Reviewed by Stephen K

TITLE: Keeping Hope

AUTHOR: Alexandria Redding

SERIES: Littlefield Fowl #1

LENGTH: 229 Pages

RELEASE DATE: July 17

BLURB:

After an unstable childhood, Jensen Malone’s hard work is paying off: he’s picked up as a temporary goalie for the Littleford Fowl, brought in to cover for a player who’s out for the season with an injury, and he’s been accepted at the community college. Hockey is his first love, but he needs to stay true to his dream of being a firefighter to guarantee he’ll never be homeless again. Now that he has the chance to pursue both, nothing can stop this fiercely independent transplant from Chicago. One little problem: he’s gay, completely unwilling to stay in the closet, and hockey’s not the most inclusive sport.

Lawrence Paisey’s a defenseman for the Littleford Fowl and he’s got the brooding new goalie in his sights. The guy’s excellent in goal and has a love of hockey to rival Law’s own. Together they could whip the team into shape. Despite his studies and hockey, Law can’t stop fantasizing about Jensen. One little problem: Law needs to win Jensen’s trust to make his dreams come true.

Join Law and Jensen for a hockey-heavy exploration of college, friendship, and one another.

REVIEW:

Coming off a book with too little background detail, this one may be the polar opposite. No, there are no Melville-esque full chapter descriptions of sperm whale oil, it’s derivation and its uses. Instead there are details about hockey. But this hockey-themed romance fully embraces its setting. We see character traits in the individuals that influence their chosen positions, and we see how their on-ice roles influence their off the ice relationships and perspectives. This book accomplishes that seldom attempted goal of maintaining a romantic major story arc while establishing and fulfilling several minor, equally interesting, story arcs.

It’s a fact that many M/M romances are written by and for women but as a gay man I sometimes find that the characters sometimes “feel” too much like they were created by someone with a feminine perspective. Not so here. This “He Said/He Said” surprised me a few times. e.g. when Law is unwinding under a hot shower and reflects that by the time he gets out, he’d “be shiny and new; his brain as clean as his armpits.” Also the somewhat adolescent way that smells accumulated by the players’ practice equipment is referred to seems uncommonly masculine. Clearly someone has mastered the “male jock” POV.

A pet peeve of mine is the cliched and overused trope where the plot’s drama is derived from a ridiculous misunderstanding. Not a problem here. Here we have a main character who suffers from bouts of depression and actually discusses it with his new beau. Seeing the beau’s tentative attempt at support just make both characters seem more lovable. Another character has been homeless and has strong opinions about this country’s failures in that regard which he expresses. His partner’s sensitive probing attempts at learning about his past, just further endears both characters to the reader.

While so much of M/M romance is the superfluous meringue on a sweet dessert, this tale is more like a hearty stew with meat and potatoes amidst the savory bits. Reading this feels like you’re not only getting the tasty bits but some fibre, and a few other nutrients for your soul as well. It’s this factor which pushes an already “good” tale into the “great” category. This tale is a bit of a slow burn, and there’s a significant plot here but the m/m naughty bits do eventually come… as do the main characters.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon