Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated?
Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He's living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves–Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There's just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.
Jamie loves Wes. He really, truly does. But hiding sucks. It's not the life Jamie envisioned for himself, and the strain of keeping their secret is taking its toll. It doesn't help that his new job isn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped, but he knows he can power through it as long as he has Wes. At least apartment 10B is their retreat, where they can always be themselves.
Or can they? When Wes's nosiest teammate moves in upstairs, the threads of their carefully woven lie begin to unravel. With the outside world determined to take its best shot at them, can Wes and Jamie develop major-league relationship skills on the fly?
Warning: contains sexual situations, a vibrating chair, long-distance sexytimes, and proof that hockey players look hot in any shade of green.
EXCERPT:
At long last, I’m twenty paces away, then ten. Then I’m opening our door. “Hey babe!” I call out like I always do. “I made it.” I drag my duffel over the threshold, then toss my suit coat on top, abandoning these things beside the door, because all I need now is a kiss.
Only then do I notice that our apartment smells amazing. Jamie has cooked dinner for me. Again. He is the perfect man, I swear to God.
“Hey!” he calls, emerging from the hallway leading to our bedroom. He’s wearing jeans and nothing else except—and this is unusual—a beard. “Do I know you?” He gives me a sexy smile.
“I was going to ask the same thing.” I’m staring at the sandy-blond beard. Jamie has always been clean-shaven. I mean—we’ve known each other since before facial hair. He looks different. Older, maybe.
And hot as blazes. Seriously, I can’t wait to feel that beard against my face, and maybe my balls… Jesus. The blood is already rushing south, and I’ve been home fifteen seconds.
And yet I’m just stuck there in the middle of the room for a moment, because even though it’s been eight months since Jamie and I started up together, I’m still a little stunned at my own good fortune. “Hi,” I say again, stupidly.
He walks forward, his easy gait so familiar that my heart breaks a little bit. He puts his hands on my traps and squeezes the muscle there. “Don’t go away for so long. If you do that again, I’m going to have to sneak into your hotel room on the road.”
“Promise?” I ask, and it comes out like gravel. He’s close enough now that I can smell the ocean scent of his shampoo and the beer he drank while he waited for me.
“If I ever get a winning lottery ticket and a day off, I’ll do it,” he says. “Hotel sex after a game? Sounds hot.”
Now I’m measuring the distance to our sofa and counting the layers of clothes I’ll need to remove in the next ninety seconds.
I think I'm seeing a theme here. It seems each book ends with something sentimental. Whether it be coffee mugs or the little "prank" the team pulls. Showing an ever expanding support and unity from first the family to the extended family and team.
Going into this book I was nervous as all get. I just really felt like the other shoe was going to drop. Wes and Jamie decided to keep their relationship under wraps until his rookie year was over and he really had a foot in the hockey door. They were heavy in the pictures and sexting and I'm like "ooooh Gods, they're going to get busted!!" I was literally biting my nails.
It gets a little harder for them when they keep getting interrupted by their new neighbor and Wes's teammate, Blake. Let's talk about Blake for a second. He's just one of those guys that you want to be annoyed by but he's too endearing and bear-like that you can't help but love his goofy self.
Ente the frustration and struggle. Wes and Jamie absolutely broke my heart and I shed quite a few tears for them. It hurt me that they were hurting. Isn't that odd?? To hurt for fictional characters? Nope! Because they're so well written that it feels like they've come to life.
Of course they "work it out" as much as they can and we're left with some pretty sweet feels. I'm sooooo excited for what's up next for the boys, and even Blake, cuz I think he's getting some more story in the next!!
All in all, this book was one helluva roller coaster ride of emotions for me and I was rooting for them all the way!! I can't wait for more. I give this book 4.65 gingham shirts!
*****
SHANDA
5 stars
I really didn’t expect US to have the emotional punch it gave me. I really liked HIM it was sweet, sexy, and fun. US is the story of what happens after the HEA. Jamie and Wes are now living in Toronto and in hiding. In order to avoid rocking the boat for Wes’s career they have decided to keep their relationship under wraps until he completes his rookie season. This starts to take a toll on their relationship and it becomes harder to keep a secret. The addition of Blake as Wes’s new teammate and neighbor was so great. He was hilarious and fun but he also made it more difficult for Jamie and Wes to hide.
Elle and Sarina did a fabulous job writing Jamie and Wes. You really felt the pain they were both going through while trying to hold on to what they have. I teared up quite a bit with each struggle they encountered. Life isn’t full of rainbows and butterflies and this a great look at real life. Relationships take work, commitment, love, and trust. I loved reading Jamie and Wes’s journey through the rough waters and seeing them come out stronger.
From a reader that rarely dives into m/m I have to say I absolutely love Jamie and Wes. Well Done!!
P.S. I am really hoping for a Blake story as we got a tease into a possible romance for him and I am excited and hopeful.
Elle and Sarina did a fabulous job writing Jamie and Wes. You really felt the pain they were both going through while trying to hold on to what they have. I teared up quite a bit with each struggle they encountered. Life isn’t full of rainbows and butterflies and this a great look at real life. Relationships take work, commitment, love, and trust. I loved reading Jamie and Wes’s journey through the rough waters and seeing them come out stronger.
From a reader that rarely dives into m/m I have to say I absolutely love Jamie and Wes. Well Done!!
P.S. I am really hoping for a Blake story as we got a tease into a possible romance for him and I am excited and hopeful.
*****
AMY
4.5*
I absolutely adored Jamie and Wes in Him, and I continue to adore them in this book. Jamie and Wes have been living in Canada, where Wes is playing for a NHL team and Jamie is coaching a youth hockey team. They're struggling a bit though, as both must travel for their jobs, and unfortunately, their schedules don't match up as often as they'd like. They're also still "hiding", waiting out Wes' first full year in the NHL before revealing their relationship.
Due to circumstances beyond both of their control, their relationship is outed at an inopportune time. But they both react to it quite well; and I think Wes is quite surprised by how he is viewed by the general public and his teammates after the revelation. Jamie is struggling a bit with his situation, and instead of leaning on Wes, he does the opposite. I loved Wes' TV interview and it helped Jamie to see things through Wes' eyes more clearly.
I think this was a fabulous addition to their story, as it shows that relationships require work and commitment. Also, Blake is definitely a new favorite character for me...and I can't wait to see if something happens between him and a certain lady.
Well done!
*****I absolutely adored Jamie and Wes in Him, and I continue to adore them in this book. Jamie and Wes have been living in Canada, where Wes is playing for a NHL team and Jamie is coaching a youth hockey team. They're struggling a bit though, as both must travel for their jobs, and unfortunately, their schedules don't match up as often as they'd like. They're also still "hiding", waiting out Wes' first full year in the NHL before revealing their relationship.
Due to circumstances beyond both of their control, their relationship is outed at an inopportune time. But they both react to it quite well; and I think Wes is quite surprised by how he is viewed by the general public and his teammates after the revelation. Jamie is struggling a bit with his situation, and instead of leaning on Wes, he does the opposite. I loved Wes' TV interview and it helped Jamie to see things through Wes' eyes more clearly.
I think this was a fabulous addition to their story, as it shows that relationships require work and commitment. Also, Blake is definitely a new favorite character for me...and I can't wait to see if something happens between him and a certain lady.
Well done!
IZA
I loved HIM, I loved Wes & Jamie. So when I saw there's going to be a book 2, I was all over it!
In book one, they came together. In this book, they're trying to stay that way. But it's not easy when you're a major hockey star and everyone expects you to be straight and chase girls. Certainly not be gay and be in a committed relationship with a guy!
The struggle of being together in a new city, new country; of staying hidden from everyone, of stealing intimate moments is real. You can feel the pressure, your heart aches for Wes & Jamie. It's not easy being with an athlete that has to travel around, and you rarely see. It's even harder if you're a guy, not a woman.
This book is really well-written, I had no doubts about that, since this duo, Sarina & Elle, is pretty awesome. You get all the feels. The good, the bad and the ugly. The gut-clenching. The hot moments. Hoo boy, do you get the hot moments!
Yes, I loved it and would gladly read any other book these two authors wrote. 5 stars. No buts about it - no pun intended.
I want to thank the authors for the copy given in exchange for my honest review. It was a pleasure, ladies.
*****
TONI
These authors make magic together. I am in love with their characters. Wes and Jamie manage to be larger than life and an everyday couple simultaneously. Wes wants to wait until after his rookie season in the NHL before he lets this world know they’re a couple, but neither man knew the toll keeping secrets would take on their lives.
I adore a couple with a long history of friendship. Wes and Jamie were best friends as boys, before sex came into the picture. They grew up playing hockey together. They're frisky and sincere with their affections, and they know one another on every level. These guys obviously have the love, but this story is about whether or not they can make a romance work long term.
Us has comedy and good-natured banter. I smiled and chuckled a lot. It also has some really deep moments. I got all teary-eyed several times. I wasn't expecting it to be as emotional as it was for me. It has loads of heart, great people and interesting relationships. This book is definitely my kind of read, and if you enjoyed Him, it should be a perfect fit for you also.
Buy the Book
Amazonhttp://bit.ly/himaff
iBookshttp://apple.co/1JRqCMQ
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