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Tough Call
As a teenager, Madars Kulda billeted with the Ellis family while he played in major juniors… and he connected with their seriously cute son Connor.
After two years, life took them in separate directions, and they drifted apart. Now Madars plays professional hockey in Switzerland while Connor is a referee in North America.
Then an international competition brings them both to Prague. When they meet again as adults, the innocent crushes of their youth flare back to life as scorching hot chemistry. They can’t get enough of each other, and an ocean isn’t going to keep them apart this time.
But Madars has always dreamed about playing hockey in North America. If he has to choose between dating a referee and living his dream… something will have to give.
Tough Call is a 74,000-word standalone M/M hockey romance.
After two years, life took them in separate directions, and they drifted apart. Now Madars plays professional hockey in Switzerland while Connor is a referee in North America.
Then an international competition brings them both to Prague. When they meet again as adults, the innocent crushes of their youth flare back to life as scorching hot chemistry. They can’t get enough of each other, and an ocean isn’t going to keep them apart this time.
But Madars has always dreamed about playing hockey in North America. If he has to choose between dating a referee and living his dream… something will have to give.
Tough Call is a 74,000-word standalone M/M hockey romance.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 12, 2026
About the author
L.A. Witt
222 books2,803 followersL.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 19, 2026
Not a bad book, just a bit boring. The previous books I’ve read by this author were much more entertaining and had more depth. I had a feeling we were missing some backstory for Connor (is there an earlier book about his brother maybe?)
And I felt Madars was a bit dull as well. His internal struggle didn’t feel very real. And the solution was very simple as well.
Fun fact though. We’re traveling through Czech Republic (summer holiday) and the night we arrived in Prague, I started this book. They start in Prague as well, and visit Kutna Hora, the town we just left. We didn’t visit the bone church because 💀, but we did visit the rest of the places mentioned.
So… don’t recommend this book. And do recommend visiting Prague and Kutna Hora 😁
And I felt Madars was a bit dull as well. His internal struggle didn’t feel very real. And the solution was very simple as well.
Fun fact though. We’re traveling through Czech Republic (summer holiday) and the night we arrived in Prague, I started this book. They start in Prague as well, and visit Kutna Hora, the town we just left. We didn’t visit the bone church because 💀, but we did visit the rest of the places mentioned.
So… don’t recommend this book. And do recommend visiting Prague and Kutna Hora 😁
August 22, 2026
C+ / 3.5 stars
I think I might have expected too much from this one. The blurb for L.A. Witt’s Tough Call made it sound as though I’d be getting a forbidden romance between a hockey player and an official, but that element doesn’t really feature in the story much at all; most of it is a fairly bland second-chance romance between two guys who were each other’s first kiss and sexual experiments when they were teens and one – Madars Kulda – was billieted with Connor Ellis’ family while he was playing in the major junior league in the US prior to being drafted and a career in the North American League (the author’s version of the NHL).
Madars and Connor went their separate ways a couple of years later, with Connor becoming one of the the youngest referrees in the NAL and Madars, after playing in Florida for a couple of seasons, moving to Europe following an injury which had left him unsigned during free agency. The two men reconnect in Prague where they’re both involved in an international hockey tournament (unnamed), where Madars is playing for the Latvian team and Connor is officiating in the women’s division. They’re both kind of surprised at how easily they fall back into their friendship, and quickly discover that the attraction they’d felt for each other back in the day has never really gone away.
A searingly hot hook-up has them deciding on a repeat at the end of the tournament; at this stage, neither of them really has the thought of continuing things afterwards – they live on different continents and in any case, maybe whatever is sparking between them is just about the amazing sex. They don’t have a great deal of time to spend together in their busy schedules, but they do manage a couple of evenings out for drinks and dinner, together with a bit of sightseeing and slowly realise that there’s the potential for something more between them and that they don’t want this to be the last time they see each other. So they make plans to spend the summer together in southern Spain. A potential spanner is thrown into the works, though, when Madars is approached by a scout about a possible return to the NAL playing for Vancouver, which could be a big problem if his relationship with Connor were to continue – but before they can get to grips with that, he’s injured and is going to be on IR for several months. He’s sure that’s tanked any possibility of his going to the NAL.
Pretty much the entire middle section of the book is their summer in Spain; visits to several places I’ve been to (like Seville, the Alhambra and Cordoba), lots of sex as their relationship deepens and they realise that they want to be together for more than just sex and sightseeing, and for longer than just this summer. That spanner I mentioned shows up again very near the end when Madars is offered an NAL contract, and he and Connor have to decide how to handle things. I liked that although they very briefly consider the idea of not being together because of the conflict of interest, they decide to come clean about their relationship with the people who need to know (Madars’ agent, Connor’s boss) to see if there’s any way they can do the jobs they love and be together.
It’s all very low angst and low key and would probably have worked fine as a novella, but as a full length novel, there just isn’t enough plot. It felt like half or more of the book was basically a travelogue – of Prague (I’ve been there, too) and then bits of Spain – and a lot of sex and not a great deal else. The characters are likeable, the dialogue is good – there’s a fair bit of good-natured teasing and I liked that they’re very honest with each other – but like I said at the beginning, I’d expected there to be higher stakes here, given their professions and the possible conflict of interest involved in a relationship between a player and a ref – and that never happens.
So, yeah… Tough Call is basically uncomplicated and ultimately unmemorable. If you’re looking for a low-conflict, low-angst romance with interesting, nicely detailed settings and lots of hot sex, it might work for you, but if you want more of an actual story, you might want to look elsewhere.
I think I might have expected too much from this one. The blurb for L.A. Witt’s Tough Call made it sound as though I’d be getting a forbidden romance between a hockey player and an official, but that element doesn’t really feature in the story much at all; most of it is a fairly bland second-chance romance between two guys who were each other’s first kiss and sexual experiments when they were teens and one – Madars Kulda – was billieted with Connor Ellis’ family while he was playing in the major junior league in the US prior to being drafted and a career in the North American League (the author’s version of the NHL).
Madars and Connor went their separate ways a couple of years later, with Connor becoming one of the the youngest referrees in the NAL and Madars, after playing in Florida for a couple of seasons, moving to Europe following an injury which had left him unsigned during free agency. The two men reconnect in Prague where they’re both involved in an international hockey tournament (unnamed), where Madars is playing for the Latvian team and Connor is officiating in the women’s division. They’re both kind of surprised at how easily they fall back into their friendship, and quickly discover that the attraction they’d felt for each other back in the day has never really gone away.
A searingly hot hook-up has them deciding on a repeat at the end of the tournament; at this stage, neither of them really has the thought of continuing things afterwards – they live on different continents and in any case, maybe whatever is sparking between them is just about the amazing sex. They don’t have a great deal of time to spend together in their busy schedules, but they do manage a couple of evenings out for drinks and dinner, together with a bit of sightseeing and slowly realise that there’s the potential for something more between them and that they don’t want this to be the last time they see each other. So they make plans to spend the summer together in southern Spain. A potential spanner is thrown into the works, though, when Madars is approached by a scout about a possible return to the NAL playing for Vancouver, which could be a big problem if his relationship with Connor were to continue – but before they can get to grips with that, he’s injured and is going to be on IR for several months. He’s sure that’s tanked any possibility of his going to the NAL.
Pretty much the entire middle section of the book is their summer in Spain; visits to several places I’ve been to (like Seville, the Alhambra and Cordoba), lots of sex as their relationship deepens and they realise that they want to be together for more than just sex and sightseeing, and for longer than just this summer. That spanner I mentioned shows up again very near the end when Madars is offered an NAL contract, and he and Connor have to decide how to handle things. I liked that although they very briefly consider the idea of not being together because of the conflict of interest, they decide to come clean about their relationship with the people who need to know (Madars’ agent, Connor’s boss) to see if there’s any way they can do the jobs they love and be together.
It’s all very low angst and low key and would probably have worked fine as a novella, but as a full length novel, there just isn’t enough plot. It felt like half or more of the book was basically a travelogue – of Prague (I’ve been there, too) and then bits of Spain – and a lot of sex and not a great deal else. The characters are likeable, the dialogue is good – there’s a fair bit of good-natured teasing and I liked that they’re very honest with each other – but like I said at the beginning, I’d expected there to be higher stakes here, given their professions and the possible conflict of interest involved in a relationship between a player and a ref – and that never happens.
So, yeah… Tough Call is basically uncomplicated and ultimately unmemorable. If you’re looking for a low-conflict, low-angst romance with interesting, nicely detailed settings and lots of hot sex, it might work for you, but if you want more of an actual story, you might want to look elsewhere.
August 25, 2026
Longgggggg but sweet.
There was nothing necessarily wrong with the story. Some editing errors, but the writing was good. Issue was, it was just too long with too little guts. Everything went well. Smooth sailing throughout. They met up, and it was rainbows and unicorns until the end. Other than one “stressful” chapter, sure, but barely. It just did not need to include so much dialogue and could have been a cute little novella. If you like cute stories that never once leave you on the edge of your seat, or are really into 18 chapters about hockey penalties, this is perfect. For me, it was adorable and okay.
There was nothing necessarily wrong with the story. Some editing errors, but the writing was good. Issue was, it was just too long with too little guts. Everything went well. Smooth sailing throughout. They met up, and it was rainbows and unicorns until the end. Other than one “stressful” chapter, sure, but barely. It just did not need to include so much dialogue and could have been a cute little novella. If you like cute stories that never once leave you on the edge of your seat, or are really into 18 chapters about hockey penalties, this is perfect. For me, it was adorable and okay.
Did Not Finish
August 12, 2026DNF @ 34% - Not for me - there's not enough happening here to keep my interest.
August 20, 2026
Love second chance romances!
Connor and Madars were inseparable when they were kids. They did everything together and that closeness is what eventually led to them becoming more than friends.
They were each other’s first everything. It was puppy love that was cut short after their careers took them in different directions, Connor as a referee and Madars as a hockey player.
Before they knew it, years passed and they lost touch until a sports event in the same country brought them together. An answered chanced text was all they needed to rekindle what they had as teens.
It was clear that they still had chemistry but this time they were grown men who knew what they were doing, not clumsy teens. This time there was no experimenting.
But a relationship between them was out of the question because of their position. The conflict of interest could end both their careers if they were found out. But when the opportunity to choose their careers or each other, it was a no brainer.
They lost precious years they could have been together yet life was granting them a second chance at love. This time they were ready to fight for their love even if that meant giving up everything.
Thankfully, things worked out in a way that they both got everything they wanted.
Connor and Madars were inseparable when they were kids. They did everything together and that closeness is what eventually led to them becoming more than friends.
They were each other’s first everything. It was puppy love that was cut short after their careers took them in different directions, Connor as a referee and Madars as a hockey player.
Before they knew it, years passed and they lost touch until a sports event in the same country brought them together. An answered chanced text was all they needed to rekindle what they had as teens.
It was clear that they still had chemistry but this time they were grown men who knew what they were doing, not clumsy teens. This time there was no experimenting.
But a relationship between them was out of the question because of their position. The conflict of interest could end both their careers if they were found out. But when the opportunity to choose their careers or each other, it was a no brainer.
They lost precious years they could have been together yet life was granting them a second chance at love. This time they were ready to fight for their love even if that meant giving up everything.
Thankfully, things worked out in a way that they both got everything they wanted.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love second chance stories and I especially love them when they are paired with friends-to-lovers. I’m not going to repeat the blurb but I will say that this book hooked me from the beginning. There was a bit of angst because of the forbidden referee/player relationship but I loved that. A long-distance relationship isn’t ideal but Madars and Connor want to make their rekindled relationship work so they will do what they must so they can be together.
While I’m not a hockey fan, I do enjoy reading hockey romance and I’ve learned a lot about the game from reading books like Tough Call. LA Witt includes enough hockey details that I think should satisfy the fans and at the same time does not confuse people like me too much. 😊
I love a good epilogue and the one for this book was particularly satisfying.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me at my request; my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
While I’m not a hockey fan, I do enjoy reading hockey romance and I’ve learned a lot about the game from reading books like Tough Call. LA Witt includes enough hockey details that I think should satisfy the fans and at the same time does not confuse people like me too much. 😊
I love a good epilogue and the one for this book was particularly satisfying.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me at my request; my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
October 14, 2026
There wasn’t anything wrong with it but not long after the beginning, it just started to feel one note. Not much happened and even the characters’ thoughts/emotions stayed pretty much the same throughout. One of my least favorite Witt books. I think it would’ve worked well if shorter but this felt like a novella stretched to full length. Even the angst/climax was muted.
August 13, 2026
Pretty good read. Madars and Connor have reconnected. They had great chemistry. Interesting concept, a hockey player and a referee.
August 13, 2026
I loved it!
Witts books are auto buy for me. I loved them! They were so cute! Low angst. Just love love love.
Witts books are auto buy for me. I loved them! They were so cute! Low angst. Just love love love.
August 18, 2026
6/10
It was quite underwhelming. Not what i expected but it was a decent read.
I liked the characters.
6/10 decent story.
It was quite underwhelming. Not what i expected but it was a decent read.
I liked the characters.
6/10 decent story.
August 19, 2026
A solid, decent story. The MC's were hot. I usually like L.A. Witt's books, but with this one I'm feeling a bit of repetition and fatigue. She's written variations of this book before....
September 6, 2026
3.5 stars
September 15, 2026
great story
Loved the characters and their love story. Very sweet and steamy. Really enjoyed the authors writing style. Really great read!
Loved the characters and their love story. Very sweet and steamy. Really enjoyed the authors writing style. Really great read!
August 27, 2026
Another overly verbose/introspective book from Ms. Witt, featuring hockey, sex, European travelogue, and eventually the understanding of a relationship (the word “love” (as in “I love you”) makes a sudden appearance about the 80% mark, totally out of the blue)… Having just been on a trip to Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal, the travelogue part sounded very familiar
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews