Sunday, August 2, 2020
Sunday's Sport Stats: Keeping Kyle by Jeff Adams
An NHL All-Star
A workaholic entrepreneur
One irresistibly tempting opportunity
KYLE
I can’t believe I let my best friend talk me into being auctioned off for charity. But when I get a look at the guy who placed the winning bid, I feel like I’m the one who snagged the top prize.
AUSTIN
I didn’t get to where I am by letting opportunities slip through my fingers. When I learn that Kyle Pressgrove will be part of the bachelor auction taking place during All-Star weekend, that’s the kind of chance that you grab ahold of, and I have no intention of letting go.
With my career on the line and the possibility of Kyle being traded to a team half-way across the country, things between us might be over before they’ve even begun. I’d give anything to keep Kyle in my life, but everything might not be enough.
I'm going to start off by saying that I loved how Austin is a workaholic but not for purely selfish gain. By that I mean, it was wonderful to see a character who is devoted to getting his company going, keeping it strong, but not just for himself but also for his employees. He doesn't want to let them down, such a fresh approach not explored nearly enough in fiction for my taste, so when it's done I take notice and when it's done believably then it stays with me.
Now you know why I love Austin so let's look at Kyle. Austin's dream date, his one luxury he's allowed himself to unwind down with: hockey and his favorite player. Kyle is living the dream by playing for his hometown team but doing his buddy, Garrett(from RJ Scott's Guarding Garrett, book one of this great series) a favor could change his life. I can't imagine what it would be like to be able to play for the team you grew up watching but I think the author shows us a glimpse of the joy Kyle feels doing so. Kyle can be a bit of a stickler when it comes to being on time vs. lateness and when dealing with a workaholic that can be issue, I liked how the author factors it in but doesn't let the story get bogged down with "rehashing" elements just to create drama.
Throw these two intriguing characters together and what you have is fun, sexy potential. Fate never likes to make things easy. You got business hiccups, trading rumors, and does all that make it the right time for Kyle and Austin to start something beyond the charity auction? For that answer you have to read for yourself, which I highly recommend doing. Sure there were times I wanted to bang the guys' heads together for their lack of or miscommunication but without some drama fiction can be a very boring world. Again I loved how the author "spread the drama about" and didn't just hone in one issue, a little bit of everything created the pull that kept me interested from beginning to end.
This is the first book by Jeff Adams that I read and I can safely say it won't be the last. Aside from the creative idea of the charity auction for a multi-author series, Jeff Adams' characters had their own creative and intriguing side that made them fun to read and root for. Keeping Kyle is a wonderful blend of friendship, family, romance, heat, humor, drama, all wrapped together in a great little heart-filled package.
RATING:
Hot hockey players on the auction block…
Win a date with a professional hockey player during All Star weekend in Chicago. From leading scorers to fan favorites to guys you love to hate, watch the players strut their stuff in support of the Hockey Allies charity.
Place a bid. You just might find someone to keep you warm.
Jeff Adams has written stories since he was in middle school and became a published author in 2009 when his first short stories were published. He writes both gay romance and LGBTQ+ young adult fiction…and there’s usually a hockey player at the center of the story.
Jeff lives in central California with his husband of more than twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musical "Rent" and, the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition "So You Think You Can Dance." He, of course, loves to read, but there isn’t enough space to list his favorite books.
Jeff and Will are also podcasters. The "Big Gay Fiction Podcast" is a weekly show devoted to gay romance as well as pop culture. New episodes come out every Monday at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. The "Big Gay Author Podcast" chronicles their journey to become full time authors. New episodes drop Saturdays at BigGayAuthorPodcast.com.
Keeping Kyle #3
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