Hello everyone!
First book blog of the year, and all of a sudden I've realized that I've become pretty dependent on my e-reader. Most of the newer releases are much easier to get a hold of in the electronic versions, which means that, until further notice (and because I was silly and didn't write down as many book reviews as I could have in my little sheepy notebook) I'm going to have to fall back on my physical book cache (which, admittedly, is still pretty formidable).
This doesn't mean anything, really, in terms of these blogs, because I am DETERMINED to keep them going regardless.
And also by the time I need more new releases for this blog I'll probably already have bought a new e-reader or gotten my old one to work again, so there.
For this particular post I chose a book I read during the Christmas holiday season but never actually got around to putting it on here because ... well, Christmas! But I have to say that it's a part of one of my all-time favourite series, by a favourite author, as well.
I'm talking about Neutral Zone, by Catherine Gayle.
I spend so much time reviewing certain authors that I almost completely forget about a different love I have going.
For those of you completely new to my blog, my family is BIG on sport enthusiasm. Both my parents used to participate in different sports, so at any given time, no matter what's being broadcast on television, you'll find either my mother or my father glued to the screen and cheering. On top of that, I have relatives participating in sports or training, and my dad's been playing amateur hockey for a while.
So, naturally, I'd been on a look-out for hockey-oriented books, just because, which was how I ran into Catherine Gayle. At one point, I'd somehow gotten to an anthology of hockey-themed stories, and one of them was Taking a Shot by this author, which, in its 20 or so pages, had me falling head-over-heels for this group of guys that was introduced, even if briefly. The main characters (Jamie and Katie) were also great, written realistically, and the situation was handled beautifully by Ms Gayle. What did I do then? Well, I went on an online hunt.
Turns out, there's an entire series up and running, named Portland Storm after the fictional hockey team from Portland, and at the time I started reading it, books all the way up to Losing an Edge had already been on the market.
Sweet.
Since then I've been an avid Storm fan (also T-Bird fan, I'm counting on the fact that they'll be getting the Stanley Cup at some future point next!) and keeping up with the team and their significant others and families. The latest of their stories, Neutral Zone, also captured my heart for a different reason entirely.
M/M romances (good, quality ones that is) are notoriously hard to find where I'm at, and even sifting through things online is dicey. It's hit-and-miss - but with Catherine Gayle, I knew I was in safe hands.
In Neutral Zone, we catch up with the team - and, specifically, with Cole Paxton (who, it should be noted, makes an appearance way back in In the Zone when he and teammate Burnzie's brother have a thing) and Luke Weber, the first openly-homosexual hockey player in the NHL.
I'd fallen in love with Colesy back when he was just a supporting character, but in Game Breaker, when he publicly announced his own homosexuality to take the heat off a dark-skinned teammate, well, my heart just swooned. And the Weber kids (with the sterling exception of She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named-Dani) have always had a special place in my swoony heart. Plus, I'm still secretly hoping for a prequel with Webs and Laura to see how the shieldmaiden tamed THAT bear of a man!
So in this novella (a mournful fact, since I'd have loved a full-length novel), Colesy is dealing with this new-found exposure of his, but equally he'd already made plans to not have a partner of any kind until after he retires from the NHL. Which, seeing as he's in his thirties now, doesn't seem that far-off anymore.
As for Luke, he's having a bit of a hard time of it. Since coming out, he hasn't actually signed any professional contracts, probably because of his sexuality, which frustrates him to no end.
It's at this point in time - and with the Storm once again chasing the Cup (seriously, can they win it already? I think it's been ... three seasons, book-wise? Can they win? PLEASE?) - that the two of them cross paths. Luke's attracted to Cole, easily, and Cole is more than happy to help kick the other man in gear to try and figure out his life. After all, he can't mope around forever.
Luckily for him, the Storm organisation is funding a web-series where one of the team's player's wives (did you get that?) works, and she needs a new cameraman.
Cole not-so-subtly pushes Luke into her path, and enjoys the fruits of his labour when that works out splendidly as both employer and future employee like what's about to happen. Naturally, sparks fly afterwards, and I have to say you do need a little bit of a fan going somewhere since it IS hawt.
Of course it's not all smooth sailing, however - Colesy still needs to realign his own ideas of partnership and relationships, since his family had basically disowned him when he admitted that he liked men, which makes him subconsciously distrustful of any promises. If a family can't keep them, how can anyone else, right?
But when rioting breaks out during one of the Storm's games - and one which Luke is covering with a camera and comes face-to-face with the rioteers - concerning homosexuality, Cole and Luke band together and realize they might JUST be stronger if they present a united front (right after the rest of the Storm family that is REALLY unimpressed with the riot).
Besides, there's Webs the Matchmaker, who's been doing it since forever on the sly, and who keeps telling Colesy not to be an asswipe - which in translation means that he needs to get his act regarding Luke together. It's not that difficult, after all (and on a side-note, when Webs gives Cole a dad-hug just because a guy sometimes needs one, I had to prevent another flood a la Noah).
And, of course, there would be no Webs without Laura, who sits Cole down to ask him what his intentions are - which is borderline hilarious, but when the conversation turns difficult for him and he breaks down, she's immediately right there to hug and comfort him and to tell him that, regardless of blood family, he now has one he chose for himself, and the Webers are a force to be reckoned with on a good day. You don't mess with them (meanwhile I'm sobbing my poor little heart out at that).
The book ends with Cole and Luke admitting that, yes, they love each other, yes, they want to be together, and they want to work problems out together. Also, Cole's mother reaches out to apologise and inform him that she's leaving his father, whose company is going under, so there's a potential reconciliation on the horizon.
Also yeah, there's hockey in this novella, the main reason I love these books so much - you learn about the game! Sexy times, too - it's Catherine Gayle, every book of hers has sexy times! But it's tastefully done and just spicy enough, so you won't hear me complaining.
I mean, the only thing bugging me was the shortness of it all. It could have been longer! In any event, however, I highly, highly recommend this series, which begins with Breakaway (well, if you subscrive to Ms Gayle's newsletter, you actually get the 0.5 book, Ice Breaker). You won't regret it.
And still rooting for the Weber prequel! I'll be waving a flag for that.
xx
*image not mine
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