Two-Man Team by Amy Aislin Release Blitz

One wrongful arrest ruined Kris Xappa’s image—and made his NHL team look bad. Now, with orders to keep his head down, the last thing he needs is to develop feelings for his younger teammate—and best friend’s brother. The fact that he can’t stop thinking about their one illicit kiss doesn’t mean anything.

Rory Stanton is perfectly capable of taking care of himself and doesn’t need his brother’s best friend keeping an eye on him. Sure, he likes having Kris’s attention, but he’d rather have it for entirely different reasons. Too bad that one kiss they shared wasn’t enough to convince Kris to take a chance on him.

When an injury lands Rory in Kris’s care, will these teammates be able to see past the obstacles to become a two-man team?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Stick Side series!
For book one, On the Ice, click HERE.
For book two, The Nature of the Game, click HERE.
For book three, Shots on Goal, click HERE.
For book four, Risking the Shot, click HERE.

 

 

Book 5
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)

 

 

At some point while Kris had been occupied—or possibly when he’d been sitting here feeling sorry for himself—Rory had brought a bowl of grapes and blueberries to the table, as well as two sets of cutlery, two tall glasses of water, three different types of jam from the fridge, and two empty mugs. The smell of percolating coffee hit and Kris almost wept.

Rory was surely here because Emery had asked him to come, but Kris didn’t give two shits about his motivations. As long as Rory fed him, the man could come by anytime he wanted.

“You look like you need this.” Rory set Kris’s plate at his elbow. “And about twelve hours of sleep.”

“You’re not wrong. Thanks for this.” Closing the laptop, Kris shoved it aside and brought his food closer.

“Maybe stay away from fast food breakfast sandwiches in the future.” Rory wrinkled his nose. “That thing looked like poison.”

Kris chuckled and shoved half a toast in his mouth, not bothering with jam.

Rory Stanton was one of those cute as button types. High forehead, small nose, big brown eyes. In Rory’s downtime, those big eyes were usually covered with glasses. Today, he wore his contacts, which meant he’d been outdoors. He’d complained, more than once, about the annoyance of changing from prescription glasses to prescription sunglasses and back whenever he went from indoors to outdoors to indoors again. He always seemed to smell like sunshine and grass, and his dark brown hair was constantly in a state of dishevelment.

“You got a bit of a burn on your nose,” Kris said, pointing his fork at him.

“Damn.” Rory’s eyes crossed. “I do? Didn’t think I’d need sunscreen for an hour of street hockey this late in September. Ah well.” Unconcerned, he dug into his meal.

Kris stood, retrieved the ketchup from the fridge, and proceeded to smother his eggs in it.

Rory stared at him. “God, you’re disgusting.”

“Ketchup brings me joy.”

For some reason, Rory thought that was hysterical and he dissolved into snorted, hiccupy giggles. The same kind that had left Rory a snorting, laughing mess at last year’s Christmas party.

The same night he’d kissed Kris.

If Kris had thought about that sloppy, back-of-an-Uber kiss more than once in the intervening months, well... it wasn’t Kris’s fault. Despite tasting like a barroom floor, that kiss had awoken something in him. Not feelings. More of an awareness of Rory as something other than Kris’s best friend’s little brother. An awareness of Rory as a fully grown man.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fifth book in the series. I would recommend that you read them in order, because they are all very good, but in some ways, I do think you could read this one and then go back and catch up on the goodness of the previous couplings.

Kris is readying his post-retirement life plans for the end of the season. He and two of his closest friends are setting up a not-for-profit, but some bad publicity starts to seriously damage his reputation. It is incredibly frustrating and causes ridiculous and unwanted attention from the media. It worries investors, and also affects his game. Although his coming to the aid of his best friend's younger brother, Rory, causes even more confusion and distraction... which is a surprise, possibly even a pleasant one!

Rory is now playing hockey with Kris, his long, long-time crush. Always unattainable, and sort out of bounds, the interest has never dimmed. So, when Kris offers him a place to recover after he breaks his leg, Rory has to accept, but knows every day will be a challenge.

There is so much to enjoy in this story, from the sexy men who try and resist the temptation literally in front of them, and the hilarity of Rory's love of waffles, and the excitement of the game. The author has done a great job of putting these two men in a position that they need to navigate to find a way forward together. It is really great to catch up with the team and how their life plans are progressing along with their blossoming relationships.

I am already looking forward to the next installment – hint, hint!


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is another sweet and sexy addition to a great series. Completely devoted to his charity work, Kris is devastated when tabloid gossip threatens his reputation and his plans for his life after retirement. His life is further complicated when his teammate (and his best friend’s younger brother) is injured and needs Kris’ care.

If it weren’t for his uncanny ability to get himself into the news for the wrong reason, Kris would almost be too saintly to be fun. He’s a little bit too perfect – but the fact that the world thinks he’s a drunk and a thug almost makes up for it. Rory is a fabulous counterpoint to Kris. He’s a series of contrasts. After years of bullying, Rory lacks the confidence the public expects from a young rising hockey star.

This is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance. The angst in both men’s lives is personal, there is very little friction or miscommunication between the two. The friendship that builds while Rory stays with Kris builds slowly into something that gives them both strength. This is a gentle, heartwarming read, and I enjoyed it very much.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
There was so much I loved about this story. I’ll start with the romance between Kris and Rory. Rory breaks his leg and moves in with Kris while he is healing. We already know that Rory has feelings for Kris, but Kris’ feelings start to change the more they spend time together. While there are definitely a few hot and sexy parts in this story, it was their emotional connection and the way the men supported each other that I really loved. I was so wrapped up in their love story that at one point where Kris inadvertently hurts Rory’s feelings, I was devastated and grumpy for half the day.

There is more to this story than the romance. Kris is arrested when he steps in to stop a fight in a bar. The media reporting and fallout cause problems with Kris’ plans to launch a non-profit to help kids and teens. And the scrutiny from the media and bloggers doesn’t stop and it made me so mad. It had me thinking about how this happens in real life and how hard it must be to be in the public eye.

As for Rory, at 23 years old he is still dealing with the emotional fallout of having been bullied in school. This was something I could totally relate to and seeing Rory confront his issues and deal with them was comforting.

I was completely enamored with Rory and Kris. Kris has such a big heart and Rory is completely adorable. This story was wonderful and by the end I was so happy for Kris and Rory and everything they overcame together to get to a happy place together.

 

 

 

AMY AISLIN has lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she's read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she's been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn't at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada's largest environmental non-profit.

An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram and Twitter, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter HERE.

Connect with Amy

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Amy Aislin’s Readers

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Two-Man Team (Stick Side #5) by Amy Aislin to read and review for this tour.