Off the Ice (Hat Trick, #1)by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn
Published by Riptide Publishing
eARC
LGBT, contemporary, romance, sports
Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire—if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.
Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.
But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.
I haven't read sports romances centering around hockey before, so this was a refreshing take on that field, instead of the usual American football centered M/M romances. I grew up with a father who's a big hockey fan, so I truly were excited about this. Indeed, all things hockey were great in the story - the games especially and the atmosphere of cheering for your favourite team. Basically, everything that had to do with hockey was absolutely great.
However, it was the romance and one of the main characters which made the story not so enjoyable for me. Tristan was absolutely sweetheart and I loved him because he was so real with his struggles and enthusiasm for both studies, hockey, family, and relationships. Tristan and the hockey were the best parts of the story. Sebastian, the grumpy professor, was really unlikable character. He was demanding and seemed to dislike his students to the point where the reader is left wondering why he's a professor in the first place. He was the definition of university professor whose lectures students usually avoid. Even outside of classroom, Sebastian was rude and quite selfish. He didn't seem to have any redeemable qualities, which is why I had a hard time understanding why Tristan fell for him.
On that note, there really wasn't romantic chemistry. Sexual chemistry yes, but outside of that the relationship felt a bit too forced upon a reader. Then again, everyone else seem to love the book, so it might just be me. I just couldn't understand Sebastian, and the dominant/submissive kink that developed during the story was not my cup of tea either - in fact, I ended up skipping most of the sex scenes altogether.
However, it was the romance and one of the main characters which made the story not so enjoyable for me. Tristan was absolutely sweetheart and I loved him because he was so real with his struggles and enthusiasm for both studies, hockey, family, and relationships. Tristan and the hockey were the best parts of the story. Sebastian, the grumpy professor, was really unlikable character. He was demanding and seemed to dislike his students to the point where the reader is left wondering why he's a professor in the first place. He was the definition of university professor whose lectures students usually avoid. Even outside of classroom, Sebastian was rude and quite selfish. He didn't seem to have any redeemable qualities, which is why I had a hard time understanding why Tristan fell for him.
On that note, there really wasn't romantic chemistry. Sexual chemistry yes, but outside of that the relationship felt a bit too forced upon a reader. Then again, everyone else seem to love the book, so it might just be me. I just couldn't understand Sebastian, and the dominant/submissive kink that developed during the story was not my cup of tea either - in fact, I ended up skipping most of the sex scenes altogether.
I had a hard time deciding between three and two stars. Tristan, his teammates and the hockey were good and enjoyable, and the beginning of the story was interesting and quite captivating. On the other hand, Sebastian, the lack of romantic chemistry, and the sex that wasn't my cup of tea, made the story drag, and the last half of the story was less captivating than the beginning. In the end, the story just seems to be something that wasn't for me, even if I loved the hockey parts and Tristan.
2 of 5 stars.
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Thank you, Riptide Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Off the Ice!
(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)
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