Padme's Library: Sunday's Sport Stats: Scott by RJ Scott & VL Locey

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Sunday's Sport Stats: Scott by RJ Scott & VL Locey

Title: Scott

Authors: RJ Scott & VL Locey

Series: Owatonna U #2

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: March 27, 2019

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Summary:
What happens when you try to fix the past and end up threatening your future?

Scott is struggling. Grieving the loss of his brother, carrying the weight of his father’s expectations, and getting his ass kicked in the rink, he’s in a downward spiral. He needs a solution and fast, but when his steroid use is exposed, he’s close to losing his place at Owatonna and more importantly, on the Eagles Hockey team. Thrown out of his house, with nowhere to go and no future in sight, he only has one choice; agree to mandatory counseling, random drug tests, and get his act together. Only then will he have a chance at normal. Meeting Hayne, a senior connected to the world through his art, is a shock to the system. Moving in with him is his only option, but falling for the shy artist leaves Scott in an impossible situation, and one he can’t escape.

Hayne has always been that quiet, creative kid who sat in the back of class drawing instead of listening to the teacher. A talented artist, the shy and sensitive young man is struggling with the loss of his childhood friend. Seeing his sadness reflected in his usually colorful paintings, he decides to attend grief counseling and meets Scott, a lost soul in desperate need of light and color in his life. Taking in a homeless hockey player certainly was never part of his carefully orchestrated ten-year plan. But now that Scott is in his life, he’s discovering the joy of this man’s loving smile and tender touch is one of the most beautiful palettes on earth.

Scott & Locey have done it again! In Owatonna U Hockey book 2 we meet Scott, the troubled hockey player who finds himself homeless and facing a year-long suspension from the team because of his steroid use and Hayne, an art student who struggles with social interactions when it comes to the big, hulky, jock types. Fate puts these two young lads together and we get to ride along on their journey.

From the minute we meet Scott, you just know that something is wrong and that he has no where to go but crash. I absolutely love the way his coach deals with the situation before him, yes he does his job by suspending Scott but he's also there for him, he doesn't demean him, he doesn't look down at him, he supports him from the minute Scott walks into his office. You just know his Eagles teammates would do the same if Scott wasn't avoiding them. Don't even get me started on Scott's dad though because talk about a character that needs a swift kick-in-the-ass.

As for Hayne, how can you not love him? He has a heart of gold, it may sound cliche but in this case it is no less true. The two men he rents rooms to may be the over-rated, I'm-better-than-you, stay-outta-my-way, stereotypical jock that can be overused but in Scott, the authors write them perfectly and so not over the top. As someone who lives in a college town, let me tell you, these types are not in the majority but they definitely do exist and I have seen my share of them strutting down the street on their way to class, trust me you can't miss them. So the authors are pretty spot on and its perfectly understandable and believable just why Hayne feels as he does.

Grief counselling leads to kindness leads to unexpected friendship which leads to romance. The connection between Scott and Hayne is evident from the minute they meet on the way to counselling group and as immediate as that connection is, I would not classify this as insta-love, that's not to say its a slow-burn either but just right. They really are meant to be and yet its not all sunshine and roses, the struggles are there for both parties.

Scott may have a love story involved between the title character and Hayne but for me, at its core is Scott finding his way, his place in the world, his path. I love how the authors combine the love story with Scott's healing(for lack of a better word) but never lose sight of what he's struggling with, nor do they go the way of the over-used plot of his friends abandoning him. Ryker, Jacob, and Ben are never far from the story and I really found those scenes to be quite powerful and emotional, even when they were the bit of much-needed humor, they were still incredibly heartwarming.

Speaking of not going the way of over used plot points, as I said above I wanted to give Scott's dad a swift kick-in-the-ass, well that doesn't completely change but there is a possibility of learning and growing on that front too. So many elements that will warm your heart. Scott is definitely worthy of the Owatonna U Hockey brand as well as the Harrisburg Railers that it is spun from.

I already feel like I've given away too much so I'll just say this: Scott is a win-win from beginning to end. Whether you are a hockey fan or not won't matter a bit because yes, there is some hockey but mostly this is a story of friendship, rebuilding, growth, finding your place in the world, and of course love. If you are wondering about series order, yes each entry has its own stars and their stories but in my opinion the friendships just flow better when read in order. Whichever order you read these in, just be sure to read because you won't be sorry.

RATING:

Ryker

Saturday's Series Spotlight: Harrisburg Railers

Part 1 / Part 2

Best Reads 2018 Part 5(Neutral Zone)

RJ Scott
RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.

RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.

She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the following links below.

VL Locey
USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, two dogs, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and three Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.