Games We Play Book 8: Love of the Game by Anna Zabo

 

Games We Play Book 8

Drake Williams was the up-and-coming young player on the Pittsburgh Lions, racking up points like a star. Now in his third season, his star has fallen and his scoring touch is gone. The puck hates his stick, and he’s more liability than asset. No other team in the major league wants him. When the Lions waive him, he’s sent to the Greensburg Otters—proof of how far he’s dropped.

Greensburg feels like a million miles from Pittsburgh rather forty. But when Drake unexpectedly finds a queer biker bar off the beaten path, he thinks he might survive his time in the minors, especially when Jon, the bar’s sexy owner, flirts with him. That is, until the next morning, when he’s re-introduced to Jon as Jonny Eriksson, team captain of the Otters.

Jon Eriksson’s got the hockey IQ but not the hands or the wheels for the big league, and that’s fine. He likes the Otters. Of course he knows who Drake is, and he’s intrigued by the distraught, young player. Jon knows Drake’s the real deal—a star in the making—and will only be on the Otters long enough to recapture his game. It’s Jon’s duty to help rekindle that love for the game.

That’s not all that gets ignited, though. Soon enough, they’re tangled into each other’s life in a way Jon’s never felt before. But what happens to their smoldering love once Drake is recalled to the Lions?

The Games We Play is a multi-author minor league hockey romance series! All titles run concurrently through the same hockey season, and the books can be read in any order, so jump in anywhere!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211809260-love-of-the-game

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Drake has had an amazing first two years playing professional hockey for the Lions. His training weeks went great right before his third season started but then the season did start…and things are bad. He isn’t playing like he used to. And everyone can see it. Something is in his head and he just can’t shake it. Management has no choice but to send him down to the Otters to get his game back. Disappointed about the step down, he isn’t exactly in a great mood. But as he makes his way to the new town, he stops at a queer friendly bar and meets Jon. And though nothing happens between them that night, Drake feels a strong connection to him and hopes they can see one another and have a date. However, when Drake goes to practice the next morning, turns out Jon is the captain of the Otters and knew who he was last night. Jon feels a little bad about not telling Drake he knew who he was but he also wasn’t pretending when it came to flirting back with Drake. He feels that connection too. And he wants to help Drake go back to being the player he was. Drake may be a little put off at first but being around Jon actually helps him. Together, they find his love for the game again and in the process begin to fall in love themselves. A really fun and great story! Jon is this sunshine character who is just the guy everyone wants to be around and looks up to. He knows the minute he meets Drake that things are different. I really enjoyed their dynamic. This was definitely a favorite of mine from this series!