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A review by iam
Trade Deadline by Piper Vaughn, Avon Gale
4.0
Lovely sports romance featuring a childhood-best-friends-and-crushes-reunite-and-fall-in-love-(again) storyline between two men who followed their dreams.
Content warnings include: tricky career choices and uncomfortable working environment, unprotected sex on-page (after discussion about it); mentions of animal rehabilitation due to accidental injuries, homophobic parents kicking out gay teen.
This was sweet and wholesome, with low drama and overall very feel good vibes.
Daniel was great in the previous books, the Venom's levelheaded captain, and I loved Micah too - especially his absolute cluelessness when it comes to sports.
The romance was straightforward, but not too fast, with Micah and Daniel reconnecting naturally and only through a dose of luck.
Tension is created mostly through issues with Daniel's job; he is a pro hockey player, who after being on the top team in the previous season switches to play on the team dead last in the league and moving to his childhood hometown. That's how he meets Micah, his childhood best friend and first crush, again.
Micah has his dream job too, as a manager at a marine animal rehabilitation aquarium where he oversees the animal treatment plans and gives tours. All scenes at his job were adorable.
Equally adorable were Daniel's kids. I loved that he had a great relationship with his ex-wife, who is also his close friend. He even referred to her as "one of his soulmates" once, which I loved - not just the idea that a soulmate doesn't need to be romantic or sexual, but also that you can have more than one.
There is a bit of insecurity and anxiousness over the relationship from Micah's side, but no miscommunication occurrs, and it's all talked out calmly.
I loved seeing Daniel's close friends, who are also the protagonists of the previous books in the series, [b:Off the Ice|35482402|Off the Ice (Hat Trick, #1)|Avon Gale|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499813642l/35482402._SY75_.jpg|56878676] and [b:Goalie Interference|43263028|Goalie Interference (Hat Trick, #2)|Avon Gale|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545235506l/43263028._SY75_.jpg|67141849]. I would also have liked to see more of Micah's friends, who are new characters but seemed great.
My absolute highlight of the books were the Rumbles however, a hockey team consisting of 5 and 6-year-olds that Daniel volunteers to coach. They were THE CUTEST.
If you want a low stakes romance that is sweet and engaging, with sports and animals and cute kids on the side, then you'll absolutely love Trade Deadline!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content warnings include: tricky career choices and uncomfortable working environment, unprotected sex on-page (after discussion about it); mentions of animal rehabilitation due to accidental injuries, homophobic parents kicking out gay teen.
This was sweet and wholesome, with low drama and overall very feel good vibes.
Daniel was great in the previous books, the Venom's levelheaded captain, and I loved Micah too - especially his absolute cluelessness when it comes to sports.
The romance was straightforward, but not too fast, with Micah and Daniel reconnecting naturally and only through a dose of luck.
Tension is created mostly through issues with Daniel's job; he is a pro hockey player, who after being on the top team in the previous season switches to play on the team dead last in the league and moving to his childhood hometown. That's how he meets Micah, his childhood best friend and first crush, again.
Micah has his dream job too, as a manager at a marine animal rehabilitation aquarium where he oversees the animal treatment plans and gives tours. All scenes at his job were adorable.
Equally adorable were Daniel's kids. I loved that he had a great relationship with his ex-wife, who is also his close friend. He even referred to her as "one of his soulmates" once, which I loved - not just the idea that a soulmate doesn't need to be romantic or sexual, but also that you can have more than one.
There is a bit of insecurity and anxiousness over the relationship from Micah's side, but no miscommunication occurrs, and it's all talked out calmly.
I loved seeing Daniel's close friends, who are also the protagonists of the previous books in the series, [b:Off the Ice|35482402|Off the Ice (Hat Trick, #1)|Avon Gale|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499813642l/35482402._SY75_.jpg|56878676] and [b:Goalie Interference|43263028|Goalie Interference (Hat Trick, #2)|Avon Gale|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545235506l/43263028._SY75_.jpg|67141849]. I would also have liked to see more of Micah's friends, who are new characters but seemed great.
My absolute highlight of the books were the Rumbles however, a hockey team consisting of 5 and 6-year-olds that Daniel volunteers to coach. They were THE CUTEST.
If you want a low stakes romance that is sweet and engaging, with sports and animals and cute kids on the side, then you'll absolutely love Trade Deadline!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.