As the seasons change and temperatures cool, we still want to cling to the stories which remind us of the fun and enjoyable parts of summer. Combine summer romance with hockey and childhood friendship to lovers and you have my full attention. From the summary, Snapshots in San Diego by Wendy Hawthorne captured me with these elements and a title which reminded me of a classic 90s romcom.
Long have I underappreciated a short story. While growing up, I devoured any book I could get my hands on, never caring about its length. I had all the time in the world it seemed between being the passenger in a vehicle or staying up late at night secretly reading beneath a bookshelf light after bedtime. In adulthood, I lost a lot of the free time I took for granted. Between working a full time job and managing other responsibilities, my free time is something precious and hard fought. Sometimes that free time isn’t more than an hour or two before bed—the perfect time frame for reading a oneshot story.
As luck would have it, a short story crossed my timeline and provided a chance to show me how strong a short story could be.
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.
Sports and a close family dynamic is a combination that had me picking up Puck Drills & Quick Thrills by Eden Finley and Saxon James. I was also curious about the dual authorship as I had not previously read a book that was written by two authors. With its catchy title and interesting relationship premise between a college professor and coach, I decided to dive in and see if this book lived up to my expectations.
While browsing through Reddit looking for a new m/m romance to read, I saw someone describe one of the main characters of Heat Stroke by Tessa Bailey as a “muscular himbo puppy who dotes on his love interest.” While I haven’t read anything from Tessa Bailey previously, I am 100% into the doting character trope. Because of this, I decided to take a chance and picked up this book to see if it lived up to this particular user’s description.