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Hockey Ever After #2
Scoring Position
Ryan Wright’s new hockey team is a dumpster fire. He expects to lose games—not his heart.
Ryan’s laid-back attitude should be an advantage in Indianapolis. Even if he doesn’t accomplish much on the ice, he can help his burned-out teammates off it. And no one needs a friend—or a hug—more than Nico Kirschbaum, the team’s struggling would-be superstar.
Nico doesn’t appreciate that management traded for another openly gay player and told them to make friends. Maybe he doesn’t know what his problem is, but he’ll solve it with hard work, not by bonding with the class clown.
It’s obvious to Ryan that Nico’s lonely, gifted, and cracking under pressure. No amount of physical practice will fix his mental game. But convincing Nico to let Ryan help means getting closer than is wise for Ryan’s heart—especially once he unearths Nico’s sense of humor.
Will Nico and Ryan risk making a pass, or will they keep missing 100 percent of the shots they don’t take?
Ryan’s laid-back attitude should be an advantage in Indianapolis. Even if he doesn’t accomplish much on the ice, he can help his burned-out teammates off it. And no one needs a friend—or a hug—more than Nico Kirschbaum, the team’s struggling would-be superstar.
Nico doesn’t appreciate that management traded for another openly gay player and told them to make friends. Maybe he doesn’t know what his problem is, but he’ll solve it with hard work, not by bonding with the class clown.
It’s obvious to Ryan that Nico’s lonely, gifted, and cracking under pressure. No amount of physical practice will fix his mental game. But convincing Nico to let Ryan help means getting closer than is wise for Ryan’s heart—especially once he unearths Nico’s sense of humor.
Will Nico and Ryan risk making a pass, or will they keep missing 100 percent of the shots they don’t take?
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2022
412 people are currently reading
1877 people want to read
About the author
Ashlyn Kane
32 books491 followersAshlyn Kane is a thirtysomething writer, editor, procrastinator, and dog mom. She likes cheese, puns, and hockey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
February 12, 2025
*re-read February 2025 on audio, perfectly executed by Nick J. Russo. And I’m left swooning all over again. Nico and Ryan have definitely settled themselves into a room in my heart, I just love these guys so much! The chess, the domestic moments, the Bert and Ernie thing, I LOVED IT!! Still highly recommended, either on audio or reading the book, I hope you give Ryan and Nico a chance ❤️*
*original review*
So…wow, for some reason this book was soo much better than I expected! I’m totally in love with Nico and Ryan 😍
But perhaps the most charming moment of the evening happened when Wright confessed to accidentally giving Kirschbaum the nickname of Grouch, after Oscar the Grouch...for which he apologized. "I don't think he's forgiven me yet."
But if Kirschbaum is Oscar, what does that make Wright? Wright refuted the Grouch nickname entirely and offered a new comparison for fans to ponder. "It's really more of a Bert and Ernie situation. Nico is Bert, obviously. It's the eyebrows."
Comments:
OMG THEY'RE ROOMMATES!
This does bring new meaning to the phrase 'scoring postion'. Everyone knows what Bert and Ernie are really all about."
*original review*
So…wow, for some reason this book was soo much better than I expected! I’m totally in love with Nico and Ryan 😍
But perhaps the most charming moment of the evening happened when Wright confessed to accidentally giving Kirschbaum the nickname of Grouch, after Oscar the Grouch...for which he apologized. "I don't think he's forgiven me yet."
But if Kirschbaum is Oscar, what does that make Wright? Wright refuted the Grouch nickname entirely and offered a new comparison for fans to ponder. "It's really more of a Bert and Ernie situation. Nico is Bert, obviously. It's the eyebrows."
Comments:
OMG THEY'RE ROOMMATES!
This does bring new meaning to the phrase 'scoring postion'. Everyone knows what Bert and Ernie are really all about."
Well, the reason I had my expectations lowered a bit for this book was due to the first book Winging It being a bit of a let down originally. Of course the rewritten version of said book was such an improvement, that it slowly uplifted my hopes for this book. But still, I had some reservations. Apparently totally unnecessary and undeserved. Because this is one of the best hockey books around, if you ask me! I know that might sound like high praise to some dedicated mm hockey romance fans, but that's truly how I feel about this book.
This story is about Ryan Wright and Nico Kirschbaum. Not exactly insta friends when they meet. On the contrary. There's quite some animosity, specially from Nico, since Ryan was traded and added to the team solely for his sake. Nico is the potential star player of the team. But his anxiety to perform and to prove himself gets in the way of playing his best. On top of that, his father was a famous hockey player before him, - also his agent - and to say he is highly demanding and messing with Nico's head might be an understatement.
Ryan is not the overly talented player the slacking team needs, but he's good at peopling and he is the one to put everyone at ease in the locker room, the one teammates look for when they want to talk. He offers comfort and a listening ear to everyone. And his sole purpose right now is to befriend Nico and find out what's bothering him, what's keeping him from being that star player he obviously could be if he put his head on straight.
Nico is furious about Ryan's addition to the team, specially knowing he practically came to babysit him. Plus, Ryan's the only out gay hockey player in the league, and that messes with Nico's own sexuality. He knows he's gay, but he hardly ever acts on it, since his father isn't exactly supportive, afraid that Nico's sexuality will hit the newspapers instead of his hockeytalent.
So, Ryan and Nico don't start off very well. But slowly Ryan seems to win Nico's trust and after they set a truce, they're able to develop a sweet friendship from that moment on. What makes it harder to keep it at friendship level is the fact they both crush on each other. Hard. And when Nico offers Ryan a place to stay, it appears to be their 'downfall'. They are so good together, so sweet, so perfect too. The witty banter, their games of chess, their easily fitting domestic behavior, turns their friendship into a serious romance. But trades are always threatening to happen, and Nico's father is another threatening discomfort.
I loved how this book was so better balanced between the romance and the hockey. The writing was solid, the pacing perfect.
I loved the slow burn, but when Ryan and Nico fell for each other they fell hard.
I loved how they took care of each other, how easily they got to know one another so well, how perfectly they fit.
I loved how well the authors developed their characters throughout the story. They both felt very real, dimensional. Their imperfections, their insecurities and the mental health issues were real too.
I loved how the authors took the story to Europe, to the city of Prague, how they gave the story actuality by slightly referring to the current situation in Ukraine without really mentioning it.
I actually loved this book so much, that it went up to my all time favorite shelf. It's undoubtedly one of the best books I read this year. When it ended, it left me feeling all swoony, my heart full of love for these two men. There's a decent amount of steam too, and of course there is a hea (it's romance after all), but it's one hard fought for.
I can't wait for another book in this series - Nico and Ryan definitely stole my heart and I hope for these authors to manage that again with a next book.
Highly recommended!
April 17, 2024
Loved this! This book was so good, so enjoyable to read! Loved both Nico & Ryan. The story kept me interested and never a dull moment. The ending had me emotional, it was so good.
Anyway, I really hate how this book had no chapters. I'm the kind of lady who cant put a book down in the middle of the chapter, so I struggled with the no chapter format. But also, I'm gonna learn to be a put the book down mid chapter kind of lady because I really want to continue the series.
Anyway, I really hate how this book had no chapters. I'm the kind of lady who cant put a book down in the middle of the chapter, so I struggled with the no chapter format. But also, I'm gonna learn to be a put the book down mid chapter kind of lady because I really want to continue the series.
June 9, 2025
this series has become a comfort read for me and i love it for that
Ryan Wright wasn’t surprised when he was traded to the worst team of the NHL. When you are an average player, you spend the years going from one team to another. What shocked him was that they were trading him in exchange for one of the best players of the team.
When he arrives in his new team, his boss explains the case: he needs Ryan to befriend Nico, their star player, and make sure that he starts to show the talent everyone knows he has on the ring. The problem is that Nico is furious; not only did they trade his best (and only) friend in the team, they traded him for a bad player who’s only there to babysit him. If they think Nico is going to talk with the new guy, they are delusional.
This series, Hockey Ever After, has been an incredible finding. While they are still hockey romances with a similar structure to others I’ve read before, the great characterization makes them stand up and be a very pleasant reading experience. Every main character is different from the rest, but they are all easy to follow and care about. On top of that, the secondary characters are amazing and there are some scenes that made me laugh. I’ve read three so far (as always, I’m behind on my reviews), and Scoring Position is my favorite.
Books one and three lost me a bit at the end, when they focus on the hockey aspect, but this didn’t happen in this second book: I enjoyed the whole story. This takes place six years after Winging It (book 1), so now there are gay players out, Nico and Ryan among them. There are characters from book 1 that have retired, but you’ll also recognize some faces, which made this even more special (Kitty, I adore you!!💛).
As book one, it’s a strangers to friends to lovers, in this case with the obstacle of Nico refusing to be friends with Ryan and Ryan knowing that his job depends on Nico listening to him. I really enjoyed the slow burn and the pacing of the story, it felt realistic and reading it felt like going back home. Both Ryan and Nico have their flaws, which was a bit annoying at times, but, at the end of the day, was also the reason why all these characters are so good. I also appreciate the little touches of humor throughout the story.
Overall, I’m very glad that I decided to give this series a try: reading this brought me so much comfort. I love getting to know the main characters and following their journey both in love and character development. Hockey romances used to be my favorite genre, but they are all so similar I’ve stopped enjoying them. So it’s nice finding a series that, although it doesn’t shake my world, is able to give me back that feeling of having a good time reading about hockey players in love.
↬ Hockey Ever After:
1. Winging It: 3.5 stars
2. Scoring Position: 3.75 stars
3. Unrivaled: 2.5 stars
Ryan Wright wasn’t surprised when he was traded to the worst team of the NHL. When you are an average player, you spend the years going from one team to another. What shocked him was that they were trading him in exchange for one of the best players of the team.
When he arrives in his new team, his boss explains the case: he needs Ryan to befriend Nico, their star player, and make sure that he starts to show the talent everyone knows he has on the ring. The problem is that Nico is furious; not only did they trade his best (and only) friend in the team, they traded him for a bad player who’s only there to babysit him. If they think Nico is going to talk with the new guy, they are delusional.
This series, Hockey Ever After, has been an incredible finding. While they are still hockey romances with a similar structure to others I’ve read before, the great characterization makes them stand up and be a very pleasant reading experience. Every main character is different from the rest, but they are all easy to follow and care about. On top of that, the secondary characters are amazing and there are some scenes that made me laugh. I’ve read three so far (as always, I’m behind on my reviews), and Scoring Position is my favorite.
Books one and three lost me a bit at the end, when they focus on the hockey aspect, but this didn’t happen in this second book: I enjoyed the whole story. This takes place six years after Winging It (book 1), so now there are gay players out, Nico and Ryan among them. There are characters from book 1 that have retired, but you’ll also recognize some faces, which made this even more special (Kitty, I adore you!!💛).
As book one, it’s a strangers to friends to lovers, in this case with the obstacle of Nico refusing to be friends with Ryan and Ryan knowing that his job depends on Nico listening to him. I really enjoyed the slow burn and the pacing of the story, it felt realistic and reading it felt like going back home. Both Ryan and Nico have their flaws, which was a bit annoying at times, but, at the end of the day, was also the reason why all these characters are so good. I also appreciate the little touches of humor throughout the story.
Someone knocked on the door(...) “Nico, if you don’t come out, I’m going to come in. I haven’t been in the closet since 2007. Don’t make me do that..”
Overall, I’m very glad that I decided to give this series a try: reading this brought me so much comfort. I love getting to know the main characters and following their journey both in love and character development. Hockey romances used to be my favorite genre, but they are all so similar I’ve stopped enjoying them. So it’s nice finding a series that, although it doesn’t shake my world, is able to give me back that feeling of having a good time reading about hockey players in love.
Nico kissed him hard and pressed their foreheads together. “No matter what the sweater says, you and me? We’re always on the same team..”
↬ Hockey Ever After:
1. Winging It: 3.5 stars
2. Scoring Position: 3.75 stars
3. Unrivaled: 2.5 stars
June 11, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ I loved seeing Kitty and daddy Yorkie from book one again!
This series takes you to the arena, in the locker room, on the ice for the game, to the bar for celebratory drinks, back home to eat and rest, on the plane, and in the hotel rooms. You get the team camaraderie, the nicknames, and the superstitions. If you love hockey, these are for you.
Nico is my fave - German/Russian, daddy issues, speaks multiple languages, chess prodigy, works on cars, unnaturally talented hockey player
The negative:
The book is a lot longer than it needed to be. It just didn’t want to end. I didn’t mind that much (it almost became humorous) because I liked being with Ryan and Nico since I’m stressed and they were comfort and by the end I felt like I knew all these characters personally.
This series takes you to the arena, in the locker room, on the ice for the game, to the bar for celebratory drinks, back home to eat and rest, on the plane, and in the hotel rooms. You get the team camaraderie, the nicknames, and the superstitions. If you love hockey, these are for you.
Nico is my fave - German/Russian, daddy issues, speaks multiple languages, chess prodigy, works on cars, unnaturally talented hockey player
The negative:
The book is a lot longer than it needed to be. It just didn’t want to end. I didn’t mind that much (it almost became humorous) because I liked being with Ryan and Nico since I’m stressed and they were comfort and by the end I felt like I knew all these characters personally.
October 30, 2022
Really enjoyed both books, I just want more! I feel like Nico and Ryan's story isn't over, and it was nice to see Gabe and Dante pop up - I really would read anything in this story world!
November 28, 2022
3.5 stars. I liked this, but I didn’t love it like book 1. I think it needed better editing, and it is way too long.
Pros
I loved Ryan and Nico together. Sweet and caring and hot. I liked the relationship angst, the insecurities.
The feelings. The sex scenes.
I loved their families, but I would have liked more development and depth there.
Kitty and Yorkie. Meeting up with Dante and Gabe.
The hockey.
The world championship.
Cons
Too much hockey. I think the fake teams made it harder to care and to follow. If I’m going to read pages and pages of hockey, make it NHL teams. Or just the cities. And it was kinda boring seeing all this hockey from the perspective of a fake losing team.
The sketchy evil coach story. Yawn. It was too surface level to be anything more than annoying.
Other than Yorkie and Kitty who we already knew, the secondary characters didn’t feel real, they had no depth and I already forgot their names.
Ryan and Nico’s insecurities and lack of communication. Both a pro and a con. 🤷♀️
Pros
I loved Ryan and Nico together. Sweet and caring and hot. I liked the relationship angst, the insecurities.
The feelings. The sex scenes.
I loved their families, but I would have liked more development and depth there.
Kitty and Yorkie. Meeting up with Dante and Gabe.
The hockey.
The world championship.
Cons
Too much hockey. I think the fake teams made it harder to care and to follow. If I’m going to read pages and pages of hockey, make it NHL teams. Or just the cities. And it was kinda boring seeing all this hockey from the perspective of a fake losing team.
The sketchy evil coach story. Yawn. It was too surface level to be anything more than annoying.
Other than Yorkie and Kitty who we already knew, the secondary characters didn’t feel real, they had no depth and I already forgot their names.
Ryan and Nico’s insecurities and lack of communication. Both a pro and a con. 🤷♀️
November 5, 2022
This book was so damn close to perfect I could cry. The romance was INCREDIBLE!!! Nico and Ryan were a fireball of chemistry and sweetness and it was almost overwhelming. Spoilers below (tag used).
Original note from when I discovered this was published:
OMG OMG OMG
Original note from when I discovered this was published:
OMG OMG OMG
November 28, 2022
four ♟
baller >>> nico >>> gabriel martin >>>>>> ryan
in that order
“no matter what the sweaters say, you and me? we’re always on the same team.”
baller >>> nico >>> gabriel martin >>>>>> ryan
in that order
October 27, 2022
4.5/5 stars. This is one of those books I enjoyed in a way I don’t really know how to describe. The characters and their progression from wariness to friendship to romance felt very real. I loved how both characters had to tackle issues that were interwoven with family, career, and relationships in a complicated way. A lot of romances present characters’ issues as limited to one area of their life, but here, the characters’ had to work more broadly on how they think about themselves and other people. This created a lot of believable tension in the narrative, and the work the characters did throughout the story made the eventual HEA convincing.
The hockey aspects of the story were very well done. The authors clearly know a lot about hockey, and used it to drive the narrative instead of just as background. The hockey-related scenes were always dynamic and interesting because of all of the small details the authors included. I’ve enjoyed plenty of unrealistic sports romances, but it’s always nice when you don’t have to suspend disbelief on every other page.
My one complaint is that the book lost some momentum in the last third. Most of the book had an excellent balance between romance/character development and hockey scenes, but the last part of the book focused a bit too much on games that didn’t advance the relationship in the way that earlier game and training scenes did. I wish this section of the book had been more streamlined.
Overall, this was an excellent sports romance—one of the best I’ve read this year.
The hockey aspects of the story were very well done. The authors clearly know a lot about hockey, and used it to drive the narrative instead of just as background. The hockey-related scenes were always dynamic and interesting because of all of the small details the authors included. I’ve enjoyed plenty of unrealistic sports romances, but it’s always nice when you don’t have to suspend disbelief on every other page.
My one complaint is that the book lost some momentum in the last third. Most of the book had an excellent balance between romance/character development and hockey scenes, but the last part of the book focused a bit too much on games that didn’t advance the relationship in the way that earlier game and training scenes did. I wish this section of the book had been more streamlined.
Overall, this was an excellent sports romance—one of the best I’ve read this year.
December 30, 2024
I loved everything about this one. And I started the audiobook as a lullaby 🙈I know, I know.
Literally everything. From Ryan being traded to be a gay bestie for Nico, to them naturally falling into a friendship after SWEARING not to, and then wanting more.
Loved the fact that what I expected to be the cause of the main conflict wasn't it(never been happier to be wrong).
I loved that Ryan who was so much better at relating with people in theory was the one floundering and Nico was the unexpected veteran in theirs.
I loved that even though one's an objectively much better hockey player than the other (despite the stats at the start), career jealousy was never really a plot point in this one.
These two felt so, SO right for each other. Their chemistry landed for me. Even as friends.
The third act fuck-up didn't seem out of left field because there was enough of a background given for it to make sense, to be expected, even.
Testament to how much of white noise I considered the first book because Dante and Gabe showed up and if it hadn't been for Baltierra's unique name, I'd never have picked up on the cameos.
I don't know if it's just because I'm really into hockey romance (AGAIN) lately, or the stars just aligned for this one because I found the first one mid but I loved TF out of this one.
Literally everything. From Ryan being traded to be a gay bestie for Nico, to them naturally falling into a friendship after SWEARING not to, and then wanting more.
Loved the fact that what I expected to be the cause of the main conflict wasn't it(never been happier to be wrong).
I loved that Ryan who was so much better at relating with people in theory was the one floundering and Nico was the unexpected veteran in theirs.
I loved that even though one's an objectively much better hockey player than the other (despite the stats at the start), career jealousy was never really a plot point in this one.
These two felt so, SO right for each other. Their chemistry landed for me. Even as friends.
The third act fuck-up didn't seem out of left field because there was enough of a background given for it to make sense, to be expected, even.
Testament to how much of white noise I considered the first book because Dante and Gabe showed up and if it hadn't been for Baltierra's unique name, I'd never have picked up on the cameos.
I don't know if it's just because I'm really into hockey romance (AGAIN) lately, or the stars just aligned for this one because I found the first one mid but I loved TF out of this one.
April 10, 2024
Pretty much loved everything about this one - had a hard time putting it down! Good romance, lots of hockey (yay), some tender moments, good side characters (yay for Yorkie & Kitty & the cameos from Gabe & Dante!) and it felt thorough & complete!
Reread 3/8/24 (reading Hockey Ever After again before reading Unrivaled Offseason):
I love it even more than I did the first time!
Reread 3/8/24 (reading Hockey Ever After again before reading Unrivaled Offseason):
I love it even more than I did the first time!
April 16, 2023
The first book had issues but was an entertaining easy read. Hitting 'buy series' was a mistake though. Know there are two versions of the first book but don't think this one has seen an edit.
Must love hockey.
My hockey knowledge is minimum. I like the sense of team, and of striving to win. This is hockey with romance sort of slotted in, plus it's a loosing team. It was boring. When it's not hockey it's chess. Maybe if you play it has relevance.
Team mates are faceless. Two are referenced then it's a different two names. The narrative is broken up with increasingly frequent 'journal articles' and it's through these I found who anyone was, and that Nico and Ryan played same position - which in fairness might be obvious to those with hockey knowledge.
The characters had potential but are never developed, there was little connecting to them or care for them being together. There's movie references that were lost on me and jokes that you don't even realise are jokes until way past halfway mark. One has a supportive sister the other a female bestie.
I think this must have started as fanfic and relies on you knowing more about the characters so doesn't introduce them.
There's a foreshadowed Coach scandal that only Ryan questions, but it's obvious and all goes down offpage with no involvement of the players. And throw in a split and reunion which was identical to the first book.
A serious edit could save it but this one is just for obsessive hockey fans.
Must love hockey.
My hockey knowledge is minimum. I like the sense of team, and of striving to win. This is hockey with romance sort of slotted in, plus it's a loosing team. It was boring. When it's not hockey it's chess. Maybe if you play it has relevance.
Team mates are faceless. Two are referenced then it's a different two names. The narrative is broken up with increasingly frequent 'journal articles' and it's through these I found who anyone was, and that Nico and Ryan played same position - which in fairness might be obvious to those with hockey knowledge.
The characters had potential but are never developed, there was little connecting to them or care for them being together. There's movie references that were lost on me and jokes that you don't even realise are jokes until way past halfway mark. One has a supportive sister the other a female bestie.
I think this must have started as fanfic and relies on you knowing more about the characters so doesn't introduce them.
There's a foreshadowed Coach scandal that only Ryan questions, but it's obvious and all goes down offpage with no involvement of the players. And throw in a split and reunion which was identical to the first book.
A serious edit could save it but this one is just for obsessive hockey fans.
October 29, 2022
Hockey romance seems to be in fashion right now. This is the first time I have noticed a genre I like being "in fashion" for writers. This has led to some crappy books I would describe as "hockey adjacent' by which I mean that one or more MCs are described as hockey players, but they could be any sort of athlete or even, in some cases, someone with any full time job that requires travel.
This series is in no way "hockey adjacent". These writers know hockey and love it.
The characters are great. I hope they write more.
This series is in no way "hockey adjacent". These writers know hockey and love it.
The characters are great. I hope they write more.
January 29, 2023
Good story, but much too long.
Lots of hockey.
Low angst
HEA
Lots of hockey.
Low angst
HEA
February 7, 2025
5 stars for the narration, 4.5 for the story - 4.5 stars rounded up.
Book two in the Hockey Ever After series is a friends-to-lovers story that opens with Montreal Voyageurs player Ryan Wright finding out he’s been traded to the Indianapolis Fuel, the team at the bottom of the league. It’s not uncommon for players to be traded unexpectedly of course, although he can’t help thinking that this particular move makes no sense – the Fuel should be buying players who are likely to help them win games, not someone like Ryan who, while he’s great at firing up the locker room and at being a sympathetic ear for his teammates, is a middling player at best.
When he finds out the reason for his move he’s… surprised, to say the least. It seems the team’s top player and potential superstar, Nico Kirschbaum, is not achieving his full potential and management wants Ryan to befriend him and take him under his wing in the hope that Ryan will be able to help Nico to fit in with the team better and improve his play.
But Nico isn’t impressed. That management would trade for one of the only other openly gay players in the league and then tell them to make friends is insulting and isn’t going to help – he’s just got to work harder.
Ryan quickly sees that Nico, while hugely talented and determined, is lonely and close to breaking point due to the pressure he’s under – from management’s expectations and the pressure he’s putting on himself as a result of his father’s constant harping at him to do better (his father is a former hockey player himself and is Nico’s agent). Nico hasn’t exactly been welcoming towards Ryan, but he’s determined to try to do what’s been asked of him – and when Nico offers to let Ryan stay with him when Ryan’s temporary accomodation doesn’t work out, the two begin forge a strong friendship and deeper feelings start to develop.
Ryan and Nico make a great couple and I enjoyed watching them fall into a comfortable domesticity when they start living together. They obviously care about each other a great deal and they’re prepared to own up to their insecurities and be vulnerable with each other – and I liked that they both have to tackle issues relating to family and career in different ways. They have fantastic chemistry and their romance is cute (Bert and Ernie FTW!) and tender and hot.
There’s a large-ish secondary cast of teammates and families and I enjoyed the closeness and camaraderie between them - and I was pleased to get an update on Gabe and Dante from book one. On the downside, there’s a bit too much hockey for my taste (especially in the last quarter when there are a lot of games that don’t really add much to the story) and a potentially interesting secondary plotline about the odd behaviour by the team’s coach is just dropped and concluded off-page, which was disappointing.
Nick J. Russo does a great job with the narration, which is well-paced, with strong vocal characterisations of the leads and secondary cast. His portrayal of Nico is especially good – he doesn’t go with a full-on German accent, opting instead to add a clipped edge to his tone which also serves to convey how uptight he is, especially at the beginning of the story. Ryan’s voice is imbued with warmth and good-humour, and the friendships and connections between the teammates come through strongly. It’s an excellent performance all round and takes the story to another level. I really enjoyed Scoring Position and plan to continue with this series.
Book two in the Hockey Ever After series is a friends-to-lovers story that opens with Montreal Voyageurs player Ryan Wright finding out he’s been traded to the Indianapolis Fuel, the team at the bottom of the league. It’s not uncommon for players to be traded unexpectedly of course, although he can’t help thinking that this particular move makes no sense – the Fuel should be buying players who are likely to help them win games, not someone like Ryan who, while he’s great at firing up the locker room and at being a sympathetic ear for his teammates, is a middling player at best.
When he finds out the reason for his move he’s… surprised, to say the least. It seems the team’s top player and potential superstar, Nico Kirschbaum, is not achieving his full potential and management wants Ryan to befriend him and take him under his wing in the hope that Ryan will be able to help Nico to fit in with the team better and improve his play.
But Nico isn’t impressed. That management would trade for one of the only other openly gay players in the league and then tell them to make friends is insulting and isn’t going to help – he’s just got to work harder.
Ryan quickly sees that Nico, while hugely talented and determined, is lonely and close to breaking point due to the pressure he’s under – from management’s expectations and the pressure he’s putting on himself as a result of his father’s constant harping at him to do better (his father is a former hockey player himself and is Nico’s agent). Nico hasn’t exactly been welcoming towards Ryan, but he’s determined to try to do what’s been asked of him – and when Nico offers to let Ryan stay with him when Ryan’s temporary accomodation doesn’t work out, the two begin forge a strong friendship and deeper feelings start to develop.
Ryan and Nico make a great couple and I enjoyed watching them fall into a comfortable domesticity when they start living together. They obviously care about each other a great deal and they’re prepared to own up to their insecurities and be vulnerable with each other – and I liked that they both have to tackle issues relating to family and career in different ways. They have fantastic chemistry and their romance is cute (Bert and Ernie FTW!) and tender and hot.
There’s a large-ish secondary cast of teammates and families and I enjoyed the closeness and camaraderie between them - and I was pleased to get an update on Gabe and Dante from book one. On the downside, there’s a bit too much hockey for my taste (especially in the last quarter when there are a lot of games that don’t really add much to the story) and a potentially interesting secondary plotline about the odd behaviour by the team’s coach is just dropped and concluded off-page, which was disappointing.
Nick J. Russo does a great job with the narration, which is well-paced, with strong vocal characterisations of the leads and secondary cast. His portrayal of Nico is especially good – he doesn’t go with a full-on German accent, opting instead to add a clipped edge to his tone which also serves to convey how uptight he is, especially at the beginning of the story. Ryan’s voice is imbued with warmth and good-humour, and the friendships and connections between the teammates come through strongly. It’s an excellent performance all round and takes the story to another level. I really enjoyed Scoring Position and plan to continue with this series.
January 31, 2025
"The old adage of time flying when you’re having fun also held true for having hot sex and winning hockey games."
4.75 ⭐
Guys this was fucking cute. Im just gonna come out and say it. Im really into whatever this author is throwing down for some reason. The 1st book I adored and this is just the same. I liked Nico and Ryan a lot. There was no like long longing for them, but more of a reluctant friends to lovers relationship and I really enjoyed it. It was so good too see people from the 1st book too. Fucking Yorkie is the team captain and his 1st get is in 2nd grade. Bitch time has passed for real for real. And of course we cant forget we get to see Kitty because he is also here in Indianapolis. We get a glimpse of Gabe and Dante as well. Im gonna be honest it took me way longer than it should of to realized that Yorkie was the same Yorkie from the 1st book. Girl my 1 brain cell was working over time especially since I have the flu right now. Anyways. This was set in Indianapolis, and as a Hoosier myself I am sad to say this could of taken place in any nameless city. I kinda whished for a little bit of Indianapolis sprinkled in there, like shit that place aint got much but hey you could of been like they passed Lucas Oil Stadium or Gainbridge Fieldhouse or they walked down the Central Canal or something about the Indy 500. Girl something. Also they most deff would of not lived in Indianapolis, for the most part these high paid athletes live in like Carmel or Westfield (where I work). Just sayin.
Anyhoo, I though this was super fun. Had great relationship building, and a lot of hockey which I enjoy in my hockey romance. Idk if my sports romance is about sports players during the season I kinda like reading about said sport especially if said players are on the same team cause like thats what they be doing, playing that sport and fucking for real. I think Nico and Ryan are an adorable couple and I feel like the 3rd act break up was a litlte dramatic, but hey these boys are a little dramatic and I kinda like how it all got taken care of. It wasnt a rushed make up, they worked for it and they got their HEA. Good for them and they got paid doing it. There is no 2.5 for them which is sad because I really like them RIP. On to the next book and hopefully I see a glimpse of these two having a beautiful life.
4.75 ⭐
Guys this was fucking cute. Im just gonna come out and say it. Im really into whatever this author is throwing down for some reason. The 1st book I adored and this is just the same. I liked Nico and Ryan a lot. There was no like long longing for them, but more of a reluctant friends to lovers relationship and I really enjoyed it. It was so good too see people from the 1st book too. Fucking Yorkie is the team captain and his 1st get is in 2nd grade. Bitch time has passed for real for real. And of course we cant forget we get to see Kitty because he is also here in Indianapolis. We get a glimpse of Gabe and Dante as well. Im gonna be honest it took me way longer than it should of to realized that Yorkie was the same Yorkie from the 1st book. Girl my 1 brain cell was working over time especially since I have the flu right now. Anyways. This was set in Indianapolis, and as a Hoosier myself I am sad to say this could of taken place in any nameless city. I kinda whished for a little bit of Indianapolis sprinkled in there, like shit that place aint got much but hey you could of been like they passed Lucas Oil Stadium or Gainbridge Fieldhouse or they walked down the Central Canal or something about the Indy 500. Girl something. Also they most deff would of not lived in Indianapolis, for the most part these high paid athletes live in like Carmel or Westfield (where I work). Just sayin.
Anyhoo, I though this was super fun. Had great relationship building, and a lot of hockey which I enjoy in my hockey romance. Idk if my sports romance is about sports players during the season I kinda like reading about said sport especially if said players are on the same team cause like thats what they be doing, playing that sport and fucking for real. I think Nico and Ryan are an adorable couple and I feel like the 3rd act break up was a litlte dramatic, but hey these boys are a little dramatic and I kinda like how it all got taken care of. It wasnt a rushed make up, they worked for it and they got their HEA. Good for them and they got paid doing it. There is no 2.5 for them which is sad because I really like them RIP. On to the next book and hopefully I see a glimpse of these two having a beautiful life.
November 25, 2022
Even though the guys
were hard to tell apart, I
liked this book. Hockey!
were hard to tell apart, I
liked this book. Hockey!
January 25, 2025
Rating - 3.5 Stars
This was close to being a 4 star read but there were a few things that brought it down. I was really vibing with the hurt/comfort aspect of Ryan befriending Nico and helping him work on his mental health and therefore his hockey game.
But the third act breakup was garbage. I usually don't mind but here it was like whatttt. And the whole plotline with the coach was not resolved enough for me tbh.
But overall I loved Ryan and particularly Nico. Nico deserves the entire world and alllll of the happiness.
This was close to being a 4 star read but there were a few things that brought it down. I was really vibing with the hurt/comfort aspect of Ryan befriending Nico and helping him work on his mental health and therefore his hockey game.
But the third act breakup was garbage. I usually don't mind but here it was like whatttt. And the whole plotline with the coach was not resolved enough for me tbh.
But overall I loved Ryan and particularly Nico. Nico deserves the entire world and alllll of the happiness.
November 5, 2022
yes so good so good!!!
February 12, 2023
we're back into the gay hockey romance novel phase boys 😎
October 19, 2022
This was fun! The writing is serviceable and quick, the characters are engaging and easy to care about, the sex is fun if not particularly revolutionary, and I had a decent time with the non-romance part of the plot too.
May 25, 2023
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, teammates, friends to lovers
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4/5
Kinks: no
Angst: low/medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks: homophobia, break up
Ryan is 26, gay, out, a not so great NHL player, but the type of player that can unite a locker room and build team morale. It makes him a desirable addition to a team, in a supporting role rather than star role.
Nico is 21, gay, out, a NHL player who has star potential but is so in his head that he is choking and underperforming. His dad is his agent and he's a horrible agent, it's messing with Nico's head. The dad is also what I would call "homophobic but with good intentions?".
Ryan is traded to Nico's team, and tasked with pulling Nico out of his head, making Nico a better player like he has for other players. Nico is not pleased that the team basically bought him an emotional support animal. They avoid each other and don't get along at first. Then they slowly get to know each other and become friendly. Nico offers to let Ryan move in when Ryan has trouble with his neighbors. Proximity leads to them giving into their attraction. Feelings develop. But shit is going down unexpectedly on their team. Then one of them gets traded. Can they make it work?
I really enjoyed this. It was a bit of a slower start, a less intense emotional punch to start compared to book one. It was also sadder, there was an angsty break up and time apart. But I do like the authors' style. They convey such emotion. It's very visceral writing. Intricate subtleties being conveyed, great characters with personalities that stand out. The resolution on this was a little too convenient to be believable. Also, I wish they had better communication earlier on. It frustrates me sometime when conflict could easily be avoided with more adult communication. But I loved how the two characters kind of found a home in each other, the moments of domesticity we're so sweet, the simple touches and snuggles.
Some notable moments:
"RYAN PLUGGED in the white noise machine and stared at the ceiling. He wanted a cuddle. This was not a casual adult arrangement. This was not friends with benefits. This was not sex to blow off steam. This was not even kid-stuff boyfriends. This was an insidious, deep and abiding… fondness."
"“Oh my God,” Yorkie finally said, burying his face in his hands. “Oh God,” Ryan echoed. “We need alcohol.” Sobriety could wait one more day. “Yes,” Kitty said fervently. “No,” Ryan and Yorkie said together. Yorkie continued, “Not with your painkillers. Jesus.""
"Nico wanted to meet up. Ryan wanted that too. He was starting to feel like he’d shank a man for a ten-second hug from a grumpy German chess/hockey genius. But it wasn’t that easy."
"“Tell me I get to come too,” Ella breathed, even as Nico stared at his mother in mute horror."
*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink."
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4/5
Kinks: no
Angst: low/medium
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks: homophobia, break up
Ryan is 26, gay, out, a not so great NHL player, but the type of player that can unite a locker room and build team morale. It makes him a desirable addition to a team, in a supporting role rather than star role.
Nico is 21, gay, out, a NHL player who has star potential but is so in his head that he is choking and underperforming. His dad is his agent and he's a horrible agent, it's messing with Nico's head. The dad is also what I would call "homophobic but with good intentions?".
Ryan is traded to Nico's team, and tasked with pulling Nico out of his head, making Nico a better player like he has for other players. Nico is not pleased that the team basically bought him an emotional support animal. They avoid each other and don't get along at first. Then they slowly get to know each other and become friendly. Nico offers to let Ryan move in when Ryan has trouble with his neighbors. Proximity leads to them giving into their attraction. Feelings develop. But shit is going down unexpectedly on their team. Then one of them gets traded. Can they make it work?
I really enjoyed this. It was a bit of a slower start, a less intense emotional punch to start compared to book one. It was also sadder, there was an angsty break up and time apart. But I do like the authors' style. They convey such emotion. It's very visceral writing. Intricate subtleties being conveyed, great characters with personalities that stand out. The resolution on this was a little too convenient to be believable. Also, I wish they had better communication earlier on. It frustrates me sometime when conflict could easily be avoided with more adult communication. But I loved how the two characters kind of found a home in each other, the moments of domesticity we're so sweet, the simple touches and snuggles.
Some notable moments:
"RYAN PLUGGED in the white noise machine and stared at the ceiling. He wanted a cuddle. This was not a casual adult arrangement. This was not friends with benefits. This was not sex to blow off steam. This was not even kid-stuff boyfriends. This was an insidious, deep and abiding… fondness."
"“Oh my God,” Yorkie finally said, burying his face in his hands. “Oh God,” Ryan echoed. “We need alcohol.” Sobriety could wait one more day. “Yes,” Kitty said fervently. “No,” Ryan and Yorkie said together. Yorkie continued, “Not with your painkillers. Jesus.""
"Nico wanted to meet up. Ryan wanted that too. He was starting to feel like he’d shank a man for a ten-second hug from a grumpy German chess/hockey genius. But it wasn’t that easy."
"“Tell me I get to come too,” Ella breathed, even as Nico stared at his mother in mute horror."
*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2023
This was another winner for me and I am very much enjoying this series. Great writing and I loved the dual POVs between Ryan and Nico.
This novel had similar vibes as Tal Bauer's The Rest of the Story in that an older hockey player joins a struggling team. Granted Ryan is maybe 25/26, but Nico is 21. Watching Ryan befriend Nico and then seeing them develop into friends--and into boyfriends--was lovely. I enjoy the domesticity of it all. They become roommates. Once sharing a house, we get to see them cozy at home, in the kitchen, getting to learn important things about each other. It was delightful. Seeing the rest of the team is great, plus we get cameos for Dante and Gabe from book 1.
I found their road to an HEA believable, considering they have to overcome a few things toward the end. It didn't feel rushed, in my opinion, though there were times were I just wished they'd picked up the phone and called/texted each other during those tense weeks of silence.
Lastly, the writing is really good here. We are deep into both character's psyche when in their POV. I got their quirks, jokes, inside banter, everything. The authors here are very talented. I'm reading this series back-2-back, and I can tell that their craft in writing has improved. They wrote book 1 several years ago, and recently edited it. I can tell a difference in the writing quality from book 1 to book 2.
I'm currently reading book 3, Unrivaled. There have been MANY laugh out loud scenes for me in book 3. I'm enjoying the heck out of this series and I hope the authors keep writing more books in their Hockey Ever After series.
This novel had similar vibes as Tal Bauer's The Rest of the Story in that an older hockey player joins a struggling team. Granted Ryan is maybe 25/26, but Nico is 21. Watching Ryan befriend Nico and then seeing them develop into friends--and into boyfriends--was lovely. I enjoy the domesticity of it all. They become roommates. Once sharing a house, we get to see them cozy at home, in the kitchen, getting to learn important things about each other. It was delightful. Seeing the rest of the team is great, plus we get cameos for Dante and Gabe from book 1.
I found their road to an HEA believable, considering they have to overcome a few things toward the end. It didn't feel rushed, in my opinion, though there were times were I just wished they'd picked up the phone and called/texted each other during those tense weeks of silence.
Lastly, the writing is really good here. We are deep into both character's psyche when in their POV. I got their quirks, jokes, inside banter, everything. The authors here are very talented. I'm reading this series back-2-back, and I can tell that their craft in writing has improved. They wrote book 1 several years ago, and recently edited it. I can tell a difference in the writing quality from book 1 to book 2.
I'm currently reading book 3, Unrivaled. There have been MANY laugh out loud scenes for me in book 3. I'm enjoying the heck out of this series and I hope the authors keep writing more books in their Hockey Ever After series.
February 23, 2025
3🌟
we were discussing yesterday feeling shame and not putting certain books we’ve read on our goodreads. we also discussed the fact that I have no shame. this is not entirely true but I’ve decided to post the review I put on Fable a month ago on here to prove at least to some extent that I am shameless. godspeed compatriots.
idk. I was depressed so I fell back into bad habits (gay hockey books aka my vice). I think this was my least favorite of all the (too many) ones I've read. idk. it just wasn't giving. it wasn't that bad. it was just too long for what it was. the third act breakup was forced. idk. something was missing. I think it's for the best. hopefully this can break me out of my cycle.
we were discussing yesterday feeling shame and not putting certain books we’ve read on our goodreads. we also discussed the fact that I have no shame. this is not entirely true but I’ve decided to post the review I put on Fable a month ago on here to prove at least to some extent that I am shameless. godspeed compatriots.
idk. I was depressed so I fell back into bad habits (gay hockey books aka my vice). I think this was my least favorite of all the (too many) ones I've read. idk. it just wasn't giving. it wasn't that bad. it was just too long for what it was. the third act breakup was forced. idk. something was missing. I think it's for the best. hopefully this can break me out of my cycle.
April 29, 2024
This was a great book. One of those books you get immersed in, a book you live in because that is the type of writing that surrounds you. Of course the love story was worthy and beautiful. Nico and Ryan were very realistic as two people in love from different cultures. Their troubles were valid and their individual journeys were both healing and exciting. The HEA was absolutely stunning.
I now see a trend in this series and the writing, I get lost in the books and the people are like my own. And again, hockey itself is a main character and you can almost smell the ice.
Just wonderful.
I now see a trend in this series and the writing, I get lost in the books and the people are like my own. And again, hockey itself is a main character and you can almost smell the ice.
Just wonderful.
October 27, 2024
4*
Sometimes you need to blindly trust that one internet acquaintance who tells you to continue a series you'd put on the shelf. Good thing I did.
Sometimes you need to blindly trust that one internet acquaintance who tells you to continue a series you'd put on the shelf. Good thing I did.
June 27, 2023
Wouldn’t recommend it to a soul. Read it in a single day.
February 3, 2024
However briefly, first m/m sports romance I've read that acknowledged intraleague relationships aren't that rare, just not in men's sports.
Like so many of these books seem to take place in a universe where this isn't a very real thing we know happens to female athletes. Candace Parker and her wife, Anna Petrakova, hid their marriage for two years before coming out because of the dangers of being an openly gay Russian athlete.
Anyways my qualms with the genre are not the point here. I was a bit surprised by the time jump and all that happened during it. Yorkie went from a baby rookie in Quebec to I liked this more than the last one mostly because I found Dante irritating. I don't really love the whole sleeping around to king of commitment trope in romance. This was fun though and I found it refreshing that being closeted and coming out about being gay wasn't a plot point. Both characters knowing they're gay at the start of a gay romance let alone being properly out is so rare and that was nice.
The plot was kinda inconsistent. There was an older brother who was mentioned twice about halfway through and then never again. I also think there were some plot points that were just forgotten about. Like, Chicago was mentioned a few times as potentially a bad team to be on but that was literally never expanded upon. Similar to the missing brother the sister's boyfriend was only mentioned around the same time as the brother. I get there are a lot of characters in this seeing as it involves several hockey teams, but if you know that going in why unnecessarily add characters that you mention once? It just felt poorly thought out.
I don't speak Russian but the broken English of both the Russian characters felt a bit off in a way. Like there are things people who speak ESL tend to get wrong but those usually are unique to their first language. I know dropped articles are common for Russian to English speakers but that wasn't what was written which was a weird choice. Sorry this comes off as super brutal but like it's a romance novel so I'm not gonna critique it for its substance since there isn't much of that, which is fine! I thought the stuff in Prague was really cute and I liked the ending.
"Nico was starting to wonder how female hockey players did this with their wives regularly."
Like so many of these books seem to take place in a universe where this isn't a very real thing we know happens to female athletes. Candace Parker and her wife, Anna Petrakova, hid their marriage for two years before coming out because of the dangers of being an openly gay Russian athlete.
Anyways my qualms with the genre are not the point here. I was a bit surprised by the time jump and all that happened during it. Yorkie went from a baby rookie in Quebec to I liked this more than the last one mostly because I found Dante irritating. I don't really love the whole sleeping around to king of commitment trope in romance. This was fun though and I found it refreshing that being closeted and coming out about being gay wasn't a plot point. Both characters knowing they're gay at the start of a gay romance let alone being properly out is so rare and that was nice.
The plot was kinda inconsistent. There was an older brother who was mentioned twice about halfway through and then never again. I also think there were some plot points that were just forgotten about. Like, Chicago was mentioned a few times as potentially a bad team to be on but that was literally never expanded upon. Similar to the missing brother the sister's boyfriend was only mentioned around the same time as the brother. I get there are a lot of characters in this seeing as it involves several hockey teams, but if you know that going in why unnecessarily add characters that you mention once? It just felt poorly thought out.
I don't speak Russian but the broken English of both the Russian characters felt a bit off in a way. Like there are things people who speak ESL tend to get wrong but those usually are unique to their first language. I know dropped articles are common for Russian to English speakers but that wasn't what was written which was a weird choice. Sorry this comes off as super brutal but like it's a romance novel so I'm not gonna critique it for its substance since there isn't much of that, which is fine! I thought the stuff in Prague was really cute and I liked the ending.
January 13, 2025
4.5⭐
Moments like these make me appreciate my Goodreads friends' reviews more. This was really good and much better than the first book.
There was enough drama to keep my interest, and the side characters were amazing.
Moments like these make me appreciate my Goodreads friends' reviews more. This was really good and much better than the first book.
There was enough drama to keep my interest, and the side characters were amazing.
October 30, 2023
SCORING POSITION was a great follow up to book 1 and even though it's a similar set up of grumpy and sunshine teammates it's a very different story to WINGING IT. I especially loved Ryan and how much of a team player he was; he's not happy about his trade but he jumped right in with the new team by helping out the rookies, boosting morale, and trying to help Nico out of his playing slump. He's also affectionate, silly, and a dirty talker so of course Nico had no chance against his charms. Nico was also a great character and a good match for Ryan; Nico's quieter and more thoughtful but he's also intense and hard on himself so I enjoyed watching Nico grow as a character and a hockey player.
While both Nico and Ryan are already publicly out, the media still had a field day over whether or not they were dating, and I loved the subtle ways Ryan would play with that narrative without ever actually confirming anything. His playful personality was exactly what Nico needed to get out of his head and remember his love for the game.
While this still had the inevitable third act breakup, and boy was it a doozy due to some additional things happening in the plot, I did like that these two put in actual work when it came to making up. It wasn't all waved away with a single "I'm sorry" and that made it feel more meaningful and like the breakup actually served a purpose rather than just being drama.
As a bonus we also got lots of Yorkie and Kitty who were side characters in book 1 and are now on the same hockey team as Nico. There's a 6 year time jump between book 1 and book 2 so it was great to see how far Yorkie has come from being an unprepared rookie in book 1 to a captain in book 2.
While both Nico and Ryan are already publicly out, the media still had a field day over whether or not they were dating, and I loved the subtle ways Ryan would play with that narrative without ever actually confirming anything. His playful personality was exactly what Nico needed to get out of his head and remember his love for the game.
While this still had the inevitable third act breakup, and boy was it a doozy due to some additional things happening in the plot, I did like that these two put in actual work when it came to making up. It wasn't all waved away with a single "I'm sorry" and that made it feel more meaningful and like the breakup actually served a purpose rather than just being drama.
As a bonus we also got lots of Yorkie and Kitty who were side characters in book 1 and are now on the same hockey team as Nico. There's a 6 year time jump between book 1 and book 2 so it was great to see how far Yorkie has come from being an unprepared rookie in book 1 to a captain in book 2.
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