Reviewed by Lady Macbeth
TITLE: Cheap Shot
SERIES: Scoring Chances #5
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 544 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2026
BLURB:
The last thing Luke Crawford needs is to fall in love with anyone …
He’s got a good thing going as the Boston Harriers’ enforcer, and he likes his classic rides and quiet house to himself. Getting off with strangers is fine, but nobody is going to come in and mess up his hard-won peace.
Least of all Vintage Jersey Guy, who comes to every home game to chirp Luke in the penalty box.
Sebastian Breckon left a thriving business in New York to help his sister, a single mom struggling to manage a demanding job and a kid with a chronic health condition.
However, Sebastian’s new flower shop in Boston isn’t taking off like he planned. Thankfully, he can blow off steam by chirping Crawford for the cheap shot he laid on Sebastian’s best friend and captain of the New York team.
Then Luke unexpectedly lands on Sebastian’s doorstep for a hookup and hatred turns to heat.
As injuries pile up, the team struggles to clinch a playoff spot, and Luke’s upcoming contract is suddenly on the line, Sebastian feels like the only solid thing in Luke’s life.
Except Luke doesn’t do romance. Especially not the white-picket-fence type.
But when Sebastian’s family’s struggles worsen right as the Harriers need Luke to play his best, he’ll have to decide if he’s ready to take the leap and convince Sebastian to build a future together.
CONTENT WARNING:
Neglectful and absent parents and a child with a life-threatening condition being rushed to the hospital.
REVIEW:
Luke Crawford has been a constant presence in this author’s books for a long time.
He’s always been the mean defenseman, the asshole player, the one who never hesitated to slam his opponents on the boards and also the teammate who wasn’t very nice in the locker room.
But Brigham Vaughn worked his magic and, oh boy, did I love this story!
I usually prefer more straightforward romantic dynamics, I want the MCs to irremediably fall in love, the tender moments and the sweet gesture and honestly, none of it fits in Luke and Sebastian’s story but I still loved it so much.
These two have been on each other’s nerves for a long time, with Sebastian showing up at every Harriers’ game, dressed in a New York Rockett jersey, to throw chirps at Luke.
The first cracks in Luke’s stern appearance started to show in the previous book, when he accepted to take pictures with a little fan, despite her being Jersey Guy’s niece.
In this book they connect through a hookup app and are shocked when they recognise each other; they decide to still have sex and they immediately hit it off, being exactly what they need and having an incredible sexual chemistry.
Obviously they still don’t like each other and Sebastian doesn’t stop to tantalise Luke during the games, but they keep hooking up in secret and their connection grows.
Sebastian is exactly what Luke needs: sexy, independent, easygoing, not demanding of Luke’s attention or time because he has his own career to think of and his family to support.
And Sebastian is baffled by how much of a good person Luke is, nice, loyal, reliable, a mature man who knows what he wants in his life. Luke can seem just a rough player unconcerned about hurting others, but he actually cares and he also changed his attitude once he educated himself.
I really appreciated how the author handled Luke’s aromantic side: there was nothing to fix and once he and Sebastian had a serious talk, they found a common ground to make their relationship work for real. The emotional build up of this story was very slow but also very satisfying.
I’m not a big fan of Sebastian’s sister, I found her too pushy and intrusive sometimes. Instead, I adored how Sebastian and Nicky mended their friendship (I hope he will get a book too!).
The end was everything I needed for them.
Now, the question is will Leif be able to shut Tanner up? I hope he will. In the most delicious way.
RATING: 
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