I’m so happy I moved in to Save of the Game by Avon Gale so soon after I finished Breakaway. This book picks up shortly after Breakaway as a new season gets underway for the Jacksonville Sea Storm. This time out goalie Riley Hunter and defenseman Ethan Kennedy take center stage after having been supporting characters in the Breakaway.
Riley and Ethan are roommates and one day Ethan stumbles on the porn bookmarks Riley has on his laptop. The gay porn turns Ethan on in a way he hadn’t expected. It also makes him consider Riley in a way he hadn’t expected. The build up between these two is perfect as they try to read each other’s signals. Should they make out? Should they get naked? Ethan’s confused because he thought he was straight, but the more he’s with Riley the more he can see he’s bi.
Beyond the relationship Riley and Ethan form, there’s a great story of family here as well. Ethan comes from a very supportive family while Riley’s from a wealthy but distant family. It’s a study of contrasts as Ethan can’t understand Riley’s family situation while at the same time Riley is practically adopted by Ethan’s family with hardly any questions at all.
Of course there’s hockey in the book too and it’s woven into the story beautifully. I especially liked Ethan having to make decisions about where his career should go once the season is over.
As with Breakaway, I loved everything about this book–the romance, the hockey, the stories that were tangent to the romance. Avon Gale has a great thing going with this series and I look forward to facing off with book three soon.