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Gravity
C’est cela l’amour, et tu es mon rêve...
Bryce:
Hockey is my life. This game pulled me from my tiny Quebec hometown all the way to the NHL, and now? I’m the number one player in the league. Team capitaine for the Montréal Étoiles. I’m shattering records and packing arenas every night, and I’ve promised my team: we’re going to win the Stanley Cup this year.
But I’m keeping big secrets. I'm thinking dangerous thoughts, and dreaming about impossible things. Like how a man’s lips might taste, or how his body might feel in my arms.
I can’t go there. I’ve got to focus. Team. Hockey. Cup. What my heart wants doesn’t matter.
So why am I falling head over heels at the NHL's All-Star Weekend?
I can’t do this. I can’t fall for Hunter Lacey. He’s a hockey player. We’re both in the NHL. He’s on a different team. And, oh yeah, he’s straight.
Hunter:
I’m a middle-of-the-road, nothing-special hockey player. Good enough to be drafted into the NHL, and I’ve been on the roster for the past two years, but I’ll never make the Hall of Fame. I’m just trying to keep my head up and get through each day, until this wild ride comes to an end.
Deep thinking isn’t really my thing. Look inside myself? Lotta beer and burgers there.
I never thought I’d be invited to the All-Star Weekend, but here I am. And there’s my hero: Bryce Michel, league superstar.
Saying hello to Bryce turns into hours spent together on the ice, and then an invite to dinner, and then days at each other's side. I’m in heaven. He’s my hero, and this is the coolest�
Then Bryce’s lips land on mine, and the world turns upside down.
Gravity is an MM romance featuring bi/gay awakening, friends to lovers, team shenanigans, fast-paced hockey, ice-melting sizzle, and swoony Québécois love songs.
Gravity is set in the same universe as The Rest of the Story .
Bryce:
Hockey is my life. This game pulled me from my tiny Quebec hometown all the way to the NHL, and now? I’m the number one player in the league. Team capitaine for the Montréal Étoiles. I’m shattering records and packing arenas every night, and I’ve promised my team: we’re going to win the Stanley Cup this year.
But I’m keeping big secrets. I'm thinking dangerous thoughts, and dreaming about impossible things. Like how a man’s lips might taste, or how his body might feel in my arms.
I can’t go there. I’ve got to focus. Team. Hockey. Cup. What my heart wants doesn’t matter.
So why am I falling head over heels at the NHL's All-Star Weekend?
I can’t do this. I can’t fall for Hunter Lacey. He’s a hockey player. We’re both in the NHL. He’s on a different team. And, oh yeah, he’s straight.
Hunter:
I’m a middle-of-the-road, nothing-special hockey player. Good enough to be drafted into the NHL, and I’ve been on the roster for the past two years, but I’ll never make the Hall of Fame. I’m just trying to keep my head up and get through each day, until this wild ride comes to an end.
Deep thinking isn’t really my thing. Look inside myself? Lotta beer and burgers there.
I never thought I’d be invited to the All-Star Weekend, but here I am. And there’s my hero: Bryce Michel, league superstar.
Saying hello to Bryce turns into hours spent together on the ice, and then an invite to dinner, and then days at each other's side. I’m in heaven. He’s my hero, and this is the coolest�
Then Bryce’s lips land on mine, and the world turns upside down.
Gravity is an MM romance featuring bi/gay awakening, friends to lovers, team shenanigans, fast-paced hockey, ice-melting sizzle, and swoony Québécois love songs.
Gravity is set in the same universe as The Rest of the Story .
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2022
1,590 people are currently reading
11.5k people want to read
About the author
Tal Bauer
26books5,077followersTal Bauer writes breathtaking, heartfelt, and often action-packed gay romance novels. His characters are head over heels for each other and fight against all odds for their happy ending. Nothing stands in the way of love. Tal is best known for his romantic suspense novels, including the Executive Office series, The Murder Between Us, The Grave Between Us, The Night of, and his MM sports romance, The Jock.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,117 reviews
August 29, 2022
3 stars
Let me start this review by telling you about how excited I was to read this book. This book is about a French Canadian hockey player from a small town in Quebec. I’m also French Canadian and from a small town in Quebec and i’m a massive hockey fan. So safe to say that my expectations and excitement for this book were through the roof. It’s not often that I get to read books with characters that are from the same place as I am, and there is always something super fun about being able to relate to a character due to the language that they speak (French in this case) and due to their upbringing and I always love reading about hockey. Which I why I was waiting with bathed breaths the moment that I could put my hands on this book, I just wanted to read this story, so badly.
This book is friends to lovers and bi awakening, which are some of my favourite tropes, so that really helped sell the book for me, too.
Brief summary
Hunter has looked to Bryce as an hockey player for years. Bryce plays hockey for the Montréal Étoiles. They meet during a special hockey event and they start hanging out with each other and then they slowly fall in love.
I really liked the relationship progression in this book. I loved how they meet and then they hung up with each other a lot and I just loved reading about all of their interactions and them spending time together. That was just so much fun to read about for me and I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing them spend time together because I got to see why they liked each other and why they fell for each other later on. All of their interactions were just so sweet and and they had super great chemistry, which I just loved.
Also, I always love a book where they start out as friends and then get to know each other before they start dating and I really enjoyed seeing them hang out in this one. I just liked seeing them all the things together. It was just so fun to read about. And it made me much more impactful when they did start dating.
Their romance was just so cute. I just kept swooning while I was reading this book because the romance was one of the cutest one I have read in a while. I just absolutely adored their relationship so much. It was just so full of super sweet moments where they showed how much they care about each other and I loved that, so so much. They were always there for each other and it was just so lovely to see.
I really enjoyed the hockey descriptions in this book. I liked how the teammates were nice and were a found family for the main characters, that was super fun to read about. But I also really loved all of the little details about hockey that the author incorporated in the book. There were so many little specific details about the history of the sport (in fact, the Montreal team in this book had the exact same history as the actual Montreal team. Like even their moto in the team’s locker room is the same as the one in the actual Montreal team locker room. Which I really liked, I thought it was a fun detail) that I just really enjoyed reading about. Also, I loved reading about them playing hockey, that was just so much fun to me. It almost was a substitute to watching an hockey game since the games in this book were explained in a lot of details, so I thought it was super fun to read about.
I haven’t read as many Tal Bauer books as I wish I had but I have always enjoyed his writing style in the ones I have read. I always love really flowery and expressive writing and he really nails this style of writing. It’s just so much fun to read about and really gives character and personality to his stories. This book was super engaging and fun to read to me because I just loved the author’s writing style.
Now we’re about to go in the section in my review where I analyze how the Quebec rep is done. Since I have lived in Quebec my entire life, I have a lot of opinions on the matter.
First I just want to point out how much French there was in this book. The characters always spoke random words in French in the middle of their sentences in English. And that just felt a little out of place to me. I’m also bilingual and I never just randomly started swearing in French while I was talking to someone in English. Like sometimes I use French words if I subsconsiously don’t realize it, but I don’t willingly just incorporate them in the middle of my sentences in English. So good on the characters for speaking this way, but it isn’t an experience I could really relate to as someone who’s also bilingual.
I do have a complaint about this book. And it seemed insignificant at first but the more I read the book, the more I just didn’t really appreciate it. I didn’t really enjoy the use of French in this book. And there is a lot of it, the characters actually speak in French many times during the book. First of all, a lot of the sentences didn’t really read like how someone would say them in French, but a direct translation of the English sentences. And the French language doesn’t build sentences like the English language does so it didn’t always work and made for some really hard to read sentences, and I say this as someone who speaks the language. But, that isn’t my biggest thing. It was meant to be all about the Quebec language and using expressions specifically to Quebec, but a lot of the times, the expressions used to say things in France were used instead of the ones specific to Quebec. To explain this more, you know how there are so many expressions in British English that are super different from English used in the USA and how people probably wouldn’t understand them if they didn’t know that specific dialect, it’s the same thing for French used in Quebec and the one used in France. If you go speaking the expressions used in France in Quebec, people would look at you really strangely and not be able to understand anything that you’re saying. More so, if I can compare my experience of reading this book to something else, the French in this book felt as out of place as it I was reading a book about a cowboy from Texas and suddently he started calling everyone he ever encounters a cunt, like they do in Australia. This is how out of place the French used in this book felt to me.
Which is why the use of French bothered me in this book, because most of it were expressions that just aren’t used in Quebec. To try and make it simpler, in France they use full words to build sentences and they speak a super proper French, but in Quebec, when speaking, we tend to use contractions for everything, put some English words in the middle of sentences in French, change the pronouciation and spelling of a lot of words, have our own expressions to say things, etc. And every sentence in this book was all prime and proper French and the expressions they use in France, which is why it didn’t work for me because it just isn’t accurate to how someone from Quebec casually speaks in their day to day life. (This book did nail the use of “Tabernak� and “Criss� (which are both swear words and just mean fuck), as we do use those a lot, but unfornatually, that was the only part I loved when it comes to how French was used in this book). And I know that it’s a little thing but since I speak the language, it just kind of ruined my immersion into the book. I was just expecting it to be all about Quebec and the Quebec language since thats what the book is marketed as, so thats probably why. I just really wanted it to be all about Quebec French since thats what the book is marketed as and the language I know and speak every day of my life, so I just was a little sad about it.
Also, I just want to mention, that I, someone who lives in Quebec and speaks French every day of my life, had to to google two of the expressions used in this book because they are super outdated sayings that used to be used in France a long time ago. Which was just a little sad to me since I was expecting to open this book and find sentences that i’m likely to use in my day to day life, but sadly it just wasn’t the case.
Also, an even smaller thing, but the blurb for this book has a sentence that says “swoony Quebec love songs� so I was really expecting to see some of them show up in the book and thats one of the reason why I really wanted to read this book, because it isn’t often I see this kind of rep in books, and I got kind of bummed that none of them were mentioned by name. Céline Dion is from Quebec and has a lot of love songs, so I was atleast expecting that name drop, since thats super popular, but I would have taken anything really. I think I was just sad because 80% of the music I listen to is from artists from Quebec so I was really hyped to see some mentions for those songs in this book, since the blurb mentioned it. There is a couple songs and artists who are talked about in this book, but they all come from France �. So it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
Overall, this was a super sweet book and I really wish I could have enjoyed it. But, caliss, it was just missing something to push this book over the edge for me.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
Let me start this review by telling you about how excited I was to read this book. This book is about a French Canadian hockey player from a small town in Quebec. I’m also French Canadian and from a small town in Quebec and i’m a massive hockey fan. So safe to say that my expectations and excitement for this book were through the roof. It’s not often that I get to read books with characters that are from the same place as I am, and there is always something super fun about being able to relate to a character due to the language that they speak (French in this case) and due to their upbringing and I always love reading about hockey. Which I why I was waiting with bathed breaths the moment that I could put my hands on this book, I just wanted to read this story, so badly.
This book is friends to lovers and bi awakening, which are some of my favourite tropes, so that really helped sell the book for me, too.
Brief summary
Hunter has looked to Bryce as an hockey player for years. Bryce plays hockey for the Montréal Étoiles. They meet during a special hockey event and they start hanging out with each other and then they slowly fall in love.
I really liked the relationship progression in this book. I loved how they meet and then they hung up with each other a lot and I just loved reading about all of their interactions and them spending time together. That was just so much fun to read about for me and I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing them spend time together because I got to see why they liked each other and why they fell for each other later on. All of their interactions were just so sweet and and they had super great chemistry, which I just loved.
Also, I always love a book where they start out as friends and then get to know each other before they start dating and I really enjoyed seeing them hang out in this one. I just liked seeing them all the things together. It was just so fun to read about. And it made me much more impactful when they did start dating.
Their romance was just so cute. I just kept swooning while I was reading this book because the romance was one of the cutest one I have read in a while. I just absolutely adored their relationship so much. It was just so full of super sweet moments where they showed how much they care about each other and I loved that, so so much. They were always there for each other and it was just so lovely to see.
I really enjoyed the hockey descriptions in this book. I liked how the teammates were nice and were a found family for the main characters, that was super fun to read about. But I also really loved all of the little details about hockey that the author incorporated in the book. There were so many little specific details about the history of the sport (in fact, the Montreal team in this book had the exact same history as the actual Montreal team. Like even their moto in the team’s locker room is the same as the one in the actual Montreal team locker room. Which I really liked, I thought it was a fun detail) that I just really enjoyed reading about. Also, I loved reading about them playing hockey, that was just so much fun to me. It almost was a substitute to watching an hockey game since the games in this book were explained in a lot of details, so I thought it was super fun to read about.
I haven’t read as many Tal Bauer books as I wish I had but I have always enjoyed his writing style in the ones I have read. I always love really flowery and expressive writing and he really nails this style of writing. It’s just so much fun to read about and really gives character and personality to his stories. This book was super engaging and fun to read to me because I just loved the author’s writing style.
Now we’re about to go in the section in my review where I analyze how the Quebec rep is done. Since I have lived in Quebec my entire life, I have a lot of opinions on the matter.
First I just want to point out how much French there was in this book. The characters always spoke random words in French in the middle of their sentences in English. And that just felt a little out of place to me. I’m also bilingual and I never just randomly started swearing in French while I was talking to someone in English. Like sometimes I use French words if I subsconsiously don’t realize it, but I don’t willingly just incorporate them in the middle of my sentences in English. So good on the characters for speaking this way, but it isn’t an experience I could really relate to as someone who’s also bilingual.
I do have a complaint about this book. And it seemed insignificant at first but the more I read the book, the more I just didn’t really appreciate it. I didn’t really enjoy the use of French in this book. And there is a lot of it, the characters actually speak in French many times during the book. First of all, a lot of the sentences didn’t really read like how someone would say them in French, but a direct translation of the English sentences. And the French language doesn’t build sentences like the English language does so it didn’t always work and made for some really hard to read sentences, and I say this as someone who speaks the language. But, that isn’t my biggest thing. It was meant to be all about the Quebec language and using expressions specifically to Quebec, but a lot of the times, the expressions used to say things in France were used instead of the ones specific to Quebec. To explain this more, you know how there are so many expressions in British English that are super different from English used in the USA and how people probably wouldn’t understand them if they didn’t know that specific dialect, it’s the same thing for French used in Quebec and the one used in France. If you go speaking the expressions used in France in Quebec, people would look at you really strangely and not be able to understand anything that you’re saying. More so, if I can compare my experience of reading this book to something else, the French in this book felt as out of place as it I was reading a book about a cowboy from Texas and suddently he started calling everyone he ever encounters a cunt, like they do in Australia. This is how out of place the French used in this book felt to me.
Which is why the use of French bothered me in this book, because most of it were expressions that just aren’t used in Quebec. To try and make it simpler, in France they use full words to build sentences and they speak a super proper French, but in Quebec, when speaking, we tend to use contractions for everything, put some English words in the middle of sentences in French, change the pronouciation and spelling of a lot of words, have our own expressions to say things, etc. And every sentence in this book was all prime and proper French and the expressions they use in France, which is why it didn’t work for me because it just isn’t accurate to how someone from Quebec casually speaks in their day to day life. (This book did nail the use of “Tabernak� and “Criss� (which are both swear words and just mean fuck), as we do use those a lot, but unfornatually, that was the only part I loved when it comes to how French was used in this book). And I know that it’s a little thing but since I speak the language, it just kind of ruined my immersion into the book. I was just expecting it to be all about Quebec and the Quebec language since thats what the book is marketed as, so thats probably why. I just really wanted it to be all about Quebec French since thats what the book is marketed as and the language I know and speak every day of my life, so I just was a little sad about it.
Also, I just want to mention, that I, someone who lives in Quebec and speaks French every day of my life, had to to google two of the expressions used in this book because they are super outdated sayings that used to be used in France a long time ago. Which was just a little sad to me since I was expecting to open this book and find sentences that i’m likely to use in my day to day life, but sadly it just wasn’t the case.
Also, an even smaller thing, but the blurb for this book has a sentence that says “swoony Quebec love songs� so I was really expecting to see some of them show up in the book and thats one of the reason why I really wanted to read this book, because it isn’t often I see this kind of rep in books, and I got kind of bummed that none of them were mentioned by name. Céline Dion is from Quebec and has a lot of love songs, so I was atleast expecting that name drop, since thats super popular, but I would have taken anything really. I think I was just sad because 80% of the music I listen to is from artists from Quebec so I was really hyped to see some mentions for those songs in this book, since the blurb mentioned it. There is a couple songs and artists who are talked about in this book, but they all come from France �. So it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
Overall, this was a super sweet book and I really wish I could have enjoyed it. But, caliss, it was just missing something to push this book over the edge for me.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion
October 25, 2022
I adore but this book was mega cringe for me, so much so that I gave up around 45% in. That's baaaadddd.
Now, Tal does schmoopy romances, but this sappy, insta-lovey story just about made my eyes roll permanently into my head. It was just too much
However, my main pet peeve was the weird insertions of French into every sentence. I've read a ton of books with bilingual characters, and they don't constantly shove in other languages in every sentence. Trust me, we would have gotten that he was from Quebec without Tal's awkward, novice-level French making every conversation feel stilted and strange. I had a hard time getting through it.
I love Tal AND I adore hockey romances, but this book is not it.
goodreads|||
Now, Tal does schmoopy romances, but this sappy, insta-lovey story just about made my eyes roll permanently into my head. It was just too much
However, my main pet peeve was the weird insertions of French into every sentence. I've read a ton of books with bilingual characters, and they don't constantly shove in other languages in every sentence. Trust me, we would have gotten that he was from Quebec without Tal's awkward, novice-level French making every conversation feel stilted and strange. I had a hard time getting through it.
I love Tal AND I adore hockey romances, but this book is not it.
goodreads|||
April 14, 2023
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. ***
Gravity is an emotional sports romance between two professional hockey players, Bryce and Hunter. They meet in Vegas during a tournament and share an instant connection that takes both by surprise. What begins as a simple friendship soon grows into a serious connection leaving both shocked and confused as to the change in their dynamic and lost as to what it all means.
After the initial confusion and shock eventually wears off, the love story between Hunter and Bryce is so consuming, honest and sweet that I was so happy seeing these two characters behave and act in ways completely new and foreign to them. Hunter and Bryce's joy while experiencing their newfound feelings was such a delight.
Gravity is a unique sports romance that never goes the way you expect it to. There are intense moments that left me shocked, and heartbroken as our couple suffers in such difficult ways mentally and physically, but as with any well-written romance you are carried away by the characters and that is what Gravity does. It grabs your attention and never lets go, I was so utterly swept away by this beautiful story that I didn't want it to end.
Hunter and Bryce have a love story that is so earnest and sincere. Another fabulous story by Tal Bauer, his talent for writing complex characters that tug at your heartstrings never ceases to amaze me. Cannot wait for his next one!
Gravity is an emotional sports romance between two professional hockey players, Bryce and Hunter. They meet in Vegas during a tournament and share an instant connection that takes both by surprise. What begins as a simple friendship soon grows into a serious connection leaving both shocked and confused as to the change in their dynamic and lost as to what it all means.
After the initial confusion and shock eventually wears off, the love story between Hunter and Bryce is so consuming, honest and sweet that I was so happy seeing these two characters behave and act in ways completely new and foreign to them. Hunter and Bryce's joy while experiencing their newfound feelings was such a delight.
Gravity is a unique sports romance that never goes the way you expect it to. There are intense moments that left me shocked, and heartbroken as our couple suffers in such difficult ways mentally and physically, but as with any well-written romance you are carried away by the characters and that is what Gravity does. It grabs your attention and never lets go, I was so utterly swept away by this beautiful story that I didn't want it to end.
Hunter and Bryce have a love story that is so earnest and sincere. Another fabulous story by Tal Bauer, his talent for writing complex characters that tug at your heartstrings never ceases to amaze me. Cannot wait for his next one!
August 8, 2022
Tal Bauer seems to be trying his hand at different tropes in the MM romance genre and I for one couldn't be happier.
There is nothing more satisfying than picking up a book by an author you KNOW would never let you down, because you can count on them delivering a high quality book.
And let me tell you: TB DELIVERED.
For me, "Gravity" is all about acceptance.
Bryce, our first MC, accepts that he is in fact gay and those errant thoughts he'd been having are what his heart and body truly want.
Hunter, our second MC, accepts that gender doesn't matter when you find a connection with a person, a real authentic connection that is rare to find. And who better than your hockey hero/role model.
Both these men accept that their friendship and ultimately their romance is worth having, even if it's in secret at first.
They accept that their teammates, who are their family really, are their for them and have their back.
They accept that life throws many hurdles your way, but it is how you react to these hurdles and how you are a unit that is important.
What I found refreshing is the lack of homophobia in this book. Yes it's a TB book, and their are some WTF moments because he wants you to hurt, even if it's just a little. But all in all it is pretty lowish angst and the drama doesn't come from homophobic teammates or homophobic management who wants to tear them apart. In contrast, the teammates and the coach were genuinely great people who were one big happy family. No toxicity in sight.
The prose is as always beautiful. Tal has a way with words and I know that some may describe it as purple or OTT or too sugary sweet, but for me, it suits his romantic men and the overall narrative he spins.
This is a slow burn, medium steam book and there is of course an HEA and it is beautiful. The whole mood of this book felt dreamy and smooth for me, from the friendship to the romance to the french and even the steam.
Honorable mentions:
The French: Slap me on the a$$ and call me Pierre. Bryce just dropping French words and phrases all over this book was a thing of beauty. It was so beautiful and so romantic. His "S'il te plaît" nearly killed me.
I never felt overwhelmed with the hockey aspect of the book and I know NOTHING about hockey. I loved that aspect of the book as well.
Note: TB urges the readers to use the translation function in the kindle/kindle app because the phrases are not explained every time. Now I'm not Québécois of course but I am Lebanese and we tend to do the same thing where we use arabic, french and english all in the same sentence. I felt seen 🤣
There is nothing more satisfying than picking up a book by an author you KNOW would never let you down, because you can count on them delivering a high quality book.
And let me tell you: TB DELIVERED.
For me, "Gravity" is all about acceptance.
Bryce, our first MC, accepts that he is in fact gay and those errant thoughts he'd been having are what his heart and body truly want.
Hunter, our second MC, accepts that gender doesn't matter when you find a connection with a person, a real authentic connection that is rare to find. And who better than your hockey hero/role model.
Both these men accept that their friendship and ultimately their romance is worth having, even if it's in secret at first.
They accept that their teammates, who are their family really, are their for them and have their back.
They accept that life throws many hurdles your way, but it is how you react to these hurdles and how you are a unit that is important.
What I found refreshing is the lack of homophobia in this book. Yes it's a TB book, and their are some WTF moments because he wants you to hurt, even if it's just a little. But all in all it is pretty lowish angst and the drama doesn't come from homophobic teammates or homophobic management who wants to tear them apart. In contrast, the teammates and the coach were genuinely great people who were one big happy family. No toxicity in sight.
The prose is as always beautiful. Tal has a way with words and I know that some may describe it as purple or OTT or too sugary sweet, but for me, it suits his romantic men and the overall narrative he spins.
This is a slow burn, medium steam book and there is of course an HEA and it is beautiful. The whole mood of this book felt dreamy and smooth for me, from the friendship to the romance to the french and even the steam.
Honorable mentions:
The French: Slap me on the a$$ and call me Pierre. Bryce just dropping French words and phrases all over this book was a thing of beauty. It was so beautiful and so romantic. His "S'il te plaît" nearly killed me.
I never felt overwhelmed with the hockey aspect of the book and I know NOTHING about hockey. I loved that aspect of the book as well.
Note: TB urges the readers to use the translation function in the kindle/kindle app because the phrases are not explained every time. Now I'm not Québécois of course but I am Lebanese and we tend to do the same thing where we use arabic, french and english all in the same sentence. I felt seen 🤣
October 30, 2022
TAL DELIVERS ON THIS ICE HOCKEY ROMANCE WITH ALL THE FEELS
Urm I’m not sure where to begin with this review.
It’s a Tal Bauer book, so you better believe it doesn’t follow a traditional rule for how a specific trope should be written.
It’s a Tal Bauer book, so expect surprises and an unlikely event which hinges a twist in the plotline.
It’s a Tal Bauer book, so expect a gloriously satisfying romance which might take place in a relatively short space of time but which will very much have you believing the universe conspired to bring these two young men together.
And, as it’s a Tal Bauer book, you’re going to be gasping, cursing his name, and probably reaching for a stiff drink, tissues and a box of chocolates at some point.
With Gravity though, the angst is the lowest I’ve ever read in one of his books. But when the gut punch comes, it’ll still take the wind out of your sails.
Tal gives us two young men, Bryce is 26, Hunter just 22, and a random encounter that should never have happened really given the difference in their playing circumstances.
And because Tal has such a knack for creating visuality in his books, we feel the actions, we sense the emotions, we embrace the consequences of what’s happening on page.
It’s a tough journey being an NHL player, the Stanley Cup playoffs are among the most gruelling in any sport imho and here we’re taken along for all of the punishing journey as the Montreal team strives for glory.
Even if you’re not an ice hockey fan, I guarantee the connection between the two men will have you smiling, sighing and then desperately willing them on to the happy ending they deserve.
For sports fans like me though, there’s plenty of page time given to all the on ice action Tal embeds into the narrative he’s unfolding.
I adored Bryce’s teammates, his coach and the staff, there’s a wonderful secondary character who has an important moment that I won’t spoil but I loved them too.
With the smattering of Québécois French adding to the romantic moments, this book will � like its title � pull you deep into the storytelling and won’t let go until you’re as in love with it as the two protagonists are with each other.
Bravo Tal, you really did write a low angst swoony romance 😉
Urm I’m not sure where to begin with this review.
It’s a Tal Bauer book, so you better believe it doesn’t follow a traditional rule for how a specific trope should be written.
It’s a Tal Bauer book, so expect surprises and an unlikely event which hinges a twist in the plotline.
It’s a Tal Bauer book, so expect a gloriously satisfying romance which might take place in a relatively short space of time but which will very much have you believing the universe conspired to bring these two young men together.
And, as it’s a Tal Bauer book, you’re going to be gasping, cursing his name, and probably reaching for a stiff drink, tissues and a box of chocolates at some point.
With Gravity though, the angst is the lowest I’ve ever read in one of his books. But when the gut punch comes, it’ll still take the wind out of your sails.
Tal gives us two young men, Bryce is 26, Hunter just 22, and a random encounter that should never have happened really given the difference in their playing circumstances.
And because Tal has such a knack for creating visuality in his books, we feel the actions, we sense the emotions, we embrace the consequences of what’s happening on page.
It’s a tough journey being an NHL player, the Stanley Cup playoffs are among the most gruelling in any sport imho and here we’re taken along for all of the punishing journey as the Montreal team strives for glory.
Even if you’re not an ice hockey fan, I guarantee the connection between the two men will have you smiling, sighing and then desperately willing them on to the happy ending they deserve.
For sports fans like me though, there’s plenty of page time given to all the on ice action Tal embeds into the narrative he’s unfolding.
I adored Bryce’s teammates, his coach and the staff, there’s a wonderful secondary character who has an important moment that I won’t spoil but I loved them too.
With the smattering of Québécois French adding to the romantic moments, this book will � like its title � pull you deep into the storytelling and won’t let go until you’re as in love with it as the two protagonists are with each other.
Bravo Tal, you really did write a low angst swoony romance 😉
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August 24, 2022
Gravity is a stand alone, MM hockey romance by Tal Bauer. Every so often, you come across a book that reminds you why you love romance, that reminds you why you read! A book that makes your heart so happy that it literally sings! Gravity is that book.
Bryce Michel is twenty six years old and is the captain of the NHL team, the Montreal Etoiles. He’s been a member of the team for six years. Hockey is his life. His teammates are his brothers. This team above all others, has a camaraderie between the players, a connection not seen on any other team. This year, Bryce has promised his teammates that it will be the year he leads them to the Stanley Cup. Only Bryce is keeping a secret from his brothers. A secret that has been growing in intensity inside him, thoughts he can’t stop from living in his head. Dreams of feeling a man’s arms around him, his lips on his, and finding a forever love. This man doesn’t have a face, until he walked out onto the ice at the All Stars Weekend in Las Vegas.
“This is already the best night of my life, and I haven’t even laced up my skates yet.�
Hunter Lacey is twenty two years old and is on the team, the Carolina Kitty Hawks. Hunter only knows Bryce through his reputation and he has looked up to him since Bryce’s first year on the NHL. Hunter has no idea how but he found himself invited to the All stars Games. As soon as he walked out on the ice, he saw him and his world turned upside down. And when Bryce searched him out to speak to him, Hunter was overwhelmed. But when they actually took to the ice, magic happened. They connected in a way that neither had ever experienced. It was magical and it was wonderful.
“We are untouchable. We are greatness squared.�
Over the long weekend, Bryce and Hunter spent every moment possible together. But then something impossible happened that brought their weekend to a screeching halt.
“He is everything I have been searching for.�
Bryce and Hunter have their hurdles to battle but what follows is the most beautiful, the most pure love you can imagine. Is their path together without complications? No. But it doesn’t make it any less beautiful. I sighed, I swooned, I smiled, and I cheered. I might have even shed a tear but they were tears of happiness. I wish I could read this book again for the first time and experience their love story all over again. Tal Bauer has such a wonderful way with his words, making us experience them rather than just reading them. This is such a beautiful, wonderfully told love story that will live in my heart forever.
“He is my North Star.�
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
Bryce Michel is twenty six years old and is the captain of the NHL team, the Montreal Etoiles. He’s been a member of the team for six years. Hockey is his life. His teammates are his brothers. This team above all others, has a camaraderie between the players, a connection not seen on any other team. This year, Bryce has promised his teammates that it will be the year he leads them to the Stanley Cup. Only Bryce is keeping a secret from his brothers. A secret that has been growing in intensity inside him, thoughts he can’t stop from living in his head. Dreams of feeling a man’s arms around him, his lips on his, and finding a forever love. This man doesn’t have a face, until he walked out onto the ice at the All Stars Weekend in Las Vegas.
“This is already the best night of my life, and I haven’t even laced up my skates yet.�
Hunter Lacey is twenty two years old and is on the team, the Carolina Kitty Hawks. Hunter only knows Bryce through his reputation and he has looked up to him since Bryce’s first year on the NHL. Hunter has no idea how but he found himself invited to the All stars Games. As soon as he walked out on the ice, he saw him and his world turned upside down. And when Bryce searched him out to speak to him, Hunter was overwhelmed. But when they actually took to the ice, magic happened. They connected in a way that neither had ever experienced. It was magical and it was wonderful.
“We are untouchable. We are greatness squared.�
Over the long weekend, Bryce and Hunter spent every moment possible together. But then something impossible happened that brought their weekend to a screeching halt.
“He is everything I have been searching for.�
Bryce and Hunter have their hurdles to battle but what follows is the most beautiful, the most pure love you can imagine. Is their path together without complications? No. But it doesn’t make it any less beautiful. I sighed, I swooned, I smiled, and I cheered. I might have even shed a tear but they were tears of happiness. I wish I could read this book again for the first time and experience their love story all over again. Tal Bauer has such a wonderful way with his words, making us experience them rather than just reading them. This is such a beautiful, wonderfully told love story that will live in my heart forever.
“He is my North Star.�
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
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March 4, 2023
|| 2.5 stars ||
This was very sweet, gentle, cheesy and romantic.
Hunter and Bryce obviously share an epic kind of love. They adore each other with all that they are, and it shows. It’s very over-the-top ‘love of my life� kind of stuff.
However, their complete overdose of cuteness and sappiness did start to become very boring over time. They basically get together in the middle of the book, and during the whole second half nothing happens aside from them looking dreamily into each other’s eyes, thinking and talking about how much they love each other, and, of course, they also play hockey together. It’s sweet, but repetitive. The prose is also very flowery.
The beginning of this book was amazing, though. The way they got to know each other and how enamoured Bryce was with Hunter from the get-go was all quite lovely.
It was amazing to see them form a connection, and it was also beautifully sad to see how heartbroken they both were when they had to go their separate ways.
The angst coming from Bryce when he thought he could never have Hunter was one of my favourite parts.
Long story short, I loved the first half of this book, but unfortunately the second half was a complete bore.
Also, fair warning: there is quite a lot of French in this book. I speak it a little, so I didn’t have to use google translate all the time, but I already found it very annoying. I can imagine it being extremely tiresome to have to use google translate for even more of these sentences while reading this book if you don’t understand French at all.
This was very sweet, gentle, cheesy and romantic.
Hunter and Bryce obviously share an epic kind of love. They adore each other with all that they are, and it shows. It’s very over-the-top ‘love of my life� kind of stuff.
However, their complete overdose of cuteness and sappiness did start to become very boring over time. They basically get together in the middle of the book, and during the whole second half nothing happens aside from them looking dreamily into each other’s eyes, thinking and talking about how much they love each other, and, of course, they also play hockey together. It’s sweet, but repetitive. The prose is also very flowery.
Is this what falling in love really is? Finding that half of your heart lives within another? Having all your questions and wonders and worries from before answered through the shape of someone else’s smile?
The beginning of this book was amazing, though. The way they got to know each other and how enamoured Bryce was with Hunter from the get-go was all quite lovely.
It was amazing to see them form a connection, and it was also beautifully sad to see how heartbroken they both were when they had to go their separate ways.
The angst coming from Bryce when he thought he could never have Hunter was one of my favourite parts.
Long story short, I loved the first half of this book, but unfortunately the second half was a complete bore.
Also, fair warning: there is quite a lot of French in this book. I speak it a little, so I didn’t have to use google translate all the time, but I already found it very annoying. I can imagine it being extremely tiresome to have to use google translate for even more of these sentences while reading this book if you don’t understand French at all.
September 25, 2022
Swoon /5 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Angst /5 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Steam /5 ♨️♨️♨️♨️♨️
Plot /5 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐
LOLs /5 🤭🤭🤭
What I love about this book:
1/ Tal’s been trying different avenues for his stories, & this is his first hockey romance. There are many great books in this genre, but I had confidence that Tal could add something new, & he did. During the gay/bi-awakening between Bryce & Hunter, usually there is a “coming-out� scene, with homophobic teammates/family causing upheaval. It was wonderful for this to break the mould. There were no homophobic slurs thrown around in the locker room. No hate. There was just understanding, acceptance & love. Unrealistic? Maybe. Aspirational? Definitely.
2/ I love how physical affection between guys is normalised. The big “found family� of teammates aren’t scared to hug, platonically kiss & show physical affection to each other.
3/ The themes of joy & devastation that flow through the book. The highs & lows of competitive sport. Being with your one great love, & then fearing you have lost them forever.
4/ As always, gorgeous descriptive imagery. We’ve had Texas landscapes lately, but this time we have Canada’s snowy beauty.
5/ Accuracy in the dramatic part. Don’t want to give too much away, but this nurse was happy with an accurate representation of an adverse health event, hospitalisation & the recovery involved. Except maybe the team on the floor in the ICU�
The one thing that I struggled with that reduced my rating was the amount of French dialogue. Tal advises us at the start about French Québécois being used extensively & directs us to inbuilt translation apps. To be completely (painfully) honest, I found that having to click backwards & forwards to translate broke the flow of the story for me. The usual intensity of emotion I experience from Tal’s books was blunted. It has taken me 4 days to write this review because I honestly hate writing anything less than glowing about a Tal Bauer book. But I also have to be honest. So there it is. If you don’t have a dodgy internet connection like me, it might not be an issue for you. And it’s still super romantic to learn 50 professions of love in French!
Check out my reviews and MM content on Instagram, Facebook, and Bookbub, all under the same name! I gratefully received an advance copy and this is my honest review.
Angst /5 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Steam /5 ♨️♨️♨️♨️♨️
Plot /5 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐
LOLs /5 🤭🤭🤭
What I love about this book:
1/ Tal’s been trying different avenues for his stories, & this is his first hockey romance. There are many great books in this genre, but I had confidence that Tal could add something new, & he did. During the gay/bi-awakening between Bryce & Hunter, usually there is a “coming-out� scene, with homophobic teammates/family causing upheaval. It was wonderful for this to break the mould. There were no homophobic slurs thrown around in the locker room. No hate. There was just understanding, acceptance & love. Unrealistic? Maybe. Aspirational? Definitely.
2/ I love how physical affection between guys is normalised. The big “found family� of teammates aren’t scared to hug, platonically kiss & show physical affection to each other.
3/ The themes of joy & devastation that flow through the book. The highs & lows of competitive sport. Being with your one great love, & then fearing you have lost them forever.
4/ As always, gorgeous descriptive imagery. We’ve had Texas landscapes lately, but this time we have Canada’s snowy beauty.
5/ Accuracy in the dramatic part. Don’t want to give too much away, but this nurse was happy with an accurate representation of an adverse health event, hospitalisation & the recovery involved. Except maybe the team on the floor in the ICU�
The one thing that I struggled with that reduced my rating was the amount of French dialogue. Tal advises us at the start about French Québécois being used extensively & directs us to inbuilt translation apps. To be completely (painfully) honest, I found that having to click backwards & forwards to translate broke the flow of the story for me. The usual intensity of emotion I experience from Tal’s books was blunted. It has taken me 4 days to write this review because I honestly hate writing anything less than glowing about a Tal Bauer book. But I also have to be honest. So there it is. If you don’t have a dodgy internet connection like me, it might not be an issue for you. And it’s still super romantic to learn 50 professions of love in French!
Check out my reviews and MM content on Instagram, Facebook, and Bookbub, all under the same name! I gratefully received an advance copy and this is my honest review.
August 15, 2022
🤍💍 🤍💍 I don't know how to write a review for this book. 💜💍💜💍💜💍💜💍💜💍
→→→→ A special thank you to one of the special people here on Gr @Liya, your insight and thoughts always blow my mind. Here's to more buddyreads because screaming to you about honey being bunny's honey is everything and more 💝💘💝💘💝💘
I've been staring at my screen for ages and I cannot come up with words strong enough to describe the depth of this book or the way it touched me.
Tal bauie did it again and I was left SOBBING by the end of this book, there is no limit to his words and the way Tallie just emits fate and honesty and beauty in his words, in his stories, the way Tallie creates soulmates leaves me awestruck.
I was left finishing this book in: wow. Someone wrote that. Someone fucking felt something so strong and wrote it, put it into words so beautiful and touching that I didn't know I needed the reassurance for it to exist until I read it.
Honey and Bunny were so tender to each other, so soft and caressing, I was left godsmacked how gentle and loving they were to each other. Every stroke of the cheek, every kiss to their palm, to their fingers, every love letter in french, it was perfection.
I know next to nothing in french, but I actually felt, (loosing my mind by how many times I had to Google translate) felt like I learn some french. SOME.
And gosh, the team. The players. The brotherhood, friendship and love shared between them all is so so SO beautiful. It was everything I had hoped for and Tal made it even better. The pain they shared, the loyalty and trust, the love they gave to each other.., man, what I would do to be a real spectator in Tal's world.
initial reactions : 🤍 💍🤍💍🤍💍🤍💍🤍💍🤍💍Can you hear the awe in my voice when I say, what a book, you guys. What a beautiful book.
Pre-read reactions:
🤍 HOCKEY ROMANCE 🤧🤧🤧🤧
🤍TAL BAUER?????? 😭😭💔💔💔💘💘💘
🤍BI-AWAKENING 😩😩😩😩
🤍FRIENDS TO LOVERS?!?!?!?! 🙇🙇🙇🙇🪦🪦🪦
→→→→ A special thank you to one of the special people here on Gr @Liya, your insight and thoughts always blow my mind. Here's to more buddyreads because screaming to you about honey being bunny's honey is everything and more 💝💘💝💘💝💘
we move and pass and skate like we share one mind. I turn and he’s there. We weave, then dart toward each other. Our skates carve into the ice, our angles sharpening, our speed becoming daring. And still our passes connect. Still, we are together. It's like I can't escape him. Et non, I do not want to. He can trap me in his gravity pour toujours.
Tu es l'amour de ma vie. Tu es mon rêve devenu réalité.
You are the love of my life. You are my dream come true.
I've been staring at my screen for ages and I cannot come up with words strong enough to describe the depth of this book or the way it touched me.
You are with me each and every moment. My heart is in your hands. My heart, my life, my everything. Put your hand on your own heart, mon amour, and you'll feel mine beating next to yours.
Je suis à toi. Je t'aime de tout mon coeur.
I'm yours. I love you with all my heart.
Tal bauie did it again and I was left SOBBING by the end of this book, there is no limit to his words and the way Tallie just emits fate and honesty and beauty in his words, in his stories, the way Tallie creates soulmates leaves me awestruck.
This is the man I have been missing. Not my hero. Not the man from the posters on my teenage walls. The real Bryce, the man from midnights and empty drives and lonely rivers, and the man who looked me in the eyes and dared to risk everything because, somehow, I made his heart beat faster.
Oui, mon coeur. Je te veux. Je te veux
Yes my heart. I want you. I want you.
I was left finishing this book in: wow. Someone wrote that. Someone fucking felt something so strong and wrote it, put it into words so beautiful and touching that I didn't know I needed the reassurance for it to exist until I read it.
It defies all logic, reason, and understanding. How could I have been made for someone I had no hope of meeting if not for hockey? Were all those days on the river, all the long and empty years when it was me and my loneliness, part of this path that led to him?
Nous sommes faits l'un pour l'autre.
We are made for each other.
Je t'appartiens
I belong to you
Honey and Bunny were so tender to each other, so soft and caressing, I was left godsmacked how gentle and loving they were to each other. Every stroke of the cheek, every kiss to their palm, to their fingers, every love letter in french, it was perfection.
Is this what falling in love really is? Discovering pieces of yourself inside another person? Finding that half of your heart lives within another? Having all your questions and wonders and worries from before answered through the shape of someone else's smile?
"Je t'aime de tout, mon coeur. Je t'aime pour toujours.�
I love you with all my heart. I love you forever."
I know next to nothing in french, but I actually felt, (loosing my mind by how many times I had to Google translate) felt like I learn some french. SOME.
And gosh, the team. The players. The brotherhood, friendship and love shared between them all is so so SO beautiful. It was everything I had hoped for and Tal made it even better. The pain they shared, the loyalty and trust, the love they gave to each other.., man, what I would do to be a real spectator in Tal's world.
I understand why Bryce plays as he does. The river is for playing against yourself, but the team is for playing with each other, and it's the with that matters most, especially to him. This isn't just his team. These are his brothers, and this game is a gift of love he bestows upon them
Les rêves deviennent-ils réalité
Do dreams come true?
initial reactions : 🤍 💍🤍💍🤍💍🤍💍🤍💍🤍💍Can you hear the awe in my voice when I say, what a book, you guys. What a beautiful book.
Pre-read reactions:
🤍 HOCKEY ROMANCE 🤧🤧🤧🤧
🤍TAL BAUER?????? 😭😭💔💔💔💘💘💘
🤍BI-AWAKENING 😩😩😩😩
🤍FRIENDS TO LOVERS?!?!?!?! 🙇🙇🙇🙇🪦🪦🪦
August 14, 2022
2.5*** stars
Wow. Was that even cheesier and OTT emotional than usual?
Almost half of the book the agony Bryce was feeling about his new felt desires and his failures rolling off the page and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I was torn between a bleeding heart and rolling my eyes so hart it hurt. I was relieved that Hunter was not freaking out about what was happening between them. This is romance in good old TB fashion, don’t tell me, I know. It really is every time a reading experience of opposites . On one side I’m spellbound by the plot and the beautiful, sometimes even poetic writing but on the other hand I’m annoyed by all the cheesy love declarations I’m reading that come so fast around the corner I almost couldn’t wrap my head around it - especially in this one.
What annoyed me further was that there was a lot of French in here. I don’t mind it in general as it gives you an authentic Quebec feeling and you mostly can piece together what’s been said but this was so much I had the feeling I was really missing out on Bryce’s thoughts and words.
This cannot be more than a three-star for me because in the end I didn’t care about Bryce and Hunter and their love story as I normally do about my characters.
But I loved the team - their cohesion like a family. There were no animosities between the players and their support for each other and for Bryce & Hunter was outstanding. �
Wow. Was that even cheesier and OTT emotional than usual?
Almost half of the book the agony Bryce was feeling about his new felt desires and his failures rolling off the page and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I was torn between a bleeding heart and rolling my eyes so hart it hurt. I was relieved that Hunter was not freaking out about what was happening between them. This is romance in good old TB fashion, don’t tell me, I know. It really is every time a reading experience of opposites . On one side I’m spellbound by the plot and the beautiful, sometimes even poetic writing but on the other hand I’m annoyed by all the cheesy love declarations I’m reading that come so fast around the corner I almost couldn’t wrap my head around it - especially in this one.
What annoyed me further was that there was a lot of French in here. I don’t mind it in general as it gives you an authentic Quebec feeling and you mostly can piece together what’s been said but this was so much I had the feeling I was really missing out on Bryce’s thoughts and words.
This cannot be more than a three-star for me because in the end I didn’t care about Bryce and Hunter and their love story as I normally do about my characters.
But I loved the team - their cohesion like a family. There were no animosities between the players and their support for each other and for Bryce & Hunter was outstanding. �
August 16, 2022
***3.0 rating***
"We collide at center ice, arms around each other, cheering as the crowd chants our names and hollers our shared number. The lights are dazzling. The music is pounding. We are untouchable. We are greatness squared. And he is� Calisse, he is everything I have been searching for."
Je suis triste🙃😔
Me and my elementary French didn't have much to say after I finished reading this but I guess I will write a short review now that I am not a moody bitch.
Gravity had promised me hockey and romance. It had both alright but it was not what I thought it would be.
My main issue with the book was that Tal tried so hard to be francophone and Canadian, and well as a Canadian with elementary French skills (which we have already established), this was kind of cringe to read. I did not enjoy the constant translations and could go without reading Calisse being mentioned on every other page. I do applaud Tal for doing his research on Quebecois culture and hockey as a sport, but it was a bit OTT for me. So I am sorry Tal, the book was trying so hard to be Canadian and well it did the opposite for me. Sometimes less is more.
The other issue I had with this book was the insta love aspect of it. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it works and I am here for it but after the meeting in Vegas, they were already in love with each other. I didn't understand their romance and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The beginning of the book was very promising and I loved how they gravitated toward each other but after that, it went downhill for me. The constant mon amour, mon coeur was also annoying. I know Tal is a romantic and while I loved that in his other books, it just did not work for me here.
To sum up, this book was an overall miss for me. It tried too hard to sell me that Tal knows hockey and Quebecois culture. Sorry guys, I know the majority loved it but I did not. Hope it's a better read for you than it was for me.
"We collide at center ice, arms around each other, cheering as the crowd chants our names and hollers our shared number. The lights are dazzling. The music is pounding. We are untouchable. We are greatness squared. And he is� Calisse, he is everything I have been searching for."
Je suis triste🙃😔
Me and my elementary French didn't have much to say after I finished reading this but I guess I will write a short review now that I am not a moody bitch.
Gravity had promised me hockey and romance. It had both alright but it was not what I thought it would be.
My main issue with the book was that Tal tried so hard to be francophone and Canadian, and well as a Canadian with elementary French skills (which we have already established), this was kind of cringe to read. I did not enjoy the constant translations and could go without reading Calisse being mentioned on every other page. I do applaud Tal for doing his research on Quebecois culture and hockey as a sport, but it was a bit OTT for me. So I am sorry Tal, the book was trying so hard to be Canadian and well it did the opposite for me. Sometimes less is more.
The other issue I had with this book was the insta love aspect of it. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it works and I am here for it but after the meeting in Vegas, they were already in love with each other. I didn't understand their romance and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The beginning of the book was very promising and I loved how they gravitated toward each other but after that, it went downhill for me. The constant mon amour, mon coeur was also annoying. I know Tal is a romantic and while I loved that in his other books, it just did not work for me here.
To sum up, this book was an overall miss for me. It tried too hard to sell me that Tal knows hockey and Quebecois culture. Sorry guys, I know the majority loved it but I did not. Hope it's a better read for you than it was for me.
September 27, 2022
I was in the mood for a heartfelt, low-drama, sweet mm sports romance. This one hit all the right spots.
Excellent beginning, dragged in the middle, good ending and hea.
We are each other's first man. Everything we've done together has been a discovery.Hunter was 16 when Bryce was drafted into the NHL. Every practice, every game Hunter sought to be just like his hero. And then 6 years later, when he too was drafted into the NHL, he was able to meet his hero in person.
Excellent beginning, dragged in the middle, good ending and hea.
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August 13, 2022
My bad pronunciation is worth it, because he smiles. No, he beams, so radiant it makes my heart just stop. "I love your smile," I whisper. "It's the first thing that took my breath away when we met."
"Oh, tu me dis des mots doux," he whispers. He's still smiling. I'm still dying.
� three books in, and something i've noticed i love about Tal Bauer's writing is his ability to write natural chemistry between his mcs. i felt that way with Luke and Landon (), Brennan and Reese () and now with Bryce and Hunter. the moment they first interacted, i was a goner. what i found really cute with their interactions in the beginning was how, in Hunter's pov, we knew he had always looked up to Bryce as his hero but i loved how Bryce was the one making the effort to strike up a convo with Hunter. 🥺
� despite the little bump in the road before they officially got together, i would probably still describe Bryce and Hunter's relationship overall as sweet and romantic. i loved how they immediately clicked (without it feeling forced, as in i actually believed how drawn they were to one another) and the way they were just IT for each other. <3
� the side characters!! i loved the Montréal Étoiles team and how they really felt like a family. the whole scene when . also, i wish we had met Hunter's sisters. the way he described his relationship with them sounded so cute. 😩
Still, I check both directions before I kiss him goodnight. "I'll see you at breakfast."
"I'll see you in my dreams," he breathes. "Dors bien, mon coeur."
"Oh, tu me dis des mots doux," he whispers. He's still smiling. I'm still dying.
� three books in, and something i've noticed i love about Tal Bauer's writing is his ability to write natural chemistry between his mcs. i felt that way with Luke and Landon (), Brennan and Reese () and now with Bryce and Hunter. the moment they first interacted, i was a goner. what i found really cute with their interactions in the beginning was how, in Hunter's pov, we knew he had always looked up to Bryce as his hero but i loved how Bryce was the one making the effort to strike up a convo with Hunter. 🥺
� despite the little bump in the road before they officially got together, i would probably still describe Bryce and Hunter's relationship overall as sweet and romantic. i loved how they immediately clicked (without it feeling forced, as in i actually believed how drawn they were to one another) and the way they were just IT for each other. <3
� the side characters!! i loved the Montréal Étoiles team and how they really felt like a family. the whole scene when . also, i wish we had met Hunter's sisters. the way he described his relationship with them sounded so cute. 😩
Still, I check both directions before I kiss him goodnight. "I'll see you at breakfast."
"I'll see you in my dreams," he breathes. "Dors bien, mon coeur."
August 16, 2022
We’re a storm. The wind. The puck is a feather in a hurricane. All I can see is him.
Tal Baur has been on my radar for the past few years but i have never found the right time to dive into one of his books. despite various of his books being on my tbr, this one caught my attention the most� mainly because it’s tropes im familiar with and that i know i enjoy.
mm hockey romances are my kryptonite, add in friends to lovers and bi-awakening and im sold. i thought it would be the best option to act as an introduction to this author. it was the best way to gauge whether i would like his writing style and storytelling skills since it wouldn’t be the tropes and the type of story this is because they always work for me.
Bryce Michel is skating out under a swirl of spotlights.
It’s like seeing God.
my first impression was his writing style. it was unique without being overly flashy or poetic, but still had an interesting stylistic quality to it that immediately immersed you into the story and the characters without unnecessary info-dumping.
he wasn’t trying too hard to be poignant and metaphoric� it was written effortlessly so it was effortless to read. it’s glaringly obvious when an author is trying too hard, the fluidity of the prose can be super clunky and indigestible. luckily, it wasn’t like that here.
there were so many quotes i highlighted within the first 15% it was insane (trying to choose my fave quotes to include was so hard lol). i would read something and think “wow�. it was usually a very simple sentence but it was written so beautifully that it packed a punch.
Still, we are together.It's like I can't escape him. Et non, I do not want to. He can trap me in his gravity pour toujours.
for me, the story was simple but incredibly effective. Hunter was adorably endearing, i took an instant liking to him. his soft, flustered nature was sweet. while Bryce had this wise air about him that was pretty captivating. and then the more he was fleshed out, i loved and was surprised by the vulnerability of his character. it wasn’t something i was expecting just from the way his character was initially set up.
their first interaction had me smiling so much, it was actually so sweet. then it was hot. they switched it up so fast and gave me variety.
”Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.”�
“EԳԳé.�Bryce's grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�
normally the insta-anything isn’t my cup of tea. but i think because it was written softly, almost, that it didn’t feel unbelievable. their wasn’t super obnoxious waxing of poetics. more so, they have an instant friendship connection that builds up to a romantic one. i will say, i wish they hadn’t gotten together as early as they did because it meant the rest of the book lagged a little bit. and the intense emotions from earlier in the book weren’t as palpable.
because the pining? the longing? the pain? the tension? all of it was so palpable. it made me surprisingly emotional� it was a punch to the gut, something i really didn’t expect. the angst and the pain were written effortlessly, it didn’t feel forced or dramatised. Hunter and Bryce just felt so authentic and real, their internal struggles so suffocating and all-consuming.
I don’t know how to stop this fall. I don’t know how to stop dreaming of who I can never have. I don’t know how to stop this pain, or stop it from spreading to everyone and everything that I touch.
the climax to the book also shocked me and i wasn’t expecting it to take such an emotional toll on me. there was one scene that just made me start sobbing, eurgh. it was so incredibly raw� usually when this type of conflict is used, it doesn’t feel all that impactful because you know everything is gonna workout just fine. but here... it had me on the edge of my seat with tears in my eyes. i really don’t know how Tal did it.
the side characters were wonderful, too. they didn’t overtake the story but were a supporting presence. the provided a sense of comic relief and camaraderie� i enjoyed them a lot. if they get books, i would totally read them.
my only other complaints are there was actually too much sex which wasn’t something i anticipated. i ended up skimming them after the first few because they just felt like filler scenes more than anything else. i also got sick of the in-depth hockey descriptions� after a while i skimmed them too. hockey isn’t a thing here so i legit had no clue whatsoever, even though i enjoy hockey romances, i don’t need every play-by-play please😭
I cherished him, and I cherished those minutes and hours we spun into a world of our own, a reality where we dazzled one another and became each other’s heroes.
i haven’t studied French since my GCSEs so i was pretty rusty, but it was actually really fun trying to figure out the translations. the inclusion added a sense of realism and authenticity that i really loved. although, i have no idea how accurate it all was, so if anyone knows let me know😭
I wish I could place my heart and soul in your hands and live forever as close to you as I can be.
overall, for my first soirée into Tal’s writing, it was a really wonderful surprise. Hunter and Bryce just had such a pure love that i couldn’t help but love this. is it fast-paced, angsty and intense? no. not at all. but it still packs a punch, for sure.
To me, there is no one here but him.
i received an advance review copy for free, and i am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 20, 2025
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
Black holes. Emptiness. Loneliness. My name etched into eternity is a cold comfort. I cannot sleep beside the Cup. I cannot wrap my arms around it and feel its heartbeat, or feel its breath move through my hair. I may love this sport, and love the chase of this championship, but it will not love me back.
I think this was my fourth time reading this book. The chemistry between these characters is through the damn roof. The kind that gives you butterflies, makes your cheeks ache from smiling so much, and makes you kick your feet like a silly teenager. It’s oh-so good.
It’s a beautiful, relatively uncomplicated sexual awakening, where the focus is on how to reach your dreams and live up to (massive) expectations, while also being true to yourself and finding that someone who can be there outside of the sport. Hunter and Bryce find that perfect fit with each other. It is also just straight up adorable that Hunter 100% fangirls over Bryce the first time they meet.
Holy shit, he knows my name.
I could faint. I could also puke, right onto the ice, right between his skates. “Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.� “EԳԳé.� Bryce's grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�
There’s not a lot of relationship angst, and the book will lull you into a false sense of security, and then kick you in the teeth - true Talbert style. It’s so worth it though.
Obviously, as it’s a Tal Bauer book, the writing is freaking gorgeous. I can’t say anything about the accuracy of the French-Canadian phrases, but I do know there’s *a lot* of it, so definitely have a means of translation handy while reading.
I projected my dreams onto the curve of his smile and the warmth of his shoulder when he leaned against me and laughed.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Hockey players
Sexual awakening
Secret relationship
Fan to friends to lovers
Size difference
Great chemistry
Closeted MC
French-Canadian MC
First times
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Severely injured MC
MC hospitalized
Unsafe sex
Graphic injury
Explicit sexual content
Alcohol consumption
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary sports romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters� age: 22 and 26
Pages: 273
KU: Yes
Happy ending: Yes
This is the man I have been missing. Not my hero. Not the man from the posters on my teenage walls. The real Bryce, the man from midnights and empty drives and lonely rivers, and the man who looked me in the eyes and dared to risk everything because, somehow, I made his heart beat faster.
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well:
Black holes. Emptiness. Loneliness. My name etched into eternity is a cold comfort. I cannot sleep beside the Cup. I cannot wrap my arms around it and feel its heartbeat, or feel its breath move through my hair. I may love this sport, and love the chase of this championship, but it will not love me back.
I think this was my fourth time reading this book. The chemistry between these characters is through the damn roof. The kind that gives you butterflies, makes your cheeks ache from smiling so much, and makes you kick your feet like a silly teenager. It’s oh-so good.
It’s a beautiful, relatively uncomplicated sexual awakening, where the focus is on how to reach your dreams and live up to (massive) expectations, while also being true to yourself and finding that someone who can be there outside of the sport. Hunter and Bryce find that perfect fit with each other. It is also just straight up adorable that Hunter 100% fangirls over Bryce the first time they meet.
Holy shit, he knows my name.
I could faint. I could also puke, right onto the ice, right between his skates. “Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.� “EԳԳé.� Bryce's grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�
There’s not a lot of relationship angst, and the book will lull you into a false sense of security, and then kick you in the teeth - true Talbert style. It’s so worth it though.
Obviously, as it’s a Tal Bauer book, the writing is freaking gorgeous. I can’t say anything about the accuracy of the French-Canadian phrases, but I do know there’s *a lot* of it, so definitely have a means of translation handy while reading.
I projected my dreams onto the curve of his smile and the warmth of his shoulder when he leaned against me and laughed.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Hockey players
Sexual awakening
Secret relationship
Fan to friends to lovers
Size difference
Great chemistry
Closeted MC
French-Canadian MC
First times
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Severely injured MC
MC hospitalized
Unsafe sex
Graphic injury
Explicit sexual content
Alcohol consumption
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary sports romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters� age: 22 and 26
Pages: 273
KU: Yes
Happy ending: Yes
This is the man I have been missing. Not my hero. Not the man from the posters on my teenage walls. The real Bryce, the man from midnights and empty drives and lonely rivers, and the man who looked me in the eyes and dared to risk everything because, somehow, I made his heart beat faster.
You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well:
December 27, 2024
3/5
I could probably give this book more stars if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve read similar stories with the same plot and scenes before, so it didn’t feel all that new to me. However, despite that, the relationship between Hunter and Bryce was sweet and healthy, and I ended up loving them both.
One of the things I didn’t like about the book was the frequent use of French sentences. If I hadn’t been reading the e-book version, I probably wouldn’t have bothered translating them (I’m just too lazy). Overall, though, I really enjoyed the book and will definitely be looking for more works by this author.
I could probably give this book more stars if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve read similar stories with the same plot and scenes before, so it didn’t feel all that new to me. However, despite that, the relationship between Hunter and Bryce was sweet and healthy, and I ended up loving them both.
"I'll build scaffolds for his dreams, too, and I will lift him on my shoulders until he can touch the stars."
"You are enough for me.� Hunter's breath moves through my hair. “Bryce, you are more than enough for me.�
"I’m not great with people. But I felt great with you."
One of the things I didn’t like about the book was the frequent use of French sentences. If I hadn’t been reading the e-book version, I probably wouldn’t have bothered translating them (I’m just too lazy). Overall, though, I really enjoyed the book and will definitely be looking for more works by this author.
August 13, 2022
I wanted to love this so hard, but I just liked it.
I missed somehow, the point where Hunter starts to develop feelings toward Bryce. It was lacking some elaboration there, it happened too abruptly. Nevertheless, despite the insta-love, it was a solid read until the where it all went cheesy and too dramatic romance-wise.
I missed somehow, the point where Hunter starts to develop feelings toward Bryce. It was lacking some elaboration there, it happened too abruptly. Nevertheless, despite the insta-love, it was a solid read until the where it all went cheesy and too dramatic romance-wise.
July 14, 2023
Only Tal Bauer can write something so sappy and cheesy and get away with it.
I can’t say this was a story I loved. There was something missing for me. Development lacked somehow.
I wish the romance was more slower paced. I’m all for insta-love. I’m not the one that hates on that trope at all. Cuz if it’s done right, it absolutely works. Depending on your definition of ‘right�.
But because these two characters weren’t all too certain about their sexuality, I feel like we missed something. Bryce, I believe, had an inclination already. Hunter on the other hand, wasn’t even aware that he was bisexual till they kissed and that uncertainty caused a rift.
So, I wish we had more time with them as friends instead of them jumping into a relationship as well as more appearances from their team. The side characters were pretty great, but they weren’t fleshed out.
I do love how they met. Everything about that meeting and the time they subsequently spend together felt easy and meant to be. Things just clicked and flowed between them so well.
I could’ve done without the constant French. I do not want to be translating something every other page. I got tiring and it disrupted the flow of the story.
Things also slightly dragged towards the end when it came to the hockey side of things.
I don’t even know how to review this really. I can’t even get a flow going, because my mind is all over the place. Probably because of my mood and the book.
There were parts to this story that were gorgeous to read and others that needed more room for exploration.
I’ll end it with saying that I can’t wait to read more from this author.
The Rest of the Story or The Jock will probably be next.
I can’t say this was a story I loved. There was something missing for me. Development lacked somehow.
I wish the romance was more slower paced. I’m all for insta-love. I’m not the one that hates on that trope at all. Cuz if it’s done right, it absolutely works. Depending on your definition of ‘right�.
But because these two characters weren’t all too certain about their sexuality, I feel like we missed something. Bryce, I believe, had an inclination already. Hunter on the other hand, wasn’t even aware that he was bisexual till they kissed and that uncertainty caused a rift.
So, I wish we had more time with them as friends instead of them jumping into a relationship as well as more appearances from their team. The side characters were pretty great, but they weren’t fleshed out.
I do love how they met. Everything about that meeting and the time they subsequently spend together felt easy and meant to be. Things just clicked and flowed between them so well.
I could’ve done without the constant French. I do not want to be translating something every other page. I got tiring and it disrupted the flow of the story.
Things also slightly dragged towards the end when it came to the hockey side of things.
I don’t even know how to review this really. I can’t even get a flow going, because my mind is all over the place. Probably because of my mood and the book.
There were parts to this story that were gorgeous to read and others that needed more room for exploration.
I’ll end it with saying that I can’t wait to read more from this author.
The Rest of the Story or The Jock will probably be next.
August 14, 2022
2 stars because it’s Tal Bauer but there isn’t anything worth talking about in this book. Just 2 guys who meet , fall in insta love, they start acting like drama queens and then start spewing love declarations in French (even the Texas guy speaks in French- no idea why since he says he doesn’t speak French) then they play some hockey , their teammates pretend they don’t know about them, one gets hurt , the other cries and spews more French mon amour and mon coeur , the cat’s out of the bag by now ( not that it ever was in the bag) , he heals, they play some more bland hockey and win . The end
No background , no interactions with family, friends or other ppl, no story , no angst ..Just I love you, Je t’aime, you’re my coeur the whole book. I DNF around 85 % . Gosh, I think it’s the worst Tal Bauer book ever!!
No background , no interactions with family, friends or other ppl, no story , no angst ..Just I love you, Je t’aime, you’re my coeur the whole book. I DNF around 85 % . Gosh, I think it’s the worst Tal Bauer book ever!!
August 14, 2022
Another heart smashing, soul stealing, adoration inducing book from Tal Bauer. And Bryce and Hunter might be my favorite characters among a sea of many. Well not Nick, he’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Tal Bauer is my favorite sports romance author by miles. Not only is he a brilliant romance writer but the way he describes the sport, the camaraderie and the way these characters love the game. It makes the sport, whether it be football or hockey, another MC.
I teared up several times for obvious reasons for the boys, but I also became emotional due to their connection to their sport. Tal makes it wondrous and simply breathtaking.
I know very little about hockey, other than it’s brutality. And the writer spared no violent details, I cringed several times. It gives a lot of meaning to any other sport and these character’s sportsmanship. Truly awe inspiring.
The development from strangers to instant best friends, the way Bryce struggled with his feelings and the way Hunter’s confusion blocked all intelligence strangled my heartstrings. They struggled sure but the angst wasn’t forever and when they inevitably came together� my god. I love the way these men love each other.
This was far too short, but honestly it could’ve gone on forever and I still wouldn’t have had enough.
Tal Bauer is my favorite sports romance author by miles. Not only is he a brilliant romance writer but the way he describes the sport, the camaraderie and the way these characters love the game. It makes the sport, whether it be football or hockey, another MC.
I teared up several times for obvious reasons for the boys, but I also became emotional due to their connection to their sport. Tal makes it wondrous and simply breathtaking.
I know very little about hockey, other than it’s brutality. And the writer spared no violent details, I cringed several times. It gives a lot of meaning to any other sport and these character’s sportsmanship. Truly awe inspiring.
The development from strangers to instant best friends, the way Bryce struggled with his feelings and the way Hunter’s confusion blocked all intelligence strangled my heartstrings. They struggled sure but the angst wasn’t forever and when they inevitably came together� my god. I love the way these men love each other.
This was far too short, but honestly it could’ve gone on forever and I still wouldn’t have had enough.
August 17, 2022
I don’t have time to write a review for this so I’m just gonna say that I liked this book for what it was.
I liked both our MC’s and they were so soft and vulnerable and emotionally available and it was a breath of fresh air to read it. I enjoyed the story line and I clicked with how beautiful the writing was so this was very easy to get invested into. I have to be honest, this wasn’t really an anticipated release for me, I didn’t even know about this book until legitimately everyone in GR just started talking about it. But I’m so glad I picked it up
The conflicts in this book was an aspect I didn’t expect. It wasn’t the usual conflict we get in hockey romances and so I think that’s what kept me going, because I did get bored of the plot toward the 50% mark. But Gravity wasn’t predictable I can tell you that. The plot wasn’t typical in my opinion.
I think It started off with a bang and for me it dwindled toward the end because I was so bored. But I cant deny that the relationship was sweet and cheesy and adorable and I was living for it. I do like the fact that they addressed the topic of the hero worship Hunter has. And that it was possible that that’s all Hunter was feeling. I feel like many books would’ve ignored that concept.
“Dude. Go. Talk to him.
No, Jesus, you can barely think in full sentences. Stay away.�
What I loved most about this book was the team. The support. The acceptance. The found family aspect of this group was everything to me. I shed a tear when everyone stayed for Bryce.
I liked both our MC’s and they were so soft and vulnerable and emotionally available and it was a breath of fresh air to read it. I enjoyed the story line and I clicked with how beautiful the writing was so this was very easy to get invested into. I have to be honest, this wasn’t really an anticipated release for me, I didn’t even know about this book until legitimately everyone in GR just started talking about it. But I’m so glad I picked it up
The conflicts in this book was an aspect I didn’t expect. It wasn’t the usual conflict we get in hockey romances and so I think that’s what kept me going, because I did get bored of the plot toward the 50% mark. But Gravity wasn’t predictable I can tell you that. The plot wasn’t typical in my opinion.
“We sleep tangled together, him in my arms, our bodies connected from head to foot. He is a cat again, always trying to press closer, to find places where we can trade molecules and atoms and slide a little more into each other's hold�
I think It started off with a bang and for me it dwindled toward the end because I was so bored. But I cant deny that the relationship was sweet and cheesy and adorable and I was living for it. I do like the fact that they addressed the topic of the hero worship Hunter has. And that it was possible that that’s all Hunter was feeling. I feel like many books would’ve ignored that concept.
“Dude. Go. Talk to him.
No, Jesus, you can barely think in full sentences. Stay away.�
What I loved most about this book was the team. The support. The acceptance. The found family aspect of this group was everything to me. I shed a tear when everyone stayed for Bryce.
“His dry lips break into a trembling smile, and his free hand rises toward our bunched teammates. Everyone takes hold, twenty guys laying their hands on top of each other to reach Bryce as one.�
February 7, 2023
Tal Bauer é um poeta e demonstra isso em seus livros. Écrivain qui n’écrit que de bons livres
October 19, 2022
Hunter Lacey has always been Bryce’s biggest fan. Since he was a teenager, all he wanted to do was be like him, play like him, play with him. And now, his dream is about to come true.
Bryce’s hockey team is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. None was supposed to stop them, but meeting Hunter in the All-Star weekend may turn everything upside down.
“C’est bon de te rencontrer enfin.� Bryce is still smiling.
()I could faint. I could also puke, right onto the ice, right between his skates. “Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.�
“EԳԳé.� Bryce’s grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�
Even though Hunter is barely able to connect his thoughts to put together a coherent sentence, Bryce seems interested in getting to know him. Not only that, they also connect on the ice like they had been playing together for all their lives, like they could read each other’s thoughts. Like they were meant to be all along.
Everything he’s ever dreamt, everything he never dared to hope for, is real. It’s perfect.
Until it isn’t.
I LOVED this book. It was so close to being a 5 star that I wanted to scream at the slow pace in the second half. Bryce is the first one you meet. You know he’s the captain of a team that’s more like a big family, where everyone is giving their best to win. You can see the happiness of being part of something as powerful, but also the loneliness that lives in Bryce. Until he meets Hunter, and the loneliness will turn into something more dangerous�
I was enjoying Bryce’s POV, but when I arrived in Hunter’s POV I knew I was a goner. Hunter is a humble hockey player of an unexceptional team that can’t believe his luck when he’s invited to All Stars. Can you imagine, finally being able to not only see your hero for afar, but actually being able to play with them? My heart was racing with excitement when Hunter finally saw Bryce, galloping when Bryce started to walk towards him. It was impossible not to feel the importance of the moment, the nerves and the feeling that everything was just too good to be true. It has been so long since the last time I felt the emotions of a character as deeply as I did with Hunter. I couldn’t help the internal scream, the external smile and the silly laugh that escaped when Bryce was finally there, telling Hunter he had been seeing him play. Hunter and I would have died happily in that moment, but there was so much more yet to come�
“Why do you play?� ()
“HDzԱٱ?�
“Mais oui. I think we’re past the brutal honesty stage with each other, non?�
“I play because of you.�
There is unrequited love trope-I’m not telling you who is who, even if it’s in the blurb-, and I adore that trope soooo much. I loved how the author developed Hunter and Bryce’s story, how real the characters� struggles felt. You could see how good they were together, but they didn’t want the same and it broke each other’s hearts.
I don’t know how to stop this fall. I don’t know how to stop dreaming of who I can never have. I don’t know how to stop this pain. () It’s a cruelty, to have something-someone-who fits so perfectly within you, and yet, they will never be a part of your life. To taste wonder and lose it, and then to dream of what-ifs and maybes and wish your life were different.
The first half was pure perfection, but the progression of the romance kinda got stuck there. Something happens around the middle that will steal the focus of the story when the love story is almost closed and it drags out a bit too much. I think the last half could have easily been the last quarter. We did get to see Bryce’s teammates, who were amazingly great secondary characters, so it wasn’t a complete miss. Just not as good as the first part.
Also, I absolutely loved all the French that was used. The author was a bit bold about the amount of it present in the book-I know a lot of people had problems with that-, but I’m a languages geek so I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I loved it even when I didn’t have a clue of what Bryce was saying; I knew they were love words, and nothing is going to translate the same, so I just admired how sexy French was with a huge smile on my face.
Overall, I loved the first part with all my heart and was okay with the second. The characters completely stole my heart so, even if objectively the structure may not be as good as in The Jock, I ended up loving Gravity more. Tal Bauer always manages to add his own twist, making his books stand out from the rest, so I’d recommend Gravity if you want a sport romance that hits different and beautiful writing.
I never knew I was chasing something
Until I couldn’t catch you in my dreams
Oh, I see you at midnight
And I wish I could reach you
I wish I could tell you
I wish I was enough for you
Bryce’s hockey team is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. None was supposed to stop them, but meeting Hunter in the All-Star weekend may turn everything upside down.
“C’est bon de te rencontrer enfin.� Bryce is still smiling.
()I could faint. I could also puke, right onto the ice, right between his skates. “Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.�
“EԳԳé.� Bryce’s grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�
Even though Hunter is barely able to connect his thoughts to put together a coherent sentence, Bryce seems interested in getting to know him. Not only that, they also connect on the ice like they had been playing together for all their lives, like they could read each other’s thoughts. Like they were meant to be all along.
Everything he’s ever dreamt, everything he never dared to hope for, is real. It’s perfect.
Until it isn’t.
I LOVED this book. It was so close to being a 5 star that I wanted to scream at the slow pace in the second half. Bryce is the first one you meet. You know he’s the captain of a team that’s more like a big family, where everyone is giving their best to win. You can see the happiness of being part of something as powerful, but also the loneliness that lives in Bryce. Until he meets Hunter, and the loneliness will turn into something more dangerous�
I was enjoying Bryce’s POV, but when I arrived in Hunter’s POV I knew I was a goner. Hunter is a humble hockey player of an unexceptional team that can’t believe his luck when he’s invited to All Stars. Can you imagine, finally being able to not only see your hero for afar, but actually being able to play with them? My heart was racing with excitement when Hunter finally saw Bryce, galloping when Bryce started to walk towards him. It was impossible not to feel the importance of the moment, the nerves and the feeling that everything was just too good to be true. It has been so long since the last time I felt the emotions of a character as deeply as I did with Hunter. I couldn’t help the internal scream, the external smile and the silly laugh that escaped when Bryce was finally there, telling Hunter he had been seeing him play. Hunter and I would have died happily in that moment, but there was so much more yet to come�
“Why do you play?� ()
“HDzԱٱ?�
“Mais oui. I think we’re past the brutal honesty stage with each other, non?�
“I play because of you.�
There is unrequited love trope-I’m not telling you who is who, even if it’s in the blurb-, and I adore that trope soooo much. I loved how the author developed Hunter and Bryce’s story, how real the characters� struggles felt. You could see how good they were together, but they didn’t want the same and it broke each other’s hearts.
I don’t know how to stop this fall. I don’t know how to stop dreaming of who I can never have. I don’t know how to stop this pain. () It’s a cruelty, to have something-someone-who fits so perfectly within you, and yet, they will never be a part of your life. To taste wonder and lose it, and then to dream of what-ifs and maybes and wish your life were different.
The first half was pure perfection, but the progression of the romance kinda got stuck there. Something happens around the middle that will steal the focus of the story when the love story is almost closed and it drags out a bit too much. I think the last half could have easily been the last quarter. We did get to see Bryce’s teammates, who were amazingly great secondary characters, so it wasn’t a complete miss. Just not as good as the first part.
Also, I absolutely loved all the French that was used. The author was a bit bold about the amount of it present in the book-I know a lot of people had problems with that-, but I’m a languages geek so I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I loved it even when I didn’t have a clue of what Bryce was saying; I knew they were love words, and nothing is going to translate the same, so I just admired how sexy French was with a huge smile on my face.
Overall, I loved the first part with all my heart and was okay with the second. The characters completely stole my heart so, even if objectively the structure may not be as good as in The Jock, I ended up loving Gravity more. Tal Bauer always manages to add his own twist, making his books stand out from the rest, so I’d recommend Gravity if you want a sport romance that hits different and beautiful writing.
I never knew I was chasing something
Until I couldn’t catch you in my dreams
Oh, I see you at midnight
And I wish I could reach you
I wish I could tell you
I wish I was enough for you
Read
August 5, 2023DNF @ 56% - I am on a string of five DNFs. This was very well written. Two years of high school French really helped me here.
Tal writes big love. Très romantique. If you like that kind of thing, I recommend this. Too romantique for me.
Tal writes big love. Très romantique. If you like that kind of thing, I recommend this. Too romantique for me.
August 15, 2022
2.7 �
Hmmm. It really pains me to say this, but this is his first book that didn't work for me. 😓
-At the beginning of the book as beautiful as Tal's writing was, i wasn't connecting with the characters or the story. After the middle, I started to warm up from the couple (only in the aspect of romance) like, they were cute and sweet together. As couple. Because individually I really didn't connect with Hunter or Bryce. There wasn't much that will connect me (or tell) with them other than their love for hockey and their love for each other.
-I liked the kisses, the cuddles, the moments when they practiced together... But I swear. I've read other books by the author, and I feel like those have had better insta-love and friendship than this one. Maybe it's just me🤦♀�
-About the team... I'm not sure how to feel. It is true that they helped him at the end of the book. They acted as a team and everything. But when Bryce comes back and is going through a bad time, they didn't help him there, right? So, idk. 🧐
-There was a lot of French. In the end i stopped translating it. 🤷♀�
Hmmm. It really pains me to say this, but this is his first book that didn't work for me. 😓
-At the beginning of the book as beautiful as Tal's writing was, i wasn't connecting with the characters or the story. After the middle, I started to warm up from the couple (only in the aspect of romance) like, they were cute and sweet together. As couple. Because individually I really didn't connect with Hunter or Bryce. There wasn't much that will connect me (or tell) with them other than their love for hockey and their love for each other.
-I liked the kisses, the cuddles, the moments when they practiced together... But I swear. I've read other books by the author, and I feel like those have had better insta-love and friendship than this one. Maybe it's just me🤦♀�
-About the team... I'm not sure how to feel. It is true that they helped him at the end of the book. They acted as a team and everything. But when Bryce comes back and is going through a bad time, they didn't help him there, right? So, idk. 🧐
-There was a lot of French. In the end i stopped translating it. 🤷♀�
August 25, 2024
~3.5~
Emotional and evocative, this story is poetry in motion. Bryce (Bunny) and Hunter (his Honey) don't meet as much as collide.
"I wear your number."
"I wear yours too."
At 26, Bryce is in the midst of a sexual identity crisis; he's nearly certain that he's gay, but he's afraid.
Hunter, who's 22, hasn't explored anything beyond hockey, so when his hero kisses him, he freezes. He doesn't push Bryce away, not really, but Bryce freaks out all the same.
Cue angst as the men are separated. Bryce falls apart, which I didn't find entirely believable. Professional athletes don't have that luxury. They have to shut all that down and play.
The story takes a darker turn when Bryce is seriously injured. Hunter is with him every step of the way, and the two get impossibly closer. I loved all the feels, the pureness of their love, the innocence and awe.
The team camaraderie brought so much joy to this story. It was like summary Fridays and Christmas morning rolled into one.
The other Montreal Etoiles players - Slava, Valery, Etienne, MacKenzie - have distinct personalities and add some comic relief to the fairly intense plot. I adored them all.
Hockey is the star of the show though. Bauer doesn't skimp on the brutality, pain, grueling schedules, heartache, and tears. It's not just a game; it's a battle to the (metaphorical) death. This was brilliantly done, and I was caught up in the ice action as if my life depended on it.
When Hunter and Bryce bring the cup to Guy's ramshackle gas station in the middle of nowhere, I got all misty eyed. The feels did me in.
So much greatness!
But there were misses too:
The romance was just this side of schmoopy - so cutesy, my teeth hurt.
No homophobia - not one member of the team or the multitude of fans (not even Hunter's family in Texas) protest when Bryce and Hunter's relationship becomes obvious. And it was obvious - too obvious imo, like not professional at all. You can't be making out at work like that, come on. I wish the world were this accepting, but it's not.
There was a lot of French. So much French. And I love French. I do. I think it's a gorgeous language, but I'm not a French speaker, so most of the French words/sentences were just distractions. I'm bilingual and a linguist, and there was something off about the way Bryce switched to French with Hunter who didn't speak French. It felt forced.
Florence's review discusses this at length. She's French Canadian from Quebec and states that "the use of French bothered me in this book, because most of it were expressions that just aren’t used in Quebec." Tal kind of dropped the ball here. Why not get a sensitivity reader from Quebec instead of using Google translate?
Also, I found it odd that Bryce's parents/family didn't visit once during his recovery. It's mentioned that they video called, but that feels inadequate. He was close with his parents and brothers, and they lived just a few hours away, and not a single one came to see him? I don't buy it.
I've noticed that many of Tal's characters feel like orphans. They have little or no contact with their families and live in their own spheres. And that's true for some people of course, but everyone?
Where am I going with all this? I liked this book for the glorious hockey romance it was, even though my rose-colored glasses kept fogging up.
Emotional and evocative, this story is poetry in motion. Bryce (Bunny) and Hunter (his Honey) don't meet as much as collide.
"I wear your number."
"I wear yours too."
At 26, Bryce is in the midst of a sexual identity crisis; he's nearly certain that he's gay, but he's afraid.
Hunter, who's 22, hasn't explored anything beyond hockey, so when his hero kisses him, he freezes. He doesn't push Bryce away, not really, but Bryce freaks out all the same.
Cue angst as the men are separated. Bryce falls apart, which I didn't find entirely believable. Professional athletes don't have that luxury. They have to shut all that down and play.
The story takes a darker turn when Bryce is seriously injured. Hunter is with him every step of the way, and the two get impossibly closer. I loved all the feels, the pureness of their love, the innocence and awe.
The team camaraderie brought so much joy to this story. It was like summary Fridays and Christmas morning rolled into one.
The other Montreal Etoiles players - Slava, Valery, Etienne, MacKenzie - have distinct personalities and add some comic relief to the fairly intense plot. I adored them all.
Hockey is the star of the show though. Bauer doesn't skimp on the brutality, pain, grueling schedules, heartache, and tears. It's not just a game; it's a battle to the (metaphorical) death. This was brilliantly done, and I was caught up in the ice action as if my life depended on it.
When Hunter and Bryce bring the cup to Guy's ramshackle gas station in the middle of nowhere, I got all misty eyed. The feels did me in.
So much greatness!
But there were misses too:
The romance was just this side of schmoopy - so cutesy, my teeth hurt.
No homophobia - not one member of the team or the multitude of fans (not even Hunter's family in Texas) protest when Bryce and Hunter's relationship becomes obvious. And it was obvious - too obvious imo, like not professional at all. You can't be making out at work like that, come on. I wish the world were this accepting, but it's not.
There was a lot of French. So much French. And I love French. I do. I think it's a gorgeous language, but I'm not a French speaker, so most of the French words/sentences were just distractions. I'm bilingual and a linguist, and there was something off about the way Bryce switched to French with Hunter who didn't speak French. It felt forced.
Florence's review discusses this at length. She's French Canadian from Quebec and states that "the use of French bothered me in this book, because most of it were expressions that just aren’t used in Quebec." Tal kind of dropped the ball here. Why not get a sensitivity reader from Quebec instead of using Google translate?
Also, I found it odd that Bryce's parents/family didn't visit once during his recovery. It's mentioned that they video called, but that feels inadequate. He was close with his parents and brothers, and they lived just a few hours away, and not a single one came to see him? I don't buy it.
I've noticed that many of Tal's characters feel like orphans. They have little or no contact with their families and live in their own spheres. And that's true for some people of course, but everyone?
Where am I going with all this? I liked this book for the glorious hockey romance it was, even though my rose-colored glasses kept fogging up.
August 13, 2022
Of course I loved this. Of course I couldn't put it down. Of course I got sucked in right away. Of course I fell in love with our main couple, Bryce and Hunter. Of course, of course, of course.
Tal for me is just one of those authors to me that basically always does it right. I was even worried going into this - as I am with most of his work, thinking 'is this the one exception that I dislike? Is the one Tal Bauer book that I just will not click with? I mean I have given one of his books 4 stars instead of a 4.5 or 5 lol, but I still enjoyed it, is the thing. So I always wonder if I'm going to run into a book of his that I didn't like that much or absolutely adore.
Well, it hasn't happened yet for me.
I always see reviews that get annoyed with his purple prose or think it's too gushy or corny in the romance department for their tastes, etc etc. And I get that, on an objective level, those could be annoying.
But to me, Tal always writers those tropes right, he always does it so well, that I just don't care that maybe sometimes he's a little too corny or over the top in his prose.
Because he just writes these characters so well and writers their romance amazingly well, that those little things never really bother me.
He just has a way about his writing that pulls you in, and I basically, 99% of the time, fall in love with his characters and romance. This was no exception.
He even keeps me invested, plot wise, 99% of the time. This is a hockey romance, after all, and hockey romances can kind of follow a formula, in some aspects.
There's even a part near the end where and I was reading this part, going "oh fuck, here we go again" as that part started. I guess in sports romance the "one characters gets severely injured" trope has gotten a little tiring for me.
But then, BUT THEN, of course, this being Tal, he turns it on its head, in my view. Because it so instead of me being like *rollseyes* and getting through this overused trope, I was actually on the edge of my seat and I was freaking out and wondering what was going to happen, how this was going to go.
And the emotion, GOD, Tal writers emotion so fucking well, I just can't get over it. It was just...I was feeling what our MC's was feeling, it felt like I was in the moment, and I was freaking out for one of them. And the other was just so fucking heartbreaking and I was almost losing it, it was just done so fucking well.
That's what, to me, Tal can do. Take some pretty tried and true tropes, some fairly overused ones that get used a lot and in other works feel like the same 'ol, same 'ol, and then make it his own. Make it something similar, but also kind of new at the same time. A different way of using that trope.
That's what's so masterful to me about Tal. What I love so much about his writing. When I started to read that part that is a overused trope, I was prepared to give this story 4.5 stars because I was like *sigh* here we go, but then he made it unique, completely his own.
I absolutely loved this.
Of course everything works out all right and our heroes have their triumph and it was so glorious and the payoff was done so well, I just absolutely loved it.
And of course, our main couple, Bryce and Hunter, were amazing together. I loved their chemistry from the start, and they worked perfectly together.
We had some angst in this with them, but I'm kind of glad they weren't just 100% in right away and they had time to think it through and work out what they wanted.
Because Hunter is the more cautious one, and he has to work things out in his head. He's younger too, by a few years, and he's never thought about his sexuality or why he's never been all that into women. He's just been so focused on Hockey that he hasn't processed that he might be into men, and then into Bryce specifically.
Because it is kind of inst-lovey, but of course Tal writers them in a way that I felt it so easily between these two. I felt that connection and the strong feelings there. They send All Star-Week with each, basically, and it's a few days together, but it's enough for there to be strong feelings. And we get to see that connection grow, which is done so well and so expertly by this author.
But I also love how they don't just kiss, and then are like "oh yeah, that's what I want, lets do this" and then it's happy sailing from there.
Nah, we get some angsting and time where Hunter is figuring stuff out and Bryce is heartbroken and thinks Hunter doesn't want him at all.
It's good stuff.
I highly recommend this, especially if you're such a fan of this author and his work. It's up to par with his usual and I absolutely adored it.
*happy sigh* I can't wait for more from Tal, he's just so amazing at this craft and I get sucked in every time.
This is one of the best hockey romances I've ever read. And of course Tal was the one to write it 😉
Just, two massive thumbs up from me. I can't praise this enough! Go read it when you can, guys!😍😘🥰
P.S. This does have quite a lot of French in it. So please use a translator when you can if you need it. I know some french, so I got most of it, but for a few phrases and lines and words, I had to ask good 'ol Google for some help. But also Tal warns about that at the beginning and gives suggestions on how you can translate it, so good on him❤️
Tal for me is just one of those authors to me that basically always does it right. I was even worried going into this - as I am with most of his work, thinking 'is this the one exception that I dislike? Is the one Tal Bauer book that I just will not click with? I mean I have given one of his books 4 stars instead of a 4.5 or 5 lol, but I still enjoyed it, is the thing. So I always wonder if I'm going to run into a book of his that I didn't like that much or absolutely adore.
Well, it hasn't happened yet for me.
I always see reviews that get annoyed with his purple prose or think it's too gushy or corny in the romance department for their tastes, etc etc. And I get that, on an objective level, those could be annoying.
But to me, Tal always writers those tropes right, he always does it so well, that I just don't care that maybe sometimes he's a little too corny or over the top in his prose.
Because he just writes these characters so well and writers their romance amazingly well, that those little things never really bother me.
He just has a way about his writing that pulls you in, and I basically, 99% of the time, fall in love with his characters and romance. This was no exception.
He even keeps me invested, plot wise, 99% of the time. This is a hockey romance, after all, and hockey romances can kind of follow a formula, in some aspects.
There's even a part near the end where and I was reading this part, going "oh fuck, here we go again" as that part started. I guess in sports romance the "one characters gets severely injured" trope has gotten a little tiring for me.
But then, BUT THEN, of course, this being Tal, he turns it on its head, in my view. Because it so instead of me being like *rollseyes* and getting through this overused trope, I was actually on the edge of my seat and I was freaking out and wondering what was going to happen, how this was going to go.
And the emotion, GOD, Tal writers emotion so fucking well, I just can't get over it. It was just...I was feeling what our MC's was feeling, it felt like I was in the moment, and I was freaking out for one of them. And the other was just so fucking heartbreaking and I was almost losing it, it was just done so fucking well.
That's what, to me, Tal can do. Take some pretty tried and true tropes, some fairly overused ones that get used a lot and in other works feel like the same 'ol, same 'ol, and then make it his own. Make it something similar, but also kind of new at the same time. A different way of using that trope.
That's what's so masterful to me about Tal. What I love so much about his writing. When I started to read that part that is a overused trope, I was prepared to give this story 4.5 stars because I was like *sigh* here we go, but then he made it unique, completely his own.
I absolutely loved this.
Of course everything works out all right and our heroes have their triumph and it was so glorious and the payoff was done so well, I just absolutely loved it.
And of course, our main couple, Bryce and Hunter, were amazing together. I loved their chemistry from the start, and they worked perfectly together.
We had some angst in this with them, but I'm kind of glad they weren't just 100% in right away and they had time to think it through and work out what they wanted.
Because Hunter is the more cautious one, and he has to work things out in his head. He's younger too, by a few years, and he's never thought about his sexuality or why he's never been all that into women. He's just been so focused on Hockey that he hasn't processed that he might be into men, and then into Bryce specifically.
Because it is kind of inst-lovey, but of course Tal writers them in a way that I felt it so easily between these two. I felt that connection and the strong feelings there. They send All Star-Week with each, basically, and it's a few days together, but it's enough for there to be strong feelings. And we get to see that connection grow, which is done so well and so expertly by this author.
But I also love how they don't just kiss, and then are like "oh yeah, that's what I want, lets do this" and then it's happy sailing from there.
Nah, we get some angsting and time where Hunter is figuring stuff out and Bryce is heartbroken and thinks Hunter doesn't want him at all.
It's good stuff.
I highly recommend this, especially if you're such a fan of this author and his work. It's up to par with his usual and I absolutely adored it.
*happy sigh* I can't wait for more from Tal, he's just so amazing at this craft and I get sucked in every time.
This is one of the best hockey romances I've ever read. And of course Tal was the one to write it 😉
Just, two massive thumbs up from me. I can't praise this enough! Go read it when you can, guys!😍😘🥰
P.S. This does have quite a lot of French in it. So please use a translator when you can if you need it. I know some french, so I got most of it, but for a few phrases and lines and words, I had to ask good 'ol Google for some help. But also Tal warns about that at the beginning and gives suggestions on how you can translate it, so good on him❤️
August 14, 2022
Almost 4 stars
This was a very good MM ice hockey novel and it checked a lot of my boxes when it comes to MM.
✔️wonderful couple and great supporting characters
✔️fantastic chemistry between the couple
✔️probably the nicest ice hockey team ever, loved them to pieces
✔️engaging story
✔️fantastic ice hockey details, and focus on plays, games and team spirit
✔️really passionate sex scenes
I loved the detail on hockey and what's going on in a team, and how much fun a team can be if the players like each other, and are almost like family.
The couple was great. I enjoyed their chemistry, and the overall low drama. Loved how they stood by each other as soon as they figured out what they felt for each other.
I did skim paragraphs here and there, and was missing more play/action on ice. Honestly, there is never enough hockey for me in these books, and I feel sports romances should actually focus on the sport more, but that's me. Anyway, I read the book in one sitting and can only recommend it to anyone who loves this genre.
The scene on the river was probably the BEST in the entire book, and afterwards in the little convenient store - just gorgeous!!
This was a very good MM ice hockey novel and it checked a lot of my boxes when it comes to MM.
✔️wonderful couple and great supporting characters
✔️fantastic chemistry between the couple
✔️probably the nicest ice hockey team ever, loved them to pieces
✔️engaging story
✔️fantastic ice hockey details, and focus on plays, games and team spirit
✔️really passionate sex scenes
I loved the detail on hockey and what's going on in a team, and how much fun a team can be if the players like each other, and are almost like family.
The couple was great. I enjoyed their chemistry, and the overall low drama. Loved how they stood by each other as soon as they figured out what they felt for each other.
I did skim paragraphs here and there, and was missing more play/action on ice. Honestly, there is never enough hockey for me in these books, and I feel sports romances should actually focus on the sport more, but that's me. Anyway, I read the book in one sitting and can only recommend it to anyone who loves this genre.
The scene on the river was probably the BEST in the entire book, and afterwards in the little convenient store - just gorgeous!!
December 24, 2024
My reputation of a grumpy bitch will be ruined after this. 😂
This book did things to me I was not prepared for. 🙈🫠
I've been in a puddle since freaking 6% of this book. By 13% I forgot how to lock my knees.
I guess you can call me SOUP now and drink me with a straw.
I know it makes no sense, but my brain is soup too, so you'll have to forgive me. So many feels.
Whenever I tried to re-solidify it punched me in the gut and turned me into a different kind of liquid. And then soup again.
Can I shelve this under "cultural" since I've actually learned about the swearing habits in Canadian French? And tested my rusty french written comprehension? No? (I'm honestly surprised I understood most of it without Google. Go, me!)
It sure was the best use I could do of my high-school long-forgotten French anyway. I love French now.
It did get a bit cheesy toward the end, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Thanks @Evie for successfully recommending my first MM sports romance ever. I don't even like sports, or contemporary romance 🤷♀� I guess now I do?
Ps: I'm still reeling about this quote:
I could faint. I could also puke, right onto the ice, right between his skates. “Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.�
“EԳԳé.� Bryce's grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�"
This book did things to me I was not prepared for. 🙈🫠
I've been in a puddle since freaking 6% of this book. By 13% I forgot how to lock my knees.
I guess you can call me SOUP now and drink me with a straw.
I know it makes no sense, but my brain is soup too, so you'll have to forgive me. So many feels.
Whenever I tried to re-solidify it punched me in the gut and turned me into a different kind of liquid. And then soup again.
Can I shelve this under "cultural" since I've actually learned about the swearing habits in Canadian French? And tested my rusty french written comprehension? No? (I'm honestly surprised I understood most of it without Google. Go, me!)
It sure was the best use I could do of my high-school long-forgotten French anyway. I love French now.
It did get a bit cheesy toward the end, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Thanks @Evie for successfully recommending my first MM sports romance ever. I don't even like sports, or contemporary romance 🤷♀� I guess now I do?
Ps: I'm still reeling about this quote:
I could faint. I could also puke, right onto the ice, right between his skates. “Hi,� I squeak. “I wear your number.�
“EԳԳé.� Bryce's grin grows. “I wear your number, too.�"
January 12, 2023
I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I adored this book. This is an insta love story and I don't like that trope AT ALL. But I’ve never been so happy that I gave this book a chance because now it’s one of my favorites. The first half of the book was a solid 4 stars. Despite their love being kinda insta, their connection felt real and genuine. The story just kept getting better as it went on and shortly after the half way mark, it became a 5 star. I grew to absolutely love these characters, so much that my heart was breaking for them in the last 25%. I could connect with the characters so easily, if they were crying, so was I 😭 If they stubbed their toe I’d probably cry, that’s how much they mean to me 😭😂This book made me very emotional. It was filled with so much love, devotion, and support. It felt very intimate, these two adored one another and truly had a passion for each other. My goodness, their love is beautiful to me ❤️
Hunter and Bryce are the only characters that actually made me believe in falling in love with someone right away. Yes, it was very romantic and cheesy but I loved it 🥰 I’m still very shocked over how much I’m gushing about an insta love story honestly 😂 this is new territory for me. They even made sex seem like the sweetest thing in the world. But also very sexy at the same time. That one scene took me out y’all WOWWW 😍 I’d normally add in a bunch of quotes but I don’t want to spoil absolutely anything. I wish to read the quotes/words in this book for the first time again.
There is a lot of hockey in this book. Lots of detailed descriptions of the games. I don’t watch hockey or really know too much about it. But I personally enjoyed that part of the book very much. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Hunter and Bryce to score goals!😂 So if you aren’t into hockey that much I still think you can enjoy this. You get to see Hunter and Bryce’s chemistry outside of hockey but their chemistry on the ice is amazing too.
This book is now very dear to my heart. I will reread it countless times, I already know it. Tal Bauer’s new book “The Rest of the Story� is set in the same universe as this book, so y’all already know what I’m reading next!
Hunter and Bryce are the only characters that actually made me believe in falling in love with someone right away. Yes, it was very romantic and cheesy but I loved it 🥰 I’m still very shocked over how much I’m gushing about an insta love story honestly 😂 this is new territory for me. They even made sex seem like the sweetest thing in the world. But also very sexy at the same time. That one scene took me out y’all WOWWW 😍 I’d normally add in a bunch of quotes but I don’t want to spoil absolutely anything. I wish to read the quotes/words in this book for the first time again.
There is a lot of hockey in this book. Lots of detailed descriptions of the games. I don’t watch hockey or really know too much about it. But I personally enjoyed that part of the book very much. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Hunter and Bryce to score goals!😂 So if you aren’t into hockey that much I still think you can enjoy this. You get to see Hunter and Bryce’s chemistry outside of hockey but their chemistry on the ice is amazing too.
This book is now very dear to my heart. I will reread it countless times, I already know it. Tal Bauer’s new book “The Rest of the Story� is set in the same universe as this book, so y’all already know what I’m reading next!
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