Really good story! I am not a fan of second chance romances, but this is how they should be done. I hesitated at the beginning when Riley thought Adam was still married, but that was cleared up right away. The ending felt a bit rushed to me however I LOVED the epilogue!!!!

ARC Review: The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid
Pub Date: March 4
Narrator: Greg Boudreaux

When Riley Tuck's dad dies, the last person he expects to see is his former best friend/teammate Adam Sheppard. Riley and Adam played hockey together but now both are retired and in their 40s...and haven't spoken in 12 years. Because in addition to being best friends and teammates, Riley and Adam also used to hook up. But when Riley confesses that he's in love with Adam, things change forever for them. And eventually Riley walks away from the relationship before Adam can continue to break his heart.

THIS BOOK - it did exactly what I expected it to do. Absolutely broke me down and then stitched me back up as only Rachel Reid can. I felt so much pain but it was so worth it. The grief representation is absolutely on point. And Adam's groveling and wanting to be better for Riley is just so heartwarming. Adam hurt Riley so many times by not being honest with either Riley or himself about what their relationship was. He has a lot to make up for and really shows his love through action. He just keeps showing up for Riley in the ways that he knows Riley needs.

At a glance:
- Older MMCs (in their 40s)
- Retired Hockey Players
- Groveling
- SOUP as a love language
- Grief
- Mental Health and therapy
- Small town Nova Scotia
- Second Chance

Greg Boudreaux did an absolutely excellent job with the narration - I loved his performance and would absolutely listen to his narration again.

This book is absolute perfection and I will hear nothing against it!!! Rachel Reid can do no wrong in my book. My thoughts here aren't even close to as coherent as I wish they'd be but honestly guys just read this book please!

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I like the book content, the early to midway was a tad going back and forth on the timeline. But bottom line established that Adam has no idea about himself and when it comes to real feelings, he was just stroke dumb and confused. Riley knew, he knew from when they were friends to the moment he fell hard for Adam. Just took Adam a very long winding way to get back to Riley.

During the grief period, as much as Riley was hurting the lost he suffered, Adam kept showing up, and he knew that's his penance for not doing that the first go-round. He wanted to at least be honest with Riley, though I would say it came across as self-serving than to make it up to Riley. Even then, Riley realized Adam has no one to turn to with his new truth and identity. And as much as it might pained him, he's willing to be a good friend first and foremost. Adam's ex is amazing, and sorry she's not prominent like Riley's sister is. But they are great support structure for the boys.

It took alot of twists, turns, and miscommunications, but let me tell you, thank goodness no 3rd act - thank you!!! I got the audiobook ARC, and at first it was hard to hear and distinguish the two main characters, there were too close. But as the book progress, the accents grew stronger and you can pick up which character better started about 30% or so. The other characters voices were done well by the narrator, and thank you for having such sincere emotions on the spicy scenes.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for the ARC.

Finally a book where the characters are in their 40's and have more going on than sports and sex. I mean there are sports and sex in this book.. but there is an actual plot! This book took grief, sadness, and hurt and gave you hope at the end that things can work out if you give it time.

what a moving and powerfull story that really represents grief in a beautiful way. Amazing representation, a must read for sure!

The Shots You Take is the newest book from Rachel Reid. I was fortunate enough to get an ALC for this and let me tell you, this is good. This is a story about love, friendship, forgiveness, grief and second chances.
I initially didn’t realize this would have two older MMCs and that just elevated this story for me! Riley and Adam are two former teammates but also former friends. They’re reunited due to a tragic event and find themselves mixed up in each other’s worlds once more. We’re given backstory as to how they got to where they are now in their lives. Both past and present versions of the characters bring so much to the story, I was invested so deeply.
There are so many tender moments between the two, caring for and remembering what each other liked from years ago, or making note of new likes was so sweet. You could sense the sadness at realizing they’ve missed big moments in each other lives but also relished in making new memories. Mental health, support systems and forgiveness are handled so well, excellent writing. The narrator, Greg Boudreaux, does such an awesome job with both characters. The emotions and personality brought them to life!
I can honestly say I finished this loving both characters. The epilogue was everything, I did not want this to end and I want more! This will be out on March 4th, I’m definitely getting this and you should too friends!

If you love angst, groveling, second chances, (very tangential) hockey romance, and MCs in their 40s - I’ve got great news for you with The Shots You Take.

I won’t lie to you, you are probably going to hate Adam for how he treats sweet Riley at the beginning of this - but I promise you he hates himself more AND wants to make up for the mistakes of his past.

It’s not my favorite book by Rachel Reid (I mean, duh? 😉😉 Ilya & Shane foreverrrr) but this relationship is complex, the characters are entertaining (looking at you, Lucky 🐶😘) and the story moves along at what felt like the right pace.

*TW for death of a parent*

I got a chance to listen to this advanced copy of the audio book thanks to @netgallery and Harlequin Audio. It was narrated by Greg Boudreaux who did a great job! He is engaging and easy to listen to.
It is a sweet and sexy second chance romance, of two hockey stars who have recently retired.
It is set in small town Nova Scotia! Woo hoo! It is about grief, and friendship and makes a lot of points about mental health and queerness and other things that are not spoken about in major league sports. I would not really call it a hockey romance, as the guys don't even play hockey anymore, but I did enjoy listening to it although I do think I heard "rock hard" a few too many times.
The last like 20% gets pretty spicy!

I think this book may be Rachel Reid's best yet. The exploration of grief, identity, growing into who you are was so human and sweet and sad and funny all at once. I loved how nuanced and multifaceted and real every emotion felt. And the relationship between Adam and Riley and the journeys they had to take solo and together to get to the end was lovely. There are moments in this story that hurt so much and moments where you just want to jump for joy, layered with this maturity and self-awareness that will leave you wanting more! What a triumph of a novel! I felt like the narrator did such a great job bringing the tension and emotion to this story, as well as doing an excellent Nova Scotian small town accent (at least to my non-Nova Scotian ears!) - I loved the way he walked the line of the most bittersweet moments in the story to add an additional layer of depth to the reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ALC! I don’t usually listen to fiction audiobooks, and second chance romance isn’t my favorite trope, but this was sooooo cute! I was *literally* giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole story, and the epilogue made me swoon. The way Reid wove together the past and present was really engaging, and the narrator was fantastic at distinguishing the different characters’ voices. Riley and Adam were equally lovable (though past Adam was… not) with equally compelling backstories and struggles. It was fun rooting for them as individuals and as a couple.

I have enjoyed every Rachel Reid book I have read and this was no exception.

I liked that these MMCs were aged up (40s)! It added a new element to the professional hockey player dynamic we're used to.

And while the timeline for these characters to rekindle their connection and fall back in love isn't that long, Reid does a great job of proving context for their previous, off page relationship that makes it easy to believe that they both have still had strong albeit hurt feelings for one another.

I love Greg Bordeaux as a narrator and he did an excellent job bringing this story to life. But I feel like I say this with most MM/FF audiobooks I review - if the book is dual POV even if the characters are of the same sex/gender it is so much easier to follow along and pick up where you left off if there are different narrators for the MCs. It doesn't have to be performed in duet but at least make it easier to figure out whose POV I'm listening from when I pick the audiobook back up.

Thank you Netgalley Harlequin audio and Harlequin/ Carina press for the ALC and the E-book. My opinions are being left voluntarily. Rachel read writes books that never miss and huge fan of their writing. I have loved every single one and this is no different. This had so much heart, passion, growth just everything we love to see in books.

Will absolutely need a trophy forbmy shelf

4.5/5☆

This was a MM second chance hockey romance. This was a sweet story that explored grief, sexuality, and mental health. I would say my only complaints for this is that it is written in third person. When it comes to romance books, it’s hard for me to lose myself in the story when it’s written in third person. I typically try to listen to the audio to help with that, but this one was only a single narrator. While he did an amazing job overall, there were a lot of times it was hard to distinguish whose head we were in. I would recommend this if you enjoy the tropes and don’t mind third person romance! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC!

Riley and Adam are retired hockey players, both now in their 40s. When they played hockey together, they were best friends with benefits, but unable to put a more permanent label on their relationship. They haven't spoken in over a decade, but when Riley's father dies suddenly, Adam comes to the funeral, in part to try to make amends. Through sheer stubbornness, Adam is simply there for Riley... which is a lot, since Riley is not only grieving his father but also losing Adam years ago too.

Well, f*ck if that wasn't perfect. If a book about grief could ever be comfortable, this book is it. It's such a very different energy from Rachel Reid's other books, and yet the same care towards character development and sensitivity towards raw human emotions.

With both characters in their forties, there’s a richness to both Riley and Adam that we don’t often get with younger characters. We see snapshots of them when they are young twenty-something hockey stars, which serve as a heartbreaking background to why Riley is years-retired, single and living in his hometown, and why Adam is newly retired, divorced, and a deeply uncool dad. Hockey was their lives, until it wasn’t. Adam and Riley were everything to each other, until they weren’t. Both of those things broke them both in different ways.

The Shots You Take feels like Rachel Reid's particularly wonderful brand of hockey romance crossed with Cat Sebastian (You Should Be So Lucky) and Linda Holmes (Evvie Drake Starts Over) in the absolute best and most mature way. This is the best that a second chance romance has to offer: two middle aged men finding their way home to each other.

This was such a sweet read! I absolutely adored Riley and Adam and I loved watching their love (finally) bloom. A second chance romance can be a little tricky plot point but it really worked here, and I loved that Riley and Adam were whole adults who had lived their lives before they came back together.

Rachel Reid truly nails queer romance that is perfectly heart-warming and just a little dirty and I can’t wait to keep reading her books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an advanced copy of the audio!

I absolutely devoured The Shots You Take in a single day! This MM second-chance hockey romance between ex-teammates and former friends with benefits hit all the right emotional beats.

A decade after leaving his pro hockey career behind, Riley Tuck has built a quiet life in his hometown until tragedy brings his former teammate and ex-best friend with benefits, Adam Sheppard, back into the picture. Adam’s return to Avery River, Nova Scotia, stirs up old wounds and even older feelings, but winning back Riley’s trust won’t be easy, especially with the spotlight of his hockey fame following him. As Adam supports Riley through his grief, their undeniable chemistry reignites, forcing them to confront their past if they want a real shot at a second chance.

Riley’s experience of losing his father and navigating the aftermath felt so real and relatable, while Adam’s struggles, coming from an unsupportive family and grappling with his identity in the hyper-masculine world of pro hockey, added depth to his character. Their chemistry was undeniable, and while I wouldn’t have minded more detailed spice, what was there was scorching. The raw, heartfelt conversations about their past had my heart clenching. Overall, a fantastic read, 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 for this review)!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Audio, for the ALC!

The Shots You Take is a second chance romance filled to the brim with grief and regret.

After the loss of his father, Riley, a middle-aged retired (disgraced) hockey player's life is flipped upside down. He already struggles with anxiety and depression but it's compounded when the loss of his father also brings the man he thought was the love of his life back into the small town he's all but escaped to, back into his bubble.

Adam is a retired (superstar) hockey player. Growing up in a rough household situation he made a name for himself as a hockey star - praised for his sports prowess, married his beautiful wife (now divorced but cordial), raised lovely kids - he has it all. Except, he recently discovered he's always actually been in love with his former best friend and colleague Riley - too bad he broke his heart (multiple times) and laughed in his face when Riley confessed to him.

This book was a lot. The grief was intense and prevalent throughout the story. Adam was an absolute monster to Riley when they were younger, which made the second chance romance a little tough to swallow - I just had to keep telling myself it was a work of fiction and to suspend my beliefs because there was no way Riley would have forgiven Adam or even spoken to him again had this been real life.

It was a good story but I still finished reading it thinking "no way this would work out in any situation other than a book"

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a second chance story about two previous best friends who haven’t spoken in 12 years reunited after the (off page) death of a beloved parent. I loved the Nova Scotia setting and their happily ever after in the epilogue.

Another great hockey romance from Rachel Reid. I knocked off a star because one of the characters takes way too long to state his feelings and apologize—I wanted to him with a hockey stick for being so dumb! That being said, it all ties up nicely with a satisfying HEA.

I love Rachel Reid and how she writes complex characters which is present in this second chance romance of hockey players.

Adam and Riley were former hockey teammates moved on from each other. Adam decides to reappear in Riley's life during Riley's father's funeral service. I thought it was very selfish of Adam to try and rekindle old feelings out of the blue when Riley is hurting.

Adam was a tough character for me to like. He needed to do more to prove his love for Riley. His reason for not coming out sounded very selfish.

I started warning up to Adam a bit more on the second half of the story.

I thought Greg Boudreaux did a great job with the narration and bringing these two characters to life.

Thank you @harlequin_audio and publisher for a copy of the book.