I ended up enjoying this way more than I expected. The story moves fast, but not in a confusing way. It’s the kind of pacing that keeps you turning pages without realizing how long you’ve been reading.
Love and Enlightenment - MM Romance
So I enjoyed this little book about Darius and Ash and their little spark of love.
Both hockey plays who go through a tragedy together and end up bonding through running and working out.
Its starts of innocent, one has a girlfriend..but it doesn't end with just a friendship.
I loved how McCoy added coming out, the fear, difference racial experiences. I loved the side characters and how they added a little punk and found family ro the mix - even if at first it didn't seem like they all connected at all.
This is one of the first MM romances I've read and it didn't disappoint.
D
Davida Gonzalez
May 8, 2026
If you're looking for new MM hockey romance, but want the story deep, meaningful, and filled with trauma that binds them together... AND a actual love story. Not just pure smut. Well, this is the one! Such a fun read!
Looking for new MM hockey romance. But make it deep, meaningful, with trauma that binds them together, and a actual love story. Not just smut. Here you have it.
Love, Tragedy, and Hockey
I, like everyone else, fell in love with Heated rivalry, devoured the series, and wanted more. This is a genuinely compelling MM hockey romance that uses a mass shooting as the inciting incident and emotional foundation for two trauma survivors learning to be vulnerable with each other.
What's striking about McCoy's work is the refusal to sentimentalize: the pain is real, the grief is specific, and the romance doesn't erase either. Asher and Darius connect not despite their brokenness but through it. The gym scenes, the quiet moments, the way they orbit each other without speaking: it's the kind of slow burn that actually means something.
The prose is sharp and character voices are distinct. If you're into sports romance with real emotional weight, queer stories that don't shy away from complexity, or just beautifully written contemporary fiction, this delivers