It’s been decades since blackmail forced Troy Callahan to retire from playing professional hockey, and he’s built a successful career behind the bench. When he’s offered the opportunity to coach the Asheville Ravens—the most hated team in the ECHL—he’s convinced that his no-nonsense attitude is just what the team needs to put their focus back on hockey. But Troy is disheartened when he finds out the Ravens have signed Shane North, a player known for his aggression—especially when Shane’s rough good looks have Troy thinking inappropriate thoughts about a player, even if he’s set to retire at the end of the season.

Shane’s career in the majors never quite took off. Wanting to quit on his own terms, Shane agrees to a one-year contract with the Ravens and finds himself playing for a coach who thinks he’s an aging goon, and with a team that doesn’t trust him, Troy, or each other. Despite his determination not to get involved, Shane unwillingly becomes part of the team… and is just as unwillingly drawn to the gruff, out-and-proud coach. As the Ravens struggle to build a new identity, Shane and Troy succumb to the passion that might cost them everything. 

When it comes to fun and quick reads, right now my favorite series that’s still in progress is Avon Gale’s Scoring Chances. Coach’s Challenge is the fifth book in this double-minor-league hockey series, and it largely fits the same style and quality that fans of the series have come to expect. But even though I liked this one enough to rate it 4 stars, in comparison to the first four books in the series, this one left me wanting.

As has been the pattern so far in the series—two books in Jacksonville and two books in Spartanburg—the action switches to a new city, Asheville, North Carolina. Up to now, the Ravens have been the most hated team in the ECHL because their playing style goes beyond aggressive into the realm of bullying, injurious, and particularly homophobic. As an out-and-proud gay man and former NHL player whose career was ended by the same man he has now replaced, the new head coach, Troy Callahan, is hoping to change that. Shane North is another new addition to the team, one that Troy is not thrilled about because Shane’s reputation for aggression on the ice won’t make Troy’s job of changing the Ravens’ image any easier. Of course, his attraction to the man won’t either. For his entire career, Shane has been dogged for not living up to the potential everyone saw in him when he was signed for his rookie season. Now well into his thirties, Shane wants to end his career on his terms, but doing that while playing on a team that has had its sense of team beaten out of them as much as the Ravens’ has makes that impossible. Before long, he finds himself being involved with the team… and its head coach.

There is plenty to like about Coach’s Challenge for fans of the series. As with the previous titles in the series, the plot is uncomplicated and unencumbered by unnecessary drama, the characters are easy to like though not particularly deeply developed, and the writing befits the setting in that it’s simple and full of good banter and hockey talk. This last point, in particular, is one of my favorite parts of the series. There were plenty of times where I would find myself smiling and shaking my head while thinking that hockey players are SO weird, I love it! Put all of this together, and it’s a story that reads easily and quickly.

The relationship between Troy and Shane is also easy to like, mainly for fans of dirty-talking guys. The forbidden nature of their relationship adds to this as well. With Shane in his midthirties and Troy well into his forties, they’re both mature adults who understand that hooking up has to potential to create many problems for them, but they acknowledge it and do it anyway. It also means that the ultimate problem they have is fairly predictable because this is, after all, a forbidden romance. Like the other books in the series, though, this conflict’s resolution is satisfactory even if it is clearly on the easy side for the simple reason that the author’s universe is a bit ahead of our own in its accepting of homosexuality, particularly in professional sports. While this isn’t a problem for me as a reader, it’s worth noting because it does perhaps straddle the line of modern realism just a touch.

The only real issue I had with Coach’s Challenge is that the romantic development felt weaker than the other books in the series because the transition between Troy and Shane hooking up and their having feelings for one another felt less like a build than a mutual realization that what they were doing wasn’t just fucking anymore. While it doesn’t fit in with either of their personalities to express deep feelings to each other, it shouldn’t prevent the narrative from showing the reader that their feelings are growing all along the way. There is some of this after the book’s midpoint but not enough to get me over the hump of believing that their eventual love for one another came mostly from sexual compatibility rather than them developing the deep emotional connection on which love should be based. 

Don’t get me wrong, the sexy times in this story are some of the hottest I’ve read this year. I’m not kidding. Hot. As. Fuck. And I wouldn’t want the author to change them at all. But having the sex threaten to set your tablet aflame isn’t a valid excuse to skimp on developing the relationship arc so as to prevent me from having the idea that the number one reason a couple is perfect for each other is that they’re fucking hot together in bed. To me, that’s what erotica is for. This is romance. And unfortunately, I needed more romance here in order to get the great feels out of this story that I was missing. I got good feels from it, but can you blame me for wanting the great ones too?

With five books in the series completed, I’ve noticed a bit of a trend. I love the series and really like all the books in it, but I like the second book for each team better than the first. Coach’s Challenge might well fit that trend too because the author has set book six up to be the story of a character named Xavier, who has appeared in each of the last three books now, and the more I get to know him, the more I want his story. So bring it on, Avon Gale! I’m due (and ready) for a good wowing!

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Coach's Challenge in exchange for this fair and honest review.

This one takes Avon Gale's Scoring Chances series to the Asheville Ravens team. This is the team that everyone in the ECHL League loves to hate due to their bullying, intolerance, and dirty play. But the instigating Coach is out and now Coach Troy Callahan is in. In one sense it is a bit of redemption to take over the team of the man responsible for ending his own pro career. Troy is a no nonsense, fair, outspoken, and bossy man. He is gay, out, and is not going to tolerate any negative behavior. But taking on this battered down band of players and making them a respectable team will be a challenge. 

Speaking of challenges, one of the newer transfers comes with a bad reputation and never quite lived up to his full potential. Shane North is older and only plans on finishing out this one year and retiring. But ticking the coach off on the first day does not help. He feels like an outsider not only because he is in a new place and away from his support system, but also because he is a gay player who is not out. His career has had the highs of the NHL but he has been moved down several times. He is a wild card for this new team and none of them have reason to trust each other.

Troy and Shane are two hotheads. They go from antagonistic to resistant to oozing sexual tension. Their banter runs from sarcastic, flirty, dirty, and aggressively sexy. There is some attempt to maintain a sense of professionalism, but it is a hard battle. They thrive on pushing each other's buttons and challenging each other. Their chemistry is hot, combustible, and is just not going to be denied. They are aggressive and dirty talking, and are anytime-anywhere kind of guys despite their need for discretion. It's a mistake they could not stop, but also one that they want to keep repeating. As coach and player they try to keep their secret, but it is hard with their intensity and growing need.

Both of the guys are so unfiltered, brash, stubborn, and broody, but they have good hearts under their gruff exteriors. I really liked that they were more mature at 35 and 45ish, and seeing them push each other. I enjoyed their power exchanges and how their bossy, dirty mouths spurred each other on. They managed to balance each other in unexpected ways. They were an intense, argumentative coupling, but they were fun, feisty, and interesting. They were not afraid to sacrifice for what they believed in.

This was not very angsty. The conflict that did occur was easy to anticipate, but I liked the overall story and the resolution.  It focused on not only their personal relationship, but also the rebuilding of a hockey team and forging trust off and on the ice. Shane was in the process of figuring out where his career would go in the future and this gave him more of an opportunity to mentor. 

This is an enemies-to-lovers and forbidden lust and love and story. It is humorous, feisty, hot, and roughly romantic under the layers or taunting and teasing. I might have liked a few more tender moments, but there were a few quieter ones and these guys were just really passionate and just strong personalities. It has good themes about believing in yourself, taking chances, fighting for what you want, and striving to live up to your full potential. It also illustrated how "coming out" should be a personal decision and how it can effect the individual differently.

This can be read as a stand alone as the author summarizes some past plot points, but I enjoyed more with Misha, Max, Isaac, Laurent, Hux, and Xavier from the last couple of books. I liked Shane's relationship with his best friend, Alani, and Troy's with their GM and his best friend, Gabe. There was also an addition of a cute, vibrant bartender, River.  I am hoping the next in the series will stay in Asheville and  the southern gentleman and Team Captain, Xavier Matthews will be the focus of the next book since he was featured in this one. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1)

Avon Gale 

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