Thank you to Sarina Bowen and her team for the advance reader copy of The Last Guy on Earth, the third interconnected standalone in the Hockey Guys series.
I always adore Sarina Bowen’s MM storytelling and the other books in this series have all been great reads.
One cold December day, two men are blindsided by a hockey trade; one is the most decorated goalie in the league, while the other one is the youngest coach in the majors.
Jethro Hale is the last player Coach Clay Powers wants to see on his roster, but the G.M. pulls a fast one. And it’s not like he can even explain why. Nobody knows about their love affair fifteen years ago.
Cue the all-star awkwardness, the painful memories and the reawakening of deep feelings on both sides.
Unfortunately, their attraction still burns brightly. But it can never be. A player and a coach? The scandal would overshadow the team’s banner year.
If only they could resist each other…
If you love grumpy heroes, high stakes hockey, struggling single parents and smoldering kisses, grab your copy of The Last Guy on Earth.
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Jethro Hale is a legendary NHL goalie and Clay Powers is his new coach and former lover. When we meet Jethro he is thirty-seven, one of the most successful goalies in the NHL forced to pack up his life and leave the team he has always known to start over again. The coach of the new team is Clay Powers, his first love from fifteen years ago. They had a pretty intense series of hookups when they were in their early twenties and on the same hockey team, fate brings them together again. Clay is the youngest coach in the league and is ready to prove himself by winning a Stanley Cup, his management team sees that chance in Jethro. Both of them are easy to love.
- Setting: This series is predominately set in Boulder, Colorado, featuring the Colorado Cougars hockey team. Sarina always does a phenomenal job of writing the sports scenes, hockey never feels like it takes a backseat in these stories.
- Pacing: As this is a second-chance romance, we get flashback chapters, which are the perfect way to see how Jethro and Clay fell in love for the first time. These chapters are in a different tense which I found helped me differentiate them but it might be jarring to some readers who like staying in one tense the entire time they are reading.
- Romance: There is something so deliciously forbidden about a coach and player falling in love, but what was different about this one is that they started as friends. It was sweet to read about these two young men in the hockey world who found comfort in one another. Along with the present-day story of them finding that comfort again. It was a great slow burn, as Jethro and Clay navigated the tension not just between them, but between their new roles and families. They had to fight to find love again, they needed to heal from the hurt they put each other through. No third-act breakup and no unnecessary drama is perfect for those looking for a lighthearted and easy-to-love read.
The Last Guy on Earth is 4/5 stars
You can pick up the story below…
Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google Play | Audible
Thank you again to Sarina and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
