Coach Stare Down (For Puck’s Sake 6) by Crea Reitan-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date MAY 16, 2024

All it takes is just one look.

Adak

After a series of relationships where I’ve been made to feel inadequate because of my asexuality, I’ve made the sole focus of my life my coaching career. I love hockey – the chill of the ice, the fast paced, high stress game. I love the fans and the atmosphere. The energy. Now that I’m coaching in the NHL, I feel a sense of serenity and comfort with life. All that’s left is to get my team to The Stanley Cup.

A series of unfortunate injuries has riddled the Bobcats into a serious funk. The frustration that my boys feel echoes through me and after one of the most horrible plays I’ve ever witnessed, I turn my back on the ice – only to catch his eyes. Suddenly, I know what I’ve been missing. In a sea of over 15,000 faces, I found the one I’ve been waiting my entire life for.

There’s sadness in his eyes that’s only overcome with the fear behind it. Nothing will stop me from making Oren mine and giving him the life and love he deserves. Nothing.

Oren

My life is shit. I’m the pariah of my family for hell knows why. All I want is to get away. But I tried once – at nineteen, I ran and my father with his buddies on the police force dragged me home. I’ve since been dragged down into submission.

But then I meet his eyes and everything inside me just… shifts. Adak takes a chance on me and I think that perhaps my father has finally met a wall he can’t barrel through to keep control. That is, until he starts blasting his hate everywhere.

I wouldn’t blame Adak if he chooses to leave. This is his career on the line. His image and reputation. Am I worth it?

•••••••

REVIEW:I was hoping for a better story this time as I wasn’t too keen on the last one!

This one I loved, we got the hockey side (which I missed in the last one) we got a few little steamy moments. But it was the connection between Oren and Adak that I adored.

Adak is an ice hockey coach. We’ve met him a couple of times in previous books. It’s not necessary to read the previous ones as they all stand on their own. It was just great that he finally got a story.

He loves the game, his team and the fans that come out to support the team week in and week out.

But he’s lonely, he has a loving family, but he wants what his nephew has with his new husband. He wants a connection to another soul…. Past partners have put pressure on Adak to bend to their needs and make him feel guilty when he doesn’t conform to what society thinks is normal.

I love meeting new characters, I like that it’s not always about the s€x. The author has shown us that love comes in many shapes and forms like humans do. Just because you love someone differently, doesn’t make it wrong.

Oren had me in the first page. His home life is horrid. A father that controls every aspect of his life…. From the clothes he wears to the food he eats. From the job he should be doing (luckily Oren stuck to his principles on that one!) to the friends he should have. He was verbally beaten down, until Oren had nowhere or no one to turn to!! Even his brothers joined with the verbal beat down!! 😔

Fate, or whatever you want to call it put Oren in Adak’s sights. And from then on it gave Oren the strength to fight for what he wanted. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, in fact reading parts of the struggle to gain his freedom had me in tears and shouting at my kindle!! His confidence was nonexistent, his self worth was at an all time low. He constantly questioned himself, and had nothing but anxiety when around his family.

It also gave Adak the partner he deserved. One who loved him just the way he was, didn’t expect anything but love/cuddles and understanding.

This book does have triggers. This book is hard going (but sooooo worth the effort) and this book is now my second favourite in the series (Rakesh and Egon will always have my number one position) I just loved how they grew stronger after each incident. I chuckled at the most inappropriate times, and smiled at all the cuddling within this book.

Slow burn ? 🤔 almost borders on the sweet side. But it’s a great read, and one I’m highly recommending. 🫶🏻👌🫶🏻

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Shiver
Starting Line
Lucky Shot
The Crease
Wingman Score

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B🦋

Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. All of her RH relationships end up being heavily polyamorous – meaning it’s not just all the men for one woman. There’s also some M/M action going on. When she can’t fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center – and utterly swoon-worthy! Don’t ask her how many book boyfriends she has…

When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don’t even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!

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