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Atlanta Firebirds #4
Breakaway
Berger's story. Blurb coming soon!
- GenresM M RomanceHockey
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 27, 2026
This book is a five star. And then it ends (like every book in this series) just a chapter short of a real great book. Why does the author do that? It’s so incredibly frustrating. Of course we do get some of the needed closing in the next book. But it’s not enough. I need epilogues! The story where they actually get their closure. Their coming out, or cliche kiss on the ice moment and the stuff that happens when the dust falls down. And that costs a full star. Like Berger would say: I don’t make the rules, it’s just a solid four point one. That’s just the way it is.
Please stop reading this review if you don’t want spoilers. I don’t want to mark review as containing spoilers because I want people to know how frustrating (and great) this book is.
It’s supposed to be based on the Heated Rivalry series. And this book came so incredibly close to the quality. However, in stead of Scott giving this speech about his win and kiss when Kip was watching and clinking his glasses the television, in this book we get just promises and a smile. No grand gestures, no real talk, no team reactions, just the idea of Wes retiring, that was prepared and arranged mostly off page. (What is Wes going to do after retirement? Move to Atlanta of course, but what else?) I need answers!
I loved the whole story so much, this book is by far the best in the series. It’s been sold as an age gap romance but it doesn’t really feel this way. It’s more about not knowing who you really are and meeting someone who sees you. Because of the flashbacks it almost feels like a slow burn. They move in great pace though.
I loved how Wes looks at Luca. And I certainly love how well thought through Luca’s character and depression are. I actually had tears in my eyes, and a huge lump in my throat, while he was going through it. And when he realizes that it’s not him but the depression talking while looking at that photo. 😭😭😭 I wish I was that wise! (Not going through a depression myself, don’t worry, but am clawing my way back from a burn out, so it’s not that far removed).
I didn’t get the book they were discussing in bookclub, but I love those chats. And it’s a lovely detail in this series.
Conclusion: This book is really good, I think, way, way better quality and representation than any of the other books in the series. I just wish someone had told the author that ending books on a promise is not something you should make your readers go through every single time!
And also: don’t call your bonus chapters deleted scenes, even though we all know that’s what they often are. Although it would be SO MUCH BETTER if the bonus chapters were actual epilogues. Show is a scene where Avi and Ash are home,doing domestic things, and Avi suddenly realizes he’s going to propose to Ash. Or where Marchetti and Brooks go out to a club together, and pretend they just met, and then in the end go home together and it’s all domestic bliss where it feels like they’ve been living together for 3 years.
And the bonus, where Wes is in the Atlanta teambox watching the game and Grayson asks him to be their scout because of his sharp analytics, while referring to Luca as his husband. Just something that shows us, it didn’t just work out, it was the best thing that ever happened.
Will reread though, and only recommend if you don’t mind the ending is missing…
Ps: tiny star deduction as well for the homophobia, but inner with Wes as outer with the little remark during the sponsor night.
Please stop reading this review if you don’t want spoilers. I don’t want to mark review as containing spoilers because I want people to know how frustrating (and great) this book is.
It’s supposed to be based on the Heated Rivalry series. And this book came so incredibly close to the quality. However, in stead of Scott giving this speech about his win and kiss when Kip was watching and clinking his glasses the television, in this book we get just promises and a smile. No grand gestures, no real talk, no team reactions, just the idea of Wes retiring, that was prepared and arranged mostly off page. (What is Wes going to do after retirement? Move to Atlanta of course, but what else?) I need answers!
I loved the whole story so much, this book is by far the best in the series. It’s been sold as an age gap romance but it doesn’t really feel this way. It’s more about not knowing who you really are and meeting someone who sees you. Because of the flashbacks it almost feels like a slow burn. They move in great pace though.
I loved how Wes looks at Luca. And I certainly love how well thought through Luca’s character and depression are. I actually had tears in my eyes, and a huge lump in my throat, while he was going through it. And when he realizes that it’s not him but the depression talking while looking at that photo. 😭😭😭 I wish I was that wise! (Not going through a depression myself, don’t worry, but am clawing my way back from a burn out, so it’s not that far removed).
I didn’t get the book they were discussing in bookclub, but I love those chats. And it’s a lovely detail in this series.
Conclusion: This book is really good, I think, way, way better quality and representation than any of the other books in the series. I just wish someone had told the author that ending books on a promise is not something you should make your readers go through every single time!
And also: don’t call your bonus chapters deleted scenes, even though we all know that’s what they often are. Although it would be SO MUCH BETTER if the bonus chapters were actual epilogues. Show is a scene where Avi and Ash are home,doing domestic things, and Avi suddenly realizes he’s going to propose to Ash. Or where Marchetti and Brooks go out to a club together, and pretend they just met, and then in the end go home together and it’s all domestic bliss where it feels like they’ve been living together for 3 years.
And the bonus, where Wes is in the Atlanta teambox watching the game and Grayson asks him to be their scout because of his sharp analytics, while referring to Luca as his husband. Just something that shows us, it didn’t just work out, it was the best thing that ever happened.
Will reread though, and only recommend if you don’t mind the ending is missing…
Ps: tiny star deduction as well for the homophobia, but inner with Wes as outer with the little remark during the sponsor night.
May 22, 2026
I. Wanted.More!🥲🥲🥲
I wanted to see more of their joy together. This is not a happy book, it's a very sentimental one, it's a story of two men in love yet a thousand miles apart, each dealing with their loneliness. This is an amalgama of the moments we caught of their story in the previous books. A sad, melancholy story of two men hiding their feelings in plain sight and the slow unravelling of their time apart.
Bauer's writing is poetic as always, words repeated that become main characters that Luca and Wes live with.
The time stamps from then and now, a vehicle to dig in the pain that becomes a living thing when the relationship starts to disintegrate. The feelings are sharp and cutting.
I loved this book, it is not for the light hearted, but well worth going on this journey to find happiness at the end.
"I'm losing my faith in our lives apart"
Vessel - Fields of Elation
I wanted to see more of their joy together. This is not a happy book, it's a very sentimental one, it's a story of two men in love yet a thousand miles apart, each dealing with their loneliness. This is an amalgama of the moments we caught of their story in the previous books. A sad, melancholy story of two men hiding their feelings in plain sight and the slow unravelling of their time apart.
Bauer's writing is poetic as always, words repeated that become main characters that Luca and Wes live with.
The time stamps from then and now, a vehicle to dig in the pain that becomes a living thing when the relationship starts to disintegrate. The feelings are sharp and cutting.
I loved this book, it is not for the light hearted, but well worth going on this journey to find happiness at the end.
"I'm losing my faith in our lives apart"
Vessel - Fields of Elation
May 25, 2026
Not me being excited about the similarities to heated rivalry just to be disappointed….eh. I absolutely despise flashback scenes/chapters and this had entirely too many. It was messing with the flow of the book tbh. This couple was so so cute though. My other issue is the ending was so unsatisfying, I was expecting more but it just ends.. like no? Anyway, 3 ⭐️
Read
May 23, 2026This was the strongest character work of the series. Oh Berger and the performance, this rang incredibly true. Definitely a heavier read than the others but still with that charm and hope throughout.
Here's the problem: the overlapping timelines of this series. Not the past and present of this book, that made perfect sense for the plot, but the fact that each book covers the same months but the author sort of tries to keep them standalone by revisiting some scenes but not the moments where the couples are revealed, I guess so people could pick up wherever? It gets confusing to remember which characters know what and would really better serve their journeys by having their POVs on those moments. There's zero reason Marchetti and Brooks had to be the first season of this team, for example-- the others maybe but they could still have been more sequential, maybe a few flashbacks if needed, and the series as a whole would feel more cohesive and I think would give each couple more of their own moment.
Here's the problem: the overlapping timelines of this series. Not the past and present of this book, that made perfect sense for the plot, but the fact that each book covers the same months but the author sort of tries to keep them standalone by revisiting some scenes but not the moments where the couples are revealed, I guess so people could pick up wherever? It gets confusing to remember which characters know what and would really better serve their journeys by having their POVs on those moments. There's zero reason Marchetti and Brooks had to be the first season of this team, for example-- the others maybe but they could still have been more sequential, maybe a few flashbacks if needed, and the series as a whole would feel more cohesive and I think would give each couple more of their own moment.
May 24, 2026
I am getting really invested in this series now: the team, how they have bonded, the friendships as well as the relationships, and their steady progress in the ice hockey season towards the Stanley Cup. I want more! Loved Luca and Wes's story. It's an understated love story between 2 men who don't feel they can be public and all the strains that puts on a relationship. Berger's battle with depression was well handled. I did get a bit confused with the timeline, which jumps back and forward a lot. My brain got stuck on one chapter in particular that I felt was dated wrong and it took me ages to work out that it wasn't. Also struggled with the lack of the other team relationships being mentioned (apart from Fontenot and Volkov), as I thought they were all out to the team, at least by the end time of this book. But I couldn't put it down so it earns it's 5 stars.
May 21, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really appreciated that Luca and Wes are already a couple, so their relationship doesn't need to be built from scratch. The two timelines, Miami and Atlanta, give a glimpse into their lives together, both past and present. This makes their story feel incredibly intense and authentic. The physical and emotional distance between them was palpable, and I felt every emotion alongside them in each chapter.
It was all the more wonderful to see how hard they fought for their happy ending and how they truly deserved it. Let's not forget the book club, the cats, the spreadsheets, and the team that becomes family.
An emotional and touching continuation of the series that completely won me over once again.
I really appreciated that Luca and Wes are already a couple, so their relationship doesn't need to be built from scratch. The two timelines, Miami and Atlanta, give a glimpse into their lives together, both past and present. This makes their story feel incredibly intense and authentic. The physical and emotional distance between them was palpable, and I felt every emotion alongside them in each chapter.
It was all the more wonderful to see how hard they fought for their happy ending and how they truly deserved it. Let's not forget the book club, the cats, the spreadsheets, and the team that becomes family.
An emotional and touching continuation of the series that completely won me over once again.
May 26, 2026
I’m in love
I feel in love with this series from the first book and have been patiently waiting for this one to come out cause I knew Lucas story was going to hurt me good. And it did. I love this boy with all of my being and learning about him and the love he shares and the way he is why he is, is heartbreaking. The love him and Wes have prove it can transcend time and space and it does and it makes me happy the kid gets to have to love he deserves and gets to live it out loud. I’m so excited for the next book and I really hope we can keep seeing more work from Riley Bauer because her writing, stories, character & plots are beautiful in a way only few books have the art of telling. You are a talented woman I look forward to reading everything you give us ❤️
I feel in love with this series from the first book and have been patiently waiting for this one to come out cause I knew Lucas story was going to hurt me good. And it did. I love this boy with all of my being and learning about him and the love he shares and the way he is why he is, is heartbreaking. The love him and Wes have prove it can transcend time and space and it does and it makes me happy the kid gets to have to love he deserves and gets to live it out loud. I’m so excited for the next book and I really hope we can keep seeing more work from Riley Bauer because her writing, stories, character & plots are beautiful in a way only few books have the art of telling. You are a talented woman I look forward to reading everything you give us ❤️
May 23, 2026
Every book in this series is better than the one before it. But what I need is closure to the story. It is revisited in the next book, but not sufficiently.
Especially in this book. When you finish the last page, you want to feel that everything turned out well.
This series and author do not need an open ending in the book. It is good, and we are certainly looking forward to the next installment.
After some hesitation, I therefore decided not to give it 5 stars.
💞Thank you to the Author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC💖
Especially in this book. When you finish the last page, you want to feel that everything turned out well.
This series and author do not need an open ending in the book. It is good, and we are certainly looking forward to the next installment.
After some hesitation, I therefore decided not to give it 5 stars.
💞Thank you to the Author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC💖
May 25, 2026
This was my least favorite of the series so far.
No real juice for the squeeze. With all the hell Berger went thru, with the big decisions Mercer made, we didn’t even get to see it.
There was some good meat in the therapy work, a great representation of depression and processing patterns that help you survive but stop you from thriving. However, it could’ve used more love story to balance that weight. Both of them deserved to be seen.
No real juice for the squeeze. With all the hell Berger went thru, with the big decisions Mercer made, we didn’t even get to see it.
There was some good meat in the therapy work, a great representation of depression and processing patterns that help you survive but stop you from thriving. However, it could’ve used more love story to balance that weight. Both of them deserved to be seen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2026
Not sure if the romance is the real center of this book versus the interior journey they (especially Berger) go on. Really incredible and realistic mental health rep and doing the work to get better.
4.5 ⭐️ only because it’s unsatisfying after the difficult road they walked together and separately to not get any glimpse into their lives on the other side of it (the people need an epilogue!) Overall am loving this series and the writing.
4.5 ⭐️ only because it’s unsatisfying after the difficult road they walked together and separately to not get any glimpse into their lives on the other side of it (the people need an epilogue!) Overall am loving this series and the writing.
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC Reader
It would track the most performative person in the locker room would hit the hardest. I have lived Berger’s situation myself and still struggle with it daily. This book was lovingly crafted. They did not gloss over the backstory. The backstory fully explains the spreadsheets, the distance after AS break and the elevator. This was a hard HEA, but so worth it.
It would track the most performative person in the locker room would hit the hardest. I have lived Berger’s situation myself and still struggle with it daily. This book was lovingly crafted. They did not gloss over the backstory. The backstory fully explains the spreadsheets, the distance after AS break and the elevator. This was a hard HEA, but so worth it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved spending time in Miami and Atlanta with Luca and Wes. I wish I could have stayed in their world a bit longer. I was a tad disappointed that the epilogue didn't quite deliver. But hopefully we will see more of both of them in the next book.
May 24, 2026
The most honest, haunting book of the series.
This book wrecked me. And it absolutely did not care. This novel makes me want to hold the author, to embrace them and sob and thank them for the accuracy of the pain, for allowing it without dressing it up.
This book wrecked me. And it absolutely did not care. This novel makes me want to hold the author, to embrace them and sob and thank them for the accuracy of the pain, for allowing it without dressing it up.
May 24, 2026
This series is terrific. I can't say enough good things.
I'm tempted to compare it, but I'm going to fight that temptation. It's good on its own without comparison.
This book was terrific and scary because depression is scary.
I'm tempted to compare it, but I'm going to fight that temptation. It's good on its own without comparison.
This book was terrific and scary because depression is scary.
May 27, 2026
Intensely Angsty but Beautifully Real
This book is heavy. It touches on the very real mental health struggle of people who suffer with depression. With that, it is so beautifully written. The angst was so intense at times but I could not put it down.
This book is heavy. It touches on the very real mental health struggle of people who suffer with depression. With that, it is so beautifully written. The angst was so intense at times but I could not put it down.
May 21, 2026
My favorite one yet.
This one wrecked me and then put me back together. So good. I just wanted to hug Luca the whole time. Can’t wait for Soucy’s book.
This one wrecked me and then put me back together. So good. I just wanted to hug Luca the whole time. Can’t wait for Soucy’s book.
May 22, 2026
best one yet
I loved the emotion in the story. The writing just keeps getting better each book. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
I loved the emotion in the story. The writing just keeps getting better each book. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
May 23, 2026
4.5 stars
May 24, 2026
good read
I was confused until almost halfway through the book with the story going back in forth in time. Once I understood it I loved it. Glad I didn’t give up on it
I was confused until almost halfway through the book with the story going back in forth in time. Once I understood it I loved it. Glad I didn’t give up on it
May 25, 2026
Well done two main characters internal narrative of struggles of separation, insecurity and depression while leading a closeted life. Love the contemporaneous time line with prior books in the series.
May 26, 2026
I liked this one a lot - dealt w the struggles/challenges of change (distance, mental health) in an established relationship rather than how a couple gets together together initially- really lovely.
May 27, 2026
4.5 round up stars
The ending felt rushed. It focused more on the group chat rather than closing the story more fully.
The ending felt rushed. It focused more on the group chat rather than closing the story more fully.
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