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The Sin Bin #1
Open Ice Hit
Vicki and Tommy aren't just enemies on the ice—they're explosive off it too...in more ways than one.
Noah Viklund doesn’t play hockey in order to make friends. That’s not what the game means to him. And he especially can’t stand the Sea Dog’s new rookie, Tommy Tremblay. After all, Tommy’s the sort of player that gets under Vicki's skin.
He’s reckless.
He’s wild.
And he won’t take anything seriously.
But when a chance meeting during the offseason shows Vicki what a good boy Tommy can be for him, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep seeing him as the bad guy. After all, how can he hate the only man who has ever made him feel worthy?
Tommy is tired of Vicki’s stuck-up, holier-than-thou attitude. He’s fought hard to get where he is, and he’s not going to let some tightly wound guy make him feel like he doesn’t deserve his hard-won success.
So, he can’t explain why they keep falling into bed together, or why he’s starting to fall for the man he’s supposed to hate.
They both know this shouldn’t work, but the more they try to push each other away, the more their souls seem to connect. The question is, will they find a way for their hearts to be vulnerable and let love in?
Open Ice Hit is a steamy MM romance set between the fictional NHL teams of the Brooklyn Phantoms and the Queens Sea Dogs. It contains hate that might not quite be hate, team as found family, sick goals from soft hands, some really stinky marine animals, praise kink a mile wide, and an unexpected journey that might just be worth taking.
Noah Viklund doesn’t play hockey in order to make friends. That’s not what the game means to him. And he especially can’t stand the Sea Dog’s new rookie, Tommy Tremblay. After all, Tommy’s the sort of player that gets under Vicki's skin.
He’s reckless.
He’s wild.
And he won’t take anything seriously.
But when a chance meeting during the offseason shows Vicki what a good boy Tommy can be for him, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep seeing him as the bad guy. After all, how can he hate the only man who has ever made him feel worthy?
Tommy is tired of Vicki’s stuck-up, holier-than-thou attitude. He’s fought hard to get where he is, and he’s not going to let some tightly wound guy make him feel like he doesn’t deserve his hard-won success.
So, he can’t explain why they keep falling into bed together, or why he’s starting to fall for the man he’s supposed to hate.
They both know this shouldn’t work, but the more they try to push each other away, the more their souls seem to connect. The question is, will they find a way for their hearts to be vulnerable and let love in?
Open Ice Hit is a steamy MM romance set between the fictional NHL teams of the Brooklyn Phantoms and the Queens Sea Dogs. It contains hate that might not quite be hate, team as found family, sick goals from soft hands, some really stinky marine animals, praise kink a mile wide, and an unexpected journey that might just be worth taking.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2021
220 people are currently reading
2410 people want to read
About the author
E.M. Lindsey
139 books1,364 followersE.M. Lindsey is the author of MM contemporary romance. She presently lives and works in the southeastern United States.
EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.
EM Lindsey also writes MM Paranormal Romance under the pseudonym Ariel Millar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews
November 8, 2021
3.5 stars.
🏒 contemporary sports romance (hockey).
🏒 enemies-to-lovers.
🏒 D/s dynamics.
🏒 praise kink.
🏒 hot hate sex.
🏒 a lot of cute moments.
🏒 lots of cringy text messages.
🏒 cute swedish pet names.
🏒 no stupid break ups, or unnecessary misunderstandings at the end.
🏒 a close friend group/found family.
🏒 a lot of intriguing side characters.
🏒 some funny banter.
🏒 i really enjoyed this overall!
“Noah tilted their faces until he was covering Tommy’s cheeks with kisses, making him laugh and glow with love.
there was nowhere in the world he’d rather be.”
🏒 contemporary sports romance (hockey).
🏒 enemies-to-lovers.
🏒 D/s dynamics.
🏒 praise kink.
🏒 hot hate sex.
🏒 a lot of cute moments.
🏒 lots of cringy text messages.
🏒 cute swedish pet names.
🏒 no stupid break ups, or unnecessary misunderstandings at the end.
🏒 a close friend group/found family.
🏒 a lot of intriguing side characters.
🏒 some funny banter.
🏒 i really enjoyed this overall!
“Noah tilted their faces until he was covering Tommy’s cheeks with kisses, making him laugh and glow with love.
there was nowhere in the world he’d rather be.”
Read
October 27, 2021Have you read the first page of a book and thought: Uhmmm this is not gonna be for me.
Well, this was it. 🙃
So I DNF, couldn't stand the way they spoke.
*starts to consider getting cats*
*feels like a bitter bitch*
🥲
Well, this was it. 🙃
So I DNF, couldn't stand the way they spoke.
*starts to consider getting cats*
*feels like a bitter bitch*
🥲
![Profile Image for moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645500038i%2F37448930._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 3, 2021
4.5 stars ☆
❝ Tommy shrugged. "It's irrelevant now. I made it. We made it. We're out there, night after night, sacrificing our bodies just so we can do something we love with guys around us that are like our brothers—most people don't get that, Noah. Most people don't get to experience what it's like to love something as much as we do. We're the lucky ones. So if your dad is telling you to quit, his opinion is bullshit. You know what you're doing is worth it for you. It's obvious every time you skate, okay? So. Enough with the drinking and moping. You're in the fucking NHL. Act like it. ❞
my heart is soft for Tommy and i adore Tommy and Noah together. 🥺🤍
RTC
❝ Tommy shrugged. "It's irrelevant now. I made it. We made it. We're out there, night after night, sacrificing our bodies just so we can do something we love with guys around us that are like our brothers—most people don't get that, Noah. Most people don't get to experience what it's like to love something as much as we do. We're the lucky ones. So if your dad is telling you to quit, his opinion is bullshit. You know what you're doing is worth it for you. It's obvious every time you skate, okay? So. Enough with the drinking and moping. You're in the fucking NHL. Act like it. ❞
my heart is soft for Tommy and i adore Tommy and Noah together. 🥺🤍
RTC
October 27, 2021
"Vicki stared him down, so close Tommy could smell the mint on his breath. It was heat, and shaking earth and something strange going through him - a desperation for movement, for release."
Make no mistake, Open Ice Hit by E.M. Lindsey and Marina Vivancos is hot 🔥🔥🔥. It ticks so many of the tropes that I LOVE to read, like:
🌶M/M enemies to lovers
🌶sports (hockey) romance
🌶rival teams
🌶hate sex
It also includes some other tropes that aren't necessarily my favourite (and also note the trigger warnings in the book's foreword) but may be yours, like:
🖤praise kink
🖤d/s undertones
🖤hurt/care
The basic premise of the story is that Tommy Tremblay is the new kid on the block, superstar ice hockey player for the Queens Sea Dogs, 19 years old and way shorter than his peers in the game, so he feels he has to 'big note' and play rough to get noticed and to mark his turf.
Noah 'Vicki' Viklund is 24 years old and plays for the Brooklyn Phantoms, rival team to the Sea Dogs. He hates Tommy with a vengeance because he thinks he's a dirty player, who purposely injured his team mate.
The two MCs have to do a photo shoot together at the start of the season and their rivalry bubbles over into something more....
If you can take the book at face value (as I generally did) it's a great enemies-to-lovers read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hence the 4 stars.
BUT.
I felt as though I had fallen into the middle of a series, or at least a spin-off of a series. So many of the side characters seemed to have such strong character and story arcs, that I really felt as though I was playing catch-up to the plot. In fact, three of the players on Vicki's team are in a relationship that is actually the storyline for a novella introduced AT THE END of this book, Between the Pipes. I'd strongly suggest you read this novella FIRST to lay down some background for the main event. Which is well worth the read💜💙.
4 ✨✨✨✨
November 20, 2023
This book was fantastic! 😁 Blazing hot hate sex, made even hotter by Tommy's praise kink, their grumpy/sunshine dynamic, the way they couldn't stop thinking about each other, their banter, and most of all, how realistically their relationship grew from one of hostility and resentment to genuine love and affection.
I'm not sure if the authors plan on continuing the series but if another book is added, I'd definitely read it. 4.5 stars, rounded up 💜
I'm not sure if the authors plan on continuing the series but if another book is added, I'd definitely read it. 4.5 stars, rounded up 💜
December 16, 2024
There were quite a few things that bugged me about this book, but overall I really liked the feel of it and Tommy and Noah's relationship was engaging from the first page.
Things I liked:
✅ Tommy's obsession with marine biology and their day volunteering because that's when Noah started being sweeter to him and it was adorable
✅ The animosity and rivalry between them leading to their hate sex and Tommy's upset when Noah walks out. I love enemies to lovers, especially when they actually act like they're enemies!
✅ How caring and sweet they were with each other once their relationship was defined between them
✅ Noah making Tommy soup - from scratch!!! - when he got injured
✅ Tommy hyping Noah up whenever he lets negative thoughts in
✅ Tommy's praise kink
✅ Their relationship with each other and what it grew to be
Things I didn't like:
⛔ There was no conversation about safe sex / not using condoms. One scene they're using them, the next they arent... They didn't even mention it at all, yet whenever they'd had a sex scene up to this point it was really emphasised that condoms were being used. Weird.
⛔ The hockey wasn't believable. Both teams were based close together in New York so presumably the same division, yet from what I took from this they played each other in the Stanley Cup final? I'm not a super hockey fan, almost all of my knowledge comes from romance books, but I didn't think that was a possible scenario and it happened right at the start of the book, so then I couldn't really get into any of the hockey content or trust it. If it hadn't explicitly mentioned the NHL then I would have ignored it and assumed it was a fictional league, but it was clearly stated it was the NHL so it was confusing.
⛔ They don't meet each other's friends as a couple. It seems small, but the whole conflict between them to begin with was with Tommy injuring Noah's best friend, Zed. Tommy and Zed are friends, Noah and Zed are friends, yet there's not a single scene of them together with their friends. It just felt a little off and it would have been nice to see them both having the support of their teams / found families, especially Noah who had such a turbulent relationship with his bio family
Things I liked:
✅ Tommy's obsession with marine biology and their day volunteering because that's when Noah started being sweeter to him and it was adorable
✅ The animosity and rivalry between them leading to their hate sex and Tommy's upset when Noah walks out. I love enemies to lovers, especially when they actually act like they're enemies!
✅ How caring and sweet they were with each other once their relationship was defined between them
✅ Noah making Tommy soup - from scratch!!! - when he got injured
✅ Tommy hyping Noah up whenever he lets negative thoughts in
✅ Tommy's praise kink
✅ Their relationship with each other and what it grew to be
Things I didn't like:
⛔ There was no conversation about safe sex / not using condoms. One scene they're using them, the next they arent... They didn't even mention it at all, yet whenever they'd had a sex scene up to this point it was really emphasised that condoms were being used. Weird.
⛔ The hockey wasn't believable. Both teams were based close together in New York so presumably the same division, yet from what I took from this they played each other in the Stanley Cup final? I'm not a super hockey fan, almost all of my knowledge comes from romance books, but I didn't think that was a possible scenario and it happened right at the start of the book, so then I couldn't really get into any of the hockey content or trust it. If it hadn't explicitly mentioned the NHL then I would have ignored it and assumed it was a fictional league, but it was clearly stated it was the NHL so it was confusing.
⛔ They don't meet each other's friends as a couple. It seems small, but the whole conflict between them to begin with was with Tommy injuring Noah's best friend, Zed. Tommy and Zed are friends, Noah and Zed are friends, yet there's not a single scene of them together with their friends. It just felt a little off and it would have been nice to see them both having the support of their teams / found families, especially Noah who had such a turbulent relationship with his bio family
June 26, 2022
3.5 stars
“I love you, you goof.”
Tommy’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you just said the L word. I mean, I didn’t wanna say it first because that’s super awkward if you don’t—“
“Tommy.”
“But you do. Oh shit, you love me? Me?”
“Yeah. You.”
“I fucking love you too, so much, man, I can’t even deal sometimes, I—“
Noah interrupted him with another kiss.
They didn’t talk again for a while.
An entertaining rivals-to-lovers hockey romance pitting a veteran Swedish player against a brash Canadian rookie upstart. There’s lots of hate sex (BDSM lite), an age gap, and an MC struggling with daddy issues (not the kinky sort). It’s a promising start to a series yet it’s missing something to make it memorable. But I’ll be on the lookout for book 2.
This is a special plea to all contemporary romance authors: please please don’t use the word “seed”🤮 Cum is like totally hot and sexy. Seed is just eew and should be relegated to historical romance.
“I love you, you goof.”
Tommy’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you just said the L word. I mean, I didn’t wanna say it first because that’s super awkward if you don’t—“
“Tommy.”
“But you do. Oh shit, you love me? Me?”
“Yeah. You.”
“I fucking love you too, so much, man, I can’t even deal sometimes, I—“
Noah interrupted him with another kiss.
They didn’t talk again for a while.
An entertaining rivals-to-lovers hockey romance pitting a veteran Swedish player against a brash Canadian rookie upstart. There’s lots of hate sex (BDSM lite), an age gap, and an MC struggling with daddy issues (not the kinky sort). It’s a promising start to a series yet it’s missing something to make it memorable. But I’ll be on the lookout for book 2.
This is a special plea to all contemporary romance authors: please please don’t use the word “seed”🤮 Cum is like totally hot and sexy. Seed is just eew and should be relegated to historical romance.
May 14, 2024
reread 5/2024 … 3.5 stars
i'm sorry but … i wish Tommy had given Noah some pushback on his behavior. it was verging into doormat territory for me :/ that said, i still really enjoyed the book and wish there had been more books in this series!
- - - -
[ 𝟰.𝟮𝟱 / 𝟱 ✩ ]
ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ
— ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ
❛Open Ice Hit❜ ended up being such a pleasant surprise, and I can say with absolute certainty that I am beyond excited for more books from this writing duo (Marina Vivancos, E.M. Lindsey).
i'm sorry but … i wish Tommy had given Noah some pushback on his behavior. it was verging into doormat territory for me :/ that said, i still really enjoyed the book and wish there had been more books in this series!
- - - -
[ 𝟰.𝟮𝟱 / 𝟱 ✩ ]
ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ
— ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ
❛Open Ice Hit❜ ended up being such a pleasant surprise, and I can say with absolute certainty that I am beyond excited for more books from this writing duo (Marina Vivancos, E.M. Lindsey).
❝… There’s nothing better than winning when everybody thinks you’re gonna lose.❞
September 17, 2023
Why isn’t there a CW for under-negotiated kink and no aftercare?!!? Two sub-drops that really fuck up a character isn’t cool w/o a warning.
New fave hockey book.
So much heart, smut, growth, chirping.
Honest and heartfelt.
New fave hockey book.
So much heart, smut, growth, chirping.
Honest and heartfelt.
October 29, 2021
* 3 stars *
"Open Ice Hit" is the beginning of a new series, but there's also a prequel out that you can grab and get a feel for this universe if you want.
Noah and Tommy are professional hockey players for two rival teams, both in NYC and at the beginning of the story, they don't exactly like each other. In fact, hate is a more accurate description.
The start of their relationship - if what they had at first can even be called that - wasn't smooth. There was a constant push and pull between them as their chemistry was as palpable as their dislike.
Noah had a few family issues that were holding him back and dragging him down. He loved hockey, but his family's attitude toward him and his decision to play professionally, weighted heavily on him and affected the way he saw himself from time to time. I didn't like anyone from his family and it was hard to see Noah being crushed by their behavior.
Tommy didn't have family issues. He was a young player just starting his career and he was easy-going and approachable. He made friends easily and he was open with those he liked. He was the sunshine to Noah's grumpiness.
That's not to say that Noah was bad though. He was just much harder to get close to. He was loyal and protective with those he considered friends, but it was difficult for someone to get that title. That's the reason it was such a significant moment when he lowered his walls with Tommy and he started to relax around him, teasing him, taking care of him, sharing bits and pieces of his past with him...
One of my favorite things about this story is the fact that it spans almost a whole year and on top of that, it has an epilogue set ten years in the future! I love both of those things!
However, there was something missing from the story. I can't put my finger on it, but something didn't connect. Be it the characters or the plot or both...
Also, there were times that I got confused as to how much time had passed or where were the characters and stuff like that. There weren't errors in the text, but the connections between the scenes needed some more work, in my opinion.
Still, that wouldn't have been enough for me to give the story just three starts. There was something else that didn't work for me. I can't say there was some specific thing that went wrong, because there wasn't, so it's probably just me and this particular story that aren't a good match. I don't know who the next story will be about, but I'll keep an eye out because I'm not giving up on this series just yet.
~ I read an ARC of this book. ~
"Open Ice Hit" is the beginning of a new series, but there's also a prequel out that you can grab and get a feel for this universe if you want.
Noah and Tommy are professional hockey players for two rival teams, both in NYC and at the beginning of the story, they don't exactly like each other. In fact, hate is a more accurate description.
The start of their relationship - if what they had at first can even be called that - wasn't smooth. There was a constant push and pull between them as their chemistry was as palpable as their dislike.
Noah had a few family issues that were holding him back and dragging him down. He loved hockey, but his family's attitude toward him and his decision to play professionally, weighted heavily on him and affected the way he saw himself from time to time. I didn't like anyone from his family and it was hard to see Noah being crushed by their behavior.
Tommy didn't have family issues. He was a young player just starting his career and he was easy-going and approachable. He made friends easily and he was open with those he liked. He was the sunshine to Noah's grumpiness.
That's not to say that Noah was bad though. He was just much harder to get close to. He was loyal and protective with those he considered friends, but it was difficult for someone to get that title. That's the reason it was such a significant moment when he lowered his walls with Tommy and he started to relax around him, teasing him, taking care of him, sharing bits and pieces of his past with him...
One of my favorite things about this story is the fact that it spans almost a whole year and on top of that, it has an epilogue set ten years in the future! I love both of those things!
However, there was something missing from the story. I can't put my finger on it, but something didn't connect. Be it the characters or the plot or both...
Also, there were times that I got confused as to how much time had passed or where were the characters and stuff like that. There weren't errors in the text, but the connections between the scenes needed some more work, in my opinion.
Still, that wouldn't have been enough for me to give the story just three starts. There was something else that didn't work for me. I can't say there was some specific thing that went wrong, because there wasn't, so it's probably just me and this particular story that aren't a good match. I don't know who the next story will be about, but I'll keep an eye out because I'm not giving up on this series just yet.
~ I read an ARC of this book. ~
November 2, 2021
Full review to come soon
As a Canadian, I always have to read any book about hockey. And I love enemies to lovers, so much. I wanted to love this book so much but it just wasn’t all I wanted. I really liked the main characters and the hate sex was super hot, which is always a win in my book. But I just didn’t really feel the connection between the main characters enough for me to enjoy the romance between them, I wish that I felt more of a connection between them but I felt like they were closer to friends than lovers, which is just not what I want in a romance novel. But hey the book was sweet and very entertaining and the sex scenes were hot, so really it went pretty well as far as reading experiences can go.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
As a Canadian, I always have to read any book about hockey. And I love enemies to lovers, so much. I wanted to love this book so much but it just wasn’t all I wanted. I really liked the main characters and the hate sex was super hot, which is always a win in my book. But I just didn’t really feel the connection between the main characters enough for me to enjoy the romance between them, I wish that I felt more of a connection between them but I felt like they were closer to friends than lovers, which is just not what I want in a romance novel. But hey the book was sweet and very entertaining and the sex scenes were hot, so really it went pretty well as far as reading experiences can go.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
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November 29, 2021
MM Romance
Rivals to lovers/Hockey romance
I’m not sure 🤔 what to say about this book. Let’s start with the positive. I liked the couple and thought they were well suited for each other. They understood what the other one needed and there were no stupid breakups once they were all in. I liked the hate sex and the way Tommy loved to be controlled.
HOWEVER…
There was a lot I just couldn’t vibe with. The writing style was hard to follow at times and I found myself unable to fully pay attention, having to read some of it multiple times to understand wtf was going on and it affected my overall feelings towards this book. Then, I didn’t care for the most of the secondary characters especially the throuple. Apparently, there is a prequel to this story about the throuple (Kevin, Davesh and Zed) and they play a huge part in this book. I kept feeling like I was missing something important like this prequel should have been read first even though this one is the first book in series and nowhere does it say anything about needing to read that. I didn’t even know it existed until after I finished the book.
Lastly, there is no way Noah would let Tommy rail him without prep especially since Noah never bottoms and the one time he tried prior to this, he didn’t like it. I can suspend some disbelief about the hockey like asked but this is too much. Also, I don’t want to read about someone’s “hairy pucker”. There’s nothing hot about that especially during a sex scene. Like ew.
I dont know why but something was missing for me with this book. The magic wasn’t there but I’m not sure if it’s me or if it’s the book. I’ve been in a weird mood lately and since I’m a mood reader, I worry this may be a me thing and not the book kind of thing so maybe take my review with a grain of salt.
Rivals to lovers/Hockey romance
I’m not sure 🤔 what to say about this book. Let’s start with the positive. I liked the couple and thought they were well suited for each other. They understood what the other one needed and there were no stupid breakups once they were all in. I liked the hate sex and the way Tommy loved to be controlled.
HOWEVER…
There was a lot I just couldn’t vibe with. The writing style was hard to follow at times and I found myself unable to fully pay attention, having to read some of it multiple times to understand wtf was going on and it affected my overall feelings towards this book. Then, I didn’t care for the most of the secondary characters especially the throuple. Apparently, there is a prequel to this story about the throuple (Kevin, Davesh and Zed) and they play a huge part in this book. I kept feeling like I was missing something important like this prequel should have been read first even though this one is the first book in series and nowhere does it say anything about needing to read that. I didn’t even know it existed until after I finished the book.
Lastly, there is no way Noah would let Tommy rail him without prep especially since Noah never bottoms and the one time he tried prior to this, he didn’t like it. I can suspend some disbelief about the hockey like asked but this is too much. Also, I don’t want to read about someone’s “hairy pucker”. There’s nothing hot about that especially during a sex scene. Like ew.
I dont know why but something was missing for me with this book. The magic wasn’t there but I’m not sure if it’s me or if it’s the book. I’ve been in a weird mood lately and since I’m a mood reader, I worry this may be a me thing and not the book kind of thing so maybe take my review with a grain of salt.
October 17, 2021
Noah is in deep hate with Tommy AND their tension is smoking hot. During a photo shoot the heat and sexy times spills….SO hot.
As I read this book, I kept thinking I really should have read the Zed prequel that they had free on Prolific Works. The triad is in this book a lot!
I’m too deep into the book now but I’ll be reading that immediately after I’m done with this book.
Tommy and Noah are very opposites attract. The hate sex is fun until they realize it’s more than that. The push and pull that normally annoys me in other books didn’t in this one. The characters are so endearing. You can’t help but fall in love with them both.
Noah has a bunch of baggage and Tommy is so shiny and new. I think his optimism was what Noah needed in his life. The sex, the hockey, and the fighting was a perfect combo for me. The HEA was pretty sweet too!
**Side note 📝 chirp is said 23 times!
I’ve never heard the term used in this way and I had to look up how many times it was said because I knew it was MANY MANY times.
As I read this book, I kept thinking I really should have read the Zed prequel that they had free on Prolific Works. The triad is in this book a lot!
I’m too deep into the book now but I’ll be reading that immediately after I’m done with this book.
Tommy and Noah are very opposites attract. The hate sex is fun until they realize it’s more than that. The push and pull that normally annoys me in other books didn’t in this one. The characters are so endearing. You can’t help but fall in love with them both.
Noah has a bunch of baggage and Tommy is so shiny and new. I think his optimism was what Noah needed in his life. The sex, the hockey, and the fighting was a perfect combo for me. The HEA was pretty sweet too!
**Side note 📝 chirp is said 23 times!
I’ve never heard the term used in this way and I had to look up how many times it was said because I knew it was MANY MANY times.
February 8, 2022
Well, add a new favourite couple to the list! Another hockey duo as well! Tommy and Noah are so adorable, so real, and the build-up of thei relationship felt so well-paced and raw. They were mature, they were immature, they contradicted their minds, and went against sanity, and, best of all: they communicated! Sure, it came after they said they loved one another, but still! Communication almost never happens in these books! 😂
The sex scenes were delicious too. Sometimes, I find myself swiping through repetitive sex scenes because I'm sure they're hot, I'm sure they're enjoyable, but a lot of them (especially in the same book) are very same-y. Lindsey and Vivancos know how to keep your attention, however! Well-written, naughty, perfectly-paced.
I'm beyond annoyed that there's an epilogue: not because it isn't well-written or pitch perfect, but because epilogues spoil the future and I could've spent another five books following Vicki and Tremblay's romance!
The sex scenes were delicious too. Sometimes, I find myself swiping through repetitive sex scenes because I'm sure they're hot, I'm sure they're enjoyable, but a lot of them (especially in the same book) are very same-y. Lindsey and Vivancos know how to keep your attention, however! Well-written, naughty, perfectly-paced.
I'm beyond annoyed that there's an epilogue: not because it isn't well-written or pitch perfect, but because epilogues spoil the future and I could've spent another five books following Vicki and Tremblay's romance!
January 29, 2022
I started the book and did not like it all, and I intended to DNF. But I needed a sporty book for a challenge, so I picked it up again, planning on scan reading until the end. And then... I loved it!!!
I liked the book so much! Tommy and Noah had great chemistry, even if it took me a while to get into it. I liked everything about the book, and would love to read the next book in the series. Just a note to other readers: Although this is the first full book in the series, you should read the novella that was published first before reading this. The throuple of the first book featured heavily in this book, and because I did not read it, there was characters and situations I was unfamiliar with.
I liked the book so much! Tommy and Noah had great chemistry, even if it took me a while to get into it. I liked everything about the book, and would love to read the next book in the series. Just a note to other readers: Although this is the first full book in the series, you should read the novella that was published first before reading this. The throuple of the first book featured heavily in this book, and because I did not read it, there was characters and situations I was unfamiliar with.
March 9, 2023
3.5
Rounded up because - excellent sexy times
I enjoyed this. It wasn’t the usual enemies to lovers that makes my eyes roll into the back of the head.
Rounded up because - excellent sexy times
I enjoyed this. It wasn’t the usual enemies to lovers that makes my eyes roll into the back of the head.
October 28, 2021
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
Open Ice Hit is an engaging sport romance with a full on, enemies to lovers vibe. If you are a fan of growly hate sex, this book is for you, as there is a lot of it. Noah is still furious at Tommy for what Noah considers a dangerous hit that caused injury to his teammate, Zed. The fact that Zed doesn’t hold Tommy accountable doesn’t matter to Noah, he still hates Tommy. But also, he finds Tommy incredibly hot and can’t stop checking out Tommy’s Instagram thirst trap photos. So we can tell from the beginning that there is some chemistry here, though there is a very slow burn to get them from enemies to even friends. A lot of the early scenes are intense sex that drives both men wild, but also makes clear they have little interest in being in the same room once the dust settles. Noah is also very public about his dislike for Tommy, including speaking out in interviews about how he thinks Tommy is a dirty player. So there is an interesting relationship here as the men have this intense sexual chemistry, but still are very much at odds personally for much of the book.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
Open Ice Hit is an engaging sport romance with a full on, enemies to lovers vibe. If you are a fan of growly hate sex, this book is for you, as there is a lot of it. Noah is still furious at Tommy for what Noah considers a dangerous hit that caused injury to his teammate, Zed. The fact that Zed doesn’t hold Tommy accountable doesn’t matter to Noah, he still hates Tommy. But also, he finds Tommy incredibly hot and can’t stop checking out Tommy’s Instagram thirst trap photos. So we can tell from the beginning that there is some chemistry here, though there is a very slow burn to get them from enemies to even friends. A lot of the early scenes are intense sex that drives both men wild, but also makes clear they have little interest in being in the same room once the dust settles. Noah is also very public about his dislike for Tommy, including speaking out in interviews about how he thinks Tommy is a dirty player. So there is an interesting relationship here as the men have this intense sexual chemistry, but still are very much at odds personally for much of the book.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
February 22, 2024
WHAT I LIKED
- themes: found family, self-acceptance (no homophobia - does that count as a theme? It was refreshing)
- plenty of well-written steam (that first scene? gold)
- no third-act break up (thank goodness, they're such a turn off)
- just enough sports content (I'm more than happy to remain willfully ignorant about sports so I typically skim anything beyond the bare minimum of explanations)
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- the progression of the D/s dynamic.
- themes: found family, self-acceptance (no homophobia - does that count as a theme? It was refreshing)
- plenty of well-written steam (that first scene? gold)
- no third-act break up (thank goodness, they're such a turn off)
- just enough sports content (I'm more than happy to remain willfully ignorant about sports so I typically skim anything beyond the bare minimum of explanations)
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- the progression of the D/s dynamic.
October 16, 2021
I'm really wavering with my rating here....
On the one hand:
✔✔✔ Angry/hate sex
✔✔✔ HAWT kinky sex
✔✔✔ Power Exchange
✔✔✔ Panty melting dirty talk
✔✔ HEA
✔✔ Character and Relationship development
I loved every interaction Tommy and Noah had throughout the story, even the angry ones, though how everything developed has me a bit confused. Maybe it was the weird time jumps that varied between some hours to a few months but was never clearly stated so I had to do double takes on whole paragraphs assuring myself I didn't actually miss something or maybe because we spend more time in the heads of the MCs than they did talking.
Tommy for all of him being 19yo he was more self assured, confident and generally put together than Noah that was 24yo battling with his personal demons, having a crappy attitude, being closed off and thinking constantly what ifs and how he was getting old for NHL. I know athletes have an expiration date but this dude! Wow! He left everything behind, defied his father to follow his dream but he was doing it, all the while with the dark cloud of his father above his head....
But whatever, they worked well together once Noah started trying to leave his misconceptions behind and put some of his angst aside and actually live his life. The epilogue was very good in establishing their HEA but I still feel that something is missing from their relationship development. Oh well...
Onthe other hand I don't mind being thrown in the middle of the story but I do require that at some point the authors will catch me up with info sprinkled here and there. Did that happen? NOPE! You might be wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Well that heck was the thorn in this story that is the throuple of Davesh, Kevin and Zed that were EVERYWHERE in the freaking first half of the story and hockey WASN'T even in season for them to have so much freaking page time! That throuple has a story, Between the Pipes, that frankly if you do MMM pairings, I don't even if I knew this even existed, I would recommend to read it before starting this so you can know some of the things that are taken for granted in this book! *frustration level: 100!*. Seriously the times that I felt that I should know something about what was going on an scene in the first half were numerous and throwing me off the freaking story.
Another *I should know this but I don't* moment are the two teams, Phantoms and Sea Dogs, their players and the positions they play that is treated like forgone knowledge.
The only hockey I know is fiction hockey okay? The authors at the beginning ask of us to suspend disbelief regarding Cochlear Implants in contact sports and two teams in the Eastern Conference facing each other for the Stanley Cup and yeah ok no problem. But the thing was I had to suspend disbelief when it came to:
- Three players on a team being in a gay relationship.
- Instagram videos of drunk players, no way that would fly with coaches and the League.
- A generally missing preseason, the gym-sessions and training the players have to do.
- Tommy having a serious concussion, his absentee family in his care, his fellow team players playing nurse for him and Noah being able to take care of him for, I wanna say, 2 days but this is one of those ambiguous time skips.
So really this felt more like Fantasy Hockey than real hockey.
Noah seemed to gather quite a bit of knowledge, pretty early on (38%), on how to please Tommy even though they had only gotten together 3-4 times, one was penetration, one was frottage and one or two BJs, and almost all of them anger/hate sex. But can I fault him when Tommy described them "fucking constantly" (63%) when they have gotten it on about 6-7 times in a period of 5 months or so?!
And finally one of my pet peeves
I really wanted to like this more but the hockey didn't feel real and all the little things that I noted kept me from being immersed in the story. Will I read the next one that I suspect is Vanya's story? HECK YEAH!
I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
P.S.: I'm with Noah regarding the sea's snot.
On the one hand:
✔✔✔ Angry/hate sex
✔✔✔ HAWT kinky sex
✔✔✔ Power Exchange
✔✔✔ Panty melting dirty talk
✔✔ HEA
✔✔ Character and Relationship development
I loved every interaction Tommy and Noah had throughout the story, even the angry ones, though how everything developed has me a bit confused. Maybe it was the weird time jumps that varied between some hours to a few months but was never clearly stated so I had to do double takes on whole paragraphs assuring myself I didn't actually miss something or maybe because we spend more time in the heads of the MCs than they did talking.
Tommy for all of him being 19yo he was more self assured, confident and generally put together than Noah that was 24yo battling with his personal demons, having a crappy attitude, being closed off and thinking constantly what ifs and how he was getting old for NHL. I know athletes have an expiration date but this dude! Wow! He left everything behind, defied his father to follow his dream but he was doing it, all the while with the dark cloud of his father above his head....
But whatever, they worked well together once Noah started trying to leave his misconceptions behind and put some of his angst aside and actually live his life. The epilogue was very good in establishing their HEA but I still feel that something is missing from their relationship development. Oh well...
Onthe other hand I don't mind being thrown in the middle of the story but I do require that at some point the authors will catch me up with info sprinkled here and there. Did that happen? NOPE! You might be wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Well that heck was the thorn in this story that is the throuple of Davesh, Kevin and Zed that were EVERYWHERE in the freaking first half of the story and hockey WASN'T even in season for them to have so much freaking page time! That throuple has a story, Between the Pipes, that frankly if you do MMM pairings, I don't even if I knew this even existed, I would recommend to read it before starting this so you can know some of the things that are taken for granted in this book! *frustration level: 100!*. Seriously the times that I felt that I should know something about what was going on an scene in the first half were numerous and throwing me off the freaking story.
Another *I should know this but I don't* moment are the two teams, Phantoms and Sea Dogs, their players and the positions they play that is treated like forgone knowledge.
The only hockey I know is fiction hockey okay? The authors at the beginning ask of us to suspend disbelief regarding Cochlear Implants in contact sports and two teams in the Eastern Conference facing each other for the Stanley Cup and yeah ok no problem. But the thing was I had to suspend disbelief when it came to:
- Three players on a team being in a gay relationship.
- Instagram videos of drunk players, no way that would fly with coaches and the League.
- A generally missing preseason, the gym-sessions and training the players have to do.
- Tommy having a serious concussion, his absentee family in his care, his fellow team players playing nurse for him and Noah being able to take care of him for, I wanna say, 2 days but this is one of those ambiguous time skips.
So really this felt more like Fantasy Hockey than real hockey.
Noah seemed to gather quite a bit of knowledge, pretty early on (38%), on how to please Tommy even though they had only gotten together 3-4 times, one was penetration, one was frottage and one or two BJs, and almost all of them anger/hate sex. But can I fault him when Tommy described them "fucking constantly" (63%) when they have gotten it on about 6-7 times in a period of 5 months or so?!
And finally one of my pet peeves
I really wanted to like this more but the hockey didn't feel real and all the little things that I noted kept me from being immersed in the story. Will I read the next one that I suspect is Vanya's story? HECK YEAH!
I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
P.S.: I'm with Noah regarding the sea's snot.
June 10, 2024
dnf-ed at 33%
I just couldn't take it anymore. The writing is horrible and I usually love 3rd person pov but this was so difficult to read. I had to read multiple times to make sure I didn't miss something. The book also felt like it started from the middle of another which is crazy because the authors stated that you didn't need to read the prequel before starting this, obviously that was a lie.
The age gap makes me extra uncomfortable which is unusual because I've read similar and I haven't felt this way. The hardest thing about writing an enemies to lovers imo is the dialogue, you can easily cross the line from playful taunting to borderline verbal abuse and that's my problem with this so far. Noah is significantly older than Tommy, who's 19 by the way, and not only is it pathetic that he's 26 beefing with a 19 year old, he's also verbally abusive to him and it's just disgusting.
Another thing them having sex in the first 3 chapters makes no sense and further ruins whatever semblance of enemies to lovers the authors were holding on to. There was absolutely no prior tension that prompted it, they literally just jumped the gun. There's also undiscussed/under negotiated kink in this for anyone who needs a warning. Tommy goes into subdrop after sex and Noah just leaves him without after care or anything like that.
I just couldn't take it anymore. The writing is horrible and I usually love 3rd person pov but this was so difficult to read. I had to read multiple times to make sure I didn't miss something. The book also felt like it started from the middle of another which is crazy because the authors stated that you didn't need to read the prequel before starting this, obviously that was a lie.
The age gap makes me extra uncomfortable which is unusual because I've read similar and I haven't felt this way. The hardest thing about writing an enemies to lovers imo is the dialogue, you can easily cross the line from playful taunting to borderline verbal abuse and that's my problem with this so far. Noah is significantly older than Tommy, who's 19 by the way, and not only is it pathetic that he's 26 beefing with a 19 year old, he's also verbally abusive to him and it's just disgusting.
Another thing them having sex in the first 3 chapters makes no sense and further ruins whatever semblance of enemies to lovers the authors were holding on to. There was absolutely no prior tension that prompted it, they literally just jumped the gun. There's also undiscussed/under negotiated kink in this for anyone who needs a warning. Tommy goes into subdrop after sex and Noah just leaves him without after care or anything like that.
Read
September 5, 2022I think Taylor Fitzpatrick ruined me for every other hockey book ever.
The chemistry was there, but the story didn't convince me, the plot was predictable and the dialogues boring.
The chemistry was there, but the story didn't convince me, the plot was predictable and the dialogues boring.
March 11, 2024
It was fine
October 29, 2022
Oh how I love a hockey romance and then these authors went and threw in some rival teams enemies to lovers with a shit tonne of hate sex and praise kink and yep I’m just one happy lady 😌
Tommy is the new kid, not a rookie but pretty fresh in the league and has a tonne to prove and does so. He’s small and talented and basically sunshine with his sweet as a button personality.
Enter Noah, or Vicki, and he is just hating on Tommy for an incident that caused an injury to his beloved teammate. It’s bloody tension on the ice, but boy when they’re off it and they let those walls down 🥵
Causing wounds and licking them better, yesss the perfect kind of enemies to lovers. AND THE FALL.. when they realise they couldn’t possibly live without the other? I live for that moment and their story nails it.
If you love hockey boys and you’re a sucker for two men hate boning and then falling in love then pick this up right now!!
If you want a little back story on some side characters there is a novella called Between the Pipes set before Noah and Tommy’s story.
Tommy is the new kid, not a rookie but pretty fresh in the league and has a tonne to prove and does so. He’s small and talented and basically sunshine with his sweet as a button personality.
Enter Noah, or Vicki, and he is just hating on Tommy for an incident that caused an injury to his beloved teammate. It’s bloody tension on the ice, but boy when they’re off it and they let those walls down 🥵
Causing wounds and licking them better, yesss the perfect kind of enemies to lovers. AND THE FALL.. when they realise they couldn’t possibly live without the other? I live for that moment and their story nails it.
If you love hockey boys and you’re a sucker for two men hate boning and then falling in love then pick this up right now!!
If you want a little back story on some side characters there is a novella called Between the Pipes set before Noah and Tommy’s story.
April 9, 2023
Noah was unfair and unkind to Tommy until further in the book than I was happy with.
When they got it together it was really nice but I'm still feeling kind of ick about their first few times together because Tommy was an open book and didn't get anything he needed. I don't think I forgave him for recognizing Tommy's interest in praise and then not giving it to him until he let loose with it later.
When they got it together it was really nice but I'm still feeling kind of ick about their first few times together because Tommy was an open book and didn't get anything he needed. I don't think I forgave him for recognizing Tommy's interest in praise and then not giving it to him until he let loose with it later.
July 28, 2022
tommy my short king!!
September 5, 2022
To my surprise, I really really liked this.
I wish it was the first in a series of a billion, so that I could glom onto the rest of them.
I wish it was the first in a series of a billion, so that I could glom onto the rest of them.
August 28, 2023
3.5/5 stars
October 24, 2021
3,5/5
Une nouvelle romance MM sur fond de hockey avec EM Lindsey et surtout Marina Vivancos aux commandes, il était certain que je voulais le lire aussi vite que possible !
Nous faisons la connaissance de Noah Viklund, surnommé Vicki, et de Tommy Tremblay. Deux sportifs rivaux, deux ennemis sur la glace et en dehors, pour des raisons que l'on comprendra en partie. Sauf qu'à un moment, ça dérape et les deux hommes se retrouvent à jouer un autre type de jeu...
J'ai bien aimé ce roman et je suis certaine que j'aurais accroché encore plus si je l'avais lu à un autre moment. Après, ce qui m'a dérangé, c'est surtout le début. Je ne sais pas si c'est du au fait que je n'ai pas lu la nouvelle qui se situe avant ce tome-ci, mais j'aurais souhaité une introduction plus poussée on va dire. Je ne sais pas si cette nouvelle nous permet de nous ancrer un peu plus dans l'histoire, mais j'ai eu un peu l'impression d'être parachutée dans le milieu d'une série, mais bon...
Concernant les deux sportifs, on sait bien sûr mais où tout cela va mener, mais franchement, j'ai trouvé ce livre plutôt original.
On est pile dans un ennemies to lovers, saupoudré d'un peu de kink, de « hate sex ». C'est assez explosif entre eux ! J'ai aimé surtout les moments où ils se dévoilent, se confient l'un à l'autre, où la complicité se développe. J'aurais aimé d'ailleurs plus de ces moments. Ce duo fonctionne assez bien au final, leur dynamique est plutôt chouette mais comme je disais, il m'a manqué un truc pour vraiment me faire décoller ^^
Une nouvelle romance MM sur fond de hockey avec EM Lindsey et surtout Marina Vivancos aux commandes, il était certain que je voulais le lire aussi vite que possible !
Nous faisons la connaissance de Noah Viklund, surnommé Vicki, et de Tommy Tremblay. Deux sportifs rivaux, deux ennemis sur la glace et en dehors, pour des raisons que l'on comprendra en partie. Sauf qu'à un moment, ça dérape et les deux hommes se retrouvent à jouer un autre type de jeu...
J'ai bien aimé ce roman et je suis certaine que j'aurais accroché encore plus si je l'avais lu à un autre moment. Après, ce qui m'a dérangé, c'est surtout le début. Je ne sais pas si c'est du au fait que je n'ai pas lu la nouvelle qui se situe avant ce tome-ci, mais j'aurais souhaité une introduction plus poussée on va dire. Je ne sais pas si cette nouvelle nous permet de nous ancrer un peu plus dans l'histoire, mais j'ai eu un peu l'impression d'être parachutée dans le milieu d'une série, mais bon...
Concernant les deux sportifs, on sait bien sûr mais où tout cela va mener, mais franchement, j'ai trouvé ce livre plutôt original.
On est pile dans un ennemies to lovers, saupoudré d'un peu de kink, de « hate sex ». C'est assez explosif entre eux ! J'ai aimé surtout les moments où ils se dévoilent, se confient l'un à l'autre, où la complicité se développe. J'aurais aimé d'ailleurs plus de ces moments. Ce duo fonctionne assez bien au final, leur dynamique est plutôt chouette mais comme je disais, il m'a manqué un truc pour vraiment me faire décoller ^^
December 22, 2023
nothing wrong with this (probably), just personally, the couple just didn’t inspire anything for me and their hea meant shit to me….i was very much looking forward to the end of this book around 60% ish…..omfg felt like it would never end😭
October 2, 2024
OMG y'all, this book was EXACTLY what I wanted, and I loved every minute of it. I added Open Ice Hit by @emlindseyauthor and @marinavivancosx to my TBR after someone told me it had a caretaking with a soup scene (MY FAVORITE), and y'all, it doesn't disappoint AT ALL. Pro hockey, grumpy/sunshine, rivals to lovers, and some HOT spice, along with soup? 🤌🏼🤌🏼
Tommy and Noah are NOT friends. They are on rival pro hockey teams in the same city. Tommy is a playboy and a rough player on the ice to compensate for his size (we LOVE an aggressive short king 😏). He accidentally injures Noah's friend and teammate during a game, and Noah just cannot get over it. However, after a tension-filled photoshoot for an endorsement deal, the guys end up hooking up and WHOA, it's wild. While they initially treat each other as a hookup, it's pretty clear that their amazing chemistry means something more. Noah intuitively understands Tommy's wants and needs, and Tommy provides a sounding board for Noah's insecurities. Their actual relationship is kind of a slow burn, but, helped along by some of the sweetest caretaking I've read, when they finally decide to give things a go they are all in 🫠.
Open Ice Hit definitely doesn't get talked about enough, totally underrated y’all. There's so much SOUP, there's reading to each other 🥹, there's a moment where they FINALLY call each other by their first names, and lots of praise. WHY ISN’T EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?! Open Ice Hit is also part of The Sin Bin series, and obviously I read the second book first 🫣. Have no fear, though, I loved this one SO much, I'm definitely going back to read book 1, which sounds WILD based on things mentioned in this one. Highly recommended hockey romance my friends!
Tommy and Noah are NOT friends. They are on rival pro hockey teams in the same city. Tommy is a playboy and a rough player on the ice to compensate for his size (we LOVE an aggressive short king 😏). He accidentally injures Noah's friend and teammate during a game, and Noah just cannot get over it. However, after a tension-filled photoshoot for an endorsement deal, the guys end up hooking up and WHOA, it's wild. While they initially treat each other as a hookup, it's pretty clear that their amazing chemistry means something more. Noah intuitively understands Tommy's wants and needs, and Tommy provides a sounding board for Noah's insecurities. Their actual relationship is kind of a slow burn, but, helped along by some of the sweetest caretaking I've read, when they finally decide to give things a go they are all in 🫠.
Open Ice Hit definitely doesn't get talked about enough, totally underrated y’all. There's so much SOUP, there's reading to each other 🥹, there's a moment where they FINALLY call each other by their first names, and lots of praise. WHY ISN’T EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK?! Open Ice Hit is also part of The Sin Bin series, and obviously I read the second book first 🫣. Have no fear, though, I loved this one SO much, I'm definitely going back to read book 1, which sounds WILD based on things mentioned in this one. Highly recommended hockey romance my friends!
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