Author: Teegan Loy
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 200 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: The best college hockey player in the nation is hanging up his skates because he’s tired of living a lie. Five years ago, Erik Fox was forced by his father to change schools in the middle of the night when his father found out about his indiscretion. Erik had a boyfriend and hockey players do not date boys.
With his college career over, Erik is determined to change his life. Can Erik make peace with the boy he left behind and find the life he wants to live, or is he going to fold under the pressure from his father and everyone else who thinks he is defined by the game of hockey.
Review: I am not a huge hockey fan but I love to read about athletes. I mean really, who doesn’t? Even without knowing the game, I knew I could, and did, love this book. Erik Fox was blessed with some insane talent on the ice. He is part of the National Championship college hockey team and is badly wanted by the pros. The only problem is Erik has no control over his life anymore, and he has decided that he is completely done with that.
Once his senior season is over, he decides to take back control of his life, even if he has to give up everything he loves to get it. He dumps the girlfriend his father has chosen for him, right before he makes the ginormous mistake of marrying her to keep up appearances. He also makes a rather bold move and quits hockey. This is the most surprising thing for him to have done because he really does love the game. What he doesn’t like is the control his father has over him, and he won’t stand for it anymore.
Needless to say, his father is not happy about Erik’s choices. Erik is getting grief from just about everyone he knows, except for his sister and his roommates. He is surprised when his sister brings the past right back into the present for him by setting him up with his ex. Tyce was Erik’s best friend growing up. It was when they were teenagers that they realized they were much more than friends, and they fell in love. Of course, Erik’s father couldn’t let Erik ruin his future with Tyce, so he moved them away and wouldn’t let Erik have any contact with Tyce. Tyce felt abandoned and Erik was just lost.
It seems Erik’s sister has kept in touch with Tyce over the years, and Tyce hasn’t forgotten Erik any more than Erik forgot Tyce. Erik can’t believe it when Tyce gives him another chance, and they seem to fall right back into sync with one another—right up to the point Erik’s celebrity status on campus begins to cause problems for them. It seems that some people can’t accept the fact that their favorite hockey player is gay, and they start taking it out on all the people Erik cares about.
This is not only a love story featuring reunited childhood friends-turned-lovers but is also a story of self-acceptance and fighting for what you want. This was an angst filled story with many twists and turns that leaves these men fighting to keep themselves and the people they love safe and happy.
By the end of the book Erik and Tyce seem to have everything they could ever want, but I would love to see an update, or maybe even see Tyce’s roommate find a HEA of his own. So, if you like reading about athletes finding the freedom to love whom they choose, with some absolutely fabulous supporting characters thrown in, then this would be a great place to start.
You can buy Frozen Hearts here:
