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Radford U #2
Crossing Lines: A MM College Hockey Romance
Asher Reynolds–Dutch to his teammates–is the guy who always wants things to be fair. But there’s nothing fair about losing his sister in a car accident a few months ago, along with suffering an injury that’s going to derail his senior year with the Radford Renegades.
Wyatt Chase is used to handling whatever life throws at him. A former pro hockey player who lost his career to a brutal injury, he’s now a single dad to a precocious five-year-old—and Radford’s newest physical therapist. He’s no stranger to clawing his way forward in spite of the odds.
What he’s not expecting is for Asher–broody and sullen and injured–to be his first serious case so early in the season. Or his next door neighbor. And he’s definitely not expecting for Asher’s depth–and pain–to stir something in Chase that he’s spent years trying to push past.
He knows that Asher is one-hundred-percent off limits. He’s Chase’s patient, and it’s his responsibility to help rehab him and keep the line between them clear.
So, why do they keep finding themselves crossing it over and over again?
Crossing Lines, a mm college hockey romance, is Book #2 in the Radford U series, but it can be read as a standalone novel.
TROPES:
🏒 mm college hockey romance
💖 hockey player x physical therapist
🏒 forbidden romance
💖 single dad
🏒 gay awakening
💖 disability rep
🏒 slow burn
💖 angst & yearning
🏒 first person / dual POV
Wyatt Chase is used to handling whatever life throws at him. A former pro hockey player who lost his career to a brutal injury, he’s now a single dad to a precocious five-year-old—and Radford’s newest physical therapist. He’s no stranger to clawing his way forward in spite of the odds.
What he’s not expecting is for Asher–broody and sullen and injured–to be his first serious case so early in the season. Or his next door neighbor. And he’s definitely not expecting for Asher’s depth–and pain–to stir something in Chase that he’s spent years trying to push past.
He knows that Asher is one-hundred-percent off limits. He’s Chase’s patient, and it’s his responsibility to help rehab him and keep the line between them clear.
So, why do they keep finding themselves crossing it over and over again?
Crossing Lines, a mm college hockey romance, is Book #2 in the Radford U series, but it can be read as a standalone novel.
TROPES:
🏒 mm college hockey romance
💖 hockey player x physical therapist
🏒 forbidden romance
💖 single dad
🏒 gay awakening
💖 disability rep
🏒 slow burn
💖 angst & yearning
🏒 first person / dual POV
414 pages, Paperback
Published May 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
May 29, 2026
Power Play, the first book in this series, has been on my TBR for a while, so when I saw that the second book was a standalone and the author was accepting applications for ARC readers, I jumped on the chance to get my hands on it. On paper, it sounded like it would be completely up my alley, and I really, really wanted to love it.
Both Asher and Wyatt were likeable MCs, and I commend the author for including discussions of mental health and disability throughout. Unfortunately, the execution of the romance didn't quite stick the landing for me, and because this is a romance book, that dampened my enjoyment of the book overall. While I thought Asher and Wyatt's physical attraction and chemistry was fairly clear, their emotional and romantic connection wasn't as strong as it could have been. As their relationship developed, it seemed like I was missing a lot of it because I was being told that it was happening but not necessarily shown. I was rooting for them, and I wanted them to be together, but I didn't find the payoff of them figuring things out particularly satisfying.
Beyond that, I also struggled with the lack of follow-through with some of the things brought up and made to seem important but ultimately not taken anywhere meaningful. For example, at the beginning of the book, Asher was struggling with the death of his sister as well as his own injury from a car accident, for which he blamed himself. As he worked with and got to know Wyatt, all of that sort of faded away, as if Wyatt's presence in Asher's life was the fix. Now, I'm certainly not opposed to the concept of Wyatt helping Asher through those challenges. He was, after all, his physical therapist, and he also provided Asher with tools to cope with panic attacks and other similar manifestations of his trauma. Still, Asher's wounds—literally and figuratively—were pretty fresh, and I wish there would've been a more continuous look into the way they impacted him over time, even with Wyatt's involvement in his life easing the pain. Similarly, there was a lot of discussion about Wyatt's own career-ending injury and his relationship with Lyla's mom, who left both him and Lyla in the aftermath, but those things never felt quite fully-realized to me. There was also the conflict with Zane toward the end of the book that felt a bit like it came out of left field. While, yes, Zane had been something of an antagonist since early on, the culmination of that was somewhat over the top, just for it to end up pretty quickly and conveniently wrapped up.
I don't think this was a horrible book. I actually think a lot of people will probably really enjoy it. But, I've read so many queer hockey romances at this point that I couldn't help but compare it to others that I think have accomplished some of the things this book was trying to accomplish more successfully. I'm still interested in Power Play, and I might even check out the third book once it's available, but unfortunately this one in particular just didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Both Asher and Wyatt were likeable MCs, and I commend the author for including discussions of mental health and disability throughout. Unfortunately, the execution of the romance didn't quite stick the landing for me, and because this is a romance book, that dampened my enjoyment of the book overall. While I thought Asher and Wyatt's physical attraction and chemistry was fairly clear, their emotional and romantic connection wasn't as strong as it could have been. As their relationship developed, it seemed like I was missing a lot of it because I was being told that it was happening but not necessarily shown. I was rooting for them, and I wanted them to be together, but I didn't find the payoff of them figuring things out particularly satisfying.
Beyond that, I also struggled with the lack of follow-through with some of the things brought up and made to seem important but ultimately not taken anywhere meaningful. For example, at the beginning of the book, Asher was struggling with the death of his sister as well as his own injury from a car accident, for which he blamed himself. As he worked with and got to know Wyatt, all of that sort of faded away, as if Wyatt's presence in Asher's life was the fix. Now, I'm certainly not opposed to the concept of Wyatt helping Asher through those challenges. He was, after all, his physical therapist, and he also provided Asher with tools to cope with panic attacks and other similar manifestations of his trauma. Still, Asher's wounds—literally and figuratively—were pretty fresh, and I wish there would've been a more continuous look into the way they impacted him over time, even with Wyatt's involvement in his life easing the pain. Similarly, there was a lot of discussion about Wyatt's own career-ending injury and his relationship with Lyla's mom, who left both him and Lyla in the aftermath, but those things never felt quite fully-realized to me. There was also the conflict with Zane toward the end of the book that felt a bit like it came out of left field. While, yes, Zane had been something of an antagonist since early on, the culmination of that was somewhat over the top, just for it to end up pretty quickly and conveniently wrapped up.
I don't think this was a horrible book. I actually think a lot of people will probably really enjoy it. But, I've read so many queer hockey romances at this point that I couldn't help but compare it to others that I think have accomplished some of the things this book was trying to accomplish more successfully. I'm still interested in Power Play, and I might even check out the third book once it's available, but unfortunately this one in particular just didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2026
This was fantastic. There is a lot happening in this. Poor Asher has a lot to work through, grief, loss, sexual identity and ultimately failing in love. Wyatt had already worked through his losses and was such a wonderful example for Asher. I don’t typically love books with children but this was done beautifully. I loved Lyla and how she was such a strong character for a 5yrs old. This was the second book by Mel McCabe and the second in her series. You don’t have to read book one to read this. This can be read a a standalone however I really enjoyed this still be going back to read book one. Thank you so much for this ARC I loved it.
July 1, 2026
Really enjoyed this one, I was intrigued right away compared to the first.
-1 for grammar errors as sometimes it really throws me off and I feel like I’m solving a riddle to understand what the author is trying to say.
-1 for grammar errors as sometimes it really throws me off and I feel like I’m solving a riddle to understand what the author is trying to say.
August 11, 2026
3.5 stars
I liked this, but it frustrated me at times. Like if they couldn’t be in a romantic relationship because of their roles, then it made no sense that they could be friends with benefits. Also, I don’t like things that were rushed. Like they never told Lyla about their relationship during the book, it’s just mentioned in the epilogue that they told her three months ago. I feel like that should’ve happened during the book
I liked this, but it frustrated me at times. Like if they couldn’t be in a romantic relationship because of their roles, then it made no sense that they could be friends with benefits. Also, I don’t like things that were rushed. Like they never told Lyla about their relationship during the book, it’s just mentioned in the epilogue that they told her three months ago. I feel like that should’ve happened during the book
May 28, 2026
⭐ - 4.5/5
⊹ | 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 by Mel McCabe is an M/M college hockey romance. It is the second book in the 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘜 series and follows Asher "Dutch" Reynolds and Wyatt Chase. This story explores themes that some readers may find triggering.
Omfg, this book is another one I can definitely add to my top reads of the year. I absolutely loved Wyatt and Asher's story so freaking much. Now, I don't often pre-order books, but I just HAD to for this one, and I don't regret it for one second. I really think that Mel McCabe is for sure going to be a new favorite author of mine.
Asher Reynolds is grieving the loss of his sister after a car accident that led to her death. Not only did he lose his sister, but he also suffered an injury that throws a wrench into his senior year plans with the Renegades. Nothing feels right to Asher anymore, not when his sister is gone and he's barely holding his head above water. Then he meets Wyatt Chase. Wyatt shows him what it feels like to live again, but things are complicated. Wyatt is Asher's new Physical Therapist, and a strict policy forbids staff and players from crossing that line.
Wyatt Chase's life was turned upside down when he was in a sports-related accident that ruined his pro hockey career, leaving him with a visual disability and a newborn baby that he didn't know what to do with.
Now he's a single father to a five-year-old and the new Physical Therapist at Radford University. He's used to figuring out what life throws at him, but what he's not expecting is to already have his first serious patient this early into the season. When Wyatt starts working with a grieving Asher, emotions from his past come to the surface—emotions that he's spent years trying to push through. What starts off as a professional relationship soon turns into something more when the line between what's wrong and what feels right is crossed. Over and over again.
Asher and Wyatt's story wasn't all sunshine and rainbows; it was emotional and honestly so heartbreaking at times. As someone who only has sisters and would probably go crazy if I lost any one of them, I understood Asher's pain deeply. I swear, at the beginning of the story, I just wanted to hug him so bad. His grief and struggles after the accident literally broke my heart to pieces.
One of my favorite parts of Asher and Wyatt's relationship was how Wyatt showed Asher that life does, in fact, go on after horrible things happen. Giving up when life gets rocky can do more harm to yourself than anything. But in return, Asher showed Wyatt that accepting help from the people around you who love and support you doesn't make you weaker, but stronger for knowing that you can't always do things alone. I seriously think that they suited each other so freaking well.
Okay, I could never forget my dearest Lyla. I absolutely adored all the scenes of them together as a family. If you haven't seen the fan art of them together, I beg you to go look at the author's Instagram. It's so freaking cute and I'm obsessed with it 🥹. I also enjoyed how witty and resilient Lyla was; I literally found myself chuckling at some of the stuff that she said.
Overall, I really loved this book. Asher and Wyatt's story was so raw and real. I definitely recommend it if you like a good M/M hockey romance with a dash of emotional distress. Also, I hated Zane ☺️.
— 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒚 𝑷.𝑹.
⊹ | 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 by Mel McCabe is an M/M college hockey romance. It is the second book in the 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘜 series and follows Asher "Dutch" Reynolds and Wyatt Chase. This story explores themes that some readers may find triggering.
Omfg, this book is another one I can definitely add to my top reads of the year. I absolutely loved Wyatt and Asher's story so freaking much. Now, I don't often pre-order books, but I just HAD to for this one, and I don't regret it for one second. I really think that Mel McCabe is for sure going to be a new favorite author of mine.
Asher Reynolds is grieving the loss of his sister after a car accident that led to her death. Not only did he lose his sister, but he also suffered an injury that throws a wrench into his senior year plans with the Renegades. Nothing feels right to Asher anymore, not when his sister is gone and he's barely holding his head above water. Then he meets Wyatt Chase. Wyatt shows him what it feels like to live again, but things are complicated. Wyatt is Asher's new Physical Therapist, and a strict policy forbids staff and players from crossing that line.
Wyatt Chase's life was turned upside down when he was in a sports-related accident that ruined his pro hockey career, leaving him with a visual disability and a newborn baby that he didn't know what to do with.
Now he's a single father to a five-year-old and the new Physical Therapist at Radford University. He's used to figuring out what life throws at him, but what he's not expecting is to already have his first serious patient this early into the season. When Wyatt starts working with a grieving Asher, emotions from his past come to the surface—emotions that he's spent years trying to push through. What starts off as a professional relationship soon turns into something more when the line between what's wrong and what feels right is crossed. Over and over again.
Asher and Wyatt's story wasn't all sunshine and rainbows; it was emotional and honestly so heartbreaking at times. As someone who only has sisters and would probably go crazy if I lost any one of them, I understood Asher's pain deeply. I swear, at the beginning of the story, I just wanted to hug him so bad. His grief and struggles after the accident literally broke my heart to pieces.
One of my favorite parts of Asher and Wyatt's relationship was how Wyatt showed Asher that life does, in fact, go on after horrible things happen. Giving up when life gets rocky can do more harm to yourself than anything. But in return, Asher showed Wyatt that accepting help from the people around you who love and support you doesn't make you weaker, but stronger for knowing that you can't always do things alone. I seriously think that they suited each other so freaking well.
Okay, I could never forget my dearest Lyla. I absolutely adored all the scenes of them together as a family. If you haven't seen the fan art of them together, I beg you to go look at the author's Instagram. It's so freaking cute and I'm obsessed with it 🥹. I also enjoyed how witty and resilient Lyla was; I literally found myself chuckling at some of the stuff that she said.
Overall, I really loved this book. Asher and Wyatt's story was so raw and real. I definitely recommend it if you like a good M/M hockey romance with a dash of emotional distress. Also, I hated Zane ☺️.
— 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒚 𝑷.𝑹.
May 30, 2026
I loved Crossing Lines, Wyatt and Asher and their relationships so much! I have to admit, I dived into this book for the dask of forbidden romance, and I stayed for the yearning. I am not a huge fan of the single dad trope usually, but this book did a wonderful job in portraying a lovely relationship between Wyatt and his daughter Lyla, and the interactions with her did not feel forced.
I loved the depiction of Asher’s disability and his anxiety, and I have loved reading about the two characters helping one another throughout their relationship, before it was even romantic. I have not read the previous book of this series, but I will definitely pick it up after this, because the tiny bits and pieces we got of the previous MMCs got me wanting more.
If you’ve been around in the past few months, you know that I love myself a hockey romance, and Crossing Lines definitely delivered.
What to expect with this book?
Hockey player x physical therapist
Single (bi) dad
Forbidden workplace romance
Disability rep
Gay awakening!
I loved the depiction of Asher’s disability and his anxiety, and I have loved reading about the two characters helping one another throughout their relationship, before it was even romantic. I have not read the previous book of this series, but I will definitely pick it up after this, because the tiny bits and pieces we got of the previous MMCs got me wanting more.
If you’ve been around in the past few months, you know that I love myself a hockey romance, and Crossing Lines definitely delivered.
What to expect with this book?
Hockey player x physical therapist
Single (bi) dad
Forbidden workplace romance
Disability rep
Gay awakening!
June 7, 2026
It was so beautiful 🥹 I'd have loved it more if there were more scenes of Layla and Asher. But the ones present were amazing ♥️♥️♥️
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD:
"I wasn't lying, she's chatty."
"Do you work with my dad?" She's asking before I've managed to slide myself onto the passenger's seat.
"He's on the hockey team, baby. We're giving him a ride to campus today."
"Why do you need a ride to campus?" she asks, directed at me.
I look to Chase again. He gives me a confused, if not a little annoyed, stare back. "You can talk to her, you know. There are even studies that children can actually be treated as people. Crazy concept," he finishes dryly.
I feel like an idiot. That happens a lot around him these days. But he's totally right. "Nice to officially meet you, Lyla. I'm Asher."
"Like the Pokémon trainer," she says decisively before getting back to her original track. "Is your car broken? Our car broke down a few months ago. Grandma had to drive us everywhere."
Now, it's Chase's turn to look a little flushed. "It was only for a day before we got a rental," he corrects.
Lyla pushes past her dad's correction, undeterred. "We used to live with Grandma and Grandpa. Now we live here. How long have you lived here?"
My mind is swirling with questions, but I try to stay focused. "I moved in a little over a week ago."
I catch her stare in the mirror again, as she's absorbing the information seriously. "What's wrong with your leg?"
"Lyla," Chase chides. "It's not nice to ask people about differences unless they bring them up first. And even then-"
"I should think about how I'd feel if someone did the same thing to me," she sing-songs back, like this isn't the first time that they've had this conversation.
I'm struck with the realization so suddenly that it knocks all the air out of my lungs. Lyla reminds me so much of Olivia. I was about seven years older than my little sister, so by the time she was this age, I was old enough to appreciate what a smart, funny, curious little person she was already becoming.
"Daddy, can Asher watch Aladdin with us? Please," Lyla begs. She's really started selling it too, pulling at his much bigger hand.
"Honey, I don't know that Asher wants to watch a movie with us."
She looks at him like that's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. And again, in spite of how damn awkward this is, I have to bite back a laugh.
"Do you wanna watch Aladdin? Daddy's making popcorn and everything," she says seriously.
"Lyla-"
"Actually, I'd love to watch Aladdin. It was one of my favorite movies growing up." With my words, it's like I've made Lyla's whole year. And damn if my chest doesn't ache when she levels the world's sweetest smile at me. I have countless memories growing up of cozying up on the sofa with Olivia and watching Disney movies.
"Well, then. Welcome to the party."
"And it's your job to take care of everyone else?"
He turns up toward me and presses a soft kiss against my chin. “It is, actually."
"Then who takes care of you?" I ask seriously.
She says, "Asher came up quite a bit. He seems to have become a steady fixture in your lives. Pro hockey games. He watched her on Wednesday while you were with us at the hospital. She knows all his favorite foods, which makes me believe that he's been over to dinner pretty regularly..."
I can't bring myself to respond. I'm not sure if she's asking what I think she's asking, but I'm also a terrible liar. Anything except the truth is going to have me tied up in knots by the end of my first sentence.
"She also said that Ms. Jodi called him a 'beefcake' at the winter recital."
Now, I know that I'm blushing, and there's nothing that I can do to stop it. "Um... neither of them mentioned that to me. The 'beefcake' comment, I mean."
But, Ms. Jodi definitely isn't wrong. Even if she needs to keep her eyes-and definitely her hands-to herself.
He's in my life. In my bed. In my heart.
It feels like a lifetime ago that I hung out in this apartment, playing Mario Kart with the guys.
And now? My idea of a perfect night is hanging out on a different sofa with a snuggly five-year-old and a ruggedly handsome man who makes my stomach do weird little swoops whenever our arms brush. At least, during the nights when I get the privilege of sitting right next to him. Lyla has a lot of thoughts about our seating arrangements depending on what we're watching or playing.
If it's a card game, I sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, with Chase on one side of the sofa and Lyla on the other. For movies that she's already seen that have a sad part, she insists on sitting between us and making sure that we're all cuddled with pieces of her baby blanket. When we watch hockey, she's so darn cute, usually pacing in front of the coffee table and getting really close to the tv so that she can focus on the fast-moving puck.
"When's your flight tomorrow?"
"Early," I answer.
"Lyla and I can take you. Would that be okay?"
I look up at him, and he's already staring at me, an intensity in his eyes that I don't know what to do with. Like he wants more, too. Only, he won't let himself have it.
I swallow and tighten my hold on his torso. "I love hanging out with you both, but I'm sure it's not going to be a fun drive."
He toys with my hair, curling the edges around his fingertips. "She and I can make a day of it in the city. Distract ourselves from missing you."
"Yeah?"
"We both feel it, when you're not here. It feels like something is missing," he admits. "And telling you that is so fucking scary, but you deserve to know."
Chase is one of the most direct people that I've ever met, except when it comes to his heart. To what he wants and what he needs.
But what he just told me is not nothing.
"I know exactly where I belong."
Those two are thick as thieves these days, especially since we told Lyla about our relationship-officially-three months ago when the season ended. I was worried that she'd have an issue with me being in a relationship, which seems silly now.
If anything, I'm the third wheel in this family. They have a secret language. A secret handshake.
We came back to Michigan for the one-year-anniversary of Olivia's death.
Asher and I debated whether or not Lyla should come along, but ultimately, we decided that hiding the hard parts of life is only going to make them more difficult to understand or process later.
So, she did get a sanitized version of why we're in town, but she knew that we were here to celebrate Asher's sister, who's no longer with us.
When she found that out, she went over to him and crawled in his lap, wrapping her little arms around his broad shoulders and giving him a hug that rivaled any that I've ever gotten from her. So we think, on some level, she does understand the permanence of death, even though it breaks my heart to have to teach her these things about the world.
"You're thinking about how Jason taught her to make fart noises with her arm, aren't you," Asher says in my ear, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
I laugh and lift my hand up so that I can scratch his beard. "I don't think that she's ever gotten so much unadulterated attention from so many people before."
When we told her that we'd be leaving Asher's parents' house to drive an hour away to spend a couple of days at the lake before heading back home, I thought she was going to instigate World War 3.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD:
"I wasn't lying, she's chatty."
"Do you work with my dad?" She's asking before I've managed to slide myself onto the passenger's seat.
"He's on the hockey team, baby. We're giving him a ride to campus today."
"Why do you need a ride to campus?" she asks, directed at me.
I look to Chase again. He gives me a confused, if not a little annoyed, stare back. "You can talk to her, you know. There are even studies that children can actually be treated as people. Crazy concept," he finishes dryly.
I feel like an idiot. That happens a lot around him these days. But he's totally right. "Nice to officially meet you, Lyla. I'm Asher."
"Like the Pokémon trainer," she says decisively before getting back to her original track. "Is your car broken? Our car broke down a few months ago. Grandma had to drive us everywhere."
Now, it's Chase's turn to look a little flushed. "It was only for a day before we got a rental," he corrects.
Lyla pushes past her dad's correction, undeterred. "We used to live with Grandma and Grandpa. Now we live here. How long have you lived here?"
My mind is swirling with questions, but I try to stay focused. "I moved in a little over a week ago."
I catch her stare in the mirror again, as she's absorbing the information seriously. "What's wrong with your leg?"
"Lyla," Chase chides. "It's not nice to ask people about differences unless they bring them up first. And even then-"
"I should think about how I'd feel if someone did the same thing to me," she sing-songs back, like this isn't the first time that they've had this conversation.
I'm struck with the realization so suddenly that it knocks all the air out of my lungs. Lyla reminds me so much of Olivia. I was about seven years older than my little sister, so by the time she was this age, I was old enough to appreciate what a smart, funny, curious little person she was already becoming.
"Daddy, can Asher watch Aladdin with us? Please," Lyla begs. She's really started selling it too, pulling at his much bigger hand.
"Honey, I don't know that Asher wants to watch a movie with us."
She looks at him like that's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. And again, in spite of how damn awkward this is, I have to bite back a laugh.
"Do you wanna watch Aladdin? Daddy's making popcorn and everything," she says seriously.
"Lyla-"
"Actually, I'd love to watch Aladdin. It was one of my favorite movies growing up." With my words, it's like I've made Lyla's whole year. And damn if my chest doesn't ache when she levels the world's sweetest smile at me. I have countless memories growing up of cozying up on the sofa with Olivia and watching Disney movies.
"Well, then. Welcome to the party."
"And it's your job to take care of everyone else?"
He turns up toward me and presses a soft kiss against my chin. “It is, actually."
"Then who takes care of you?" I ask seriously.
She says, "Asher came up quite a bit. He seems to have become a steady fixture in your lives. Pro hockey games. He watched her on Wednesday while you were with us at the hospital. She knows all his favorite foods, which makes me believe that he's been over to dinner pretty regularly..."
I can't bring myself to respond. I'm not sure if she's asking what I think she's asking, but I'm also a terrible liar. Anything except the truth is going to have me tied up in knots by the end of my first sentence.
"She also said that Ms. Jodi called him a 'beefcake' at the winter recital."
Now, I know that I'm blushing, and there's nothing that I can do to stop it. "Um... neither of them mentioned that to me. The 'beefcake' comment, I mean."
But, Ms. Jodi definitely isn't wrong. Even if she needs to keep her eyes-and definitely her hands-to herself.
He's in my life. In my bed. In my heart.
It feels like a lifetime ago that I hung out in this apartment, playing Mario Kart with the guys.
And now? My idea of a perfect night is hanging out on a different sofa with a snuggly five-year-old and a ruggedly handsome man who makes my stomach do weird little swoops whenever our arms brush. At least, during the nights when I get the privilege of sitting right next to him. Lyla has a lot of thoughts about our seating arrangements depending on what we're watching or playing.
If it's a card game, I sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, with Chase on one side of the sofa and Lyla on the other. For movies that she's already seen that have a sad part, she insists on sitting between us and making sure that we're all cuddled with pieces of her baby blanket. When we watch hockey, she's so darn cute, usually pacing in front of the coffee table and getting really close to the tv so that she can focus on the fast-moving puck.
"When's your flight tomorrow?"
"Early," I answer.
"Lyla and I can take you. Would that be okay?"
I look up at him, and he's already staring at me, an intensity in his eyes that I don't know what to do with. Like he wants more, too. Only, he won't let himself have it.
I swallow and tighten my hold on his torso. "I love hanging out with you both, but I'm sure it's not going to be a fun drive."
He toys with my hair, curling the edges around his fingertips. "She and I can make a day of it in the city. Distract ourselves from missing you."
"Yeah?"
"We both feel it, when you're not here. It feels like something is missing," he admits. "And telling you that is so fucking scary, but you deserve to know."
Chase is one of the most direct people that I've ever met, except when it comes to his heart. To what he wants and what he needs.
But what he just told me is not nothing.
"I know exactly where I belong."
Those two are thick as thieves these days, especially since we told Lyla about our relationship-officially-three months ago when the season ended. I was worried that she'd have an issue with me being in a relationship, which seems silly now.
If anything, I'm the third wheel in this family. They have a secret language. A secret handshake.
We came back to Michigan for the one-year-anniversary of Olivia's death.
Asher and I debated whether or not Lyla should come along, but ultimately, we decided that hiding the hard parts of life is only going to make them more difficult to understand or process later.
So, she did get a sanitized version of why we're in town, but she knew that we were here to celebrate Asher's sister, who's no longer with us.
When she found that out, she went over to him and crawled in his lap, wrapping her little arms around his broad shoulders and giving him a hug that rivaled any that I've ever gotten from her. So we think, on some level, she does understand the permanence of death, even though it breaks my heart to have to teach her these things about the world.
"You're thinking about how Jason taught her to make fart noises with her arm, aren't you," Asher says in my ear, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
I laugh and lift my hand up so that I can scratch his beard. "I don't think that she's ever gotten so much unadulterated attention from so many people before."
When we told her that we'd be leaving Asher's parents' house to drive an hour away to spend a couple of days at the lake before heading back home, I thought she was going to instigate World War 3.
August 11, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
I absolutely loved these two!!!
🌶️🌶️
I absolutely loved these two!!!
June 17, 2026
Chase and Wyatt gave the impression of being one of those soft hurt/comfort reads I would indulge in and enjoy, but it fell flat 😐. For the most part, the book was okay; the chemistry between the two MCs was never in question ✨. Their intimacy, though, was awkward and plain. That's just me, though; I wanted some spice— even vanilla spice would've done it 🌶️— but it was just bland.
Falling in love was cool, but for me personally, it shouldn't have been an easy fix for all the trauma and losses both men had been through 💔. We started off with Asher grieving his sister, and while I appreciated that it didn't drag the story, it just kind of disappeared once he and Wyatt started hooking up. The same goes for Wyatt's ex and injury. I was given the impression that he was an amazing player before the injury, and it would've been nice to see that, which brings me to more telling than showing.
Zane was a wasted antagonistic opportunity; he just felt unnecessary and rushed. A bit of foreshadowing of his deeds would've been nice to build up.
"Crossing Lines" wasn't bad; I liked the sweet moments between Asher, Wyatt, and Lyla 🥰. Their little family was cute; everything else just felt out of place and not well fleshed out.
Falling in love was cool, but for me personally, it shouldn't have been an easy fix for all the trauma and losses both men had been through 💔. We started off with Asher grieving his sister, and while I appreciated that it didn't drag the story, it just kind of disappeared once he and Wyatt started hooking up. The same goes for Wyatt's ex and injury. I was given the impression that he was an amazing player before the injury, and it would've been nice to see that, which brings me to more telling than showing.
Zane was a wasted antagonistic opportunity; he just felt unnecessary and rushed. A bit of foreshadowing of his deeds would've been nice to build up.
"Crossing Lines" wasn't bad; I liked the sweet moments between Asher, Wyatt, and Lyla 🥰. Their little family was cute; everything else just felt out of place and not well fleshed out.
May 14, 2026
Another great addition to this series. I am a total sucker for a physician/patient forbidden love story.
Loving the tension between Wyatt and Asher created by Wyatt's internal conflict, trying to stay professional for the sake of his job while his feelings for his patient become impossible to ignore. Asher's battle with grief is so raw that you just want him to get the happiest ending possible. I really appreciated that Wyatt doesn't just pity Asher, and he makes him actually confront his healing journey.
I also adored Asher's relationship with Lyla. They make the sweetest, most wholesome little family, and Lyla absolutely has everyone wrapped around her little finger.
Plus, getting to see Kellan and Wells again, all domestic and happy was a bonus. I love an interconnected series.
I am really enjoying this series so far and can't wait to continue. Who is next? Cooper? Does Zane get a redemption arc? I can’t wait to find out!
Loving the tension between Wyatt and Asher created by Wyatt's internal conflict, trying to stay professional for the sake of his job while his feelings for his patient become impossible to ignore. Asher's battle with grief is so raw that you just want him to get the happiest ending possible. I really appreciated that Wyatt doesn't just pity Asher, and he makes him actually confront his healing journey.
I also adored Asher's relationship with Lyla. They make the sweetest, most wholesome little family, and Lyla absolutely has everyone wrapped around her little finger.
Plus, getting to see Kellan and Wells again, all domestic and happy was a bonus. I love an interconnected series.
I am really enjoying this series so far and can't wait to continue. Who is next? Cooper? Does Zane get a redemption arc? I can’t wait to find out!
July 22, 2026
I love Asher and Chase. This is a good 2nd book in the series.
A power dynamic of sorts, a PT and his hockey patient.
There's a lot of trauma that Asher is dealing with, with the accident that he was in that killed his sister, Olivia. And the way that she is woven into the story throughout, but not down your throat, is extremely well written. It's exactly how things really are, at least with my kids, me, and their deceased dad. It just happens to come up sometimes about how it would be with him or what he would do, blah blah blah. Totally resonated with me. Not that that's how it is for everyone, but it hit home nicely, smoothly, imo.
The healing that he and his family have together. And just he himself, and how Chase and Lyla help him heal and come back to himself, stop being a shell of himself, it's great to see that progression.
Chase has his own insecurities. He's quite the dad. He does all he can for Lyla, and he's amazing for it. Has his own perceived shortcomings to overcome, especially seeming like he's not worth anyone keeping him, after being left with a newborn when his hockey accident happened and Lyla's mom just yeeted right out their lives. But he can't stay away from Asher. There's just something there. And he tries. But Asher is great for both of them, him and Lyla. She's a great character and not this too-old-for-a-5-yo-kid-in-a-book-character either. She's an actual kid. And I love their trio dynamic.
Looked at the artwork too on instagram of @cjowoart that depicts Asher, Chase and Lyla sleeping on the couch in their favorite spot, and I absolutely love it. It's one of the things I constantly try to do is look for artwork that depicts characters to help me better with my brain movie. This artwork is spot on.
I like how things got resolved around their relationship and how the coach is pretty laid back, even though you don't see much of him at all in the book.
But Zane is a twat waffle. I pray that no book tries to make a redemption arc. Blech, that guy just sucks.
OOOh! and props to no breakup and makeup in the 3rd act. It was refreshing.
Not too angsty, they grow into their love and caring and family, and it's nice to watch happen.
Will definitely be reading more of this series as it comes out.
⭐4/5
🌶️2.5/5
HEA: yes
OM/OW drama: no
3rd act breakup: no
A power dynamic of sorts, a PT and his hockey patient.
There's a lot of trauma that Asher is dealing with, with the accident that he was in that killed his sister, Olivia. And the way that she is woven into the story throughout, but not down your throat, is extremely well written. It's exactly how things really are, at least with my kids, me, and their deceased dad. It just happens to come up sometimes about how it would be with him or what he would do, blah blah blah. Totally resonated with me. Not that that's how it is for everyone, but it hit home nicely, smoothly, imo.
The healing that he and his family have together. And just he himself, and how Chase and Lyla help him heal and come back to himself, stop being a shell of himself, it's great to see that progression.
Chase has his own insecurities. He's quite the dad. He does all he can for Lyla, and he's amazing for it. Has his own perceived shortcomings to overcome, especially seeming like he's not worth anyone keeping him, after being left with a newborn when his hockey accident happened and Lyla's mom just yeeted right out their lives. But he can't stay away from Asher. There's just something there. And he tries. But Asher is great for both of them, him and Lyla. She's a great character and not this too-old-for-a-5-yo-kid-in-a-book-character either. She's an actual kid. And I love their trio dynamic.
Looked at the artwork too on instagram of @cjowoart that depicts Asher, Chase and Lyla sleeping on the couch in their favorite spot, and I absolutely love it. It's one of the things I constantly try to do is look for artwork that depicts characters to help me better with my brain movie. This artwork is spot on.
I like how things got resolved around their relationship and how the coach is pretty laid back, even though you don't see much of him at all in the book.
But Zane is a twat waffle. I pray that no book tries to make a redemption arc. Blech, that guy just sucks.
OOOh! and props to no breakup and makeup in the 3rd act. It was refreshing.
Not too angsty, they grow into their love and caring and family, and it's nice to watch happen.
Will definitely be reading more of this series as it comes out.
⭐4/5
🌶️2.5/5
HEA: yes
OM/OW drama: no
3rd act breakup: no
August 7, 2026
Hooked! This had me hooked. Why is it suddenly light outside? 😅
This is a slow burn romance that could char the pages. Emotionally weighted and screaming with yearning, the writing was so intense that I swear my finger barely left the highlight button.
A forbidden romance between a student hockey player and a member of the staff that absolutely cannot happen. At least that's what they keep telling themselves.
It's subject matter that could have been uncomfortable, but given its college level and there are only five years difference between the protagonists. For me, it remained palatable.
This book explores some really heavy subject matter: life after acquired disability, themes of grief and loss, trauma, panic attacks and mental health. This is done well with great sensitivity.
Asher starts this book in a really complex headspace. Reeling from a car accident resulting in the death of his sister and serious injury to himself, Asher's emotions
and thought processes are a complete mess. It's hard for Asher to accept that he gets to recover, let alone get into a headspace where he wants to. Asher's journey from survivor's guilt to being ready to live is a beautiful arc to follow. Deeply touching, there were several moments I was moved to tears.
Cue Wyatt, medically retired professional player now physical therapist, who seems to see straight through all of Asher's prickly defences and be unafraid to tell him the truth he needs to hear. He's also Asher's new neighbour. And he has the cutest kid. Asher never really stood a chance.
But it's fine. Nothing is going to happen, right?
The professional boundaries are clear. They've stated them over and over and over again. They can totally keep their feelings in check.
... If that's the case why do they keep falling into easy domesticity?
The yearning. Hundreds of pages of yearning! I feel lightheaded like I've just gotten off an emotional rollercoaster. If you love a slow burn, you'll adore this.
This is a slow burn romance that could char the pages. Emotionally weighted and screaming with yearning, the writing was so intense that I swear my finger barely left the highlight button.
A forbidden romance between a student hockey player and a member of the staff that absolutely cannot happen. At least that's what they keep telling themselves.
It's subject matter that could have been uncomfortable, but given its college level and there are only five years difference between the protagonists. For me, it remained palatable.
This book explores some really heavy subject matter: life after acquired disability, themes of grief and loss, trauma, panic attacks and mental health. This is done well with great sensitivity.
Asher starts this book in a really complex headspace. Reeling from a car accident resulting in the death of his sister and serious injury to himself, Asher's emotions
and thought processes are a complete mess. It's hard for Asher to accept that he gets to recover, let alone get into a headspace where he wants to. Asher's journey from survivor's guilt to being ready to live is a beautiful arc to follow. Deeply touching, there were several moments I was moved to tears.
Cue Wyatt, medically retired professional player now physical therapist, who seems to see straight through all of Asher's prickly defences and be unafraid to tell him the truth he needs to hear. He's also Asher's new neighbour. And he has the cutest kid. Asher never really stood a chance.
But it's fine. Nothing is going to happen, right?
The professional boundaries are clear. They've stated them over and over and over again. They can totally keep their feelings in check.
... If that's the case why do they keep falling into easy domesticity?
The yearning. Hundreds of pages of yearning! I feel lightheaded like I've just gotten off an emotional rollercoaster. If you love a slow burn, you'll adore this.
July 12, 2026
Originally read: 15–16 June 2026
Crossing Lines by Mel McCabe succeeds where many forbidden romances do not: the relationship actually feels forbidden. The attraction between injured college hockey player Asher and Wyatt, the physiotherapist responsible for his rehabilitation, is immediate, and the professional boundary between them remains more than a decorative source of angst.
This is not the first hockey-player-and-trainer romance I have read. More recently, Clueless Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James used a similar professional setup, but handled the “forbidden” complication with such maturity that it became narratively uneventful. Here, the threat is palpable. Both men understand what discovery could cost, and that danger shapes almost every stage of their relationship. The resulting tension is excellent. Asher and Wyatt spend much of the novel seemingly ready to crawl out of their own skin to reach each other, while remaining acutely aware that acting upon that desire could threaten Wyatt’s and Asher’s careers. When they finally become careless, the consequences feel significant because the novel has spent so long establishing the risk.
Asher is the emotional heart of the story. Readers first met him as Dutch, one of Kellan’s teammates in Power Play, and the contrast between that earlier version of him and the grieving, injured man here is affecting. He is recovering from a car crash that killed his younger sister, Olivia, while also facing the possible derailment of his final college season. His grief is not confined to a dramatic opening before disappearing once the story kicks into gear. It remains present through panic attacks, guilt, and fractured relationships, Wyatt supports Asher through some of the most debilitating manifestations of that trauma without ever being presented as a cure for it. He offers practical strategies, and a family structure Asher can enter when he feels unable to seek comfort from his own. Healing allows the grief to recede, but never suggests that losing Olivia is something Asher simply gets over within the span of a hockey season.
In return, Asher expands a life Wyatt has allowed to narrow almost entirely around fatherhood. Wyatt is devoted to his five-year-old daughter, Lyla, but has stopped permitting himself needs or desires that exist outside being her dad. Asher becomes something chosen purely for himself, while also fitting naturally into the family Wyatt has already built. The single-parent material works unusually well. Lyla behaves like an actual child rather than an eerily precocious matchmaking device, and the domestic scenes involving the three of them feel affectionate without forcing instant familial intimacy. Asher is drawn to the possibility of belonging within a family whose affection is not complicated by perceived blame.
Both protagonists are also living with bodies altered by injury. Asher’s rehabilitation is central to the story, while Wyatt’s career-ending hockey injury left him with a visual disability and redirected his career trajectory. The parallel gives Wyatt credibility as someone who understands that recovery does not necessarily mean returning to the person you were before. Wyatt’s disability, however, is less impactful than I would have liked. I had recently read Between the Pipes by J.J. Mulder, in which former NHL player Nico Mackenzie develops a sight-based disability after an on-ice injury and moves into a coaching role. In that novel, the injury shapes how Nico moves through the world, relates to others and withdraws from life. McCabe does not give Wyatt’s disability the same degree of impact. It remains meaningful to his history, but less integrated into his daily experiences.
Crossing Lines is an emotionally substantial hurt/comfort romance carried by palpable yearning, persistent grief and the gradual construction of a family neither man expected. It understands that recovery is not restoration. Asher and Wyatt cannot return to the lives they had before injury and loss, but they can build something worth entering from what remains.
Crossing Lines by Mel McCabe succeeds where many forbidden romances do not: the relationship actually feels forbidden. The attraction between injured college hockey player Asher and Wyatt, the physiotherapist responsible for his rehabilitation, is immediate, and the professional boundary between them remains more than a decorative source of angst.
This is not the first hockey-player-and-trainer romance I have read. More recently, Clueless Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James used a similar professional setup, but handled the “forbidden” complication with such maturity that it became narratively uneventful. Here, the threat is palpable. Both men understand what discovery could cost, and that danger shapes almost every stage of their relationship. The resulting tension is excellent. Asher and Wyatt spend much of the novel seemingly ready to crawl out of their own skin to reach each other, while remaining acutely aware that acting upon that desire could threaten Wyatt’s and Asher’s careers. When they finally become careless, the consequences feel significant because the novel has spent so long establishing the risk.
Asher is the emotional heart of the story. Readers first met him as Dutch, one of Kellan’s teammates in Power Play, and the contrast between that earlier version of him and the grieving, injured man here is affecting. He is recovering from a car crash that killed his younger sister, Olivia, while also facing the possible derailment of his final college season. His grief is not confined to a dramatic opening before disappearing once the story kicks into gear. It remains present through panic attacks, guilt, and fractured relationships, Wyatt supports Asher through some of the most debilitating manifestations of that trauma without ever being presented as a cure for it. He offers practical strategies, and a family structure Asher can enter when he feels unable to seek comfort from his own. Healing allows the grief to recede, but never suggests that losing Olivia is something Asher simply gets over within the span of a hockey season.
In return, Asher expands a life Wyatt has allowed to narrow almost entirely around fatherhood. Wyatt is devoted to his five-year-old daughter, Lyla, but has stopped permitting himself needs or desires that exist outside being her dad. Asher becomes something chosen purely for himself, while also fitting naturally into the family Wyatt has already built. The single-parent material works unusually well. Lyla behaves like an actual child rather than an eerily precocious matchmaking device, and the domestic scenes involving the three of them feel affectionate without forcing instant familial intimacy. Asher is drawn to the possibility of belonging within a family whose affection is not complicated by perceived blame.
Both protagonists are also living with bodies altered by injury. Asher’s rehabilitation is central to the story, while Wyatt’s career-ending hockey injury left him with a visual disability and redirected his career trajectory. The parallel gives Wyatt credibility as someone who understands that recovery does not necessarily mean returning to the person you were before. Wyatt’s disability, however, is less impactful than I would have liked. I had recently read Between the Pipes by J.J. Mulder, in which former NHL player Nico Mackenzie develops a sight-based disability after an on-ice injury and moves into a coaching role. In that novel, the injury shapes how Nico moves through the world, relates to others and withdraws from life. McCabe does not give Wyatt’s disability the same degree of impact. It remains meaningful to his history, but less integrated into his daily experiences.
Crossing Lines is an emotionally substantial hurt/comfort romance carried by palpable yearning, persistent grief and the gradual construction of a family neither man expected. It understands that recovery is not restoration. Asher and Wyatt cannot return to the lives they had before injury and loss, but they can build something worth entering from what remains.
June 12, 2026
DNF @ 33%
Notes I took while reading:
The intro chapters were fine, but too reliant on narrative explanations. I liked Chase's more than Asher's just because it felt like there was a bit less expo dumping there. I liked that there was a believable reason for Chase to move away from his parents despite them being helpful and that he was unsure if getting their own place was the correct move (even if it was only fifteen minutes away). Though both of them felt a bit too "tell-y" since both Asher and Chase continually explained and contextualized every action they took (bringing it back to Asher's sister and Chase's daughter respectively).
The expo dumping and explicit narrative explanation unfortunately didn't stop and just continued. Asher asking himself why he was letting his walls down around Chase was particularly egregious considering we literally just saw the scene that showed it happening (aka Lyla endeared herself to him + underlying attraction). The story would've been so much more emotional if there wasn't an internal monologue summarizing events that just happened every 3 pages.
It was weird timeskipping over Asher becoming more cooperative with Chase's recovery plan. You'd think that we should've at least seen one example of it happening before it goes to "Something shifted a few weeks ago with Asher..." Why did a significant shift in dynamic happen off page and relegated to a summary? Ignoring the fact that there hadn't been a strong established dynamic between them to begin with (they had like two sessions, but the story acts like Asher and Chase had been at it for weeks), we should've seen Asher being more compliant before timelapsing it away.
It was so weird how the story basically just throws us the idea that Chase's coworker was antagonistic towards him when there was nothing to suggest that at all in their prior interactions? You'd think if Zane truly "had it in" for Chase that he'd have shown evidence of it before? We get one scene where Zane tells Chase to watch himself and Chase assumes that it's because Zane was jealous of his position/mad for his friend that Chase briefly dated.
Chase: I don't want people thinking I'm being inappropriate with patients
Asher: Is he hitting on me?
Yes, Asher. Chase is doing the exact opposite of what he said he wanted to do. That sort of "omg, is he into me" would've been great if Chase hadn't literally also said that he wasn't trying to look unprofessional. I needed Asher to give both parts of that statement equal attention, aka trying his hardest to believe that Chase was just being his physical therapist, but failing and wishing that Chase was hitting on him instead of just ignoring the former. The lack of any sort of guard rails/consideration for Chase's situation in Asher's wishful thinking made the writing feel disjointed (as if Chase hadn't even said that he was trying to not break the rules of his position).
When Chase confronted Asher about how weird he was being, I didn't understand how Asher then took that to mean that Chase was attracted to him? Did I miss a sentence where Chase explicitly said that? The dialogue was pretty clearly about Chase confronting Asher about what he thought was homophobia, so I'm not sure how Asher got the definitive idea that Chase was talking about being attracted to him.
I gave up when Asher talked to Kellan and Kellan brought up Asher's accident. It reminded me that Asher was supposed to actually still be torn up over his sister's death, but made me realize that the trauma hadn't actually been brought up in god knows how long. So much for survivors guilt and grief right?
TL;DR: Way to reliant on telling and conflicts were not impactful and just felt like underdeveloped afterthoughts. 1.5 stars rounded up.
Notes I took while reading:
The intro chapters were fine, but too reliant on narrative explanations. I liked Chase's more than Asher's just because it felt like there was a bit less expo dumping there. I liked that there was a believable reason for Chase to move away from his parents despite them being helpful and that he was unsure if getting their own place was the correct move (even if it was only fifteen minutes away). Though both of them felt a bit too "tell-y" since both Asher and Chase continually explained and contextualized every action they took (bringing it back to Asher's sister and Chase's daughter respectively).
The expo dumping and explicit narrative explanation unfortunately didn't stop and just continued. Asher asking himself why he was letting his walls down around Chase was particularly egregious considering we literally just saw the scene that showed it happening (aka Lyla endeared herself to him + underlying attraction). The story would've been so much more emotional if there wasn't an internal monologue summarizing events that just happened every 3 pages.
It was weird timeskipping over Asher becoming more cooperative with Chase's recovery plan. You'd think that we should've at least seen one example of it happening before it goes to "Something shifted a few weeks ago with Asher..." Why did a significant shift in dynamic happen off page and relegated to a summary? Ignoring the fact that there hadn't been a strong established dynamic between them to begin with (they had like two sessions, but the story acts like Asher and Chase had been at it for weeks), we should've seen Asher being more compliant before timelapsing it away.
It was so weird how the story basically just throws us the idea that Chase's coworker was antagonistic towards him when there was nothing to suggest that at all in their prior interactions? You'd think if Zane truly "had it in" for Chase that he'd have shown evidence of it before? We get one scene where Zane tells Chase to watch himself and Chase assumes that it's because Zane was jealous of his position/mad for his friend that Chase briefly dated.
Chase: I don't want people thinking I'm being inappropriate with patients
Asher: Is he hitting on me?
Yes, Asher. Chase is doing the exact opposite of what he said he wanted to do. That sort of "omg, is he into me" would've been great if Chase hadn't literally also said that he wasn't trying to look unprofessional. I needed Asher to give both parts of that statement equal attention, aka trying his hardest to believe that Chase was just being his physical therapist, but failing and wishing that Chase was hitting on him instead of just ignoring the former. The lack of any sort of guard rails/consideration for Chase's situation in Asher's wishful thinking made the writing feel disjointed (as if Chase hadn't even said that he was trying to not break the rules of his position).
When Chase confronted Asher about how weird he was being, I didn't understand how Asher then took that to mean that Chase was attracted to him? Did I miss a sentence where Chase explicitly said that? The dialogue was pretty clearly about Chase confronting Asher about what he thought was homophobia, so I'm not sure how Asher got the definitive idea that Chase was talking about being attracted to him.
I gave up when Asher talked to Kellan and Kellan brought up Asher's accident. It reminded me that Asher was supposed to actually still be torn up over his sister's death, but made me realize that the trauma hadn't actually been brought up in god knows how long. So much for survivors guilt and grief right?
TL;DR: Way to reliant on telling and conflicts were not impactful and just felt like underdeveloped afterthoughts. 1.5 stars rounded up.
May 26, 2026
There’s something special about a book by Mel McCabe. Once I start reading, it’s hard to stop. It’s captivating and cosy, with lovable characters and wonderful prose.
It feels like being wrapped in a warm hug.
I love Ash and Chase, and the way they slowly move towards each other even though they both try to resist the attraction they feel at first. Their relationship feels completely natural, and even though the story touches on some heavier subjects, they never take up too much space. It’s perfectly balanced.
I loved it and I’m looking forward to more books in the series! I’m now going to buy the first and second books for my bookshelf. I received the ebook as an ARC, and I think it’s important that we also support the authors we love by buying their books. ❤️
It feels like being wrapped in a warm hug.
I love Ash and Chase, and the way they slowly move towards each other even though they both try to resist the attraction they feel at first. Their relationship feels completely natural, and even though the story touches on some heavier subjects, they never take up too much space. It’s perfectly balanced.
I loved it and I’m looking forward to more books in the series! I’m now going to buy the first and second books for my bookshelf. I received the ebook as an ARC, and I think it’s important that we also support the authors we love by buying their books. ❤️
May 24, 2026
Firstly thank you to Mel McCabe for the advanced copy of this book.
I genuinely loved Power Play when I discovered that a few months ago, and found it helped fix a reading slump I was in at the time, and the same thing can be said for Crossing Lines.
McCabe is a brilliant writer, and as a heavily dyslexic person I didn’t struggle reading her style of writing once which is rare.
The story is brilliant, and while I have read a MM Hockey book where a uni player and a staff member fall for each other, I was glad that that was where the similarities end and that the story felt completely original and fresh.
I highly recommend reading this once it’s out in a few days!
I genuinely loved Power Play when I discovered that a few months ago, and found it helped fix a reading slump I was in at the time, and the same thing can be said for Crossing Lines.
McCabe is a brilliant writer, and as a heavily dyslexic person I didn’t struggle reading her style of writing once which is rare.
The story is brilliant, and while I have read a MM Hockey book where a uni player and a staff member fall for each other, I was glad that that was where the similarities end and that the story felt completely original and fresh.
I highly recommend reading this once it’s out in a few days!
June 1, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ rounded down
Review of an ARC from the author
This was my first Mel McCabe book, but they have been on my TBR for ages. I was so glad to get this ARC and I loved this book from beginning to end. The relationship between the two MMCs starts as a slow burn and then is hot and heavy. While there are some deep themes in the novel (loss, injury, etc) it only adds layers to the storyline. I absolutely loved this book and am excited to jump into the first book of the series (and absolutely can’t wait for the next book to come out!!)
Review of an ARC from the author
This was my first Mel McCabe book, but they have been on my TBR for ages. I was so glad to get this ARC and I loved this book from beginning to end. The relationship between the two MMCs starts as a slow burn and then is hot and heavy. While there are some deep themes in the novel (loss, injury, etc) it only adds layers to the storyline. I absolutely loved this book and am excited to jump into the first book of the series (and absolutely can’t wait for the next book to come out!!)
June 3, 2026
YES, YES, YES!!!! Crossing Lines is heartfelt, healing and makes you feel all the emotions.
While reading Wyatt and Ashers journey, my heart was broken, slowly healed and taught to love again right along with them. I could not get enough of their genuine, all in from the start love they had for each other. And Lyla, that sweet little girl, made this story that much better. Oh course let not forget about the chemistry, and spice between Asher and Wyatt 🥵🥵.
Highly recommend if you want a spicy, slow burn and healing read. Loved it!!!!
While reading Wyatt and Ashers journey, my heart was broken, slowly healed and taught to love again right along with them. I could not get enough of their genuine, all in from the start love they had for each other. And Lyla, that sweet little girl, made this story that much better. Oh course let not forget about the chemistry, and spice between Asher and Wyatt 🥵🥵.
Highly recommend if you want a spicy, slow burn and healing read. Loved it!!!!
June 26, 2026
4.25 ⭐️
i LOVED this! i mean duh its a single dad romance which is my kryptonite. i loved how the relationship developed between asher and wyatt, specifically how wyatt helped asher through his injury recovery as well as his emotional struggles after he lost his sister. wyatt’s daughter lyla was also super cute and i loved how her and asher interacted. i also appreciated how they communicated and worked through their issues (which thank god were mostly external) and it just left me with a good feeling!
i LOVED this! i mean duh its a single dad romance which is my kryptonite. i loved how the relationship developed between asher and wyatt, specifically how wyatt helped asher through his injury recovery as well as his emotional struggles after he lost his sister. wyatt’s daughter lyla was also super cute and i loved how her and asher interacted. i also appreciated how they communicated and worked through their issues (which thank god were mostly external) and it just left me with a good feeling!
July 10, 2026
You know me…I’m a sucker for a single dad and this one didn’t disappoint. These two became friends, then they became an expirement turned more.
I loved the simple life they fell into. They everyday things that mattered. And sweet Lyla-thatblittle
girl was adorable!
There are a few things that you may want to check trigger warnings for but all in all a sweet read!
I loved the simple life they fell into. They everyday things that mattered. And sweet Lyla-thatblittle
girl was adorable!
There are a few things that you may want to check trigger warnings for but all in all a sweet read!
June 9, 2026
it’s the same thing back and forth and repeat and I can’t TAKE IT ANYMORE.
June 14, 2026
Such an amazing book! Loved everything about it!
July 22, 2026
Forbidden love at its finest. Cant wait for the 3rd book.
August 15, 2026
Slow burn, healing journey (mentality and fysical) meets single dad, former hocky player noe fysioterapeut.
May 29, 2026
This was the best romance I’ve read in a while (and that’s saying something due to how much romance I’ve read recently 😛)
August 24, 2026
This was the perfect book to read after trying to go through withdrawals of Heated Rivalry. These two were so hot and I loved that the little girl was a main character and she wasn't an afterthought like kids are in some books.
Did Not Finish
May 28, 2026I tried and tried with this book. I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I’ll try again later.
June 12, 2026
Wyatt and Asher are red hot!!
Asher is in a rough place both physically & mentally during the beginning of the season due to losing his sister enter Asher.
Asher knows what Wyatt is going through and keeps on him to get the help he needs.
There are not enough words for this couple.
They were destined to be together.
I cried along with them, I laughed, I wanted to scream and swooned so hard when they were finally able to be out about their love
Asher is in a rough place both physically & mentally during the beginning of the season due to losing his sister enter Asher.
Asher knows what Wyatt is going through and keeps on him to get the help he needs.
There are not enough words for this couple.
They were destined to be together.
I cried along with them, I laughed, I wanted to scream and swooned so hard when they were finally able to be out about their love
July 4, 2026
This book was everything and more. I loved every second of it. Definitely a slow burn but it had me from start to finish. And bless the no third act break up cause I don’t think my heart could have handled it. There was enough angst surrounding Zane. Ugh.
Chase and Asher were so stinken cute. They had such amazing chemistry, I was giggling and kicking my feet over them. And Lyla was so sweet. I never know how I will feel about a kid in books, especially when it’s a single parent situation but this was so perfect. Her relationship with Asher was adorable.
Spice was super minimal which I have come to realize I am not used to 😅 totally okay because the story was so beautiful. But what it did have for spice was top notch.
Chase and Asher were so stinken cute. They had such amazing chemistry, I was giggling and kicking my feet over them. And Lyla was so sweet. I never know how I will feel about a kid in books, especially when it’s a single parent situation but this was so perfect. Her relationship with Asher was adorable.
Spice was super minimal which I have come to realize I am not used to 😅 totally okay because the story was so beautiful. But what it did have for spice was top notch.
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