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sbbarnes · 6 months

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Hockey Romances. Why?

So I was taken out of work a couple weeks ago due to ~pregnancy stuff~ (mostly just stress, the baby and I are fine) which has left me with a lot of spare time on my hands. And as one does, I have been filling my time reading lgbtq+ romance novels. Because I can.

In this time, I have fallen headfirst into the hockey romance novel subgenre, and I ask myself, as I have done every time I see these books advertised, why? I am not a sports fan. One time, my husband was watching football (European), and a team in red kits was playing against yellow kits, and I started laughing because "it looks like ketchup is playing against mustard". His expression was great, but he hasn't taken me seriously since.

So why is hockey of all things such a draw for the mlm romance subgenre? Especially given the NHL's apparent fear of rainbow tape? Why do I now know what the word "celly" refers to and what an "enforcer" is? Why why why?

Here are my answers:

Extremely organic way to set up some of the most classic romance tropes. Forced proximity? Being on the same team takes care of that. There was only one bed? Shared hotel rooms during away games. Enemies to lovers? Rival teams.

Lots of potential for drama given that players lead very transient lives in terms of the constant possibility of trades. In mlm love stories, even more so given that the NHL is so blatantly homophobic.

Perfect level of fame. Fame and wealth as a draw for a love interest are kind of staples of the genre, and NHL players are famous, sure, but not all of them, and they aren't as famous as football stars (either kind of football). They are still filthy rich, which makes great wish fulfillment. You can have the sexy penthouse and the anonymity.

I would go on to talk about how different roles on the team lend themselves to different tropes (goalie = tightly controlled dude who needs someone to help him cut loose; enforcer = misunderstood fighter with a heart of gold; coach for all your forbidden love/sleeping with the boss desires) but that would very quickly reveal my utter lack of hockey knowledge, so let's not. Instead, here's a quick reclist.

Rachel Reid's Game Changers series. It's a classic in the genre for a reason and it has everything. Forbidden love? Got that, maybe the definitive example. Redemption arc? Got that. Misunderstood bruiser with a heart of gold? Got that. Age difference? Got that. Also really excellent sex scenes, not gonna lie, and satisfying endings throughout - sometimes a happy end will come a little suddenly for me, but these books really delivered, and the nice thing about how romance series are structured is that you get a little peek at what comes after for the couples in the other books.

2. Him, Us and Epic by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. This one surprised me, I don't generally go for first person POVs, but I did enjoy this! Coming-of-age story turned coming out story featuring a budding hockey star and his best friend. Lots of fun.

3. Scoring Chances series by Avon Gale. This series is fun in that it doesn't focus on the NHL, it actually focuses on the minor leagues in the southeast of the US, a place almost no one associates with ice hockey. As such, there's a chance to tell different stories about professional athletes who aren't super rich and famous, which I appreciate a lot. TBH the first pairing wasn't entirely my cup of tea, but I'm glad I kept going because I especially enjoyed the later books, which tackle tough topics (including eating disorders, abuse etc., so content warning for that). These are still romance novels though, so rest assured that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. What I especially appreciate is that these books don't have relationship drama, in that the main couples communicate and work together instead of a third act break-up-make-up!

4. Hockey Ever After series by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James. These are just great. Lots of fun to read, lots of cameos from character in later books, just excellent mood all around. Also features my favorite ever trope (secret relationship, sorry, anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for it I just can't help myself) heavily, which is a win in my book. I especially enjoyed book two, "Scoring Position". Is that because Nico is German and I loved him? Is that because Ryan is my new blorbo? We may never know.

Happy reading and please give me recommendations for more books like these, I'm lowkey obsessed.

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aurorawest · 1 year

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Reading update!

So as you'll see below I've read a lot of books since the last time I did one of these. I'm not going to write a little blurb for all of them, only the ones I feel strongly about. But I'm going to start including my ratings.

Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert. 4.25/5 stars

Where We Left Off by Roan Parrish. 5/5 stars

Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian. 5/5 stars

This book was just. So lovely. Short and fast-paced, but I loved Peter and Caleb so much. I love the time period too. I know this is me being toxic and problematic and showing my internalized homophobia or whatever but I actually really like books set in places and time periods where homophobia is a real and present danger. I think it's because I'm totally a Love Conquers All romantic, so the fact that people dgaf and make a go of being together anyway scratches that itch.

Anyway, good book. I picked up the other two in the series but haven't read them yet.

Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih. 4/5 stars

Literature. Good but pretty sad.

No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper. 3/5 stars

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. DNF

I got 50 pages in before I gave into my hate and DNFed this.

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I find it genuinely upsetting that Natasha Pulley isn't a household name, because she writes the most beautiful, gutting books that I have maybe ever read. I don't understand how she's able to write what is, on the surface, a completely mundane sentence, and yet there's this roiling sea of heartbreak underneath it.

This is the sequel to The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, easily one of the best books I've ever read, and this one is at least as good.

Natural Enemies by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. 3.75/5 stars

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. 5/5 stars

Lovely little novella that read like a fairy tale.

The Prince's Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner. 4.25/5 stars

At first I despaired of ever learning who all the characters were in this book because the first like, 10 chapters were all from a different POV, but I got a handle on all of them and liked it a lot.

Spectred Isle by KJ Charles. 4.75/5 stars

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. DNF

This is the book that made me realize I hate whimsical books.

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins. 4/5 stars

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune. 3/5 stars

I ranted about this one already but Jesus, Klune. This straight up reads like the kind of stuff I wrote when I was like, 14, and I don't mean that as a compliment to my 14 year old self.

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery. 5/5 stars

!!!!! This book was so good!!!! I picked it up way back when it came out but it only surfaced in the TBR pile in March, and it did not let me down. Thom and Clay are SO unlikable, but you start to like them in a way that's practically insidious because you don't see it coming. By the end, I was totally rooting for them and loved them both. And this is a romcom with a truly great villain, too, which definitely isn't standard in romances.

Red Skies Falling by Alex London. 5/5 stars

Second book in a series that revolves around a culture where falconry is hugely important. If you want fantasy that doesn't take place in fantasy England, check this series out. It has an A+ sibling relationship, a lovely romance, and high stakes. But this one was saaaaad ugh so sad.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. 3.75/5 stars

I hated this book until about 80% through, and then it subverted all my expectations and I ended up liking it okay. I thought it was just about a pathetic middle aged gay white man (I know I know, that's my type, what's the problem?) feeling sorry for himself, but it was deeper than that. And it had a nice ending.

Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish. 4/5 stars

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 5/5 stars (reread)

Bought this edition for the bonus chapter from Henry's POV and for @vkelleyart's end pages. Totally worth it. I love this book just as much as I did the first time.

Threshold by Jordan L Hawk. 4.25/5 stars

So this is a series with like, 11 books? I read the first one and was kind of eh on it. Good enough to buy the second, not enough to buy all 11 or whatever. But the second one was substantially better, so now I've acquired like 5 more of them. I continue to be a sucker for late 19th century/early 20th century settings.

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen. 4.5/5 stars

Is gay noir a thing? Because that's what I'm calling this book. Gay noir. I loved the main character and I'm really excited this is going to be a series (I've already preordered the second one). The only reason I knocked off half a star is because some of the side characters were irritating. And as a mystery, it wasn't great, so I wouldn't read this one if you're looking for a really good mystery. It's definitely more about the character development and the relationships.

Though possibly one reason I didn't think the mystery was that good is because it got spoiled for me on tumblr by someone who imo had a pretty shallow read on the book. Honestly not sure if they actually read it or they just skimmed it.

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. 5/5 stars

AHHH. THIS BOOK!! This book was so good. So I've been making fun of it for a while because if you look at the cover, it looks like a Stucky AU. And you know what, maybe it was, but at least it didn't read that way, lol. It was really lovely and I'll be using it as a comp for the manuscript I finished last week.

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley. 5/5 stars

I don't even have anything else to say except that you need to read Natasha Pulley's books. Please. If you're reading this post, go get her books. Buy them, take them out of the library, whatever. Do it.

Work for It by Talia Hibbert. 4.25/5 stars

A Tree of Bones by Gemma Files. 4.5/5 stars

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles. 5/5 stars

Something happened in this book that made me close it and stare into the middle distance, then put it aside until I could process.

Anyway you should definitely read it.

Farview by Kim Fielding. 4/5 stars

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen. 4.25/5 stars

Currently reading The Restless Dark by Erica Waters

Which I'm enjoying more than I thought I would!

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mmm-crackling · 1 year

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[What if the Leafs/Sharks game in Epic was covered by TSN? Spoilers Him/Us/Epic (Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy)]

NHL | TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS | SAN JOSE SHARKS

“He was f***ing incredible”: Maple Leafs’ Wesley on playing against husband

TSN.ca Staff

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks victory last night will be one to remember for their unlikely hero, emergency back-up goalie Jamie Canning – husband of star Maple Leafs forward Ryan Wesley. The game made history, being the first time a married couple has played in an NHL game, and facing each other across the ice on opposing teams, at that.

“I was sitting there in the opponents jersey thinking, ‘Wes is going to kill me’,” said Canning. “I hoped that I would just have to sit there and open the bench door for the line changes. And I’d never had better seats for one of Wes’s games.”

It was a few minutes into the third period that 25-year-old Canning, a Toronto major junior hockey coach, was called into action for San Jose, tasked with facing a Leafs team where his husband started as a rookie almost three years ago. Canning, originally from California’s Marin County, came away with a 4-3 victory for the Sharks in his NHL debut, shutting Toronto out for the duration of his shift in net.

“He was f***ing incredible”, said Wesley. “We didn’t know who the back-up’s back-up was going to be until he was announced and skated onto the ice. At first I didn’t know what was happening. Watching my teammates playing against my own husband was so f***ing trippy.”

Once a prospect for the Detroit Red Wings, Jamie Canning was a formidable college goaltender in his senior year at Rainier when they clinched a spot in the Frozen Four. His Tigers were eliminated in the semifinals, but Wesley’s own Northern Mass went on to win the NCAA championship that year. Despite playing in the same tournament, the two never faced off against each other.

Until now. Injuries meant that Canning, who was already at the arena to cheer the Leafs on with his family, was asked to dress as a last-resort back-up for the now-starting goaltender Tim Pitti. A pile-up on the 101 meant that a back up goalie from AHL-affiliate San Jose Barracuda would not make the arena in time for the puck drop.

“I am on the emergency back-up list for the league, but nobody ever gets called,” said Canning, who wore number 33 for the game. “Every now and then you hear stories about an accountant who gets called up to play one period for the Rangers or the Kings, but those are practically fables, rare situations that allow an everyday Joe to live out his professional athlete dreams. I couldn’t say no.”

After the second intermission, Sharks netminder Tim Pitti was levelled following a punishing hit by two Maple Leafs’ forwards, and Canning answered the bell. Toronto had led 3-1 after the first two periods, but Canning made saves on every shot the Leafs fired on him, allowing the Sharks to come back with three more goals of their own.

“Look at J-Bomb go!”, forward Blake Riley was heard to shout from the Maple Leafs’ bench. Riley is close to the pair, who he has dubbed ‘Wesmie’, and is romantically involved with Canning’s sister Jessica.

The moment when the husbands came face-to-face arrived with five minutes left on the clock. Wesley found himself on a breakaway, charging towards where his other half stood guard. Some say that they had seen Canning stick his tongue out at Wesley when his glove closed around the puck, denying him the goal.

Toronto was not able to tie up the game.

“Of course I’m disappointed that we didn’t win”, said Wesley. “But I can’t deny that I’m happy for Jamie. He deserves it.”

After the defeat, Wesley’s teammates are understood to not hold any ill feelings towards Canning, who has proudly been called a member of the Maple Leafs’ family ever since their relationship was revealed two years ago.

Said Toronto forward Matt Eriksson, “When I heard that Canning was headed into the Shark’s net, I thought ‘s***, this is going to be epic’, and he was.”

Wesley and a few Leafs were seen graciously celebrating with Canning and his new teammates at a local San Jose bar after the game. Wesley had been told, “you can have your goalie back after we buy him a drink.”

“He saved our butts tonight,” said Nik Sokolav, San Jose’s star forward. “It was a big surprise to us in our locker room when we figured out who he was. I thought, ‘no f***ing way is this guy going to be our back-up goalie, he’s just going to hand the game to Ryan Wesley’. But he said nothing would make him happier than to kick his hubby’s a**, and I guess he did.”

A correspondent for TSN reports that Tim Pitti, seen at the bar with his arm in a sling, bought a round of drinks for both teams. Said Wesley, “we lent you Toronto’s best goalie coach. It’s time to pay up.”

Canning will return to Toronto this weekend where his major junior team will play their game against Niagara. In spite of his dedication to his coaching career, Canning is rumored to be a target for the Ottawa Senators, who are looking to bolster their goaltender ranks.

Jamie Canning married Ryan Wesley after Wesley’s rookie year with the Maple Leafs, in which he came out as the first openly gay player in the NHL. The two had been childhood friends, having attended hockey camp together at Lake Placid, New York, every summer since they were both 13 years-old.

#him #us #epic #sarina bowen #elle kennedy #toronto maple leafs #san jose sharks #ryan wesley #jamie canning #maple leafs #leafs

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birthdaysentiment · 2 years

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from « him » by sarina bowen and elle kennedy

happy thirty months anniversary sobbe ♡

#wtfock #wtfam #wtfockedit #robbe ijzermans #sander driesen #sobbe #sobbeedit #skamremakesedit #skamversedaily #skamedit #lgbtedit #dailylgbtq #sarina bowen #elle kennedy #cille's edits

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libertyreads · 18 days

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March Wrap Up 2024--

What a month that was. Did I read more than what I was supposed to? Yes. Am I mad about it? No. My goal for the year is to stay between 52 and 104 books read which means I need to read roughly 8 books per month (technically 8.6 or something like that) at the maximum. All this basically means is that I have to stick to reading 8 books next month. I blame the fact that my library hold came in 2 weeks early and I really didn't want to get back in line for it since it took so long to come in. Let's get to what I read and what I rated what I read.

Comics/Graphic Novels-- 1. Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo--3.75 stars (original rating).

Novellas-- 1. Must Love Hockey by Sarina Bowen (Kindle)--3.75 stars.

2. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark (NetGalley)--4 stars.

Novels-- 1. No Coincidence by Rafat Kosik--1.75 stars.

2. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu--3 stars.

3. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah--3.75 stars.

4. Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Library)--4 stars.

5. Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes (NetGalley)--3.25 stars.

6. The Foxglove King by Hannah F. Whitten--4.25 stars (original rating).

The average star rating for the month ended up being 3.5 stars which was such a surprise given that this is the month with my worst rated book of the year so far. Not too shabby though.

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the-final-sentence · 1 year

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He watched her until she well and truly disappeared.

Sarina Bowen, from Blonde Date

#Blonde Date #Sarina Bowen

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scorbleeo · 7 months

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Dude, my couch is wearing a condom.

Ryan Wesley

Him (Chapter 40)

by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

#quote #him #sarina bowen #elle kennedy #ryan wesley

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haveyoureadthisqueerbook · 1 day

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#him #sarina bowen #elle kennedy

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avalaynlaurent · 1 year

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ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ «i fucking love you, and i know that’s inconvenient. but i didn’t get a chance to tell you in Lake Placid, so i’m telling you right now. just in case we can ever get more than a summer. i love you, and i wish things were different.» ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ

#him #sarina bowen #elle kennedy

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jeevesreads · 10 months

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15 Sexy Vegas Wedding Romance Books

I can’t explain it, but I absolutely love when romance characters find themselves married and forced to figure things out with their new spouse. Vegas wedding and marriage of convenience are two of my favorite tropes for that very reason. I love the forced proximity that naturally comes with these situations, the tension, the growth in intimacy and feelings, and especially that moment when they…

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hyperdemona · 1 year

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"No one is buying my books and I'm losing so much money because they keep pirating it..!!! 😭😭😭" Meanwhile the books –

#sarina bowen #rip zlib #zlibrary #z library #books #tiktok

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raybutani · 3 months

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Him >>>>>> Red White and Royal Blue

#but I hope they never make a movie because I like it in its obscurity #and I am still an intolerable hipster at the end of the day #plus I hate the film adaptions of pretty much every book I’ve ever loved #sarina bowen #elle kennedy #him #(side note I think this book’s popularity is seriously hindered by the title)#(tell me how the fuck one tags for this book on tumblr)

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reecethegeek · 1 year

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currently reading him by elle kennedy and sarina bowen and i can feel the five star buzz already

#sarina bowen #elle kennedy #reading #current reads #books #queer books #mlm romance #hockey romance #i blame goodreads #goodreads

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mmm-crackling · 1 year

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not me putting multiple versions of the leafs goal celebration song in my him/us/epic spotify playlist

#him #us #epic #toronto maple leafs #maple leafs #leafs #sarina bowen #elle kennedy #jamie canning #ryan wesley

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klein-17 · 1 year

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«I've always kept my memories of Canning to myself. Because they're mine. For six weeks every summer, he was mine.»

─Him by Elle Kennedy & Sarina Bowen.

#memories #mine #he #summer love #sad #quotes #books #books quote #wesley & jamie #elle kennedy #him #sarina bowen #friends to lovers #sport romance

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libertyreads · 2 months

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March TBR--

I'm hoping the month of March goes a little better for me reading wise. I felt like I got a decent amount read in February (while still sticking to my goals for the year) but a lot of it was so mid. I'm ready for any of these books to just grab me by the throat and keep me hooked. I have two rereads in preparation for new releases later this year. I also have two NetGalley ARCs and a hockey romance (because I've read one every month of the year so far, why not keep that going?).

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah-- This is one of those books you hear about a ton on the bookish spaces of the internet and I decided it was finally time to see what all of the hype is about. In this one, we follow Loulie al-Nazari as she and her jinn bodyguard are forced to help the sultan find an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land. There is a ton more in the synopsis, but like a lot of reviewers these days, I feel like synopses are starting to give too much away. I'm hoping for some City of Brass vibes and lots of adventure.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten (Reread)-- I read this one a year ago and I'm excited to dive back into it before the next book comes out. In this one we follow Lore who escaped from a cult beneath the city of Dellaire over 10 years ago. Lore's job as a runner sustains her, but when a run goes wrong and her power is revealed she's forced to work for the Sainted King to find the person in his court responsible for the deaths of entire villages on the outskirts of the country. Thrust into the Sainted King's glittering court, Lore becomes tangled in politics, religion, and forbidden romance. This was my favorite book of January last year so I'm excited to reread.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu-- A first contact with aliens story that's been translated from the original (and set to be released as a Netflix show soon) and follows the outcome of a secret military project that sent signals into space to establish contact with aliens. Will the alien civilization on the brink of destruction be welcomed on Earth or will there be a fight against an invasion?

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo (Reread)-- Before the next in the graphic novel series comes out, I plan on doing a quick reread of this one. Number one in this series introduces us to Raven who is forced to move to New Orleans following the accident that takes her foster mother's life. But that accident has also taken her memory. Then strange things start happening. This is a fun series and I'm glad I get the chance to reread it.

No Coincidence by Rafat Kosik-- Translated from the original Polish, this is the first novel in the Cyberpunk 2077 series. Apparently, this series includes collected editions of limited series, standalone graphic novels, and also full length novels. There are four authors who have contributed to it. It is all based on the game Cyberpunk 2077. My understanding is that you can start in a few different places. I hope it's true. Let's talk about the actual book now. This one appealed to me because of the cover. But the synopsis really got me. A misfit group is forced to do a heist thanks to some good, old-fashioned blackmail. The gang includes a veteran turned renegade, a Militech sleeper agent, an amateur net runner, a corporate negotiator, a ripperdoc, and a techie. They must come together to pull off the deadly heist. Also...is this the third book in this TBR about people being forced to work for people above them??

Must Love Hockey by Sarina Bowen (Kindle)-- This short hockey romance follows a woman who has an allergic reaction at a hockey game and is rescued by an equipment manager whose name she doesn't manage to catch. I've read and enjoyed Sarina Bowen before so I'm hoping this is a fun and quick read.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark (NetGalley)-- The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats. Nor do they have tails. But they are most assuredly dead. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins--resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories--have only three unbreakable vows. First, the contract must be just. Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Third, once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. Eveen's newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn't supposed to remember and a vow she can't forget.

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes (NetGalley)-- When I tell you that I was squealing the day I found out I got access to this book, please, do picture it as a cute and dainty squeal instead of the insanity that actually unfolded. I loved Dead Silence from this author so when I saw they had a new space horror novel I HAD to try to get an ARC. Space exploration can be lonely and isolating. Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray is assigned to a small exploration crew and she is determined to make a difference. But as they begin establishing residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that the crew is hiding something. Her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her. That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. I cannot wait to read this one.

This TBR is giving me such a good feeling. There's Sci-Fi, there's Fantasy, there's Romance, there's Sci-Fi/Horror (a beloved genre pairing for me), there's a graphic novel. I'm just hoping March is such a good reading month. I kind of need it.

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