Ashlyn Kane - The Inside Edge

What does a work-life balance look like to recently retired professional athletes?
Ex-hockey player Nate Overton is trying to find out, but dipping his toes in the gay dating scene post-divorce is a daunting prospect even without the news that his show is on thin ice. Before he can tackle either issue, he skates headfirst into another problem—his new cohost. Former figure skater Aubrey Chase is the embodiment of a spoiled rich playboy. He’s also flamboyant, sharp, and hot as sin.
Aubrey knows how important it is to get off on the right foot. He’s just not very good at it outside the rink. Having spent his life desperate for attention, he’ll do anything to get it—even the wrong kind.
For Nate and Aubrey, opposites don’t so much attract as collide at center ice. But while Nate’s everything Aubrey has scrupulously avoided—until now—Aubrey falls suddenly head over heels, and Nate’s only looking for a rebound fling. Can Aubrey convince Nate to risk his heart again, or will their unexpected connection be checked at the first sign of trouble?

Comment: Books featuring m/m couples somehow in the world of ice hockey abound in romanceland and while this one doesn't have a main character actually being a player, it still interested me, as other books where players were key characters have before.

Nate Overton is a former player who now is a host in a show where hockey is discussed, although his co-host hasn't been a great person to be around with. Thankfully, a new person was found and it turns out to be Aubrey Chase, who used to be a ice skater. It could be their sports were different but they can say they know how to behave on ice, but this doesn't seem to bring them any closer at first. 

The thing is that Nate is recently out of marriage and starting to think about dating again and Aubrey is more flamboyant and gets on his nerves personally. However, despite the things that should pull them apart, they still like what they see in the other and being co workers can bring them closer, right?

I'm not knowledgeable about ice hockey even though I have read several books by now, both m/m and m/f, where sometimes rules are mentioned and discussed, but this doesn't ruin the experience of going back to books where the game is somehow part of the story. I think the character evolution and the romance count a great deal to me and I'm not fussy about the hockey content, thus why I enjoyed reading this book even though one or two situations related to hockey passed me by.

The story is quite focused on the main characters and their personal feelings and state of mind. I assumed the romance could have some obstacles related to the fact they were working together or to other external issues since they have different family dynamics and lifestyles, but truthfully, to me, the main point of contention seemed to be how they saw one another and how they saw their own self. It's not that this isn't good enough for character development, but it did make the story feel a little flat.

Nate is recently divorced because his ex wanted do things Nate was not available to and the relationship fizzled out. He has a loving family and feels comfortable in his own skin but he knows it can be difficult to find someone who shares his way of seeing things and what he hopes to do about his future. I liked Nate and how he behaved himself. I liked how he thought about his professional life and the decisions he makes at some point.

Aubrey is described as being flamboyant but I never got that sense from how his characterization played out and he seemed to be a good person. His family life is trickier but not as disruptive as it seemed to be when the story begun, which makes me think there wasn't really that much external issues for him to solve besides some basic ones. I think I liked Nate more as a protagonist but towards the end, Aubrey seemed to be the most vulnerable, in fact, and this side of him made me feel more sympathy for his state of mind.

I'd say the big force that drove this novel was the romance, which I feel was good enough but not as riveting as it could be. The guys share a lot in life and had common experiences as athletes who performed on ice but their backgrounds and romantic experiences aren't that similar. I think the romance was sweet for most of the time and the choices they made before and after being intimate led them to something I can accept would be good for them and I can believe they would have a good HEA. But it wasn't fireworks, no, in the sense that I would want to devour any scene they were part of.

In the end, I think this story was only good, competent enough where it mattered, but not as fascinating as I hoped. I still like the author's style in general and will certainly read more books by her.

Grade: 7/10