Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Two for Boarding
SERIES: Minor Penalties #2
AUTHOR: S.B. Barnes
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 353 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2026
BLURB:
With fourteen years as the San Francisco Sea Lions’ top defenseman under his belt, Phil Easton is tired. After his coaches push him into playing on a bad knee and he ends up on long-term injured reserve, the chances of having his contract renewed dwindle before his eyes. He’s ready to hang up his skates when head coach Ben Morris shows up on his doorstep to help him recover. As what starts as a short-term boarding situation turns into friendship and maybe more, Phil can’t help noticing a few things about his coach that don’t add up.
Barring a short stint on a college hockey team, journalist Ben Sinclair has never been a sports fan. Every day he spends posing as the Sea Lions’ coach while investigating a scandal at the heart of the Sea Lions’ management, he hopes he can finish the job quickly and move on. But living in Phil’s spare room, growing closer to him by the day, Ben begins to wonder if putting down roots would be so bad. When Ben’s family calls in a favor in the form of taking in his wayward nephew, Charlie, Phil offers his support. The closer they grow, the more Ben relies on Phil for help with coaching and Charlie, going against every instinct he’s trained into himself for two lonely decades.
With his heart on the line, can Ben accept Phil’s offer of a convenient marriage to keep custody of Charlie? Can Phil figure out his own sexuality in time to make the marriage real? And can both of them work together to protect the Sea Lions from a conspiracy going all the way to the top?
Reading book 1 in advance is recommended.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the second book in this series and the timeline overlaps with book 1. Some of the stage is set in that book and I think it makes reading this book easier.
Phil Easton is a veteran defensemen for the San Francisco Sea Lions hockey team. He’s pushed his body to the brink. The assistant coach keeps pushing the players harder and harder. But they have a new head coach – Ben Morris. He seems a bit out of his depth, but when Phil is injured in a game and Phil’s recovery doesn’t seem to be progressing, the team’s captain, Tom Crowler, suggests that Ben look in on him. He goes one better. He moves in with Phil to help him get around and get his recovery back on track.
Phil can’t figure Ben out. He doesn’t seem to be taking charge and he’s taking suggestions rather than leading. This seems odd to Phil for someone at this level to be behaving this way. Turns out Ben is not exactly what he seems to be.
Things have been off for the Sea Lions for a while. Ben has been brought in as an undercover investigative journalist to try to figure out how the owner and defensive coach are setting things up and profiting from betting. When Ben moves in with Phil, he and Phil get closer. Phil weighs in some of the coaching approaches. They also share a kiss which leads to some soul searching for Phil.
Ben was kicked out of his family for being gay and just as he and Phil are getting closer, Ben’s mother calls about a family situation with Ben’s nephew Charlie – who is being kicked out at age 14. Ben is determined to be there for Charlie. He’s trying to figure out how to do that when Phil steps in and says that he and Ben are engaged.
Ben is reluctant because he does have feelings for Phil. But how can he support Charlie and keep doing is job if he doesn’t have Phil to rely on too?
This was a good if long book. It really does ask for major suspension of belief, because coaches in the NHL would not be able to be replaced by undercover journalists. Like ever. Nobody would put up with someone who clearly doesn’t know hockey like breathing at that level. Anyway, beyond that, I was happy for Phil and Ben and that the drama at the Sea Lions has been pretty much resolved. I’m hoping the next book will be a little bit lighter as this one touched on a lot of tough themes – transphobia, religious homophobia, casual racism in sports, etc. Overall I’m a fan of this series and am looking forward to the next book.
RATING: 
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