Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Reading the Play
SERIES: Watkins Glen Gladiators #5
AUTHOR: V.L. Locey
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 189 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2024
BLURB:
Will there be kissing and making up or will Baskoro and Marcus be dropping the gloves?
A new season is about to kick off and Baskoro Huda is ready to win it all. As one half of the Watkins Glen Gladiators two-man tandem goalkeeping duo, Basky, as his teammates call him, is on track to deliver a winning season and everything is going his way. His summer training is paying off, his family and friends are warm and supportive, and his new nephew is the cutest thing ever. He’s even had a few casual dates. The only downside to this upcoming amazing season is the fact that he has to face goalie Marcus Newley and the Comets several times. To say there is no love lost between the two men would be an understatement. Granted, Marcus is incredibly handsome and skilled, but those qualities are overshadowed by the man’s ego. The tension between the two goalies has been percolating since senior year of college and one more pithy comment from Basky’s rival might just be all it takes for a reckoning that’s been a long time coming.
Marcus Newley has come a long way in a short time. He’s clawed his way to the top of the Comets roster and is now within reach of his dream: winning that championship cup and securing his chances for a call-up to the pros. The brass ring is within reach, and he is not about to let someone like Baskoro Huda and his team stand in his way. He’s got one very important person counting on him to make those dreams a reality. Unsure of what he ever did to twist the pretty but irritable Gladiators goalie’s shorts into such a tight knot, all he can do is fire back when the verbal barbs are launched from the other end of the ice. The time to focus on hockey is now, and he refuses to let Baskoro take up any more time in his head. It’s an all-out war as far as Marcus is concerned and nothing but complete surrender from Baskoro will satisfy those—and perhaps not so hidden—passions.
Reading the Play is a low angst, enemies-to-lovers, doting uncle and single dad queer hockey romance with two goalies who snipe at each other endlessly, one old misunderstanding, far too many sci-fi/fantasy TV show and movie references, several teammates trying to keep the peace, one goaltending coach who sees what all the others seem to be missing, and a hard won but oh-so gratifying happy ending.
REVIEW:
Note: There are some spoilers here for the previous books in the series, but this can be read as a standalone.
Another Gladiator finds his partner 🙂 This one is a rivals/enemies to lovers story. Luckily the “misunderstanding” and animosity is over fairly soon in the story – although it’s been years in the making. Basky is a familiar character as he’s Liam’s roommate so we met him in the first book. He’s been a secondary character throughout the series.
Basky has a grudge and a rivalry with Comets goalie Marcus Newley. They went to college together and Basky has disliked him since then. He struggles to keep his cool/focus whenever their rival teams play each other. When they end up stuck together unexpectedly, he finally let’s loose with why he has been hating on Marcus. Turns out what he through he knew was not exactly right 😉
Once the PR teams know there is a rivalry, they decide to ramp it up for the press. This will sell tickets – which can only be good for both teams. But it turns out that they are no longer enemies at all, but are secretly dating 🙂 Basky even meets the family. They do have obstacles to overcome though. Marcus isn’t exactly out and they aren’t sure how things will be received if they go public. They have a lot of support though whether they know it or not 😀
This was another enjoyable story in this world. The rest of the couples from previous books are here to support Basky. The Comet characters are new and a welcome addition. Liam of course has his roomie’s back 🙂 The coaching staff knows something is up and try to support as well. Things wrapped up pretty quickly really once they decide to get together for real. Recommended.
RATING: 
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