Back to Center By Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood, Performed By Alexander Cendese
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Tropes: Player/coach, finding redemption, friends-to-lovers, single dad
Released: Audio: Feb 7, 2023; eBook: Feb 1, 2023
Publisher: Wainscott Press
Series: Mohegan U Hockey, Book 2
Length: 6 hrs, 2 mins / 287 Pages
Cover Design: Cate Ashwood Designs
Photo: CJC Photography
Model: Aaron Anderson
Eckie
There are ways to get ahead in college hockey, but having a meltdown, trying to get rid of your coach, and stalking his boyfriend isn’t one of them. Is it really a surprise that I wound up in a hospital facing my demons instead of getting ready to play for the pros and taking care of my baby? I needed the world’s biggest redo, but the probability of a second chance was about the same as…
Jack Rogan walking through the door. But there he was! Jack was one of my coaches, and I was pretty sure he was straight. His easy laugh and sympathetic ear put a smile on my face. He made me believe I could turn my life around. But as much as I liked him, I knew I had to put my fantasies aside. With obligations to meet and amends to make, I didn’t have time to obsess about a guy who was out of my reach.
So why did I say yes when he offered me a place to stay while I got on my feet?
Jack
I was done with relationships. A fractured heart had made sure my walls were high, and my shields were strong. There wasn’t a man I couldn’t resist—until Eckie.
After driving everyone away in an avalanche of self-destruction, he was getting much needed help, and I wondered if I should go see him. A single visit turned into the best part of every day, and I was hooked. When I was with Eckie, the world made sense again. There were only two years separating us, but since I was one of his coaches, spending time together was dangerous. If we kept it up, who knew what I might do?
Maybe something brilliant, like asking him to stay with me when he left the hospital. I knew it was risky, and I told myself I was only being a friend. But the truth was, I liked feeling things again.
Eckie was seeking redemption; Jack was trying to do the right thing. Neither planned on anything beyond friendship. Will following their hearts leave them worse than before, or will they find what they’ve needed all along?
Back to Center is a story of redemption and the unexpected love a man finds in a friend he never knew he’d have. It also includes exciting hockey, a coach/player dynamic, great communication, unquenchable longing giving way to irrepressible heat, an adorable baby, and a perfect HEA.
Content warnings for depression and physical/emotional abuse by parents. The abuse happened in the past, but knowing about it may be difficult for some.
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
Eckie finds redemption!
Alexander Cendese did a fantastic job performing this story. I loved it when I read it with my eyes and even more listening to it! There really isn’t much else I can say that I didn’t say in my original review so I’m pasting a copy of it below:
I absolutely love it when a pretty horrible secondary character in one book gets redemption as an MC in his own story. After reading Cracks in the Ice (book one in this series) I was so hoping that Eckie would get his own book. While each book in this series can be read as a standalone, I hope you will read book one first. I think reading that story will give you a better appreciation of who Eckie becomes in Back to Center.
Eckie has overcome so many things during the summer after he has his huge meltdown. He spent time in an inpatient center getting treated for his extreme depression. His type of depression resulted in him acting out rather than folding inward and hiding from life. He’s ready to start his new life and can only hope that he can get his scholarship reinstated.
Jack never intended to keep visiting Eckie while he was getting treatment; he thought it would just be a one-time thing. He was surprised to find himself enjoying the time they spent together and even more surprised when he offers Eckie a place to stay when he is released from the hospital.
This story really got to me in a lot of ways. Depression is something I can relate to even though I don’t know anyone who has the type that Eckie has. I liked how Eckie used the techniques he learned during treatment to help keep himself centered when life throws things at him. His relationship with Jack starts out as friends and slowly evolves into more. Eckie showed so much maturity when he insisted on keeping his relationship with Jack from going too far until his divorce was final.
This is a fairly low angst story but there were some pretty tense moments when Eckie’s crazy parents went even more crazy than I could imagine. Eckie’s ex-wife also showed a lot of maturity and I thought it was great how the two of them eventually ended up as friends and wanted only the best for their son.
I have to note that I’ll probably never be much of a sports fan but I’ve been enjoying learning about hockey from the many stories I’ve read by this writing duo as well as a few other favorite authors. I’m really looking forward to whatever Taylor and Harwood write next.
Story: ♥♥♥♥♥
Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
Available to borrow with Kindle Unlimited.
Mary texted on Tuesday night to say she and Levi were back home and ask if I wanted to see him the next day. I tried to convince her to let me come right away, but she said he was already asleep. We agreed that I’d come on Wednesday at seven p.m., which was so exciting I did a happy dance all by myself.
Later, Jack FaceTimed to let me know he’d gotten to Cleveland safely. His face and broad shoulders filled the screen, and a light sheen of sweat made him look hot as blazes.
It would be so damn sexy licking that sweat off his throat.
I pushed the thought away and asked, “Was the drive okay?”
“Yeah, and it was a beautiful day for it. How was work?”
“Great. I stood in line at the courthouse for over an hour, but the office brought in lunch for everyone, so that made up for it. Which makes me think—thanks again for the food you left here. I grilled some chicken for dinner.”
His eyes widened. “The recipe with lemon and thyme?”
“That’s the one.”
“Damn, I love that.”
I couldn’t help grinning. “Wish you’d been here to share it.”
“Me too. Mm.”
The throaty hum made my dirty mind go wild. “I’ll make it again when you get back.”
“Can’t wait. Tim and I ordered pizza, and it was pretty good.”
“You guys going out tonight?”
“We’ll probably just hang out. He showed me a few sights this afternoon, and I’m tired after the drive from Winscombe.”
He looked so good it took me a minute to reply. “I miss you, big guy. Glad you’re getting to see your friend, though.”
“Miss you, too.” His voice was soft. “I’ll be back soon.”
“You better be.” I’d been so happy to hear from Jack, I’d forgotten to tell him about the visit with Levi. “Guess what?”
When I shared the news, he was excited for me, and we spent the rest of the call talking about it. Jack’s smiles got brighter by the minute, and I loved the way his eyes sparkled. By the time we hung up, I was a jumble of feelings—excited about seeing Levi, missing Jack, and ridiculously turned on.
Back to Center. Copyright © 2023 Ryan Taylor & Joshua Harwood. All rights reserved.
To celebrate the release of Back to Center in audio, Ryan and Josh are giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card! The giveaway starts on 02/23 and ends on 03/06. Click the link below to see how you can enter.
Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood write gay romance with heat and heart. With thirteen books and eight audiobooks to their credit, they have earned high praise for their exciting, sweet, steamy, and (mostly) low-angst stories. The Bethesda Barracudas Hockey series is a hit with readers and listeners, and their most recent series, Mohegan U Hockey, has been even more popular. The MUH books are emotional reads, sweet and steamy with some angst. All of Ryan and Josh’s books are carefully crafted to be read as standalones, even when they are part of a series.
Ryan and Josh were married in 2017. They began writing to celebrate their own romance and are passionate about telling authentic stories about gay men who fall wildly in love and find their own “happily ever afters.”
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Promotional materials and review copy provided by the authors.
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