They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.
Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.
Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend...and a big one to learn about himself.
Warning: contains sexual situations, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.
Title: Him
Author: Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Brooke's Review:
I want to thank the authors for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
So, I fell in love with Elle Kennedy a few months ago. Ok, not with her, press, but with her writing. I was introduced to a little book called The Deal. And it sucked me in, as did the next one in her series. Then I was told to read Sarina Bowen's The Year We Fell Down. And I got sucked into that. And THEN I heard they were writing a book together. You can imagine my glee! So I just knew I would love this book. And I wasn't wrong! This was my second M/M book, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't sure I would be happy reading it, but I so was!
First off, it's my favorite trope: friends to lovers. And it's done effortlessly. So smooth you barely know things have changed even though they have. I love that Elle and Sarina have given us these two guys who know just about everything when it comes to each other.
Meet Ryan Wesley. Hoceky star, moving up to the big leagues for a well known Canadian team after his graduation from college. He's spent the last few years finding himself, and becoming ok with the fact that he's gay. But he made a mistake four years ago when he cut his best friend Jamie out of his life. All over one night of foolishness. But it's a night Ryan couldn't forgive himself for. And a night he believed he did wrong by Jamie. I just love Ryan so much. He's this tough hockey player who can give as well as he can take. My favorite thing about Ryan is his will to make amends with Jamie. I will say he was a little angsty for me as the relationship with Jamie progressed. He kept doubting so much and I just wanted to shake him and tell him he needed to open his eyes! Then I wanted to take him and wrap him in a huge hug and make sure he knew he was so easy to love.
Jamie, oh how I loved Jamie. Don't get me wrong, Ryan was great, but Jamie, I could not help but fall for him. He's so easy and fun. He takes things as they come, with a laid back attitude and no bones about having experiences that help him find himself. A man who has played hockey and the female field for as long as he remembers. And he's not only doubting his sexual orientation during this book, and growing with that, he's doubting his career choice. He's wondering if professional hockey is really where he wants to be. He explores all his options, constantly arguing in his own mind and trying to find solutions. My favorite thing about him is his willingness to take chances to see if there are better things out there for him.
I will say I was worried about there being sexual scenes in this book I might not be able to handle. But I was wrong. Kennedy and Bowen do them flawlessly. They are tasteful, which gives me mad respect for these ladies. They made it so easy to read something I thought would make me uncomfortable, but it didn't.
And Kennedy and Bowen infuse family into this book as a way to show why the men are like they are. From one family that is unsupportive to a family that is all up in everyone's business accepting. It's fantastic to watch all the interactions and read the phone calls. You get these fabulously funny scenes and you also get those filled with tons of tension that make you so sad for the man who doesn't have a family to support him.
I don't want to get into too much of the story, as it will spoil, but I will say that there is no way I would not read more from these two. Not only do they sew together a story that is seamless enough so you don't know who wrote what scenes, but they do it with style and class. If you have read anything from these two, this book will in no way disappoint. And if you haven't, what are you waiting for. This one is a must read that sucks you in and doesn't let you go.
A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
She is the author of The Ivy Years, an award-winning series set amid the hockey team at an elite Connecticut college.
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