Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Roommate Game
SERIES: Smithton Bears
AUTHOR: Lane Hayes
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 228 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2025
BLURB:
The hockey player, the figure skater, and the roommate situation…
Gus
No one knows how to make a party last quite like me. Technically, I should have graduated three years ago, but I love Smithton, I love hockey, and the team needs a good captain with a positive outlook. That’s me. I love this town and it loves me.
Well, everyone except my roommate.
Rafe doesn’t like me at all—total mystery. I’m a nice guy. Ask anyone. He’s the one with stick-in-the-mud-itis. However, that might be exactly what I need to curb my compulsion for nonstop fun ’cause like it or not, the excess partying is taking a toll. I need to slow down, switch gears, and maybe use my free time to make things right with my roomie.
In a twist, Rafe’s not so bad. He has a great smile, pretty eyes, cute dimples, and—
Oh, man. I think I have a situation.
Rafe
This cannot be happening. I’m a competitive figure skater with goals and big plans. How did I get saddled with a party-boy hockey-hero for a roommate?
Oh, yeah, I mistakenly assumed the captain of the hockey team would be a serious person. Wrong. Gus and I have nothing in common and I have no idea how I’m going to survive a year of this.
But in a twist, we’re good together in a crisis. So good, that I’m beginning to wonder if we could be something more than a couple of athletes playing the roommate game.
The Roommate Game is an MM light-angst, college hockey romance featuring a fun-loving captain, a serious figure skater, and a chance at forever.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third book in this series. There are spoilers for previous books, but his can easily be read as a standalone.
Rafe is a figure skater who is coming back from an injury the previous season. He’s transferred to Smithton, where his BFF Celine is also a skater. But he needed a roommate so he moved in with the captain of the hockey team, Gus. Great. Should have been fine. Except that Gus appears to be a partier who also eats all of Rafe’s food. He’s constantly hungover, having parties at their apartment and generally being the worst roommate ever.
Gus is dealing with his own issues. He’s stayed in college WAY too long. He doesn’t want to follow the plan his mother has for him and so he’s put off graduating for as long as possible.
Eventually Gus realizes he’s got to make changes. He’s using alcohol as a crutch and he’s figuring out that he’s got to deal with that. When he does, things change between him and Rafe. The move from rather hostile roommates to friends to yep, you guessed it- more.
Turns out Gus is bi and Rafe just assumed he was straight. Out of their friendship, the sparks are a flying. So it’s kind of a roommates with benefitship. But you know the feelings are going to be caught 😉
I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to this series. Gus was super annoying at the beginning of this story and I was wondering why Rafe didn’t call him out more and force him to address his complete lack of courtesy or adulting. As it becomes clear that more is going on underneath Gus’s devil may care, charming party boy persona, the crux of the matter allows Rafe to communicate with Gus and try to support him. There is humor and heart and it turns out that these two actually do complement each other in ways they didn’t foresee. The hockey team is there to support also. And Gus does grown up and deal with this stuff 😉 Another fun and low angst story that shows to guys who find that their future might not look like they expected, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the right one. Highly recommended especially for fans of college age romances and sport romances.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
It’s a great book!