It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn… compete for his spot.
Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom are looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.
Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.
In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 68,000 words
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The characters were wonderful and the enemies to lovers angle was lowe angst but added spice to the story.
You don’t need to know anything about hockey to appreciate the story, but since I am a hockey fan I enjoyed the authentic hockey lingo and situations.
This was so freakin’ delightful! This m/m hockey romance hits all my favorite buttons: slow burn, rivals to lovers, crusty cinnamon roll hero, steamy love scenes, multicultural cast, family rejection, great secondary characters, great suspense. I’m looking forward to reading Tristan’s story next.
This was a steamy and adorable sports romance.
This story features two men of color as the protagonist. Emmitt is a black man trying to make it in the NHL, and Ryu is Japanese American.
The story kicks off with Emmitt being drafted to the NHL from the minor leagues, which is where he previously played. When he arrives to his new team, he realizes he’ll have to compete against Ryu, the teams goalie, for the starting spot for the season.
Not only is this an enemies to lovers story, but it also has an opposites attract trope. Emmitt is loud, a little bit obnoxious, and arrogant. Ryu has this driven, more reserved personality. I think they complemented each other really well. The banter between them was my favorite. I loved the hate to love that coated their relationship at the beginning. I also really loved how they went from enemies to eventually developing feelings for each other. It felt really authentic.
The ending felt a bit rushed to me. Everything kind of wraps up and resolves itself fairly quick. It’s definitely an HFN ending, rather than HEA, which isn’t bad, but just leaves a little bit of unresolved issues for the future. Though I suppose that’s realistic.
This was a cute, enemies to lovers romance. While I didn’t like it as much as the first book, this was a nice addition to the series.
I absolutely love this series because…hot guys and hockey…what more could you possible want !!?? And after reading and loving the first book in this series,Off the Ice, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.
Now we’ve met Ryu in the previous book, but even if you haven’t read that one, you can read this one as a stand-alone….though why you would want to do that is a different question altogether…
Anyways… Ryu and Emmitt don’t really get off on the right foot when they meet. Which isn’t so surprising since they are both fighting for the same starting position on the team…goalie !! Would you embrace your competition ?? That aside, they are also complete opposites… restrained versus wild … So many tropes in this one !!
All their differences and resentment aside, they can’t deny the major chemistry sizzling between them. Best to do something about it and why not be “friends with benefits”.
But we all know how that always works out….right 😉
Even though I really enjoyed reading this one, I have to admit to loving the first book much more. For some reason, Tristan and Sebastion showed way more personality and the chemistry between them was almost palpable… It just did not get that same feeling with Ryu and Emmitt. I also didn’t get a real HEA for them…I needed an epilogue or something !! I like my closure 😉
I am sure we will get more of these two in the next book, but it isn’t the same for me. That said, I am very much looking forward to the next couple, bring it on !!!
Fabulous rivals-to-lovers story!
What I Think: Not being an avid any sports fan (definitely not hockey when I’ve never seen snow), this tale started slow for me (I apologize immensely for being the typical bookworm. I do only brain workouts with a body meant to hold that brain). But then I’ve seen the tales that these Authoresses put out there and I knew I better enjoy the slow part of this ride because when they bring the heat? Flame up!
I’m smacking myself for not reading the prequel to this because Tristan and Cruzy ? I need to know! I need to see how that happens but let’s concentrate on this tale.
I should admit that due to the Yaoi I recently stumbled over and fell head over heels in love with, I’ve been craving more interracial romance with Colored and Asian characters and this, oh goddess, just feeds that fantasy so thank you so damn much!
But the flame ignites and there’s no turning back. Emmet is mouthy but with a determination that makes him a force to be reckoned with and I would gladly teach his annoying father some sense. Ryu is intense and smoldering underneath his usual expressionless facade but his loyalty to Tristan gives us glimpses of the generous heart underneath. The friends that come together in this tale along with this being the tightest team ever made me love the sport almost as much as I loved the romance.
I still don’t know why this kind of almost angry heat makes me so shy but damn these two belong together. Never thought angry sex could be anything but angry but I’m definitely rethinking it because these Authoresses know how to pull that switch while making me wonder why no string attached pacts make me cackle with glee. It never holds because the sheer fact that they need to make that pact is the very reason it falls apart. Ryu is so tender underneath that bossiness that its obvious Emmit would see it if he wasn’t concentrating so hard on not catching feelings.
Once again, especially as someone who has little to no hand-to-eye coordination (except on the dance floor which I can’t even take credit for. I’m African so its genetic), I’m in awe of the lives sportsmen and sportswomen the world over live for the game that’s the fire in their blood. It’s truly humbling and this tale drives that home.
But oh the tension. That either of them can function under all this stress and still find their way to each other is salute-worthy. In a world where relationships end before they even start over the smallest of things, this is pure strength. But the needed change they bring to each other, the way they balance out and make their working in tandem necessary, is a thing of sheer beauty.
As the tension ratchets up, I was breathing hard and crossing all crossable limbs, restless and pacing at 2am, knowing only the end of this ride would release me. I needed my boys to win more than I needed sleep. I needed them to win at everything because how dare a fairy tale not end right? I have never wanted to wear a team’s colours but I think Venom merch has to happen because I fucking love my Venom boys!
Verdict? A tribute to all sports players and fans that shows the true compromises that love needs to be sustained!
Admittedly, it took me a bit to get into Goalie Interference. Purely based on first impressions, I wasn’t crazy about Emmitt, and following their initial interactions, I was a little unconvinced about Ryu and Emmitt as a couple. However, as with this writing duo’s past works, the relationship, characters, and writing won me over and hooked my attention as things began developing between Ryu and Emmitt.
As a hockey fan, I tend to be fairly critical of hockey romances, but this duo knows their stuff. The details of hockey travel, practice, and on ice gameplay are all on point without diminishing the burgeoning relationship between Ryu and Emmitt, delivering a well-balanced sports romance. I really liked the competitive/ enemies-to-lover dynamic cultivated throughout the start of the book. Not only did it lead to some intensely sexy moments, but it flushed out the characters’ personalities quickly and developed their chemistry. Ultimately, I enjoyed Emmitt and Ryu as a couple and liked the slow slide of their relationship from a physical to emotional fueled connection. I especially liked the ending because it captured both the team dynamic as well as the close bond the Ryu and Emmitt shared. Goalie Interference is a definite recommendation for me, especially for hockey fans.
*eARC received via Netgalley. Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
I love Avon Gale’s hockey romances so much! This story about two NHL goalies competing for the same spot on the same team is a wonderful mix of hockey action, team banter, and heart.
When we first meet Ryu, he’s disciplined, cold, and determined. In contrast, Emmitt is loud, arrogant, and passionate. It was Emmitt who first caught my attention but Ryu who ultimately stole my heart. The tension between the two goalies is fabulous. Fiercely competitive on the ice, both men try to deny the attraction they feel and the heat that simmers between them. There are some very steamy scenes in this story – and the power struggles between Ryu and Emmitt are even better in the bedroom. I love the common ground they find, and I love the balance their connection brings to their lives – and to their games.
As always, Gale seems to know hockey players and she captures their voices beautifully. This story doesn’t have quite the same humour or snark that make books like her Power Play and Save of the Game all-time favourite reads, but it is a fun, exciting story. I love the diversity of the characters in this book and I think Ryu and Emmitt’s experiences as black and Asian hockey players are explored thoughtfully and respectfully. This story will easily stand alone, but I’ll always encourage new readers to start at the beginning of the Scoring Chances books.
Ruthie –
This is the second book in the series. I love reading sports romances, and this one has a lovely twist which I thought worked really well – pitch two goal keepers against each other to take lead spot, and then make them realise that they are attracted physically to each other.
Emmitt Armstrong joins the Venoms and finds that Ryu Mori, the sitting goalie, almost automatically takes an immediate dislike to him. It is he guesses inevitable, but a shame, as he finds him a very beautiful man. “Army” doesn’t advertise the fact, but he has had relationships with both men and women, and Ryu definitely attracts him physically.
As the two men are made to work in tandem through the season, they come to a working truce, and find that the attraction may be mutual. In fact, they find that they have more in common than they might have ever expected, particularly when it comes to the pressures from their parents.
We get plenty of hockey action, and benefit from the insight of two goalies with different styles as they deal with the pressure of being in goal as they get ever closer to lifting the Stanley Cup. We also catch up with Tristan and Seb from the first book, and I am looking forward to the next installment of this enjoyable sports romance series.
Avid Reader –
2.5 stars
M/M Sports romance
This is the second in this series, however, you do not need to read the first one in order to understand the characters. The characters from book one are secondary in this book.
Ryu has been the goalie for the team for several seasons. However, now that they have a real shot at the Stanley Cup, his team will bring in a new goalie to train too.
Emmitt has wanted to play in the NHL for as long as he can remember. Despite his dad’s disapproval, Emmitt knows that he’s worked hard for this. He has made it.
But Ryu has worked too hard to let some smart-mouthed youngster come and take his spot. Emmitt has put too much time and himself into becoming the best to make it. These two are at odds from the very beginning.
And while I can get behind a rivalry story, this just missed the mark. They have hate sex, but can’t seem to talk without falling into bed. Then their relationship moves from hate sex to relationship status, but they seemed to have missed a few steps from hating each other to loving each other.
Overall, this was predictable and somewhat slow. I wanted a different kind of conflict. Also, I’m unsure what their ethnicity had to do with the story, but there seemed to be some kind of underlying theme that either I missed or just didn’t understand what the authors were trying to convey.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
This hockey romance was everything I hoped for and more. I was completely hooked from the very beginning. Great characters, amazing chemistry, a sexy storyline, and realistic hockey scenes. Definitely recommended!
I really enjoyed reading this great, fast paced, intense, tension filled, explosive, action packed, grab-you-by-the-feels, competitive, amazing, smoking hot, and totally awesome enemies-to-lovers sports extravaganza. The authors have written a fantastic tale, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
For me, a good enemies-to-lovers romance has layers of dislike wrapped in scintillating sex that leads to the inevitable “maybe there’s more to this MC than I thought.” Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn’s Goalie Interference brought all the goods.
Emmitt is a new member of the Venom, his first NHL team. The problem? He’s working in tandem as goalie, when he wants to be starter. Enter Ryu, the team’s current goalie who assumed he had the starting position in the bag. Only he’s in the running against the cocky rookie Emmitt, and Ryu isn’t feeling it…
At first. But the challenge Emmitt brings as well as his bratty mouth has Ryu itching to give Emmitt another way to stay busy.
The dynamic between these two was perfect for a rivalry. They’re both gunning for the same spot, but they also have a lot in common, both vying for their parents’ attention and approval, only in different ways. Ryu’s parents are happy for his career, but they want the best, and not being starter for his NHL team means he isn’t the best.
Emmitt has done a lot to get accolades and praise from his father, but hockey isn’t football and frustration has him more determined than ever to get the starting spot. They both have an intensity to them, only Emmitt has the goofball spot down, while Ryu brings the seriousness and sobriety to the pair. They were fun to watch play off the other–both on and off the ice.
I also love the cultural rep here. Ryu is Japanese American and Emmitt is black, and I really appreciated how the authors dug into the whiteness of hockey overall and brought to light misconceptions and cultural and societal expectations. It was really well done.
The side character and blood brother atmosphere was icing for me. I’m excited to see more of Morley, in particular. He was a hoot! I’m excited to see what’s next in the Hat Trick series.
4 stars!
I love hockey romance, and the first book in this series is one of my favorites, so I was both excited and a bit nervous for Ryu and Emmitt’s story. I should have trusted the skills of Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn, because I loved these guys just as much, if not more. If enemies-to-lovers is your jam, grab this book – it can be read as a standalone, though you shouldn’t skip Off The Ice because it’s excellent, too. There’s plenty of UST in this book, even once the two young men start having hot, hot sex. You don’t have to be a hockey fan to enjoy this story, either, though if you are one, you’ll be entertained by the game play as well as the romance. I’m ready for the next one!
* I received an arc of this book*
Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, but Goalie Interference was just an okay read for me. Ryu and Emmitt are competitors. They both want the top position, and they both want to be on the ice for the playoffs. There is some back and forth in the very beginning, but other than that, I never really got the enemies to lovers vibe. That fierce sense of rivalry is there, and they both want to win. They wouldn’t be valuable players if they didn’t, but I just never got that animosity that comes with being enemies. The big, angsty problem is what I expected, and we get lots of moping on both sides, maybe a little too much moping. There is some wit and fun, mostly when Emmitt and Ryu are interacting with the team, particularly Morley. I absolutely love the fun-loving Morley. Given the circumstances, the relationship isn’t public knowledge, and Ryu isn’t even out, but that isn’t a cause for worry here, which was refreshing in this type of romance. I will add that for those who want gameplay, this one gives us plenty of that. As the team heads into the playoffs, the play gets more and more exciting, and the authors do an excellent job of drawing you into the game. In the end, Ryu and Emmitt do have good chemistry, and their story is certainly plenty steamy, but it lacks the highs and lows of enemies turning into lovers while they fight every step of the way. It is certainly worth the read, and I’ll be interested to see what’s next for this series – I’m secretly hoping Morley gets a turn soon. As for this one, it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but it did keep me entertained with its engaging characters and gameplay.
Ryu and Emmitt, frenemies after the same goal keep spot! Or are they? Can they work to compete against each other whilst falling in love. I read this as a stand alone and really enjoyed the push pull of the MC relationship, the will this work or won’t it! Definitely worth reading!
One spot as goalie on the team and two men fighting for the job ensues a clash of personalities and athletic show offs.
Brash,self-assured Emmitt against diffident,reserved Ryu. It’s hate at first sight when they meet and the air sizzles and crackles every time they’re in the same space. And it’s not hard to guess how they decide to work off the pent-up animosity between them: sex.
Emmitt and Ryu might have little to nothing in common, but once they touch, their chemistry is off the charts,antagonism turning into hot need and scorching passion. The fun part for me was watching them become emotionally connected, each sensual encounter at a time.
But can they trust their feelings, is it possible for them to have a relationship?
Read and find out. Because,really,hunky hockey players going at each other in more ways than one! HOT !
Book 2 from a series which can read as a stand-alone.
The main characters from book 1 are also in this story but more as secondary among others.
Emmitt is the new goalie and it seems Ryu, who is already the goalie, got competition.
Ryu got a strong aversion against Emmit. There is a lot of tension and the best way to get rid of that is to blow off the steam occasionally, with the other.
When occasionally turns into regularly and hate turns into something else they even work out as dual goalies. Until their coach put a halt and tells them only one will play and the other occasional. Emmitt wants to be the one and no way they can have any sort of relationship.
“We’re not talking, you’re monologuing,”
I really enjoyed this one. Is was about more than only the two men. There are family matters, team members, especially Morley, who I loved. Maybe he will have the next book?
Ryu in the closet felt a bit unnecessary, it didn’t have a real dealing part in this story.
For me, I would have loved a more defined end.
Is was an entertaining story, nicely captivating written. Overall a good addition to the series
I loved it!
The first book in this series (Off the Ice) was my introduction to Avon Gale’s and Piper Vaughn’s writing. I loved that book so much I wondered how I could possibly like Goalie Interference as much. It’s a totally different type of story – enemies-to-lovers – and I did love it just as much as the first albeit in a different way.
I don’t think I’ve read a lot of books with the enemies-to-lovers trope, actually maybe none, so this was a great one to start with. When Ryu learns that he has to compete for the starting goalie position that he thought was his, he isn’t happy and he can’t stand Emmitt, the cocky newcomer who wants to take the spot away from him. Emmitt is thrilled to be playing in the NHL; he really wants to be the starting goalie for his new team.
When they can no longer fight the attraction that simmers between them, Ryu and Emmitt agree to an enemies-with-benefits deal to help rid themselves of their attraction to each other and to work off their sexual frustration. What neither of them expected was for their agreement to turn into a relationship.
Goalie Interference kept me glued to my e-reader into the wee hours of the morning. The story is fairly angsty but not overly so. Emmitt is bi-sexual and not afraid to have that be common knowledge; Ryu is more reserved and not out as gay. Ryu coming out isn’t really a central theme in this book, though. The story is more about the competitiveness in professional sports and how two people who love each other handle their competition for the same spot on their team. It’s also about POC (people of color) in a sport that is dominated by white males.
Ryu and Emmitt have more in common than their position of goalie. Both of them have family standards to live up to. Ryu’s father is an Olympic Gold Medal ice skater and his mother is a surgeon. They aren’t really unhappy that he chose hockey for a career but there is a lot of pressure on him to be the very best.
Emmitt’s father had a career in the NFL that was ended abruptly due to a career ending injury. He always wanted Emmitt to follow in his footsteps and has never made any attempt to understand hockey. Emmitt feels that his dad isn’t proud of the things he’s accomplished so he puts a lot of pressure on himself to win; he really wants to earn the starting goalie position and maybe that will finally make his father proud of him.
Trade Deadline is the next book in the series, coming in 2020, and I can’t wait to read it.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
Goalie Interference is the second book in the Hat Trick series by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn. This is a contemporary m/m romance with an enemies to lovers theme. Sexy guys that bring the steam, competition that brings the spicy drama, and mix in some hockey scenes and you have an interesting and entertaining story with fun characters that you will want to know.
This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone.
Enemies to Lovers
Hockey players
Friends with benefits
Sizzling Chemistry
Hot sex
Dual POV
What is not to love??
I have a thing for enemies to lovers and add in hockey players and FWB, it’s a no-brainer. I loved this book! Both Ryu and Emmitt are men of colour. Diversity for the win. I very much appreciate the non white MCs.
Ryu and Emmitt have smoking hot levels of UST. This is enemies to lovers done right. I mean they are rival goalies playing for the same team!
We meet Tristan and Seb from the first book, which is exciting. But the character who stole my heart is the super chill, amazingly supportive Morley. Please tell me the next book is his story. Pretty pretty please?
*ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take PR and Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
These two were so hot they could melt the ice they play on! Wow. I’m a sucker for a good mm, I love sports romances, and enemies to lovers, when done right, I could read all day.
Ryu and Emmitt are fighting for the same spot, and they seem to be total opposites. Ryu is serious, quieter, reserved. Emmitt seems cocky, confident, kind of a brat on purpose. But they have a lot in common with their history and family, and once they collide- ooh boy it’s like sparks. It’s one of those that start with the heat and build to the sweet, and I loved it. I couldn’t get enough and I can’t wait for the next book in this series, I’m so into it all.