Rating: 4.25 🌈
Tangled in Clouds is a heartwarming, sweet romance from the same universe as Locey’s The According to Liam series. Both Jamie Parker and Pittsburgh Ravens D-man Heikki Keto are from that series and now get their own love story.
It’s a romance that’s barely a mention there but here it gets the author’s full attention. Jamie Parker is one of Mike’s good friends and a trans man who’s had awful luck with relationships. The readers have gotten to know and care about Jamie (enough to ask for this story) so it’s wonderful to be able to have such a direct connection to him now.
Heikki Keto is plain out adorable. That Finnish D-man who ran home after finding himself attracted to Jamie is now ready to admit he’s bisexual. Finding that pushing his attraction to Jamie away doesn’t make it less so, he’s back in Pittsburgh to play hockey and figure out exactly where his future lies.
Locey packs a lot into this small novella. I often wished for a longer book because Jamie and Heikki are a great couple that I enjoyed seeing together. Having them go from 60’s rom com movie night to declarations of love seems fast. Although Locey is good at it.
Morton the hamster was a hilarious addition. As was Grandpa.
Jamie communicating his insecurities about their relationship and the expectations for sex was realistic and believable. It made what they had feel grounded.
I just wish we had some of that same detail given towards Heikki coming out to his team and teammates, still a big deal in the NHL. That was passed over a bit quickly.
I’m recommending this as a terrific sweet romance and the entire According to Liam series.
According to Liam series:
✓ Life According to Liam #1
✓ Christmas According to Liam #1.5
✓ Love According to Liam #2
✓ The World According to Liam #3
✓ Family According to Liam #4
✓ Tangled in Clouds (an According to Liam novella)
Will it be too late to find love or are they destined to be “just friends” forever?
Jamie Palmer has been waiting for Mr. Right for a long time. Heck, he’s been waiting forever for a decent man just to date! Given the shy looks of appreciation he’d been getting from a certain Finnish defenseman for the Pittsburgh Ravens he thought perhaps he had found him. But it’s been months since Heikki has returned to the States, and they’re still trapped in the friend zone. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on Jamie’s part to imagine a rough-and-rowdy hockey player could fall for a trans man who has a deep affection for 60s movies and well-crafted sneakers.
Heikki Keto is having a rough time of it as his team starts the painful process of a rebuild. The Ravens are having trouble finding the back of the net, and his new defensive partner is a joker who never knows when to stop fooling around. His personal life isn’t much better. For months, he’s been flailing around mentally trying to work out just who he is. As he battles with himself, the man who has captured his heart is talking about dating apps and having dinner with a new client. Can Heikki find the courage to admit to the world—and to Jamie—that he’s tired of living on the edge of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime romance?
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 