Enemies-to-lovers isn’t usually one of my favorite romance tropes but I really loved this book. All of the ice hockey books by this writing pair are connected but also can be read as complete standalones. Characters cross over from book-to-book but you won’t feel lost if you haven’t read the others. TBH it’s a bit puzzling to me that they haven’t linked them into a series as purists might want to read them in order.

The above information notwithstanding, I loved reading Blake and Sako’s story. Playing for the same team, they begin as adversaries sniping at each other every chance they get. After bonding over a prank, they become co-conspirators pulling more pranks on their teammates. Agreeing to be “ice in public, heat in private,” their behavior confuses many of their teammates; others suspect that there is more to their relationship than that of adversaries.

They take things pretty slow, trying not to let their nearly uncontrollable attraction to each other escalate their relationship too quickly. Most of this story is fairly angst free and there are several light-hearted moments. But conflict is often needed to keep readers interested and there are a couple of great scenes where their relationship nearly blows up. I really felt the connection between these two MCs, as well as the connection all of their teammates had to each other.

One of my favorite parts of this story, and one that made my eyes leak way too much, was when Sako came out to his family. If a writer can get me emotionally invested in a book (e.g., bring me to tears 😊) then it’s nearly a sure bet that I am loving everything about it; that definitely applied to this story.

I’m pretty sure the authors were dangling carrots at us for who the next story will be about and I can’t wait to read it.

Reviews for Ryan Taylor

Reviews for Joshua Harwood

♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon UK ♥

Excerpt from Ice Devils

By Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood

Blake

The locker room was empty when I got back there, and I dressed quickly. I was standing in front of my stall, buttoning my shirt, when someone called my name. Looking around, I was surprised to see Sako standing in the doorway. His hair was a mess, his face was sweaty, and his eyes were wide. The tank top he had on was soaked, and the way it stuck to his torso emphasized the hard muscle underneath.

I looked away, determined not to stare. “I didn’t know you were still here. Been in the gym?” I slipped on my loafers.

“Yeah.” His voice was low and husky. “I needed to ride the bike and clear my head.”

“Did it work?” Unable to resist, I turned my gaze back on him.

“No.” His hands were at his sides, and he opened and closed them repeatedly while his eyes darted around the room. “Anybody else still here?”

“No. You all right, Mark?”

Instead of answering, he rushed toward me and grabbed my hand. “Come here.”

He tugged, but I stayed put. “What?”

“Come with me.” He tugged harder, almost pulling me off my feet. I was too shocked to say anything as he dragged me into a small room used to store spare equipment and closed the door. Meager light filtered in through ventilation panels, and after he turned to face me, I looked into dangerous dark eyes while his thick musk filled the air.

He licked his lips and smiled. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

“You are?”

“Yes.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine before backing his head away to look at me again.

I was too shocked to move. “Mark?”

“I’m really glad you’re still here.” He caressed my cheek and smiled again.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me, and my legs turned to jelly. “What the hell are you doing? This isn’t—”

He shut me up by pressing his mouth against mine. I wanted to tear away, to yell at him to go to hell, but I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back instead. I didn’t understand what the fuck I was doing. Sako and I weren’t even friends. In fact, we were probably enemies. We certainly weren’t the kind of people who kissed each other.

Pulling away from my lips, he licked the corners of my mouth. Even as my brain cried foul, I hugged him tighter, not wanting the moment to end. He kissed me again, but when his tongue probed against my lips, I pressed them together. I didn’t want Sako’s tongue in my mouth. But if that was true, why did I relax enough for him to sneak inside? I may have hated the bastard, but the thrill of him possessing me that way shook my world.

I deepened the kiss, and my tongue dueled his until I found my way inside. His smell, sweaty and sharp with need, ignited an explosion of desire, and I shoved him into a wall of boxes stacked against the storage lockers. Trapping his hands, I probed every corner of his mouth while he moaned. Time stood still until he grunted and jerked his hands free. He swiveled me around like a rag doll until I was the one pinned against the boxes with my hands clamped under his. Fire shot through me when he moved his hips against mine and our cocks ground together.

“Stop!” I yelled. “I hate you!” Just as quickly, I called out again, “Don’t stop! Please!” He didn’t react at all, and I realized the voice had been in my head. We were locked in a kiss that had my mind doing somersaults, and I wondered if we’d keep playing bump-and-grind until we both came in our pants.

ICE DEVILS: Copyright © 2022 Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood. All rights reserved.