Fifteen years ago in the small town of Busker, NY two newcomers to pro hockey became roommates and bonded over food and finding their place in the hockey world. Their friendship blossomed into more and they had a secret love affair for much of the season until it all came to a screeching halt. The two men hadn’t spoken in the years since it all ended until the day legendary goalie, Jethro Hale, landed in Colorado thanks to a shocking trade. Now, Clay Powers, the youngest coach in the league, is forced to not only face the man who broke his heart but he’s got to figure out a way to put their personal history aside and be the coach the team needs him to be. The attraction between them still burns after all this time but even after clearing the air, it’s still an impossible situation for a coach and player to ever be together. Will Clay have to watch the love of his life walk away again or will he finally be able to have everything he ever wanted?

Hello to my new favorite book in this series! This book was excellent. I was intrigued about Clay and Jethro after learning of Jethro’s trade in I’m Your Guy. A coach and a player? Talk about forbidden. Plus add in the fact that these two have quite the history together and you have the makings of a really great story. Clay and Jethro were so perfect for one another. I’m not always a fan of second chance romances but this one was executed so well. For the first half of the book, every few chapters was a glimpse of their relationship from 15 years ago and it was the perfect way to understand their history and see how things went sideways so we could appreciate how they felt in the present day. I loved seeing these two work their way back to each other amid all the things stacked against them. They were so sweet together.

My heart went out to Jethro. He had a lot going on in his personal life and was barely keeping all that together when he was unceremoniously traded to a new team in a new state after giving so many years of his life to his old team. I could understand his grumpiness and standoffishness when he got to Colorado. Especially after overhearing Clay’s reaction to the news. But you know what I loved the most? Clay and Jethro were mature adults who communicated so well. Things could have gone horribly wrong after the reunion they had but they actually talked and worked through things. It was so refreshing. Who knows what would have happened to them if they had given it a real go back when they were in their early 20s? Maybe it would have worked but more likely they would have crashed and burned.  Even if it was a tough road to get there, I think they needed the added maturity to get to the place they ultimately landed. 

There was also prime hockey content in this book. As a hockey fan, I appreciated that. It was exciting and kept me engaged the whole time. I think I was as invested in the outcome of the Cougar’s season as I was with the outcome of Clay and Jethro’s relationship! There was a certain scene later in the book that had me crying like a baby. When I tell you I was invested - I was really invested!

I’ve loved this entire series and I’m not sure if we’ll get more but if this is where it ends, it’s a great note to go out on. I think hockey romance fans will really enjoy this one!