I received an ARC edition of this book from Gay Romance Reviews in exchange for an honest review after the book had been published in 2024, (January 2025). You can get your copy today currently as an E-book on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! 
https://www.amzn.com/B0CQQ6K47J

This medium paced 250-page MM Hockey Romance, was endearing with a fearful edge, which was emotionally pleasant to read.  Written simply and clear to the point, in an alternating/split chapter Duel POV, this Grumpy/Sunshine, Forced Proximity story is about how to lose control in your environment while keeping yourself safe with the protection of others around you. 
**Trigger Warnings: (Mild Non-Descriptive Homophobia, Off-Page Deaths)

--The control is only an illusion--

The hockey season begins for Rylan with a triple whammy that Trades were conducted, Hotel Room Sharing is mandatory, and if this season doesn’t swing around after the 2 previous fails, consequences will occur out of the GM Carson Wells hands. Skating in, no other than the openly Bisexual player, Jamie, who has a bad reputation from his previous team that wasn’t fully his fault due to poor inclusive ethics from the Players & Management. What no one expects is the chemistry Ry and Jamie have on the ice. It’s like Jamie can read what Rylan is going to do before he even thinks it himself. The reason was a surprise! And then Rylan was slapped with having to share a room with him bringing out all his gay closeted fears that he had been secluding all his life.

--“There’s a difference between living your life and going through the motions…..sometimes we spend so much time being who everyone needs us to be, we forget to figure out who we actually are.”--

Rylan and Jamie get to know each other pretty fast. Rylan learning that Jamie has a controlled chaos sense around him and isn’t who his reputation made him out to be. He is actually a role model to kids for being Bisexual. All the while, Jamie figures out Ry's OCD & Control issues, which after a late night confession, stem from losing family members and having a cruel alcoholic father. His trauma broke my heart, where I just wanted to cocoon him in a safety nest. Jamie’s integration into the team and creating those relationships happened on the ice during games, which they jumped right to the action. The games were written with good descriptions that were entertaining and educated with new details about the sport to me. 

--The walls I’ve built….they don’t feel like protection anymore. They feel like prison bars.--

What really helped the plot to humanize Rylan was his father’s plot point. This conflict created a dramatic edge that helped push the characters and story in many directions. It was multifaceted, either solving or creating additional issues. It pulled at the reader's heart, hoping everyone comes thru to the other side more emotionally stable & unscathed. Jamie, having a supportive & loving family that helps anchor them in the storm they are bobbing in helped lighten the plot. Those quick, light scenes really counterbalanced the dark very well. 

--"I love you. All of you. Even the parts you’ve been afraid to show me.”--

The spice was a bit weird for me. 1/5🌶. This hesitant slow-burn had little build-up or dialogue for tension or plot. There also wasn’t a whole lot of detail of the acts themselves, which threw off the feeling of the scenes even more. Proper steps were either disregarded or skimmed over like the author was afraid to include or waste time describing each movement or physical appearance and thought. 

The ensemble was good. Family in each of their personal lives added either the drama or happiness the plot needed. Also, a hand full of teammates, the GM and Head Coach added to the plot well. This was the first book in the Seattle Sasquatch hockey series, so it’s always fun trying to pinpoint who else will be the main characters in their own books. One I figured out early on without confirmation, and then a 2nd character was fully given to the reader near the end of the novel. All future characters are confirmed in the after credits of the book. 
 
--The path everyone expects you to take isn’t always the right one.--

I did really enjoy the story and universe Harper Robson has created. Even though her descriptive detail could improve, the OCD inclusion was a great plot point. It is a unique trait that added a layer to the main character that separated him from everyone else. Harper’s creativity has improved from her first series, and I can't wait to see what else she fearlessly has up her sleeve. 

Happy Reading!