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Dino Scores
Heated rivalry. Cold blood. Primal passion.
"A queer hockey romance with dinosaurs. I didn't know I needed this, but I absolutely did."
Stone is the first dinosaur to play in the Major League of Hockey. Genetically engineered, devastatingly talented, and hiding behind a carefully constructed shell of professionalism, he's spent his entire career proving he belongs. The last thing he needs is a distraction.
Ruslan Khasanov is exactly that. The cocky, insufferably gorgeous center for the Seattle Barracudas plays like he owns the ice—and he knows it. He's everything Stone resents. He's also the only person who's ever looked at Stone and seen more than a dinosaur in skates.
Their rivalry is legendary. The fights are vicious. The chemistry is worse.
What begins as hatred becomes a secret neither of them can afford. Because Stone and Ruslan don't just play for rival teams—they're falling for each other in a league, and a world, that isn't ready for what they are.
Dino Scores is an affectionate parody of Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry, combining the best of M/M sports romance with speculative fiction, sharp humor, and one very memorable prehensile tail scene.
Perfect for fans of: Rachel Reid, Casey McQuiston, and Chuck Tingle
Content includes: explicit sexual content, homophobia, profanity, and dinosaurs behaving very badly
From the author of Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer and Triceratops and Bottoms
"A queer hockey romance with dinosaurs. I didn't know I needed this, but I absolutely did."
Stone is the first dinosaur to play in the Major League of Hockey. Genetically engineered, devastatingly talented, and hiding behind a carefully constructed shell of professionalism, he's spent his entire career proving he belongs. The last thing he needs is a distraction.
Ruslan Khasanov is exactly that. The cocky, insufferably gorgeous center for the Seattle Barracudas plays like he owns the ice—and he knows it. He's everything Stone resents. He's also the only person who's ever looked at Stone and seen more than a dinosaur in skates.
Their rivalry is legendary. The fights are vicious. The chemistry is worse.
What begins as hatred becomes a secret neither of them can afford. Because Stone and Ruslan don't just play for rival teams—they're falling for each other in a league, and a world, that isn't ready for what they are.
Dino Scores is an affectionate parody of Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry, combining the best of M/M sports romance with speculative fiction, sharp humor, and one very memorable prehensile tail scene.
Perfect for fans of: Rachel Reid, Casey McQuiston, and Chuck Tingle
Content includes: explicit sexual content, homophobia, profanity, and dinosaurs behaving very badly
From the author of Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer and Triceratops and Bottoms
133 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2026
12 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Lola Faust
12 books138 followersFrom an early age Lola Faust's fantasies and reveries tilted towards the unusual and the eccentric. Though she entertained curious private journals, it wasn't until she entered the Paleontology program at the University of British Columbia that her romantic notions concerning dinosaurs took full flight.
While working towards her doctorate, Ms Faust began writing her signature saurian prose. Today she is employed by day at a leading university in her field, but maintains her anonymous and risque personality online.
She can be reached at lolafaust1984@gmail.com.
She also has an Amazon author page.
While working towards her doctorate, Ms Faust began writing her signature saurian prose. Today she is employed by day at a leading university in her field, but maintains her anonymous and risque personality online.
She can be reached at lolafaust1984@gmail.com.
She also has an Amazon author page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 23, 2026
Thank you to the author for an ARC
3.5: Heated Rivalry but there are dinosaurs?? Okay! I’m in.
I have zero clue if this is supposed to be serious or a parody or a fever dream that someone committed to paper, and honestly, I don’t think it matters because it’s WILD.
We get dual POV from Stone, a professional hockey-playing dinosaur (yes, really), and Ruslan, his human rival. You get inside both their heads and can feel the tension, the brooding, the sexual frustration... for all of 3 pages when it all escalates from pining to screwing in a restaurant bathroom.
Some of the dialogue and descriptions are straight-up hilarious. Ruslan describes Stone’s breath as a “sweet stink-scent" and "meaty and bloody." I guess it’s meant to be nostalgic or romantic or something, but if anyone described my breath like that I would beat them with a hockey stick.
There are so many moments where it's unintentionally hilarious. Like, "a bolt of lightning hit Ruslan between the legs." Um… mate? That doesn’t sound pleasant.
And the sex scenes… oh my. I have never read unsexier dinosaur erotica. I've never laughed so hard at dinosaur erotica. Not like I've read any dinosaur erotica to compare it to, but still.
I'm not kidding, these are real lines.
At one point Stone goes in the sea and passes out because he’s cold-blooded. It's all very tense. Dramatic. Life-threatening. Ruslan saves the day by getting in a space blanket with him to warm him up… and then starts humping him while he’s passed out??? Sir. That is assault.
The worldbuilding is nonsense. Pure nonsense. But I kind of loved it.
Dinosaur-human hybrids exist and they're raised by humans.
Why were they engineered in the first place?
Are they only good at hockey? Could they be lawyers? Bus drivers? Teachers? Do they get driver’s licenses? WHY do they all live in one Canadian city?
And if they don’t get medical care, THEY REVERT TO PREDATORY INSTINCTS AND START MAULING AND EATING PEOPLE.
Does Jurassic Park not exist here?? Because I feel like we, as a society, have already workshopped why predatory dinosaurs + humans might not be the safest combo.
I guess the whole dinosaur thing is meant to be an allegory for race or disabilities: being othered, treated as dangerous, constantly having to prove you belong. But it kind of introduces those implications and then moves on. Which leaves you in a slightly weird place where the themes are there but they're not examined and end up clashing with the more comedic tone.
It’s so chaotic and absurd. It’s so fanfiction-y that I could feel the energy leaking off the pages. And somehow, against my better judgement, I loved it. I laughed so many times, and I was fully invested in their ridiculous romance.
3.5: Heated Rivalry but there are dinosaurs?? Okay! I’m in.
I have zero clue if this is supposed to be serious or a parody or a fever dream that someone committed to paper, and honestly, I don’t think it matters because it’s WILD.
We get dual POV from Stone, a professional hockey-playing dinosaur (yes, really), and Ruslan, his human rival. You get inside both their heads and can feel the tension, the brooding, the sexual frustration... for all of 3 pages when it all escalates from pining to screwing in a restaurant bathroom.
Some of the dialogue and descriptions are straight-up hilarious. Ruslan describes Stone’s breath as a “sweet stink-scent" and "meaty and bloody." I guess it’s meant to be nostalgic or romantic or something, but if anyone described my breath like that I would beat them with a hockey stick.
There are so many moments where it's unintentionally hilarious. Like, "a bolt of lightning hit Ruslan between the legs." Um… mate? That doesn’t sound pleasant.
And the sex scenes… oh my. I have never read unsexier dinosaur erotica. I've never laughed so hard at dinosaur erotica. Not like I've read any dinosaur erotica to compare it to, but still.
“Long, thick, cylindrical member"
“Pearl-white viscous liquid launched from the end of his erection like the ejection of rocket fuel at lift-off"
"You are vending machine today. You need filled”
"All he wanted was to ride this dino-man into the sunset"
I'm not kidding, these are real lines.
At one point Stone goes in the sea and passes out because he’s cold-blooded. It's all very tense. Dramatic. Life-threatening. Ruslan saves the day by getting in a space blanket with him to warm him up… and then starts humping him while he’s passed out??? Sir. That is assault.
The worldbuilding is nonsense. Pure nonsense. But I kind of loved it.
Dinosaur-human hybrids exist and they're raised by humans.
Why were they engineered in the first place?
Are they only good at hockey? Could they be lawyers? Bus drivers? Teachers? Do they get driver’s licenses? WHY do they all live in one Canadian city?
And if they don’t get medical care, THEY REVERT TO PREDATORY INSTINCTS AND START MAULING AND EATING PEOPLE.
Does Jurassic Park not exist here?? Because I feel like we, as a society, have already workshopped why predatory dinosaurs + humans might not be the safest combo.
I guess the whole dinosaur thing is meant to be an allegory for race or disabilities: being othered, treated as dangerous, constantly having to prove you belong. But it kind of introduces those implications and then moves on. Which leaves you in a slightly weird place where the themes are there but they're not examined and end up clashing with the more comedic tone.
It’s so chaotic and absurd. It’s so fanfiction-y that I could feel the energy leaking off the pages. And somehow, against my better judgement, I loved it. I laughed so many times, and I was fully invested in their ridiculous romance.
![Profile Image for Megan [At The Cottage].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1634561405i%2F25103878._UY200_CR50%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 26, 2026
MM Romance
Parody of Heated Rivalry
1 star ⭐️
Ok so this was a read now option on
Netgalley and it’s a parody of Heated Rivalry. So for anyone who forgot, I did not care for the original Heated Rivalry book. 🫣 I loved the characters but I hated the time jumps and how long they were friends with benefits so I just kind of checked out while reading it but I LOVED the tv show especially episode 5 and have been trying to channel cottage energy in 2026 though it’s been a bit hard. Long story short despite not liking the original I am the target audience for this book because I like weird out of the box reads. I also love creative anatomy and books that toe the fine line of cringy but humorous. I can suspend belief for books like this and I have some very guilty pleasures in this genre.
This will not be one of them unfortunately. This book was incredibly BORING. How a book with a dinosaur main character, yes dinosaur not dinosaur shifter, dinosaur ,🦕 can be this boring is a feat in itself.
The first 30% of this book is Heated Rivalry exactly how it was written but with different names and a dinosaur. It’s a parody yes but it almost felt like plagiarism due to how similar it was. Then around 35% this stays in the HR world but does its own thing for awhile. My favorite part was learning Stone the dinosaur was a virgin in every sense of the word because his Dino arms were too short to even stroke his pole 🤣 That and the names they put for each other in their phones 🤣🤣🤣🤣 But I mean those 2 things didn’t make up for the rest of this book. And the number of times this book reminded me what Stone’s mouth smelled like was overkill. I might like steak but dino man’s meaty mouth smells gave me the ick even if Rhuslan loved it 😂😂
”His breath smelled meaty and bloody, like the steaks Ruslan and his teammates had ordered.”
“Ruslan felt a shiver run through the dinosaur, and there was a great gust of meaty breath, like a hundred beach barbecues, as Miller breathed.”
“His heart thrummed between his bird-thin but hypersolid genetically modified dinosaur ribs, half with fear and half with desire.”
But unfortunately I found so much of it putting me to sleep. This book is 120 pages and I fell asleep reading it 3 times 😂 The blurb at the back says this is the author’s first full length book that isn’t all erotica and I have to say, I wish it was just erotica. That would have made it cringy fun because the one real sex scene was hysterical. Cringy with the words “anal slit” and “pleasure shaft” among others but humorous.
“All he wanted was to ride this dino-man into the sunset. Not above his tail: beneath it. In that flexible little ring of muscle that would clench itself around him…”
”He wanted them all to go away forever so he could spend the rest of his life kissing this one god fucking damn dinosaur whose dinosaur balls he wanted to lick for all eternity.”
“The gorgeous copper-haired hockey star was probably out celebrating with his teammates, getting drunk. Probably getting laid. Probably with some beautiful human who didn’t have a tail and feathers and nictitating membranes and persistent meat-breath even when he brushed his teeth six times a day.”
However, the rest of the book after that sex scene was a slog and it almost felt like a normal book without a dinosaur which feels like a crime honestly. If I’m picking up a book with a cover like this (more on the cover later) I expect some OTT stuff okay not boring put me to sleep content. This book isn’t on KU either and that’s the real crime. I suggest anyone who has netgalley and is interested in this to get it that way because it has a “read now” option. Had this not been an arc and count towards my reading challenge with a prompt that felt a bit tricky I’d have DNF’d this tbh.
Now let’s discuss the cover because it’s what drew me to this book. But before I get into this I need to talk about AI. I try to avoid books with AI and that includes not only the writing but covers and editing. I am not accusing this author of using AI to write this but this cover is AI and I didn’t realize it until after I had downloaded it and was halfway through it. I’m really bad at deciphering what covers are AI and which ones aren’t but the more I looked at the cover the more issues I saw. So I went to this author’s instagram and saw someone asked who made the cover and the author said she didn’t know because her publisher took care of that so I looked up her publisher, BooksGoSocial and it was very vague. I then sent the cover to my friend whose daughter always knows and she pointed out the right foot of the human and the left foot of the dinosaur and how that’s not anatomically correct. Not to mention they look fused together and where is the dinosaur’s leg? And then I looked at this author’s other covers and they all appear to be like this so while I’m not condoning the use of AI, I didn’t know until after the fact so that’s why I chose to still review it. I can’t say I’d recommend it though both due to the AI and also because it was terribly boring. Even with the quotes.
Thank you netgalley for the arc. I would have rated this 2 stars had the cover not been AI and the author having no idea because her publisher takes care of it is a choice. And while I concede that a cover like this makes more sense using AI because honestly how does one draw this? I still don’t condone the use of it.
#The52BookClub-Publisher Starting With The Letter B
Parody of Heated Rivalry
1 star ⭐️
Ok so this was a read now option on
Netgalley and it’s a parody of Heated Rivalry. So for anyone who forgot, I did not care for the original Heated Rivalry book. 🫣 I loved the characters but I hated the time jumps and how long they were friends with benefits so I just kind of checked out while reading it but I LOVED the tv show especially episode 5 and have been trying to channel cottage energy in 2026 though it’s been a bit hard. Long story short despite not liking the original I am the target audience for this book because I like weird out of the box reads. I also love creative anatomy and books that toe the fine line of cringy but humorous. I can suspend belief for books like this and I have some very guilty pleasures in this genre.
This will not be one of them unfortunately. This book was incredibly BORING. How a book with a dinosaur main character, yes dinosaur not dinosaur shifter, dinosaur ,🦕 can be this boring is a feat in itself.
The first 30% of this book is Heated Rivalry exactly how it was written but with different names and a dinosaur. It’s a parody yes but it almost felt like plagiarism due to how similar it was. Then around 35% this stays in the HR world but does its own thing for awhile. My favorite part was learning Stone the dinosaur was a virgin in every sense of the word because his Dino arms were too short to even stroke his pole 🤣 That and the names they put for each other in their phones 🤣🤣🤣🤣 But I mean those 2 things didn’t make up for the rest of this book. And the number of times this book reminded me what Stone’s mouth smelled like was overkill. I might like steak but dino man’s meaty mouth smells gave me the ick even if Rhuslan loved it 😂😂
”His breath smelled meaty and bloody, like the steaks Ruslan and his teammates had ordered.”
“Ruslan felt a shiver run through the dinosaur, and there was a great gust of meaty breath, like a hundred beach barbecues, as Miller breathed.”
“His heart thrummed between his bird-thin but hypersolid genetically modified dinosaur ribs, half with fear and half with desire.”
But unfortunately I found so much of it putting me to sleep. This book is 120 pages and I fell asleep reading it 3 times 😂 The blurb at the back says this is the author’s first full length book that isn’t all erotica and I have to say, I wish it was just erotica. That would have made it cringy fun because the one real sex scene was hysterical. Cringy with the words “anal slit” and “pleasure shaft” among others but humorous.
“All he wanted was to ride this dino-man into the sunset. Not above his tail: beneath it. In that flexible little ring of muscle that would clench itself around him…”
”He wanted them all to go away forever so he could spend the rest of his life kissing this one god fucking damn dinosaur whose dinosaur balls he wanted to lick for all eternity.”
“The gorgeous copper-haired hockey star was probably out celebrating with his teammates, getting drunk. Probably getting laid. Probably with some beautiful human who didn’t have a tail and feathers and nictitating membranes and persistent meat-breath even when he brushed his teeth six times a day.”
However, the rest of the book after that sex scene was a slog and it almost felt like a normal book without a dinosaur which feels like a crime honestly. If I’m picking up a book with a cover like this (more on the cover later) I expect some OTT stuff okay not boring put me to sleep content. This book isn’t on KU either and that’s the real crime. I suggest anyone who has netgalley and is interested in this to get it that way because it has a “read now” option. Had this not been an arc and count towards my reading challenge with a prompt that felt a bit tricky I’d have DNF’d this tbh.
Now let’s discuss the cover because it’s what drew me to this book. But before I get into this I need to talk about AI. I try to avoid books with AI and that includes not only the writing but covers and editing. I am not accusing this author of using AI to write this but this cover is AI and I didn’t realize it until after I had downloaded it and was halfway through it. I’m really bad at deciphering what covers are AI and which ones aren’t but the more I looked at the cover the more issues I saw. So I went to this author’s instagram and saw someone asked who made the cover and the author said she didn’t know because her publisher took care of that so I looked up her publisher, BooksGoSocial and it was very vague. I then sent the cover to my friend whose daughter always knows and she pointed out the right foot of the human and the left foot of the dinosaur and how that’s not anatomically correct. Not to mention they look fused together and where is the dinosaur’s leg? And then I looked at this author’s other covers and they all appear to be like this so while I’m not condoning the use of AI, I didn’t know until after the fact so that’s why I chose to still review it. I can’t say I’d recommend it though both due to the AI and also because it was terribly boring. Even with the quotes.
Thank you netgalley for the arc. I would have rated this 2 stars had the cover not been AI and the author having no idea because her publisher takes care of it is a choice. And while I concede that a cover like this makes more sense using AI because honestly how does one draw this? I still don’t condone the use of it.
#The52BookClub-Publisher Starting With The Letter B
February 25, 2026
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dino Scores feels like someone tried to assemble Heated Rivalry without the IKEA manual, and also 4 screws mysteriously went missing, but it's still standing, so I guess it's fine. 🤷
Now, let me preface this with my (mild) beef with the author's previous book, Triceratops and Bottoms. I didn't like it, and not because of the over-the-top plot, the novella format, or the graphic sexual content; I do love all of those, in general. My issue was that the author either didn't understand the genre she was writing in, or she wildly overestimated how far the premise could carry her. Parody erotica, like Chuck Tingle's famous Tinglers, are exercises in absurdist performance: they start with a goofy premise that keeps escalating, weaving in thematically relevant details or overarching commentary, all culminating in something so preposterous and sometimes, shocking, that you get a laugh out of them. On the other hand, Triceratops and Bottoms is about a woman being little more than an anthropomorphized sex object, on a quest to get railed by as many dinosaurs as she can. What's subversive about this? Where's the joke?
I mention this because, going in, I was hoping writing about masc leads would make a difference. And, in all fairness, it did--but I wouldn't say it's thanks to any kind of show of skills. This novella clings so tightly to Heated Rivalry's blueprint that there isn't a lot of room left for the author's creativity to shine through. The book isn't shy about admitting it's a Heated Rivalry parody (the words are on the cover!) but most of it lacks originality, taking all of its story beats, up to and including its denouement, from the source material. Dino Scores feels like someone read the "Plot Summary" section of the Heated Rivalry Wikipedia page, broke it into small pieces, added a dinosaur as a lead, and went on from there.
And I fear that it misunderstands what it borrows from, reusing components without really grasping why they worked in the first place. For example, this novella takes place between 2013 and 2019. Okay. Why though? Most of the setting is fantastical in nature, since it's a reality where dinosaurs are integrated into society; eg. it references a fictional city called "Drumheller, the dinosaur capital of Canada" multiple times. So what about this time period is relevant to the story, to the field of hockey as a whole, to its historical elements?
Most story beats are lifted wholesale from Heated Rivalry, which makes a character proclaim: "He’s your biggest rival. Publicly, you hate each other." even though none of this had been actually set-up in the book. The book is full of "not quite right" examples like these, that only exist in relation to the original material, not because they make sense for that specific book.
The book also lacks any real heart or overarching message, despite featuring some deeply disturbing things. For instance, This was very disturbing to read, for me, and it just goes unaddressed (not even played for laughs, really). This book also thoroughly references the Anti-gay purges in Chechnya, including The book, however, steers clear from mentioning the Chechen genocide or the very tumultuous history of the region.
I felt that including Chechnya representation was a purely practical choice: "Rozanov is Russian in Heated Rivalry; how could my mirror character, Khasanov, be Russian-but-not-Russian?" and then a couple of Wikipedia pages were skimmed. I thought this was...reductive? A bold move for sure.
So, in the end, my question is: why does this book exist? It's not original enough to put a creative spin on Heated Rivalry's concept. It's not born out of love for of its themes, it doesn't take a stance or explore anything especially thoughtful. Worst of all, it's not absurd enough to be truly comedic. I didn't feel like it added any new value to its one big idea: Heated Rivalry, but with a dinosaur.
Unfortunately, I think I know the answer to my own question. This book might only exist in an attempt to manufacture "virality"; to cash in on the 15 minutes of fame of another beloved IP, without understanding what made the original work so resonant or why Chuck Tingle's niche is so beloved. I'm sad to say it, but this ended up feeling like a soulless grift to me.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars, mostly because one of the sex scenes got a chuckle out of me. But while we're on that subject:
TL;DR:
Dino Scores feels like someone tried to assemble Heated Rivalry without the IKEA manual, and also 4 screws mysteriously went missing, but it's still standing, so I guess it's fine. 🤷
Now, let me preface this with my (mild) beef with the author's previous book, Triceratops and Bottoms. I didn't like it, and not because of the over-the-top plot, the novella format, or the graphic sexual content; I do love all of those, in general. My issue was that the author either didn't understand the genre she was writing in, or she wildly overestimated how far the premise could carry her. Parody erotica, like Chuck Tingle's famous Tinglers, are exercises in absurdist performance: they start with a goofy premise that keeps escalating, weaving in thematically relevant details or overarching commentary, all culminating in something so preposterous and sometimes, shocking, that you get a laugh out of them. On the other hand, Triceratops and Bottoms is about a woman being little more than an anthropomorphized sex object, on a quest to get railed by as many dinosaurs as she can. What's subversive about this? Where's the joke?
I mention this because, going in, I was hoping writing about masc leads would make a difference. And, in all fairness, it did--but I wouldn't say it's thanks to any kind of show of skills. This novella clings so tightly to Heated Rivalry's blueprint that there isn't a lot of room left for the author's creativity to shine through. The book isn't shy about admitting it's a Heated Rivalry parody (the words are on the cover!) but most of it lacks originality, taking all of its story beats, up to and including its denouement, from the source material. Dino Scores feels like someone read the "Plot Summary" section of the Heated Rivalry Wikipedia page, broke it into small pieces, added a dinosaur as a lead, and went on from there.
And I fear that it misunderstands what it borrows from, reusing components without really grasping why they worked in the first place. For example, this novella takes place between 2013 and 2019. Okay. Why though? Most of the setting is fantastical in nature, since it's a reality where dinosaurs are integrated into society; eg. it references a fictional city called "Drumheller, the dinosaur capital of Canada" multiple times. So what about this time period is relevant to the story, to the field of hockey as a whole, to its historical elements?
Most story beats are lifted wholesale from Heated Rivalry, which makes a character proclaim: "He’s your biggest rival. Publicly, you hate each other." even though none of this had been actually set-up in the book. The book is full of "not quite right" examples like these, that only exist in relation to the original material, not because they make sense for that specific book.
The book also lacks any real heart or overarching message, despite featuring some deeply disturbing things. For instance, This was very disturbing to read, for me, and it just goes unaddressed (not even played for laughs, really). This book also thoroughly references the Anti-gay purges in Chechnya, including The book, however, steers clear from mentioning the Chechen genocide or the very tumultuous history of the region.
I felt that including Chechnya representation was a purely practical choice: "Rozanov is Russian in Heated Rivalry; how could my mirror character, Khasanov, be Russian-but-not-Russian?" and then a couple of Wikipedia pages were skimmed. I thought this was...reductive? A bold move for sure.
So, in the end, my question is: why does this book exist? It's not original enough to put a creative spin on Heated Rivalry's concept. It's not born out of love for of its themes, it doesn't take a stance or explore anything especially thoughtful. Worst of all, it's not absurd enough to be truly comedic. I didn't feel like it added any new value to its one big idea: Heated Rivalry, but with a dinosaur.
Unfortunately, I think I know the answer to my own question. This book might only exist in an attempt to manufacture "virality"; to cash in on the 15 minutes of fame of another beloved IP, without understanding what made the original work so resonant or why Chuck Tingle's niche is so beloved. I'm sad to say it, but this ended up feeling like a soulless grift to me.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars, mostly because one of the sex scenes got a chuckle out of me. But while we're on that subject:
TL;DR:
February 24, 2026
ARC received from NetGalley
It’s been a wee while since I’ve last read a Faustian take on topical romance tropes, but what with Heated Rivalry having a moment, and the US Men’s Hockey team very much NOT , it seemed as good a time as any to engage with a literal reptile on ice.
Enter newly drafted rookies, Stone Miller, a Deinonychus Antirrhopus aka Nikey hybrid beloved by his ever supportive adoptive human parents, MLH’s first Dino hybrid draft, and his arch rival, Ruslan Khasanov, the handsome Chechen lion whose life has been lacking in love and affection and acceptance since the death of his mama.
In an homage to the original work by Reid, the epistolary elements of this story are exchanged under safe pseudonyms: Coca-cola vending machine #564 and Broken Thermostat (except in Cyrillic alphabet), and are nothing if not swoony:
“Here cold-blood, vending machine needs filling”
The narrative tension in the second act comes courtesy of a watery moment to rival Pride and Prejudice, during the filming of a Nike commercial. Only instead of emerging smouldering from a lake, Stone sinks, like Ruslan’s stomach infused with internalised homo/dinophobia, into the cold waves of the wintery sea, what with him being a cold blooded reptile. Seeing his erstwhile hook-up nearly drown helps the walls Ruslan has built to fortify his heart come tumbling down as he sprints to rescue Stone, and partakes in the valiant effort to slowly get his rival re-heated. With bodily proximity.
““Is scientific principle,” he muttered, willing his cock to behave for these five god damn seconds. “Maximum surface, all heat. Now wrap us together. Tight. Bring many blankets. Keep heat in.””
There may be many obstacles in the way of these rivals to become the cross species lovers they were destined to be. But also many things that suggest they suit:
-Stone has recurring bloody meat breath. Ruslan is not a vegetarian
-“No one has tail like you” - tis prehensile
-Self love is hard with short arms and claws. Luckily Ruslan comes handily armed with regular and willing arms and hands
““Oh no. Oh no. How you… how you manage? When you want, but no one else?” “I don’t,” said Stone softly. “I can’t.”
Is it nonsense? Abso-bloody-lutely. Is the story of consistent quality all the way through - well, not quite. It kind of warms up towards the final third and leaves the easy jokes behind a bit. Is it also sprinkled with moments of surprisingly engaging and delightful palaeontology inspired sexytimes prose? Also yes
“Somehow, he knew exactly how to keep Stone’s release at bay, drawing out the process, building pleasure little by little, like the layers of sediment in limestone that hold the keys to the entire history of life on Earth, full of paleontological delights. Every glimmer of life for five hundred million years, every eukaryote and prokaryote, every creature that ever crawled out of the primordial muck to take a breath of air on land, every tree rooted in its place, every mycelial whisper from mushroom to mushroom, every vertebrate, every brain emerging into the light of self-knowledge… every moment of deep history had led to this perfect man and his perfect mouth on Stone’s enormous cock, bringing him closer and closer to the life-giving release he so desperately sought.”
Came for the nonsense shitposting, stayed for the pearly geysirs and seismic waves of pleasure and a surprisingly well executed shot on goal swerve at my least favourite story beat: forced outing fears. Did not love the f slurs in either language but get why they were there and at least the user of them did not live to tell the tale.
It’s been a wee while since I’ve last read a Faustian take on topical romance tropes, but what with Heated Rivalry having a moment, and the US Men’s Hockey team very much NOT , it seemed as good a time as any to engage with a literal reptile on ice.
Enter newly drafted rookies, Stone Miller, a Deinonychus Antirrhopus aka Nikey hybrid beloved by his ever supportive adoptive human parents, MLH’s first Dino hybrid draft, and his arch rival, Ruslan Khasanov, the handsome Chechen lion whose life has been lacking in love and affection and acceptance since the death of his mama.
In an homage to the original work by Reid, the epistolary elements of this story are exchanged under safe pseudonyms: Coca-cola vending machine #564 and Broken Thermostat (except in Cyrillic alphabet), and are nothing if not swoony:
“Here cold-blood, vending machine needs filling”
The narrative tension in the second act comes courtesy of a watery moment to rival Pride and Prejudice, during the filming of a Nike commercial. Only instead of emerging smouldering from a lake, Stone sinks, like Ruslan’s stomach infused with internalised homo/dinophobia, into the cold waves of the wintery sea, what with him being a cold blooded reptile. Seeing his erstwhile hook-up nearly drown helps the walls Ruslan has built to fortify his heart come tumbling down as he sprints to rescue Stone, and partakes in the valiant effort to slowly get his rival re-heated. With bodily proximity.
““Is scientific principle,” he muttered, willing his cock to behave for these five god damn seconds. “Maximum surface, all heat. Now wrap us together. Tight. Bring many blankets. Keep heat in.””
There may be many obstacles in the way of these rivals to become the cross species lovers they were destined to be. But also many things that suggest they suit:
-Stone has recurring bloody meat breath. Ruslan is not a vegetarian
-“No one has tail like you” - tis prehensile
-Self love is hard with short arms and claws. Luckily Ruslan comes handily armed with regular and willing arms and hands
““Oh no. Oh no. How you… how you manage? When you want, but no one else?” “I don’t,” said Stone softly. “I can’t.”
Is it nonsense? Abso-bloody-lutely. Is the story of consistent quality all the way through - well, not quite. It kind of warms up towards the final third and leaves the easy jokes behind a bit. Is it also sprinkled with moments of surprisingly engaging and delightful palaeontology inspired sexytimes prose? Also yes
“Somehow, he knew exactly how to keep Stone’s release at bay, drawing out the process, building pleasure little by little, like the layers of sediment in limestone that hold the keys to the entire history of life on Earth, full of paleontological delights. Every glimmer of life for five hundred million years, every eukaryote and prokaryote, every creature that ever crawled out of the primordial muck to take a breath of air on land, every tree rooted in its place, every mycelial whisper from mushroom to mushroom, every vertebrate, every brain emerging into the light of self-knowledge… every moment of deep history had led to this perfect man and his perfect mouth on Stone’s enormous cock, bringing him closer and closer to the life-giving release he so desperately sought.”
Came for the nonsense shitposting, stayed for the pearly geysirs and seismic waves of pleasure and a surprisingly well executed shot on goal swerve at my least favourite story beat: forced outing fears. Did not love the f slurs in either language but get why they were there and at least the user of them did not live to tell the tale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2026
At last, a book that combines gay fucking dinosaurs and Chechnya.
February 25, 2026
I'm not sure where to start. I did find this entertaining, moreso than Triceratops & Bottoms (which felt like cramming smut into a book for smut's sake at some stages) at least this had more of a plot line.
I did find I had issues with some things for example but I sort of see where the author was coming from in tying in some political aspects. Even if I don't think some things needed to happen in the story (personally)
There was also the but hey, every day is a learning day.
One thing I did find a little frustrating was that the story obviously switched POV's throughout, but when you first started reading the chapter, I didn't feel there was a clear way to note who it was. Just adding the characters name at the top of the chapter would have made it simpler for reading.
All that said, this isn't the worst book I've read, and I did find it more enjoyable than the previous book I've read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I did find I had issues with some things for example but I sort of see where the author was coming from in tying in some political aspects. Even if I don't think some things needed to happen in the story (personally)
There was also the but hey, every day is a learning day.
One thing I did find a little frustrating was that the story obviously switched POV's throughout, but when you first started reading the chapter, I didn't feel there was a clear way to note who it was. Just adding the characters name at the top of the chapter would have made it simpler for reading.
All that said, this isn't the worst book I've read, and I did find it more enjoyable than the previous book I've read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Currently reading
February 22, 2026🦖🏒 Dino Scores 🏒🦖
📘 Bookish Thoughts
Full ARC Review to come.
🦕 What to Expect
• M/M hockey romance
• Dinosaur MMC
• Rival teams
• Enemies to lovers
• Secret relationship
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: February 19, 2026
📝 Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
📘 Bookish Thoughts
Full ARC Review to come.
🦕 What to Expect
• M/M hockey romance
• Dinosaur MMC
• Rival teams
• Enemies to lovers
• Secret relationship
_ _ _ _
📅 Pub Date: February 19, 2026
📝 Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
February 25, 2026
Imagine me, perusing Netgalley, as one does, and up pops this cover. I saw it and immediately requested because if there is one thing about me, I am the most unserious reader. You want to tell me a dinosaur is playing hockey and fking his rival? Why the fk not. Sign me up.
Imagine HR and Land Before Time got together. This is their baby. A dinosaur who is so in touch with his feelings/emotions. And a human who has a crappy home life, crappy family. They play for rival teams but their chemistry is off the charts. Now honestly, I am still not 100% confident on how these parts are fitting together but they seem to make it work and my hat is off to them.
4 stars for this one because its just a good time.
Imagine HR and Land Before Time got together. This is their baby. A dinosaur who is so in touch with his feelings/emotions. And a human who has a crappy home life, crappy family. They play for rival teams but their chemistry is off the charts. Now honestly, I am still not 100% confident on how these parts are fitting together but they seem to make it work and my hat is off to them.
4 stars for this one because its just a good time.
February 27, 2026
These reads by Lola are so much fun, she creates really great characters and totally whacky scenarios, with a bit of odd spice thrown in for good measure!
Read
February 22, 2026I need a moment to collect my thoughts.
February 23, 2026
Like MANY many other people in the bookish community I devoured heated rivalry after watching the show and realized the show was better. You’re going to have to excuse the amount of pop culture references in this review because it’s about to become impossible to talk about without it.
I struggle with parody books because I think they’re usually simply too close to the original for me to fully enjoy. It’s like reading fan fiction that just changes one or two things.
However, I love a good laugh.
The way I HOLLERED when this book popped up on my NetGalley page. I was in tears from laughing so hard. It gave me that SNL sketch that Finn Wolfhard did of Heated Rivalry but mixed in with Harry Potter (yes jkr is a terf, f*** her forever). With all the craziness in the world it’s good to have a nice laugh. I sent a screenshot of the title to all my friends, we all laughed for days and then I finally was like if this can bring me this much joy simply by knowing it exists I have to actually go read it now.
For all the unseriousness of the dinosaur aspect involved this book really didn’t shy away from Homophobia or stray from the OG source at all. After reading the first chapter I had an out of body experience where for a solid hour I thought I might actually be in hell. Did I open a door to a parallel dimension and I’m simply stuck in a weird quasi space of dinosaur PARODY erotica? I managed to shake myself out of my stupor when I realized it was simply me questioning my life choices and what my algorithm says about me. And then I got back to critically thinking about the plot and as stated earlier, hated it because it was TOO close to the OG.
It simply spend the timeline up and changed a few things. Listen if you want Heated Rivalry, go watch the show. I think as a parody this book could have taken some of the much more serious topics and toned it WAY down. I mean… Stone’s a sucking dinosaur for crying out loud lmao. 3 stars is for mid writing and for simply making me laugh so hard.
I struggle with parody books because I think they’re usually simply too close to the original for me to fully enjoy. It’s like reading fan fiction that just changes one or two things.
However, I love a good laugh.
The way I HOLLERED when this book popped up on my NetGalley page. I was in tears from laughing so hard. It gave me that SNL sketch that Finn Wolfhard did of Heated Rivalry but mixed in with Harry Potter (yes jkr is a terf, f*** her forever). With all the craziness in the world it’s good to have a nice laugh. I sent a screenshot of the title to all my friends, we all laughed for days and then I finally was like if this can bring me this much joy simply by knowing it exists I have to actually go read it now.
For all the unseriousness of the dinosaur aspect involved this book really didn’t shy away from Homophobia or stray from the OG source at all. After reading the first chapter I had an out of body experience where for a solid hour I thought I might actually be in hell. Did I open a door to a parallel dimension and I’m simply stuck in a weird quasi space of dinosaur PARODY erotica? I managed to shake myself out of my stupor when I realized it was simply me questioning my life choices and what my algorithm says about me. And then I got back to critically thinking about the plot and as stated earlier, hated it because it was TOO close to the OG.
It simply spend the timeline up and changed a few things. Listen if you want Heated Rivalry, go watch the show. I think as a parody this book could have taken some of the much more serious topics and toned it WAY down. I mean… Stone’s a sucking dinosaur for crying out loud lmao. 3 stars is for mid writing and for simply making me laugh so hard.
February 23, 2026
Received from NetGalley, thanks!
CW: slurs, homophobia, death, murder
I was going to rate this higher, but coming across the F-slur on page was so unnecessary, so I’m lowering my rating. This is a story about a genetically modified dinosaur who plays professional hockey, there is no need to be accurate by using slurs.
Other than my disappointment at finding the F-slur (as well as its Russian version), I really enjoyed this! I feel like Faust’s writing has improved a lot since the last one I read (Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer, I think?). Was it fucking bonkers? Yes! Was it delightful? Yes! Was it exactly what my overtaxed brain needed today? Yes!
It was absolutely a fun read, but do beware that there are slurs on page.
CW: slurs, homophobia, death, murder
I was going to rate this higher, but coming across the F-slur on page was so unnecessary, so I’m lowering my rating. This is a story about a genetically modified dinosaur who plays professional hockey, there is no need to be accurate by using slurs.
Other than my disappointment at finding the F-slur (as well as its Russian version), I really enjoyed this! I feel like Faust’s writing has improved a lot since the last one I read (Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer, I think?). Was it fucking bonkers? Yes! Was it delightful? Yes! Was it exactly what my overtaxed brain needed today? Yes!
It was absolutely a fun read, but do beware that there are slurs on page.
February 22, 2026
This was such a fun treat of a read!
As a chronically online girly, I have been obsessed with the Heated Rivalry memes and have been on the Quinn Hughes and his ghosts fan pipeline. This was the perfect quick read for me to continue my hockey player obsession and have a heckin fun time doing so! This book is in fact quite unserious but listen, the world is on fire, let’s just have some fun! To be honest, if you didn’t like this, it’s because it simply wasn’t written for you. Not every book needs to be ~literature~ to be good!!
Thank you Lola Faust for writing this and thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the arc copy!
As a chronically online girly, I have been obsessed with the Heated Rivalry memes and have been on the Quinn Hughes and his ghosts fan pipeline. This was the perfect quick read for me to continue my hockey player obsession and have a heckin fun time doing so! This book is in fact quite unserious but listen, the world is on fire, let’s just have some fun! To be honest, if you didn’t like this, it’s because it simply wasn’t written for you. Not every book needs to be ~literature~ to be good!!
Thank you Lola Faust for writing this and thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the arc copy!
February 23, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this book.
3.5
Having not read Heated Rivalry, I can’t say how well of a parody this was, but it was a fun quick read. Only a few spicy scenes, but the prehensile tail scene was indeed quite memorable. I didn’t know I needed an answer to the question “But what if dinosaurs played ice hockey?”, but here we are!
3.5
Having not read Heated Rivalry, I can’t say how well of a parody this was, but it was a fun quick read. Only a few spicy scenes, but the prehensile tail scene was indeed quite memorable. I didn’t know I needed an answer to the question “But what if dinosaurs played ice hockey?”, but here we are!
Want to read
February 24, 2026im sorry what 😭😭 i have to read this
Read
February 22, 2026Lola Faust is THE dino romance writer. I saw the cover and immediately knew it was from her.
Dino Scores is essentially a Heated Rivalry parody with a dinosaur MMC. Stone (the dino) and Ruslan (the human) are hockey rivals in a secret relationship. You can occasionally forget that Stone is a dino and then, boom, there would be some little descriptor or comment to bring it back in. It is listed as erotica, but there were fewer explicit scenes than I anticipated. There were also a handful of more serious plot points, but they were listed in the CWs. Overall, it was ridiculous, but that is literally the point.
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC of this book for an honest review.
Dino Scores is essentially a Heated Rivalry parody with a dinosaur MMC. Stone (the dino) and Ruslan (the human) are hockey rivals in a secret relationship. You can occasionally forget that Stone is a dino and then, boom, there would be some little descriptor or comment to bring it back in. It is listed as erotica, but there were fewer explicit scenes than I anticipated. There were also a handful of more serious plot points, but they were listed in the CWs. Overall, it was ridiculous, but that is literally the point.
Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC of this book for an honest review.
February 25, 2026
Look...this is not my first foray into human/non-human smut. And this one is rather tame in comparison. It was also the weirdest I've read, I think because dinosaurs were real and that killed some of the suspended disbelief. But it might also have been because this is a Heated Rivalry parody and I kept comparing them. It takes place entirely in the "real" world rather than in a fantasy setting which might have also thrown me for a loop. The writing itself isn't bad (though there was a mention of the year 2025 in a book sent during 2013-2015 that annoyed me) and if you are into dino erotica I'm sure there are worse out there.
February 25, 2026
4.5 stars (for the vibes)
I had a great time reading this dino parody. It was a blast!
I loved that it was based on Heated Rivalry, but with a dinosaur and that just enough of the story was different. Obviously premise is the same, two rivals who are attracted to each other, but what made it so much fun was how the author brought an overall lightness to the story while touching on heavier topics.
I don't think this novella was meant to be taken seriously and that's what made it so much fun for me. I hope we get to see more of this dino hockey world that is being created
I had a great time reading this dino parody. It was a blast!
I loved that it was based on Heated Rivalry, but with a dinosaur and that just enough of the story was different. Obviously premise is the same, two rivals who are attracted to each other, but what made it so much fun was how the author brought an overall lightness to the story while touching on heavier topics.
I don't think this novella was meant to be taken seriously and that's what made it so much fun for me. I hope we get to see more of this dino hockey world that is being created
February 24, 2026
This book is ridiculous and so much fun! If you ever wanted to meet the dinosaur version of Shane Hollander, this is the book for you! It’s a short read and definitely a fun way to kill a couple of hours.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lola Faust for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lola Faust for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
February 24, 2026
I was going to reread Heated Rivalry, I don’t need to now, but I will be rereading this. This book has opened my eyes to whole genre I didn’t know I was missing.
Childhood me loved dinosaurs. Adulthood me loves romance novels. What a time to be alive!
Childhood me loved dinosaurs. Adulthood me loves romance novels. What a time to be alive!
February 23, 2026
Is it a Lola book without tail play? Heated Rivalry but with a dino. Thinking about a dinosaur on ice playing hockey is the funniest thing I've thought about hahahaha
February 22, 2026
Lola Faust is back, and I've never—well, actually, it's the middle of February, so I've definitely been happier. But a new Lola Faust book improves that a lot.
Me: There's a new Lola Faust book!
(pause)
Partner (sounding very weary): The dinosaur woman?
Me: Yesss!
Partner (even wearier): Uh-huh.
Anyway, let's start with the content notice:
Homophobia, biphobia, homophobic language and slurs (Russian and English), Canada, Canadians, Canadian media, gun violence, death, mild-to-moderate limited-scope gore, voyeurism (lack thereof), sports, toxic masculinity, Russia, Chechnya, rain (a lot), Vancouver, Yaletown, Gastown, seagulls, Seattle, anxiety, being picked last for a sports team, fainting, tuna melts, dinosaurs (genetically modified), Kyle, assholes (physical and metaphorical), organized religion (assorted), athleisure, hyperlocal brands, international brands, poetry, hockey (loc. 5*)
This is in many ways the most standard of any of the romances Faust has written—the author's note at the end acknowledges that it parodies Heated Rivalry (which I have not read; I read one gay hockey romance and concluded that I'd need more interest in both hockey and m/m romance to continue...apparently I make exceptions if there are dinosaurs involved) and that it is not erotica but contains a sex scene involving a prehensile tail (loc. 1204), and if you think I did not spend some time going "dear god, no" in that scene, then you do not understand what these books are or why I keep reading them against all logic. Note that the sex is otherwise very tame—erm, as far as it goes—so if you've been curious about dino romance but haven't yet worked up the courage to go there, this is a decent entry point.**
In what other romances do you get the words His breath smelled meaty and bloody (loc. 275) when the characters are tantalizingly close to hooking up? And don't get me started on how far the vending machine metaphor is pushed...
"You smell like steakhouse," Khasanov murmured with amusement, stepping away.
The moment shattered. Stone's head spun and his shoulders sagged. How could he have been so careless...
"It is good thing I like steak." (loc. 547)
This is horrifying, obviously, though maybe it's less horrifying to less ardent vegetarians. (Come to think of it...what is Stone's diet made up of?) But that is genuinely part of the joy of these books; they lean in hard to exactly what they are, so hard that you think they might topple over, and yet here they are, still standing. I did get stuck for a while on some of the logistics: If Stone is cold-blooded (and I do sort of love that this comes into play), is playing an ice-based sport really in his best interests? (Is living in Canada at all really in his best interests?) Should he really, on the cover, be wearing shorts at the ice rink? (Can he maintain enough heat on the rink even by moving quickly? And while we're on the cover, how do his feathers extend through his sleeves?) I know, I know; I am missing the point.
All he wanted was to ride this dino-man into the sunset. (loc. 442)
This review does not need to be as long as it is; you need very little other than the cover to know whether this is something you'll find entertaining. If not, that's okay! But you're missing out, I tell you.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
**The things I find myself saying when I read these books!
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
Me: There's a new Lola Faust book!
(pause)
Partner (sounding very weary): The dinosaur woman?
Me: Yesss!
Partner (even wearier): Uh-huh.
Anyway, let's start with the content notice:
Homophobia, biphobia, homophobic language and slurs (Russian and English), Canada, Canadians, Canadian media, gun violence, death, mild-to-moderate limited-scope gore, voyeurism (lack thereof), sports, toxic masculinity, Russia, Chechnya, rain (a lot), Vancouver, Yaletown, Gastown, seagulls, Seattle, anxiety, being picked last for a sports team, fainting, tuna melts, dinosaurs (genetically modified), Kyle, assholes (physical and metaphorical), organized religion (assorted), athleisure, hyperlocal brands, international brands, poetry, hockey (loc. 5*)
This is in many ways the most standard of any of the romances Faust has written—the author's note at the end acknowledges that it parodies Heated Rivalry (which I have not read; I read one gay hockey romance and concluded that I'd need more interest in both hockey and m/m romance to continue...apparently I make exceptions if there are dinosaurs involved) and that it is not erotica but contains a sex scene involving a prehensile tail (loc. 1204), and if you think I did not spend some time going "dear god, no" in that scene, then you do not understand what these books are or why I keep reading them against all logic. Note that the sex is otherwise very tame—erm, as far as it goes—so if you've been curious about dino romance but haven't yet worked up the courage to go there, this is a decent entry point.**
In what other romances do you get the words His breath smelled meaty and bloody (loc. 275) when the characters are tantalizingly close to hooking up? And don't get me started on how far the vending machine metaphor is pushed...
"You smell like steakhouse," Khasanov murmured with amusement, stepping away.
The moment shattered. Stone's head spun and his shoulders sagged. How could he have been so careless...
"It is good thing I like steak." (loc. 547)
This is horrifying, obviously, though maybe it's less horrifying to less ardent vegetarians. (Come to think of it...what is Stone's diet made up of?) But that is genuinely part of the joy of these books; they lean in hard to exactly what they are, so hard that you think they might topple over, and yet here they are, still standing. I did get stuck for a while on some of the logistics: If Stone is cold-blooded (and I do sort of love that this comes into play), is playing an ice-based sport really in his best interests? (Is living in Canada at all really in his best interests?) Should he really, on the cover, be wearing shorts at the ice rink? (Can he maintain enough heat on the rink even by moving quickly? And while we're on the cover, how do his feathers extend through his sleeves?) I know, I know; I am missing the point.
All he wanted was to ride this dino-man into the sunset. (loc. 442)
This review does not need to be as long as it is; you need very little other than the cover to know whether this is something you'll find entertaining. If not, that's okay! But you're missing out, I tell you.
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
**The things I find myself saying when I read these books!
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
February 26, 2026
Dino Scores is so much more than a smutty dinosaur hockey book. This story is multilayered and contradictory: sweet and dark, romantic and toxic, inclusive and abhorrent. It’s gritty, traumatic and I have some mixed feelings but enjoyed it overall largely due to the spice and the HEA.
Stone is a big cinnamon roll and a dinosaur.
Ruslan is an alpha-hole and his biggest hockey rival.
Things get heated on and off the ice.
I must admit that it’s difficult for me to rate this ‘affectionate parody’ as I’m probably one of the only humans not to have yet read Heated Rivalry. However, as I don’t live under a rock, I’m familiar enough to see and appreciate the connection. This introduced sly humour, mockery and dinosaurs. This book does not take itself seriously and has some sharp witty moments. Authenticity in the saurian facts and Dino specific humour were a nice touch but at the same time I hope I don’t read the phrase meat-breath again for a long time. Unfortunately, despite the chemistry, I didn’t feel the love between the characters outside the physical aspects of their clandestine relationship.
One particular chapter was incongruent with the rest of the book, significantly darker and may be triggering for some readers. I liked elements of this but also felt that this may have been better achieved in a different way.
Thank you to Lola Faust & NetGalley for the gifted ARC.
Stone is a big cinnamon roll and a dinosaur.
Ruslan is an alpha-hole and his biggest hockey rival.
Things get heated on and off the ice.
I must admit that it’s difficult for me to rate this ‘affectionate parody’ as I’m probably one of the only humans not to have yet read Heated Rivalry. However, as I don’t live under a rock, I’m familiar enough to see and appreciate the connection. This introduced sly humour, mockery and dinosaurs. This book does not take itself seriously and has some sharp witty moments. Authenticity in the saurian facts and Dino specific humour were a nice touch but at the same time I hope I don’t read the phrase meat-breath again for a long time. Unfortunately, despite the chemistry, I didn’t feel the love between the characters outside the physical aspects of their clandestine relationship.
One particular chapter was incongruent with the rest of the book, significantly darker and may be triggering for some readers. I liked elements of this but also felt that this may have been better achieved in a different way.
Thank you to Lola Faust & NetGalley for the gifted ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2026
Now I haven't read any of Lola Faust's other books, but I did have an idea of what I was getting into.
I also haven't read Heated Rivalry, but I'm not sure if I can after this masterpiece.
It was absurd, it was hilarious, but also heart wrenching.
Love sparks between a genetically modified dinosaur and a human, and being on rival hockey teams is not their only obstacle.
I had a great time imagining a dinosaur in skates playing hockey, 5 stars alone for that image.
Laughed at -'his breath smelled meaty and bloody'.
And absolutely lost it at - '..eat? asked an ancient voice, millions upon millions of years old: the voice of primal hunger. Stone gave a minute shake of his head. No. Not eat. A different hunger.'
(ARC provided by NetGalley)
I also haven't read Heated Rivalry, but I'm not sure if I can after this masterpiece.
It was absurd, it was hilarious, but also heart wrenching.
Love sparks between a genetically modified dinosaur and a human, and being on rival hockey teams is not their only obstacle.
I had a great time imagining a dinosaur in skates playing hockey, 5 stars alone for that image.
Laughed at -'his breath smelled meaty and bloody'.
And absolutely lost it at - '..eat? asked an ancient voice, millions upon millions of years old: the voice of primal hunger. Stone gave a minute shake of his head. No. Not eat. A different hunger.'
(ARC provided by NetGalley)
February 26, 2026
Like the rest of the world, I've spent an immeasurable amount of time absolutely consumed by Heated Rivalry. So when I saw the dinosaur version, my brain said, "You know what? Hell yeah."
Lola Faust's self-proclaimed "affectionate parody" based on a book she loved so much that she "decided to put a dinosaur in it" was my very first dino romance. No regrets.
It's light, ridiculous in the best way, and fully aware of what it's doing. The random dinosaur facts, the biology explanations, the genuinely unhinged spicy scenes? I was cracking up all the way through.
If you've ever thought, "I wish Heated Rivalry had more Jurassic Park… but make it sexy," then Dino Scores is exactly what you're looking for.🦖
Lola Faust's self-proclaimed "affectionate parody" based on a book she loved so much that she "decided to put a dinosaur in it" was my very first dino romance. No regrets.
It's light, ridiculous in the best way, and fully aware of what it's doing. The random dinosaur facts, the biology explanations, the genuinely unhinged spicy scenes? I was cracking up all the way through.
If you've ever thought, "I wish Heated Rivalry had more Jurassic Park… but make it sexy," then Dino Scores is exactly what you're looking for.🦖
February 24, 2026
Wonderful. Exactly what I want out of a dinosaur based Heated Rivalry parody.
The relationship between Stone and Ruslan was sweet (if a little fast for my taste), and the homophobia was shockingly intense. I think Ruslan in particular was very well developed as far as his own internal character arc goes. I wanted a bit more about the ins and outs of the dino hybrids, and given how much dinosaur information was in here I'm sure the author would have loved to write it as well, but I see why we spent more time focused on the story instead. It was funny, cute, and heartbreaking.
(I received a free copy for review)
The relationship between Stone and Ruslan was sweet (if a little fast for my taste), and the homophobia was shockingly intense. I think Ruslan in particular was very well developed as far as his own internal character arc goes. I wanted a bit more about the ins and outs of the dino hybrids, and given how much dinosaur information was in here I'm sure the author would have loved to write it as well, but I see why we spent more time focused on the story instead. It was funny, cute, and heartbreaking.
(I received a free copy for review)
February 28, 2026
Thank you Booksgosocial for access to this eARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
wonderful prose, wonderful relationship, wonderful incorporation of a dinosaur into human society. faust hits every single nail squarely on the head here. throughout this book i've screamed, cried, and kicked my legs back and forth while rolling around in bed. i wish there was more. i am frothing at the mouth for more.
edit: i found out it's possible there could have been gen AI involvement in the cover art for this book. i'll be editing all my public reviews to reflect this. this greatly impacts my ability to enjoy this work and recommend it to others.
edit: i found out it's possible there could have been gen AI involvement in the cover art for this book. i'll be editing all my public reviews to reflect this. this greatly impacts my ability to enjoy this work and recommend it to others.
February 27, 2026
First off, I have not watched or read Heated Rivalry yet so I don’t know how close this story is to the series.
But omg I have zero regrets applying for this book!!!
I thought I was gonna get some comedic hockey dinosaur spice but there is more!
This book is about Stone and Ruslan rising hockey players who compete for opposing teams. What if they were more than rivals?
This story has a lot of heart, misunderstandings, banter, teasing, comfort, drama, action, tension and oh so delicious spicy scenes.
I particularly adored the sponsor shooting scene, it had everything I love in dramatic romances (I can’t say more without spoilers)
This book is for anyone who wants to have a good time and don’t want anything too serious, not just hockey or dino fans 😉
Thank you BooksGoSocial, NetGalley and Lola Faust for a copy of this book!
But omg I have zero regrets applying for this book!!!
I thought I was gonna get some comedic hockey dinosaur spice but there is more!
This book is about Stone and Ruslan rising hockey players who compete for opposing teams. What if they were more than rivals?
This story has a lot of heart, misunderstandings, banter, teasing, comfort, drama, action, tension and oh so delicious spicy scenes.
I particularly adored the sponsor shooting scene, it had everything I love in dramatic romances (I can’t say more without spoilers)
This book is for anyone who wants to have a good time and don’t want anything too serious, not just hockey or dino fans 😉
Thank you BooksGoSocial, NetGalley and Lola Faust for a copy of this book!
February 25, 2026
This is so good in the weirdest way!
So I'm not the biggest hockey romance fan. They just never tick the boxes for me. Until now. I loved the banter is this book. Top tier banter, no notes. The nicknames in the phone?? No notes, perfection. So why only 3 stars? Some sentence structure issues, some wording choices that cuased me pause, and typos. Also would have loved for this to be longer. I know, I know. It's supposed to be a parody, so on and so forth. Still a solid read and definitely something I'll recommend to the hockey romance fans in my life.
So I'm not the biggest hockey romance fan. They just never tick the boxes for me. Until now. I loved the banter is this book. Top tier banter, no notes. The nicknames in the phone?? No notes, perfection. So why only 3 stars? Some sentence structure issues, some wording choices that cuased me pause, and typos. Also would have loved for this to be longer. I know, I know. It's supposed to be a parody, so on and so forth. Still a solid read and definitely something I'll recommend to the hockey romance fans in my life.
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