Member Review

Riley Tuck and Adam Sheppard met as professional hockey players and were roommates and best friends with occasional benefits. They did everything together until Riley fell in love and Adam got scared and ran. More than a decade later, an unexpected tragedy turns into a chance to explore feelings waiting to be rekindled, but can Riley let go of the past and learn to love again even as his heart is full of grief?

It's a second-chance romance that's full of all the longing and uncertainty of first love rekindled after years of experience and maturity. Riley has a lot of trauma when it comes to what went down with Adam, and he's worked hard to get past it. So, seeing Adam showing up to his father's funeral after 12 years of silence is very justifiably an unwelcome shock. But Adam's determined to prove he's willing to put in the work to earn back Riley's trust, and it makes for some super sweet emotional moments that kept me turning pages just to get another hit.

Extra kudos to Reid for how well the elements of grief and how to navigate through it are handled. I appreciated the recognition that everyone has their own way to get over loss and the importance of being open to getting help from others.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the wonderfully swoony read!