Apologies in advance that this review is all over the place, but my feelings about this book are kind of all over the place. So instead of trying to put them in some kind of logical order, I'm just going to live in the moment à la Aiden and see what happens.

-- I am notoriously trash for a second-chance romance, and also notoriously trash for (relatively) older MCs, so of course I went weak at the knees for two f*cked-up old dudes rekindling the doomed (and low-key kinky!) torrid romance from their 20s, complete with allusions to said romance and its horrifying fallout.

-- In my review of book 2 in this series I wrote, "Oh, and if “plot” is something important to you . . . well. Thoughts and prayers." Same here: all vibes, no plot. This is literally just two f*cked-up old dudes rekindling the (etc etc). It is extremely interior. Aiden is clinically depressed (but no suicidal ideation). Matt is walking on tenterhooks while trying to front calm certitude to himself, to Aiden, to his teammates, to his (disapproving) family [not disapproving in the bi-phobic sense, necessarily, but definitely disapproving in the specific sense of Aiden]. Neither are good at articulating their feelings and, in fact, actively shy away from confronting them (more Aiden than Matt, really, but Matt's so afraid of being burned again that he follows Aiden's lead). That's it. That's the book.

-- Whether or not this works for you is, of course, not for me to judge. It mostly worked for me, but it shouldn't be underplayed that we are spending ca 360 pages in the head of, or in the head of the partner of, a clinically depressed character who, for long stretches, is emotionally unable to imagine or begin pursuing any kind of viable future for himself, post-retirement. Again: ymmv.

-- Ari Baran is a funny author for me because their books never quite hit the sweet spot -- and in fact, I found book 1 pretty upsetting -- but I still want to read their stuff, because there's always something interesting going on and the writing style is just off enough to keep you on your toes. Sometimes a bit too on your toes; there were times when I got lost in jumpy transitions or abrupt non-sequiturs. But it has an urgency and vitality that keeps the story, insofar as there is one, moving forward, and make Aiden and Matt feel like fully fleshed out, if occasionally frustrating (non-communication!!!), characters.

-- I saw on KD Casey's insta that the previous book in this series made their best-of list for 2024, and it made me think about Baran's work up against Casey's. They are doing a lot of the same stuff: very interior, character- and vibes-driven stories where the sport is the scaffolding but it's not a sports story. Casey works for me in every possible way -- seriously, it's like I was made in a lab to be their ideal reader -- and while, as noted above, I don't quite mesh with Baran's work the same way, I admire the commitment to forensically analyzing how these incredibly demanding and public-facing careers, which require all of one's focus and resources from childhood on, screws people up in an endless variety of ways.

-- In that respect, I loved how Baran played around with the effect of Aiden's greatest (goalie-wise) advantage -- his extreme focus and ability to live only in the present moment -- on his relationship with Matt, past and present; and how Matt himself related to this core component of Aiden's personality and coping mechanisms.

-- Because I'm totally normal, when I saw that Matt is reading Marcus Aurelius, my immediate reaction was, "Sebastian Stan also reads Marcus Aurelius!," and then I had a vision of CACW-era Winter Soldier Bucky sitting in his squalid hideaway exchanging deep ("deep") philosophical meditations with NotRoyalHockeybro69 on some subreddit about stoicism's modern relevance, and then I may have had an hysterical break. The fact that Aiden's reaction is basically, "this is some bullshit, bro" is just the cherry on top.

-- WHY DOES ARI BARAN HATE CLOSURE, COME ON??!!!!!! Like Game Misconduct, this book doesn't really achieve any kind of emotional resolution (which I would characterize more as an HFN, given where things are left) until 98%; then we get a slam-bam-thank you ma'am epilogue that, ok, I guess technically crosses the HEA threshold, but feels more like a cheat than a proper ending. Seriously. We just read 360 pages of angst, depression, and heaping helpings of non-communication. Give us more than a 2% epilogue. You owe us this!!!!!

-- I got an ARC so I don't know if the typo on page 1, line 1 was fixed, so if someone could let me know in the comments, I'd be forever grateful because it PLAGUED me from the start. (Chapter one starts "July" but also claims it's the first day of the offseason after getting eliminated from the playoffs, which is wrong wrong wrong. It could be June if they made it all the way to the conference finals before being knocked out; it could be as early as May, if they got knocked out early. In general, the timeline here -- which really doesn't matter beyond "off-season" and "season" -- is extremely wishy-washy; by my accounting, August had approximately 15 weeks. This, too, seems to be a consistent Ari Baran thing, and it drives me nuts.)

-- Gabe, my beloved. I want your story bad!!!!

-- Final point: Ari Baran sent a subscriber newsletter full of delicious pictures and descriptions of Gujarati food in advance of the release, so I expected lots of food p*rn. This was a tease!!!! There is an ongoing thing about how Aiden relates to food (not in terms of ED, but in terms of the physical and mental energy, or lack thereof, he uses in feeding himself), but there is no food p*rn to speak of. I feel lied to!

tl;dr after the world's most disjointed review: 4 stars, and I can't say why.

GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE is the fourth in Ari Baran’s Penalty Box series. Goalie Aiden Campbell has just retired. Captain Matt Safaryan is starting to realize that his body isn’t cooperating as readily and that the eighty plus games of the season are becoming a bit of a grind. When they reconnect by chance, it marks a turning point for both of them.

Ari Baran’s writing is so encompassing. I am just in awe of how ably Aiden and Matt and their friends and families and teams are brought to life, and how real it feels to get inside their heads and hearts a little bit. My heart is so full of emotions, with understanding and warmth and compassion and pain for these two and their not straight road to happiness, seeing how much wrestling there is to recognizing their issues and the love and determination and sometimes sheer fortune that helps them find themselves and well deserved joy. An absolute keeper.

I especially loved how real it felt to see their struggles, some of their internal landscape, and how satisfying it is to see them find hope in the process. Beautifully written.

Ari Baron has done it once again ! Matt and Aiden were truly wonderful to meet.

The vibe:
Recently retired goalkeeper Aiden runs into his ex Matt, also a pro hockey player, in his city and it brings back conflict that was never resolved from their messy breakup. Seeing Aiden untethered and struggling, Matt reaches out and the two exes are forced to confront their past.

What I Loved:
- This was a really well done second chance/right person wrong time romance that felt realistic and I really wanted the characters to get together
- Tackles the tough question of what do professional sports players do once they cant play sport anymore and how do they handle that (hint: for Aiden its not well)
- Characters all had such complex personalities that felt nuanced and real

A beautiful read and such a great addition to Ari’s hockey universe.

Thank you Netgalley & Ari for letting me read it early!

I know I said I was done with this author, but I decided to give them oooone last shot lol. And I'm glad I did so, because this is absolutely their best book yet!

This is one of the few romance novels I've read which manages to simultaneously tackle both heavier topics (here, depression) and the romance plot effectively. I was also really pleasantly surprised by the pacing of the romance plot -- I'm not a big fan of second chance romance, but if you're gonna do that trope, it's gotta be done like this.

Overall, while not the light read I usually go to this genre for, absolutely the best work yet from this author & a book worth checking out.

A second chance hockey romance. Aiden has just retired and is at loose ends when he runs into his ex, Matt, and they still have an undeniable connection (also they're still in love with each other). But Aiden is at more than loose ends, he's suffering from depression.

This story is between Matt, Aiden, and Aiden's depression. It's about how you can't fix others - they need to want to fix themselves. It's very emotional, and there's quite a lot of heat. And really tender. They're both trying so hard and hurting so much.

A really lovely work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The first thing I did after finishing this ARC is to pre order the book.

Ari Baran has now been solidified as an auto buy arbor from me. I have loved every single book they have written. And this one was no exception.

Baran always manages to write very multifaceted characters. With flaws and so very human.

Aiden was the standout character for me. It’s one that you don’t want to like, but Baran writes him so compelling that you cannot stop rooting for him. Aiden is struggling big time with retirement and it’s painful to see him self destruct. He has been doing it for so long. He is depressed (as per usual great mental health rep) and he has hurt Matt quite a lot over the years and continues to do so.

But you know they are meant to be and they have to figure it out. The flashbacks to their relationship start were incredibly well done and it makes you realize they are indeed soulmates.

4.5 stars. Very recommended.
Rated down only because I would have wanted a bit more groveling and some other type of epilogue.

Second chance stories are a weak point of mine. I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but maybe there’s a hopeless romantic hidden deep in me that enjoys seeing a pair of MCs find their way back to one another. Aiden and Matt cross paths with one another after 10 years apart. They’ve had fleeting moments with one another playing various games over the years but a chance evening brings them smack into each other’s lives.

Aiden is at a crossroads in his life. He’s retired from the sport that has consumed his life, the sport that prevented him from being all in during his first chance with Matt and the sport that’s held him back from figuring out the next step in life. He’s floundering through most of this book and Matt is so caught up in trying to keep this moment however fleeting he feels it might be while Aiden is staying with him in Montreal.

I really love how this author crafts their characters. They feel complete with flaws and laying all their imperfections out. Seeing the process of them work through the messy bits and how relationships aren’t as easy as sometimes romance books make them out to be is a nice change of pace.

Aiden’s struggle with his retirement and how it’s affected his mental health was definitely a reading journey. Matt’s faces his own struggles trying to balance having Aiden in his life again and how delicate it feels along with dealing with the twilight of his own career. How these two interact with one another was an enjoyable read!

Damn, Ari Baran holds no bars when it comes to deep hitting hockey romance! Aiden and Matt deal with really hard things- retirement, depression, anxiety and it’s portrayed so realistically. It made me really feel what the characters were going through and root for them harder. Definitely a good emotional read.

Can you believe the Penalty box series is coming to an end? I‘m honestly still ignoring this fact because otherwise I might cry! This series has carried me through this year and I loved every single book. I’m still trying to bribe Ari to write one more book!

Am I loving second chance romance after all?! Because hockey romance definitely saved this trope for me.
Finding the love of your life in a teammate in your 20s when you’re both playing professional hockey in NYC of course didn’t have a happy ending for Matt and Aiden. Meeting Matt in a bar 10 years later, freshly retired and without any plan for his future wasn’t on Aidens bingo card either. But the feelings aren’t gone even a little bit, so after a passionate night together, finding Aiden floating in Nowhereland, depressed and without any direction for the rest of his life Matt decides to take him in.

These two had my whole heart, Aiden completely lost, having had his whole life dictated by the sport, left without any routine or plans for the future. Matt being so close to retirement himself, refusing to face it at all even though his body is struggling to hold up. Both of them trying to make it work this time, but also so afraid of losing their person again.
The funniest thing was reading about Aiden and immediately clocking him as autistic, sliding into Aris DMs and them being like „yeah I figured some stuff out while writing this book I guess…“.
I loved how real these characters felt, the depression rep and the mention of therapy and medication. I can’t imagine what it must be like to give half your life to a sport, only to retire so young (in your 30s!) and then being completely lost without that one thing that was your every day life so far.
I think these two found each other again at the perfect time and while this was super angsty, it was also a really beautiful story about two guys I absolutely rooted for individually and together!
It was also really wonderful to read about these two in a mostly white dominated sport and book genre! I now want to eat all the food Aiden cooked!
If you loved Rachel Reid’s standalone books this is definitely a book for you.
I’ll go cry now in the corner, this series coming to an end feels like my personal NHL retirement!!!

This M/M hockey romance features a black cat/golden retriever (kind of) that spans rivals to lovers to exes to strangers to lovers. Be prepared to fall in love with a hockey skater and goalie who discover that a life beyond hockey is nothing if it isn't spent with someone they love. To find a soulmate who can put up with the bulls*it, tabloids, family drama, and ignorant players - it's time to make a choice. Do they have the courage to fight for their future?

Lots of spice, action both off and one the ice that left me wanting more after I flipped the last page. I can't wait to see which Ari Baran brings us in 2025.

Thank you #netgalley the author and publisher for this ARC. Wow - what an emotional rollercoaster this was. Aiden and Matt’s story was beautiful. I’m not a fan of second chance romance but this was beautiful. Aiden’s struggle with mental health and retirement felt real and it felt raw. The connection and chemistry between Matt and Aiden was perfection. The emotional connection these two men had was something people in really life want. This was my first book by this author, and even though this was 4th in the series I did not feel like I was missing anything. I would totally recommend this book to other who love MM hockey romance books. As always check your triggers l to take care of your mental wellbeing as depression is a heavy part of the plot. Thank you for the pleasure of reading this book.

This was a rollercoaster of emotions.
Ari Baran is a new-to-me author and I was sure how I felt about this book most of the time. I think what I loved about it was also what made me want to take breaks so often? I was shocked to see the page count because this felt like a 500-page book, not a 362 one.
The mix between the sexual and emotional connection made me root for Matt and Aiden so hard, but I also felt that them being at such different points in their lives made Matt seem a little less fleshed out. Or maybe he was just too perfect and I was too frustrated by Aiden at times. The entire book, is more Aiden’s story and path to recovery from depression, really. I loved that mental health was so well described, but this also felt longer and more real than I expected for a hockey romance.
I also really enjoyed the neurodivergent representation but the fact that it was never named bugged me because I felt that it's something important. As an autistic person, I saw myself a lot in him and wished it was not left to interpretation so much.
Although their relation takes a long time to develop again, their new beginning lacks a bit of credibility for me because of how fast and abrupt it is, as does the “resolution” at the end. As for the sex part, I usually like sex scenes to be longer, but these were so true to the characters that I forgave it right away.
I guess I’m still not sure of how I feel about all of this even a week later, but I have to say that if you’re looking for a hockey romance that’s very focused on hockey (I adored this), but still will leave you raw and a bit emotional, that’s the one for you.

I’ve read a lot of hockey romance, but I’ve never felt romantic about hockey the way I feel romantic about baseball when I read KD Casey or KT Hoffman or Cat Sebastian… that is until Ari Baran. I started to get the tingle of feeling romantic about hockey with Home Ice Advantage, but it became much more real with Goal Tender Interference. Will I ever be a real life hockey fan? Probably not. But I have a new deep appreciation for it now.

There is so much I could say about why I loved this book. Ari Baran does such a good job hyping readers up with quotes and memes that you start to feel like you know a story or the characters even though you have no fucking clue. I was THIRSTY for this book, and for Aiden in particular… and it did not disappoint!

The banter!
Oh the banter. From everyone! It’s just a whole bunch of clever weirdos in this book.

This gem from Gabe right at the beginning sets the tone for the intimacy and humor we’re in store for:
“I owe you a lot, okay? So I really don’t wanna see you so sad all of the time.”
“I’m not sad.”
“Oh, right, Soupy, you were just hiding in your house for weeks and weeks not talking to any of us for no reason. Just some casual hermiting.”

The way they talk about each other.
Aiden and Matt talk about each other with such intense beauty and admiration, and pain and heartbreak. They see each other in such a poignant way.

Just a couple of heart wrenching examples:
Somehow, he was even more attractive than he had been when they were kids, all of the raw material he had weathered by time.

Forced himself to walk away from Aiden’s beautiful, soulless brownstone. Forced himself to walk away from beautiful, soulless Aiden.

The very real approach to health, mental and otherwise.
Another thing I love about Ari Baran’s writing is how deeply researched and personal it is, and how generously they share that with readers. This book has such relatable portrayals of anxiety, depression, and neurodivergence. Not because I can point to every instance and say “oh yeah, me too!” But because, even when it’s not my experience, it is abundantly clear that it is a someone’s very real experience. To be honest, I love that Aiden’s and Matt’s experiences diverge from my own because we need a richer diversity of how mental health is portrayed. They are just like me even when they’re not at all like me, and I’m a better ally to myself and any other mentally ill and neurodivergent person because of it.

The portrayal of sex
Ari Baran has a thing for deeply broken people processing their shit via under-negotiated kink. In the hands of another author that might be a disaster, but in the Penalty Box series, and particularly in Goaltender Interference, I think it’s managed well. No one is saying this is the healthiest way to communicate or fix something or understand something… but we’re all lying if we think people don’t have life changing revelations while on their knees or whatever.

This book just scratched every itch I needed it to. It’s so clear how alive these characters are for the author and the story is going to sit in my soul.

A generous three stars. This was so boring!! I understand the relationship had the ups and downs, but seriously both were annoying characters. And the topic of depression was sad to read. Glad it was represented in the kind way it did. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC.

I have read of in this series and so I was excited to receive an ARC for Goaltender Interference.

This book is messy. Aiden has recently retired from a very successful career as a professional goal tender and has no idea what to do now. Aiden broke up when Matt proposed. Aiden couldn't see a future where hockey players on opposing teams could be out and happy and continue their careers. This breakup broke both men for years.... but when Aiden is floundering now that he lost hockey, the one thing he gave up everything for... he ends up turning to Matt. Will they be able to take this second chance or will Aiden's self-doubt sabotage everything again?

I love a hockey romance, I love a second chance, and I love seeing "older" love interests. Aiden and Matt where both fully fleshed out characters, that were messy and awkward and human. Aiden's hyperfixation on hockey as his purpose and identity and collapse afterwards, along with his self-doubt I found really relatable. On the one hand, it felt a bit like the pacing on Aiden's self-discovery was a bit slow, but at the same time, that was pretty much the point of the entire story. It would have been a lot less believable if Aiden went "oh look, I did a therapy, and now I am a fully self-actualised human!". He's messy for a lot of the plot with little visible progress. Good thing Matt is a bit more patient than I am.

On a personal note, I love seeing a happily ever after once "the dream" is over.

If you love good, hot MM hockey romances, this is a great one to check out.

Aiden has recently retired from professional hockey and is lost without direction or any idea of what he wants to do with his life. Matt is a former boyfriend of Aiden’s that plays for a rival hockey team.

The men reconnect unexpectedly and things start to get interesting. They haven’t been together in many years, but maybe there is still something there?

The book tackles some pretty strong depression for Aiden and contains some pretty steamy scenes as well.

It has great writing and you really get drawn in to the lives of the two men and their struggles of reconnecting after so many years.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

I’ve been in a truly horrific reading slump for months, so as excited as I was to get this ARC, I was sure nothing could pull me out.

Wrong! Ari Baran always delivers, ‘Goaltender Interference’ is absolutely breathtaking. The complete embodiment of “bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong” from Beauty and the Beast. Aiden and Matt have both been through so much because of the other (and themselves) but they’re still trying, even though it’s so hard. I love how Ari Baran introduces therapy as something essential to the individual but not an end all be all to “fix” the relationship. Their characters are so real and I love it. This second chance romance feels heart wrenching but ultimately so deserved as the characters work so hard for each other, even through mistakes.

I wasn’t sure ‘Home Ice Advantage’ could be beaten as my favorite in this series but ‘Goaltender Interference’ is so close in my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Carina Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not usually a second chance girlie, but there was something about this book and Matt and Aiden that really worked for me. I also liked how relatively quiet this book was, and the focus on a character right after retirement.

Ari Baran has a gift for writing sexual connection -- I mean sex scenes that are hot because they're convincing, and also emotionally convincing because they're hot. That was true of Game Misconduct and Home Ice Advantage (in which the relationship narrative really takes off once the MCs start sleeping together), and it's true here -- with a twist, which is that both MCs, Aiden and Matt, use their sexual connection as an avoidance mechanism. Conversation getting too close to the bone? Cut it off with a kiss, and for the love of all that's holy keep on going until the bed is wrecked. Points to the author for leaving us to notice the pattern, rather than beating it into our heads.

I have objections, because of course I do. We learn that Matt went to pieces after the first time Aiden dumped him, and that alcohol, player assistance, and therapy were involved, but we don't get any flashbacks to that time. We don't get those for Aiden, either, though we're told he was also a wreck, but because Aiden is still a wreck (only even worse off than after the breakup, because he had no idea of a self beyond hockey and at the book's opening has just retired) his post-Matt misery seems tangible. Matt appears from the outset as pretty much self-actualized apart from the small matter of still being in love with Aiden, with the result that his characterization is somewhat flatter. (It doesn't help that he's a fan of Marcus Aurelius, possibly the first known author of an overrated self-help book. Don't @ me: Mary Beard and I are on the same page here.)

Aiden and Matt run into each other in NYC after not speaking for a decade; Matt shows up at Aiden's house and they have sex; rinse and repeat, though Aiden barely speaks to Matt during these encounters; and then Matt invites Aiden to come stay with him in Montreal, even though the last time they had sex in NY Aiden threw him out afterward. There's a credibility hoop to jump through, here, and I don't think Ari Baran quite makes it -- we need a little more, I think, of Aiden doing something appealing or affectionate with Matt during this phase for it to be clear why Matt doesn't cut his losses once and for all.

But get past that, and their life together in Montreal is more persuasive. Aiden makes taking care of Matt the center of his life, as hockey was once the center of his life; because he's profoundly depressed, though, he eventually commits a kind of emotional suicide, becoming convinced that Matt's life is worse with him in it so he should remove himself. I kept waiting for a literal suicide attempt, which thankfully didn't come; instead, Aiden gets a couple of talkings-to and marshals his remaining resources to go back to Matt and to get help. (I suppose all that technically qualifies as a spoiler, but this is a romance novel, so we know going in that the story will end well.)

A few more words about Aiden. He can easily, perhaps accurately, be read as autistic (Baran's newsletter has some interesting things to say about that), but whether or not we see him that way, it's also clear that aspects of his personality intersect with the isolation of goalies and the especially extreme pressures on them to leave him especially vulnerable to the depression he falls into once hockey is no longer available to him. I found Aiden's characterization complicated and satisfying, head and shoulders above most portrayals of people falling into serious mental illness.

As usual, I could have done without the epilogue in the last chapter. I will always, always prefer the openness of an ending that's a hopeful beginning, and I would have believed in Aiden and Matt's success without seeing it all tied up with bow. Oh, well.

Thanks to Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This installment in the series destroyed me, emotionally, and I loved every second of it.

Aiden and Matt are so deeply flawed and devastating in their own ways but MAN, I was rooting for them the entire time.