An NHL All-Star
A workaholic entrepreneur
One irresistibly tempting opportunity
KYLE
I can’t believe I let my best friend talk me into being auctioned off for charity. But when I get a look at the guy who placed the winning bid, I feel like I’m the one who snagged the top prize.
AUSTIN
I didn’t get to where I am by letting opportunities slip through my fingers. When I learn that Kyle Pressgrove … that Kyle Pressgrove will be part of the bachelor auction taking place during All-Star weekend, that’s the kind of chance that you grab ahold of, and I have no intention of letting go.
With my career on the line and the possibility of Kyle being traded to a team half-way across the country, things between us might be over before they’ve even begun. I’d give anything to keep Kyle in my life, but everything might not be enough.
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This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I loved it. I enjoyed his writing style, found myself sucked into this easy read immediately, and didn’t want to put it down as I had to make sure that Kyle and Austin got their happy ending.
I loved the glimpse of the MCs from other books in the series, and enjoyed the easy banter between Kyle and his friend Garrett. Family plays a strong role in the story, which is one of the things that drew me into this genre. I liked the difference in Kyle and Austin’s family background but how they still had things to work through connected to their upbringing. The strong women in this story rock. Tamara is a great no nonsense friend to Austin, and Greta is a wonderful character. I loved Bobby’s pep talk. He knows his brother well.
I enjoy stories about opposites attracting, and especially when one of the MCs is geeky, so this made me happy in that regard too. The steps forward and back with their relationship felt real as did Austin and Kyle. I liked that neither was perfect, and made mistakes despite their best intentions not to. I thought both their fears about not being boyfriend material added depth to the story.
I also liked that they took things slowly and the time to get to know each other and their hang-ups first, and build a friendship so they knew exactly what they were getting into. This story hit all my buttons as a slow burn romance.
I’m looking forward to reading more of this author.
Keeping Kyle, by Jeff Adams, is part of the Hockey Allies Bachelor Bid series. This is a series of five books, each by a different author, each so different from the other. Each can also be read as a stand alone. This is a M/M hockey romance and is my first book by this author.
Austin Murray was most definitely a workaholic. He started a company with his college friend, Austin Murray Digital Designs. He spends pretty much every waking moment trying to make the company a success, always worried he would let his co-workers down by not being available when needed. Austin’s one weakness he allowed himself was his long time love of hockey, particularly his home town’s team, the Detroit Arsenal. There was particularly one player he had followed over the years, a player he had a huge crush on, Kyle Pressgrove. Kyle was going to be participating in the Bachelor auction in Chicago for charity and Austin was planning to bid on him. He would finally get a date with the man he had dreamt of for so long.
Kyle Pressgrove has been with the Detroit Arsenal for seven years now. He loves playing for the Arsenal because this is his home town, the town he grew up in, where his mother lives. Kyle’s best friend Garrett talked him in to doing the bachelor auction. He can’t believe he’s actually going to do this. This is so far out of his comfort zone. But it’s for an amazing cause. What made it all worth while, though, is who won the bid, a man Kyle definitely wanted to get to know better.
Kyle and Austin definitely hit it off, they both felt the potential of something special with the other. But I felt so bad for both of them. Everything seemed aligned against them. Austin’s company suffers a set back, one that threatens everything. He already was a workaholic but now even more so. Can he even afford to try to start a relationship right now when everything he has worked for for so long is at stake?
At the same time, there has been talk of Kyle getting traded to Phoenix. He has no say in the matter. But how would that even work when he’s just starting a new relationship with a man who already has trouble finding time to be with him? Could a long distance relationship even work? Should he just walk away now before his heart really gets invested?
First, I really liked both Kyle and Austin. They were real men with real strengths and weaknesses. Both trying to stretch themselves thin and be the best men they can be. This was a VERY slow burn. Personally, I like things to happen a little faster. It was evident that they had begun to care for one another but I just wanted things to progress a little more quickly physically to help me to feel their connection better. I do have to say, though, that this one might have grabbed me the most out of the series emotionally. There was one point where my heart just sunk when something happened. I did enjoy meeting these two. I enjoyed the friendship between Kyle and Garrett, and the close bond between Kyle and his brother. I have now read the first four of this series and the only one I have left to read is the final book, Absolving Ash by Chantal Mer. I can’t wait to see how it ties in with the rest.
A high school crush turns pro NHL player. You follow his career never thinking you’ll ever get a chance with him. Fate steps in, or is it just a wonderful opportunity to maybe at least, be friends?
Kyle doesn’t remember Austin from high school but there is no way he can ever forget him now. Playing in the NHL was his life’s dream for Kyle, but now Austin plays a huge part in his life. Obstacles like work get in the way. Can they make it work? Is it worth it? Is work the only important thing or can there be more in Austin’s life?
This was a wonderful story. Full of ups and downs, back and forth, hot times and nights together, fear of the unknown but most importantly…love.
Great read! A wonderful part of the Hockey Allies Bid Series.
I highly recommend the entire series.
5/5 Hockey sticks.
Austin has had a huge crush on Kyle for the longest time and now he finally has an opportunity to win a date with him in a bachelor auction. Having “known” Kyle in high school and followed him through his NHL career, Austin is a super fan of him and his team. He also has his own company that takes a lot of his time, so the first meeting with Kyle didn’t really go well as he was on his phone pulled into business and distracted. When the two finally are able to have a proper sit down without distractions, what they had already suspected becomes more apparent; they are attracted to each other and want to see where this could go. But in the world of hockey and the issues that Austin is having with his own business, the two can barely find the time. What happens when the worst case scenario happens and Kyle gets traded? Will the two be able to make a long distance thing work, or should they just give it up and move on with their lives?
This turned out to be a good read, with the right amount of drama, we get to watch Kyle and Austin try and navigate a relationship while dealing with their high stress jobs. Entertaining and pulling us in, I give this 4 stars.