Review: Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend...and a big one to learn about himself.

4.5 Star Review by Jen Skewes

Wow!!  I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book.  I have been wanting to read this book for so long and once I started it I could not put it down.  First of all I am such a sucker for a friends to lovers romance.  But when you add in two hot and sexy hockey players I am all in.   This story was simply amazing.  It was sweet, fun, and just real.

Wes and Jamie met when they were teenagers at summer hockey camp and quickly became best friends. They would each look forward to their summers together where they would get to spend it being boys.  But their last night together they made a bet that ended up pushing the lines of their friendship.  Leaving Wes wondering if he pushed too hard and feeling guilty for it.  And Jaime was left wondering what happened to cause his friend to run and never speak to him again. 

It’s been four years since that night, four years since Jamie and Wes have spoken to each other.  They now find their lives intertwining once again when Wes takes a coaching position for the summer with Jamie.  Wes needs to make things right with his ex friend.  He misses the crazy moments they shared together as friends.  But most of all he just misses his friend.  They have six weeks together as friends and roommates.  Putting the past behind them and going back to the way things were before that night four years ago.  But what happens next is something that neither one of them expected.  Their friendship is taken to a level that was not part of the plan, but regardless it just feels right.  But when the summer ends, both Jamie and Wes are off to start their NHL careers.  Will the end of the summer also bring an end to their relationship as well?

I loved everything about this book.  For one as I mentioned earlier I love a friends to lovers romance.  But when those two friends are both male and both sexy hockey players, it just makes this story that much better.  What I loved about this story is how real it felt.  Jamie and Wes had such an amazing connection as both friends and lovers.  There was this ease to their friendship, which you also saw between them as lovers.  I loved that when they were together nothing between them changed.  There wasn’t really any awkwardness to their relationships.  They were still just Jamie and Wes and I loved that.  Wes has loved his best friend for so long so being with him was like a dream that he never expected to come true.  Wes hasn’t had it easy when it comes to his sexuality and his parents’ opinion of him.  But he handles it well.  He is not ashamed of who he is and I loved him for it.  

Jamie was an amazing character.  He is very laid back and carefree.  His new “relationship”  with Wes was very new to him and very unexpected, but he embraced it.  At times he questioned it, wondering what was happening and why but he just knew it felt right being with Wes.  These two were so perfect together.  I just felt the love and connection between them.  I loved evey moment these two had together.  The jokes, the laughter, the sweet gestures and the very HOT and sexy moments they shared together.  Seriously have a fan handy because you will need it.  Jamie Canning and Ryan Wesley together make for some very hot and steamy scenes.

This was a fantastic read.  I did not want this story to end.  The epilogue was just perfect and I have to mention that I loved Jamie’s family.  They are the family that every person wants to have.  I was sad to see this story end and would love to see more of these two wonderful characters.  To see where their future takes them (hint, hint).  This is my first book by both of these authors and will certainly not be my last.