Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Nice Catching You: A Holiday Story
AUTHORS: Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood
PUBLISHER: Wainscott Press
LENGTH: 311 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 30, 2020
BLURB:
What happens when the No. 1 college hockey star in the country falls in love—with a man?
Nick Johnson, a top prospect for a pro hockey team, has a secret: he’s gay. Tired of living in the closet for the sport he loves, he sees no way out.
Jacob Meyer’s string of bad boyfriends left him cynical about love. Instead, he focuses on his studies as a third-year law student. With a new job waiting for him, he’s eager to graduate and move on.
On a school-sponsored trip, Nick and Jacob meet in a most unexpected way. When Nick tells Jacob his secret, they decide to hang out, just as friends. But their attraction is too strong to ignore, and they soon begin dating.
Since Nick is a big man on campus, it doesn’t take long for people to notice his attachment to Jacob. All hell breaks loose when the relationship gets out. As the national media descends, university officials try to figure out how to solve their “problem.” Their efforts divide Nick’s team, inflame fans, and put Nick and Jacob’s futures in jeopardy. Will the men be able to survive a plot to destroy them without derailing both their careers?
Nice Catching You is an out-for-you romance featuring a lot of love, exciting hockey, and a beautiful holiday. There’s also plenty of steam and a very happy ending.
REVIEW:
Quick plot summary is boy meets boy on a school trip. Boy confesses to boy that he too is gay after hearing his hockey buddies trash talk said boy. Boy falls in love with boy, but one is an out law student and the other is the star hockey player – captain of the team- who dreams of Georgetown Law. But when the coach and then the university get wind of the star being gay, they want to shut it down. Threats and legal wrangling and attempts at blackmail ensue, but friends and family have their back.
I’m giving this a recommendation with reservations. There was a lot to like about this story, but there were definitely things that I would have liked to have like to be different. My chief complaints have to do with the insta-love nature of the story and the lack of dimension to many of the characters. I realize in fiction, conflict needs to be there, but what I didn’t find here was anything new or different. In fact I can think of several other series that pretty much covered the same territory in a similar fashion. The school administrators are evil, the homophobic coach (this one is a doozy) and the supportive friends are sort of stock. I also could have lived without all the bathroom humor. I did really like the portrayal of some of the friendships – particularly Kayla, Jacob’s BFF and Hawk, Nick’s BFF. I also really loved Nick’s parents. Nick is a sweetheart and so is Jacob. Their love was fast -which is a real thing but I would have liked more time with just them without all the drama which of course is impactful. It’s more of a New Adult that YA story though as there is quite a bit of sex 😉
RATING: 
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