Noah Viklund (Vicki to his friends) and Tommy Tremblay play on rival NHL teams. Vicki believes that Tommy is a reckless player who nearly ruined the career of a teammate with a dirty hit. Tommy knows Vicki hates him and is willing to stir the pot because he can. Their off-ice relationship is volatile and they give new meaning to the term hate sex. Still… there is more under the surface than either man is willing to admit and hate is a fine line.

I am not afraid to say that this book made me uncomfortable. It took me right out of my comfort zone as a romance reader. The relationship between the two men bordered on abusive and was most certainly not healthy for either of them. Despite compelling storytelling, it reached a breaking point when I was ready to quit, asking myself “WTH am I reading?”. Just then the characters asked, “WTH are we doing?”.

What follows is a brilliant story of exploration and growth for both men and somehow the author took me along for the ride giving me an empathetic feel for both. I couldn’t choose sides if I had to and while I expected a certain type of ending, I couldn’t see it playing out the way it did.

I did find that I couldn’t do as the author asked and suspend disbelief on NHL discrepancies. While I am on board with professional sports that don’t pay attention to who sleeps with whom, I saw no need for the fundamental change to the playoff system. Still, the secondary characters are fascinating, and this was a terrific introduction to a new series, maybe one with a bit of bite.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
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