Portland Evergreens Book 2: Cold as Ice by Beth Bolden

 

Portland Evergreens Book 2

Malcolm’s all about checking off items in his Life Plan.

He’s made it to the first line on his hockey team, the Portland Evergreens. He’s made the Dean’s List the last four semesters. He’s right in line to graduate on time, and head to the pros. All steps on the ultimate goal of becoming the best front office guy in the NHL.

Elliott is the only fly in his ointment.

The younger, wilder forward parties every night, sleeping with everything with a pulse, and barely attending classes or practices.

It’s annoying, but Mal’s dealing with it, until their new coach insists Mal tutor Elliott to help him pass a class.

And until Elliott discovers Mal’s biggest secret: he’s been too busy checking off points on his life plan to get laid.

They’re fire and ice. Bad boy and virgin. They shouldn’t work at all. But the more time they spend together, on and off the ice, the more irresistible their chemistry becomes.

The more desperate Mal becomes for some of Elliott’s one-on-one tutoring—this time in bed.

But Elliott wants more than just sex. He wants to melt Mal’s icy cold shoulder and convince him there’s more to life—and love—than a plan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215538443-cold-as-ice

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Elliot knew he was in trouble the moment he saw Malcolm. There was something about him that grabbed his attention and he just never could shake it. So much so that it ended up being a contributing factor to when he selected his university to play hockey at. But when the time came to turn up the charm and flirt with Malcolm, well, Elliot struck out. Apparently all his skills when it comes to flirting just went over Malcolm’s head and breaking down that icy exterior wouldn’t be easy. But a year later, they are gonna have to learn to work together being on the same line. And amazingly, they do, despite their different styles. But their bickering has remained. Elliot can’t help himself when it comes to pushing Malcolm’s buttons. And Malcolm being known for being pretty icy, seems to find his temper around Elliot. Malcolm never wanted to be another notch on Elliot’s bedpost. He thought he dodged a bullet when Elliot hit on him and he declined. Based on his past, Malcolm just can’t seem to get out of his head when it comes to guys. But things are changing lately. Especially when Coach needs Malcolm to tutor Elliot in statistics or risk Elliot getting kicked off the team. Malcolm didn’t want to be distracted by Elliot but being forced to interact more, he is beginning to see another side to Elliot. One that makes him want to let go just a bit. And for Elliot, he never stopped having feelings for Malcolm. Perhaps it is time to be vulnerable and show Malcolm all of him. I loved these guys! Their dynamic banter were great. They were opposites in so many ways, but they really did balance one another out. There was just so much more going on with both of them and it made them all the more interesting. And it was so much more satisfying when they finally got together and let themselves feel something so real. Another great addition to this series! And I’m so excited for the next two!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.