Padme's Library: Review Tour: Benoit by RJ Scott & VL Locey

Monday, June 10, 2019

Review Tour: Benoit by RJ Scott & VL Locey

Title: Benoit

Authors: RJ Scott & VL Locey

Series: Owatonna U #3

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: May 29, 2019

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Summary:
Senior year is here, and everything is on the line. Benoit’s time to shine in the crease is now, and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure those professional scouts take notice. He’s earned a great reputation for his skills in the net, and his laid-back demeanor is his key to maintaining his cool when things get heated in the goal crease.

As the Eagles roar into a new season, Ben’s laser-sharp focus is shattered by his attraction to Ethan Girard, the team’s new defensive consultant. Trying his best to ignore the budding friendship that’s taking a hard, fast turn into something far more passionate, Ben is determined to keep his mind on the sport he loves and not let his feelings for the handsome older man creep into his performance. But love, like hockey, is wildly unpredictable, and soon Ben finds that he’s unable to distance himself from Ethan who is slowly and surely working himself into his heart.

Famed Boston defenseman, Ethan Girard, isn’t stupid. Celebrating his thirty-second birthday in the emergency room after breaking his leg, and with a warning that healing will be a long process, he knows he has to think about his future. He was drafted at eighteen, and he’s never known anything but hockey, but with no contract in place yet for the new season he considers that maybe it’s time for him to hang up his skates for good.

Volunteering to help out with the Owatonna Eagles fills his time, but from the moment he lays eyes on goalie Ben, he knows his world will never be the same again. Falling in lust is as easy as stealing his first kiss, but Ben refuses to engage. Has Ethan finally met his match?

When the lines between career and love blur, will Ethan and Ben find a way to create a future that will work for both of them?

We got to see Benoit in Owatonna U Hockey book 2, Scott but only a tiny bit, we got a peak at how he views his friends, Scott and Ryker so it came as no surprise that he moved into the house with them when his story began. Ben's family is not in the book much but its enough to realize how important they are to the man and how they are part of what drives him on the ice, not the only reason he's focused but definitely a factor and a positive one at that. As for Ethan, I loved the fact that he is a player who realizes his limits and doesn't play till he can't and by that I mean too often in sports, players don't want to give it up and they stick around a season or two too many and their effectiveness or quality is poor or as the saying goes "past their prime". So kudos to the authors for having Ethan know his limits and even though it doesn't exactly take a lot of thinking on his part to come to this decision, you see its not an easy decision and through his inner monologue he weighs in on what he'll miss but also what he won't miss.

As for Ben and Ethan as a couple, the age gap may not be enough for the May/December tag but it is mentioned, both in seriousness and levity. Benoit's focus and Ethan's determination make for a great pairing and when they finally connect watching Ben's focus be divided was a treat. I think some author's would show the character with that kind of focus waver back and forth, should I or shouldn't I, but Scott and Locey go the route of dividing his focus and have Ben worry about each suffering because of it. When he talks to the Railers' goalie, Stan, that scene is short(almost too short😉) but oh so memorable. Ben may need help deciphering "Stan-speak" but once he understands the advice he puts it to good use.

I rarely mention specific moments in a book as I don't do spoilers and to me everything can be a spoiler but in this case I need to mention this one. First, I'll point out that as a western Wisconsinite we are virtually held hostage by the Minnesota media and 95% of the news and sports we get is only Minnesota. Even though I'm not a hockey fan and don't follow the sport I have to admit I did my fair share of giggling(even now as I write this I find myself chuckling) when Benoit and his friends went to the Railers/Wild game and the authors had the Railers "trounce" the Wild. Perhaps this is just a personal thing for me because the Minnesota news media have the Wild winning the Stanley Cup every year after they manage to win two games in a row but I found it absolutely, delightfully funny and want to thank Scott & Locey for that moment😉😉.

When we first met Ryker way back in Ten and Jared's romantic beginnings in Changing Lines(Harrisburg Railers #1) I had a feeling we'd see his story eventually, I wasn't sure how or when but I knew the authors would put it to print. What I didn't expect was his own series or his friends' stories as well. Is Owatonna U Hockey as good as Harrisburg Railers? Maybe not but it is pretty darn close and I have loved every single one. Benoit and Ethan may not have reached my heart as close as Ryker and Jacob or Scott and Hayne but that is mostly down to just the order of the series. When a series has a new couple with each entry, 98% of the time they rank the order they are written and for no other reason then that. If Benoit is the final Owatonna U book, its a gem to be savored.

One last final note: if you're wondering about the order of reading then I highly suggest reading in the order it was written. As I've stated, each entry has a different pairing but the friendships flow better and the primary characters from Ryker and Scott have their moments in Benoit. Will you be lost if you start with Benoit? No, but personally I can't imagine not knowing Ryker and Scott's journeys first. For those who are completely new to Scott & Locey's hockey stories, I also recommend reading their Harrisburg Railers first, you won't be lost but there are points that will make a little more sense knowing those stories first but again that is just my personal recommendation. And for those who, like me are not hockey fans, they include just enough hockey lingo and descriptions to understand what the players are doing and not teaching you the ins and outs of the sport, these are not hockey-for-dummy stories, these are romance, friendship, and life journeys at heart that should not be missed.

RATING:

Ryker / Scott

Saturday's Series Spotlight: Harrisburg Railers

Part 1 / Part 2

Best Reads 2018 Part 5(Neutral Zone) / Hat Trick

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.