Book: Empty Net
Series: Scoring Chances #4
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication date: September 2, 2016
Length: 219 pages
Reviewed by Erin
Synopsis
Spartanburg Spitfires’ goalie and captain Isaac Drake ended last season with an unexpected trip to the playoffs. He’s found a home and family with his coach and mentor, Misha Samarin, and he’s looking forward to making a serious run for the Kelly Cup. But things take an interesting turn when Isaac’s archnemesis, Laurent St. Savoy, is traded to the Spitfires. After Laurent’s despicable behavior in the playoffs last year, Isaac wants nothing to do with him – no matter how gorgeous he is. But that changes when Isaac discovers the reason for Laurent’s attitude.
Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.
Please be advised: This book does contain some non-graphic references to past childhood physical/emotional abuse as well as issues relating to ED (bulimia and restricted eating, disordered thoughts about eating).
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Review
There are very few
authors that continue to get better with each and every book they release ...
especially when their debut book was a home run. For me, Avon Gale is among my
very favorite authors and her newest book, Empty
Net is the reason why. Sexy, funny, and emotional is a hard combination to perfect,
but Avon Gale has it mastered. Her books are ALWAYS the perfect balance of
swoon and humor, of emotions and strong, well-rounded characters full of flaws
and personalities. What I love most is that even though this is the fourth book
in her highly entertaining Scoring Chances series, this one is completely
different from the previous books, while keeping true to what her numerous and
growing fans have come to expect and love.
I have to get a major
flail out of the way first before I can get to Isaac and Laurent, the focus of Empty Net. To me, a book that stays on
my re-read list has a bit of everything. That feeling of comfort, the ability
to allow me to escape for hours, and when I'm done, I'm left with this all out
body sigh that just makes me feel so so good. One of the reasons this book in
particular is at the very top of my go to books is because of the incredible
and so very beautifully portrayed bromance between Misha and Isaac. We first
met Isaac Drake in all his blue haired, bad boy glory in Power Play, book 3. I loved him so hard then and Misha immediately
found a place in my heart among my favorite characters ever. But in Empty Net, their friendship moves to
whole other stratosphere. I'm not lying when I say I would be first in line to
read an entire book of nothing but Isaac and Misha talking in the kitchen or
seeing them during their one on one skates. It's probably my most favorite
relationship out of all them so far. There is just something so sweet and so
moving to me about the connection these two men share. How Misha lets Isaac see
a part of himself he doesn't even share with his boyfriend, Max (who is pretty
damn awesome) and how Isaac feels so safe and so accepted by Misha he's able to
let down his guard and be vulnerable. There's absolutely nothing sexual between
these two, though when Isaac ogles Misha it always makes me laugh, but their
absolute devotion to one another is essential to who they are as people. I'm in
awe of how Avon Gale has written these two together.
Now, onto Isaac and
Laurent. It takes tremendous talent on the part of an author to make a
character as reviled as Laurent St. Savoy into one who's sympathetic and
likable but damn if Avon Gale didn't do this ... and then some. I was anxious
that I wouldn't be able to like Laurent, and especially not with Isaac whom
everyone, me included, loved so much, but I should have known that I had
nothing to worry about. From Laurent's first appearance there was just
something so sad and so vulnerable about him that begged for us to root for him
to get his shit together. Of course, it would be Isaac who steps up to the
plate and willingly takes him on. Empty
Net is a bit darker than the previous books. From Laurent's abuse by his
father to his eating disorder to Isaac's struggle to get over his own past,
you'll find yourself crying more than a few times. I know I did. Isaac's
constant comfort and support of Saint was tender and sweet. His willingness to be
there, his earnestness to try to help Saint, as Isaac and the team start to
call him, stand up to his abusive father was touching and emotional.
This book, y'all. I
can't really even with how fantastic it is. It has everything. Lots of the
hockey action that Avon Gale writes like no other. Funny moments, sweet and
tender moments, sexy and hot moments, emotional moments, and a few times where
you'll be angry and upset. It's my favorite book of the series. My love for all
things Lane Courtland is still strong, Misha will forever be a favorite, but
Isaac and Saint are their own level of perfection.
Laurent was standing in
a group of their teammates, who all skated off—making kissy noises, the
assholes—when Isaac finally made his way to him.
“Hey, Saint.” Isaac
pulled him into a hug. Fuck it. “Thanks for setting a standard I’ll never be
able to meet.”
Laurent didn’t laugh,
but he did hug Isaac back. “It was your standard I was playing to, Isaac.”
Oh, Jesus Christ. Was
everyone trying to make him cry? Sure. It was a well-known Rule that you were
allowed to cry when winning or losing sporting events, be you a player or a
fan. But sheesh.
“You were amazing,”
Isaac said. He smiled and reached up—because Laurent was even taller on
skates—to push Laurent’s sweaty hair out of his face. “I’m so proud of you. I
wanted to blow you, like, eighteen times.”
“I made thirty-four
saves. Weren’t you paying attention?”
Isaac threw his head
back and laughed. “Oh my God. You made a joke.”
“Who said I was joking?”
Laurent did have a small, contained smile on his face, though.
All. The. Feels.
As always, the book is
tightly written, the plot thoroughly engaging, the one liner's will make you
snort out loud, and the sexy times will have you fanning yourself. I thought
Gale's handling of Laurent's abuse and his eating disorder were handled deftly and
with extreme sensitivity. It's not too heavy, this isn't that kind of book, but
it's an important part of WHO Saint is and it's not brushed aside or magically
made better. I LOVED that. I also really loved how Laurent's demisexuality is
portrayed. It's not preachy or too trite or in your face, but as natural and
genuine. As always, all the characters are so well developed from Huxley
to Ms. Bowen and even to smarmy but somehow likeable GM Jack Belsey and they
all add so much to the story.
This book is spectacular
and Avon Gale just keeps getting and better. So much so, it only makes waiting
for book 5 even harder!
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Nice review!
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