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jennylizreads's review
5.0
(Rating: 4.5 stars)
Country Boy is the second in A. E. Wasp’s Hot Off the Ice series. I really enjoyed the first book (City Boy), and I found that I liked the second even more.
While City Boy was about a hockey player coming to terms with his sexuality away from the sport, Country Boy is about two hockey players: Robbie Rhodes (who we met in the first book), who is out, but on the down-low (he’s out to his family and friends, but not to the public); and Paul Dyson, who is deep in the closet, due to his strict religious upbringing. Robbie and Paul meet for the first time in college, when their teams play each other; they have one awesome night together, but when they meet on the ice the next day, Paul makes it pretty clear that he has no intention of keeping in touch when he fouls Robbie pretty violently.
Of course, two years later, when Paul joins the Seattle Thunder, the hockey team that Robbie already plays for, they have to not only content with their shared past but also with the attraction that’s still between them and the fact that, as professional hockey players, they’re under the microscope as far as their personal lives go. Robbie doesn’t mind if people know that he’s gay, but he doesn’t want to be the poster boy for gay hockey players. Paul just doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s gay. But despite all of this, Robbie and Paul can’t keep away from each other, and they fall in love. Ultimately, they have to make some big choices about what is important to them and what they are willing to sacrifice to be together.
I really liked the Robbie/Paul relationship in Country Boy; they find ways to support each other, even when their relationship is a (poorly kept) secret, and they come to accept themselves in a really positive way. I’ve read a few M/M romances recently where there’s a discussion of “would you still come out if we weren’t in a relationship?” Basically: are you coming out for me? In Country Boy, the answer is no, and I appreciated that while it was their romantic relationship that got them both to this point, their reasons were not about making the other person happy: Robbie comes out in large part because he wants kids who might be questioning to see that you can be gay and play; Paul comes out because he’s ready to be his authentic self.
I have some small quibbles with this book that are pretty similar to my some of my quibbles with City Boy, mostly that there were a couple of characters/plot threads that I would have liked to be more developed (Paul’s dad and Skipper; Georgia). Overall, though, I thought this was a great follow-up to City Boy, and I’m excited that there are three more books in this series!
Country Boy is the second in A. E. Wasp’s Hot Off the Ice series. I really enjoyed the first book (City Boy), and I found that I liked the second even more.
While City Boy was about a hockey player coming to terms with his sexuality away from the sport, Country Boy is about two hockey players: Robbie Rhodes (who we met in the first book), who is out, but on the down-low (he’s out to his family and friends, but not to the public); and Paul Dyson, who is deep in the closet, due to his strict religious upbringing. Robbie and Paul meet for the first time in college, when their teams play each other; they have one awesome night together, but when they meet on the ice the next day, Paul makes it pretty clear that he has no intention of keeping in touch when he fouls Robbie pretty violently.
Of course, two years later, when Paul joins the Seattle Thunder, the hockey team that Robbie already plays for, they have to not only content with their shared past but also with the attraction that’s still between them and the fact that, as professional hockey players, they’re under the microscope as far as their personal lives go. Robbie doesn’t mind if people know that he’s gay, but he doesn’t want to be the poster boy for gay hockey players. Paul just doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s gay. But despite all of this, Robbie and Paul can’t keep away from each other, and they fall in love. Ultimately, they have to make some big choices about what is important to them and what they are willing to sacrifice to be together.
I really liked the Robbie/Paul relationship in Country Boy; they find ways to support each other, even when their relationship is a (poorly kept) secret, and they come to accept themselves in a really positive way. I’ve read a few M/M romances recently where there’s a discussion of “would you still come out if we weren’t in a relationship?” Basically: are you coming out for me? In Country Boy, the answer is no, and I appreciated that while it was their romantic relationship that got them both to this point, their reasons were not about making the other person happy: Robbie comes out in large part because he wants kids who might be questioning to see that you can be gay and play; Paul comes out because he’s ready to be his authentic self.
I have some small quibbles with this book that are pretty similar to my some of my quibbles with City Boy, mostly that there were a couple of characters/plot threads that I would have liked to be more developed (Paul’s dad and Skipper; Georgia). Overall, though, I thought this was a great follow-up to City Boy, and I’m excited that there are three more books in this series!
jamhow's review
Dnf 25% - if this book would have had a content warning for a lot of religion, extreme religious ideology, and controlling religious parents I wouldn’t have started it. Shame because I loved book 1 and was excited for this one.
geeknb's review
4.0
This rating is for the story and characters only.
Need to think on my review for the book as a whole.
Need to think on my review for the book as a whole.
bitchie's review
3.0
I think I liked book 1 better, but this one was pretty good. One thing to note before starting this- make sure you have the correct, updated version from Amazon. Cause when I first read this, the editing was kinda meh, and then the last three chapters were a complete and total mess. I looked up some reviews on Ammy, found out there was a mistake when uploading, got the correct version, and things were much better. Not positive about the editing all the way through until I go back for a reread, but the last three chapters were good.
Now, on to the story. I might not have even started the book if I'd know how much of a factor religion was going to be, but I still enjoyed the story. I liked Robbie and Paul, and thought they were very sweet together. What I had a hard time getting wasn't Paul's worry over God, but his dad. He worried about his dad cutting off contact, and not letting his sister see him, but his sister was in college, and Paul is a pro hockey player- he could support his sister if his dad had cut them both off.
And then, at the end, there was a Big Revelation from Paul's dad, about the way he was, and it kinda made sense, and it kinda didn't, and in the end, I'm not even sure if his dad ever really believed
Now, on to the story. I might not have even started the book if I'd know how much of a factor religion was going to be, but I still enjoyed the story. I liked Robbie and Paul, and thought they were very sweet together. What I had a hard time getting wasn't Paul's worry over God, but his dad. He worried about his dad cutting off contact, and not letting his sister see him, but his sister was in college, and Paul is a pro hockey player- he could support his sister if his dad had cut them both off.
And then, at the end, there was a Big Revelation from Paul's dad, about the way he was, and it kinda made sense, and it kinda didn't, and in the end, I'm not even sure if his dad ever really believed
Spoiler
all the hellfire and brimstone he always preached, or if he just grabbed onto it to scare Paul into not sleeping with men.tinybull's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Robbie Rhodes & Paul Dyson. Both hockey players. Paul is deeply religious, growing up in Alabama. Strong internalized homophobia in this one. Lot more editorial mistakes than the first one which brought the rating down for me
honeypossum_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
valerieullmerauthor's review against another edition
5.0
First off, I have to say that I loved both Robbie and Paul and how their relationship developed. But it's important to recognize that there is an important part of the story that might make some uncomfortable. While most books that have part of religious fanaticism puts me off a book, I found that with Paul's history and the way he was raised, it was an important facet of Paul's life and how it affected his relationship with Robbie.
Paul and Robbie had met two years previous to when the story starts, during a particularly low period in Paul's life, and the end of their short acquaintance ended badly. So did their first meeting years after. But as Robbie started to understand what Paul was going through at that time, they started a tentative friendship. But their underlying attraction simmered in the background.
As they started a relationship, of sorts, Paul's issues with his past would rear up and Robbie would be there for him. By using reason and most of all their feelings for each other as barriers to the hate that was taught to him since he was a small child, Robbie would listen to Paul and most of all, be there for him as he worked through his feelings versus what he was taught.
I loved how Paul and his father, who is a very big antagonist in the beginning of the book, come to a realization together. And Paul finds his strength and determination to stand up with Robbie. It's a wonderful story and an important one to read!
Paul and Robbie had met two years previous to when the story starts, during a particularly low period in Paul's life, and the end of their short acquaintance ended badly. So did their first meeting years after. But as Robbie started to understand what Paul was going through at that time, they started a tentative friendship. But their underlying attraction simmered in the background.
As they started a relationship, of sorts, Paul's issues with his past would rear up and Robbie would be there for him. By using reason and most of all their feelings for each other as barriers to the hate that was taught to him since he was a small child, Robbie would listen to Paul and most of all, be there for him as he worked through his feelings versus what he was taught.
I loved how Paul and his father, who is a very big antagonist in the beginning of the book, come to a realization together. And Paul finds his strength and determination to stand up with Robbie. It's a wonderful story and an important one to read!
meleficent929's review against another edition
3.0
4 stars might be a bit generous with the grammatical and other errors that were not caught in the editing process, as they drove me nuts. And also for an ending that seemed very fast and pat. But for tackling something I have not seen much of in MM romances? 4 stars for that and we will make it a 3.5 overall.
The story is really Paul coming to terms with his sexuality and who he is. The flashback at the beginning relates to Paul trying to kill himself due to his repressed homosexuality and how his community and church has embedded the idea that it is a mortal sin.
The story is really Paul coming to terms with his sexuality and who he is. The flashback at the beginning relates to Paul trying to kill himself due to his repressed homosexuality and how his community and church has embedded the idea that it is a mortal sin.