Tag: @RJScott_author

Review:  Speed (Railers Legacy Book 1) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 3.5 🌈

Speed (Railers Legacy Book 1) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey continues the Harrisburg Railers Hockey Team multi-series universe with a new addition, Railers Legacy.   Once again, we see a character who the readers have become familiar with and love now grown up and preparing to play for the team his family played for. 

It’s Noah Gunnarsson, son of the fabulous characters and NHL players, Eric Lyamin-Gunnarsson and husband, Stan Lyamin-Gunnarsson , still gloriously happy, retired with grown children and a house full of animals. 

Noah, we see him selected at draft time, and then later when it’s time for the rookies to show up and prepare to play.  

I’ll say I wish there was more ice time and locker room dynamic. That makes a hockey team and a realistic romantic story. And these authors write great hockey. But it’s downplayed so Noah’s diabetes can become a stronger element, which it is.  From Noah regulating the insulin and diet to his health regimen as an athlete and the factors that affect his performance as a diabetic.  It makes Noah an extremely effective character and folds his diabetes in as a important factor.

Noah, and family are a great aspect of the story and come with an established fan base, because honestly, Stan? Still my favorite. 

Brody and his multitude of issues don’t get that same energy or feel of being as well explored or resolved here. He’s got a controlling, abusive grandfather, severe medical problems, bi-awakening, fear of loss of control and direction. And his passion for driving and as a ex F1 driver? Not really established except for the beginning part of the book. The rest is verbiage.

For him to be a completely realized person, there should be more foundation to that race car driver essence of him. Instead the focus switches to his sexuality. Brody becomes instantly obsessed with a man he kisses on the “downlow”, Noah. Someone he tracks down, “stalks” until he’s part of an instant love story.A romance that has elements of “bisexual awakening “, “coming out” and immediate almost overnight partnership, tossed into his and their relationship that reads so quickly done that you’ll be blinking and wondering where the foundation is. 

And the controlling, threatening grandfather just disappears completely here. 

The story ends with a number of things unresolved in the story and relationship, and a clear picture of the next couple coming forward. 

I was really happy to see Eric, Stan and some of the other people who I’ve known in my series show up. Noah is just lovely. 

Read it for the connection to Stan and Eric, and the Railers. And this family as they were in the old novels. 

Cover design by Meredith Russell, Edited by Sue Laybourn”

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comSpeed (Railers Legacy Book 1) – Kindle edition by Scott, RJ, Locey, V.L.. Romance …

Blurb 

Hard ice. Fast cars. Fierce love. 

Hockey is as natural as breathing for Noah Gunnarsson. Growing up with two famous hockey stars as his dads, Noah has always aspired to join the Railers to continue the Lyamin-Gunnarsson legacy. With his degree done, it’s time to live that dream; the first step is getting a spot on the team his dads played for. The second step is to pull on that dusky blue-gray sweater and make his fathers proud. His rookie year is bound to be a season of incredible highs and lows, but one of the biggest highlights is meeting Brody Vance at a fundraiser. Brody is the living epitome of a bad boy hiding his pain behind a devil-may-care attitude. As Noah struggles to keep one eye on the puck and not on Brody, it’s only a matter of time before love collides with sport in a chaotic splash of media attention. 

Racing driver Brody Vance has spent his life chasing speed and glory and is only points away from his first world championship when a devastating crash ends his season. Determined to make a triumphant comeback, Brody is blindsided by a diagnosis that forces him off the track for good. With his world flipped upside down, and family and fans questioning why he left, Brody hides his pain by pushing the limits and refusing to let anyone see the cracks. But after a chance meeting with a sweet, sexy hockey player turns into an unforgettable one-night stand, fate keeps putting Noah in his path. With his heart on the line and his body racing against time, 

Brody must decide if he’s willing to risk it all for love—or if he’ll let fear and pride leave him in the dust. Speed is a steamy M/ M romance with a hockey rookie living his family legacy, a bad-boy racing driver with secrets, media attention that would break even the strongest of men, an unforgettable one-night stand, a love that means risking it all, and a hard-won happy ever after.”

Review: Dance On Ice (Chesterford Coyotes Book 3) by R. J. Scott and V. L. Locey

Rating: 4.5🌈

Dance on Ice completes R. J. Scott and V. L. Locey’s terrific Chesterford Coyotes trilogy. It’s been a wonderful, warmhearted YA hockey series that’s had its crossovers with some of these authors other LGBTQIA hockey romance series and characters. So it’s fitting that it ends with appearances with some of those characters as well, in impactful roles and memorable scenes.

Shaun Stanton, the hockey player for the Chesterfield Coyotes and Kenji Kelly, who used to play hockey but is now a figure skater, are the last couple who finish out the series. Each has a huge amount of baggage they are carrying into this book as it begins, their storylines have been smaller threads previously written about.

For Shaun, he’s got a bigoted, homophobic, angry bully of a father who’s pushing him on the ice, making him afraid for himself and his mother. And to speak out about his feelings about his own dreams and awakening bisexuality. This includes his long held feelings for Kenji

For Kenji, he’s under the influence of an abusive Russian skating coach who has unrealistic expectations of his skaters, including their ideal weight. And it’s worsening Kenji’s previously diagnosed eating disorder, a situation he’s hiding.

These are serious, sensitive issues and the authors have given them just the right amount of detail and attention here with each character. We see the emotional impact on the characters, their families, and lives. The story and romance beautifully weaves the steps taken to help each character understand what the impact each abuse is having upon them, as well as the journey they take to get the help they require together.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the hardest steps confronting an abusive parent or having others intervene to get them through a bad situation and make sure it doesn’t happen again. It all plays out realistically and with regard to how we think it might work out in real life.

At the end are certain people immediately forgiven or have they found redemption? No, it’s a journey. I appreciate that. Is this a HEA? No, they are kids, so they are looking at dances, and what if’s. And that’s how it should be too.

I think what I really loved about this is the acceptance. Their once rock solid paths at the beginning of the book looked so very different at the end. The boys were different. So much had changed. Shaun and Kenji were still learning about each other and themselves so their dreams for the future were changing too. Kids and adults often forget that paths are meant to change when they do. That a new course can be taken.

What an amazing story and message.

I absolutely recommend this book and series. It’s a gem no matter what age you are.

Adorable cover art. Cover design by Sarah Chreene.

Chesterford Coyotes series:

✓ Off The Ice #1

✓ On Thin Ice #2

✓ Dance On Ice #3

Buy Link:

Dance On Ice (Chesterford Coyotes, 3)

Blurb:

For the figure skater and the hockey player, their sport demands total devotion, but can falling in love come first?

In hockey-obsessed Chesterford Academy, Shaun Stanton stands out as the star player and captain of the Chesterford Coyotes, and his exceptional skills have already attracted the attention of NHL scouts. He lives and breathes hockey, but there’s more to his story. His father wants Shaun to be the star he never was, and their relationship is a complex mix of guidance and intimidation. Worse, while hockey is Shaun’s sanctuary and a key part of who he is, he harbors a secret his dad can never discover: Shaun is gay He’s caught between the future career he’s destined for, and the truth he has to hide. There’s one bright light in his life, the vibrant figure skater who shares the early morning practice ice, a friend he worries about, but has now become something more—Kenji is everything

Shaun wants and can’t have.

Kenji Kelly is a young man who walks two worlds: his family is a beautiful mix of American and Asian cultures. He loves both figure skating and hockey, and he’s an out and proud pansexual teen. While it seems to the world around him he has it all, deep down Kenji has a secret that’s slowly becoming harder to conceal. His life is the ice and his coach does not believe in failure. The one person who knows his hidden secret is Shaun, the captain of the Coyotes and a friend from youth hockey days. Shaun’s gaze towards Kenji, once filled with concern, now seems to hold something deeper, unsettling Kenji but also igniting similar giddy, burgeoning feelings in him. As their feelings for each other become stronger, the secrets both young men carry grow heavier and more distressing with each passing day.

Triggers: eating disorders

Review: Off The Ice (Chesterfield Coyotes Book 1) by R.J. Scott and V. L. Locey

Rating: 4.75🌈

I rarely read YA books anymore these days as the age time isn’t that great an interest for me now. But this book has multiple factors going for it that make it a must read.

The authors (a must) R.J. Scott and V. L. Locey, have collaborated again on a hockey series, a subject they are both knowledgeable and passionate about. Additionally, the Chesterfield Coyotes have familiar characters, starting with Soren Madden-Rowe, adopted son of Jared and Ten Madden-Rowe of the Harrisburg Railers NHL team and series ( if you know , you know ). So already the readers have a firm understanding of one half of the main characters involved, their backgrounds, and the supporting cast.

We have a private school, a school hockey team, with the adoptive son of favorite married hockey player and coach from another popular series, and woven into a great storyline, several serious issues, along with a complicated relationship that turns into a romance.

Felix is a character who is not easy to understand at first, there’s so many barriers written into him. Which, I think, makes him more realistic as the facts of his life are revealed. His anger and resentment , a main personality trait, become heartbreaking.

I often find it so hard for authors to write a potentially alienating character yet be able to let the reader see what’s the underlying issue behind the behavior. Yet it happens here with Felix.

A big aspect of this story includes a character, Tyler, who’s bullied by Felix, as well as others in the school. The next story is his. Tyler is on the Coyotes as well. The fact that Tyler is out, wears makeup and hair dye, makes him a target and up for discussion on bullying.

Elements threaded through the story here include bullying , parental abandonment (through divorce), extreme emotional stress over dysfunctional family parenting/relationships, and coming out. Most of that centered in and reflecting out of the character of Felix.

Soren, his brother Milo, sister Lottie, Ten and Jared, even Ryker briefly, everyone on the Madden-Rowe side that we’ve come to love through several series, are present here. Soren, growing up, trying to decide his path, content within his new, loving family, is a joy to read. I loved reconnecting with him and Milo again.

Off The Ice (Chesterfield Coyotes Book 1) by R.J. Scott and V. L. Locey is such a layered, believable coming of age YA story. While it doesn’t hurt to not have read the connecting series, knowing the characters that surround Soren gives this an extra layer and happy emotional boost when reading it.

If I had a tiny bit of grumbling, it was that the coming out scenes was a minor aspect here not a big deal. But maybe that’s a really good idea. That coming out shouldn’t be a problem anymore, that it should be more acceptable and less a fear laden situation.

Either way, that’s my view of the thread and wishful thinking as well.

I’m looking forward to Tyler’s novel and highly recommending this one to all readers, if they love YA novels or whether they , like me, have relegated YA books to the bottom of the list to read next. Shoot this back to the top!

Chesterfield Coyotes:

✓ Off The Ice #1

◦ On Thin Ice #2 – TBD

Buy Link:

Off The Ice: Young Adult Gay Romance (Chesterford Coyotes Book 1)

Description:

A coming-of-age love story with high school, hockey rivalry, friendship, family, and coming out.

Soren’s life changes in an instant when he and his younger brother are adopted by hockey royalty. Making sense of his new life is hard enough, but when he’s enrolled in a private school it means facing a whole new set of problems. Navigating friendship, family, and hockey is one thing, but being attracted to the boy who vexes him is a whole new thing..

Felix has a reputation to protect. He’s the kid who seems to have everything but looks can be deceiving. Spinning lies about his perfect life, he’s created a fantasy world that even he has started to believe. Only, it’s not long before everything crumbles, all of his pretty lies are revealed, and only his closest rival sees through his pain and stands by him.

Fighting is easy, friendship is hard, but love is everything.

Review: Stop The Wedding (A Snowed Inn Story) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 4.5🌈

R.J.Scott’s Stop The Wedding includes many elements that makes this romance novella in the Snowed Inn collection a real success. It’s a holiday love story to embrace.

The main characters, artist Declan and cop Patrick, have a long history together. A deep friendship that grew into love just as both boys were figuring out sexuality, along with difficulties with their families. A devastating kiss, a breakup, and breakdown in communication follows.

All that painful, emotionally charged threads of their previously entwined lives that Scott writes into Stop The Wedding allows for the reader to connect and believe in this couple.

It helps that the author realistically doesn’t go for an automatic instant reconnect treatment. Instead, Declan and Patrick have to sit down, move through the built up resentment, misunderstandings, and fears that have come between them first.

That’s not only refreshing and very adult of both as communicating is key.

There’s smaller factors here that I appreciate. Lovely narrative touches.

Still the main couple is the reason to read Stop The Wedding. It’s the holidays, at least in this story. Magic is in the air and the heartwarming romance and HEA makes this a story to recommend!

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showStop the Wedding by R.J. Scott

Description:

One drunken phone call with a desperate plea for help and an admission of love, and Patrick races to stop his best friend from marrying the wrong man.

Patrick never stopped loving Declan, even if he did shove him away at graduation when they kissed. His alpha-type brothers and father, with all their firefighter history, would never accept him being bi, or understand his need to step outside of the family firm and be a cop. So, he hides how he feels, and ends up losing the only man he’s ever really loved. The only reconciliation they tried was on the night he found out Declan was engaged, and he never imagined he’d have a chance to make things right. That is, until he receives a desperate phone call from Declan asking to be rescued.

Through travel chaos and storms, Patrick finally reaches the venue in the Colorado mountains, but with an empty wedding room and no sign of Declan or the fiancé, he knows he’s too late.

All too familiar with rejection, jilted by his fiancé on his wedding day, and lost, Declan has no idea what comes next. He never imagined he’d be entirely alone after his former fiancé and the wedding party leave, or that an avalanche would trap him in the hotel over Christmas. And worse? Patrick is in the hotel with him and won’t leave him alone. Sharing a room with his former best friend is the last thing Declan wants, but maybe nature has given him a sign that he needs to confront the past and find a way to move on with his life. If only it was easy to fall out of love with the man who holds your heart.


All the books In the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read In any order.

Snowed Inn story Collection:

All the books can be read as standalones and in any order and all are available to buy or pre-order

• RJ Scott – Stop the Wedding – https://books2read.com/StopTheWedding

• H.L Day – Five Night Stand – https://books2read.com/FiveNightStandHL

• V.L. Locey – Checking it Twice – https://books2read.com/CheckingItTwiceVL

• LC Chase – Breakfast Included – https://books2read.com/BreakfastIncludedLCC

• Xenia Melzer – The Real Kaimana – https://books2read.com/RealKaimanaXM

• Meredith Russell – Stuck With You- https://books2read.com/StuckWithYouMR

• Eli Easton – A Changeling Christmas – https://books2read.com/ChangelingChristmasE

Review: Blade (Boston Rebels Book 5) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 5🌈

Blade, the 5th novel in the Boston Rebels series, is absolutely my favorite story to date. Even with the issues I’ve mentioned when reviewing some of the preceding books still present, the storylines, the outstanding characters, and their quietly remarkable romance shine so strongly that everything else is forgotten.

We are given two main characters, with different traumatic events in their background. Both stem from catastrophic events.

For former Boston Rebels hockey player, Moral “Dunny” Dunkirk, it’s a plane accident that has left him a depressed amputee without his team and unable to go forward.

Cooper Harvey, inventor and billionaire, was orphaned at a early age in an volcanic explosion, that came close to taking his and his uncle’s. A brilliant inventor as well as owner of a enormous company which uses his inventions in multiple ways, Cooper is autistic which makes relying on a special circle of people necessary in order to navigate life .

In every way, through dialogue, detailed scenes, the authors knowledge of people who have or are struggling with PTSD, adjusting to life as a amputee, the loss of a lifetime passion and love of hockey, depression, the challenges someone who is autistic faces throughout their lifetime, from bullying in school to prejudice in the board of directors.

It’s such a deeply honest and emotional display of men at their most raw and flayed. Watching Dunny rebuild his life with the help and love of Cooper is so heartwarming, so heartfelt that you want to reread passages as soon as you finish them.

I laughed at Cooper’s jokes, and cried with Dunny at each step forward he made. And together, they were quietly unstoppable.

I wasn’t ready for their story to finish. As I’ve remarked before, this really isn’t about a team as it is the men leaving it. I have zero feelings about the Rebels. But about Dunny and Cooper? They are everything!

I could see a series about a sled team. Now THAT would be something to read about.

I’m highly recommending Blade (Boston Rebels Book 5) by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey. It is easily the finest book in the series or contemporary romance I’ve read lately.

https://www.goodreads.com › showBlade by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Boston Rebels:

🔹Top Shelf #1

🔹Back Check #2

🔹Snowed #3

🔹Royal Lines #4

🔹Blade #5

Synopsis:

Love doesn’t have a formula. It’s messy, unpredictable, and impossible to control for the autistic billionaire inventor and the hockey player who believes he’s lost everything.

Moral “Dunny” Dunkirk has a passion for life. A robust outdoorsman, lover of life, and one of the Boston Rebels fan favorites, Dunny has always embraced excitement and the drive to try new things. During his inaugural flight behind the controls of a small plane, the fates decide to test his mettle in a way that he had never envisioned. When everything crashes down around him, he’s lost in depression and alone in his cabin, facing an existence that is nothing like the one he previously led. Desperate to find some hope, Dunny reaches out to The Harvey Foundation who might be able to help, and he soon finds himself being lifted out of the pit of darkness he’d fallen into one shy uplifting smile at a time.

Accidental billionaire and inventor Cooper Harvey is only happy in the seclusion of his lab, creating new and wonderful things he is sure will make the world a better place. Being on the spectrum, he knows being autistic means he’s different to others, but it’s in a good way, and it only makes him better at what he does. Other than being blackmailed into spending every fourth Sunday at his PA’s house for dinner, he avoids the chaos of the world, and if that means no social life, then he’s okay with that. In the most splendid isolation money can buy, he escapes the complicated and difficult emotions surrounding attraction, and his single-minded focus means that sex and love have never appeared on his list. When his latest invention reaches the testing stage, he would normally hand it over to his development team, but a chance meeting with the test subject makes him rethink. Something about the hockey player who’d lost it all makes him think life isn’t all about measured chemical reactions, and sometimes it’s just about the craziness of love.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Royal Lines (Boston Rebels #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.5 🌈

As a book I really ended up looking at it at two different ways once I completed it.

First let’s talk about Royal Lines as a contemporary romance. As a love story, it soars. The men are throughly seated in their prospective cultures and personal histories.

Marquis Miller is completely grounded in his Detroit family and city. His father and uncle, the Miller twin brothers , now in bad health, have worked their entire lives to bring their families, their business into the international company it is now and Marquis is it’s expected heir to head it after hockey. However, this is all about Marquis’ appreciation for his family and the City, black history, and his awareness of his family’s company abilities in promoting diversity. Marquis is a great character. Charismatic with depth.

Prince Kaleb, young son to a Royal family in mourning , is also well defined. He’s also grounded by a family in turmoil, a recent death of a not so loved Royal consort, necessary Royal marriages, unnecessary marriages, media intrusion, a moldering castle, and a Queen mother who’s in need of a son to handle everything as the heir seems unwilling or unable to do so at the moment. A family overwhelmed by circumstances yet always in the public eye. There’s no way not to feel for him. And when both men collide over a construction bid to replace the broken plumbing in said castle? You feel the sparks down to your toes!

This love story is stumbling hot! Marquis and Kaleb trying not to have an affair, discussing faulty pipes, and all they want is to bounce into the nearest Royal bed! Incendiary!

There’s various subplots about the other Royal siblings, also emotional messes, that get nicely tied up.

While this is a lust/love at first sight, it absolutely works. You buy into it completely because the way these characters are crafted, their personalities, you can totally see it happening.

As a love story, including the HEA ending? It’s a 5!

Now to the other part. Is this a hockey story? Um , in my opinion, no.

With the exception of a charity game that’s basically there to bring in Dunny for the next book, hockey isn’t here at all.

Boston isn’t mentioned. The team the Rebels are non existent except as a line where Marquis says he finished out his contract in the Epilogue. Nothing.

Marquis mentions that he’s a player for the team once. That’s the extent of it.

I’m sort of perplexed about a series called Boston Rebels when the last several books the team’s a ghost. And the story is more about what happens to players or ex players after they’ve left the team.

When you think about such wonderful series as Harrisburg Railers or Arizona Raptors or even the Owatonna U Hockey series, Cayuga Cougars series, those are absolutely about the team, ice on ice action, team dynamics, as well as players and their lives.

Here in this series, Boston Rebels barely exists. It serves only loosely as a something to tie these men together. Not a solid framework.

This pattern looks to continue with Dunny in the next story. Unfortunately it he’s seems he will have a life changing event. Read no hockey. Or , as I’m guessing, no Rebels.

So not sure why the team even continues to be even a element here.

These stories are excellent on their own. They can certainly be standalone novels. As a love story it’s amazing.

As a hockey romance? Not so much as that’s the element that’s almost totally missing.

I’m definitely recommending it. Loved the characters and the story.

The rest was just me wondering about the series. Take it for what it’s worth.

Boston Rebels:

🔹Top Shelf #1

🔹Back Check #2

🔹Snowed #3

🔹Royal Lines #4

🔹Blade – August 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showRoyal Lines (Boston Rebels #4) by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Synopsis:

They’re setting fire to the sheets, but a romance between an out and proud hockey star and a closeted playboy prince could end up burning them both.

Marquis Miller might be one of the NHL’s best players, single, wealthy, and open about his sexuality, but he knows his future lies in taking over the reins of the family’s multimillion-dollar company after retirement. Jumping on the family jet, he heads to Europe, tasked with schmoozing a prince into accepting his company’s bid on a significant castle renovation. Assuming he’d be faced with a dusty old monarch well into his dotage, Marquis is stunned to find out that Kaleb is a young, sophisticated, beautiful man with an impressive work ethic, to-die-for eyes, and a certain flair that captures Marquis’s attention.

Dragging the royal palace into the twenty-first century is one battle after another for the King’s youngest son. Juggling renovations, his royal duties, and attempting to reverse his former playboy prince reputation is impossible when no one seems to want to give Kaleb a chance. His chaotic life takes yet another turn when an American hockey player arrives at the castle to discuss a renovation project. Marquis is the antithesis of Kaleb’s newly minted, responsible outlook on life, a jock, a player, willing to take chances. Although the forbidden sex is hot, Kaleb is not ready to turn on his family responsibilities for a pretty smile and a smart mouth.

For both men, family is everything, and romance will always come in second until they open their hearts to love.

Review: Listen (Single Dads #5) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 5 🌈

R.J. Scott has written an beautiful, emotionally moving story, one that happens to include a romance, with her latest installment in the Single Dads series .

Listen revolves around the potential adoption of a 3 yr deaf child by investigative journalist Nick Horner. Nick, a widower and single parent to three children, is someone we meet earlier when he’s still deeply grieving the loss of his husband to cancer, and depression has his spiraling.

At that time he meets Elliot Curtis, teacher at St. Joseph’s. Nick’s actions at the time and their interactions have repercussions later on. Nick’s background , his thoughts give us a thorough perspective of the man himself. Especially when we see him together with his children. We grieve with him and connect with him.

Elliot is an amazing character. Scott has poured a huge amount of research of Deaf culture into Elliot and his family. It shows as Elliot comes across so realistically as a CODA or child of deaf adults. Many aspects of the ramifications of this are reflected in Elliott’s memories as a child, as ASL as his first language, to his feelings as being the only hearing person in his family.

This is such a remarkable element. It’s not just Elliott. It’s also Elliott’s family but most importantly it’s Teegan, the 3 year old. It’s concerning her needs , how and what a deaf child needs, develops, and what decisions she might make for herself in the future. In addition, she’s been in foster care and a victim of FASD. Teegan is a child as winning and real on the page as they come.

And none of it feels like a info dump . Indeed , it’s all folded into a fantastic book of deep love, concern for a child , and the family who wants to adopt her. It’s a joyous romance that will slowly become about two men forming a new family.

I heart this book and it’s wonderful characters so much.

Scott has a outstanding, warm-hearted story of second chances, family and love in Listen. It’s one I’ll be rereading and one I’m highly recommending!

Happy Reading!

Single Dads series:

◦ Single #1

◦ Today#2

◦ Promise #3

◦ Single Dad Christmas

◦ Always #4

◦ Listen #5

◦ Pride#6

https://www.goodreads.com › showListen (Single Dads, #5) by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Synopsis:

He only wanted to make the best home for his new daughter; he never meant to fall in love with the man who might steal her away.

Nick and his husband had always wanted a big family, but when cancer took Danny six years ago, Nick was left a single dad of three. He never considered his broken heart would heal enough to add to his family, but as soon as he meets Teegan he knows he wants to adopt the little girl. Born profoundly deaf, Teegan has been rejected twice already in the adoption process and hasn’t found her forever home. Nick wants to be her hero—her dad—and create a world that is safe and happy for her. He knows he wants to make her life perfect—he doesn’t know how to go about it or understand the best thing to do for his family, and he needs help. Enter Elliot, and Nick finds himself falling for the frustrating, sexy, inspiring, and caring teacher who can make things right.

Elliot is wary of helping the man who appears more interested in public opinion than the needs of his own family. But, learning that Nick, wealthy and entitled, is now adopting a deaf child, Elliot knows this is a step too far and strides into battle. As the child of deaf adults, Elliot knows he is the best person to advocate for little Teegan and, if needed, he is determined to intervene and halt the adoption. Nothing and no one will get in Elliot’s way when it falls on him to protect Teegan. Not even love.

This single dad story features a widower struggling to make things right, a teacher battling for a child’s wellbeing, an adorable toddler, three loving siblings, and a home with a view of the ocean.

Review: Rivals (Harrisburg Railers #11) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.75🌈

Our favorite hockey players head to China, well not really, but in a well imagined story, Ten, Jared, Stan, Tate, Ryker, Colorado, Bryan, and Vlad all end up heading to Bejing for the Winter 2022 Olympics.

Thanks to Covid, the NHL players and committee ended up pulling out of this year’s Olympics but in Rivals, all the teams went forward!

The authors mention that the hosting nation is not a one where LBGTQIA+ rights are recognized or welcome . That heavy burden is then worked into the stresses the characters here endure among the obvious ones of Olympic level play, world wide telecast, and the even more… playing against family and teammates who are close friends.

It’s all done realistically and without making any political platform within the story. Honestly so many could have, but they avoided it by using beloved characters as examples of what happens under such conditions, and their ability to go forward with love.

It was great having Colorado use his unique perspective to guide Ten through some worrying moments when Jared, as a Canadian teammate couldn’t help.

It also made me aware, as someone who loves her Caps which is made up of nationalities, how it must feel during international competition to face players who are normally your teammates. And friends.

The hockey was intense and exciting, as I expect from both authors. So amazing. The emotional impact high and lasting. What an incredible group of characters these men are that they remain such long standing favorites! Of mine included.

The ending was lovely and extremely satisfying. But I’m always hoping for more of these couples and series. They are just too wonderful for us to ever say a lasting goodbye.

I’m highly recommending Rivals. Read it and enjoy!

Harrisburg Railers: 15 books

http://vllocey.com › category › rj-sc…RJ Scott – VL Locey

http://vllocey.comV.L. Locey Romance Author

https://www.goodreads.com › showRivals by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Playing for their country in the Winter Olympics is the highest of all honors, but when family members are pitted as rivals and a dark specter from the past turns up in Beijing, tensions run high, and abruptly, it’s not all about the hockey.

Jared is torn—assistant coach for Team Canada, with Ryker on the team; he bleeds red and white and wears the maple leaf with pride. Only Ten is now a rival, and not only that, but the country they’re all playing in frowns on his marriage and keeps him and Ten apart. Jared wants to win gold for his country and his son, but he’d be so proud if Ten were to win. He’s confused and concerned, but when a face from their past turns up to play, he’s furious.

Being picked for Team USA is one of the things Tennant dreamed of when he was a little boy. All of his other aspirations have come true through hard work, determination, and pure talent. Now he’s about to represent his country in front of the world, and the pressure is starting to build. He’s also just come face-to-face with a hated rival from a dark period in his past. Add in the burden of squaring off against his husband and stepson, and Ten is feeling the pressure to be perfect.

Family becomes rivals—but love always wins.

Review: Sugar and Ice (Arizona Raptors #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.25🌈

I don’t know how I missed this the first time it was released but I’m all caught up now on a new favorite pair within the Arizona Raptors. That’s Tate Collins and Captain Vladislav Novikov. I do love me a Russian goalie ! If not Stan than definitely a Vlad!

Vlad with a potty mouthed parrot and a need to dominate? So hot. The scenes with Tate just about fog up the room. This is a couple who’s chemistry is wildly successful and off the charts because they are able to connect emotionally too.

Sugar and Ice is a story that I wish was actually longer in length because both characters have issues that could use deeper scrutiny as well as I just wanted more time with them.

For Vlad, he’s got a twin who plays professionally who’s as talented a hockey player as he is in Russia, along with the rest of his family. For a gay Russian , it’s safer politically, legally for his family in Russia for him to stay closeted. A sad and painful state of affairs.

For Tate, it’s a ex wife with mental health issues who’s determination to hurt him in the media that’s damaging him and his future.

Neither issue is examined to the extent it could be or as it was with Stan. With Tate , in fact, it was resolved extremely quickly. Both aspects of their pasts and story deserves a more detailed explanation.

However, this pair and their romance is so amazing that you take them to heart. I’d love a follow up novel after Vlad’s retirement. Or whenever. They are just that couple.

Colorado is a big character here and that’s because the next story is his. What a flamboyant, adorable man he is! Emu’s indeed!

Sugar and Ice (Arizona Raptors #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey is a terrific story with an incredible couple at its center.

It’s one I’m definitely recommending!

Arizona Raptors series:

✓ Coast to Coast #1

✓ Across the Pond #2

✓ Shadow and Light #3

✓ Sugar and Ice #4

✓ School and Rock #5

https://www.goodreads.com › showSugar and Ice (Arizona Raptors, #4) by R.J. Scott | Goodreads

Synopsis:

When love is on the line, the worst decisions can end up having the best endings.

Tate Collins, an all-American hockey phenomenon, was the highly marketable face of Dallas hockey. Loaded down with endorsements and playing his best game, he was a superstar and a household name. No one ever expected him to fail, but overnight, after the worst decision of his life, everything spirals out of his control. Abruptly, his reputation is in tatters, and he’s traded to the Arizona Raptors in a shocking move. Brushing off the wild and unfounded accusations that he faces on social media, and stuck on the second line, he keeps his head down and works hard to earn his spot. Tate knows he can make a difference if only his teammates would let him. Something has to change for him to earn their respect, but falling for the captain might not be his best move.

Vladislav Novikov has been called many things over his long and illustrious career, but the new nickname of Iceberg seems to fit best. Perhaps it’s due to his icy blue eyes, or the way he rams into opposing players as he defends his goalie. Or maybe it’s because of his cool demeanor when not playing the game he loves. Whatever the reason, it’s why he’s the perfect team captain for this wild bunch of puck-pushers. His perfectly controlled life is smooth as ice until Tate Collins rides into Tucson with his apple pie ways and those damn dimples. The young superstar immediately catches his eye. Despite knowing better than to start something with a teammate, the big, bad Iceberg is about to have that chilly veneer around his heart melted away by Tate one sweet kiss at a time.

☃️❄️❄️Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Favored Holiday Reads this 2021!❄️❄️☃️

12 Days of Christmas (or Whatever you Celebrate) Reading List!

❄️Tis the season for holiday stories and I’ve read some outstanding ones so far, one’s that made me roar with laughter, some that had me reaching for the tissues, and so many that had me shaking my head at the mad writing skills and imagination of the authors represented on the list here.

⛸❄️Here’s my list of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 12 Days of the Holidays 2021 Favorites to Read!🎄⛄️

⭐️Merry Measure by Lily Morton

❄️Cosy & Chill by Jackie Keswick

❄️Christmas Wish List (Hartbridge Christmas #2) by N.R. Walker*

❄️A Very Genre Christmas by Kim Fielding

❄️The Christmas Tenor (Laurel Holidays #3) by V. L. Locey

❄️Dreidels & Do Overs by Kim Fielding

❄️Snowed (Boston Rebels #3) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

❄️The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert

❄️Merry Elf-ing Christmas by Beth Bolden

❄️Gingerbread Mistletoe (Lighthouse Bay #2) by Amy Aislin*

❄️Holigay by K.M. Neuhold

❄️The Wishing Tree by R.J. Scott

⛄️❄️Just Missed the 12 Days of Christmas list…barely…mostly because I wanted 12….

✓ Dearest Malachi Keogh (Dearest Milton James #1.5) by N.R. Walker

✓ Ethan and Jag Destroy the World by Maz Maddox

✓ The Fairy Dance by Tara Lain

✓ The Holiday List (Script Club #4) by Lane Hayes

✓ Tic-Tac Mistletoe Christmas by NR Walker

✓ Christmas Lane (Lighthouse Bay #1) by Amy Aislin

There were a couple of Christmas series above that I loved. They are indicated by a *, so gather up all the books there.

Honestly many authors are listed multiple times because they just rocked the holiday tales! That includes a review to come on the wonderful On A Midnight Clear by Lily Morton so it will be on an updated and expanded End of Year list

Have I left out some of your favorites this season? Let me know! I’m always on the hunt for new authors and stories. Or just plain out stuff I missed.

It’s just me now, and since I’m buying the books I’m reading , I actually have a TBR list that’s growing. 😂🤷‍♀️Help me add to it. **

Happy Holidays whatever you may celebrate from myself and my blog, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

** (No DSP or related businesses pls, Ty).