Ashlyn Kane

4.5 stars.

Jax moved in with his best friend to look after his cat, and hasn't left. He's kind of drifting, since he doesn't want to go back and finish his doctorate, as it brings back bad memories. So when he gets a job as a bartender at his roomie's favourite bar and plays piano there during his shift, Jax is content. Then, one night, he ends up filling in for a piano player and duos with a famous violinist. Ari is supposed to be working on his new album but hasn't been able to write any show more music. After dueling with Jax, Ari is inspired to write a song. And when he visits the bar again and sees Jax, he keeps on writing. Jax is a flirt, and Ari doesn't know if he means it, but eventually he takes him up on it. As their relationship starts to deepen, they need to deal with who they are inside and outside of it.

I really, really enjoyed this. I liked both Jax and Ari, and found both of their reactions and actions realistic. I liked their stories and how everything unfolded, even Ari and his parents. I know that culturally, European descendants might not understand, but having now been around different cultures, I understand how Ari didn't want to upset his parents, even if I personally would be "back off, you guys". But it is more difficult when you've been raised to believe that family is everything, second to none, and having heavy expectations put on you from childhood. I was glad to see that Ari did eventually get there. I also liked that Jax actually figured out what he wanted to do and went for it. And the ending was exactly right for the story and for the characters. show less

I played hockey for years--even flying down on weekends to play on the LA Selects and then on the Ducks while living in the SF Bay Area--so you can definitely say I love the sport and know it in and out. So, if you're going to write a story about hockey players, then you better damn well do it right! And these ladies definitely did just that.

Technicalities aside, they wrote the passion, the stress, the freakin' hard and all-consuming work it takes day in and day out, season in, season out to show more play top level hockey into this story, plus added a sweet and sexy love story between teammates into it.

This book made me crack up so much--seriously Dante is a gem, as well as the rest of the team. The team's interplay and support were golden and so much fun to read.

Fast-paced, realistic, and so entertaining, this is one to not miss. It had so much heart and went above my expectations.

Takes m/m ice hockey second place on my list, right after show less

It will be a surprise to absolutely no one who knows me that I was accidentally obsessed with Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid in 2022. This book is the absolute closest I could find to the banter of those two and believe me, I've looked. Many have attempted and few have even made it close.

Grady and Max would like nothing more than to punch each other in the face, again, but fate has them both swiping right on a dating app without believing the other is who they think the other is. They are show more both out characters so this didn't have any of the hidden sexuality points that H.R. did and this book was stronger for it.

BANTER. For days. I've already crowed about this book in private chats to people. Enjoy.

Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for throwing me a copy as soon as I begged for it. My opinions are my own. show less

No, this was the part where Mal broke Luke down into tiny component pieces and put him back together different. When this was over, Luke didn’t know who he’d be. Just that he’d be Mal’s, maybe forever. And even though the thought terrified him, he couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to.

I absolutely loved American Love Songs by this author, but then I read True North and I didn't like it and was kind of disappointed. Then came A Good Vintage and I didn't know what to expect and I was show more kind of dreading more disappointment. But I needn't have worried because this book hit the spot!

When Luke was 19, he left home and started working in a vineyard in Napa in order to earn enough money for his first year's college tuition. There he met Mal (then 28 years old), whose wife has recently died from cancer. There was chemistry between them and over several weeks they grew closer, but nothing ever happened because Luke picked up and left before it could.

Fast-forward eight years. Luke is a man who relationship-vise made one bad decision after another. He claims he's a poor judge of character, but I got the impression it was more like self-sabotage. His father was abusive, especially toward Luke, seemingly for no reason, and no matter how much Luke resented and even hated his father, he couldn't help feeling as if every beating and abusive word were somehow deserved, so naturally he doesn't deserve a boyfriend who's not a deadbeat like his father in one way or another.

When he catches his live-in boyfriend whoring out in their bed for money he needs to cover his gambling debts, Luke packs his bags and goes to his older brother, Val. Val sends him to a vineyard/b&b to relax, but 'forgets' to mention it's the same vineyard Luke worked at the summer he was 19, with it's name changed. There, Luke meets Mal again. The chemistry is still there and the book follows them learning to be in a relationship - Luke in the first relationship with a man he actually trusts, Mal in the first relationship since his wife died. They are learning to trust each other and to communicate, and along the way you fall in love with them too.

What bothered me about this book is the number of unresolved events - How did Jo's tests go? What about Gabriela? What about Luke's real father? These are mostly minor events (or treated as such), but it's the stuff I wanted to know, because I loved the side-characters too. Also, the book ends with a HFN ending and I would really love to know weather the HFN turns into a HEA at some point. show less