Trade Deadline by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

It’s a reunion to remember…

Don’t miss this friends-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn.

Daniel “Bellzie” Bellamy should be on top of the world—a Stanley Cup is the perfect topper to his fourteen-year NHL career. But despite the post-win high, something’s missing. When the chance to play for his hometown team, the Miami Thunder, comes along, he’s open to it. And when he runs into an old friend from his past soon after he makes the move, he wonders if it might be kismet.

Micah Kelly never thought he’d see his childhood crush—and first kiss—again. Danny Bellamy moved on to bigger and better things when they were teenagers, and the idea that Micah’s relationship with the professional hockey player could be anything more than one-sided Instagram thirst seems too good to be true.

Maybe too good to be true is the new reality, though. As the season goes on, Micah teaches Daniel to surf, and Daniel introduces Micah to his lovable pack of rescue dogs and the world of being a hockey boyfriend. Life is good. But when things on the ice don’t go as planned, they’ll have to decide if their rediscovered romance is built to last.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series – and I would recommend that you read the earlier ones as they are excellent, and lead you to the point that Venom has won the Stanley Cup. Captain Daniel Bellamy is definitely delighted, but his career is nearing an end, and whilst he doesn't want to leave Venom, he recognises that he has one or two seasons left. When his hometown team in Miami offer him a good deal, he decides it is time to go home. This sets off a sequence of events which he could never imagine, but that in the end, turn out to be amazing!

Daniel's ex-wife chooses to move to Miami too with their children, so at least he will have family close by as he makes the transition to the bottom of the league Miami Thunders. Little did he expect to see his first-ever crush, Micah, though! As they still feel the attraction pinging. Daniel has to acknowledge that his future could be with this man. The journey is not simple, and I loved both the sport and the time we spend at the aquarium – what a great mix.

His hockey career is truly in the gutter; the Thunder team is just not gelling, and his experience, instead of helping, has set everyone on edge. Even after he tries to make peace with the captain, the atmosphere is not great... what is happening to the stellar career now? Thank goodness for his wonderful ex, his lovely children, and now Micah, for showing him what is what.

Very enjoyable, fun, sexy, and unputdownable read.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This story of a Stanley Cup winning captain who transfers to the league’s worst team as one last career challenge is unusual because the hockey element of the book is pretty depressing. Fortunately, the romance that blooms between Daniel and his childhood best friend is wonderful and definitely with a few lost hockey games.

Micah is probably the true hero of this book – and as a marine biologist rescuing dolphins and turtles, he might actually have an even better job than Daniel does. Micah is passionate and successful and the only flaw I can see is that he’s almost too perfect. But Daniel isn’t far off perfect either. As a hockey player at the end of his career, Daniel has accomplished every possible career goal. All he needs to do is work out a plan for his life after hockey.

I love the way Micah and Daniel’s childhood friendship translates into an adult connection that is pretty magical. I love the playful banter between these two and I love the way they are both so proud of each other for realising their childhood dreams.

I think my only reservation about this story is the fact that everything and everyone is almost perfect. Even Daniel’s ex-wife is amazing. My favourite Avon Gale hockey books involve slightly more flawed and more colourful characters. And while Daniel’s new team is a car crash, Daniel and Micah are squeaky clean. They even communicate like grownups. Daniel and Micah’s story is lovely and it would make an inspiring Hallmark movie. I just miss the grit, the attitude, and the humour I’ve come to expect from Avon Gale’s hockey writing.

Also Available in the Hat Trick Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

For reviews & more info, check out our Off the Ice post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

For reviews & more info, check out our Goalie Interference post.

Avon Gale

AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.

When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon

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Piper Vaughn

PIPER VAUGHN is a Latinx author and longtime romance reader. Since writing their first love story at age eleven, they’ve known writing in some form was exactly what they wanted to do. A reader to the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book.

Piper grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Chicago and loves putting faces and characters of every ethnicity in their stories, making their fictional worlds as colorful as the real one. Above all, Piper believes there’s no one way to have an HEA, and every person deserves to see themselves reflected on the page.

Connect with Piper

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Trade Deadline (Hat Trick #3) by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn to read and review.

Goalie Interference by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn…

Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.

Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom is looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.

Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.

In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
I love Avon Gale’s hockey romances so much! This story about two NHL goalies competing for the same spot on the same team is a wonderful mix of hockey action, team banter, and heart.

When we first meet Ryu, he’s disciplined, cold, and determined. In contrast, Emmitt is loud, arrogant, and passionate. It was Emmitt who first caught my attention but Ryu who ultimately stole my heart. The tension between the two goalies is fabulous. Fiercely competitive on the ice, both men try to deny the attraction they feel and the heat that simmers between them. There are some very steamy scenes in this story – and the power struggles between Ryu and Emmitt are even better in the bedroom. I love the common ground they find, and I love the balance their connection brings to their lives – and to their games.

As always, Gale seems to know hockey players and she captures their voices beautifully. This story doesn’t have quite the same humour or snark that make books like her Power Play and Save of the Game all-time favourite reads, but it is a fun, exciting story. I love the diversity of the characters in this book and I think Ryu and Emmitt’s experiences as black and Asian hockey players are explored thoughtfully and respectfully. This story will easily stand alone, but I’ll always encourage new readers to start at the beginning of the Scoring Chances books.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series. I love reading sports romances, and this one has a lovely twist which I thought worked really well – pitch two goal keepers against each other to take lead spot, and then make them realise that they are attracted physically to each other.

Emmitt Armstrong joins the Venoms and finds that Ryu Mori, the sitting goalie, almost automatically takes an immediate dislike to him. It is he guesses inevitable, but a shame, as he finds him a very beautiful man. "Army" doesn't advertise the fact, but he has had relationships with both men and women, and Ryu definitely attracts him physically.

As the two men are made to work in tandem through the season, they come to a working truce, and find that the attraction may be mutual. In fact, they find that they have more in common than they might have ever expected, particularly when it comes to the pressures from their parents.

We get plenty of hockey action, and benefit from the insight of two goalies with different styles as they deal with the pressure of being in goal as they get ever closer to lifting the Stanley Cup. We also catch up with Tristan and Seb from the first book, and I am looking forward to the next installment of this enjoyable sports romance series.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
2.5 stars
M/M Sports romance

This is the second in this series, however, you do not need to read the first one in order to understand the characters. The characters from book one are secondary in this book.

Ryu has been the goalie for the team for several seasons. However, now that they have a real shot at the Stanley Cup, his team will bring in a new goalie to train too.

Emmitt has wanted to play in the NHL for as long as he can remember. Despite his dad’s disapproval, Emmitt knows that he’s worked hard for this. He has made it.

But Ryu has worked too hard to let some smart-mouthed youngster come and take his spot. Emmitt has put too much time and himself into becoming the best to make it. These two are at odds from the very beginning.

And while I can get behind a rivalry story, this just missed the mark. They have hate sex, but can’t seem to talk without falling into bed. Then their relationship moves from hate sex to relationship status, but they seemed to have missed a few steps from hating each other to loving each other.

Overall, this was predictable and somewhat slow. I wanted a different kind of conflict. Also, I’m unsure what their ethnicity had to do with the story, but there seemed to be some kind of underlying theme that either I missed or just didn’t understand what the authors were trying to convey.

Also Available in the Hat Trick Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press – Harlequin

For reviews & more info, check out our Off the Ice post.

Avon Gale

AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.

When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads


Piper Vaughn

Romance author, tea drinker, book junkie, tattoo enthusiast, typewriter collector, flirt. Lover of hedgehogs, piercings, tattoos, and hockey.

Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book—fantasy, young adult, romance, she loves them all (and has a two-thousand-book library to prove it!). She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book.

Connect with Piper

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Goalie Interference (Hat Trick #2) by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn to read and review.

Thrall by Avon Gale & Roan Parrish Spotlight

Dating Sucks & Love Bites

Happy couple Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra have begun to garner national attention for their quirky New Orleans true-crime podcast, Shadowcast. When Lucy's brother Harker disappears while researching the popular new dating app Thrall, they're thrown into a real-life mystery. Aided by their social media expert, Arthur, and Harker's professor, Van Helsing, they follow the trail, hoping to find Harker before it's too late.

When their investigation crosses the path of a possible serial killer, the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur. And as they race against the app's countdown clock, so does the line between friendship and love. What starts as a flirtatious rivalry between computer-savvy Arthur and techno-averse Van Helsing becomes much more, and Mina and Lucy's relationship is tested in the fires of social media.

As they get down to the wire, the group discovers that nothing on their screens is as it seems—including their enemy.

A modern retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Buy Links

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B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Arthur plucked the book from my hand and slid it onto the coffee table.

“Van, pay attention to me,” he said, mouth in a tempting pout.

“Rude, Arthur,” I said, grabbing the book and opening it again.

Arthur’s pout deepened, and he sighed, flopping onto the couch beside me. “Fine.”

He sulked on the couch for a few minutes, then his hand crept to my thigh, sliding between my legs as it moved higher. The words on the page became more difficult to focus on. I clapped a stilling hand on his and looked at him sternly.

“Rude.”

He huffed again, then inspiration lit his eyes. He toed off his shoes casually, dropping his socks on the floor. Then he wandered into my bedroom and I turned again to my reading. Just when I’d sunk back into the book, Arthur walked out of the bedroom, naked except for a pair of very tight, very sheer black underwear. His backside was pert and perfect, his cock straining the fabric of the underwear. When I looked up, he licked his lips.

I raised an eyebrow at him, then deliberately went back to reading. Arthur slumped, clearly disappointed that his ruse to distract me hadn’t worked. Then he dropped into the armchair, spread his legs wide, and hooked one knee over the arm, sheer black underwear making his genitals a perfect package between his spread legs. And right in front of me.

“How’s your book, professor?” Arthur murmured, voice like honey. He dropped a graceful hand into his lap and cupped his penis.

“Very absorbing.”

His hand began to move, stroking himself gently. I watched surreptitiously over the top of my book as he hardened beneath his own touch. As his erection swelled, the underwear became tighter and tighter, and his legs fell farther apart. Arthur’s head dropped back onto the cushion, lips parting as his breath came faster.

“Arthur.”

“Mhmm.”

“Are you trying to distract me?”

“No. Just taking things into my own hands, since you’d rather be reading.”

I let him continue, his cock thick and ruddy inside his underwear, arousal flushing his cheeks.

“That’s enough, Arthur. Stop.”

Arthur’s breath caught. “Wh-what?”

“You heard me. Remove your hand.”

Arthur looked at me, beautiful blue eyes hazy with lust. He removed his hand. I went back to my book.

“Vaaannn,” Arthur whined after a minute.

“You don’t have much restraint, do you, Arthur?”

Arthur groaned. “Oh, god, restraint, yes, please.”

His head was thrown back, hair mussed, firmly muscled chest rising and falling with quick breaths.

“Touch yourself,” I said. “Lightly. Slowly. Until I tell you to stop.”

Avon Gale

Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon, JRPGs and yelling at hockey. She's a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and she never gets tired of people and their stories – either real or the ones she makes up in her head.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Avon

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Google+  ~  Instagram


Roan Parrish

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

Connect with Roan

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Google+  ~  Instagram

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Whiskey Business by Avon Gale Audiobook Review

Ryder Waites will do anything to keep the tiny town of Gallows Grove, Kentucky, from vanishing off the map—even sell his family’s whiskey recipe to Bluegrass Bourbon in Lexington. Hopeful that the larger company can provide necessary improvements to the distillery, Ryder aims ultimately to get Gallows Grove on the Bourbon Trail… and bring in much-needed tourism revenue. But to keep producing Hanged Man Bourbon in Gallows Grove, he’ll have to convince company liaison, unbearably stuffy and seriously hot Adam Keller, that he’s worth the investment.

Adam comes from an old-money family, but he’s determined to make his own way in the world. When he’s sent to Gallows Grove, he questions the life choices that led him to a rented room in a funeral home in a town full of macabre-themed businesses. And he doesn’t know what to make of Ryder, the descendant of bootleggers, who’s on a mission to save his strange town from extinction. When Adam and Ryder put aside their initial mistrust, the results are as smooth as good whiskey. But after Adam’s assignment ends, he’ll have to decide if small-town life and a future with Ryder are to his taste.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Audiobook Details
Length: 3 hrs, 37 mins
Narrator: Kirt Graves

Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
The first time I listened to Whiskey Business, I fell in love with it, but I wasn’t sure how much of my love of the audiobook had to do with the story and how much was due to the narrator. Even having listened to it several times since then, it wasn’t until I listened to it again today that I realized that while my initial draw to it may have been due to Kirt Graves, ultimately, I kept coming back just as much for the story as for the narration.

Ryder Waites’ hometown of Gallows Grove, Kentucky makes for a fascinating setting for the story. Not only is there something magical about the water that makes their Hanged Man Bourbon special (hush child, I can call it magical if I want), but the punny names of the town businesses never failed to put a smile on my face. That the townspeople try so hard to make sure Ryder knows his homosexuality doesn’t matter to them that their social missteps are often terribly politically incorrect was absolutely endearing to me as a reader. They clearly loved Ryder, they just didn’t always have the right words to express it. This became even more apparent when Ryder’s initial resentment and hostility toward Adam took a backseat to his attraction to the man. The subtle and blatant encouragement the two received when they were out together made the story even more entertaining than the creepy dolls did (lol). And while there were plenty of things to laugh about in the story, I think I laughed hardest at the pony play conversation – I literally fell over on my bed in a fit of giggles when Adam told Ryder to stop laughing. But that levity was necessary to balance the seriousness of the situation, especially once Ryder understood what the full ramifications of him selling his family’s recipe were – that production could be moved out of Gallows Grove, which was the exact opposite of what he’d intended when making the deal. Despite this being a novella, Avon Gale strikes the right balance of laughter, seriousness, sexy times, and development of the romantic relationship that Whiskey Business felt like a full-length story and my need for more was because I wanted to spend more time with Ryder and Adam to see how their relationship continued to grow, to see the progress on the distillery expansion, and to spend more time with the folks of Gallows Grove. Seriously, if the author decides to make this a series, I’m there.

I’ve already said that the narration likely had a lot to do with my initial response to the story. You see, Kirt Graves’ narration of Wolfsong made it one of my favorite audiobooks of all time, and while Ryder has hints of Ox in his voice, Graves does an impressive job of mixing up his repertoire of voices to keep Ryder from sounding just like Ox. While I’m unfamiliar with exactly how a Kentucky accent sounds, I am familiar with a Southern accent and Graves does a nice job of giving the characters a southern sound without the overdone drawl that set Ryder’s nerves on edge at the beginning of the book. And the subtle difference between Ryder’s small-town accent and Adam’s more formal speech merely added to the characters’ depth. For me, listening to an audiobook is similar to listening to a movie from another room, where you have to rely largely upon the characters’ words and tone of voice to understand the emotions they’re trying to convey as there are no faces or body language to read, and Graves does such a wonderful job of conveying Ryder and Adam’s amusement, resentment, attraction, exasperation, resignation, disappointment, and hope that I was able to sit back and enjoy the show, so to speak. I have enjoyed my visits to Gallows Grove every time I’ve listened to Whiskey Business and am already looking forward to spending time there again soon.

AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.

When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Kirt Graves is a Wisconsin native whose passion for literature is rivaled only by his love of the spoken word. Thanks to years of experience onstage and as a high school forensics coach (some know the activity at speech & debate), Graves is a skilled mimic, compassionate interpreter, and master of long-form prose. A tenor by training, Graves can easily move between characters of any age, genre, gender or ethnic background.

Connect with Kirt

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free audiobook copy of Whiskey Business (States of Love) by Avon Gale, narrated by Kirt Graves to listen to and review.

Off the Ice by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire — if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.

Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.

But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Riptide Publishing

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/M Sports Romance, undertones of power play

This was a sweet story about preconceived notions and fighting the urge to hide. However, it is also very similar to a lot of other secretly gay, awesome sports player stories.

Tristan is a great defense player for a national hockey team. He is also gay and in the closet. He is working hard, despite being a full-time pro athlete, to obtain a degree in case the worst should happen and he were to be unable to play. I really liked his dedication to his education and his forward thinking about his future. I think that was what made this book somewhat different from the other stories that deal with closeted pro athletes.

Then you have Sebastian. He is a professor and wants to make sure that his career is long. He tries to stay away from students in a romantic way, but when he sees Tristan he is immediately intrigued. Of course, he also makes a very poor first impression.

Despite their attraction and their obvious chemistry, Sebastian does not want to be back in the closet and Tristan does not want to be the poster boy for gay athletes.

Overall, it's a nice story about love and trust, accepting yourself, and hoping for the best. I do hope that some of Tristan's teammates get their own story as I thought that they were very helpful in progressing the story.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is pretty much the perfect romance for me. I loved the idea of an NHL player finishing his degree during the off season and I loved the romance between the brawny hockey player and his brainy professor even more.

Avon Gale is my absolute favourite hockey romance writer. I love the sense of family that Tristan finds in his team and I love the irreverent banter between teammates. However, this story is called Off the Ice for a reason. The focus of the book is Tristan’s life beyond hockey. I loved his cautious approach to his wealth, his careful planning for the future, and his struggle to balance a relationship and a career. He is an intelligent and thoughtful character who feels much older than he is.

Sebastian is an equally brilliant character. I fell in love with him immediately after his first “No shit, Sherlock” response to a paper he was grading. He passionate and thoughtful – and clueless about hockey. I love that he appreciates Tristan’s mind before he even knows who he is.

I really enjoyed the kink in Sebastian and Tristan’s relationship. This is a sexy story and the D/s relationship is hot because the power exchange feels natural and exciting for these two characters – without any of the tired tropes used in most generic BDSM erotic romance.

This collaboration between Gale and Vaughn brings readers the best of both authors and I really loved the story. I’m hoping this is the start of a new series because there are several characters on the Venom team that I’d love to get to know a whole lot better.


Angie – ☆☆☆☆
HOT for teacher! I am not sure how many more hockey books we can have with the plot being "I am gay and play hockey" but this one worked for me. I loved Sebastian and Tristan. They just worked for me. Not only was there hot sex but they joked around, they had some things in common, and they both brought something to the table. The age gap worked for me too, as well as the kink factor; I am usually not into mild humiliation, but the authors made it work for me. One of my favorite parts was when Tris was quizzing Seb over hockey questions and his sexual rewards. Good book with not a lot of angst or drama.


Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆
I’m giving the story 4 stars, but I’d definitely give the steam in this book a solid 5 stars! Sebastian and Tristan really heat the pages up!

Tristan is an up and coming hockey player who knows that hockey won’t last forever. He’s decided to go back to school and finish his degree so that he has a backup plan after his career with Venom ends. Tristan knows his Sociology class is going to be tough, but he has no idea how tough until his super hot professor walks in. Though Sebastian teaches about not judging by the way someone looks he’s very quick to judge Tristan as a know-it-all athlete who is trying to breeze through his class, even if he is pretty on the eyes. When one of Tristan’s papers is plagiarized, Sebastian is quick to lay the blame on Tristan assuming he’s the one to have done the plagiarizing… and so begins their intense relationship. Though the attraction is seriously intense, the two know that they have to wait until the class is complete before they can pursue anything – so the day that class ends, the two are all over one another.

I really enjoyed that this book felt like it had two plots – there was Tristan in school getting with Sebastian and then his battle with coming out as gay in the NHL world. It made the book that much harder to put down. Tristan and Sebastian’s story is powerful and inspiring. I look forward to more from these authors!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this sports romance with a touch of academia thrown in. It introduces a new series, which I think will be a winner – and I am looking forward to the next one already!

I read a lot of this genre, and keep thinking there is a limited life on the being the first to come out in a sport, but it is done well, and with the second angle of the student-professor relationship, the issue is not overplayed. The kink is absolutely delicious and made the story much richer, as well as being super hot.

RJ was a great foil for Seb and his issues and concerns, and clearly a good friend, and huge hockey fan. We also got to meet a number of other hockey players, with a few hints as to who might get their story told next.

If you are a hockey fan, like a bit of D/s, and the frisson of a professor-student attraction, then you will enjoy this.

Avon Gale

AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.

When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads


Piper Vaughn

Romance author, tea drinker, book junkie, tattoo enthusiast, typewriter collector, flirt. Lover of hedgehogs, piercings, tattoos, and hockey.

Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book—fantasy, young adult, romance, she loves them all (and has a two-thousand-book library to prove it!). She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book.

Connect with Piper

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Off the Ice (Hat Trick #1) by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn to read and review.

The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale

Victoria “Vix” Vincent has only two weeks to find a replacement fiddle player for her band’s summer tour. When classically trained violinist Sawyer Bell shows up for an audition, Vix is thrilled. Sawyer is talented, gorgeous, funny, and excited about playing indie rock instead of Beethoven. Their friendship soon blossoms into romance, even though Vix tries to remember that Sawyer’s presence is only temporary.

Sawyer’s parents think she’s spending the summer months touring Europe with a chamber ensemble. But Sawyer is in dire need of a break from the competitiveness of Juilliard, and desperately wants to rediscover her love of music. Going on tour with her secret high school crush is just an added bonus. Especially when Vix kisses her one night after a show, and they discover that the stage isn’t the only place they have chemistry.

But the tour won’t last forever, and as the summer winds down, Sawyer has to make a tough decision about her future—and what it means to follow her heart.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Riptide Publishing

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars F/F bisexual

I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. I enjoyed the premise and most of the story. I'm a sucker for musicians, and the touring with the band, the performances, the other bands and band members they encountered were all spot on for me. Sawyer and Vix (Victoria), however, fell flat. Which bummed me out frankly because I wanted to love them. They were sweet, Sawyer being new to touring and to coming to terms with being a lesbian, leaving conservative Julliard to tour with an alt-country band, had all the makings of a great coming of age/sexuality story. Victoria on her own was also an interesting enough character with her "do it on her own" attitude and her open bisexuality. The two together just did not give me the spark I hoped for. The steamy scenes felt bossy, unsexy and... instructional??? I know telling your partner how to best meet your needs is necessary at times, but this felt very clinical. Still, beyond that, we had the common problems of relationships within bandmates and the problems that brings, along with hurt feelings. So the story had good bones. I think the set up for the next book was enough to intrigue me to read on.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series, and I am already looking forward to book #2. Based around a band on tour, any lover of rock band romance will enjoy the mixture of song writing, green room shenanigans, and life on the road in a van!

In this book, there is a very acceptable level of context building, which gives us a delicious insight into Victoria and Sawyer seven years ago. It then brings us right up to date with the disparities between the two of them all boiled down to a summer on tour and a chance at love. Any open-minded, but uninformed reader will find the treatment of the issues of sexuality and expectation thoughtful and considered. I enjoyed seeing the position from different viewpoints, and the way that the women used music and lyrics to try and sort out their feelings and as a method of communication.

A sweet story, with plenty of potential for engaging future storylines.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
I loved this story so much! Avon Gale is one of my favourites and this story about a classically trained violinist who joins a rock band for a summer tour was an absolutely perfect read for me.

This isn’t a rock star romance. This is the story of an emerging band touring the country in a van, washing at truck stops, getting excited about nights in dodgy motels. The band’s existence is gritty and a little bit bohemian. I love watching new bands in small venues and this book captures the details perfectly – from the elation of a gig that goes well to the monotony of life on the road to the band’s frustration with a disengaged audience talking through their set.

The romance in the story starts with the secret crush Sawyer has had on the older Vix since high school. And then there’s a convenient hook up, an offer from Vix to teach Sawyer about lesbian sex. But beyond the hook-ups, Vix and Sawyer are becoming friends. They are making music together, creating together – and accidentally falling hard for each other. There aren’t any great romantic gestures – but I loved the mix of sexual chemistry and the ‘friendship caught fire’ feel to the connection between Vix and Sawyer.

I really, really loved the sex in this book. The connection between Sawyer and Vix is playful and fun but this story also celebrates the diversity of female sexuality in a way that I found moving (and very sexy). Avon Gale avoids the angsty, emotionally heavy conversations that tend to ruin most f/f sex scenes while also avoiding the ‘easy orgasm through penetration’ scenes that dominate most m/f romance. Sawyer and Vix are seriously hot together and I especially loved Sawyer’s delight as she explores her sexuality for the first time.

There are bigger themes beyond the romance in this story. At 21, Sawyer is at a crossroads in her life and she isn’t enjoying the life she has worked so hard to build for herself. Sawyer’s part of the story feels very new adult as she tries to find her place in the world and I loved the way her uncertainty plays out against Vix’s very fixed identity and her singular passion for her music.

AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.

When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Love Song of Sawyer Bell (Tour Dates #1) by Avon Gale to read and review.