Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Closeted professional hockey player Eric Belanger is falling hard for an out-and-proud male model. He’s unable to resist Dorian’s charm and pushing personal boundaries he never thought he’d cross. But Dorian is the kind of guy who deserves someone who isn’t afraid to be himself. Eric’s fears about what coming out will do to his career clash with the future he hopes to build with Dorian. He knows he’ll eventually have to make a choice.Dorian Carlisle knows better than to date a man who wants to keep him a secret, but there’s something about Eric he can’t ignore. So he’ll take the risk, and it’ll be all right, because this isn’t a forever romance. He’s happy to live in the moment. But somehow, at some point, feelings sneak up on him and he’s not okay anymore. At a breaking point, Dorian must also make a decision. Their time together will either be the start of something wonderful or nothing more than a happy memory.
Eric and Dorian meet on a photo shoot and are immediately attracted to each other. Eric is in the closet and doesn’t have the first idea about flirting or dating but he clumsily tries to get to know Dorian. There was something charming about how Eric bumbles his way through things. Dorian is a little older and at first has no intention of getting to know Eric because he knows dating a closeted professional athlete is going to make him unhappy in the long term. As the story unfolds you understand why Dorian ends up falling for Eric and you understand the inner turmoil that Eric is going through.
This story is both a bit angsty and a sweet love story. I really liked both of the main characters and each of them were really likable guys. I understood both of the points of view and I felt for both of them. There are a host of side characters in Dorian’s family and Eric’s family and teammates. All of them were well done and there were no stereotypical bad guys as there often are in these types of stories. Some of the characters were ones who were featured in the first two books of the series.
I really enjoyed this book. I hadn’t read the first two books in the series so I wasn’t sure what to expect but this went really well for me. Even though I hadn’t read books 1 & 2 I was easily able to follow along. This book is fine as a standalone. I liked this one enough that I will go back and read the previous books. This book is a definite recommend from me.
Cover by Reese Dante: I like the cover a lot. I think it is nice looking and the models for Eric and Dorian perfectly fit how they’re described in the story.
Buy Links
Book Details:
ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: November 28th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634778464 (ISBN13: 9781634778466)
Edition LanguageEnglishSeriesThe Carlisles #3
Expected publication: November 28th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634778464 (ISBN13: 9781634778466)
Edition LanguageEnglishSeriesThe Carlisles #3
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 