COHEN

It turns out making out with my best friend in high school could be considered gay. Who knew? Apparently, everyone but me.

Now that it’s been pointed out, I can’t help reliving it in my head. Repeatedly. Goodbye Denial Town, hello Confusionville.

When my path leads me down the gay dating app route, I don’t expect to meet anyone I like, but then I meet him.

He can’t be more opposite than me. He’s smart, he hates hockey, and he identifies as demi—something I’ve never heard of.

Yet I can’t deny something’s there. Something I want to explore in person. If only I could get him to agree.

SETH

All my life, I’ve felt broken.

Sick of being asked if I could be gay by ex-girlfriends, friends, and even my parents, I join a gay dating app to prove a point.

I don’t expect to find what’s always been missing. A real connection.

The problem is, I’m too scared to meet him in person. He’s a hockey player, and I fear when he finds out my twin plays for the NHL, I’ll be overshadowed by my overachieving brother. Again.

Worse yet, what happens if we meet and that connection isn’t the same?

When I tell him I’m not ready, he’s disappointed but supportive. Fate, on the other hand, isn’t as accepting.

I had no idea the person I’ve been falling for is someone I already know. 

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How was it?

Some books I read in a day – slowly but still – others it takes me months, and CU Hockey book three is one of them. It’s nothing against it because I devoured a half of this book when it came out but then let it sit untouched for months, the audiobook even had time to come out before I finished it. In fact I restarted and finished it with the audio version.

Part of it was because of I needed to sit with the material. It was my first time reading about an asexual or demisexual main character figuring out where he fits in that spectrum. Seth Grant, Foster’s twin, starts questioning his sexuality when his most recent ex-girlfriend points out to him that he might not be as straight as he thinks. She noticed his sexual interest in her seems to spike whenever he sees Henry Cavill in The Witcher. This prompts him to explore since she’s not the only one who’s assumed that about him.

Giving that we’re dealing with asexuality, demisexuality, the story is a slow burn, it even feels much longer than it is. However it’s offset by how sweet it is, the courtship between Seth and Cohen – which is almost half of the novel – is adorable. Cohen, aka “Richie”, is kind of is the embodiment of denial if not obliviousness, he’s also going through an eye-opening moment regarding his straightness. Bless his heart he got so much sh!t in Face Off & Cheap Shots. Speaking of book two I love that Seth and Cohen’s story pretty much develops at the same time. It makes me feel like I’m watching a TV show with concurrent storylines. I even went back to it – book two – before I restarted the story with the audiobook.

As a matter of fact, the place where I “paused” the book almost felt like I was nearing the end of the story. It turned out to be more of a slight dip before going back up again with more story. Like I said a good chunk of this book is the “courtship” with a back and forth through messages between the MC but once that connection – emotional…and physical – is made it gives the story a sort of second wind. It got steamier and the pace picked up a bit.

Goal Lines & First Times was a nice ride, surprising in many ways but still captivating and sweet. It works well within the series but maybe needs a forewarning because I can see a lot of people being put off by the first half.

CU Hockey 3: Goal Lines & First Times is available on The Book Depository, Amazon, Audible and other book retailers near you.

Previous books in the series:

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