Riding Pine by RM Neil

A hockey player and a beaver walk into a bar…

I’m not a real beaver. I just play one for the Bloomburg Aspens.

You’d be surprised how many times I need to clarify that.

It’s not a traditional job, but between my yoga studio and playing the beaver, it pays the bills.

The beaver mascot gig also comes with one Don’t reveal my identity to anyone.

Which wasn’t a big deal until I met this guy at the bar. A hot guy with a shy smile and a huge…wood.

Lukas Pine.

A hockey player for the Bloomburg Aspens.

He was only supposed to be a one-night stand, but we keep finding each other. Usually with our clothes off.

In my defense, I had to tell him. You should know you’re sleeping with the team mascot. Especially when the players aren’t supposed to know who I am.

Lukas is more than happy to keep it a secret, but there’s a new problem.

We’re not very good at hiding it.

And that’s when I learn riding pine isn’t always fun.

Riding Pine is a standalone novel set in the Bloomburg universe of the Sheltered Connections and Broken Horn Ranch series. A smart-mouthed former circus acrobat and a tender-hearted hockey tough guy at the end of his playing days are so hot together they have to bend not just their bodies, but the rules, to stay together. This story is pure ridiculousness with loads of spice and all the feels…oh, and some hockey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240065903-riding-pine

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

After losing a job he loves, Ben returns to his hometown to figure out what next. Staying with his best friend is temporary and opening a yoga studio has been a great way to keep his acrobatic background going. But when he gets a job offer with the local hockey team to be their mascot, well it’s pretty unexpected. They are looking for someone really bring excitement to the crowd and do something pretty new. And with Ben’s background with the circus, it’s not a bad idea. And the pay isn’t so bad either. They just have one rule: no one can know he is the mascot. There is just one problem with that. A few weeks earlier he met Lukas. The chemistry between them is explosive. They can’t keep their hands off one another and they can’t stop thinking about the other. And it looks like they are heading to a real relationship. Ben thinks he can keep the secret and he does…until he realizes that Lukas is on the hockey team. Lying is the last thing he wants to do when they are just getting started. So it looks like they’ll have to be sneaky… This was such a fun story! I loved getting to know Lukas and Ben. And the whole mascot and hockey player romance is something new and fun and fresh. I really enjoyed the story all around I wouldn’t mind seeing these two again if there are more hockey books coming!