I'll start right away with a disclaimer. This is a male/male erotica book, so if you're not into that, you can press X right away. If you're into that, then please keep reading. You won't regret it.

This is a review on the first book of the series, Him by Sarina Bowen Kennedy. The reason why I'm only reviewing the first one is because 1. I haven't finished the second one, and 2. because although they follow the same characters, they're kind of different stories. The first book is mostly about character development, discovering Jamie's attraction to men, and falling in love with the two hockey players. The second one is about dealing with being in a male/male relationship in the hockey world. There will however be a review on the second one as soon as I finish it.

So the book, like I mentioned, follows two hockey players, Jamie Cannings and Ryan Wesley. The two boys are twenty-two years old and have known each other for nine years – or more precisely, six weeks every year for five years. Every summer for five years, they spent six weeks at hockey camp together, not only as hockey partners but also as roommates. That fifth and last year, however, Wes lost a shootout against Jamie. That night, when Jamie sort of collected his prize, Wes thought he'd ruined their friendship forever. 

Wes spent his four years of college in Boston, completely ignoring Jamie, who was studying in Washington. The two boys were complete strangers until, at the age of twenty-two, their respective teams compete against one another in Boston. While Wes thought he'd ruined his friendship with Jamie four years earlier by admitting that he was gay and collecting his...hmm, prize, he'd done the complete opposite without knowing.

The night of the game, the boys become friends again. Then, when Wes finds out that Jamie has been coaching hockey six weeks every summer at the same camp in Lake Placid, Wes decides to join the team as a coach. 

They spend six weeks together.

Oh. What a nice six weeks.

Roommates again, Jamie is less than impressed when Wes thinks that his homosexuality will be a problem. In fact, Jamie is...rather understanding, if you know what I mean. But as their relationship grows, summer comes to an end. Wes is meant to start his rookie year in Toronto, and Jamie has been drafted in Detroit. Two different cities, four hours apart. Until Jamie decides that playing pro might not be what he wants.

So I'm not going to spoil the entire book in this review, but it's really hard not to. It was seriously one of the best books I've ever read, and for many reasons.

First of all, the character development was incredible. The book is told in both Wes' and Jamie's point of view, so you get to truly know the characters. Wes stays a cocky bastard throughout the whole book, but he's hilarious. He's been out of the closet since he was eighteen years old, and he's very comfortable with his sexuality. Jamie has always been very straight, but that one night with Wes four years ago made him question his sexual orientation. So the book is mostly about newly discovered attraction towards men, and it's awesome to see what goes on in his head and how he accepts it.

Second, the book touches sensitive matters, such as homosexuality and sex, and it was unbelievably well done. I was a little bit scared to find it unrealistic and overdone, but the book definitely exceeded my expectations. And although the sex scenes are very graphic, the love between Wes and Jamie is just...arghh. I love it. I love them.

Third, the story is about hockey. This might me irrelevant for you, but I was starting to get sick of main male characters always playing football or soccer. It gets so redundant after a while, so the fact that it was about hockey (my favorite sport) was very refreshing.

Fourth, the writing was impeccable. I'd never read a book by Sarina Bowen before, and even though I'm familiar with Elle Kennedy's work, I was pleasantly surprised with the great writing and editing of this novel. It's so easy to read, and each chapter is written fluidly. 

Fifth and lastly, I just love two guys together and I don't understand how I've never read a slash book before. I think it's because of the roughness of the relationship; the lack of playing around and I-don't-want-to-hurt-you type of thing, if you know what I mean. Guys aren't as scared of hurting another guy than they are a girl, so the book skips all that soft side. It's nice every once in a while to read a cute, soft love story, but that was mind-blowing and a lot more realistic than your regular love story.

Loved it. That's all I have to say. I suggest it to everyone who feels like reading something fun, hot, and totally heart-warming.

Title Image Source