Both Bryce and Michael are recovering addicts; Bryce from drugs and Michael from gambling. There are parts of this story that aren’t pretty – because addiction and the problems it causes for Michael are pretty awful – but it is ultimately an uplifting tale of two men who fight their demons so they can be together.

Both MCs have family conflicts. Michael is resentful of his older brother who is also a hockey star and captain of the L.A. Storm. Bryce has issues with his ex-brother-in-law and his ex-wife’s new boyfriend. These family dynamics have a huge impact on this story and I loved how everything played out.

This was a great slow-burn romance. Michael finally decides to face up to his addiction. Even though he is very strongly attracted to Bryce, he’s afraid that a relationship with him will be trading one addiction for another. I thought it was great that he was able to figure that out and waited until he was in a better place before starting a real relationship with Bryce.

Even though Bryce had a rocky relationship with his ex-brother-in-law, Jack, Jack really came through for Bryce and Michael when they needed him. I loved the teaser for the next book, Shield, and was happy to learn that Jack will be one of the MCs in that story.

Reviews for RJ Scott

Reviews for V.L. Locey

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“Card,” I demanded and schooled my features when the king of diamonds turned up. I had a straight flush, and it was perfect—the kind of dream hand in poker that comes once in a lifetime. My heart raced as I peeked at my cards, barely containing my excitement. The odds were in my favor. It was a sure thing, a certainty, and blinded by the promise of winning, I did the unthinkable. I pushed all my chips to the center of the table. Everything. It was a bold move, a statement. I was all in. This was my moment, my chance to erase all my past mistakes, to come out on top, to prove to everyone, especially to my brother, that I was more than just a cautionary tale.

The room fell silent as the other players contemplated their next moves. One by one, they folded, until it was only me and one other—a newcomer with a poker face that gave nothing away. The final card was dealt, and I held my breath, ready to claim my victory.

But fate, as I had learned the hard way, is often cruel. In a twist that seemed ripped from a movie script, the newcomer revealed his hand. It was the only one that could beat mine, a statistical improbability, a once-in-a-lifetime counter to my once-in-a-lifetime hand. A royal flush.

“Read ’em and weep, Freckles,” my opponent cackled.

The realization slammed into me like a physical blow. I’d lost.

Lost everything. The room spun, and the sounds around me faded to a dull roar. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The chips, my lifeline, my ticket to paying my way out of debt, were now sliding across the table, away from me.

The weight of what I had done crashed down on me with brutal force. I’d gambled everything on a single hand, and everything was over. Paying off the debts, the promises of turning things around, the fleeting glimpse of a better future—all gone with the turn of a card—my brief taste of success was ash in my mouth. The debts were still there, looming larger than ever, and now, I had nothing left to pay them with. My car, my last asset, was as good as gone, promised to Looper for a fraction of its worth. I’d been so close to clawing my way out and keeping my baby, only to plunge deeper into the abyss.

“I’ll be back,” I said with confidence, but no one met my eyes.

L.A. Storm Series

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