They fuck you up, your Mum and Dad... whoa,
these guys had some seriously ingrained issues stemming from their upbringing. Fear of not having enough, an unhealthy work ethic, being responsible for others' wellbeing, and rigid stubbornness. How they managed to make things work is anybody's guess. But they do. The story is as much about recognising and addressing those issues in themselves as pursuing a relationship, so if watching big men crumble is your bag then this is for you.
While there's not so much hockey action on the ice, there plenty of action from the business side of hockey (this is where my lack of knowledge is a downfall. I have no idea if what happened to Kyle actually goes on, but I was incensed and that scene actually had me in tears.) For ice action, there is a lovely scene early on where Kyke teaches Austin how to skate. I'd have loved more of this. ( )

I love hockey books, and Jeff does a great job putting hockey details into the story. Kyle and Austin were great together when they would allow themselves to focus on each other. There were a bunch of challenges in their way, a lot of them their own doing, but the big challenges were doozies. Kyle had to struggle with the potential of being traded from his hometown hockey team, and Austin had troubles at the company that he founded. While I was a bit annoyed at how everything at Austin's job panned out it was HIS company, why was he the fall guy, it all worked out exactly as it should have to give our guys their HEA. I loved revisiting Garrett from [b:Guarding Garrett|52237831|Guarding Garrett (Hockey Allies Bachelor Bid)|R.J. Scott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583780537l/52237831._SY75_.jpg|77319114] and the mentions of all of the other guys from the Auction series. Loved this story.

At the end of the story, Jeff mentions a bonus chapter that he has with his newsletter. It was delightful and a great companion to this story.
( )

They fuck you up, your Mum and Dad... whoa,
these guys had some seriously ingrained issues stemming from their upbringing. Fear of not having enough, an unhealthy work ethic, being responsible for others' wellbeing, and rigid stubbornness. How they managed to make things work is anybody's guess. But they do. The story is as much about recognising and addressing those issues in themselves as pursuing a relationship, so if watching big men crumble is your bag then this is for you.
While there's not so much hockey action on the ice, there plenty of action from the business side of hockey (this is where my lack of knowledge is a downfall. I have no idea if what happened to Kyle actually goes on, but I was incensed and that scene actually had me in tears.) For ice action, there is a lovely scene early on where Kyke teaches Austin how to skate. I'd have loved more of this. ( )