Is this thing on?
Welcome to the book cocktail, where low brow is the top shelf
Well hello.
I’m Frances. I’m here to scream into the void about everything I’m reading and — spoiler alert! — it’s pretty much all romance. My new year’s resolution/goal/dream is to spend more time on what I’m passionate about and what I am passionate about is books where two people (or sometimes even more!!! are you intrigued yet??) fall in love. I read somewhere between 3 and 5 books a week and since, in my humble opinion, I have a discerning palette for what sucks/doesn’t suck, I figured it might be time to share my feelings with the world. Every week I’ll share what I’m reading, whether I like it or hate it, one hear me out (HMO) pick, and whatever else is on my mind. There may be deep dives into genres or authors I love, things I’m revisiting after reading them ages ago, my thoughts on some of the books that go viral on tiktok and what you should really be reading instead, new releases I’m excited about and much much more.
Also, just to get it out of the way, this is a Colleen Hoover-free space. Sorry, but I’m not sorry and I never will be sorry.
So, without further ado, welcome to The Book Cocktail, where low brow is the top shelf.
(WAIT HELP what do the emojis mean!? Use context clues or scroll to the bottom for my rating guide, I’m not wasting time up here)
What I’m reading: M/M Hockey Romances
Over the holidays I like to revisit old books, so I did a LOT of re-reading. And I rediscovered one of my favorite tropes, m/m hockey romances. I’m equal opportunity, though. I also love a straight hockey romance — something about a pro hockey player just really works in a romance novel even if you never actually watch hockey. But the storylines with two men have way better tension and that’s just the truth. Teammates! Rivals! One got traded and the other didn’t! Fighting with their sticks (pun intended!)! Want to be like me? May I recommend:
Enemies to lovers. Heated Rivalry (5🍸; 😏) by Rachel Reid might be up there in my top 5 books of all time. Yeah, I said it. Two rival star hockey players get drafted the same year and are pitted against each other in the media. Also, they fall in love. Everything about this book is perfect. Absolutely no notes. Thank god Rachel Reid made this universe into a whole six-book series (my other favorites include The Long Game (a follow-up to heated rivalry) and Game Changer. If you care, my least favorite is Tough Guy, but you probably don’t).
Second Chance Romances.
Him and Us (5🍸; 😏) by Sarina Bowen is the OG gay hockey romance duology imho. Two friends have a spicy night on their last day at hockey camp and don’t reconnect until they both return as counselors the summer before starting in the NHL. This has “I didn’t know I was bi but I guess I am!” energy in a heartfelt way.
The Understatement of the Year (3.5🍸; 😏) also by Sarina Bowen may have been written before Him, but I didn’t read it first, so I’m putting it second. Another good one about high school ~lovers~ in a conservative town who experience a traumatic incident resulting in one moving away and reconnecting when he transfers colleges to play on the same team as his ex. There is a lot more agnst in this one than in Him.
Friends to Lovers. The Trade Deadline (4🍸; 😇 /😏) by A.L. Heard is a book I did actually read for the first time this week. A superstar player gets traded after his team finds out he’s gay and befriends (plus more!) a middle of the pack player on his new team who he may or may not have hooked up with 7 years prior while he was blacked out. Also calls him Brian for the first 20% of the book when that’s not his name. Misunderstandings (and love!) abound!
Roommates to Lovers. Time to Shine (3🍸; 😏) also by Rachel Reid. Quiet, back-up goalie gets called up to the NHL to cover for the injured starter, and the star player on the team befriends him and offers him a place to stay. I really liked this book, but the one guy talks so much and seems kind of annoying (I know I know, pot, kettle, yes I’ve met myself). Still, I liked this enough to read it twice. I’ll read anything by my girl Rachel.
International Love. If you’re into a Canadian main character who speaks waaay too much French (which takes away from the book), read Gravity (3🍸; 😏) by Tal Bauer. Here’s the thing. This is an objectively good book with a great plot, I just cannot get over the gratuitous french. But maybe it’s not gratuitous. Are you French-Canadian? Let me know if I’m wrong here. Anyway, a star player and a lesser known player meet at the hockey all star weekend and connect instantly, but things get awkward when one makes a move on the other in a fancy Vegas hotel suite. Will they meet again? Oui! — and soon! And duh, they fall in love. I promise other stuff happens in between.
Honorable Mention. Goes to Light up the Lamp (3🍸; 😏) by Kit Oliver. Kit Oliver is one of my favorite m/m romance authors, this just isn’t my favorite of his books. Still, it’s not bad and it’s a coach/player romance which isn’t covered by any of the above recs. You could read this once you read all the other (better) books by Kit. The Place Between, in particular, is a 5🍸 for me.
Hear Me Out (HMO) of the week
Just to stay on theme with what I’ve been reading lately, this week’s hear me out is Suckerpunch (3🍸; 😏) by Elyse Springer. Hear me out — it’s a m/m hockey romance between teammates in the NHL and one of them is a vampire. I know what you’re thinking, should we really be mixing a sports romance with the vampire trope? The answer is probably yes. And while this isn’t the best hockey-related book I’ve ever read, the idea is original and the book is entertaining enough to get the job done. I wish Elyse Springer would write more in this universe — there are allusions to other supernatural pro athletes like werewolves and fae, and I would just kill for a book about a fae soccer player. Or something. Elyse if you’re listening, I would buy more of these books!!
Please help me to not be screaming into the void
Subscribe below! I’ll be back every week and I promise it might be worth it. If you like my recs, maybe even share this with a friend. And you can follow me on instagram at thebookcocktail. I don’t have really have any posts yet, but if you follow me I will have a reason to start posting. And yet, you probably don’t want to follow me unless there are posts… Kind of a chicken or the egg thing, huh? Just follow your heart.
Anyway, bet you didn’t realize how many gay hockey romances there are!!!
Ta ta for now,
Frances
Rating Guide
Plot
1🍸- I probably didn’t finish it and if I did, it was under duress and you should check to see if I’m OK.
2🍸 - I finished it. I didn’t hate it. I definitely didn’t like it.
3🍸 - I enjoyed it and it was entertaining, but if you ask me in a week what it was about I might not be able to tell you.
4🍸 - Highly HIGHLY recommend. I will probably re-read this book at some point.
5🍸 - You absolutely must read this or you are dead to me.
Spice
🥶 means ice cold. They barely touch and it’s practically a hallmark movie. Or potentially, this just ins’t a romance novel (I do read those occasionally).
😇 means PG. Closed door romance. You could listen to this as an audiobook with a child around (maybe? I don’t have kids). The good stuff is left to your imagination.
😏 means pretty sexy. It’s open door, so you get the inside track, but it’s vanilla. You get what I mean.
🥵 means I feel a bit sweaty. Open door, open…other things. It’s definitely not vanilla, and potentially there’s stuff going on that’s not even chocolate. Probably a flavor with lots of nuts. Again, you get what I mean.
🤯 means this was too much even for my jaded eyes. Some things just shouldn’t written about in fiction (and CERTAINLY shouldn’t be done in real life). If you don’t know, you shouldn’t ask me for examples. I want you to keep reading and also to sleep at night.