Reviewer's Rating:
5
5.0Overall score
A fantastic start to a new series!
Ryker By RJ Scott
and V.L. Locey
Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance, Hockey, GLBTQ, M/M, New Adult
Released: September 22, 2018
Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd
Series: Owatonna, Book 1
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
Ryker is hockey royalty, Jacob is a poor country boy. Can two vastly different people find common ground and become the men they want to be?
Ryker comes from a long line of championship-winning hockey players. Playing college hockey to develop his game is his only focus, and nothing will stand in the way of him working to become the best player. He has no room for relationships, people that point out his flaws, or anyone who calls him on his dreams. He certainly has no place for love, and meeting Jacob is nothing but a useful distraction on the side. After all trying to get his Owatonna Eagles teammate into bed is less work and more play. When tragedy rocks his family, his charmed life crumbles, and the only person he can turn to is the same one who claims to hate him.
Jacob Benson has only known hard work and stifling conservative values his whole life. Born and raised in the small rural community of Eden Crossing, Minnesota, he’s the only son of a hard-working but struggling dairy farming family. Jacob is using his skills in hockey to finance his way to an agricultural science degree. These four years at Owatonna U. will probably be the only time he has to enjoy life, gain acceptance about his sexuality, and live openly before his inevitable return to the farm. Running into a pretty rich boy like Ryker Madsen is putting a damper on his enjoyment of life away from home. Ryker’s flip, conceited, carefree attitude grates on Jacob’s every nerve. So why, if Ryker is everything he dislikes, does he want nothing more than to explore the sinful dreams that his annoying teammate stars in every night?
Length: 50,700 words approx.
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
A fantastic start to a new series!
I’m a huge RJ Scott fan and fell in love with her books a little over 2 years ago. When she began writing the Harrisburg Railers series with V.L. Locey I soon became a fan of her books as well. Ryker is the first story in the Owatonna U series of New Adult stories and kind of a spin off of the Harrisburg Railers series. Don’t worry if you haven’t read any of those books because the authors give you all of the information you need from that series to read this one. You really should read the Harrisburg Railers books though because they are really great stories and contain all kinds of interesting characters.
When Ryker and Jacob first meet – at a summer training camp – they don’t hit it off too well. Ryker can’t understand why Jacob seems to instantly dislike him. Jacob doesn’t see how a rich, spoiled kid can even like him let alone want to be more than friends.
I don’t know why but I love New Adult stories, both M/F and M/M. I passed 60 years old a few years ago and don’t have any children and never went to college. Why would I even enjoy reading this kind of book? Well, I may not be able to explain why but I sure do enjoy them.
Once Ryker and Jacob finally put aside their differences they become joined at the hip but on and off the ice. It was kind of nice to have these two guys attending a university where being an out gay couple doesn’t cause too much of a sensation. And somewhat to Ryker’s surprise, the Owatonna hockey team doesn’t have a problem with their relationship.
The timeline for this story is pretty much parallel to Goal Line from the Harrisburg Railers series. We have Tennent and Jared (Ryker’s dad) making an appearance both prior to and after Tennent’s injury.
The connection between Ryker and Jacob was strong and felt very real. I loved reading about their journey to becoming boyfriends and I loved meeting the others members of the Owatonna U hockey team. Not all was somber in this story, there were several lighter moments and I loved the epilogue. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
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RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.
RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.
She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.
The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.
She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the following links below:
Amazon | Blog | Bookbub | Contact | Facebook Author Page | Facebook Group Page | Goodreads | Library Thing | Newsletter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter | Website
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, Dr. Who, Torchwood, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, 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, two Jersey steers and a flock of assorted domestic fowl.
When not writing lusty tales, she can be found enjoying her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand.
Blog | Bookbub | Contact | Facebook Author Page |
Facebook Group Page | Goodreads | Pinterest | Twitter | Website
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