Reviewed by Jen
TITLE: Goaltender Interference
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
SERIES: Scoring Chances
PUBLISHER: Self published
LENGTH: 562 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2025
BLURB:
The last thing Connor O’Shea needs is more complications …
After too much celebrating at his brother’s wedding, Connor wakes up next to cocky Toronto goaltender Jesse Webber—pro hockey’s reigning f*ckboy. With three kids and a failed marriage under his belt, Connor might be ready to admit he’s attracted to men, but that doesn’t mean his life has to change. Fate has other Jesse’s been traded to the Boston Harriers, the team Connor captains. With an intimidating family legacy to live up to, pressure from ownership to bring home another Cup, and a strained relationship with his ex-wife to juggle, Connor reluctantly agrees to let Jesse stay at his place for the season—strictly to keep him in line. Rules are set, boundaries are clear. But Jesse’s never met a rule he couldn’t break. Between winning over Connor’s kids, rallying the team, and sneaking past Connor’s defenses, Jesse is determined to prove he’s more than just trouble. But can he show Connor there’s more to life than playing it safe?
REVIEW: Anyone who watches professional hockey knows the pain of trades. That is how this story begins, with goalie, Jesse, being traded from Toronto to Boston. Connor is the captain of the Boston team and therefore, the one tasked with getting Jesse up to speed and under control. The initial problem is that they had a previous one-night hookup. The story starts out pretty slow with Connor struggling with various personal issues, from his failed marriage, to religion, to his sexuality and then captaining his team.
I enjoyed Jesse for the most part. He was a bit out of control at times, most especially in the past, but even when he tried, he couldn’t seem to catch a break. That said, he was really immature, especially for a professional athlete making a ton of money. His continually poor choices got tiring. Connor, understandably, has the aforementioned issues to deal and come to grips with (i.e. his sexuality/religion). Their chemistry and banter grows on you though, and I ended up really liking them together and had no trouble seeing how they fit together.
This installment takes its time setting up the lay of the land for this series. It feels a bit drawn out at times, and for me, felt a bit too long. But, it sets up the stage for more to come and introduces us to the various characters we might see again. I love stories surrounding teammates and while they are pretty far-fetched with everyone in relationships, let alone gay relationships, they are still really enjoyable and interesting to read. Looks like Gavin and Dakota are up next, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this series further develops.
RATING: 
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