USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle presents another novella in the emotional Portland Storm hockey romance series.Being stuck in the Neutral Zone is no way to live… deflect the attention away from another teammate during the playoffs. One little admission, and now his private life is making headlines.
Luke Weber would love the chance to bask in Cole’s limelight. After all, he’s never had the pro hockey career he envisioned. If he’d stayed in the closet, maybe that spotlight would have been his. He’ll never know the truth, now that the doors to his dream career have been slammed shut.
With everything out in the open, there’s no denying the attraction they feel for each other. Cole and Luke want to move forward—together. But to do so, they’ll each have to let go of the lives they’d imagined for themselves. Can two strong men relinquish the fantasies of their futures to make their real dreams come true?
The Portland Storm hockey romance series
1) Breakaway
2) On the Fly
3) Taking a Shot
4) Light the Lamp
5) Delay of Game
6) Double Major
7) In the Zone
8) Holiday Hat Trick
9) Comeback
10) Dropping Gloves
11) Home Ice
12) Mistletoe Misconduct
13) Losing an Edge
14) Game Breaker
15) Defensive Zone
16) Power Play
17) Neutral Zone
18) Free Agent – releasing February 8, 2018
19) Journeyman – releasing August 9, 2018
20) Sleigh Bells & Slap Shots – releasing December 13, 2018
more
This is such a well written love story! So happy to see Cole get his HEA after everything he has been through and continues to go through being an openly gay player in the NHL. This is a story about friendship, family, love and acceptance. It is about the hurdles that gay people have to deal with and find a way to jump over every day. It deals with the impact that coming out can have on the life of an athlete. Unfortunately there are still so many close minded, unaccepting and homophobic people out there, sometimes in their own families. But ultimately at it’s core, it is a love story between two wonderful people, plain and simple.
Cole Paxton may be a lot older than Luke Weber but these two are absolutely perfect for each other and bring out the very best in each other. Even Webs, Cole’s coach and also Luke’s dad, knew it would be a good pairing for both men. He was so funny with Cole, I laughed every time!
I truly enjoyed watching Cole and Luke finally get together and I love the way the Luke’s whole family behaves about their relationship and ultimately how they treat Cole. It just really made my heart happy.
And as always, I love hearing what the other Storm couples we all know and love are up to and Catherine always manages to weave that into her storylines.
While not my favorite Portland Storm book (M/M romance isn’t normally my thing), I loved the characters. You get to know them from the other books in the series, so you kind of have to read them all. I would recommend it.
We have seen Luke Weber and Cole Paxton in the background of other books. Luke is the son of Webs, the Coach for the Portland Storm and the brother of Katie and Dani who have married members of the Storm.
Luke is fresh out of college and looking for his own NHL dreams to come true on his own merit, but unfortunately despite his hard work and determination he has not been picked up by a team. He thinks it might be because he came out in his Senior year of college. He is anxious, frustrated, angry, and losing hope.
Colesy is older, more established, and did not intend to come out while still playing professionally, but to take the heat of Ghost during a tense situation, he blurted it out to the press. So now everyone knows. He is quiet, private, and shies away from media attention usually. He is kind, thoughtful, and supportive of those around him. He just wants to play and live a quiet life.
Luke has a supportive, loving, and sometimes nosy and interfering family. Colesy’s was not so supportive of his choices. Luke has had a bit of a crush on Cole for a while, but at the same time is envious of his success and ability to be who he is and play professional hockey. Cole takes Luke under his wing to try to help him, but the more time they spend together, the more they begin to feel a pull. But if Luke achieves his dream of getting chosen for a team then that would mean leaving and if he pursues something with Cole he would more than likely have to give up hockey. And Cole never intended to have a relationship until he retired, and doing so would put them right into the spotlight.
Pursuing a relationship could have consequences for them. So these two men have to figure out what they need and want, priorities, options, and deal with any fall out from those around them and the media. I loved getting all the cameos from so many of the Storm family. This group is so much fun and have such big personalities.
This is a novella told in dual points of view and I honestly wish it was longer. I would have liked to get more depth, drama, conflict, and dig more into the emotional and physical connection with these two since I really liked them. It was fast, sweet, sexy, and humorous. It had good messages about being true to yourself, developing connections, family, and embracing unexpected life changes.
I wish that athletes and others did not have to struggle so much with coming out, but unfortunately it still is a big deal especially in professional sports, so I am glad that she brought us a M/M story in this beloved series.
**I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Whether neutral or bias, Neutral Zone tackles subjects we can all get behind. Look beyond the romance and step into the light. Ms. Gayle is once again, on track with the times. Cole and Luke’s tale is a fight for acceptance and self- love. It is a journey that is equal parts heartbreaking and inspirational. Life is about being true to ourselves and making the time we have here count. Skin color, religious beliefs or sexuality should not factor into tolerance. That’s the lesson that Neutral Zone teaches.