Hockey romance, best friends sibling trope, steamy slow burning friends to lovers
Plot:
It’s a simple rule: don’t bang your teammates’ siblings.
Finn O'Brien knows he's in trouble when he not only breaks that rule, but the teammate's sibling also happens to be his best friend's younger sister.
Finn and Molly have been secretly pining for each other since they were teens, but the fear of Molly's brother, Will's, reaction kept them hiding their feelings for too long.
But what happens when they cross the line? When love threatens to ruin every relationship Finn holds close to his heart. How do you choose between your best friend, your family, and the possible love of your life?
Review:
WOW! I have been craving a new hockey series for months and this is it! Two For Roughing is the third installment in the “Snow Pirates” hockey team stand-alone series, but the first one I’ve read and it did not disappoint.
Finn and Molly are both such lovable characters. Molly is eccentric in all the best ways and her character actually made me laugh out loud at points which is an impressive feat. Her brother, Will, and Finn have been best friends for years which complicates Finn’s feelings for Molly, but that’s not where McMaster left the conflict. Finn’s biological family left much to be desired, so Will and Molly’s family became his chosen family from a young age. McMaster adding this element to the conflict was a refreshing twist on the typical brother's best friend trope because Finn’s fear of losing the only family he’s ever known added a heartbreaking layer.
Finn pulled me in instantly - his story was heartbreaking, but his resilience gave him the depth of a great hero. He is the kind of guy everyone wishes for. His friendship and love of Will, Molly, and their entire family was endearing. His ability to love Molly while also letting her be unapologetically herself from the start of the book was refreshing. It reminded me so much of that Atticus poem “Love her, he said, but leave her wild” and the Tyler Rich song aptly written about it called “Leave Her wild.” That song is the theme of this book entirely.
McMaster beautifully showed the softer side to men that is often overlooked in books. All of the men in this book still have the quintessential tough hockey player act, but their vulnerable sides are still very much present and not just with their girls, it shows through their friendships too.
The only two reasons it lost a star were minuscule. The first was a personal pet peeve of mine when authors tend to write how they think college kids speak like using “hashtag” or “jelly” instead of "jealous" in dialogue. It wasn’t overly done so it was easy to gloss over, but still makes me cringe anytime any author does it. The second was how every single paragraph had a sexual comment or innuendo in it. I’m all for a good steamy book and some great sex scenes, but the dialogue was so heavy with mentions of sex that sometimes it almost distracted from the storyline and made the actual sex scenes feel less intense because it was so casually tossed around in every sentence. With that said, I still was absolutely hooked by this book and finished it in 2 days.
Every character, secondary characters included, elevated the others beautifully. McMaster wove in the supporting characters exceedingly well and I can’t wait to go read the rest of the books in this series to find out their backstories.
Thank you to Lasairiona McMaster (@queenoffirelas) for sending this to me in exchange for an honest review!
Favorite Quotes:
"When faced with the prospect of losing someone, or accepting who they are, the fear of loss can be pretty powerful"
&
“Don’t let fear control your life, Molly. Figure out what you want in this world and pursue it relentlessly.”
Rating:
4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️