“Rachel Reid’s hockey heroes are sexy, hot, and passionate! I’ve devoured this entire series and I love the flirting, the exploration and the delicious discovery in Common Goal!” —Lauren Blakely, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Guy Walks into My Bar New York Admirals goalie Eric never thought his friends-with-benefits arrangement with much-younger Kyle would leave them both wanting more…
New York Admirals goalie Eric never thought his friends-with-benefits arrangement with much-younger Kyle would leave them both wanting more…
Veteran goaltender Eric Bennett has faced down some of the toughest shooters on the ice, but nothing prepared him for his latest challenge—life after hockey. It’s time to make some big changes, starting with finally dating men for the first time.
Graduate student Kyle Swift moved to New York nursing a broken heart. He’d sworn to find someone his own age to crush on (for once). Until he meets a gorgeous, distinguished silver fox hockey player. Despite their intense physical attraction, Kyle has no intention of getting emotionally involved. He’ll teach Eric a few tricks, have some mutually consensual fun, then walk away.
Eric is more than happy to learn anything Kyle brings to the table. And Kyle never expected their friends-with-benefits arrangement to leave him wanting more. Happily-ever-after might be staring them in the face, but it won’t happen if they’re too stubborn to come clean about their feelings.
Everything they both want is within reach… They just have to be brave enough to grab it.
Game Changers
Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal
Book 5: Role Model
more
I’m not generally one for sweet, low-angst stories, but I adored this one.
There was just something so darn precious about 40 year old, divorced Eric and his exploration of his bi-sexuality that gave me all the warm feels.
And the way Kyle helped him in his explorations…. yum!
But it wasn’t the perfect story, despite my 5-star rating. Because Reid used one of my pet peeves to create tension, namely the much annoying and over-used “misunderstandings due to not talking to each other like adults”. And when that is too drawn out (which it was) it just irritates me. So that I still rate this as a 5, despite the fabricated drama, really says something about the story.
Also, I listened to the audio and the narrator did a smashing job. Perfection!
Highly recommend!
My reading order of this series so far looks like I’m playing a game of hop scotch; I didn’t read Book #1, LOVED Book #2, skipped Book #3 and decided to head right on to this. When I requested for this, I had hopes that since I kept to my “trend” this would go the same way as Book #2 even though the premise for both books are like day and night.
In a way, I got the same experience in terms of the quality of the writing which was great. I have come to really enjoy the way this author writes and the depth of characters she creates. She makes you feel strongly for her characters(whether negatively/positively) and that is something I always admire about in a writer.
Kyle was a sweetheart and full of life while Eric was practical and meticulous but somehow, you could still feel the enormous chemistry these two men had on the page. The secondary characters were also fun to read about; especially the quips from Eric’s teammates which had me rolling. It also didn’t hurt that my faves from Book #2 (Ilya and Shane) appeared for some scenes: with Ilya being his same annoyingly blunt self and Shane being his opposite. Lol!
However, as you can see from my rating, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. What didn’t quite work out for me here was the way the story panned out. I knew that due to Eric’s inexperience and his “arrangement” with Kyle to teach him some few “tricks”, their road to an HEA would not be an easy one. What I did not expect it to be, was both guys thinking they knew what the other person was thinking rather than just speaking to each other. It was like Oprah giving out prizes on her show while shouting: “You get an assumption!”, “You get an assumption!”, “EVERYBODY GETS AN ASSUMPTIOOONNN!!!”
I mean, I usually don’t mind these communication issues if they are cleared up before majority of the story passes but this went on forever and when I say forever, I mean FOREVER. It got to a point I was so frustrated and kept thinking: “Why you gotta do this to me Rachel Reid? I thought we were cool?”
As a result of these two men not talking and taking their sweet, sweet time excavating their respective heads out of their butts, we had almost zero on-page time with them as a couple before the Epilogue. It wasn’t what I was hoping for which was a bummer.
So yeah, it was not a bad book but if the story had not been hijacked by the “Olympics of Assumptions”, it would definitely have been an easy 5-star book especially with how potent the chemistry was between these two men. But Alas! This wasn’t meant to be!
When the main characters, Eric and Kyle, finally set aside their insecurities to focus on their emotional needs and desire was the happily ever after endings I’ve read.
This was a very interesting book. I enjoyed the ups and downs moments of the road to a beautiful story and great characters.
I’ll definitely recommend it and will be on the lookout for other books by the author.
I love an age gap romance, and when that romance includes a silver fox like Eric, I’m all in. This one is also a friends with benefits relationship, or it starts out that way, and I really like that Eric is the more inexperienced of the two. Kyle is about 15 years younger and is a complete sweetheart with sass, lots of sass. Both of these guys have their own reasons for caution when it comes to a relationship, but I have to say that they frustrated the daylights out of me with their back and forth when one completely open conversation would’ve made a world of difference. There would still have been some things for both to work through, but it felt like they were just skirting the important conversation every time they spoke. Nevertheless, I loved the chemistry and both of these guys are just too sweet for words. We also get to catch up a bit with some past characters in the series, and many of the events in this book coincide with events in those past books. I’ve liked each book in this series, some more than others, but I have to say that Eric and Kyle are my favorite pair so far. I will be anxious to see how the next couples in the series measure up.
Well look at that, Scotty has a friend who could use some advice…
I don’t want to spend this entire review fangirling over hockey players who have already gotten to share their stories but…I freaking loved seeing all my guys even if only for a moment. Little visits , away games, and the All Star game make it possible to catch up with friends, young and old.
Eric Bennett is the oldest guy on team, not counting the coaching staff. He is ancient in hockey years. Playing for longer than most, he realizes his penalty clock is winding down but he may not get back on the ice. With his professional life in upheaval and his personal life at rock bottom since his divorce, Eric is at a new low. Or is it the down low? Too many trips to Kingfisher to pretend the sexy young bartender doesn’t intrigue him. Too many nights spent watching him. Too many thoughts crowding him too ever do something- or not.
Romantically challenged and long overdue. Eric will sweep you along on his journey to truly live/love. All with the help of the friendly neighborhood bartender and some amazing Os.
This was a great addition to the series. Especially with so much of Kip and Scott and then little teases of Ilya and Shane. With that being said, I could have done with less back and forth with the age issue that Eric couldn’t let go, and more of them actually being together. They didn’t actually get together for real until the very end. It is surprising because the other books were not like that and I feel there was less of a hurdle here.
So, overall, I liked it a lot. Eric is sweet and charming and Kyle is sexy and smart and outgoing. They round each other out and just click. I did think that the story was written really well in terms of Eric figuring out how to navigate his bisexuality after being married to a woman for 20 years. That part was nice and believable. Cooper North narrated and did a great job.
Eric Bennett has been an NHL goaltender for nearly two decades, and at age 41 he’s rapidly approaching the end of his career. He’s starting to realize that he hasn’t really felt strongly about anything or anyone for a VERY long time. Even his divorce, while disappointing, wasn’t exactly heartbreaking. He’s got a great house, good friends, an amazing job, and even a hobby. But he feels empty. None of the trappings of success are keeping him company at night. He has also started to fully acknowledge the fact that he’s bisexual. It’s something he hasn’t really had to examine much, since he was married to Holly for so long. But being single is making him realize that his attraction to men is something he wants to explore.
Enter Kyle. A gorgeous, young, bartender, a friend of a friend. Kyle is a free spirit – almost the exact opposite of straight-laced Eric. He’s fun-loving, but he also speaks several languages and is studying for his graduate degree in art history. Since Eric is an art collector, they have a lot in common.
Kyle isn’t afraid of pursuing what he wants when it comes to sex, and he’s got lots of experience. Kyle offers to be Eric’s “teacher” in the ways of hooking up with men. Kyle shows Eric a world of sexual pleasure that he had never even imagined, let alone experienced. But the sex isn’t even the best part of their relationship. They genuinely like each other, like spending time together. Eric begins to realize that he’s getting in over his head with his “friends-with-benefits” arrangement. The fact that he’s 15 years older than Kyle is a huge road block for him, especially since Kyle has had several bad experiences with older men. He convinces himself that a relationship with Kyle wouldn’t be fair to him. Kyle is so young, gorgeous and fun, he should be with someone his own age. So he tries to pull away. But Eric fails to realize that while Kyle may be young, he’s able to make his own decisions about his life.
Common Goal is a sweet story about trust, and about the fact that it’s never too late to pursue what makes you happy. It takes Eric a while to realize it, but Kyle is one of the best things to ever happen to him, and being together is what makes them BOTH happy and fulfilled. “Age ain’t nothin’ but a number”. I devoured Common Goal. Eric and Kyle’s story is sweet and steamy and fun and I couldn’t put it down.
This is the first book I have read by Rachel Reid and it certainly won’t be the last. Common Goal is book 4 in the Game Changers but it can be read as a stand-alone, I can vouch for that because I’m playing catch up with this series and I still loved this steamy sports romance. If you love hockey and MM romance this should be at the top of your must read list.
In a Common Goal we follow veteran goal keeper Eric Bennett and bartender/ graduate student Kyle Swift as they form a friendship which leads to love and a passionate romance. Eric is a bisexual man but up until now he has only had relationships with women but after his recent divorce he realises he may need more in his life and once he meets Kyle he knows just what he was missing….
This book ticked all my boxes, it’s steamy and romantic, it’s about friendships as well as love and it’s about two people getting to know each others secrets and flaws as they fall in love.
Looking forward to reading more from this very talented author.
Another fantastic, hot and sexy book in this series.
I love this series so much. Every single book has been a 5-star read for me and Common Goal is no exception – and boy is it hot!
It’s a fantastic age-gap and bi-awakening story. Eric is an aging goalie who is reaching the end of his career. He had an amicable divorce from his wife of 20-years but has yet to remove his wedding ring. This causes a bit of a dilemma for his soon-to-be love interest, Kyle, because while Kyle is attracted when they first meet, he absolutely will not get involved with a married man.
The thing that makes this story so hot is Kyle’s offer to teach Eric everything he wants to know about sexy-time with a man – and boy does Kyle know a lot!! But beyond this, there is a tender love story developing between the two of them. The problem is that Eric just can’t seem to get past the age difference and just about ends up destroying everything between them.
I started out listening to the audiobook version of this, read by Cooper North, but soon switched back to reading the ebook. I believe this is the first audiobook I’ve listened to from Cooper North. I didn’t think his narration was really bad or anything, I just wasn’t feeling the same emotion listening to the story as I’ve always gotten when reading the previous books (I haven’t listened to any of them).
While Common Goal can easily be read as a standalone, fans of the series will enjoy visiting with previous characters from other books in the series. In particular, I enjoyed the cameo appearances by Ilya Rosanov and Shane Hollander from book two, Heated Rivalry. I’m not certain how the timeline for Common Goal intersects with Heated Rivalry, but nothing about that book is revealed in Common Goal. However, if you’ve read Heated Rivalry, you’ll be reading between the lines in a few of the scenes.
As far as I’m concerned, this series can continue on forever. I’m a huge fan and I love Rachel Reid’s writing.
A review copy of the ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and Harlequin Audio provided a review copy of the audiobook, but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
I really enjoyed this one, though not as much as I enjoyed Heated Rivalry. I am afraid nothing will surpass that one anyway…
Still, in each book, we get hot hockey players falling in love, and what is not to love about that!! Damn I love hockey players and I will confess… the goalies are definitely my favorite. They are a brand all on their own.
Now I wasn’t a real fan of the slow-going pace in this on and the pushing and pulling that came with it, but we can’t love them all the same and I especially like how this author has made all the books so different from one another.
That said, I loved the age gap and the sexual discovery in this one… it was delicious.
So even though, this wasn’t my favorite in the series, I still very much enjoyed it and I can’t wait for more. Keep em coming, please!!!
Ok so I can’t say that I loved this one. I just liked parts of it. Eric is the older goalie on the team who has just gotten divorced and is ready to explore the things he feel’s like he missed out on. Kyle is the younger man who is a good friend of the main character in a previous book. They were cute and sweet together, but I just felt like something was missing. I don’t know, I had a hard time even getting into this one which really surprised me. There were just a lot of things that got on my nerves. The age gap thing was one of them because I really don’t feel like that should have been a major issue. I honestly felt like Eric never being with a man before should have been more of an issue than it was, it was almost like it was glossed over in my opinion. I don’t know, some things felt rushed and other things felt like they dragged out for me. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t to my liking.
This is the fourth book in the series and can be read as a standalone. I have mixed feelings about this one. I loved the writing style and the banter between Kyle and Eric .
Age Gap
Sports Romance
Friends to lovers
No strings attached
Slow burn
Dual POV
Super hot sex
I was a bit annoyed by the back and forth between the MCs because of the age gap. It was a constant hurdle and I kept wondering why they cared that much about age. They are both adults, for fuck’s sake.
Loved the friendships in this book. Scott and Kip are best friends of the MCs and I do hope that I get around reading their book someday.
We get cameos from Ilya and Shane!!! I’m sorry but Ilya will forever be my favourite. Did I pick this up because I knew he was going to be in it? Yes, I did! Hopefully the magic will be back when it comes to their next book because I keep comparing each book to Heated Rivalry.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Common Goal was a sweet, friends to lovers, MM romance. Just like other books in this series, it was beautifully written and I entirely enjoyed reading it.
With his retirement coming close and his divorce behind him Eric Bennett, a New York Admirals goalie, decided that it was finally a time for him to start dating again. Kyle Swift is a graduate student who works as a bartender alongside Kip from Game Changer (first book in the Game Changers series). Even though they already met through mutual friends, once Eric and Kyle start talking they discover that they have a lot of things in common and there was no denying the chemistry between them.
Eric is shy and private. He is a vegetarian, doesn’t drink, collects art and sometimes talks to goal posts… I adored him!
Kyle was playful, kind, outgoing, funny and so charming.
I loved their friendship, connection they shared, and how perfect for each other they were. They were both amazing characters and I loved them!
I love that we got to see characters from previous books, Scott and Kip, and reading more about Ilya Rozanov made my day( Ilovehimsofreakingmuch!)
I really liked this book but towards the end, I felt like something was missing and things seemed a little bit rushed to me, but still, I enjoyed reading it.
If you love MM romance you need to read this book and this series. I cannot recommend them enough!
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This is the fourth book in the Game Changers series. I really loved this book and have enjoyed the whole series. The characters were wonderful with all their hang-ups about age and their worthiness of being in a relationship. It also deals with the emotions of retiring from a sport you have played for many years. The pace was spot on and hard to put down. I do feel you could read this book as a stand-alone, but in my opinion it is better read as part of the series.
Eric is a forty-one-year-old NHL player. He admitted to Kyle he’s bi and wants to explore, wants to go out. Kyle and Eric have some mutual friends and Kyle will help and introduce him to the gay scene and who knows maybe even find him a hook up. Kyle wants to find himself also a guy. Not with each other, nooo, Eric is looking for someone not too young thirty maybe. Poor Kyle he’s only twenty-five.
They decide to be friends. When Kyle offers himself as the one where Eric could sexually practice with they start friends with benefits. And Kyle will still lookout for a guy for Eric. Sounds great right? So not. They have the best time together and it will never be more, because hey, thirty-plus right!
I loved this story, the pace was good, it was entertaining and with enough emotions. Quite lovable characters, with Kyle as a bright star. The time they spent together was nice to watch.
It took them a long time to get where they wanted to be, at the end I wished some more resistance before giving in.
Overall a funny, sexy, enjoyable narrative!
I’ve enjoyed the Game Changers series, and while book two is still my favorite, Common Goal was a great addition to the series and definitely worth the read.
Opposites attract is a perennial favorite trope of mine and I really liked how Kyle and Eric complimented and contrasted with each other in Common Goal. Kyle’s flirty, suggestive side was just enough to be entertaining and offer a bright counterpoint to Eric’s normally quiet, pensive approach. Even better, both characters were multi-layered and I enjoyed getting to see all their sides as the book progressed and they grew comfortable with one another. I also liked the approach to Eric’s bi-awakening and the way he (and Kyle) explored his sexual identity. The pace was measured, enough interest and chemistry between Eric and Kyle to hook me but slow enough to allow the emotions time to build as the story progressed. There was a bit of the dreaded lack of communication as the main source of conflict and tension between Kyle and Eric. Although the reasoning for both characters’ hesitation was noted and believable, it’s a pet peeve of mine that always dulls the shine of a romance for me. Happily, Kyle and Eric finally hashed it out and I did enjoy the resolution quite a bit. As with the other books in the series, Common Goal has great heat with good physical chemistry between the men. For those like me who want their sports romance to include the sport on page, Common Goal has a good amount of hockey in it, picking up on the quirky personalities of goalies and the comradery among teammates.
Overall, I really liked that both Eric and Kyle were original and I thought they had a good chemistry. While I wished there had been more open communication between them over the course of the story, Common Goal is a good bi-awakening hockey romance with polished writing I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
*eARC received via Netgalley*
Ice at work & a newly-discovered taste for fire after hours
4-4.5stars
This was my first time reading a Rachel Reid MM sports romance and I was pretty impressed. Especially with the character she created in veteran goalie Eric. Eric just does not resemble the hockey player stereotype and that’s why he was so appealing to me.
Eric explores his long disguised attraction for men with Kyle, a much younger student/bartender who’s had some disheartening experiences with older men but still gravitates to Eric. This story has frequent and detailed steamy scenes, including some experimenting with restraints. Despite the way the guys open up to each other sexually, they have real difficulty talking with each other about their true emotions which leads to rocky patches.
In addition to Eric’s insecurity about seeing a much younger man, Eric’s facing the end of his career on the ice as his age and injuries are catching up to him despite his healthy lifestyle. I really found this part of the story touching.
I thought the writing was good, the plot compelling and the romance sizzlin’. I can see myself reading other books in the series, but this story is a standalone; no cliffhanger in sight.
Thanks to Carina Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Spicy, steamy, and romantic!
Common Goal is a passionate, lighthearted, sports romance featuring the playful, outgoing Kyle, who is adamant about keeping things casual but more than happy to help a mature, sexy, hockey player explore his attraction to men, and the sweet, thoughtful Eric, who is ready for something more but definitely not with someone fifteen years his junior.
The writing is sultry and sincere. The characters are insecure, charming, and appealing. And the plot is a tantalizing mix of palpable attraction, unquenchable lust, sizzling chemistry, friendship, temptation, desire, drama, sexy times, and hockey.
Overall, Common Goal is a fervent, tender, seductive treat by Reid that is another wonderful addition to what is ultimately turning out to be an absolutely fantastic Game Changers series.
Recommend; For readers that enjoy MM sport romances and age gaps.
Blurb: Eric Bennett has always put hockey first. But after his divorce he’s wondering if maybe it’s time to explore his hidden desires. The best person to do that with is the much younger man, Kyle. He’s a friend of a friend and he’s out-and-proud; he can definitely ease Eric into his self-discovery. But when these two men get closer both will have to decide if this is just a friends with benefits or arrangment or this is the real deal.
Opinion: This is a slow burn romance as these characters get comfortable with each other. Honestly I am a big fan of Rachel Reid but I felt that this one didn’t grab my attention as much as her other novels. It seemed to drag on in certain aspects and I was ready to get on with the romance! You cannot argue that these two men have a connection but there was a lot of tension over the age gap between them. I really didn’t like how they handled their issues. I just wish people would communicate more then letting things fester.
Overall it was a so-so romance!
I received an advanced copy from netgalley for an honesty review.