Stephani Hecht

I liked this book much better than the first book in the series. I felt the pacing was better and I connected to the MCs more easily, particularly Trey. He was beautifully written and his inner voice broke my heart. I really liked the Brock-Trey interaction as well and want to learn more about Brock in future stories.

My only wtf moment was the possessive "he belongs to me" overtone Wade started to get towards the end of the book. I'm all for a good jealous/possessive scene but it had too show more much of a controlling vibe for me. But that's a bit of a squick of mine so if that's your kink, go for it.

tl;dr Enjoyed this book. Would read again. show less

The problems I have with all of this series so far is particularly evident in this book. I just don't care about the characters. Not because they're badly written, but because I don't have time to. So far, the pacing of all the books has been almost identical: the fucked up MCs meet, cue instant chemistry, they either fuck then fight or fight then fuck within 24 hours then there is a jump in time of a few weeks and we see the MCs living happily ever after together, all their major emotional show more trauma fixed by the magic cock. It's just all too fast to be believable.

It's a shame because the author has the makings of great angsty romance novels in her blurbs but races through the meaty emotional stuff that makes a reader fall in love with a character. I've finished every single book so far with a feeling of regret that I couldn't have gotten to see more. show less

This may be a short story in terms of number of pages but it had the emotional impact of a much longer book on me. The background of the characters, their past and current issues as well as the type of people they are comes through loud and clear. I found myself totally absorbed in their world after the first few pages.

Duncan, a dragon shifter, has been the prisoner of a cruel sorcerer for ten years. Unfortunately, or so he thinks, he has fallen in love with the sorcerer's son, Trent. Their show more confrontation after the father's death is expected, the result isn't.

Trent has suffered under his father's rule almost as much as Duncan has. I loved that he'd resisted the lure of evil and turned out to be very honorable.

Dragon's Eye is not just a story about a treasure lost to Duncan. For me, it was just as much the story of two men from very different worlds, who are supposed to be enemies, dealing with the fact that they love each other and are meant to be together. The integration of both the 'adventure' side and the 'love story' aspect was what made me like this tale so much. That and the great descriptions and occasional slightly tongue-in-cheek humor. I'd love to see a sequel for this one!



NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review. show less

Cup Check by Stephani Hecht is a novella at 21,431 words published by eXstasy Books, and it features two alternating third-person viewpoints. Other than more typos than I’m used to, I have no problems with this tightly written story that features vivid, insider-view details about the hardscrabble world of semi-professional hockey (the title refers to whacking a player in the groin with a hockey stick, which is what happens to one character by an opposing player).

The conflict centers on the show more secret attraction between openly gay Sergei and the deeply closeted team captain Kip. Kip’s reasons are compelling for keeping his sexual orientation a secret so as not to wreck his sports career. The author provides enough contrast between his precarious position as a supposedly straight guy and the harsh experiences of gay teammates Sergei, Devon, and Trey to make Kip’s problem believable and relatable. In the meantime, the mutual lust between Sergei and Kip (especially after their surprise meeting in a gay bar) is very hot, and their growing affection for each other ensures the reader’s emotional investment in their story.

The story opens on a high note of action in Sergei’s viewpoint as his new team the Hawks plays his old team the Cougars, comprised of some viciously homophobic guys who once made his life a living hell. Though Kip (whom he’s lusted after from afar) tries to protect him, Sergei gets whacked in the groin out on the ice and one of his teammates gets an even worse injury, but Sergei is able to score. Clearly, when the Hawks and Cougars meet again in the playoffs, it will be a grudge match.

Later, Sergei is stunned to run across Kip in a gay bar. The two have a violent argument, followed by a struggle for dominance in the rainy parking lot, which turns into hot, anger-fueled sex. Sergei realizes he wants a relationship with Kip, but not a secret one. He has been through too much already at the hands of his former teammates and his disapproving parents after coming out publically in hopes of helping other gay young people. Meanwhile, Kip needs a way to sort out his priorities: love or career. With the playoffs game approaching, he may find the decision made for him.

Val for AReCafe show less