I really loved this novella but I was a little puzzled as to why the authors decided to release this one after Nice Catching You. As I wrote this review though, I came to understand the logic of publishing this book after Nice Catching You. I was very satisfied with how The New Next One ended but a large part of that was probably because I had already read Nice Catching You. So, my recommendation is to read that book before you read this one.

POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING

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The events in this novella take place before Nice Catching You – which I’ve read – so going in I knew that the two MCs wouldn’t end up staying together. Now that’s not really a spoiler unless you haven’t read Nice Catching You.

I can’t really say that I wished I’d read this book first. I actually think the story was more meaningful reading it after Nice Catching You. I love how much emotion there was between the two MCs. There was a certain amount of angst because once they admitted to each other that they were gay, they then had to work hard to hide their feelings when they were in public.

Some purists would say that this book isn’t a romance because it doesn’t have an HEA or HFN. A friend suggested that I should say it’s a love story rather than a romance. Whatever you want to call it, I thought it was a beautiful story. One of the MCs does get an HFN in this book and the other gets his HEA in Nice Catching You.

So, The New Next One (that unusual title makes sense after you’ve read the book) is a story that didn’t leave me feeling unfulfilled or sad. It’s not a tragic love story. It’s a story about all the passion and emotion of first love and I loved it.

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The two of us bundled up and walked south along the lakeshore. We talked about different things—school, what was going on in the NHL, and the big celebration of our championship that would happen the next week when everyone was back on campus. Ty reached for my hand after we passed the cabin. Even with both of us wearing mittens, it felt incredibly good to be out walking on a beautiful day, openly showing affection with my boyfriend. By the time you’re eighteen, holding hands with somebody you’re dating probably doesn’t seem exciting to most people; for me, it was huge, and I wanted to shout out loud. Instead, I pulled us to a stop and kissed him.

Afterward, he tweaked my nose. “I know everybody we play against thinks you’re a real bastard, but you’re actually a sweetheart.”

I gave it right back to him. “They all think you’re a bastard too. Haven’t decided where I stand on that.”

“What do you mean?” He turned his head to the side, looking very cute with tufts of hair sticking out from under his Penguins beanie. “I’ve always been nice to you.”

“I guess so.” I gave him another peck. “Why’d you make me wait all these years?”

I made you wait? Hell, I’m the one who finally worked up enough courage to do something about it.”

Turning him loose, I backhanded his arm and made a silly face. “I guess I’m glad about that.”

His jaw fell into an open-mouthed smile, and he shook his head. “Every man for himself, Johnson!”

He took off running, and I laughed hard as he bent over to pick up a fistful of snow. Quickly shaping it into a ball, he threw it at me and missed by a mile.

“You throw like a girl, Jensie!” I followed that up with a snowball of my own, hitting him in the middle of the chest.

“That’s it, you’re really gonna get it now!”

An epic snowball fight followed as we whooped and hollered, tossing chirps back and forth almost as fast as we volleyed snowballs. We worked our way into the woods as we ran. Ty was a good shot, and we played like little boys on recess after a hard morning at school. When we were both covered with snow and out of breath, Tyler stared at me until my heart raced with anticipation. Finally, he broke into a run. His hug was bone-crushing, and the hungry kisses were messy and delicious. The moment was all fire and promise, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the dorm. He pulled away from my mouth and mumbled, “You’re the most beautiful thing I ever saw, Nick.”

I huffed in cold air while my heart tried to hammer through my ribcage. “Not as beautiful as you.” I pulled him closer for a slow, deep kiss, and when that finally broke, he got a naughty gleam in his eye.

“We’re already covered with snow, so—” He pushed hard, and I tumbled backward into a snowbank. He jumped on top of me, and we wrestled around, making out while we laughed and played. My scarf slipped out of place, and Ty kissed my throat over and over, making me as hard as one of the trees surrounding us. After more rolling around, I was on top, and we lay humping in the snow. We had on heavy parkas, and it was too cold to take off any clothes, so our game was destined to end in frustration. All the better for a mind-blowing first time later that night.

We’d long since removed our mittens, and when we stilled, I wiped some snow off his cheek. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Nothing’s wrong, Nick. Everything’s right for once. We’ve got each other.”