Release Tour incl Exclusive Excerpt: Wren Hamilton – A Rookie Mistake

RELEASE TOUR: A Rookie Mistake By Wren Hamilton

Length: 85,000 words Series: standalone Genre: Contemporary M/M Hockey Romance Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, Rookie/Assistant Coach, Age Gap (7 years), Bi-Sexual MC, Queer Awakening

Trigger/Content Warnings: Brief on page physical and emotional abuse by parent, chronic autoimmune disease (MS) mentioned for one MC parent, anxiety representation Designer: Silver Grace @ Bitter Sage Designs, Illustration: Angk.i_

Universal Link Caden Kelly They all say I was born with a natural talent. But skill isn’t the same as passion, and I’ve never loved hockey. Not the spotlight, not the pressure, and definitely not the expectations that come with being my father’s son. I dream of a quieter life—one where I build and create instead of perform for a crowd. But in my father’s world, dreams are irrelevant. Control is everything. And he’s a ruthless expert at keeping me in line. So when he pushes me to sign with a new team far from home, I don’t argue. I never do. Then Asher “The Ace” Landry steps onto the ice and into my life. I’ve seen his face on screens countless times, Stanley Cup champion turned assistant coach. But in person, he’s nothing like I imagined. Thoughtful. Attentive. Safe. And somehow, he sees me, even when I’m trying my hardest to disappear. The truth is, I’m lost. On the ice. In my family. And in these new, confusing feelings Ash stirs in me. But something’s shifting, and as the pressure builds to a breaking point, I realize maybe it’s time I start fighting for my life, not the one planned out for me. Asher overhears a conversation between Caden and his father during a family emergency.   The rage that sparked inside me grew into an inferno. How fucking dare a father talk to his son that way? It was like my brain disassociated from reality for a few seconds, my thoughts obliterated by a kind of aggression that I’d never felt anything close to.    I edged toward the end of the wall where the two hallways would combine. I just needed to see Cade’s face. It was a complete invasion of privacy. He hadn’t given me permission to eavesdrop on a very serious family moment. I wanted to go around the corner and throat punch Mr. Kelly as hard as possible so he couldn’t say another word. I’d never been a hothead on the ice, avoiding getting into any scuffles and concentrating on performing for my team, but the ways I normally thought and acted were quickly turning toward much darker urges.   “Dad, but I’m here now. I’ll just go in and see her real quick. I haven’t caused any problems for the team,” Cade’s voice wavered slightly.   It wasn’t a lie per se. Neither of us knew the fallout from our rash joint decision to take off in the middle of the night, even if it had been the right thing to do.    “Fuck that. Let’s get this straight, there’s no way in hell you’re going into that room and waking your mom up just because you’re not man enough to do what needs to be done and you want to run to your mommy instead of doing your fucking job.”    “But. . .” Cade tried again.    “Don’t. You’re going to turn your ass around and figure out how to catch the bus back to Belleville this goddamn minute and fix this clusterfuck you’ve caused. Do you think I need this shit from you when I’m dealing with all of these fucking doctors and nurses telling me what my own goddamn wife is going to need? As if I don’t know what’s good for her!”    I risked exposing half my face around the corner to catch a glimpse of the sorry excuse for a man that Cade called his father.   I couldn’t see Cade’s face with his back toward me, but Mr. Kelly’s face was a livid shade of reddish-purple. His disgusted anger was evident in his expression as he looked at Cade, despite keeping his volume down.   But what lit the fuse inside me was the—no doubt painful—grip he was inflicting on Cade’s shoulders. Mr. Kelly’s fingers and knuckles were white from how hard he was squeezing Cade. That kind of grip left bruises.    I couldn’t just stand there and let this go on. There was no way I could ignore the fact that Cade was being hurt emotionally and physically right in front of me. I had to do something without making it worse.    How could I interrupt and make it sound legit? 

With extensive experience in questionable choices, bad ideas and entirely too much caffeine, Wren Hamilton is pursuing her dream of writing complex, genuine characters who find partners who love them for exactly who they are. Wren lives outside Toronto, Canada with her family and two incredibly cheeky rescue dogs.

Instagram: @wrenhamilton.writes

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