Teegan Loy

This story, as hilarious and humorous as it is, still manages to get across a message of acceptance and love that is quite Christmas-y. It doesn’t start out too well, with Ryan having been banned from the apartment he shares with Jordan, his boyfriend of eight months. Jordan isn't out and he has his family coming for a pre-Christmas visit, so what choice do they have? The situation is crazy, but I bet lots of couples "in hiding" will know exactly what that feels like. The rest of the story is as crazy as the setup, but luckily, there is hope as well.

Ryan made me laugh. He is relieved to be back home, and determined to make this a memorable evening for Jordan once his boyfriend returns from dropping his family off at the airport. A romantic dinner has to be part of that, but he is about as talented in the kitchen as I am. Which means: not at all! His desperate attempts to slice vegetables (cutting his finger, of course) and get the oven to work were hilarious. The romantic gift he has for Jordan was very touching.

Jordan is torn between wanting to tell his family and being scared to death they will hate him. When he calls Ryan his roommate, he made me cringe and Ryan angry and sad. Luckily this is a Christmas story and I was holding on to the hope all would therefore have to end well. Jordan himself may have taken a little long to get there, but I could see his struggle and was willing to bear with him.

If you like stories that will make you laugh out loud, if you enjoy reading about someone else's family drama (since that always seems more amusing than our own), and if you're looking for a heartwarming, romantic story that doesn't take itself too seriously, you will probably like this one a lot.




NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (més)

This was one of those books that gripped me from the first page. Why? Basically, the conflicts Erik faces are tough (both as an athlete on a professional level and as a man in his personal life), he clearly has no idea how to deal with his emotions, and he suffers before the story really starts. There is also something about his voice, the way he thinks and avoids dealing with life that struck me as realistic and kept me wanting to know what's next. Of course, by the time Tyce is introduced, I was already hooked!

Erik is a hockey player with a very defined image of what he should be like, and whom he should be attracted to. From the very beginning it is clear that, deep down, he has a different opinion, but it is equally obvious that "he cannot give in" to what he most wants. As the story develops, the full extent of the disaster that is his life as a college senior and future hockey professional unfolds: his father terrorizes him, he has a fiancée he doesn’t love, and the one person who was his best friend and secret lover is unreachable for him. The self-recrimination is terrible, and the emotional mess he is in made me cringe.

His initial lack of ability to change this was quite embarrassing, I mean, for a guy of 22 or 23, he had not really grown up to form his own opinions, always falling in with what his father wanted. Now, he is finally paying for it. The rest of the book is about the process of digging himself out of this hole, the new terror that awaits him once he frees himself, and the emotional growing up that follows. Spellbinding, as well as highly frustrating, when he has a relapse – or two.

Tyce doesn't have it easy either, buy mainly because he loves Erik deeply and the man walking away from him almost killed him. I totally sympathized with Tyce, and the way he deals with the situation is admirable. He is also very giving and has some great friends, all of which helps him to deal with Erik's emotional growth spurts.

If you like stories that make you squirm and push you to the edge of your seat, if you enjoy reading about men who have a lot of emotional growing up to do, and if you're looking for a great love story, you will probably like this book.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (més)

This is such a great story! It made me laugh, its emotions got under my skin, and Cody and Shane together are just too cute. In fact, the whole setup is a great idea!

Cody, about the most unsporting reporter ever, goes after stories about each of the different types of Olympic winter sports, and damning his "evil editor" for making him "experience" each of them. It makes this a clearly humorous story from the start. He soon realizes that his new neighbor, Shane, is insanely hot and plays curling. And guess what? Cody ends up almost loving that sport even though he still doesn't get all the rules at the end of the book. Neither did I, by the way, it sounded complicated; and I have to admit I liked the fact it remained slightly "mysterious".

Shane is gorgeous, a nice guy, and insanely hot. He is also clearly interested in Cody, even if Cody isn't sure that is the case. Shane is about as determined to teach Cody about curling as he is about getting him into his bed - except fate, in the form of Cody's editor and Shane's schedule of playoffs, conspires against the for two whole weeks. Luckily, Shane isn't easily deterred!

If you like humorous stories that are as cute as they're funny, if you're not too serious about sports, and if you're looking for a read about a slightly clumsy reporter who ends up doing way better that he expected in the relationship department, then you will probably like this story as much as I did.



NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.
… (més)

If an ice skater is equally talented as both a hockey player and figure skater, is it less manly to hone his figure skating skills? Teegan Loy's romance lands solidly on the line, declaring that both figure and hockey skating demand strength and precision.

The author also tackles the question of image as figure skater Justin Corrin works to become a member of the United States Olympic team while coming out as a gay man. Justin's been in a closeted relationship with his friend Danny, a hockey player.

Danny's a real piece of work, acting hot and heavy when he's with Justin behind closed doors and making fun of Justin in front of the hockey team.

This all changes when Justin throws over Danny after he meets C. J. Daly, a new hockey player on the team that Justin's father coaches. While Justin and C. J. immediately click, Justin realizes right away that something isn't right with C. J., a fact corroborated by others who know him.

Since Justin hasn't really talked to his father after he reacted badly to Justin's coming out, Justin leaves C. J. alone, not demanding that he talk about his troubled past. Besides, Justin has demons of his own.

Read the rest of my review at The Romance Reviews: http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=13805… (més)