Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: I’m Your Guy
SERIES: Hockey Guys
AUTHOR: Sarina Bowen
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 348 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 10, 2023
BLURB:
TOMMASO
The furniture district is my personal hell. I don’t know my ass from an ottoman. But when a hot designer comes to my rescue, I realize my problems are bigger than the house I’m trying to furnish.
A scorching kiss over fabric samples makes me question all my choices. But is it too late to change my entire life to get more of them?
CARTER
I need this gig, but my cocky new client leaves out a couple crucial details:
He doesn’t mention that he’s a famous hockey player. And he doesn’t own up to the way he’s always trying to undress me with his dark, broody eyes.
The man throws out more mixed signals than a broken traffic light. I’ve never been more sexually frustrated in my entire life. I need to back away before I do something stupid, like lose my heart.
Oops. Too late.
REVIEW:
I’m Your Guy is an enjoyable romance between a hockey player and the man he hired to decorate his home. Tommaso (love the name!) is divorced from his ex-wife, newly relocated to his Colorado team and disgustingly plagued by his homophobic uncle and cousin. With his mom coming to visit soon from out of town, Tommaso realizes he needs to put some effort into making his home look more lived in instead of a sparse bachelor’s pad. So he hires Carter for the job. “Tommaso is a good man, and a strong man. But he’s also the loneliest man I know.”
Carter is a broke interior designer whose dreams were shattered along with his relationship. He was terribly betrayed by his ex-boyfriend. He trusted the wrong man and now has trouble trusting anyone. But he hasn’t allowed that to tarnish his endearing personality: he’s sweet, thoughtful and kind, and he had an amusing, self-deprecating sense of humor.
Tommaso and Carter get to know each other slowly through texts and videos related to Carter’s design ideas. I love when books include texting as a plot device; it’s a great way to get to know their personalities. Carter is becoming irresistible to Tommaso who’s growing tired of holding on to his secret.
“I felt like I’d solved a riddle—how to fit in better with the whole world.”
I’m Your Guy is nothing ground breaking. It’s about a standard, closeted pro-athlete angsting about coming out now that he has an out and proud boyfriend. He has to weigh the possible repercussions of being out to his team, his fans, and his extended family. I feel like every sports romance has the same theme. I’m going to have to take a break from them until I find a different plot. Sarina Bowen is a talented author and one of the best in hockey romance, so I have hope there will be something more to my liking in the future. If you’re not tired of this trope as I am, I happily recommend it to hockey fans and fans of Ms. Bowen.
RATING: 
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