Ethan Parkes is the beloved captain of the Chicago Thunder but throughout his nearly twenty-year career, he’s always kept his teammates at arm’s length. When it comes to hockey, he’d do anything for them but when it comes to letting them in when it comes to his personal life, he’s struggled. A big part of why is because the last person he let get that close broke his heart. Now, ten years later, he’s set to come face to face with the man who left him heartbroken while they both attend Ethan’s cousin’s wedding. Not wanting to show up alone, Ethan takes his teammates' suggestions and decides to bring a fake boyfriend with him. And who better to ask than Jacob Lowry, the sweet man he’s become friends with after Ethan helped save his bakery a few months earlier?

Jacob is happy for the break and agrees to go with Ethan to the wedding, he’ll just have to keep his crush to himself. But it doesn’t take long for Ethan to let his guard down around Jacob and share things he’s never told anyone before. Despite how close they are becoming, both physically and emotionally, Ethan is still hesitant about offering anything more than an off-season fling. Can Jacob convince Ethan that there’s more to him, and to life, than hockey or will he have to settle for a summer fling and a broken heart come fall? 

I enjoyed this next installment in the Chicago Thunder series. It’s such a great group of characters set in a world that’s much friendlier than our own so it’s been a nice escape to get caught up in this series. Ethan and Jacob were both a little bit broken inside and I thought it was so sweet seeing how they helped each other work through these things. Ethan was a bit of a grump and Jacob was sunshine and they complemented each other so well. Jacob was a surprise to me, in the first book he seemed so shy and timid but we learn that the weight of everything he had on his shoulders had caused him to sort of shut down. But he blossomed when they were together in England for the wedding and I loved his character! He was flirty and sexy and wasn’t afraid to go after what he wanted. He also wasn’t afraid to call Ethan on his bullshit and that was something Ethan needed in his life.

I thought Jacob’s journey with finally dealing with the grief he’d buried for years was well done. I loved the way he opened up to Ethan and finally found someplace to set down that heaviness. Ethan was great with him. These two got quite close during their time away together when they were only supposed to be pretending, there was no way they were going to abide by the “off-season only” rule. There was a teensy bit of angst surrounding that, but overall this one will leave your heart intact. 

The timeline of this story was mostly set during the off-season but there was still plenty of page time for all my favs in this universe. It was good seeing Blaine and Alex some more, plus Zach and my personal favorite, Elliot! You can always count on him to deliver a comedic moment when you need it most. He’s the best. I loved seeing Ethan take steps to open himself up more to his teammates. These guys are one big family and it meant a lot to them that Ethan was finally letting them in. Loved it! And look forward to continuing with this series very soon!