I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was the second book in the series, and I did not read the first one, though it might have helped if I had. Love a book with hockey it, though I wish there was a bit more hockey. Overall an okay read.

This was a very interesting dynamic of enemies to lovers, but they aren't really enemies. They are just competing to be starting goalie. Ryu is fairly quiet and shy, while Emmet is loud and excited to be where he is. Having to work together during practice they really balance each other out skill wise... which starts to translate to their personal interactions... which leads to... well, I think you will get it. Loved that you not only have a gay romance in sports, but that both MCs are not white. Great to see other ethnicities and body types represented in both sport books and m/m romance books. Wish there was a little more hockey in this book, since they is the life both MCs lead, but since they play the same position, it's hard for them to interact on the ice.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish it and will not be rating or reviewing it at this time. If I do finish in the future, I will leave my review on Amazon, as well as my social sites, then.

Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn have easily become a favorite duo to read from. Goal Interference was such an amazing book to read and I cant wait for book 3.

Gripping and sweet, definitely up to the standards of book one, which I loved. The characters are entertaining and well-rounded and felt true to life. Recommended!

3.25 Stars

It feels like forever since the last Avon Gale book (though it's only been a year) and I was really excited about this book. We met one of the main characters, briefly, in the last book. Ryu was seen to be quiet and reserved, but also supportive and sensible. That hasn't changed, though we got to know his motivations better.

Ryu is a goalie and a really hard worker. His family has always encouraged him to be the best at whatever profession he chooses for himself. It can be a lot of pressure and given he's such an introspective and introverted person, he doesn't let loose often. Or ever. He's very serious and keeps to himself. The other MC, Emmitt, is the complete opposite. He's outgoing, cocky and likes posting shirtless selfies on Instagram to show off his abs. He and Ryu are in competition over the main goalie spot on the Venom roster. Venom is their NHL team.

The two of them clash from the start. Part of it is because of the competition, and part because of their very different personalities. So sexual attraction aside, they didn't like each other at all.

And this is the part where I tell you how the two slowly grew closer and fell in love and stuff. But I can't say that this time. Yes, they did develop some level of friendship. But it was mostly because they're both decent people who have good sex. I couldn't really see a romantic connection there. In fact, I almost went back to reread the first half in case I missed the part where they came to have feelings for each other.

That was a major problem for me. No, there's nothing wrong with sex in a book or a relationship that begins with a no-strings arrangement. And since this a hockey book, I'd expected the focus on that as well. But most importantly, this is a romance novel. And the romance was missing. The book invested more time on the mutual attraction and the hockey.

That's not to say that I never wanted the two to work out. The authors were definitely able to make me care about the relationship, and I liked both the characters individually, especially Ryu. But I just don't see them as being in love, or at least how they fell in love in the first place. This isn't a big book and I think the authors could've kept a better eye on what the focus of the book should be. I liked all the other aspects of the book and, had it not been sold as a romance, I would have rated it higher.

Still, it was a decent read. I enjoyed the last 10% more than most other parts. I'd like to see what happens with Ryu and Emmitt in future book, even though they'll only be side characters.

How do I put into words how much I’ve enjoyed this book?

It doesn’t feel like I can do it justice. Like, at all.

Both MCs are so loveable, even though they don’t have a chance at all if compared to Jun. But still, Ryu holds a special place in my heart not just because he’s a goalie. I don’t know what my thing with goalies is. Or grumpy Russians. Good thing he’s not both because then I would have had a problem.

Just thinking about him and how he handles his aversion to touch makes me wanna abandon this review and reread the book instead.

But there is so much more to Avon and Piper’s book. It’s fun, it’s good, it’s fucking intense at times – and there is no easy solution to their rivalry. I won’t spoil you how they solve it but lemme tell ya that I was with them the whole way.

How can I forget everything about Goalie Interference so that I can enjoy it for the first time again?

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

I was in the mood for sports romance, and boy did this book not disappoint! I don't know anything about ice hockey--beyond what I watched of Mighty Ducks as a child--but this is NHL and incredibly different.

Emmitt Armstrong has just been traded from an AHL team and this is his first season in the big leagues. He's Black, he's cocky, he's talented and he's really looking forward to showing the Atlanta Venom what he can do.

Only problem is that, in ice hockey, there are two goalies to a team, and Ryu Mori has been there longer. When the coaches make the decision, though, to keep them working in tandem instead of picking Ryu right away as starter, it causes sparks between the two men. Ryu's feelings of having earned the spot and Emmitt's cockiness predictably don't mesh well together.

This enemies to lovers is set up perfectly against the backdrop of a season of playing that is incredibly well described without the visual medium of television. I felt like I knew all the stakes, and that I was given enough information to follow the season and the important plays without knowing all that much about ice hockey going in.

I enjoyed the main characters together and separately. The more they came to realise that they came from similar backgrounds with their parents and more extended family, the more they realised that they could work together and support each other not just as casual sex partners, but as actual friends. That too was an incredibly satisfying slow build from these authors.

While this was a fun read with a great ensemble cast and diversity representation, I never felt the connection between Ryu and Emmitt. We're told so often that they love having sex together, but there was never an emotional connection that kept me rooting for these guys. They were so focused on the sex, and barring a couple of sort of-serious conversations, I didn't understand why they were so attracted to each other.

I also didn't connect with Ryu and Emmitt individually. A lot of their problems seemed very surface, two-dimensional. They weren't very well-rounded and lacked character depth. They also didn't have much in the way of character arcs. Who they were at the beginning is exactly who they were at the end, which is a detriment to what could've been a five-star novel.

On top of that, we're told a lot of information instead of shown, which made for some low-tension and low-stakes. The final resolution just sort of...happens, without a conversation between our guys, and it felt very rushed. There were a lot of hockey scenes, which I normally enjoy, but even those scenes felt rushed, and they lacked the adrenaline-fuelled, edge-of-your-seat fast-pace needed to make them pulse-pounding.

I did enjoy the cameos from Tristan and Sebastian from book one, although sometimes it felt like the Tristan and Sebastian Show. I'm curious about Morley, though.

Overall, it was an entertaining read—I loved the dynamics between the team members, the way they all had each other's backs, and the storyline of two goalies trying to make a relationship work...their competitiveness, and banter, were very well done—but it wasn't quite up to the standards I've come to expect from these authors.

Ryu and Emmett are competing for the same starting goalie position. The intensity of competition keeps them both on edge trying to prove they are the best choice. There is a thin line between hating someone when they also want the same thing and then hoping you are the best choice. The best man will win but who will it be?

First off, I love sports romances, and especially hockey. As a Canadian, I think this is basically a given. I grew up going to local games, and I love the sport, so it's always fun to read romances that show me interesting peeks into what it could be like behind the scenes. This book does a great job developing the relationship between the MCs and the complications that arise from them being in competition for the same spot on the team.

I will say, I liked the first book of this series better, but when isn't that the case? This was a good follow up and I definitely recommend it.

3.5 Stars

So... I probably should’ve read Off The Ice again. Just skim it to get reacquainted again with all these characters. Because it’s been 2 years!! Since I read Off The Ice. And... well you forget who’s who.
Off The Ice was a 5 star read for me! So I was excited to jump into this book and just get swept away like I did the first book!

But, this book wasn’t what I was expecting. It took me a while to get into it. And I wasn’t really feeling Emmitt.

The whole who’s going to be the permanent goalie back and forth thing... I felt went on way too long.

But, towards the end of the book I felt the goalie position went to the right guy and I was happy how things went between Ryu and Emmitt.

I really enjoyed this book. While I didn’t fond my self craving reading these characters story, when I picked it up I found that I really got caught up in them and I couldn’t put the book down!

Goalie Interference is the second book in the Hat Trick series (the first being Off the Ice). To be honest, I liked Off the Ice a bit more than Goalie Interference, but it’s not a bad addition to the series by any means. I do love books about ice hockey – one of the sports that I’ll go and enjoy live. Ryu and Emmitt are a lot more alike than they first think, and sometimes I wanted to yell at them to get it together and realize this. They have a big career wrench thrown in their burgeoning relationship and I did feel really bad for the two. I can’t imagine it would be easy to date someone when they become your “rival” in a way. Overall, it’s a good read. I’d be curious to see if more Hat Trick books will be released.

When I see a hockey story I have to read it. It's just the way it is!

In "Goalie Interference" both MCs are hockey players and what makes it even more interesting is that they're teammates who are competing for the same starting position in the net.

Ryu has been with his team for a years now and always acted as the back-up goalie, so now that the starting goalie is retired he thought natural that the position was his.

Emmitt has played in the minors for a few seasons but now it's his chance to make it in the big leagues. He feels that all his efforts were worth it, expecially since he's considered for the starting position. Of course he's going to have to earn it from Ryu.

The attraction between them is clear from the start but the fact that they're also supposed to be competing - in a way - against each other makes everything even more complicated. They're mixed feeling and confused emotions make some intense meetings but they eventually find a way to deal with everything.

It turns out that they're making a great team on the ice and sharing the starting spot works best for the team. The management though is constantly keeping them on their toes and the stress eventually affects their relationship.

The plot was very good and I like what we saw of the rest of Ryu and Emmitt's teammates. The relationship between the MCs was complicated and had a lot of ups and downs that were clearly connected to how the season was going. I liked this book and I'll read more from this series is there're more books coming in the future.


*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. *

If it’s enemies-to-lovers, color me all over it. This trope is my catnip, and when it’s a smokin’ hot MM and hockey romance to boot? Stick a fork in me, I’m done for.
The premise to the story is seriously finger licking good; two goalies after the coveted spot on the team. Emmitt is the rookie with everything to prove, and Ryu is the seasoned player fighting to keep his spot. Sound delicious? Because it was. What made it even more enticing was the fact that both characters were not white. In a white bread world of sports romance, this was such a refreshing change of pace of not just one but both of the characters adding diversity into the mix.
The rivalry between these two is almost as hot as the undercurrent of attraction that runs between them. But where Emmitt doesn’t hide the fact that he’s bi, no one knows that Ryu is gay, not even his parents. This was a sizzling slow burn that was a bit diluted by too much internal monologue at times, but I still loved it. I loved Emmitt’s vulnerable and playful side almost as much as I loved Ryu’s grumpy and temperamental one. Talk about your opposites attracting. And you know what they say about the quiet ones, right? Because when you finally get a peek into Ryu’s intensity in the bedroom, it makes you think twice about the man’s quiet and unassuming personality out of it.
I really enjoyed this and it was a solid 4 stars for me until the ending. It felt a bit abrupt and rushed and gave me none of the resolution I was hoping for. It was a satisfying HFN on the one hand, but I was desperately wishing for an epilogue too. I have a feeling we may be getting more of these two in the next book of this series, but I still couldn’t help but feel a little of my enjoyment fizzle. But that aside, this was still a fantastic and enjoyable read and I’m definitely hooked on the series.

When I picked up Goalie Interference I was afraid that it would be to similar to my previous read (Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid), so I thought about reading something else first but my curiousity got the better of me and the two things those books had in common were the enemies-to-lovers and ice hockey theme, otherwise they were totally different, so there's that.

I really liked Goalie Interference, I read it at the airport and on my flight. It was an awesome travel companion. Ryu and Emmitt were a lot of fun together, I really liked their dynamics.

Also I can't wait for the next - and sadly last - book in this series.

Rating: 4 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And would give it a solid 4 star.

A great enemies to lovers story with a healthy dose of steamy sexy times. Liked reading about both of there struggle for the same position on there team and the added struggle of wanting to be together without compromise.

Cant wait for the next installment in this series.