Reviewed by Chris

TITLE:  Save of the Game 

SERIES:  Scoring Chances #2

AUTHOR:  Scott R. Smith

PUBLISHER:  Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:  6hr 22min

RELEASE DATE:  September 12, 2016

BLURB:  

After last season’s heartbreaking loss to his hockey team’s archrival, Jacksonville Sea Storm goalie Riley Hunter is ready to let go of the past and focus on a winning season. His new roommate, Ethan Kennedy, is a loud New Yorker with a passion for social justice that matches his role as the team’s enforcer. The quieter Riley is attracted to Ethan and has no idea what to do about it.

Ethan has no hesitations. As fearless as his position demands, he rushes into things without much thought for the consequences.Though they eventually warm to their passionate new bond, it doesn’t come without complications. While trying to financially help Ethan, Riley must hide his family’s wealth so as not to hurt Ethan’s immense pride. For their relationship to work, Ethan will need to learn when to keep the gloves on and let someone help him—and Riley will have to learn it’s okay to let someone past his defenses.

REVIEW:  

Riley Hunter is used to no one caring about him. Sure, he has friends, but he never feels like he can really be himself around them, and his family has never been one to do much more than drop the occasional card in the mail. For all that his money makes life easier, it sure doesn’t make it happier. Especially when no one seems to understand just how much he wants to give back to those he is slowly growing to care about.

Ethan Kennedy has only had three people he could depend on in his life: his mother and his two sisters. And life may have never been easy, but he has never doubted that he is as important to them as they are to him. But trusting anyone outside his family is harder than quitting smoking (and that’s damn near impossible).

Riley and Ethan have lived two different lives, but when it comes down to it, they fit together. If only they’d let their edges rub up against each other enough to get that perfect fit.

I found this story so easy to get caught up in, despite the fact I’ve read it several times before. Scott R. Smith does a splendid job of bringing to life Avon Gale’s many characters, all the while keeping the fun and damn hot sexiness that worked so well in the books. And boy oh boy did he deliver on the sheer fucking hotness that is Ethan Kennedy’s accent.

As I said in my review for the Breakaway audio book. I’m not going to go into a lot of the actual plot of this story since I’ve written a review of that previously (here). But needless to say, I will never stop loving how easy these stories are to enjoy all the while being so very well layered and filled with heart. This isn’t fluff, more like a large piece of chocolate raspberry cheesecake. So smooth and it hits the spot every time. There are not many books that I can claim to enjoy no matter how many times I’ve read them before, but this book–hell, this entire series–is just that. And not just because the idea of Ethan on his knees, tied up with hockey laces, really really does it for me.

If you didn’t think this book could get even hotter wait till you hear it in Scott R. Smith’s ridiculously spot-on voice acting. (I think when I hear him do Misha in the next story I might actually melt into a pile of goo.)

I think I’ll like the boys of the Scoring Chances series in whatever form they come in (be it book, audio, or preformed live for me in my living room) but I am so glad I have these on audio. I have a hard time not preferring the voices in my own head to the ones that are offered for sale, but sometimes what you pay for is better. It brings the story to life in ways you couldn’t imagine. 

(Though, word to the wise: if you are listening to this aloud, you might wanna double check that you are not going to have family members walk into the room right in the middle of (listening to) an enthusiastic blow job. Which, for some reason, always seems to happen to me.)

I highly recommend you pick up this book in whatever form you can get your hands on.

AUDIO BOOK RATING:  

BUY LINKS:

Audible

Amazon