The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane at Dreamspinner Press
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Athletes/Coaches / Romance |
Reviewed by | Roger on 02-March-2021 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Athletes/Coaches / Romance |
Reviewed by | Roger on 02-March-2021 |
What does a work-life balance look like to recently retired professional athletes?
Ex-hockey player Nate Overton is trying to find out, but dipping his toes in the gay dating scene post-divorce is a daunting prospect even without the news that his show is on thin ice. Before he can tackle either issue, he skates headfirst into another problem—his new cohost. Former figure skater Aubrey Chase is the embodiment of a spoiled rich playboy. He’s also flamboyant, sharp, and hot as sin.
Aubrey knows how important it is to get off on the right foot. He’s just not very good at it outside the rink. Having spent his life desperate for attention, he’ll do anything to get it—even the wrong kind.
For Nate and Aubrey, opposites don’t so much attract as collide at center ice. But while Nate’s everything Aubrey has scrupulously avoided—until now—Aubrey falls suddenly head over heels, and Nate’s only looking for a rebound fling. Can Aubrey convince Nate to risk his heart again, or will their unexpected connection be checked at the first sign of trouble?
This novel contains several of my favorite tropes: gay hockey players and enemies-to-lovers, with even a touch of fake dating thrown in. ‘The Inside Edge’ follows two characters who couldn't be more different: Nate, a former hockey star who has just gone through a heartbreaking divorce, and Aubrey, a somewhat self-centered former figure skater who has never been in a serious relationship. It was fun to watch the rocky start of their relationship as cohosts of a hockey show as their initial dislike of one another slowly turns into something more. Not only do they have an intense chemistry on the show, but soon sparks fly between them off the set as well.
What made the story fun was how they each fought their feelings for the other. Both men are determined to stay away from any romantic attachments and simply enjoy being single. The challenges for the two men begin once they decide to have an evening of casual, no-strings sex. They then repeat the evening… again… and again. Naturally, feelings develop between the two of them. Yet, each is determined to ignore their budding romantic yearnings for the other and push the feelings aside, confident that their love for the other is unrequited. What follows is a breathless push and pull dynamic, as both men oscillate between moving on from the other and being sucked right back into the other's orbit.
What I loved was how lighthearted and funny this book was, even when it was deeply touching. The humor and the clever banter between Nate and Aubrey keep the story lighter than their issues suggest, and the sexual tension and energy between these two vibrates the pages.
This tale is at once a love story, a story of self-actualization, and an ode to family in every sense of the word. There are plenty of laughs here, mixed deftly with meditations on family, love, attachment, and finding oneself. I also enjoyed the compelling family dynamics that the novel explored. If you like stories about finding your way through life, not forgetting the past, yet not letting it keep you from the person you can be, then you may enjoy this tender story of self-bewilderment and self-discovery, and of mental blocks and breakthroughs.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook and print |
Length | Novel, 224 pages/77246 words |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 01-December-2020 |
Price | $6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback |
Buy Link | https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-inside-edge-by-ashlyn-kane-11783-b |