Genre: Sports Romance, MM Romance
My Review -
I was so happy to hear Gale and Vaughn were teaming up again for the second book in this series! Goalie Interference is pure enemy to lovers with goalies Ryu and Emmitt crackling with animosity from the moment they meet. And why wouldn’t they? Ryu thought he’d be named the starter but instead the coach informs them they’ll be taking turns. The competition was on!
Not only were they legit rivals, there are big personality differences. But of course, it was only a matter of time before they acknowledged the thin line between lust and hate and decide they might as well work out some of the tension. Only they both catch feelings and right as they’re realizing they really do like one another, the Venom go into the playoffs and there will be only one starting goalie. My heart went out to both of them because at the end of the day, they both want to be the starter and they don’t know how to reconcile the competition with their relationship. So much angst!
Unfortunately, the ending felt very rushed. Ryu and Emmitt don’t really address their issues before getting back together. What’s to stop them from breaking up the next time the coach is going to choose between them? Yes, they now admit they love one another but I wanted to know how they would work through their competitiveness on the ice and what they can do to communicate their concerns. While the epilogue gives us a nice glimpse of their relationship, it was not far enough into the future to give me the reassurance that they’ll work through future conflict just fine. I believe in them and believe they’re great together. I just wanted more.
I loved how this directly dealt with racism in the NHL and how Ryu and Emmitt encouraged children of color to consider playing hockey. Emmitt is Black and Ryu is Japanese American and they both reference the racism and microaggressions they’ve experienced from players and fans alike.
The side characters are great. I loved the glimpses we got of Tristan and Sebastian’s relationship—so great to see them doing well. And Morley cracked me up, that doofus puppy of a man. I would not be mad if he got his own book!
One other thing I found interesting was Ryu’s touch aversion. That’s not something I’ve seen often and it was great to watch Ryu and Emmitt navigate what this meant for their relationship.
CW: racism, microaggressions
Synopsis
It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn…
Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.
Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom is looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.
Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.
In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.
Buy the book:
Amazon (affiliate link) | Barnes & Noble
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Carina Press in exchange for an honest review.
