Cracks in the Ice By Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood, Performed By Alexander Cendese
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Tropes: Age-gap, faculty/student, opposites attract, first times, hockey
Released: Audio: Dec. 5, 2022; eBook: Sept. 14, 2022
Publisher: Wainscott Press
Series: Mohegan U Hockey, Book 1
Length: 6 hrs, 53 mins / 297 Pages
Cover Design: Cate Ashwood Designs
How can they trust love not to hurt them again?
Benny
I’ll never fall in love again.
I had my chance, and I was the happiest man you can imagine. One day, it all came to an end. The only thing left was playing hockey, but it wasn’t enough, and I became my own worst enemy.
When my old school offered me a lifeline, I took it. As a coach, I could at least be miserable in a different place.
But when I arrived, there he was—bright and warm, like sunshine. I’d lived in the dark for so long my soul was frozen, but he thawed me out. I started feeling things again, wanting things. For the first time since the dark times began, I wondered if there was a chance. I’d never thought about being with another man, but so what? Could I be lucky enough to find love twice?
Cole
I was done. No. More. Men.
I’d always made the worst possible dating choices, and one guy after another took advantage of me. Invariably, I thought I was falling in love. Once I told them, they’d show their true colors and run.
Worn out and unable to stand another heartbreak, I swore off love. I almost had my master’s degree, and playing the piano was a much safer route to happiness.
No sooner had I made up my mind than there he was—hot as a forest fire, yet very sad. When I found out why, I understood. Someday, he’d love again, but there was no reason I shouldn’t be a friend.
Then he kissed me, and everything turned on a dime. I needed to protect myself from getting pulled in again, but the harder I tried, the more I believed in him. Was I making another horrible mistake? Would this time be different, or was I setting myself up for the biggest letdown of all?
Cracks in the Ice is a gay sports romance featuring hurt/comfort, sensitive men, unexpected connections, first times, an age gap, faculty/student romance, explosive chemistry, hard-earned happiness, and a very satisfying HEA.
Content warnings for partner deaths, traumatic accidents, and alcohol abuse. While these issues happened in the past, they may still be difficult for some.
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
A great start to a new series; I love Cole and Benny!
I loved this book when I read it with my eyes when the ebook was released in September 2022. Alexander Cendese made me love it all over again with his fantastic audio performance. His voice is pleasant to listen to and it was easy to distinguish all of the different voices. There really isn’t anything else I can say other than what I said in my original review, shown below:
Cracks in the Ice is another great story from the writing duo of Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood. It pulled me in right from the beginning and didn’t let go until I finished it – all in one session.
There were a few times when I had to hold my breath while reading but everything worked out. Cole and Benny really clicked, almost right from the beginning. It wasn’t insta-love; they built on friendship first and then their attraction for each other. I liked how accepting Benny was when he realized that he was attracted to Cole; it was refreshing that he didn’t have a big internal or external freak out.
It was great to visit with characters from the Bethesda Barracudas Hockey series. You absolutely don’t need to have read those books to enjoy this one but I do highly recommend them because they are great books (and they’re available in audio, too).
I am so not a sports fan but I seem to really love reading MM romances that have a sports theme. I appreciated that there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of hockey jargon and yet I think hockey fans will probably be satisfied with what hockey talk there is and with the scenes that take place while games are being played.
I was happy to learn that this is book one of a new series. There were several really great secondary characters that I hope get books of their own. In particular, I want to read more about Cole’s ex-boyfriend, Eckie; he needs a redemption story.
Story: ♥♥♥♥♥
Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
Available to borrow with Kindle Unlimited and Whispersync – Voice Enabled.
Audible US: https://www.audible.com/pd/Cracks-in-the-Ice-Audiobook/B0BNWGNSQB
Audible UK: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Cracks-in-the-Ice-Audiobook/B0BNWDPCRC
Amazon AUDIO US: https://amzn.to/3UQ50Xq
Amazon BOOK Universal: mybook.to/CracksInTheIce
Amazon BOOK US: https://amzn.to/3BioOuX
iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/cracks-in-the-ice-unabridged/id1658099888
It was a cloudless, sunny afternoon, almost unheard of for March in Western New York. The temperature outside was only forty-six degrees, but indoors, it was hot. Never in ten million billion years had I imagined a man like Benny might be interested in me.
Don’t get ahead of yourself. This is how you get hurt.
I knew it was the first time he’d kissed a man, and he hadn’t proposed marriage or even seeing each other officially, but we were on a date. After that kiss, the entire day was one long, glorious, dreamy date, wasn’t it?
In the living room, we chose one of Diana’s colorful rugs and lay side-by-side on the floor, enjoying the sunrays streaming through the tall windows. We talked about little things and enjoyed long, sultry kisses that had my heart doing wild things in my chest.
After a while, he said, “I forgot I’d planned to ask if you wanted to go hiking this afternoon.”
We were on our sides, facing each other, and I traced a finger along his nose. “Do you want to go hiking?”
“Not now. I mean, I would if you wanted to, but I like lying here with you.”
“Me too. And I like this.” I kissed him again, and we reached an unspoken agreement that hiking was overrated.
Cracks in the Ice. Copyright © 2022 Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood. All rights reserved.
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood met in law school and were married in 2017. Currently, they divide their time between Washington, DC and a home in the country, where they live with their family and a big, cuddly German shepherd. Ryan and Josh love to travel, and hockey is practically a religion in their house. Ryan also enjoys swimming and photography, and Josh—who used to be a professional musician—likes to putter in the garden when he can. Their own romance inspired them to begin writing stories about other gay men finding their own “happily ever afters.” Cracks in the Ice is the debut novel of a new series, Mohegan U Hockey. Ryan and Josh have also published ten other books and six audiobooks. You can contact Ryan and Josh through their website at https://www.ryanandjoshth.com/.
Social Media Links
Vote for Cracks in the Ice in the GoodReads M/M Romance Members’ Choice Awards: https://linktr.ee/ryan.josh
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Website: https://www.ryanandjoshth.com
Shop Merch: https://bookstoloveby.myspreadshop.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rjthroom/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ryanandjoshth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan.josh.th/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryantaylorandj1?s=21
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMd4PB3pR/
Ryan Taylor’s Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Ryan-Taylor/e/B07L3D9PZ1/
Joshua Harwood’s Amazon Profile: https://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Harwood/e/B07L2HHG7V?
Ryan Taylor’s BookBub Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ryan-taylor
Joshua Harwood’s BookBub Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joshua-harwood
Ryan Taylor’s Goodreads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18708062.Ryan_Taylor
Joshua Harwood’s Goodreads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18708074.Joshua_Harwood
Promotional materials and review copy provided by the authors.
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