ARC Review: Off the Ice by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

Recommended Read!

“I fell hard for these two.”
~ Under the Covers

Gay closeted pro hockey player and his college professor?  Sign me up!  Tristan is a successful hockey player for Atlanta Venom but he’s not letting that success be the dictating force of his life.  He knows it scan all go away with one simple injury, and on best case scenario he needs to be make sure he is financially ready to retire when the time comes.  So he wants to finish his business degree while also continuing his pro hockey career.  He ends up taking a sociology class during his off season with sexy professor Sebastian and the sparks of attraction are pinging from the very first moment he sees him.

There are so many things about this book that worked for me!  First off, the student/teacher trope.  Although their relationships didn’t develop physically until they weren’t student/teacher anymore I still always find this setup very sexy and I especially like this in this one.  I didn’t think it had any taboo element to it.  There’s also an age difference between them with Sebastian being older than Tristan, obviously.  And then there’s the fact that big, muscly hockey player Tristan not only is a bottom but he has some very specific things that turn him on.  I’ll have to admit some of those turn ons are usually things I steer clear of because I’m not a big fan (i.e. humiliation) but I didn’t really have any problems with them in this story.  I think the authors made them seem natural to the character and the moments they chose to incorporate them in.

They are both also dealing with real issues.  Sebastian has been out as a gay man and having to go back in the closet to have a relationship with Tristan is a struggle.  Tristan not wanting to be the first NHL out player.  Even the stigma of Sebastian dating a former student with the rest of the faculty members.  I thought there was a nicely rounded story with issues they had to overcome that didn’t feel made up.  Excellent job!

Overall, I fell hard for these two.  Their chemistry, their honesty with each other, the way they didn’t hold back their emotions when they were together.  This felt mature, sexy AND sweet all wrapped in one package.  I really enjoyed them together and can’t wait to read more from this series.  Anxiously awaiting the next one.

[about-author author=”Avon Gale”]

[about-author author=”Piper Vaughn”]

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