Adam Kennedy is a hockey goalie with unusual raw talent and Nate Slater is his player-coach with past professional experience. Adam is gay and Nate is straight. Their lives are about to change. Minor-league hockey star forward Nate Slater knew he was on the edge of fame until tragedy struck. A three-player ambush ended his playing career, and he retreated from his beloved game disillusioned about … disillusioned about human beings and life in general. To nobody’s surprise, he couldn’t stay away for long and he grabbed hold of the comeback ladder on the lowest rung, player-coach for a team in his city’s recreational league.
To others, the Galeforce Flyers were a ragtag team of questionable talent. For Nate, they have unexploited skills that can take them to the top of their league, and he agrees to be their star forward and coach. Perhaps the most promising player is Adam Kennedy, a kid only two years out of college who plays goalie with elegant dexterity.
Although he knows in his heart that everything turns out well in the end, Adam is experiencing a rough patch in his life. Fired from his job, and low on cash to pay his rent, he considers a humiliating return to life with his parents. After his teammates step in and lean hard, Coach Slater offers the empty second-floor in his house as a temporary solution to Adam’s housing dilemma.
The quiet Adam is a good housemate for the sometimes brooding Nate. The kid is gay and the coach is straight. They maintain their distance in the house until the night Adam spots his coach…dancing.
Coach is a 58,000-word standalone gay hockey romance with first time and friends-to-lovers themes. It includes steamy scenes and a guaranteed happy ending.
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Coach is one of those feel-good romances that you can fall into for an afternoon and come out with a smile. After reading the blurb, I was a little worried that this would be a gay for you story, which don’t always work for me, but Coach and Adam are just too adorable together. Coach is kind of gay curious and I love that he doesn’t get too far into his own head about his attraction to Adam and figuring it all out. He has kind of a laid back vibe that works really well for this story. Adam is one of those characters that you just want to hug right from the start, so this relationship was bound to be full of oohs and aahs. This romance has plenty of feels without getting too heavy on the angst, some steamy goodness, and for the hockey fans, there’s plenty of that too. Personally, it was maybe it bit too much with the hockey play by plays, but it didn’t take anything away from the story and it’s written so that even I can understand what’s happening on the ice. I really enjoyed the characters here, and I loved that they’re hockey players but they don’t necessarily fit the mold of alpha male sports figures that we see so often in sports romance. None of us are just one thing, and the author shows that with these characters. All in all, another engaging sports romance from Declan Rhodes.
3.5 stars. Declan Rhodes is always a guaranteed win for me. I love his characters and low angst with sweet endings. For some reason, this story was just okay for me. I would highly recommend all of Declan’s books, especially the Mathesons or the Matchmaker series, if you want a taste of Declan’s talent. My favorite part of Coach was Slater and Adam pairs dancing on the ice. Adam’s BFFs were a great addition to the story.
I know that I will always enjoy a book written by Declan Rhodes. I love the happiness, and joy that his characters experience without ridiculous amounts of unrealistic drama. If I am honest though, I’m not sure that I think either Coach or Adam reacted true to their characters when they fought.
I liked that Adam was introverted and was able to be an excellent goalie while not being a walking stereotype. Coach was a bit more complicated, and a bit less easy for me to relate to. Was he really as driven as he was described? Because I didn’t really see it.
Regardless, I loved the two of them together and the love that these two men clearly felt for each other. Once they both got out of their own heads, they realized just how much they trusted each other, and that trust is the best foundation for love.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Lots of hockey play but something missing
3.5stars
Good steam, lots of male bonding and minimal angst made this an okay read that kept my interest but not one of my favorite Declan Rhodes MM romances.
I like a sports romance and winter sports are some of my favorites but find it better when the sports do not impinge too much on the romance. This one did get a bit too blow-by-blow in the gameplay for me, but I also felt that the lead characters were less developed than in the other novels I’ve read recently and liked more by the author.
Coach aka Slater, a former minor league player, seems to glide from his hetero past to same gender romance with his new young goalie Adam with no hesitation. I don’t know, for me it seemed just too smooth a transition. And Coach is a misanthrope who gets fulfillment from volunteering and working in the community? Something just did not jive.
Adam’s friends added some liveliness and humor, as do some of the hockey team players, but this story did not provoke much emotional connection for me.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.