Book Reviews

Book Blurb

In just twelve hours, retired hockey player Nate Overton signs his divorce papers, offloads his sleazy sports news cohost, and gets promoted to the show lead.

Too bad somebody forgot to tell him about his new costar.

Former figure skater Aubrey Chase knows how important it is to get off on the right foot. He’s just not very good at it outside the rink. Having spent his life desperate to be noticed, he’ll do anything for attention—even the wrong kind. It’s a flaw, okay? He’s working on it.

For Nate and Aubrey, opposites don’t so much attract as collide at center ice. A man of staunch Midwestern values and work ethic, Nate doesn’t know what to do with Aubrey, a spoiled, rich, flamboyant playboy. But Aubrey sure seems to know what to do with him. While Nate’s everything he’s scrupulously avoided until now, Aubrey falls suddenly head over heels. Nate might only be looking for his first-ever fling, but Aubrey has his heart set on convincing Nate to give their unexpected connection a chance—even if it means sacrificing the show he’s worked so hard on.

 

 

First edition published at Dreamspinner Press, December 2020.

 

Book Review

This novel contains several of my favorite tropes: gay hockey players and enemies-to-lovers, with even a touch of fake dating thrown in. ‘The Inside Edge’ follows two characters who couldn't be more different: Nate, a former hockey star who has just gone through a heartbreaking divorce, and Aubrey, a somewhat self-centered former figure skater who has never been in a serious relationship. It was fun to watch the rocky start of their relationship as cohosts of a hockey show as their initial dislike of one another slowly turns into something more. Not only do they have an intense chemistry on the show, but soon sparks fly between them off the set as well.

What made the story fun was how they each fought their feelings for the other. Both men are determined to stay away from any romantic attachments and simply enjoy being single. The challenges for the two men begin once they decide to have an evening of casual, no-strings sex. They then repeat the evening… again… and again. Naturally, feelings develop between the two of them. Yet, each is determined to ignore their budding romantic yearnings for the other and push the feelings aside, confident that their love for the other is unrequited. What follows is a breathless push and pull dynamic, as both men oscillate between moving on from the other and being sucked right back into the other's orbit.

What I loved was how lighthearted and funny this book was, even when it was deeply touching. The humor and the clever banter between Nate and Aubrey keep the story lighter than their issues suggest, and the sexual tension and energy between these two vibrates the pages.

This tale is at once a love story, a story of self-actualization, and an ode to family in every sense of the word. There are plenty of laughs here, mixed deftly with meditations on family, love, attachment, and finding oneself. I also enjoyed the compelling family dynamics that the novel explored. If you like stories about finding your way through life, not forgetting the past, yet not letting it keep you from the person you can be, then you may enjoy this tender story of self-bewilderment and self-discovery, and of mental blocks and breakthroughs.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 291 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	09-December-2025
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Edge-Ashlyn-Kane-ebook/dp/B0G4DS24J8