Eden Finley

Zeus is my favorite character. He has served his time in the Marines to escape a personal tragedy in his family, and then went to work for Mike Bravo. His counterpoint in this book is Callie, who figured prominently in Atlas’ book as Lemon’s troubled friend. He escaped an abusive boyfriend and betrayed Lemon which he regrets. A year later and he’s still on the run from a bad guy to whom he is indebted. Callie stays under the radar, moving from one place to another to stay alive. Callie is still their friend so Atlas and Lemon ask Zeus to find Callie so they can know he’s alive and okay. Callie is barely surviving but feels as safe as he can until Zeus finds him. He mistakenly thinks Zeus was sent to kill him so he on the run again. A lot is happening in this book compared to the others. The men don't seem to have the strong chemistry and a lot of the passion is missing in this one. "Found family" has been a very strong component of the series but I found that that is also lacking in this book. All of our wonderful favorite characters are present but not utilized as much. The mission lacked the same degree of danger and a cat and mouse chase that encompassed the majority of the Mike Bravo team as we’ve seen in the past. I did enjoy is Haz, a young man who recently joined the team. He promises to be an engaging and amusing character in the future. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers already invested in the series but be aware that this is not a standalone series so new readers should start at the beginning.… (more)

Bilson, experienced hockey defender for Seattle, has a need for love and he's tried, and failed, four times. With four divorces behind him, he moves to Nashville, determined not to propose to the first woman he meets. So this is softie, heart on his sleeve Bilson.

One of his new teammates is rookie goalie Miles Olsen, and from the start they fall into what everyone calls a bromance where they joke around continually, but also watch each other's backs, particularly so that Bilson doesn't take up with the first woman. So ... his bromance with Miles ... turns into a romance between two very compatible dudes. The strategy keeps Bilson safe!

I hate the word 'dude' as once I was regularly called that by an office mate and it was about as far from what I am as possible - but the word suits these guys.

They are full of fun, and empathy and caring. They are larrikins. The 'old man' jokes about Bilson's age - he's 6 or 7 years older than Miles - get a bit tiresome, but the familiarity they represent is a comfort between them.

I like how Finley exposes how vulnerable these tough determined sportsmen are in their search for connection.… (more)

The novels in this series are full of joie de vivre. Finding that other person is the biggest high for these characters. The sexual attraction is exhilarating between Aleks and Gabe, but of course, like the best of romantic comedy, they become each other's best mate.

Gabe is a drop dead gorgeous fireman and Aleks is a drop dead gorgeous hockey player - so off to a good start. The thing is, the story that brings them together has a great set-up - Aleks is coming off a divorce from his childhood sweetheart. Gabe has been married to his job but has moved out of his shared house to his own pad so that he can be a grown up. Aleks is pan sexual, and for some reason, which I didn't pick up in my listening, any moving on he does will be with a man this time. But he's new to everything - to dating, to loving a man, etc. So Gabe become his tutor.

There is close to zero angst in this story. Total escapism, and the delicious fun of romantic comedy.

I'd give this 4.5 stars except that I felt Iggy Toma and Alexander Cendese went a little overboard with their narration. It wasn't necessary because Eden Finley and Saxon James know what they are doing - they write fabulous light-touch romance - it doesn't need any hard sell in the form of overacting. Normally, I love these two narrators, so it's a departure for me to pick a hole in their performance.

And as for "foolish" puckboy, good news is that Aleks isn't a fool - he and his new team mates in Seattle love to be silly at parties - I have some sympathy that they deserve to destress in that high pressure life - but he's pretty mature, the way he goes about finding a new life and happiness.

So Aleks and Gabe's meet cute is due to how silly Aleks and his friends are. It's as SharingTheBookLove below says, meet cute is the right word because its this that sets up the meet cute fun that follows.

I wasn't 100% sure what a meet cute was, since I don't think that expression was around in my youth. Here is a definition from Wikipedia:
"A meet cute is a scene in media, in which two people meet for the first time, typically under unusual, humorous, or cute circumstances, and go on to form a future romantic couple.[1]
This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies.... Frequently, the meet cute leads to a humorous clash of personalities or of beliefs, embarrassing situations, or comical misunderstandings that further drive the plot."

This quote comes from an article, Why Online Dating Spells the End of the Meet Cute, by Lauren Forsthye: "The term “meet cute” appears to have first originated in the 1938 movie Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife, where the two main characters and love interests meet shopping for pajamas and end up having a “cute” conversation."… (more)