Tag: reverse harem

Fantasy, New Adult Romance, Paranormal

My Review: Savage Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #2): by J. Bree

nicholasjgoodsell

***Warning!! This review may contain spoilers from the previous title in this series! Continue reading with caution, you’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Broken Bonds – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

Oh, my girl likes that? You want me to kill everyone who dares to look at you? I will. I’m not a good man, not like the rest of your Bonds. I’m good for you, and fuck the rest of them. If you want blood, Sweetness, I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

– J. Bree, “Savage Bonds”

What It’s About:

The Official synopsis:

With my gift coursing through my veins, the tables have turned on the Draven Campus.

I’m no longer the Giftless reject, no longer the girl who’s fair game to the other students for daring to run away from my Bonds.

But there are bigger problems heading my way.

With destiny pushing me closer and closer to each of my Bonds, I’m fighting tooth and nail against nature to keep my distance.

But they’re fighting harder to keep me in their grasp.

When it becomes clear that the Resistance is closer than we ever thought, I don’t know who I can trust.

Can I finally take control of my gift, or will it take control of me?

*Savage Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.

~~~

Alright, so now were getting somewhere!

This book felt like actually so much better than book one now that we’ve finally gotten some pages behind us, we’re familiar with the characters by now, and some secrets that have been kept hidden are finally coming to light. Not all of them, unfortunately, but enough to keep you wanting more and more and more as this series progresses.

Book 2 felt like it had some of the same issues for me, which was just a very slow midpoint and a lot of the conflict amongst Oli and her 5 bonded are just becoming a big miscommunication trope that’s getting incredibly repetitive…like part of me just wants Oli to finally come clean to the guys so they can stop being such d-bags to her because their fragile egos…but I also suppose the author is doing her job if she’s making me feel this strongly about the characters!

The big thing with this book are the shifts in the dynamics of the relationships amongst Oli and her bonded. You know exactly who she’s hanging around with because her relationships with Gryphon, North, Nox, Gabe, and Atlas are all so different from one another and so dramatically stand out. There is definitely no repetition with these, and the author does an amazing job of developing each individual relationship at its own pace. Some are warming up to Oli faster than others, and others have their reasons for keeping her at arms length way more than the others do, but we also don’t know all those reasons from their end either…there’s obviously secrets being kept on both sides of this battlefield, at it’s creating quite an interesting story to say the least!

~~~

If you burn, I burn with you. You’re not alone, Oli, not for one second. I told you before, I’m not afraid.”

– J. Bree, “Savage Bonds”

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. FINALLY Some Romance! We Have Spice People!! It’s sparse, but finally we see something along these lines and at this point I’ll take anything!
  2. Brutus! Oli has a NEW man and his name is Brutus! He’s actually a shadow puppy made by Nox who first appeared at the end of book 1 during that battle, but I guess he took a liking to Oli and sticks around…hey I’m all about animal companions so no complaints from me!
  3. The Development Changes Between ALL Her Bonded! So book 1 was all about how Oli was keeping secrets and her 5 bonded were mad at her and had written her off as a spoiled, ungrateful brat, but then they realize that there is WAYYYYYY more going on than what meets the eye with her and that she is definitely holding things back from them in terms of information and just exactly how powerful her abilities truly are. So a big part of this book is all of them slowly taking her in with a new pair of eyes and slowly warming up to her, but each at their own pace. Some are able to do so faster than others of course too. It was impressive how the author made each and every relationship Oli had with each guy feel unique in this sense. These books seem to have a lot of repetition in some ways, but not when it comes to the relationships and how they develop amongst her cast of characters.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Midpoint Pacing Continues To Be Slow and Repetitive…Once again the midpoint was just very repetitive in the same ways that book 1 was, luckily I’m invested enough in the characters by this point, but I will say if you’re not someone who’s very into character-driven stories like this one seems to be so far, you might struggle.
  2. I Feel Like The Secrets Are Becoming A Miscommunication Trope By This Point…Okay so the secret keeping that Oli is doing worked for book 1, but now it’s starting to get on my nerves a little bit. These guys are putting you through the wringer and making you feel like an absolute garbage human being because they don’t know the full story because you’re not telling them the full story….shouldn’t you maybe clue them in to some degree? Like either Oli has a degradation kink with some of these guys, or I’m just starting to get miscommunication trope vibes from this. And maybe I’m also just impatient for them to learn why she’s holding out whatever it is on them, but by this point I’m starting to fail to see why she takes this abuse STILL by this point in the story. It’s kind of adding into the repetitiveness I’m critiquing in the previous point.

Conclusion:

Overall, book 2 definitely improved off of book 1 in terms of character development and the fact that there’s a glimpse of actual romance AND spice in this book! There’s definitely still some slower midpoints that I can see some readers really getting bored with, but if you’re really invested in the characters by now, this shouldn’t be an issue!

There’s another cliffhanger that you definitely don’t see coming, so also be prepared to want to jump IMEDIATELTY into the next book! Which is what I’m doing now…

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Paranormal

My Review: Broken Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #1): by J. Bree

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: June 28th, 2021
Number of Pages: 423 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): New Adult Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

Or, I guess, she just wears her damage where we can all see it. I bury mine as deep as I can, as far down below my skin as possible, so I can pretend it’s not killing me slowly, painfully, constantly.”

– J. Bree, “Broken Bonds”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

After the death of my mother and her Bonded, I was relieved to find my own Bonds.
I was sure everything would be okay if I had them.
It wasn’t.
The fate of our people is in my hands and I know we’re better off if I’m alone.
After five years on the run, I’m caught and dragged back to face the men I ran away from.
I thought I was doing the right thing.
Now, I’m not so sure.
North, Nox, Gryphon, Atlas, and Gabe may never forgive me but one thing is for sure.
I won’t ever forgive myself.

*Broken Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.

~~~

Okay, this is a series that has been recommended to me for so long now, and it’s become a crazy popular book series amongst my social circles in the book community, so it was naturally only a matter of time before I started them myself…and for the most part, I’m happy I did! It’s only the first book in a 6 book series I have to remind myself, so while I see the potential in the story and the characters, it’s not quite there yet for me…

BUT, and its a pretty big but, I try not to judge a whole series based off just the first book—Throne of Glass and ACOTAR are both an excellent example of this—so I’ll have to keep reading on to really be able to judge!

These books have been described as like a reverse harem X-Men and yeah, I’d say that’s a pretty accurate description of it, just less comic-book style with the superhero names and the matching uniforms, and more gothic with a mix of X-Men and that 2006 movie, The Covenant, starring Steven Strait, Taylor Kitsch, and babies Sebastian Stan and Chace Crawford. Needless to say, but I’m digging the books based off these comparisons alone!

The story revolves around Oleander (love the unique name btw) or Oli for short, and she lost her parents at age 14, and its now 5 years later where she’d been found running from her own bonded for some reason we don’t know about. She ain’t saying anything to anybody, not even her 5 hot potential bonds who found her, and are all freakin’ pissed she ditched them all. They literally drag her ass back to Draven University where other bonded and their mates go to train and strengthen their abilities, and this first book is about her finding her place in this new surrounding, keeping her secrets, and figuring out who she can trust, and if they’re all truly safe from who’s hunting her…

Not too much to report other than what I have below on what I liked and didn’t like, but I can say I want to keep reading on to see how things play out, and not just because I have the urging from many bookstagram friends, I’m genuinely curious myself!

~~~

He has no idea of what I’ve sacrificed for him.”

– J.Bree, “Broken Bonds”

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. The Mystery Surrounding Why She Ran Away! While a lot of the writing is pretty straight forward and easy to follow, one thing that really drives the story is the mystery surrounding Oli before the start of the story and she’s found by her bonded: where was she? what was she doing? who was she with? why was she trying to stay hidden? why did she run away in the first place? We don’t know any of these answers even after reading the first book, but there’s plenty of hints that wherever she was, it was nowhere good.
  2. Oli is, Like, Scary Powerful! I love a badass, strong lead female character, and Oli is another one to definitely add to the list. She’s a great character, flawed and unapologetically herself, and you find out in the story that she has some wicked powers that she has to keep hidden because it will “bring destruction to them all” like its not a big deal…I’m definitely curious to see what happens here!
  3. A Lot of Favorite Romance Tropes! We got forced proximity, bully romance, grumpy/sunshine, alphamales, touch her and die, reverse harem, protect her at all costs, and I’m actually just here for it all…like I’m actually asking God when is it my turn to have my own RH???

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. There Was Hardly Any Romance…The spice was like a shriveled up half a pepper for this one unfortunately. I get it though, this book is setting the scene, and the guys are all pissed at her for ditching them and then they couldn’t get their massive power ups to stroke their dicks I MEAN EGOS! whoops!!!! But yeah, the romance was flippin’ nonexistent in this one and its a REVERSE HAREM…there’s 5 dudes and not one of them got any action! Not to worry, I am told good things come to those who wait with these.
  2. Pacing Really Slowed Down In the Middle…As this book feels very character-driven in terms of plot, if you’re not feeling the characters by the midpoint, you’re gonna struggle. It gets a bit slow with the tedious and (kinda) childish mean girl drama, the bonds all being pissed at her, and Oli just being Oli which isn’t a bad thing, but she’s keeping secrets and she ain’t opening up quite yet…
  3. I’m Hoping for More Worldbuilding…I want to know more about the history or lore of the bonds and like why they are around, how they came to be
  4. Nox Draven is a DOUCHE…Well and so is his brother North in all honesty…they can choke. Nox just seems so petty and immature, and that’s coming from ME…Nox’s behavior doesn’t strike me as a college professor, so I’m sorry to say Lance Orion he is NOT.

Conclusion:

Overall, I liked but didn’t LOVE this book, but it’s also the first book in a 6 book series that everyone says is a giant slowburn, so I can’t judge too much about what didn’t happen. What I did enjoy was the cast of characters and the whole cast dynamics, the mysteries surrounding Oli and where she was, and the sexual tension that is peaking out from beneath the covers and (hopefully) wants to come out to play sooner rather than later!

I’m not wholly convinced yet, but I can definitely see hints of why so many of my inner circle of the book community consider this one of their favorite all-time series! Let’s hope I can soon join them…

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, LGBT, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My Review: Cannon (Brothers of Hawthorne Hall #2): by Leila James

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: November 21st, 2022
Number of Pages: 448 Pages
Publisher: Kindle Edition
Genre(s): Erotica, Reverse Harem, New Adult Romance, Mystery/Thriller, LGBT+

**Warning! This Review contains spoilers to the previous book in this trilogy, so continue reading at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!**

To see my review of book #1 – Kingston – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

Our girl is a fucking diamond – beautiful to look at, but impossible to crush.”

– Leila James, “Kingston”

~~~

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

A Dark College Bully Romance

Shattered trust, twisted games, and ugly truths …

A female initiate is unheard of at Hawthorne Hall, but after forcing the brotherhood’s hand, they had no choice but to let me stay. My plan should have been simple: Find out what happened to my cousin and best friend in the world, Will.

But nothing is as it seems.

This brotherhood is steeped in tradition and built on loyalty, but the deeper I dig, the more I see fissures in their supposedly tight-knit group. And with the evidence I’ve found, every move I make seems more dangerous than the last. I no longer know who to trust.

Cannon.
Archer.
Kingston.

I don’t want to believe they’re guilty or that they could have harmed Will. But there’s only one way to find out—immerse myself in their world and keep my mouth shut. And hope they don’t break my heart along the way.

The games continue … but who is being played?

~~~

Book two, here we go!!

There’s not a whole lot to honestly add besides what I liked and disliked about this book if I’m being completely honest. There are definitely some new things to add though that I definitely found to be a highlight, so I’ll add that this book for sure improves from book 1!

You continue off literally right where the previous book left off: Elliott is in bed with Kingston after they had some incredibly hot sex and also grew closer by opening up to each other too, but she finds her missing best friend/cousin’s cell phone in his bedside table!

Duh Duh DUN!!!

Suddenly the trust she’d been building with Archer, Kingston, and Cannon is instantly shattered and she’s back to square one.

Who can she trust?

What do they know?

Where is Will now?

Do they know who she is?

Questions are popping up left and right, kind of like the dicks in this reverse harem/why choose story. but one thing that I’m entirely certain about is the spice definitely increases! it gets hotter, more intense, and oh yeah…there’s more, but you definitely have to read more to find out for yourself!

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. The Spice Gets HOTTER & HOTTER! The Spice does not let up in this second installment despite how book 1 ended! THANK GOD!
  2. MM ROMANCE! I won’t spoil who it involves, but I will say that I LOVE the addition of some hot male-on-male action going down as the plot thickens. I kind of wasn’t expecting it to be who it ended up being, well at least for one of the characters, but it was an addition to the story that I was all for!
  3. The Three Guys Had More Character Development! This time around the three guys Archer, Kingston, and Cannon had some development tossed their way, and they’ve became much more three dimensional and more dynamic. You start to see more of their personalities now that you’ve become familiar with them, and while some of them you’ll still like more than others, a lot more starts to make sense around them all the same too!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Elliott Continues To Be a Damsel…I mean, I guess this sort of makes sense since she’s digging around for clues and answers to something that is obviously being covered up, but it’s getting repetitive by this point that she gets herself into trouble, then has to rely on her men to help her get out of it. At least after it usually leads to spice, but again…it’s getting repetitive
  2. Another Hall Getting Attention?…There was a LOT of emphasis on a rival fraternity/hall in this book with a masquerade auction event, like way more emphasis than I honestly cared for. It ended up the head of that house had some history with Kingston and the situation with his dead sister…so I could see this becoming a bigger subplot into the next book, or even a spinoff sort of thing, and part of me wonders if I even care?…
  3. I Still Think There’s Not Enough Emphasis On The Mystery…I’m still wishing there was more to the mystery, like more surprising twists and reveals and an intricate plot that reveals way more is going on than we believed, but instead we get more instances of Elliott getting into trouble and needing Archer, Cannon, or Kingston to save her. At least the spice is abundant!
  4. ….SPUNK BUNKERS?!?!…Absolutely the worst way to describe testicles I’ve ever heard. NEVER AGAIN

~~~

Conclusion:

Overall, a better sequel than what book 1 had to offer, but I feel like these books are still just missing that extra something to make them absolutely spectacular! that extra ooomph to really set it apart and make it better than it already is!

They’re not bad books by any means, in fact, I’d say they’re like an addictive, sexy binge-worthy Riverdale, Elite, Euphoria-esque show you can’t help but get sucked into! I’ve enjoyed reading these tremendously; just because I have a few personal critiques doesn’t mean I didn’t like it! I’ll definitely be reading the third and final book to see what could possibly happen next!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My review: Kingston (Brothers of Hawthorne Hall #1): by Leila James

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: October 3rd, 2022
Number of Pages: 468 Pages
Publisher: Kindle
Genre(s): Erotica, Reverse Harem, New Adult Romance, Mystery & Thriller

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

Three men, two choices, and one secret …

A year ago, my best friend received an exclusive invitation to join an elite brotherhood at Kingston University. He went into Hawthorne Hall for his initiation … but never came out.

I intend to find out why.

The brotherhood would never knowingly invite a female into their ranks. So what if I forged my father’s signature on the recommendation? With a name like Elliot Ashford, they’ll never see me coming.

I’ll endure whatever hell these brutal brothers put me through because I have no intention of backing down or bowing out gracefully. It won’t be pretty. I’ve heard the rumors, especially about the three men in control of the brotherhood.

Kingston.
Cannon.
Archer.

I’m going in with one mission—find out what happened to Will. But the moment I set foot in this house, I have a feeling all my plans will go up in flames.

Welcome to Hawthorne Hall! Let the games begin …

***********************************************************************************

Kingston is a 94,000+ word novel, the first in a trilogy, centering around three men and one woman. It’s kind of like a sandwich—a quadruple decker with extra spice. There is a possibility that sandwich toppings will touch, if that makes sense.

WARNING: This trilogy contains dark elements, graphic content, and situations that some readers may be particularly sensitive to. If you have triggers or are even remotely unsure, please check my website, which you can access through my author page, for a full list.

~~~

This was a book that was highly recommended to me by one of my #bookstagram besties named Em because she knows I’m always game for any book that has some decent spice in it! When she started telling me the premise of these books, I will say I was immediately interested: a reverse harem, college, mystery thriller?? Ummmm LOVE that journey for me! Sign me up, and I couldn’t put these books on my kindle fast enough!

Now after reading the first book, what I can say is it’s definitely an entertaining, fast read with some really decent spice and just a dash of mystery. It definitely kept my attention, but it also could’ve been better in some regards. BUT I also didn’t care enough for certain things in the story to be better either because honestly, I just in it mainly for the spice, which definitely meets if not exceeds expectations, so that’s where most of the praise will go!

This story is about Elliot, who manages to sneak her way into Hawthorne house in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her best friend/cousin named Will. There’s absolutely no word as to what happened =, and everyone acts like it didn’t even happen, so she’s going on the inside in order to get her own answers. While she’s infiltrating the brotherhood as a newly incoming freshman, its there she meets the three enigmatic boys that throw everything off kilter for her: Kingston, Archer, and Cannon. Can she trust them? What do they know? And will she survive the initiation process before she’s considered a “brother?”

For the most part, I really did enjoy this book thanks to the characters! Elliot is your very typical spunky, sassy heroine who has a sharp tongue and isn’t afraid to mouth off to the alphaholes that practically infest that house that she must now call home. The boys in the Hawthorne house definitely don’t start off as very likeable, especially Kingston, who’s the frat president and a majorly bipolar a-hole through most of the book, but he’s also a HOT a-hole so it’s complicated….at leas the hate sex is hot? I like Archer the most right off the bat, but he also has camera’s set up throughout the whole house that includes people’s bedrooms, so I find that a bit creepy…and then there’s Cannon. Mr. Tall, stoic, and hot as hell, but hardly says a word. Like, his main way of communicating is text message even when he’s sitting right next to the person…it’s a little strange, but I’m sure there’s a story to it somewhere down the road…

What I Liked:

  1. The Spice! There are some HOT moments in this book, and it’s only the first one in a whole trilogy! It makes me wonder what else is in store for later down the road! I will of course be keeping reading on to find out.
  2. The Main Characters! Elliot and her boys definitely grew on me and made me keep interested to see what happened next, plus their group dynamic did add for some of the spicy scenes that I enjoyed too! Will things like that majorly change? Will she form alliances with one over the others? Turn them against each other with her vagina? Will the guys’ friendship shift with sharing? Who knows! I stand by what I said earlier, Archer is my favorite so far! BUT Kingston grew a lot on me as we got to know more about him too.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Too Many Names to Remember…I had a hard time right at the beginning with the literal train of men who answered the door when Elliot first showed up at Hawthorne House. Too many names all at once and throughout the book I still had trouble differentiating between some of the other frat boys, but that could also be because the author doesn’t really do much to make them stand apart from each other too much either…
  2. Not Enough Mystery… Not gonna lie, I was disappointed how it felt like the mystery took a back seat through quite a bit of the story. Sure, there was plenty of spicy scenes which I’m not complaining about, but more the several initiation scenes. I just wish the mystery and sneaking around to get answers was played up more, or a trail of clues or something!
  3. The Insta-Love…This seems to always be a thing with RH’s, but at least one of the guys is always a lovesick puppy when he first lands his eyes on the girl, and its no different here.

Conclusion:

Overall, it’s a pretty good but not great RH read. I like that it’s a college, mystery thriller one too because I honestly haven’t read too many of those! I also haven’t read the Inheritance Games Trilogy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, but I’d imagine I’d like them more if they had a similar vibe to these books with the spice and less YA story features. Actually side note, but there are a LOT of YA books I look at nowadays and am like, “This story would be so much better if it had spice!”

I’ll definitely continue to read theses books; the author gives you a satisfying amount but also leaves you wanting more, and there’s a pretty decent cliffhanger of an ending that really adds to the mystery surrounding the main plot, so it definitely keeps my interest! Plus helloooo, more spice!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Romance

My Review: Hat Trick Heart (Thunderclap #1): by Ella Market

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: October 4th, 2022
Number of Pages:
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): New Adult Romance, Sports Romance, Reverse Harem

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

‘. . . there are team superstitions. The traditional shoulder check line or locker room song.‘ He pauses, and I force myself to look up at him, his blue eyes piercing me in a way that makes me squirm in my seat. ‘You, Macey, are a team superstition.’”

– Ella Market, “Hat Trick Heart”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

When your agent calls and tells you that your publisher wants “something new,” you do the only thing you can do:
Draw from real life experience.

Successful romance writer Macey Veronica’s life has revolved around hockey for as long as she can remember. When a blast from the past is forced in to her life again, six year old secrets are uncovered, and Macey V finds herself wondering how to fit feelings for three alpha hockey players into her one heart.

Max, Rafe, and Andy were the closest that three people could be without sharing blood while playing hockey together in college. Macey was their center, their grounding point, and they would have given her the world if asked. One fateful graduation party forced a rift between two that irrevocably changed everything…. Until years later when they find themselves all playing for the Tampa Thunder.

Macey loves them all, and always has. But is that enough to get them through this next chapter? Or will their pride prove to be too much to overcome?

—
Hat Trick Heart is a standalone reverse harem romance where the main character gets a guaranteed HEA with multiple love interests. It is intended for audiences 18+ for explicit language and sexual content, including MM, MMF, and MMFM scenes.

~~~

Okay, here is me trying to get caught up on book reviews that are LONG overdue….whoops! what ‘cha gonna do? Sometimes they just fall through the cracks when you get into a certain reading groove, BUT here I am trying to make up for it!

So I actually read this book back in November–again, whoops–but better late than never!

Do you like Hockey?

Do you like Hockey PLAYERS?

Do you like Hockey Players who are up for sharing the main character?

Do you like reverse harems/why choose romances?

Do you like Philipino representation?

Do you like second chance, found family, and/or friends-to-lovers tropes?

…If you said YES to all of these, or even most of them, then I definitely say you need to give this debut novel a shot! Pun slightly intended there….you know, shooting a puck? a shot at goal? okay…….

It was a lighter toned, equally fun and sexy romance novel that anyone who’s a fan of multiple love interests or Hockey in general can easily get into! It’s also an easy read to pick up and get into whenever and wherever without getting lost; whether you’re reading at the beach, or in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, on your lunch break, or literally just whenever you can squeeze in some quick reading time!

The story revolves around Macey Veronica, a romance author on the cusp of writing her next big hit, and it just so happens to be somewhat replicating her very REAL life romance that’s developing between her and her three best friends: Max, Rafe, and Andy.

The three of them just so happen to ALL be professional hockey players, and Rafe was actually out of the picture for a few years and there’s a mystery as to why exactly. There’s definitely some history that gets rehashed and comes to a boil with three alpha personalities.

There was also a nice balance of history with Max and Macey, who’ve been best friends since they were 8 years old, who then met Rafe and Andy in college, and I’m personally glad there wasn’t a whole lot of time wasted with them all being awkward and second guessing the whole “can we be more than friends? Will this ruin our relationship? Do I view them as someone other than a friend?” I mean, those thoughts all make sense and are entirely valid, but when the book is advertised as an RH romance that’s defs going to have some spice, we ain’t looking for that uncertainty, we want to see things freakin HAPPEN! I’d say the author did just the right amount of time of them being just friends and them making the jump to take things horizontally and even further.

The book is told in four perspectives and is also told in just the right amount of balance between the four of them too in my opinion. Each character besides Andy has their own little subplot that they’re dealing with while the romantic relationship between them all develops, but honestly that’s okay in my opinion. He’s the more easy going of them all, and I don’t think he needed to add more drama to the story, there was plenty already going on. He felt like the bridge and/or mediator between them all, and I think maybe why so many others who’ve read this book consider him their favorite! I’m totally speculating on how friends and some strangers read this book, but you know…I could see it!

Besides these four, there’s also a few side characters who catch some of the spotlight–and reader’s hearts–like Macey’s gal pals and the hot young head coach, so it definitely gives you the idea that the story here isn’t entirely done and there’s more to be explored besides just Macey’s little line of men that have her heart! If the author herself says the coach looks like model Chase Mattson, I’m all for getting a closer look into his love life!!

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. Reverse Harem, ‘nuf said! Reverse Harems, or “why choose” romances, are becoming more and more popular in the bookish community. Why pick just one love interest when you could have several? Now whether sharing is going on or they’re competing against each other for time and affection depends on the book/group dynamic, but in this book it’s all amongst a group of friends who turn to lovers, but with two side relationships too. It’s certainly an interesting set-up to say the least, and I gotta say Macey is the luckiest girl in the world to have it this good with three pro hockey players!
  2. An Actual Hockey Fan Wrote This! A good hockey romance also NEEDS actual hockey playing content in my opinion…otherwise it’s not really a sports/hockey romance specifically, it’s just a regular romance and the guy (or gal) just happens to be a hockey player. Sports romance stories need actual sports being played within the pages to count as an actual sports romance, and it’s good to know that this author not only provides actual sports content in this book, but that she actually has a vast knowledge of it and is a huge fan of it in her personal life too! It helps the reader feel the story is more authentic when the author actually knows what they’re writing about in this case.
  3. Low Angst, Low Thoughts! What I mean by this is just that it’s nice to have a book like this that’s just easy, breezy, and doesn’t require a whole lot of thought and concentration. The beach reads that you can take just about anywhere and pick up and not get lost. The low angst is because most of the story is about the four main characters and how they come to terms with their poly relationship and explore it, thus adding to some spicy scenes to enjoy for the readers who enjoy that kind of extra seasoning in their books *wink*wink.*

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Max Needed to Be More Open to Trying New Things…This isn’t really a critique, more like a personal preference…and also SPOILERS AHEAD……………….okay, so Max is cool with the whole “sharing” Macey part, but most likely mainly because he gets to be seen with her in public like they’re a regular couple. He’s even cool with being in bed with the other guys, and even maybe MAYBE get s a little curious….but then that’s it! NO MAX, explore that curiosity!!! Go with that feeling, and take it further! He admitted watching Rafe and Andy was kind of hot at one point, and here I’m like “yes, but there could be something even hotter…” Basically I wanted to see more bisexual curiosity/exploration from Max with the other guys…like let one of them suck your dick or top one of them! Respectfully and consensually, of course!
  2. The Mom And What’s Her Deal?…I will admit the whole issue with the mom of that super fan and the whole conflict that came because of it felt a little out of left field and should’ve been explored further in this book. It could’ve made more sense if she wasn’t in like only one scene in the whole dang book! Like maybe she’s a rival author/publisher to Macey and the company she works for or something! I don’t know, even just having her in more scenes would make this aspect of the story stronger in my opinion!

Conclusion:

Overall, this was a fun, easy, and defs sexy reverse harem/why choose Hockey romance that I think anyone could get into if they love sports romance and RH’s in general! It’s mainly a lighter, sweet tone of a book too, so I’d say it’s even a good one for someone who’s never gone down the RH rabbit-hole and is curious to give it a try.

I’d say it’s an impressive debut novel, and Ella Market is for sure an author to keep an eye on because things can only go up from here, and there’s also an X-mas novella with all these characters if you can’t get enough of them in this fabulous book that’s called Hat Trick Holiday, PLUS the sequel coming out later this year: Power Play Pieces!

Much Excite!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell