Crushed Ice: Hockey Ever After, Book 4

I absolutely enjoy this series from Morgan James and Ashlyn Kane. And this is another great addition that focuses on a new couple with the trusted veteran Russ Lyons and the new rookie Liam Belanger. This slow burn romance has a slight age gap between the two MCs. The path to the HEA is is not a direct line for this pair and what I appreciate about this series is that there are sometimes bumps in the road in a relationship, bad timing, different locations-there are all things that happen in real life but sometimes not seen in a book. As a reader, it makes the character and the story more relatable in a way. The MC that really stole the show for me in this book was Russ. He’s been the older brother, the reliable veteran on the team, always looking out for his family, his teammates, his rookie. When faced with an opportunity to have something for himself, he’s so reluctant, unwilling to accept Liam and what a relationship with him actually means-letting someone in and accepting that you can’t always do it all. Fate steps in and what initially is very devastating for the pair of MCs ends up being a lesson for both of them and brings them closer together. It took a fair bit of time to get to their well earned HEA but it was an enjoyable read getting there. And I’m looking forward to the next book in the series from the teaser at the back!

I enjoyed Russ and Liam and their dynamic a lot, but I couldn’t help but feel that things started to feel rushed down the stretch in this one. Essentially skipping over some potential slam dunk moments (meeting the parents type things, Max and Grady’s wedding most of all) left me feeling a bit unsatisfied with the ending. Everything after the dramatic twist moment felt a bit clipped. Maybe some of that is coming in another “offseason” novella? Otherwise it seems like an odd creative choice. I’d still recommend the read, I just saw a lot of potential for more

the book is actually pretty cute! i love this series, but it does have it’s ups and downs. Russ and Liam are very cute, and their relationship makes sense. The pacing just seemed very weird, where i was bored at some parts but the ending went at lightning speed. All in all, if i re-read this series i won’t be skipping it, but i probably won’t re-read it as a standalone.