My Kind of Guy by Sarina Bowen is live!

This is such a great read! A grumpy/sunshine, age gap, m/m hockey romance, these characters stole my heart. This is the fourth book in the Hockey Guys series, but it can easily be read as a standalone, and I loved this story.

 

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Audible coming soon

 

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Blurb

He’s a backup goalie with a broken game. The only thing he needs more than a win is the hot, grumpy bartender who pours his weekly beer.

Becker James is having a spectacularly bad season. Once a top draft pick, he’s now riding the bench in the minors, one failed save away from being cut. The highlight of his week? A lonely hour on a barstool at Sportsballs, Denver’s queerest watering hole—and Forest, the bartender with flannel sleeves, a gruff voice, and a beard that stars in Beck’s dreams.

Opportunity strikes when Forest’s LGBTQ hockey team—the Stickhandlers—loses their goalie last-minute. Beck makes Forest an he’ll help them beat the most hated team in the beer league, but he wants something in return—one night together.

Cue the record scratch, because Seth Forrester doesn’t do hookups. After his last one went horribly wrong, he swore off men for good. He’s definitely not falling for the awkward hottie who just stammered through an indecent proposal.

But Beck is prepared to press his case, no matter how awkward it gets. And one beer league game turns into something messier, sweeter, and so much harder to walk away from…

 

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Review

4.5 stars

This is such a great read! A grumpy/sunshine, age gap, m/m hockey romance, these characters stole my heart. This is the fourth book in the Hockey Guys series, but it can easily be read as a standalone, and I loved this story.

Beck is a closeted, socially awkward hockey goalie playing in a minor team and is battling hard to keep his place. He is a bit of a longer, and his happiest moments come when he heads to a gay sports bar where he gets to see Forest, the lumberjack-y owner/bartender who he is crushing on. Forest is a single dad and the gruff owner of Sportsballs. His life was turned upside down after a hookup the previous year, and he’s struggling to get back on his feet and the last thing he needs is a man in his life. But when Beck comes right out and propositions Forest, the older man finally notices him and though he tries to resist, their chemistry proves explosive.

This is a fun set-up, and these guys have such a great dynamic. Beck is endearingly awkward with limited social skills and a tendency to babble, and his persistence in engaging with Forest is both wildly flirtatious and charmingly adorable. Forest does his best to stay away and keep things casual, but their mad attraction and Beck’s earnest declarations make him impossible to ignore.

“I spent my whole life thinking I was some kind of frankendude who didn’t belong anywhere. But I’m not, because you exist.”
I swallow roughly. “Wow. Not sure what to say. I’m honored.”
“I swear it’s not like I imprinted on you like a baby duck.” He shrugs. “… I spent months watching you make drinks and break up fights and take care of everyone in the bar. Sportsballs is my safe place because of you.”

It’s a gorgeous romance with lots of laughs, emotion, sexy times and sweet moments. I could feel the struggles they were both going through as they dealt with the challenges in their lives while trying to figure out exactly what they are to each other, and my heart ached for them both.

“I just don’t have a lot to give.” I look up at him, trying to make him understand. “But if I did? I’d give it to you.”

They have ups and downs, but of course there is a happy ending, and I loved watching these two find their way to each other for real.

“I never wanted you to feel like you settled for me, when you could have anyone.”
… “When did I ever give you the impression that I was settling?”

Adding to the wonderful dynamic is Forest’s 15-year-old son, Charlie, who is fabulously entertaining. I loved meeting Forest’s dad-friends and Beck’s hockey buds, and characters from previous books of the series also appear, and I loved catching up with them again.

And I’m not a hockey fan, I’ve never actually seen an NHL game in my life, but those scenes with Beck on the ice were absolutely sensational! My heart raced and I could feel the excitement, and I reread some of those scenes over again just to stay in the moment and keep feeling it.

Such a fun read, I loved this book – 4.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.

 

Hockey Guys

 

For more great reads, check out our Sarina Bowen Author Spotlight