Reviewed by Jess

TITLE: On the Ice

SERIES: Stick Side #1

AUTHOR: Amy Aislin

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 348 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 8, 2018

BLURB:

For college sophomore Mitch Greyson, determination and persistence are the name of the game if he wants to make it as a professional hockey player. A busy schedule of practices, games, classes, homework, two part-time jobs—and now, working with a tutor to help him pass the class he’s failing so that he can keep his scholarship—shouldn’t leave him with enough time to flirt with the NHL player in town. But that doesn’t stop him.

Placed on the injured reserve list until his broken arm heals, NHL defenseman Alex Dean is using the time off to be with his ailing grandfather and get a head start on the book he’s been commissioned to write. He doesn’t expect to get roped into a tutoring gig, especially not for cocky, smart-ass Mitch.

But Alex soon discovers that there’s more to Mitch than meets the eye…and he really likes what he sees. Only Alex doesn’t dare risk his NHL career by coming out, and a relationship between them would jeopardize Mitch’s chances with the organization too.

It looks impossible. Then again, the best things usually do…

On the Ice is an m/m contemporary romance featuring a flirty college hockey player who meets his match in a demisexual NHL player.

REVIEW:

I haven’t read a sports romance that delves this deep into each character in a very long time. By the end of this book, Alex and Mitch felt like such real people that ending their story was heartbreaking! You know you’ve read an excellent, effective, provocative book when you get sad towards the finish line.

After reading the first few chapters, I was still warming up to Mitch as our main character. He was a little pushy, a little bratty. I kept wondering how someone like Alex, who is older, more professional, and way more grounded, could fall for someone like flirty, too-bold Mitch. But when the layers of Mitch’s character started peeling back (all starting with Alex’s comment about how Mitch “lacks substance”), it wasn’t hard to really fall for Mitch and sympathize with him on every level. He ended up being one of my very favorite M/M protagonists of 2018 so far.

Because Alex is demisexual (he only feels romantic attraction towards someone he knows very well emotionally), his relationship with Mitch simmers beautifully over time, allowing us to know both men inside out before they even share their first kiss. These two characters are perfect for each other in every way. Mitch is all about keeping up a façade—the party boy, the effortless flirt, the guy who can do it all without breaking a sweat. He bases his hookups on the idea that no one ever really knows him, knows his struggle and pain, so he can easily keep it all hidden. But he falls so fast for Alex that when he founds out Alex is demisexual, he has no choice but to let it ride out and see if Alex really likes him for him. Alex, by nature, cannot love someone he doesn’t know. Mitch never stood a chance.

In terms of a sports romance, this is a hockey-heavy story that still views athletes as humans first and players second. A lot of sports romances are popular because of the idea that athletic men are fit and sexy so they make good romantic partners, but then the author seems to forget that sports take a huge mental and physical toll on players that isn’t broadcasted on ESPN. Aislin really did her research and didn’t shy away from the less-glamorous aspects of college and professional hockey. We see how the sport weighs differently on Mitch and Alex and how it affects their budding relationship. In fact, that toll that sports takes on players ends up being a huge plot point for Alex’s career and Mitch’s development.

I gave this book an easy five-out-of-five review, but there are of course some elements that won’t work for every reader. The ending in particular may strike a sour note for some, especially in terms of coming out and possible homophobia within professional sports. As a gay person myself, I found it extremely realistic, but it definitely didn’t strike every box on the typical happily-ever-after checklist.

I’m still floored by this book. It’s well-written, atmospheric, often funny, often heartbreaking, and devastatingly romantic. The main characters are excellent and the supporting cast (especially Cody and all the parents) are carefully-crafted. This is the first time I’ve read Amy Aislin and it certainly won’t be my last!

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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