Review Tour and Giveaway: Across the Pond by RJ Scott and V.L. Locey

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

Another great story in this series.

and V.L. Locey

Genre: Contemporary, Sports, Romance, Hockey, GLBTQ, MM

Released: November 10, 2019

Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd.

Series: Arizona Raptors, Book 2

Length: 57,600 words approx.

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Synopsis

The greatest journey isn’t from England to the States, it’s the one that two men take on the way to find each other.

Sebastian Brown is on a mission to rescue the Arizona Raptors and a vow he made to a friend in college. Either that or he’s on vacation. He’s not entirely sure that he’s made up his mind yet. Either way, traveling from England, to the arid desert of Arizona isn’t exactly a picnic, particularly with the doubts and worries he takes with him. He’s turned even the worst of companies around, but faced with the challenge of improving the reputation of a hockey team that everyone seems to hate, he knows his work is cut out for him.

Focus is key, but that is easier said than done when Seb is sent into a tailspin by the intriguing Alejandro. Seb’s entire marketing plan hinges on making Alex a poster boy for equality and fair play. But with Alex’s utter dedication to the game, and his dark secretive eyes, the gorgeous Alex is stubborn, opinionated, doesn’t want any part of being the team focus, and worst of all, doesn’t appear to like Seb at all. It takes everything that Seb has to keep his hands off of Alex, but things get out of hand and Seb’s life might never be the same again.

Alejandro Garcia has had to work hard to get where he’s at. Born to Mexican immigrants, his siblings and himself have never had it easy in this new country their parents dreamed of calling home. A native son of Arizona, Alex has always been the odd man out on the ice but he’s not going to let a stupid thing like his heritage get in the way of his dreams. He’s now a Raptor and he plans to put all that training and collegiate hockey experience to good use. Working hard comes naturally to him. It’s something his parents have instilled in him from the time he was a toddler. Being one of a handful of Latino hockey players makes him strive for success with even more determination. His first pro season has had some ups but a lot more downs, but Alex is one stubborn young man and failure is not an option.

As the Raptors struggle to rebuild not only their team but their core values, Alex finds himself drawn to one of the owner’s friends, a tall, lanky Brit with the face of an angel and an accent and attitude that bewitches and befuddles him. Sebastian is everything he thought he would never be attracted to but he can’t push the sexy, older, fun-loving man out of his thoughts. If ever there were a man he would not be able to take home to his parents – not that he can bring a man home since he is deeply closeted – it’s Sebastian, but desire knows no socioeconomic, age, or international borders. The heart wants what the heart wants and Alejandro’s wants Sebastian.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Another great story in this series.

I really love this series; RJ Scott and V.L. Locey haven’t really converted me into a hockey fan but they sure have converted me into a hockey romance reader.

I never realized how popular a theme this was in MM romance until I began reading their Harrisburg Railers series. The Arizona Raptors series is kind of a spin off of that one but it can totally be read as a standalone, as can this book. Your enjoyment of the story would be enriched, however, if you’ve read at least the first Raptors book, Coast to Coast.

There are so many things to like about Across the Pond. I loved the fact that one of the MCs is British. I’ve become quite a fan of British MM romance stories and the addition of Sebastian Brown to this series was great. We get to read about Digestives and Twiglets, both things I had to look up. 😊

I loved the reference to Star Trek (my all-time favorite TV series in all its flavors) in Chapter Five:

“The inside of my head suddenly became the bridge of the Enterprise on a red alert. Crimson lights flashing, grating siren blasting out of all the com stations, a captain shouting, “Shields up! All hands to battle stations! Load the photon torpedoes and ready to fire on my command!”

And I LOL’d at this exchange between Alex and Sebastian about Twiglets in Chapter Ten:

“What is this again?” Mark asked and held up the tiny knobbly stick. He touched his tongue to the end of it and reared back with horror on his face.

“A Twiglet,” I explained for the fifth time.

“And it’s covered in?” He waved the tiny snack around, and the distaste on his face was hilarious.

“Yeast extract,” I deadpanned, “like Marmite.”

He raised a single eyebrow. “And Marmite is?”

This was going round in circles. “Mark, I dare you to eat that Twiglet.”

He rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. “If I die…” Then he pushed the snacky goodness into his mouth, crunched twice, swallowed, and sat there with a horrified expression. We stared at each other for a moment, and then he downed half a can of beer, followed by an entire handful of Cheetos. “Dude,” he sprayed orange cheesy flakes everywhere, “that is rank.”

The blurb for the book is pretty comprehensive so take a look at it. What I loved about the story is how real the characters seemed to me. I really felt how hard it was for Alex to accept his sexuality and finally decide to be with Sebastian. I loved how caring Sebastian was and how understanding he was of Alex’s situation.

I think most of the books co-authored by RJ and V.L. are pretty character driven but this one felt especially so for me. The books they write together just keep getting better and better. I can’t wait to read Henry’s book, Shadows and Light.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

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Arizona Raptors Series

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About Author

RJ Scott

USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.

RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers.

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About Author

V.L. Locey

USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

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