Coach's Challenge by Avon Gale

It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportunity to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds that the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression. And it only gets worse when Shane’s rough good looks give Troy inappropriate thoughts about a member of his team, even if Shane’s set to retire at the end of the season.

Shane’s career in the majors never quite took off. Wanting to quit on his own terms, Shane agrees to a one-year contract with the Ravens and finds himself playing for a coach who thinks he’s an aging goon and with a team that doesn’t trust him, the coach, or each other. Despite his determination to not get involved, Shane unwillingly becomes part of the team… and is just as unwillingly drawn to the gruff out-and-proud coach. As the Ravens struggle to build a new identity, Shane and Troy succumb to the passion that might cost them everything.

Book 5
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B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
I have fangirled over this series since the very first book and I’ve always been a fan of everything I’ve read from Avon Gale. And while I did enjoy this book, I have to admit that it is missing a little bit of the magic that made earlier books in this series so unforgettable.

I think this story lacks some of the drama and the personality clashes that I’ve loved in other stories. Troy and Shane are relatively conventional characters in comparison to others in this series. Troy has replaced Laurent’s devilish father as coach of the Ravens and his whole purpose is to bring calm and cohesion to his new team. Shane is a player sent back to the minor league at the end of a long career. The illicit nature of the coach/player affair is very hot and a couple of scenes definitely exploit the pornesque potential of Shane and Troy’s secret relationship. But while the sexual chemistry between them is brilliant, I missed the banter and the playfulness of earlier couples.

I love the glimpses we get of characters from previous books. Isaac Drake almost manages to steal the story a couple of times and Max and Misha made me smile.

Despite this not being my favourite story in the series, this is still a great sports romance. As always, the balance between the sport, the romance, and the relationships is just about perfect.


Rachael – ☆☆☆☆
OMG... I have to say that the fact that both of these men are older was what partially made me love this story so much.

This story isn't so much love and romance as it is flames and heat. My goodness, these two couldn't keep their hands off each other. That being said, details were lacking for me in these amazing hot scenes. They couldn't wait, had to have each other, but then literally it was over the next line, so it felt very anticlimactic in that sense.

Now what was my absolute favorite part of this story? The banter. My goodness the back and forth between these men was hilarious. They might not have been romantic all that much, but there was definitely a connection and chemistry that showed that they really did care for each other, even if there weren't candles and roses around.

I loved seeing Drake as I think he is my favorite character in the whole series. I loved that Shane's friend is a lesbian.

Another excellent book by Avon Gale. It might be a hockey book (and it really does focus on the sport), but there is so much more there with the characters and secondary characters that makes the book just that much better.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fifth book in the series, and I have enjoyed every one of them.

In this book we look at the almost seamless, but unnoticed progress from hook-up to relationship between Coach Troy and Shane, a newly arrived team member. It is a super-hot connection which they seem powerless to avoid, and it is fun looking in and watching how it develops.

The hockey is good too – and we get to see many of the stars of previous installments as they play their way through the season. As a team with a truly terrible reputation, it is interesting to understand why that happened, and how the situation can possibly be turned around.

If you like a strong, thoughtful, and very hot sports romance, then this should be on your to-be-read pile, if not already open on your e-reader.

Also Available in the Scoring Chances Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Breakaway audiobook post.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Empty Net post.

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 Coach's Challenge (Scoring Chances #5) by Avon Gale to read and review.

Breakaway by Avon Gale Audiobook Review

Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He's put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship.

Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most.

Length: 7 hrs, 33 mins
Narrator: Scott R. Smith

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I absolutely LOVED this audiobook. My past experience with hockey romances, whether they were M/M or M/F, is that most have been serious romances. If one considers the amount of pressure a professional athlete faces, this makes sense. Even those romances that included moments of humor tend to do so in a way that would be natural in most people’s lives irrespective of their career. But in the case of Breakaway, I spent so much time laughing at the stuff that came out of Lane’s mouth that I almost feel like I should label the book as a romantic comedy as well. The best part of the humor is that it occurs because Lane is socially awkward and lacks a filter, often speaking what he thinks without consideration as to how it will sound, and this results in some rather hilarious and off-the-wall comments that don’t feel over-the-top or forced simply because it’s just the way Lane is. He’s not malicious and there’s not a mean bone in his body, he’s just a guy who doesn’t see the world the way most of the people around him do. And I loved him for it, just as I loved Jared for loving Lane for who he was – even if there were times that it was obvious that Jared didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh at Lane or throttle him or do both. Thankfully for all involved, including myself, he just chose to love him.

I have to thank the author for the league explanations at the very beginning of the book because while I understand the concept and existence of feeder leagues, I had no idea that there was a feeder league (ECHL) for the feeder league (AHL), and this knowledge helped me understand the significance of several events in the book, such as the camaraderie between players off the ice who are at each other’s throat on the ice. As someone who grew up in the Panhandle of Florida, I found the references to the heat and humidity to be spot on and hilarious, and actually giggled at several of Lane’s observations and experiences… bless his heart. That Gale included two bisexual characters – Jared and Zoe – allowed for some fascinating conversations regarding bisexuality, as well as some hot fantasies on Lane and Jared’s part. The author does a nice job of balancing on-the-ice time with off-the-ice time so that we get to see Jared and Lane as fully developed characters. Because I felt like I knew them as people and not just as athletes, I enjoyed watching them fall in love and begin building a future together. The epilogue was great and I really hope that future books in the series will give me the chance to catch up with them.

The chemistry between Jared and Lane is great and Smith does a wonderful job of conveying it, so good in fact, that I had to stop listening a time or three because I was afraid that someone would question my flushed face. I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Smith brings Lane, Jared, and Zoe to life. He does such a good job with Lane’s character that I could feel Lane’s confusion when he didn’t understand what he did wrong, how he made someone mad, or hurt their feelings, and his frustration when he couldn’t figure out what to do or say to fix it. In the same way, I was right there with Jared and Zoe when they had their “WHAT???” moments after Lane would say off-the-wall things. I had a blast falling in love with Jared as he fell in love with Lane because it was clear that the things about Lane that frustrated Jared, were the very things that he loved Lane for. Gale created some great characters in Breakaway and Scott R. Smith’s narration has me ready to dive into Save of the Game right now.

Also Available in the Scoring Chances Series

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Dreamspinner Press

For reviews & more info, check out our Empty Net post.

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 Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) by Avon Gale to read and review.

Empty Net by Avon Gale

Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain, Isaac Drake, ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and a family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him—no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.

Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse. He was constantly treated like a disappointment, on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist. Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the-season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold on to Laurent—or their relationship.

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is another brilliant addition to one of my favourite series. Isaac and Laurent are two more incredible characters and I loved their story. We know Isaac well from earlier books: the former rent boy has blue hair, distracting piercings, and a short temper. I was expecting his book, and his story is even better than I’d hope for. But Laurent was unexpected. The badly damaged pretty boy without any social skills is an unlikely but wonderful leading man.

Isaac’s bravery, his unapologetic confidence, and his sarcastic wit are a brilliant match for Laurent, a man who only knows how to keep people away, a man whose life has been soaked in fear. We saw glimpses of Laurent as a homophobic prick in earlier stories, but as we learn his story, it becomes easier to like, and ultimately fall in love with a character who is initially completely offensive.

There is less humour at the start of this story and some of the issues are even darker than those explored in earlier books. It takes time for Laurent to grow into the easy banter I expect and love in Avon Gale’s books. Supporting characters add some of the missing humour here. Isaac lives with Max and Mischa and I loved seeing them as an established couple still caring for Isaac. Isaac’s his best friends, Hux and Murph, add a sense of fun to the story and Laurent’s downstairs neighbour adds warmth and unexpected hilarity.

I enjoyed the drama of the game play we see later in the story as the Spitfires attempt the playoffs, but there is less hockey in this story than in some of the others and I missed it. Laurent and Isaac are both goalies, competing to be the team’s starting goalie and the competition between the two is brilliant.

This is a wonderful series. Fans will love this book, but new readers should start at the beginning with Breakaway or at very least read Powerplay before this one as it doesn’t quite work as a standalone.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and although I haven't read them all, I think that it would be a good idea. That said it is an excellent story in its own right.

Isaac has a checkered past, but now that he is living with the two coaches, things are settling down and his hockey team buddies have his back. So the arrival of Laurent St. Savoy as his backup goalie is an unwelcome development. However, as things progress, Isaac starts to see some behaviours and evidence of abuse that he realises are not really in line with his view of the man. As everything unravels and we get to see the impact of such an awful upbringing on Saint (Laurent), opinions can only change. I loved how the pair moved forward together, and had such faith in each other. I thought that Liz was brought to life in an amazingly effective and positive way, and applaud the sentiment behind that.

I have put this on my reread pile (and would try and start from the beginning of the series) because I am sure that I missed some of the subtlety in my desire to see how things worked out. An amazing mix of serious, sexy, funny and sporty – very enjoyable read. Thank you Ms. 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

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Empty Net (Scoring Chances #4) by Avon Gale to read and review.