About the Book: Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire—if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.
Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.
But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.
Hat Trick #1
M/M Sports Romance
Riptide Publishing | October 30, 2017
Holy Macaroni was that one hot romance novel! I don’t read romance for the sex scenes, I read them for the romance. In fact, over the years I’ve found myself skimming sex scenes when there are far too many. I didn’t skim anything in Off the Ice! It had a gorgeous romance, which only made the intimacy sexier! I also think part of it was in how there was no sense of urgency. Tristan and Sebastian didn’t break any rules, and for me it made the wait so worth it!
Here I go, like a broken record, but how awesome is it when there isn’t any undue angst in a story. It feels so good to read. I don’t want to yell at anyone. I’m not groaning and rolling my eyes. Tristan and Sebastian were honest with each other. They were respectful. Their relationship was important to the both of them, so they treated it with care. They treated each other with care. They were honest. It’s inspiring, I think.
Basically, I really loved Off the Ice! The authors did a fantastic job with the story. The only reason I didn’t give it a full 5 stars is because I didn’t find the characters interesting individually. The chemistry was on point, the romance gave me all sorts of gooey feelings, but I won’t remember the characters as individuals, and to me that’s important.
Despite that, I will be watching out for future installments in the Hat Trick series, and I may even go back and read Permanent Ink, because if this book is any indication Piper and Avon are a great team!
Thank you to Riptide Publishing for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Birdie Bookworm 