Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Crashing Box Set:  Part One

SERIES:  Crashing

AUTHOR:  Samantha Wayland

NARRATOR:  Michael Ferraiuolo

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  9 hours and 47 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  May 6, 2022

BLURB:

This is the boxed set of the first three books in the Samantha Wayland’s Crashing Series. This is sexy, slightly kinky romance series with no cheating, no cliff-hangers, and all the HEAs anyone could want.

Crashing the Net

Dumping gallons of lube on the new kid is just another day at the office for Alexei. He knows exactly who he is: a goalie on the ice, a prankster in the locker room, and a man who knows better than to share his private life with anyone. He’s let people in before and it’s taught him that it’s better to be alone.

Mike is broke, bruised, and covered from head to toe in cheap lube. All he wants is to keep to himself and play for the Ice Cats. What he needs, though, is another matter entirely.

Checking It Twice

After four years with Alexei, there are things Mike knows with absolute certainty: he loves Alexei, Alexei loves him, and Alexei gives the very best gifts. This Christmas is no exception, though Mike is having a hell of a time figuring out what, exactly, Alexei’s gift is.

Alexei knows his gift this year is going to blow Mike’s mind, but in the meantime, it’s pretty hilarious watching Mike try to figure out what it is. Granted, Alexei does have a lot of surprises in store for Mike this week, and it sure as hell isn’t frankincense and myrrh.

Changing the Rules

Alexei and Mike have been together a long time. They’re getting married. They can go a few nights not sleeping next to each other, right? For the sake of the team, Alexei is going to try.

Mike can’t stand not sleeping next to Alexei, and it turns out sleep deprivation makes him overthink things he wasn’t planning to think about at all until the off-season—like the fact they’ve been engaged for over a year and haven’t set a date.

REVIEW:

Crashing the Net is the introduction of Mike and Alexei.  Mike is the newbie on the Moncton Ice Cats hockey team and as such he’s being hazed by the team.  Alexei sticks around and finds Mike in the showers covered in bruises.  It’s obvious he’s taken a beating and not by his teammates.  Alexei is protective of Mike as it’s clear that Mike has secrets that he isn’t sharing.

Alexei takes Mike under his wing.  He even brings Mike home with him and insists that Mike can work for him and have his own apartment as payment for the work he’s doing on building out Alexei’s real estate.  Eventually Alexei discovers Mike’s secret and turns out he has some similar ones 😉  After their first encounter though Alexei is concerned that they cannot possibly want the same things and he’s lost partners in the past who weren’t really up for what he needs and wants.  Mike has to fight to convince him that they are on the same page.

And of course there is hockey.  And rivalries and playoffs.  Mike also has to deal with his family.  His parents are forever trying to fix him up with any single woman they can find.  His mother constantly complains about not having grandchildren.  Finally after a confrontation, Mike comes out to his family and let’s say it didn’t go real well.  Jane, Mike’s sister is fine with it and keep their parents at bay.   Alexei and Mike are the family they’ve made and that’s that.

Checking it Twice is a Holiday themed story that takes place a few years after Mike and Alexei have gotten together.  Of the three stories here, it’s my least favorite.  A great deal of this book are sex scenes and I was a bit surprised at one of the participants in this holiday sexathon.  That being said, there is definitely a lot of heat and chemistry during this holiday surprise for Mike and not at all what I expected!  The holiday plans and gifts include not only Mike and Alexei but also their extended found family.  There are lots of surprises for everyone and it’s very sweet.

Changing the Rules is the final book in this set and is the culmination of the relationship of Mike and Alexei where they get their happily ever after forever.  Since they have been engaged, it seems to be taking quite a while for them to get from the engagement to the wedding planning.  Alexei is worried about Mike’s further in hockey and Mike is worried that Alexei isn’t really serious about the marriage.  Once that miscommunication is handled, it’s time to figure out how and when to plan a wedding.  They haven’t even come out to their teammates yet – although that’s a bit anticlimactic as it turns out 😀  Their extended found family as well as Jane are heavily involved and featured here.  But first there are hockey playoffs to get through!  Once they start planning though, things move quickly.  The wedding party is adorable and I loved seeing these guys get their very well deserved happy ending.  Oh, and there is lots of sex again 😉

Oh my!  Fair warning that there are a LOT of sexy times in these stories, so if that’s not your jam, you may fast forward a bit.  Mike and Alexei are made for each other and as this series goes on, it’s clear that this pair is forever.  Mike has to deal with a lot with his family and both he and Alexei are closeted for both personal and professional reasons for a lot of this series.  Their close friends know, but not a lot of others are in on the real relationship.  Mike’s parents are constantly trying to set him up with eligible women and push him to marriage and children.  Needless to say this is not Mike’s plan.  His parents also demand most of  his salary.  This part of the story really made me angry on Mike’s behalf.   I did love his sister Jane who was the only one of the family that treated Mike like an person rather than an ATM.

Mike and Alexei’s relationship evolves from friends to lovers and despite Alexei’s misgivings, Mike really is his perfect match – romantically, sexually, and every other way.  Their relationship on and off the ice continues to grow with every passing year.  They are definitely each other’s person.  Mike’s dysfunctional family has made things harder for him.  Alexei is also concerned about their age gap for a lot of the story but Mike is able to reassure Alexei that it’s not an issue for him at all.  Mike and Alexei love to push each other but not in a negative way and a lot of these “arguments” are preludes to other things.  There is definitely at dom/sub relationship going on here and both men get what they need from the other.  Sometimes it’s a little more surprising than others and since this is Mike’s first and only relationship, he doesn’t understand why Alexei is reluctant to share his true desires.  Luckily they match up in this way exactly 🙂  I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow and flourish, particularly given Mike’s rough start and lack of family support.

Michael Ferraiuolo does his usual masterful job of performing this series.  His Russian accent is *chef’s kiss*.  I particularly love his exaggerated accent when Alexei wants to trick others into thinking maybe he doesn’t really speak/understand English. He uses this to his advantage several times and I cracked up each time.  Mike of course calls him on it and that is entertaining as well 🙂  I love these two together and the narration really adds to the love story.  The romance between these two is very convincing as acted by Mr. Ferraiuolo.  I love the consistency as well with characters from past books in this universe – particularly the Home and Away  MCs of  Rupert and Callum.  A more grown up Oliver and Christian are also welcome surprises in this series also 🙂  I thoroughly enjoyed this series tracing Mike and Alexei’s relationship from day one through their marriage.  Fans of this author and narrator will thoroughly enjoy this box set.  Highly recommended.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:  

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