Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Cheap Shot
SERIES: Scoring Chances
AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn
NARRATOR: James Edward Jones
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 11 hours and 40 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 29, 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.
REVIEW:
Note: This is book 5 in this series and has spoilers for the first four 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 😉
Luke Crawford has a plan. He needs to play two more years for the Boston Harriers and the he’s going to retire from hockey and open a bar in Boston. He’s not looking for love. He’s not looking for the picket fence dream. He’s got his house – he’s spent his years in Boston DIY’ing the hell out of it and he has no desire to move on. He likes his team, his coaches, his role and his management. He just needs to get this contract done so he can settle and finalize his plans. He really does not want to be traded again and start over someplace else. He’s going to be 35 and he knows he coming to the end of his career. Every injury, heck, every game, takes longer to recover from these days.
One think Luck Crawford does NOT like are labels. If he gets lonely, well there are apps for that 😉 He tends to go for hookups with men who are ok with his boundaries. He’s not looking for a relationship. At all.
Sebastian Breckon has just moved to Boston from New York. He’s got two successful floral shops in NYC and now he’s opened a branch in Boston. He’s moved because his sister, Bri, is going through a divorce and has a young daughter, Harper, with a chronic health condition. Their parents aren’t in a position to help and live in Arizona, so he steps up. He’s financially stable/successful and he’s not letting down his family. His focus is his work and and his family. He’s not interested in a relationship either. His last relationship ended because his boyfriend did not like the priority Sebastian placed on his business and his sister and niece. So Sebastian was happy to move to Boston.
Sebastian is a big New York hockey fan. At all the games in New York, he sat behind the penalty box and chirped the opposing players hard. His favorite target? Luke Crawford. Luke has some bad history with Seb’s best friend, Nick Connors who was the captain of the NY team but who has been off the ice for years with residual issues from a concussion. So imagine his surprise when his app hookup turns out to be none other than Luke Crawford. They are both shocked, but hey, don’t let a little hatred get in the way of a good time 😉
Despite knowing they shouldn’t, the continue to meet up using the hookup app. Then Seb’s niece is scheduled for a Make a Wish day with the Harriers. And guess how her favorite player is? That’s right. Mr. Luke. Luke is furious when he sees Seb at this stadium day for Harper. He feels blindsided, but Seb DID message him through the app – he just didn’t see it 😉 They manage to make it through the day, but it’s tense.
Eventually they trade numbers and then Luke is injured. While he still hooks up with Sebastian, he’s unable to drive so Sebastian has to drive him home. Things get a little weird then for a bit, but eventually they get back to clear communication. They start hanging out a Luke’s watching hockey and hooking up. Except is it just a hookup now?
When Bri and Harper need help and Sebastian is at Luke’s, they end up going over to Bri’s so that Luke can help with an emergency home repair. The cat is out of the bag with Bri at that point, and she’s none too pleased. Sebastian has a secret that could blow this whole thing apart. But he’s seen that he misjudged what kind of man Luke Crawford really is. Can he reconcile the two and see Luke for the man he is now? Can this “situationship” continue? What about the future? Can two men who are so independent and need space make a relationship work? You’ll have to listen to find out 🙂
Oh man. I LOVED this one. First, I really appreciate all the different perspectives this series covers. We have poly relationships, bi characters, gay characters and in this case, aromantic characters. Luke and Sebastian are way more compatible on so many levels than they can even imagine. Luke as an enforcer has had a job to do for his team. He plays hard and he happy he landed in Boston at the end of his career and he doesn’t want to move on again. Sebastian is happy to support his sister and his niece. He is very focused on his business. They each like what they have together but the don’t want to be smothered. They need space. If they can get past the big bad secret, maybe they can make it work. Thankfully there is no long drawn out separation here. They are both mature men who come to their senses pretty quickly. I actually really appreciated their perspectives. As someone who greatly values alone time and having my own space, I related so much to these characters.
Janes Edward Jones does a fantastic job here. I loved the chirps, the playfulness, the sensitivity of the story around Harper and her health condition. There were a LOT of character here. I loved the family characters of this team and the extended family and friends. The voices are so good and consistent. Luke’s growly grump was perfection! I cannot wait for Tanner’s story! These guys are SO up in each other’s business. The whole party? I laughed out loud more than once! Highly recommended.
RATING: 
BUY LINK:
BrighamVaughnShop.com
