Tough Guy is book #3 in the Game Changers series, MM romances set in the world of hockey. I really enjoyed book #1 Game Changers and book #2 Heated Rivalry, so I was straight onto it when I saw book #3 was out. 

This novel focuses on Ryan Price a hockey enforcer whose job it seems is to fight the other team's players who try to start trouble with his team members during the game (not knowing a thing about hockey, this is what I interpreted it to mean). It is a brutal role to play in the team and other than his size, it's not one that Ryan is suited for.

When he is picked up by a new team, he moves to Toronto and bumps into an old friend, Fabian, a musician, who he used to have a major crush on years before. It turns out Fabian felt the same way, but back then they were both dealing with teenage drama as well as learning about their sexuality.

I felt for Ryan and Fabian, both having issues about their self worth, brought on by different things. For Fabian, it was awful parents and for Ryan it came about due to his self-hatred about his job of fighting and hurting people and the way he was bounced from team to team, never fitting in anywhere. 

These two guys are very different, but I enjoyed the dynamics between them and how they pushed each other out of their comfort zone and made them think about what they wanted in life and in their future. 

Another enjoyable read in this series, I do hope there will be more.

So, I read this for an entirely different reason than Erin. I had not read any of the previous series. In fact, I don’t read hockey books, because as much as I am a sports fan, hockey has never been one of those sports. However, not only did I enjoy the entire book, but I even enjoyed the hockey bits.

Fabian and Ryan were just perfect together. I loved that they had known each other as teenager, and appreciated each other as people before they were separated. Otherwise, the likelihood that they would have been able to connect as adults was pretty slim.

Watching Ryan transition into the man that he wanted to become was great. He wanted to have friends, wanted to connect, and wanted to feel better about himself. He never wanted to be the enforcer. He was a gentle soul, who wanted to enjoy his time playing professional hockey, as much as he did when he played with the kids.

Fabian was a perfect complement to Ryan, and Ryan a perfect complement to Fabian. They just worked really well.

I will absolutely read more of this author’s works, and want to go back and read the first book in the series.

4.5 Pieces of Candy

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid

I loved Reid’s Heated Rivalry and was really looking forward to jumping in to her next book, Tough Guy. Ryan Price’s background appealed to me. An enforcer who hated to hit people. Who despised the fight. I was so curious to know why. What made this guy tick? I needed to know. I’m a huge fan of the strong, but silent type, but I had a feeling that Ryan was anything but strong.
Ryan with a six foot seven enforcer/defensemen with a heart of gold. He felt felt deeply, and wore his heart on his sleeve. He wasn’t your typical cocky hockey player, and I really enjoyed that about him. Fabian was such a sweetheart. I loved his group of friends and the support they gave each other.
I really liked the Ryan and Fabian had a past, though not one you were expecting. They couldn’t be more opposite, yet they worked so well together. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I was hoping. It didn’t engage me that way Reid’s previous stories did. I’m even sure what I was looking for, but it was more than what we were given. It’s not that Ryan and Fabians path to a happily ever after was smooth, but I would have appreciated a little more a rough ride.

In Tough Guy, Ryan is a huge lumbering teddy bear struggling with an anxiety disorder, playing a top level sport he isn't entirely sure he even likes anymore.

Fabian is an up and coming musician with a big heart, who's worked hard to put up walls guarding his vulnerable spots. Especially against big, dumb, hockey players who've only ever caused him pain.

Until Ryan walks back into his life and Fabian starts to remember how different Ryan was.

I really enjoyed these characters, especially Ryan. He was so incredibly likeable and I loved getting to read his story and see him grow and find himself.

I loved his relationship with Fabian, especially the hints of what almost was. It was very bittersweet and full of longing.

I definitely recommend this book, and went on to pick up the previous ones, so that clearly shows I enjoyed it, and I love Reid's writing style.

The only thing I really felt could have been improved on was the final conflict between Ryan and Fabian wasn't really built up to as much as I would have liked. And to me it felt kind of unfair to Ryan. However, things in real life, especially between two people and dealing with emotions are rarely fair, so I understood.

Overall this book was definitely a great read, and I'm looking forward to the others.

*This review was provided in exchange for a free ARC from Netgalley. All opinions contained in it are honest and my own.

4.25 Stars!

This was my first Rachel Reid book, I know, I know, I live under a rock, LOL, and while it's book 3 in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I will definitely be going back to read the first two books, though, because I really liked this one and I'm very intrigued about this 'verse and some of the couples who made cameos here.

Ryan is a giant ginger teddy bear, who happens to be a feared defenseman in the Toronto Guardians lineup. After being traded several times, he's determined to make some changes in his life, and one of those changes is embracing his sexuality, even if he's not flaunting it. I absolutely loved him and his friendship with Wyatt was a high point in the story for me.

Now, Fabian, judgmental, selfish Fabian, was much too difficult to like for me. Maybe he's not completely bad, but I thought Ryan was too good for him and deserved a whole lot more. They had chemistry and they had been each other's crushes when they were teenagers, and if Fabian had let go of his prejudices against hockey players or at least realized Ryan wasn't like the other players Fabian had met before, and been more supportive of Ryan when he needed Fabian and made the grand gesture in the end, perhaps my opinion about him would've changed. As it was, his attitude dampened my enjoyment of the story a bit.

Still, this was a very good read and even if I grumbled a lot about Fabian, Ryan certainly made it worthwhile and I was thoroughly invested in him getting his HEA. Very recommendable!

*** Copy provided via NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't my requirement. ***

I am liking this new series of standalones. You can read them all individually, but I'm liking them as a series. Fabian and Ryan were sweet and I loved seeing them figure out how to be together.

I'll be honest, I was hesitant to read this book after not being a fan of the first two books. But I'm glad I gave this one a chance because it was actually really good. It was realistic, wasn't full of sex and no romance like the last book, and had two wonderful characters who had some interesting friends. My biggest complaint once again is the ending since it was pretty boring and was just a HFN without any real look into the future.

Ryan is an NHL star and the enforcer of the Toronto Guardians. He's been traded often, mostly because he's shy, keeps to himself and comes off as not a team player. We learn quickly though that he suffers from anxiety, has a terrible fear of flying, hates fighting yet he has to fight in his position; oh, and he's gay, but at least not closeted.

Fabian is exactly what his name suggests. He's eccentric, a very talented and unlikely musician, a bit feminine (okay, it's pretty exaggerated sometimes) and very confident. Basically, the exact opposite of the tall burly hockey player.

We learn early on that Fabian and Ryan knew each other when they were 17. Ryan lived with Fabian's family for a hockey season and they were both attracted to each other, but hid that attraction. Flash forward 13 years and they find each other again in Toronto while Ryan is shopping at the drug store Fabian works at. They flirt shyly, Fabian invites Ryan to his show and that's that.

Ryan is adorably shy and socially awkward. But Fabian was so great for him and really brought him out of that shell. They eventually decide to be 'boyfriends' and it's pretty cute. I would never picture them together, but hey, what do I know? They somehow worked despite being opposites and they built each other up and showed love, which is what really matters.

There's some drama in the end, but it all works out and they get their HEA. I just wish we had more of a look into the future. I liked that we get to see a few months down the road (if that long), just wish it were more into the future.

Oh and Shane & Ilya make an appearance (Ilya a couple times throughout the book and I loved him in this one).

Overall, a great addition to the series. It wasn't high drama, which was nice. I loved the characters, which was a change from the first two books. And it seemed more realistic and made you really think twice about making assumptions about people or putting them in a box.

Love Ryan and Fabian's story, very sweet and cute second chance romance. They are opposites: Fabian is femme, outspoken, and loves his makeup. Ryan is a gentle giant and suffers from anxiety All the characters in these books are great and the book has a great flow. The book is romantic, sweet, sexy, and loved it.

This is a steamy contemporary MM romance and what I appreciated about it was that Ryan Price, the professional hockey player, wasn't looking for another buff and tough guy just like him. He wasn't really looking for anyone - he was dealing with some of his own monsters (mental health). But when he bumped into Fabian, now an amazing musician, who is an acquaintance from years past, he finds he feels better when he's spending time with him and his friends. Anyway, thanks for the ARC NetGalley and Harlequin - Carina Press.

Tough Guy is the 3rd book in the series but can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed this book and loved Ryan and Fabian. Rachel Reid has a way of creating unique characters that stick with you and that are easy to fall in love with. Although this book wasn't quite as awesome as Ilya and Shane's book it was a wonderful edition the series and definitely puts Rachel Reid as one of my go-to authors.

Ryan is a huge, muscular enforcer who's job is mostly to get in fights during the hockey games. He looks the role but inside he's really just a super sweet, insecure guy who hates fighting and has panic attacks and is afraid to fly. He's constantly traded and so doesn't really have any strong friendships or relationships other than his sister.

Fabian is a creative, small, musician who wears makeup and hates all things hockey. Fabian's parents didn't quite know what to make of him, didn't encourage his musical ability and mostly made him feel like he wasn't the son they wanted. His parents are big hockey fans who took in hockey players attending camps while he was growing up and Fabian disliked them all except for one who was nice to him and he had a secret crush on (Ryan).

The book starts years later when Ryan bumps into Fabian after he is traded once again after he had an anxiety attack during a game. Ryan and Fabian recognize each other and renew their friendship even as they are both still crushing on each other. This begins a slow burn and sweet love story. I really enjoyed watching Fabian and Ryan together and although in many ways they are complete opposites they just fit. I do wish we had a bit more basis for why Ryan is so insecure but you couldn't help but feel for him as he faced his anxiety and frustration with his career and his insecurity over his relationship with Fabian. I loved the way that Ryan fully supported Fabian and made him feel special and appreciated his talent. I do understand that Fabian hated all things hockey but the blow up did seem a bit sudden but other than that I loved this story.

It's two great yet flawed characters who grow, fall in love and discover so much about each other and themselves. Of course I loved the cameo of Ilya and Shane who are still my favorite couple. So in short I recommend this to anyone who likes M/M romances with characters that don't fit the typical mold or sports romances but if you haven't read book #2 then read that one as well!

I absolutely ADORED this book, Ryan Price stoke my heart! I just want to hug him and never let go!

This story just proves what an extraordinary author Rachel Reid is, every single book in this series is so different in feeling and writing and each book is excellent.

Ryan Price is an enforcer in the NHL but off the ice, he hates the violence of his job and has extreme anxiety and self worth issues that he is working on.

Fabian is an aspiring musician who isobutane and proud and loves a very colorful lifestyle. When a chance encounter with Ryan, his high school crush, leads to renewing their friendship, that leads to so much more.

Fabian is the exact opposite of Ryan and yet they are perfect for each other. This book looks at mental health in a way that resonates deeply. Not only does it take on Mental Health but it also tackles self worth and making your own happiness.

Hot. Hot. Hot. A hockey player, a musician, and second chances. This smokin' hot M/M romance defies stereotypes and proves fighting isn't always what it appears to be both off and on the ice.

Discover true love, devotion and pure love.

I can't wait to read more from this new to me author

A very endearing romance between two very unlikely men. Fabian is fabulous with a capital F. He is artistic and very much out. This handsome and talented man is not afraid to wear make-up when the mood strikes him and is a very open and direct person. Ryan is the polar opposite. A giant hulking hockey player that is valued by his team for his aggressive fighting skills, he is also socially and sexually awkward.. He hates having to fight his opponents on the ice but this is what the coach demands he has to do. This fame comes with a price. Ryan suffers from extreme anxiety and had a very public melt down which caused him to seek counseling and take medication.
Reconnecting with Fabian as he was a family guest with the flamboyant musician's family many years ago, Ryan realizes he is still has a crush on him. Fabian also feels a very strong attraction. Unfortunately Fabian hates everything associated with hockey, mainly due to his family's intense obsession with the sport and treating him as a non-entity because he choose a different path than ice hockey.
Ryan suffers from horrible self esteem and Fabian festers a bitterness of the sport that is Ryan's life. Can these two men find a common ground without their differences destroying them?
A tender and thought provoking story that I highly recommend.

Rainbows and Sunshine
14 January 2020
This book is totally different from Heated Rivalry but the author does it so well. This is dual POV and can be read as a standalone.
We met Ryan in the previous book and I really wanted to know more about him. And Ryan is adorable. I love him. He needs to be protected at all times. Fabian and Ryan are total opposites but they fit together perfectly.
Fabian made Ryan more confident, made him forget his worries and just have fun.

Nothing can top my love for Ilya and Shane and I was so happy when they had a cameo. I love how Ryan and Fabian were so open with each other, especially regarding sex. Also Fabian’s friends are fantastic.

Totally recommend this book!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I adored these characters!! This slow-burn, semi-second chance romance ticked so many boxes for me!

UST-check
Teddy bear of a tough guy-check
Sassy artist with guy liner-check
Taking it slow-check
Real people with real issues-check
Sweeter than candy smiles-check
Sex toys-check (this one was funny!)
Manties-check, yes!
Sexy hockey players-check!

The sweetness, sexiness and delight with which the relationship between Fabian and Ryan developed was a pure page-turning addiction!

Ryan, enforcer, suffers from severe anxiety, low self-esteem, and a severe lack of love for hockey. Recently traded to Toronto, he runs into Fabian—his crush from 13 years ago.

Fabian is a working musician moonlighting at a drugstore when he sees his 13 year old crush walk into his store. Fabian is confident, driven, and wears whatever the hell he wants, including make-up. Oh, and he hates hockey and hockey players.

What do these two opposite men share in common but an old crush? Through the book we see how a shy, insecure enforcer comes to find his true self and how a devil-may-care artist finds love in the unlikeliest of places.

For those who have read Heated Rivalry, Ilya and Shane make a memorable cameo!

This is a solid addition to this hockey series and I cannot wait for the next one!

My rec? Yessssssss!

DNF
Fabian hated hockey and the people who loved it. Fabian got off the subway. He had finally broke things off with Clyde last night. Clyde had been the latest in a long line of self obsessed snobs that Fabian took to bed for whatever reason. He was in a good place now . he had some very promising shows booked and had almost finished his new album and recorded an studio interview and performance for CBC Radio last week. His parents had even listened to it, so he definitely made it big.
I didn’t finish this i didn’t somehow realize when i picked it that it had M/M romance . I saw hockey player so my mistake. I don't read M/M pr F/F romances and this got right into it no gentle lead . Very blunt. So this isn't for me.

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid is a gay romance between a NHL player and a musician who knew each other years prior as teenagers. It is an opposites attract, unrequited feelings romance and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The characters weren’t typical, the relationship was far from perfect, and both characters tugged on my heart strings.
I have to give a lot of credit to author Penny Reid for writing a NHL enforcer who struggles with anxiety and social connections both in his personal and professional life. He’s been bounced around from team to team most of his career; a career he has come to realize doesn’t make him happy. Ryan has body issues, his sex life his basically non-existent due to multiple things, and he is basically miserable. He has a therapist and he works hard at coping with his issues and I give him (well Reid) a lot of credit for showing that not all athletes are cocky, confident, and a stud. My heart broke multiple times for Ryan, but there was also one scene where I wanted to stand up and cheer for him as well. I appreciated that we saw his character grow in all areas of his life and that he put in the work every day to make sure he was going forward and not back.
There was much I adored about Fabian but mostly his sexy confidence. I love that he was femme, enjoyed wearing make-up and wearing pretty things. He is out and proud, an extrovert who loves attention which is what makes him such an engaging performer. He doesn’t have a great track record with men, often hooking up with people who don’t treat him very well and he knows he needs to do better. I loved his circle of friends, they were fun, hilarious, but also gave great advice when needed. Kudos to them for also accepting Ryan fairly easily into their lives.
Fabian’s family was Ryan’s billet family when he was in the juniors and so they have a background including one evening with an almost kiss. When they reconnect, it leaves them both a bit flustered and remembering the good times. My one big problem in this book was Fabian’s hate of hockey (due to his parent’s obsession with it and the way the other hockey players treated him when they were in his family’s home with the exception of Ryan) and the way he seemed unwilling to even try to be there for Ryan when he was playing and struggling. While we saw a lot of growth in Ryan’s character, Fabian remained largely unchanged which was a bit disappointing. At times the book moved too slowly and got bogged down with their internal dialog about things they should have been discussing with one another.
Their relationship started as a friendship which was exactly what Ryan needed and slowly morphed over time. They both had very fond feelings of one another from the past, yet they both felt they weren’t “good enough” for the other. I loved that Fabian worried about Ryan when his anxiety was high and tried to make it better and I adored that Ryan was in awe of Fabian’s talent and pretty much loved every little thing about him.
Tough Guy was an enjoyable, emotional, and interesting romance and while I would have loved spending more time with them as a couple, I was satisfied with the ending.

Tough Guy is the third book in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, but you don’t have to read the other books to enjoy this one.

Ryan Price isn’t much a tough guy, except in his role as an enforcer for his hockey team. Even then, he would much rather simply play hockey, because he doesn’t enjoy fighting. Off the ice, Ryan is just a 6’7” marshmallow who suffers from almost crippling anxiety. Now that he’s finally getting treatment for his illness, Ryan is determined to make improvements in other areas of his life, which hopefully includes finding a boyfriend. Then he runs into Fabian Salah, who Ryan had a crush on when they were teenagers. Fabian is a talented violinist and a gorgeous man with an amazing androgynous style—and it turns out he had a crush on Ryan back then, too. Now they can act on their attraction, but it’s not all smooth sailing. Fabian hates hockey, and he really hates the toll it takes on Ryan. But hockey is all Ryan knows, and he’s not sure what a life without playing would look like.

Hockey lovers beware, because the focus here is really on the negative aspects of the game: the physical and mental toll that it takes on the players, as well as the culture of sports that makes it incredibly difficult for gay athletes to come out. In fact, the negatives so outweigh the positives for Ryan that I’m not sure the author needed to add the complicating factor of Fabian hating hockey for it to be a problem in their relationship.

Fabian was a likeable character, but my favorite part of the story was Ryan. Fabian is more of a “tough guy” than Ryan in some ways. He lives on his own terms, defying other’s expectations for his career as a musician and for gender in terms of how he chooses to present himself. But it’s that refusal to compromise himself that leads him ultimately to hurt Ryan through his choices. (I won’t say how—spoilers!) Ryan is a total sweetheart, though. Seeing him overcome his anxieties and insecurities to find personal happiness and love with Fabian was really satisfying.

I enjoyed this book, and I’d recommend it for fans of Reid’s series, as well as for readers who are interested in sports romances or stories that focus on characters with mental health issues.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I haven't read either of the books before in this series and you absolutely don't need to; they are completely stand alone. I really liked Tough Guy! Despite the title, Ryan, one of the MCs, is a complete softie. A veteran enforcer, he's tired of his role as a fighter in hockey. His sexuality, hockey career, and his severe social anxiety have made him really lonely. Reid captured all the ways that social anxiety can play out SO well. Ryan feels incredibly real and human and flawed and I was cheering for him 10000%.

I also loved how Reid tackled toxic masculinity, both in hockey and in society. So often in hockey romances we see romances between two masc guys, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it's so refreshing to see a more femme/fluid character like Fabian. He reminded me of so many of my friends and it was great to see them represented in a book.

Lastly, I loved loved loved that Ryan had some issues with sexual performance/libido that was affected by his anxiety & anxiety medication. And nothing is magically cured because of Fabian or falling love. There are still some really hot sex scenes in this book, but they are less focused on orgasms, and I really appreciated. Mental health can really impact libido/sexual performance but it is rarely talked about in romances, or it's cured as soon as the MCs meet. That is not real life!

Reid has written a sexy, heartfelt, organic, human, and funny book that is both realistic but still has that wonderful HEA and that lovely feeling of escapism that romance can bring. This book made me think, made me swoon, and had me cheering for Ryan and Fabian the whole way. I will definitely be reading Reid's other books.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.**

Rachel Reid hits it in the net with Tough Guy (Game Changers, #3). In this story, NHL defenseman Ryan Price is traded to the Toronto Guardians. He moves to Toronto’s LGBTQ Village where he bumps into his teenage crush, Fabian Salah. This story is suitable for adult readers.

I like Ryan’s character. When we are introduced to him, he is not happy. He suffers from anxiety. I love how he bumps into Fabian. Fabian is an admirable character. He is confident and a talented musician. Despite being unhappy with his upbringing, he is a cheerful person with great friends. He is a positive influence on Ryan (who Fabian thought was straight). The two are very different from each other, but they fit. I like how Ryan and Fabian initially met. It is understandable why Fabian does not like hockey players. That created some interesting hurdles in the story.

Rachel Reid does a great job with this novel. I appreciate how she ties the first two books from the series into this story. It is creative considering the characters are on different teams. She does an admiral job covering compelling topics. I recommend this book to people who enjoy sports second chance romances. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.