Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Delayed Penalty
SERIES: Scoring Chances
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
NARRATOR: James Edward Jones
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 11 hours and 50 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2026
BLURB:
The last thing Thad Racine needs is to fall for a guy playing for his brother’s hockey team …
As an ex-con, Thad’s had a rough life. Getting a job in the social media department of the Boston Harriers is his last-ditch effort at a fresh start.
He may not be raking in money like his previously estranged twin—the team’s GM—but he finally has a career he likes, a regular paycheck, and some stability. There’s only one catch: if he screws around with anyone working for the Harriers, he’ll be fired.
The last thing he expects is to fall for Graham Pennington.
The golden boy. The high-scoring forward who’s a crucial part of the team. The assistant captain.
Oh yeah, and he’s straight.
Falling in love with his GM’s brother isn’t part of Graham’s five-year plan.
Graham knows what he wants: find love and help lead his team to a Stanley Cup win.
So why do none of his relationships with women ever seem to work out?
After a totally unexpected but sizzling kiss with his friend Thad, he’s confused and a little conflicted. Has he been looking for love in all the wrong places?
Graham’s desire to be with Thad wars with his goal of helping the team find success. Despite Thad’s growing feelings, he’s terrified to risk his new career or the relationship he’s slowly rebuilding with his brother.
When the pressure from their secrets threatens their carefully laid plans, will they be ready to risk everything for love?
REVIEW:
Note: This is book 4 in this series and has spoilers for the first three books. There are also spoilers for previous series here, but it doesn’t take away from this story. Technically it could be read as a standalone, but I recommend the other books in this series too 😉
Thad works in Social Media for the Boston Harriers – the Pro hockey team where his twin brother is the GM. He likes and is good at the job. He’s finally building a life for himself after many years of struggling to even get by. He cannot jeopardize that nor his relationship he’s been slowing rebuilding with his brother. Then Graham happens.
Graham is a top player and assistant captain of the Harriers. He’s focused on his job and his game. But after a steamy kiss with his friend Thad, he’s completely thrown off kilter. Why at 26 would he suddenly be attracted to a man? So he backs off. Leaves town after the season and gets back together with his girlfriend.
When he gets back to Boston, Graham is stilted in his interactions with Thad. Their friendship is weird now. Graham isn’t sure what to do, but he knows that he doesn’t like it. His girlfriend asks what is wrong. Um, that’s a loaded question.
Once Graham decides he wants to date Thad, he goes for it. But they have to keep in on the DL because of Gavin finds out – well they could both lose a lot. Graham is convinced they can keep it secret. Thad is very nervous. But they give it a go. And they more time they spend together, the more time they want to spend together. Despite some of Thad’s issues that keep resurface as they are getting closer, Graham wants more. Like maybe he wants everything with this man who means more to him than anyone he’s ever known.
I really enjoyed this story. Although part of Thad’s story was told in a previous book in this series, this story really delves into this past. He is definitely dealing with a lot and his budding relationship with Graham brings up a lot of his past. I was so glad that he has been getting help from his therapist who seems like a great fit for him. His relationship with his brother is still a problem to some degree. Gavin is still a bit of a hothead and tends to jump to conclusions and assume the worst of Thad – unfairly. It takes Thad offering himself up again to take the punishment when Gavin’s anger and assumptions run away with him. Thankfully cooler heads prevail.
I loved Graham so much! What a good guy. He takes his relationships seriously. He is confused about his feelings at first. He feels bad for acting on them. t takes him a while to figure himself out and when he finally does, he doesn’t want to risk either his or Thad’s job. The “secrecy” is fun for him, but it’s killing Thad. It’s one more secret that he’s keeping that makes him feel bad about himself. Graham understands and when it comes to a head though, he’s not going to let Thad take the hit. They are definitely each other’s person 🙂
The supporting characters in this one are so good. I really loved Madison. What a great support she is for Graham. Also Graham’s family were a hoot. Thad and Gavin’s family? Not so much. The Harriers and the O’Sheas? Everyone has Graham’s and Thad’s and Gavin’s backs. Gavin finally pulls his head out of his ass which is a welcome change 🙂
James Edward Jones just a fabulous job with this one. There are soooo many characters. I loved his performance – the call with Graham’s family was hilarious! I so enjoyed getting to revisit so many of the characters from past books and series here too. The emotions were just so perfect here – lots of highs and lows. Another fantastic narration. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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