Book Review: Gravity
Gravity by Tal Bauer redefined the way I consume sports media, and my view of the sport of hockey. I enjoy all sorts of sports media, everything ranging from manga to movies. Hajime no Ippo is a boxing manga that made me appreciate a boxer's physical and mental journey, and Remember the Titans is a movie ANYONE can enjoy whether you like football or not because it not only tells a important and great story, it shows how sports brings people together.
Still, I have never had one blend the MM Romance genre with sports in such a flawless way as Gravity has done.
Quick Information
Author: Tal Bauer
Published: August 12, 2022
Genre: Romance, M/M Romance, Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance
Official Summary
C’est cela l’amour, et tu es mon rêve...
Bryce:
Hockey is my life. This game pulled me from my tiny Quebec hometown all the way to the NHL, and now? I’m the number one player in the league. Team capitane for the Montréal Étoiles. I’m shattering records and packing arenas every night, and I’ve promised my team: we’re going to win the Stanley Cup this year.
But I’m keeping big secrets. I'm thinking dangerous thoughts, and dreaming about impossible things. Like how a man’s lips might taste, or how his body might feel in my arms.
I can’t go there. I’ve got to focus. Team. Hockey. Cup. What my heart wants doesn’t matter.
So why am I falling head over heels at the NHL's All-Star Weekend?
I can’t do this. I can’t fall for Hunter Lacey. He’s a hockey player. We’re both in the NHL. He’s on a different team. And, oh yeah, he’s straight.
Hunter:
I’m a middle-of-the-road, nothing-special hockey player. Good enough to be drafted into the NHL, and I’ve been on the roster for the past two years, but I’ll never make the Hall of Fame. I’m just trying to keep my head up and get through each day, until this wild ride comes to an end.
Deep thinking isn’t really my thing. Look inside myself? Lotta beer and burgers there.
I never thought I’d be invited to the All-Star Weekend, but here I am. And there’s my hero: Bryce Michel, league superstar.
Saying hello to Bryce turns into hours spent together on the ice, and then an invite to dinner, and then days at each other's side. I’m in heaven. He’s my hero, and this is the coolest—
Then Bryce’s lips land on mine, and the world turns upside down.
Review
Bryce Michel is captain of the Montréal Étoiles, and this is the year they have a shot at the Stanley Cup. Touted as the best player in the NHL, Bryce already has a lot of expectations on his shoulders. He doesn’t want to focus on the intrusive thoughts that keep him up at night or the nagging feeling that despite his success, something’s missing in his life.
During the All-Star Weekend in Vegas, he meets his new team mate Hunter Lacey. Hunter has been a huge fan of Bryce’s since he started playing hockey, and he's shocked that Bryce even talks to him. Their gameplay together is perfect, magical even. They are in-sync on and off the ice. Suddenly Bryce feels that he can’t push away those thoughts any longer now that Hunter is right in front of him.
The story’s pacing is phenomenal, and the romantic relationship develops naturally. The dual point of view shifts throughout the book really help heighten the tension and convey the intimacy the two characters feel towards one another. The realistic fears and doubts each character undergoes feel real and genuine. These hardships are ones readers may have also shared in their own lives, and they are certainly ones we can relate to. We see the range of emotions from characters as they experience joy, happiness, and pain.
The chemistry between the two main characters is perfect. Both Bryce and Hunter find their soulmate, the person who completes them, shares their passion, and unconditionally loves them. Perfection. This kind of connection is exactly what I want to read about in stories of this genre. These characters find parts of themselves that they hadn’t been able to explore in the past or weren’t even aware existed inside themselves.
Even with a large cast of characters making up the hockey team, Tal Bauer handles each player by giving them a distinct voice and makes sure to show their importance to each main character. The team camaraderie is a highlight of this story, and anyone who's ever played sports knows just how important the team dynamic is to ensuring victory and weathering low moments during a season.
One thing to note for readers: since this story follows a Canadian hockey team, several characters, including Bryce, speak and think in regional Quebecois French. If you’re reading this book via Kindle, there is a built-in translator. If you have the paperback, you may have to use a search engine or have a friend nearby who can translate. Bauer doesn’t use anything which can’t be parsed via context clues. By the end, I suspect you will start learning the French terms of endearment used by both characters. While I don’t always appreciate having to stop and look up foreign language words and phrases, especially in the middle of intense scenes, the inclusion of French feels important to the story and adds another layer of authenticity to the narrative without becoming overbearing or distracting.
Tal Bauer is an outstanding author who deserves high praise for his writing and his storytelling skills. He excels at showing when two soulmates find one another and how this meeting changes their lives. Beyond just telling an excellent romance story, Bauer has a solid understanding of hockey in general and wields this knowledge expertly throughout the story to make you feel the same adrenaline the players experience. Sports fans will enjoy each moment of gameplay within these pages, bearing in mind that it is indeed a fictional story at the end of the day. Even readers who may normally feel inclined to skip the sports sections will find the games engaging. You won’t want to skip a second of this story.
This is one of those books I couldn’t put down once I started. Often when romance authors try to mix sports with a relationship, one or the other ends up taking the backseat. Either the sport is treated as merely an accessory in a character’s life (looking at you, Puck Drills…), or the relationship is described implicitly behind the scenes (Yuri on Ice, as much as I love the anime, is guilty of this). Gravity balances the best of both worlds and is an adult MM romance you shouldn’t pass on.