mollyreadsandcrafts's reviews
878 reviews

Hudson is the perpetual new guy after being traded multiple times throughout his NHL career. Now in Brooklyn, he's healing an injury when he meets Gavin at a bar. Except Gavin is not only his new neighbor, but the team's new athletic trainer. 

Gavin is a sweetheart and has gone through so much for someone so young. I would tear up whenever he mentioned his husband. I like how he is a single dad but that wasn't his whole story. Instead the focus was on how he's trying to live and love again after a lot of big life changes. Similarly Hudson is at a crossroads in his life and trying to figure out where his priorities are. Gavin was able to show Hudson there's more to life than the strict, closed off lifestyle he was living before and that it's okay to grow roots somewhere. Hudson was open to whatever Gavin was willing to give while being understanding of where Gavin was emotionally and of his obligation to his family first. They were both there for each other at a difficult time and gave the other a safe and loving place to land. 

I liked most of this book but the end kind of lost me. I loved the drama that hit because I didn't see it coming, but I didn't really like how they reconciled their relationship. Gavin was really hurt by what Hudson did but he forgave him almost immediately after months of not talking and decide to uproot his and his daughter's life all over again. The end just was missing something for me. 

I also didn't like how we didn't get some closure on some of the plot points that were such a big part of the beginning of the story. The in-laws part was okay, though I have a hard time believing the love across the country went down well. But Hudson and his dad never talking again was just kind of skimmed over. Some of the things I thought were interesting in the first part didn't really come up again in the second. I forgot by the end that Hudson had this chronic hip problem and that Gavin was his athletic trainer. Once the hockey season ended and their relationship stopped revolving around that, I felt like the story lost its way a bit. 

I'm intrigued enough to see how the rest of the series goes. I own the second book already so I'll definitely read it at some point. The team and management all seem like good people and I hope we can see those dynamics a little more from someone more involved in the teams than Hudson. Gavin and Hudson were cute with a touch of angst, and I hope we get more of that but with a better flushed out story next. 

PSA to hockey romance authors - the NHL does not handshake at the end of games. It's a special playoff tradition that only happens at the end of playoff series. 

Read if you like: 

• hockey romance                               

• single dad             

• athletic trainer x athlete  

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•major spoilers• 

When North's ex gets accused of murder, North and Shaw get caught up in the lies and uncovered truths of their own social circle. Being thrown into their complicated pasts also causes problems in their present as North and Shaw struggle to figure out the future of their own relationship. 

In general, I liked this book. There are a few things that I did not like. North is struggling with moving on from his toxic relationship with Tucker including all the emotions that it brought up and how it affected his relationship with Shaw. He pretty much hits rock bottom in this book, and honestly I have very little empathy for him and the way he treated Shaw. But Shaw is nowhere near perfect either. He's working on his boundaries and trying to listen better to what North wants instead of pushing his priorities onto him. It's hard seeing them go from a pretty decent relationship to this friends with benefits stage where North doesn't treat Shaw well, because he has problems if you didn't know, and Shaw letting him because of his guilt. They end up in a better place, but I'm not sure the road to get there was worth it. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship unfolds in the last book. 

It should be no surprise that I'm very disappointed about the incident with Tucker. Not even that it happened, but how it was handled and executed. North spends a majority of the book being awful to Shaw, sleeps with his abusive ex, and then magically sees the light and wants Shaw back? Meanwhile his whole come to Jesus fight with Tucker is done completely off page? And when he comes back to Shaw, he never even explicitly states what he did, he just says he was with Tucker and that it made him see that he wanted to be with Shaw? Excuse me, but no. North was with Tucker, he enjoyed himself, he consciously made the choice to hurt Shaw and his feelings after treating Shaw like a sex doll the entire book, and now he wants him back. That's not good enough for me. We saw them hook up with other people before, but they also weren't actively sleeping together at the time so it hit different. And the worst part is Shaw just lets it all happen because he loves North so much. Even if he's walked all over, he'll let North treat him badly and call the shots, basically do whatever he wants because he feels guilty for overstepping in the past and doesn't want to upset North. I won't say it ruined them as a couple for me, but it's pretty close. I don't buy into their relationship or their romance nearly as much now, it lost a lot of its meaning and merit in how that entire situation was handled. 

So needless to say I'm not a North fan and I don't see myself becoming one again. I'm finishing the series but it lost me a bit. I adore Shaw and I know he isn't perfect either, but he would never hurt someone like that. His actions come from him wanting to be a good person and the best for everyone, where North's come from a place of selfishness. 

Okay to get off that soap box and talk about the mystery because other than that I actually liked this book. The case was really interesting because it was so tied to North and Shaw's social circle. I didn't really know where everything was going to end up because every time they talked to someone, more truths got brought to light. So many people had motives which kept it intriguing. All the while, Ronnie is hanging over everything they do with the anxiety contributing to North's downfall. I didn't see the end coming, and because of the incident it all the much worse. 

So yeah, this book gave me some Big Feelings. Mostly disappointment. Maybe I'm being a little dramatic because it's still all fresh in my head and I don't know how they end up smoothing things over, but I do want to see how that all happens. I do want what's best for both of them, but honestly to me that doesn't necessarily that means they should be together. There's lots of North and Shaw left with the next book and then Iron on Iron, so I'm hoping I get some satisfaction on where they end up and some hope they have a better future. 

Read if you like: 

• romantic suspense                              

• private investigators            

• friends to lovers               

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•spoilers• 

When North and Shaw are hired to protect a state senator's son they soon find him missing. On top of searching for him North's "uncle" Ronnie also hires them to find another missing man, though they suspect something more devious is involved. Between the case and Ronnie's threats, their relationship becomes even more strained as time starts to run out to find the missing people. 

All the cracks in the relationship that were hinted at before just get more obvious in this book. As it turns out, North has a lot of unresolved issues. Near the end of the last series North finally leaves Tucker, realizes he wants to be with Shaw, and works to make it happen. Now that they're there, it's becoming clear that maybe he jumped into something too quickly. Tucker is still a thorn in North's side and a lot of his hang-ups come from his past abusive relationship and his childhood. He cares deeply for Shaw but isn't in the place to be with him the right way while not pushing him away and losing him. 

Shaw wants to help him move on and be in a healthier place, but because North isn't ready for that step it comes across as pushy and stubborn. He oversteps boundaries and while it comes from a good place, tends to put himself and what he wants ahead of North and his relationship. He's such a genuinely good person, but that also turns out to be a bit of his downfall when he bulldozes to do what he thinks is the best. Just like North, Shaw loves him and wants what's best for him, though he doesn't go about it the best way. 

Their relationship is not like any other with their shared sense of humor and deep friendship. They care for each other so much but at the moment there's too much in their way. I understand the ending even if it is a bit of a bummer. The series so far has been building up to this moment and I do think taking some time to step back and reflect will be better for them moving forward, as much as it hurts everyone in the present. 

The state senator's son's missing person's case was kinda crazy. I'm sad the original offices are now gone. It felt like such an integral part of their story, the backdrop for so much that happened. I didn't try too hard to solve the case because North and Shaw were taking up all my concerns, but it was pretty interesting. It also showed some of the differences between North and Shaw, adding fuel to the fire that was slowly eating at their relationship. Not to mention fucking Ronnie, who I always forget about because he's just the worst and this cloud of doom that hangs over everything. He and Tucker can go fuck off. 

I'm always a bit wary at the end of these books. Especially with this one in particular I'm not sure what's going to happen next. I want what's best for them and it's hard to see their bigger picture sometimes when we see so much of their angst. They still have a ways to go, and I just want them to somehow be happy eventually.

Read if you like: 

• romantic suspense                              

• private investigators            

• friends to lovers               

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In the aftermath of the Slasher case, life is settling down for North and Shaw. Work is picking up and they're busier than ever, leaving little time for their relationship. When they investigate a murder at a romance novel convention, they have to race against the clock to find the murderer before they get away. 

I felt like this was more of a really extended short story. There was a fun premise and we get a little bit of insight into the state of North and Shaw's relationship, but nothing really dramatic happens and it's not really deep. North and Shaw have amazing banter and this great friendship, but you can definitely tell there are some cracks when it comes to their romance. North has his issues with money which reflects in how he puts work above everything while Shaw can be set in his ways, almost too giving, and constantly pushes the boundaries for what he wants. Even though it's difficult to find a balance, they are such a great team and care about each other immensely. They just seamlessly fit into each other's lives and have a unique relationship that's hard to find. 

It was a surprisingly slow start for the series but a really entertaining story. The plot was fun and it set up the bigger picture of their relationship and work dynamics after finally catching the Slasher and starting to date. Everything with Ronnie makes me nervous though, and I don't like how it affects North and Shaw's relationship. This was by far the funniest Gregory Ashe book I've read yet. It was kind of meta with the case taking place at a gay romance convention and it was highly entertaining to see it from North and Shaw's perspective. It did poke fun at some of the narratives we see around the lgbtq+ romance community, but I think it was done really well. A little wary but curious to see how they figure things out as their series goes on. 

Read if you like: 

• romantic suspense                              

• private investigators            

• friends to lovers               

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These are always my favorite part of the series! Honestly, still flabbergasted at the end of the last short story. How is it even possible!? Guess we're going to find out. The Valentine's Day makeup date had me giggling. I loved it. The scavenger hunt had Ron Swanson vibes, and I'm mad it took me this long to think of how similar Ron and Emery are. As always any Evie and Hazard moments are just so adorable I could combust. I love him as a dad. And now it's a full circle moment because what was that ending??

Read if you like: 

• short story collection                               

• private investigator/detective            

• slice of life               

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•spoilers•

We are finally at the end with the Keeper case! The Keeper is back to finish what he started. The Keeper is pulling Hazard and Somers in different directions and putting their lives and careers at risk, but they have to power through and find the person who's been one step ahead the entire time before more people die.

I had the brilliant strategy to suspect absolutely everyone so that I could say "of course I was right" at the end. In all actuality, I had no idea who the Keeper was and I just had to think it was everyone because I couldn't narrow it down. The case was convoluted and twisty, throwing in random roadblocks that I never saw coming. I think the big reveal was a little bit anticlimatic, but only because the journey to get there was so wild. And of course I suspected who it was because I suspected like 15 people. The end of the first book really hit me hard and I had a lot of anxiety that this book was going to be just as heart wrenching. Surprisingly, it wasn't as emotionally taxing as I was expecting based on the series. What had me hooked was the fast-paced action and the rush to find the killer. I really enjoyed the twisted route this case took and the satisfying ending. 

Much of this series was focused on Hazard and Somers recovering from the trauma and the climatic ending of the last series while trying to move forward with their lives. It's been a really bumpy road and definitely a rough patch of their relationship. Hazard is struggling with his worsening unacknowledged PTSD and Somers is working through how to help and be there for him. Their relationship is also actually fairly new and they both have to find that middle ground to make it work with the stress of their jobs and families. At the end of the last book things were looking up for them, and I'm glad it continued here. Their relationship was falling apart and when it was rapidly approaching that breaking point they were able to get the perspective they needed. They are both trying to be a lot more to be communicative and branching out for help. Hazard wants to be better for his family and Somers just wants to be able to be there for Hazard however he can. I'm really happy with where they ended up and this is the most sure I've been that they can make it through anything.  

The side characters always add so much to these stories - whether it's to knock sense into Hazard or Somers or to add some comic relief. I will say, I kinda thought maybe it was Dulac for a large part of the book but honestly it was part of my suspecting everyone strategy. I really want to like him now, but I just can't help but be wary still. I will give him a bit of the benefit of the doubt though because he did try to pull through for the guys. I'm also kinda happy that Nico is getting a bit of a redemption story, especially after the shit he pulled in the middle of this series. I know he has his own story to tell but I like that even he is getting some character development. 

Their whole friend group brings such a realistic angle to their lives which I really appreciate. Even Evie is written so well. Sometimes it's annoying how authors write kids but she seems like such a typical three year old, throwing tantrums, screeching with joy, and just being a handful. I love her and Hazard's relationship, he's truly an amazing dad and I hope we get to see more of it. 

This second series as a whole was a lot less action packed than the first. I would say this last book stood out because it was so much more fast-paced. However what the series lacked in fast-paced action it made up for in emotional angst and drama with Hazard and Somers. I actually liked this series as a whole more than the first, but it's interesting looking back and comparing the two. I wouldn't have thought based on the pacing that I would like the second one more, but I think the writing and character development has just gotten so much better as these books go on. 

The series wraps up on a happy and hopeful note. I have faith that Hazard and Somers will figure out their issues because they love each other too much not to. I read the short stories, and I'm flabbergasted by the ending and how it'll effect everything. And how it's even possible. I still have a North and Shaw series to go through before I get back to John-Henry and Emery, but I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them (hopefully lots of good happy moments to make up for this last year of their lives). 

Read if you like: 

• romantic suspense                              

• private investigator/detective            

• hurt/comfort              

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