Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Off Season
SERIES: Chicago Thunder
AUTHOR: Jodi Oliver
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 322 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 7, 2024
BLURB:
Ethan
Finding out my ex-fiance is the best man at my cousin’s wedding is the cherry on top of my problems.
I can’t turn up alone, so finding a fake boyfriend is the only option.
My relationship with Jacob isn’t supposed to be real, but he gets me in a way nobody ever has and now I’m questioning everything.
After nearly two decades in the NHL, retirement is nearing and I have no idea who I am outside of hockey.
I need to focus on winning one last Cup, not falling in love.
Jacob
Ethan Parkes became my savior when he offered me a deal that would solve all of my problems. So when he asked me to be his fake boyfriend for a wedding in England, I jumped at the chance.
Besides, so what if I already have a crush on him?
When we give into the chemistry between us, he tells me we only have the off season. But I’m determined to show him that he’s more than just a name on a jersey, even if it could cause my heart a world of hurt.
Off Season is a friends to lovers, grumpy/sunshine hockey romance. With a touch of hurt/comfort, a ten year age gap, interfering teammates and all the found family vibes. It is book two in the Chicago Thunder series and can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
We met Ethan and Jacob in the first book in this series, they were secondary characters. Jacob’s brother Alex began a relationship with Blaine, one of the stars of the local Chicago Hockey team. Blaine was sort of a reforming bad boy and they had a lot of support from the team. The team also supported Alex and his brother Jacob with their business, a local Chicago bakery that was good but having some financial difficulties. Ethan came to the rescue nd made a deal to loan Jacob the money and Jacob is paying him back but without interest. Things are going along fine. Ethan comes in to visit at least once a week even though he doesn’t eat sweets 😉 Initially Jacob was very nervous because of bad experiences with jock bullying him in high school. But once he got to know the guys, he realizes they aren’t that way.
When Ethan’s cousin in England is getting married, he of course is invited and since it’s the off-season, he has to go. But his ex-fiance who jilted him basically at the altar is the best man. UGH! Ethan has never gotten closure on that relationship and has never even tried to date since then. He refuses to show up alone to this wedding. With some “suggestions” from his team mates, he decides to ask Jacob to go with him as his fake boyfriend to save face. Jacob is nervous about it since he finds himself attracted to Ethan, but he eventually agrees.
They fly to England to Ethan’s house there (his mother is English and lives there also) and as they are hanging out, it’s obvious that there is a physical attraction between them. They embark on a “friends with benefits” fling that is pretty spicy. Ethan’s mother is thrilled that he’s brought someone home although Ethan is truthful with her about their fake relationship ruse. Bottom line is, it doesn’t stay “fake” for long and both of them are catching feelings.
Jacob still deals with grief and Ethan has a steamer trunk of baggage too. He’s never really dealt with the stuff that’s happened and it’s literally frozen him in time and he can’t seem to get past being abandoned and not feeling worthy. It literally takes a village to pull these two out of their own heads and be honest about how they feel and what they want.
I can’t say I liked this story as much as the first book. I definitely didn’t connect with Jacob and Ethan as much as I did the MCs of the first book. Mostly I struggled with Ethan’s ability to connect with people and letting his past – from his childhood abandonment issues to his lack of closure for a decade from a busted engagement – control his entire life. I guess I was surprised that neither his team management nor his mother would have suggested that he probably needed to seek therapy for his issues. I did love his teammates and their patience with his lack of connection with him since they obviously gave him the benefit of the doubt for over a decade in his role a captain. I did like Jennifer, Ethan’s mother, quite a lot but found it surprising that it took this wedding for her to have a talk with Ethan about his lack of human connection and complete focus on hockey when it’s clear he wasn’t happy or living his best life even though he had a bunch of Stanley Cup wins.
Jacob was lovely and had been dealt a difficult hand in life. Losing his parents when he was a child and then losing his grandparents when he was a young adult led him develop a persona that he was strong and “OK”. Maybe he didn’t deal with his grief while he was trying to stay strong for his younger brother Alex. He is sort of an open book with Ethan and that helps Ethan share his past with Jacob as they take their trip to England for the wedding posing as fake boyfriends. Clearly everyone but these two realize that there is something between them.
I got a bit frustrated at the end with Ethan’s screwing up with being honest with Jacob. He needs to work on his communication skills and also accepting help and input from his friends. It takes him years to be honest with his friends and I thought they were very understanding – probably more understanding than some would be. Thankfully there are a lot of meddlers in this group that push Ethan to open his eyes and JUST DO IT rather than lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him. In the end, they get to a good place. I really really want Elliott’s book, but I think Zach and Carter are next 😉 Fans of the series will enjoy this new chapter in the meantime.
RATING: 
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