Review: Home Ice

Title: Home Ice
Author: Kate Sherwood
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: 11 November 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 67 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Jason and Mike had a thing when they were kids, but life separated them before it could become more. Now Mike is back in town after a successful NHL career, ready to take on a position with the team Jason is coaching. Hooking up again isn't in the plans for either of them, but will they be able to ignore the feelings that have lingered all those years?

Jason is a charming character. He is deep in the closet, but it's quite understandable given his living/working circumstances, and he's certainly assertive and forthright enough in other ways to more than make up for his lack of interest in outing himself. I particularly enjoyed his exchanges with and takes on his players; I was sold on him being a good coach.

Mike is just as much fun, adorable in his insecurities. (I loved him buying too much Chinese. Seriously, the entire exchange where he reveals the history of that made me smile.) He does seem to be a little bit of a pushover, at least when it comes to Jason, but that doesn't make him any less appealing.

As a couple, Jason and Mike work well. They're comfortable with each other in a way that makes their relationship believable, without being over the top, and their history allows much of the relationship to be almost pre-built, so that when they fall all over each other, it's not completely out of the blue. The sex is great, too, being just enough without being overwhelming.

The supporting cast is good, also. Jason's players in particular were well-developed, given the limited number of pages in which said development could happen. They were perhaps a bit pat in their reaction to certain revelations, but not so much as to require great suspension of disbelief.

The story itself was fairly predictable once the groundwork was laid, but that isn't a detriment. The conflict and reactions were realistic, enough to make me grind my teeth and root for the best resolution. There were few editing errors, too, which is always a bonus.

This was rather a departure from the other books I'm familiar with by the author, but I'm glad for it. There is nothing wrong with deviating from the norm, especially when it comes out this well.