Laurent St. Savoy grew up the only son of a legendary NHL goalie in a household rife with abuse, constantly treated like a disappointment on and off the ice. When a desperate attempt to escape his father’s tyranny sends him to the Spitfires, the last thing Laurent wants is to make friends. But there’s something about Isaac Drake that he can’t resist, and Laurent has an opportunity to explore his sexuality for the first time, but he’s cracking under end-of-the season pressures. When facing the playoffs and a rivalry turned personal vendetta, Isaac’s not sure he’s enough to hold Laurent—or their relationship—together.
Comment: This is installment #4 in the Scoring Chances series, featuring hockey players and coaches in a few teams in the ECHL.
In this novel, which starts not long after the events in the third book, Laurent St Savoy has been traded to the Spitfires and has to play with people he has insulted and spit on, such as fellow goalie Isaac Drake. They couldn't be more different from one another and at first Laurent doesn't fit in, but one episode changes everything when Isaac realizes Laurent is hiding something. As he tries to help Laurent and show him hockey players don't have to be as mean and malicious as Laurent's father seems to be, Laurent starts to see he is so much more than his father's name and reputation. But will they be able to become friends and help the team? The reality is that, the longer they get to know each other and Isaac sees the better side of Laurent, his feelings don't stay at friendship... considering their history, could Laurent ever feel the same?
As it has happened with the previous installments, I also liked this one in general. I think it has enough elements to make it addictive to read, even though the dynamics between the main characters - usually the biggest difference in the formula - wasn't as cute as I'd imagine, considering their previous interactions.
The author clearly likes to pair up bubbly/optimist/fun/distracted characters with someone more serious/stoic/realistic and, obviously, it works. When two people are somehow opposite in temperament and personality, of course there will be compromise and situations where they can match or, at least, complement each other. This can happen even with the smallest things, but here I was looking for to see how Isaac and Laurent, for all purposes they were even enemies, would find things in common... of course that they would become a couple was already expected.
Laurent is actually quite a fascinating character, for he is a hockey player who doesn't like the game that much. We understand his childhood was not a good one, with a lot of abuse by a father who criticized, punished and demanded a lot of him, never happy if he did well, always angry when he did wrong. This led to Laurent becoming isolated, lacking friends and disliked by others but now he was finally able to leave his father's influence by being traded, which allowed him to try different things and even though he didn't want friends, he can't help when Isaac just makes himself precisely so.
Isaac is a bit easier to understand, his life has been happier until he came out to his parents. They threw him out, not because he was gay but because he said he would hide it in public, which means they would not want to see it or be told about it by others. This led to some rough times for Isaac but, in a way, it helped him to appreciate security and true friendship. When this story begins Isaac had also overcome a bad situation with the help of the coaches (protagonists of book #3) and is now at a better place mentally. This allows him to be a better friend to Laurent, when he might be contrary after how Laurent treated him in the past.
The romance was gradual and sweet enough but somehow it didn't seem to be as urgent or as "destined" as the others before felt like to me. I can't say if it was because Laurent was a bad place emotionally and even in terms of his health, but I had the feeling they probably would be good friends in a more organic way than they are lovers. When things get to the end, I was glad they could be together and that they both faced issues that were weighing on their spirit, Laurent in particular, but I just don't feel the romance was that epic or impossible to see as the only fate for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment