A review by ggbookrecclub
In The Game by Sloane St. James

challenging emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love a He Falls First MMC. Barrett is such a precious hero, I can’t even handle it.

⭐️ Rating: 5/5

🌶️ Spice: 3/5

🏒 One Night Stand

🏒  Secret Baby

🏒 He Fell First

🏒 No 3rd Act Breakup

This entire series is a doozy. And In the Game is not your typical accidental pregnancy hockey romance book. 

These characters are so incredibly heartfelt and well rounded. They are multifaceted and contain a whole lot of depth. First, we have Raleigh, like the city, as our FMC. When they first meet, she’s your typical promotion model with a pension for the away teams. Having grown up playing hockey herself, she knows a lot about the sport. She may sleep with players, but don’t call her a bunny. Barrett on the other hand is your hockey golden boy. Everyone loves Barrett and he’s looking for something special. He thinks he found it in Raleigh during their night where everything that possibly could go wrong does. But an offhanded bunny comment is all Raleigh needs to shut it down and sneak away in the night. 

Turns out it’s really hard to track someone down when all you know of them is their first name and the night you shared together. In the Game does a great job of jumping timelines. At the end of book 2 in the Lake Hockey series, we see a current day reaction to Raleigh seeing Barrett across the room at Mickey’s soft opening of her bar and patisserie. It is the perfect kicking off point to wind up your “how did we get here” and “why is it a big deal” hackles. 

I loved the backstory of Raleigh and her upbringing. Actually that’s a lie, what I loved was her ability to overcome it and give her son the life and parent she wishes she had. I won't spoil any of the story, but everyone gets a HEA.