Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Changes On Ice
SERIES: Changes #3
AUTHOR: Kaje Harper
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 480 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2025
BLURB:
Rusty Dolan tries to think of himself as lucky. When his folks declared him dead to them for being gay, he’d already turned eighteen, his hockey gear was in his truck, and NHL star player Scott Edison lived a dozen miles down the road. Which meant instead of crashing his life, Rusty had a place to stay and a goal to chase. At the end of summer, his old pickup wheezed over the mountains without dying, and Scott’s coaching helped Rusty earn a spot on the Eugene Gryphons team.
Now, halfway into the season, he’s playing his best developmental-league hockey and checking out the Oregon gay scene, which has a lot more options than small-town Kansas. Sadly, it has more douchebags too, and when one of them latches onto Rusty, he panics. NHLer Roger LaCroix is also a friend, of sorts. Rusty calls Cross for help, and the veteran defenseman shows up big time. Which does not help Rusty’s long-time crush on him.
Cross knows his worth to the Rafters as a Norris-trophy-winning player, but that’s about the only thing he’s certain of. Hockey is his whole life. He got dumped by his longtime girlfriend a few years back, and wasn’t as sad about it as he expected. He’s decided he’s probably demisexual, and he and Willow just never reached his comfort zone.
But now there’s Rusty. After the mess of the past summer, Cross wants to help a deserving young player get his shot. As a man who hates creeps, he has no hesitation posing as Rusty’s boyfriend to fend off a predatory ex. Problem is, Cross kind of likes being around Rusty, giving coaching tips and taking care of him. Except who is Cross, at thirty, to have some kind of identity crisis at the expense of a hot, young, up-and-coming player? He and Rusty really should stick to being friends. It’s the only safe answer.
Changes on Ice is an M/M, age-gap, slow burn, asexual-self-discovery sports romance, related to the first books in the series but with two new main characters.
REVIEW:
After a close encounter with kidnapping and a gun, NHL hockey star, Roger ‘Cross’ LaCroix, has nightmares. When Rusty called needing help, Cross immediately responded. However, Cross never expected his response to turn into a journey of self-discovery.
Changes On Ice is the third book in the Changes series, and the focus shifts to Rusty and Cross, who made their first appearance in book two. I understand an author’s need to tell a story in its entirety. However, advertising a polyamorous relationship in a continuous series, then having one of the books mm, could be detrimental to the series as a whole, as there are readers who aren’t comfortable with MMM relationships. As a result, promoters risk missing out on a demographic for the final book.
Did I enjoy the story? Yes.
Was it a page-turner? In parts.
Pace of story – glacial.
Most stories are like journeys on the high seas. There are highs, lows, calmer waters, and faster currents. This was akin to a journey across the Pacific in a rowboat. Some of the scenes were superb, and some elements understandably needed time; I am positive that some readers adore stories this way. However, I struggled with the pace vs the arc.
I am torn between my head and my heart. As already mentioned, there were elements that I truly enjoyed. Rusty and Cross are an absolute delight. The journey of discovering asexuality and making it work within a relationship was inspired, as this is a form that rarely gets written about. However, taking 480 pages to do it was excessive. Books this length are not the norm.
The previous two books were about three men in a poly relationship, who had completely different careers, dealing with various issues that took up the page count, and I was thoroughly entertained. The relationship in this tale was between two men, both of whom played ice hockey, albeit from different ends of the spectrum. Yet, the page count increased.
While two coming out of the closets are rarely the same, the subject of coming out in the NHL had already been highlighted and developed to a level of incorporating numerous rainbow banners in spectator seats and I was waving mine along with the crowd. Even with all the other family issues, hockey highs and lows, and dodgy ex drama, I have read books that dealt with more in fewer words. I like my heart to go on a journey with my head, and while my head was entertained, my heart rate barely changed.
It was wonderful to see Will and Scotty have some page time, and I’d have liked them to have more, because it would have given a stronger link to the other books.
Rusty’s background is established in book two, and while I understand his need to be independent and prove he can survive, his decision not to go to the men who took him in for help seemed like he was deliberately being a bit of a stubborn numpty. But hey-ho, he went to Cross and we got love instead. Cross has a whole other set of problems associated with money and demanding parents, but I loved his sister, Marie.
Changes On Ice contains a lot to like, and for the sake of spoilers I’m not going to say what they are. There are sweet characters and some good on the ice action, but I believe it could have been conveyed with fewer words, which would have made it a punchier read.
RATING: 
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