?? The Crease (For Puck’s Sake 4) by Crea Reitan-review tour ??

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 7, 2024

Always protect the heart of the ice.

Max

This wasn’t supposed to happen to me. I’m supposed to be at the top of my career. Untouchable. Worshiped. Finally proving to all the jerks in my life that I made it. I’m at the top.

Then a video that shouldn’t exist leaks and everything comes crashing down. I’m about to lose it all and I can’t seem to get out of my own way. My agent banishes me to a place that technology can’t touch while he tries to salvage my career.

I’m caught between rage and deep depression, lashing out at everyone and everything around me. I have myself to blame but right now, all I want is to drown in my misery. Even when something unexpected and good comes along, all I can do is push and push until I’m once more drowning all alone.

Deryke

I don’t know what’s come over me. Why does this disaster of a hockey player suddenly call to my heart and everything inside my body and mind? I mean, the world knows what’s in his pants and I’ve never been even slightly turned on by that! Why now? Why him?

Even when he’s bratting so hard I want to break him, I can see that he acts the way he does because he’s hurting somewhere deep inside. He won’t let me in, but for some unknown reason, I can’t let Maximus Latham go.

He needs me. He needs someone to believe in him and not disappear the minute he messes up. He needs someone to love him for him, not for being the hockey god he is. Except I’m not sure I can reach him in time before he self-destructs.

But damned if I’m not going to try.

••••

REVIEW: I’m hoping this series goes on forever. Another story smashed off the ice and into the back of the net ? this authors ice hockey/mm romance series has to be one of my all time favourites.

The characters are so 3 dimensional that I tend to forget they aren’t real. That the text messages that send to one another aren’t on my phone!! The books in this series hold not only a place in my heart, but also a place in my head.

This book focuses on the bad boy, the player, the trouble maker and his name is Maximus Latham (Max to friends)

He’s popped up in a few books (but you don’t have to read them to understand his character,) and in all of them he’s acted up, played the fool and will do anything for attention! But this time it backfires spectacularly and Max is facing the horrifying threat of losing the only thing he’s good at ice hockey!

Taking himself off to a remote island sounds like a good idea, but Max suffers a boat load of self doubt and insecurities, and begins to withdraw from his surroundings and in fact life itself!

It’s so sad reading how he slowly stops caring, how the voices in his head batter him about, until he’s just a husk, a shell of the man he once was….

Deryke is on the same island as Max, but for different reasons. He comes to the island to visit friends and recharge before the start of the season (yes, Deryke is a hockey player too) ? Seeing Max in the bar on the island has Deryke approach him to say hi. They aren’t on the same team but they do recognise each other enough to say hello. But Deryke gets no response!

I love the whole idea of someone out there just for you. And although Deryke isn’t gay, and Max is bi (although probably prefers men to be honest) they just click. Deryke doesn’t really question why he’s attracted to Max, he just knows he is suppose to be there to care and support Max ?

And so starts the whole story of Deryke bringing Max back to life. Showing him that he is worth the time and effort. Max’s backstory is a sad one, it certainly contributes to his mental health and the way he sees himself….

This book is about redemption, recognition and caring for someone enough to put your own life on hold…..But with the start of the hockey season, and Max still hasn’t heard from his manager or coach and Deryke is heading back to the mainland to start training how will Max cope on his own? Deryke is his lifeline!!

I liked how we get to see previous characters from previous books in this series. I liked how Deryke dealt with Max ? and I just wanted to wrap Max up and deal with all of his heartache.

Another highly recommended read from me.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Shiver
Starting Line
Lucky Shot

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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