Robin M. (robinmy) - , reviewed on 3/27/2023 + 2104 more book reviews

Michael Graham and John Rikker were best friends as teens...then their friendship became something more. When an incident causes Rikker to be outed, his parents ship him off to Vermont to live with his grandmother. Graham was haunted by this incident from his youth, trying to quietly move on with his life. Now in his third year at Harkness College, Graham is gearing up for a hockey game when the coach announces that a new player has joined the team...John Rikker. They haven't set eyes on each other in five years. Rikker is out and proud. Graham avoids Rikker at all costs, feeling guilty about what happened in the past.

This book is part of Sarina Bowen's The Ivy Years series. It's a very good M/M romance with a hockey setting. Graham is very much in denial about his sexuality. That is causing him to drink heavily which is affecting every aspect of his life. I sometimes hated the way he treated Rikker, but I also felt sympathy for him trying to deal with is life. Rikker is a fantastic character who is forgiving of Graham's betrayal.

This story had some good supporting characters, including Rikker's grandmother, his ex-boyfriend, and Graham's best friend, Bella, who also happens to be the hockey team's manager. I believe her story is next in the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

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