What the book is about:

Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team.
He’s put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship.

Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most.

My thoughts:

Hockey player gay romance is apparently a thing I’m really into. Who would have thought? Then again, lately I’ve been into a lot of sport-themed books like Poz by Christopher Koehler, The Glasgow Lads series by Avery Cockburn or Winter Ball by Amy Lane.

The book starts with Lane Courtnall’s first game with his new team the Jacksonville Sea Storm. He’s really innocent and naive at first but also really excited to be playing with them.
Lane doesn’t seem to have a filter which gets him in trouble with his teammates right from the beginning. To show his teammates that he’s invested in the game, he starts a brawl on ice with the “bad boy” Jared Shore who is enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. Lanes plan works and he earns some respect with his team but when he meets Jared again after the game, his filter is once again off and he can’t hide his lust for him.

I LOVE the quirky and socially awkward Lane because in some ways he’s just like me. He says things as they pop into his head and sometimes takes what others say quite literally. He’s so honest, like there’s not a bad bone in his body-honest; and I loved that. He’s a real sweetheart and such a fun character!

One thing I especially loved was that it’s not only Lane learning from the older and more experienced Jared, but also that Jared started to see things differently the more time he spent with Lane.

Another thing I really enjoyed was that I didn’t need to follow hockey IRL to be able to understand what was going on in the story. I don’t follow sports except for the summer olympics ever 4 years. And I could still follow the story easily.

The sex in this story is scorchingly hot and funny at the same time. You think that doesn’t work? Avon Gale proves that it’s possible. Seriously, Breakaway is probably the first book where I laughed out loud during a sex scene.

So if you’re looking for a light/feel-good book with little drama and an endearing character you cannot not like, then this book is perfect for you.

Also don’t miss the sequel Save of the Game featuring Riley and Ethan, coming on January 29th!

Genre: Contemporary Orientation: Bisexual Orientation: Gay Pairing: M/M Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Review Tag: Age-Gap Tag: Part of a series Tag: Sports Avon Gale Breakaway Scoring Chances