Square to the Puck, book two of J.J. Mulder’s Offsides NHL MM hockey romance series starts off with fireworks. Like WHOA, I was a little concerned she was going to go down the road of Damon Suede (Lickety Split, Hot Head, Bad Idea) or Heidi Cullinan (Dirty Laundry), where they go super hot and heavy bordering on crass, early in the book and then I’m like do I want to finish this novel!?! Thankfully, Mulder reined it in and we got a more sedate and emotional MM romance. Or, I guess, as sedate and emotional as it can be when two NHL pro-hockey players get together.
This novel features Corwen Sanhover, the captain of the South Carolina NHL team and deeply closeted. He’s a legacy NHL player (his dad played) and the way he was brought up has caused a lot of trauma for him. On the other side, you’ve got the league bad-boy, fight-picking Nigel St. James who is transferred to the team to help balance out one of the lines, and is openly bisexual. (Don’t ask which, I feel proud I even know what a line is!)
He clears his throat and I tear my eyes away, ashamed that he caught me staring. At his ankle, no less, like some Victorian era creep. (46)
The opening scene is when Corwen is trying out for whatever team Nigel is on and after going for a drink with the team they end up making out in an alley. Corwen freaks out because of his dad and being closeted, Nigel freaks out because he thinks he’s pushed past Corwen’s boundaries. Fast forward six years later and we have the bulk of the novel and Corwen has decided he wants Nigel, no matter what and is willing to figure it out. They’ve both spent the preceding six years thinking about each other.
He’s inexperienced, but that’s neither a turn-off, nor a deal breaker for me. What does worry me, though, is the obvious anxiety he has about any sort of physical contact. There is a tremor of fear present even when we’re doing something as mild as hugging, and it makes me worry. It would be easy, so fucking easy, to hurt him. Again. (57)
This is one of the heavier novels in the series. We find out through flashbacks and an awkward AF interaction, that Corwen’s dad was emotionally, and at times, physically abusive. And Corwen has suffered from that his entire adult life on top of being a pro-hockey player at 18, which has forced him to hide his desires and wants from his friends and he’s buried them so far down that as he and Nigel grow closer they have to work very very slowly around them to trust each other. It was just heartbreaking. I will say that Corwen gaining the confidence to stand-up to his dad (and his mom who also probably suffered, but didn’t help or support him in other ways) was the highlight of the novel.
Corwen finally opening up to Nigel changed the tone of the final few chapters. And while they’ll never be as touchy feely as Sam and Troy and will never be as open as the others, it was still a wonderful change of pace. I’m split on whether this reason of staying closeted/private is better than “for my career,” when it comes to a novel, but it definitely felt less forced and didn’t create unnecessary drama, just tough moments they needed to work through together.
‘I don’t want you to regret me, tomorrow.’
‘I wouldn’t regret anything. Not with you,’ he says confidently. (150)
Recommendation: A good continuation of the series. I liked that we spent more time with Sam and Troy from Changing the Game (Offsides #1), but Corwen and Nigel’s story took front and center. It was a 360 from the first novel in openness and intimacy, but by the end it was just as rewarding. I also appreciated that the final line was the one I’d been waiting for since I started the SCU Hockey series and found out there was another one intertwined!
Opening Line: “Part of me wonders if something is going on between them. This is also the part of me that wants to run Lawson over with my truck, so I do my best to ignore it.”
Closing Line: “‘I could get a boyfriend.’ We all stare at him in silence, and he shrugs. ‘Not like I haven’t already been wondering what all the fuss is about.'” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
Additional Quotes from Square to the Puck
“And just to put it out there, I’d like to spend more time with you outside of work. So, I’ll be here as much or as little as you want me to be.’ (46)
“Nothing, I just like to look at you. I don’t know how you managed it, but somehow you got more handsome in the past six years, which is saying something because you were already beautiful back then.” (86)
“I smile against him. If I had my way, he’d have enough of his things here to never have to go back to the apartment, and then one day he’d realize that he’s been living here all along.” (129)
“None of what you just said was a hardship for me, and you are worth it. I love you, you fucking idiot.” (215)
“I want to touch you in public, without wondering if it looks platonic enough. I want the freedom to kiss you anytime, anyplace. I want to marry you and invite the entire goddamn team to the ceremony.” (223)