cute together, but I had a hard time getting past the insta-love from Vik's standpoint. I mean, the guy he's immediately completely gaga over nearly ended his career. There was no build up and subtle change in feelings that you would expect from an enemies to lovers trope. I've never read a book by this author before today and I probably won't continue the series.
First, this book is tagged as a spicy MM romance...it is the least spicy MM romance I've read in years. It's like the author has no idea how to write a sex scene involving two men. Also, it was kind of hard to follow since the timeline was not very fluid. The two MCs were cute together, but I had a hard time getting past the insta-love from Vik's standpoint. I mean, the guy he's immediately completely gaga over nearly ended his career. There was no build up and subtle change in feelings that you would expect from an enemies to lovers trope. I've never read a book by this author before today and I probably won't continue the series.
February 10, 2026
I don't think this book ever saw an editor.
April 11, 2026
Disappointing
I really wanted to like this book. It looked like it had the potential, I liked the characters, the plot seemed interesting but then it all went to waste. Not even 20% into the books were there so many inconsistencies so much that it made my head spin. I’m not one to DNF a book because my brain won’t let me but this was a hard read.
Here are some of the things I noticed;
- after the first hookup at the hotel during the plane Vik texts Cole that they need to talk and to go to his place after they land. Newsflash that didn’t happen.
- During the media interviews, Cole just left and no one from GM or PR followed him also if I’m not mistaken it describes that he was in his uniform
- After the bar altercation, Vik invites Cole back to his apartment which he says yes to. And it’s mentioned that he follows Vik and he should’ve gone home but he keeps following. They get to the elevator and Vik asks him if he’s sure and he says yes and they go in
- In the following chapter it makes it seem like Vik was actually driving them and took Cole to his apartment. When they get there Cole acts like it’s his first time there…
- The “need to talk” never really happens, and the Cole going to Vik’s apartment gets mentioned but again Cole acts like he’s never been there
- After Cole leaves Vik in the empty bed and finds the note about seeing each other in practice and Jesse calls Vik to tell him Cole wasn’t at morning skates????
- If I see the following lines again I will explode; (the goalie didn’t even move) (don’t run. Whatever it is we’ll do together) (whatever is that you are doing, keep it is good)
This story felt recycled and I was reading the same paragraph every other chapter.
Also, all of these things are up to 50% of the book there were so many more afterwards. Again I really wanted to like this book, it was promising but overall disappointed about the whole story. This felt like some sort of draft that was not proofread by anyone and just published. Sucks because I wanted to read the rest of the series but with how book 1 was I cannot put myself through that.
I really wanted to like this book. It looked like it had the potential, I liked the characters, the plot seemed interesting but then it all went to waste. Not even 20% into the books were there so many inconsistencies so much that it made my head spin. I’m not one to DNF a book because my brain won’t let me but this was a hard read.
Here are some of the things I noticed;
- after the first hookup at the hotel during the plane Vik texts Cole that they need to talk and to go to his place after they land. Newsflash that didn’t happen.
- During the media interviews, Cole just left and no one from GM or PR followed him also if I’m not mistaken it describes that he was in his uniform
- After the bar altercation, Vik invites Cole back to his apartment which he says yes to. And it’s mentioned that he follows Vik and he should’ve gone home but he keeps following. They get to the elevator and Vik asks him if he’s sure and he says yes and they go in
- In the following chapter it makes it seem like Vik was actually driving them and took Cole to his apartment. When they get there Cole acts like it’s his first time there…
- The “need to talk” never really happens, and the Cole going to Vik’s apartment gets mentioned but again Cole acts like he’s never been there
- After Cole leaves Vik in the empty bed and finds the note about seeing each other in practice and Jesse calls Vik to tell him Cole wasn’t at morning skates????
- If I see the following lines again I will explode; (the goalie didn’t even move) (don’t run. Whatever it is we’ll do together) (whatever is that you are doing, keep it is good)
This story felt recycled and I was reading the same paragraph every other chapter.
Also, all of these things are up to 50% of the book there were so many more afterwards. Again I really wanted to like this book, it was promising but overall disappointed about the whole story. This felt like some sort of draft that was not proofread by anyone and just published. Sucks because I wanted to read the rest of the series but with how book 1 was I cannot put myself through that.
January 13, 2026
When Hate Slams Into Desire at Full Speed
Cole Kiernan and Viktor Lindqvist start this story on opposite sides of a career-ending injury and a whole lot of unresolved rage. Cole carries the guilt like a second jersey, and Vik carries the grudge like a loaded weapon. Watching those two be forced onto the same team, the same ice, the same locker room? Deliciously brutal.
The angst is the real MVP here. Cole’s quiet self-loathing mixed with Vik’s sharp-edged anger creates this constant emotional pressure that makes every interaction feel like it could either explode into a fight… or something much less PG. And when it flips to attraction? Whew. The chemistry is immediate, messy, and very hard to ignore.
The spice is high and early (bless), but the emotional layers keep it from feeling shallow. You really do feel the weight of what they’re risking — careers, reputations, and the fragile peace they’re building between them.
My only knock is the pacing in the middle — the shift from enemies to emotionally invested happens fast, and I wanted just a little more slow burn torture before they caved.
Still, if you love angsty MM romance, morally complicated heroes, and hockey as an emotional pressure cooker, Cole and Vik absolutely deliver.
Cole Kiernan and Viktor Lindqvist start this story on opposite sides of a career-ending injury and a whole lot of unresolved rage. Cole carries the guilt like a second jersey, and Vik carries the grudge like a loaded weapon. Watching those two be forced onto the same team, the same ice, the same locker room? Deliciously brutal.
The angst is the real MVP here. Cole’s quiet self-loathing mixed with Vik’s sharp-edged anger creates this constant emotional pressure that makes every interaction feel like it could either explode into a fight… or something much less PG. And when it flips to attraction? Whew. The chemistry is immediate, messy, and very hard to ignore.
The spice is high and early (bless), but the emotional layers keep it from feeling shallow. You really do feel the weight of what they’re risking — careers, reputations, and the fragile peace they’re building between them.
My only knock is the pacing in the middle — the shift from enemies to emotionally invested happens fast, and I wanted just a little more slow burn torture before they caved.
Still, if you love angsty MM romance, morally complicated heroes, and hockey as an emotional pressure cooker, Cole and Vik absolutely deliver.
March 30, 2026
I haven't DNF'd a book in over a year - much less taken the time to write a review, so it takes alot for me to. Sadly, as much as I LOVED the MMC's (two stars only because of them frankly) and really wanted to get to their HEA I just couldn't. This really read like a first draft that hadn't been given to either beta readers or an editor - just rushed to print to capitalize on the current focus of MM Hockey romance but without any real effort. Like I said, I LOVED Vik and Cole so much, they deserved so much better. But there were just too many instances, even by the 30% mark where they said "we need to talk" and then two or three chapters later, they said "we need to talk" or where chapters just ended - like in the middle of a scene, or I had to go back and re- read sections where the author got the narrators mixed up or the timeline just didn't flow (I'm big on timelines, understanding how long etc - so this was def a big deal for me. At this point, I'm not sure if I'll try the next book to see if there's improvement or not - but again only because the cast of characters have so much potential.
Did Not Finish
April 26, 2026DNF’d at 28% I just couldn’t do it. I was really looking forward to this but I should have looked at the reviews first and saved my time. Too many conflicting details like they were rooming together but all of a sudden they were meant to have different roommates???
Also they talked about each other as if they had been in a relationship for ages before this book started which isn’t true they had only just become teammates. Also it was pretty much insta-lust which I don’t mind if it’s done well. This just wasn’t.
I don’t like leaving bad reviews but I feel like this should have gone through at least 3 more rounds of editing to make a comprehensible timeline and cemented details. Honestly does feel like ai was used and I don’t want to make that accusation but it does feel like it played a role in this.
Will not be reading any other books by this author to avoid being disappointed again sorry.
Also they talked about each other as if they had been in a relationship for ages before this book started which isn’t true they had only just become teammates. Also it was pretty much insta-lust which I don’t mind if it’s done well. This just wasn’t.
I don’t like leaving bad reviews but I feel like this should have gone through at least 3 more rounds of editing to make a comprehensible timeline and cemented details. Honestly does feel like ai was used and I don’t want to make that accusation but it does feel like it played a role in this.
Will not be reading any other books by this author to avoid being disappointed again sorry.
Did Not Finish
March 1, 2026dnf at the 38% mark
i liked the energy between the two characters, but there were a few plot issues that didn’t make sense. another reviewer has gone through and listed multiple examples (the mc’s sharing/not sharing a room on the road, if they had dinner together when they got back from that road trip or not, etc.); some of the dialogue formatting was also off, leading to confusion over who was saying what. i also felt that the feelings/relationship came out of nowhere and got serious fast with little to no build up. promising concept and characters, it just had a few too many issues for me to continue
i liked the energy between the two characters, but there were a few plot issues that didn’t make sense. another reviewer has gone through and listed multiple examples (the mc’s sharing/not sharing a room on the road, if they had dinner together when they got back from that road trip or not, etc.); some of the dialogue formatting was also off, leading to confusion over who was saying what. i also felt that the feelings/relationship came out of nowhere and got serious fast with little to no build up. promising concept and characters, it just had a few too many issues for me to continue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2026
This book had the opportunity to be good, but it fell short. There were a lot of continuity issues; it felt like the book wasn't properly edited. Otherwise, these issues would probably have been addressed. Just to name some of the issues I noticed, one: the coach said they were rooming together, and then Jesse, one of the side characters, says something different, two: when Cole was traded, he was traded back to Minnesota from Chicago, but the coach acted like he had never met Cole, like he wasn't just there last season. I enjoy a good book like this, but there were too many inconsistencies for me to enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2026
come for the yearning, stay only if you can see past the editing issues.
This is the first book in the series, and I debated reading beyond it at all, because as compelling as the story and characters can be, the editing is essentially absent.
There are plot holes, serious inconsistencies, repetitive lines that contradict previous moments in the scene, and really take away from the story overall. (This is the case in the second book in the series, too.)
This book series would have benefited from being written in dual pov, too.
Tl;dr come for the yearning, stay only if you can see past the editing issues.
This is the first book in the series, and I debated reading beyond it at all, because as compelling as the story and characters can be, the editing is essentially absent.
There are plot holes, serious inconsistencies, repetitive lines that contradict previous moments in the scene, and really take away from the story overall. (This is the case in the second book in the series, too.)
This book series would have benefited from being written in dual pov, too.
Tl;dr come for the yearning, stay only if you can see past the editing issues.
May 13, 2026
Incredibly disappointing. The characters had some depth of background, especially Cole, but there was so much that was wrong with the story. To start with, it needs serious editing done to it. The flow was badly done, the dialogue was not set up correctly, and we went from scene to scene as if we were skipping what the characters said was supposed to happen (like they were supposed to go to Vik's apartment but didn't, or they finally did go to his apartment but then acted like they didn't in the next scene).
I may have to agree with others that this is AI and poorly done. I will NOT be reading more of her books, and neither should you.
I may have to agree with others that this is AI and poorly done. I will NOT be reading more of her books, and neither should you.
February 5, 2026
So this book was pretty good. I liked the enemies to lovers vibes that got out of the way pretty early on with all that spice. I liked how they really opened up to each other. There was plenty of angst with this one but I just felt like it was so well written that it honestly felt very light.
I really loved the amount of real hockey in this one too.
If you liked heated rivalry you would probably like this!
3.5⭐
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I really loved the amount of real hockey in this one too.
If you liked heated rivalry you would probably like this!
3.5⭐
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
April 24, 2026
ughhh i am so mad
I literally read 20 hockey smut books in the year 2026 and this is by far the worst one I swear to God, this was probably written by AI and a made my eyes bleed, but yet I continue to read it until the end to see if it got any better and it did not it was the most unrealistic weird AF dynamic I have ever read that was super predictable and just insulting as a human to indulge and at first, I was like well I’m still gonna read the rest of the series but actually I’m not because I am not gonna waste any more time in this ridiculous world of awful writing
I literally read 20 hockey smut books in the year 2026 and this is by far the worst one I swear to God, this was probably written by AI and a made my eyes bleed, but yet I continue to read it until the end to see if it got any better and it did not it was the most unrealistic weird AF dynamic I have ever read that was super predictable and just insulting as a human to indulge and at first, I was like well I’m still gonna read the rest of the series but actually I’m not because I am not gonna waste any more time in this ridiculous world of awful writing
February 18, 2026
This book is a 3.75 for me, fully upgraded to 4 because I really loved the charachters: Cole and Vik click together so nicely, and they're overall very well written. I also liked the (not really) enemies to lovers arc, that is actually peculiar, with the charachters feeling the tension but not really able to label it.
The book coould use some editing, mainly because of some non sequitur in the timeline... and in the rooming! But still is absolutely enjoiable and worth reading.
The book coould use some editing, mainly because of some non sequitur in the timeline... and in the rooming! But still is absolutely enjoiable and worth reading.
March 1, 2026
I really wanted to like this book. As the first in what would be a long series I was excited. I love a good series I can just sink into. This book made very little sense. Timelines were off. Was it edited at all? Even the hockey stuff made no sense. The trade was stupid. It seems like every chapter ended with the same line but not in a way that was intentional. I finished it but won’t be reading the rest of the series.
April 25, 2026
The writing was very choppy. It would mention going to apartments to talk or do something then the next chapter would start with a completely different event happening.
The continuity in the writing was also a problem, like the MMC’s were roommates then five pages later, one of the side characters said that he was one MMC’s roommate.
I really had good hopes for this book as the plot sounded wonderful but it just didn’t match the blurb. It was all over the place and none of it made sense.
The continuity in the writing was also a problem, like the MMC’s were roommates then five pages later, one of the side characters said that he was one MMC’s roommate.
I really had good hopes for this book as the plot sounded wonderful but it just didn’t match the blurb. It was all over the place and none of it made sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2026
There was perhaps a compelling narrative to explore here, but it was not well built. The characters hint at having depth but are never given room to actually develop so they fall flat. And because this is a romance, it makes the relationship feel flat as well. The writing also jumped around confusingly at times.
April 10, 2026
spicy and SO romantic
What can I say? This was so deeply romantic and such an enjoyable read. Although at times it was repetitive, that didn’t take away from the joy this book gave me. I am a very slow reader….but I could not put this book down. And I am jumping right into book 2!
What can I say? This was so deeply romantic and such an enjoyable read. Although at times it was repetitive, that didn’t take away from the joy this book gave me. I am a very slow reader….but I could not put this book down. And I am jumping right into book 2!
April 13, 2026
I actually only got about 30% through this and did not finish, the story had a lot of potential, but was executed poorly, whole scenes missing and conversations completely changed in the next chapter, there was repeats and it was like stuck in fast forward. I couldn’t wrap my head around this story. Shame because I did like Cole and Vic
April 18, 2026
Love the story!!
I truly loved this book! I loved how the passion and chemistry started almost immediately, instead of a bunch of filler nonsense. Why I couldn’t give it any more stars is because of the errors throughout. Scenes changing, contradictions, and mistakes. I did love this story and will be ready Jesse’s book!!
I truly loved this book! I loved how the passion and chemistry started almost immediately, instead of a bunch of filler nonsense. Why I couldn’t give it any more stars is because of the errors throughout. Scenes changing, contradictions, and mistakes. I did love this story and will be ready Jesse’s book!!
April 27, 2026
1/5⭐️ DNF at 30%
I’m a solid 90% sure this was written by AI, there’s so many continuity errors within this. Also, even if it’s not AI the relationship is so poorly written in terms of them never talking, and theoretically hating each other to suddenly being in love with one another? Or at the very least wanting to be in a relationship within like 20 pages.
I’m a solid 90% sure this was written by AI, there’s so many continuity errors within this. Also, even if it’s not AI the relationship is so poorly written in terms of them never talking, and theoretically hating each other to suddenly being in love with one another? Or at the very least wanting to be in a relationship within like 20 pages.
February 11, 2026
I found this randomly when scrolling through my Kindle Unlimited options and said screw it. It was actually really fun. I enjoyed the characters and my time with them. I'm very excited for Jesse and Eli's book to come out next!
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