Breakaway (Scoring Chances Book 1)

This was my first book by the author and I really enjoyed it. I loved how Jared and Lane liked each other and that was it, they were together. You don’t see that much in books and I really enjoyed that. There wasn’t any angst, nothing keeping them apart, no break up. It was perfect.There was a lot more hockey than there was romance, imo, but I didn’t mind, it was all very interesting. Lane’s personality made me laugh, a lot, and I loved how Jared just went along with it. It was adorable. They were super swoony and I loved them together. I loved the way it ended and was so happy for the way they got their HEA together in ways that was great for both of them. I’m also glad we got to see the resolution to their relationships with their parents.I will definitely read the rest of this series and more from this author💕

I LOVED THIS!!!! And there's 3 reasons for it:1. Lane2. Lane3. LaneNow if you are thinking why the 4 stars, if you love it, well that's because of an BJ scene between Jared and a female at the beginning, before Lane and Jared were anything but opponents that had dirty thoughts about one another, and because I was afraid throughout the book that a MMF scene might spring up.I'm not a sports fan, in my country hockey is something played on the US (seriously we don't even know it originated from Canada) and we don't understand it, much like baseball. So what am I doing here reading this series? Good question and the answer is THE AWESOME writing by Avon Gale.As I said I know nothing about hockey and even though Gale is providing some info about the divisions in it I got passed it and started reading. Thank Gale for not giving a play by play of the games but staying true to the story that happens to be about athletes.Her writing and characters are engaging. I pretty much LOVED them all, Lane, Jared, Riley, Zoe, Lane's parents. The story was funny, a tiny bit of angst to give it some zing, quick paced and overall GREAT!

Sports romances are one of my favorite subgenres, and for some reason—gee, maybe it’s because I grew up in northern Minnesota?—hockey romances are right there at the top of the list. So when someone recommended Avon Gale’s Breakaway to me, I clicked to buy without a second thought. I was rewarded with a fun read full of cute fluff and plenty of hot stuff too.Lane Courtnall is finally making money playing hockey after being drafted by the NHL, though to start, he’s playing on a team in the lowest level of the minor league in Jacksonville, Florida, a city that has essentially no hockey fans. But that’s okay because he’s only twenty and has a bright future in front of him. But he’s socially awkward, which means he inadvertently alienated most of his teammates right off the bat. He also feels awkward because he’s gay on a professional sports team. Jared Shore has played minor-league hockey for years and knows he won’t be moving up. As enforcer for the Savannah Renegades, he’s known for his rough, physical style of play. He’s bisexual and completely uninterested in getting into another serious relationship, and he has a rule against sleeping with other hockey players. So when Lane picks a fight with him in a misguided attempt to prove himself to his team, it’s truly laughable. When their paths cross later that night, Jared isn’t laughing at the signs that the obviously inexperienced rookie wants him bad. And after the one-nighter, it’s got Jared rethinking not just his sex life but his hockey life too.The thing that’s most noticeable from the start of reading this book is the writing style, particularly the writing that comes during the scenes from Lane’s point of view. It’s perfect for Lane’s awkward behavior. Many times during the book, he says things that should be really offensive or just plain weird, but it quickly becomes clear the man doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He just doesn’t have a filter, so whatever he’s thinking, it’s out in the open. It’s quite humorous at times, and because he’s Canadian, his impulsive need to be nice and polite makes the things he says and does even more odd and funny. Once you get past the awkward, he’s impossible not to love. But his awkwardness comes from more than just his lack of social grace. He has a lot to overcome to be comfortable in his own skin.Jared is a fun character to read as well, especially his dealing with Lane’s idiosyncrasies. But even apart from that, as the story reveals Jared’s past, along with his having to make decisions about his hockey career, I found myself enjoying him even more than Lane. They work well together, not only because of the scorching hot sex scenes (that yes, have a fun bit of awkwardness to them too) but also because they bring out the best in each other, helping each other realize what’s important and how to be better individually.One of the reasons I enjoy hockey romances so much is that the game itself is almost like a secondary character, or at least I like it when that happens. That’s certainly the case in this book, and the author’s use of the game to wrap around the challenges Lane and Jared face made it all the more entertaining. In addition, a real secondary character, Zoe, befriends Lane near the beginning of the book, and she turns out to be a great addition to the story as well.When I read Breakaway six months ago, it was my first exposure to Avon Gale. I understand this is a much lighter and fluffier work than some of her previous writing, but that’s fine with me. I can’t resist a hockey romance, not just because it’s hot men being hot together but because I like hockey too. This was definitely a winner for me.

I think I read a different book to most other people...Oh how I wanted to love this book. I wanted hot steamy men and sport.What I got was a village idiot.I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a bit bamboozled with all the Hockey details in the first couple of chapters...but I'm English, where ice hockey isn't...well just isn't much of anything in England, so it's hardly surprising I was a bit confused.This however is not the problem.Lane is the problem.He's just such a dick.Not even a likeable dick, just a stupid, idiotic, immature, unfunny dick.His character was forced and the humour fell flat and made him come across as completely stupid.I think I'm missing something with the whole 'I'm Canadian' thing, it was used time and time again to explain away why Lane is such a dick and it's...weird. Not to mention insulting.I do not believe that Lane could make it to 20 years old and have absolutely no social skills what so ever and he acts like he's never met a woman before let alone spoken to one and I KNOW they have women in Canada, I've seen them...He reads like he's 12. Actually scrap that, I know 12 year olds with more social graces than this numpty.Jared is a different kettle of fish. I quite liked him.He's in his early 30's, I forget exactly, and he's kinda jaded, he knows his career is coming to an end but isn't bitter about it, he's enjoyed himself.I can't work out what he saw in Lane.The narration is confusing most of the time, especially where Lane is concerned.I wanted so badly to love this book but I hated it.DNF.

4.5 stars'It was the same give-and-take as hockey, and no wonder they were good together on the ice. They were good together, period.'Lane is the new one on the team, not great with social situations, he doesn't make a great first impression with his team, wanting to make it right he'll do anything he can. Even starting a fight with Jared who is on one of the 'rival' teams. And known for fighting on the ice.This starts a personal rival with Jared and Lane. Only minor, really. Eventually they get to know each other, become friends and then much more. However, Lane isn't great with saying the right things, also both guys are playing hockey on different teams. Can they make it work?Oh, Lane. How I loved you in all your awkwardness, your bluntness, how you grasped things differently to others but how you are so hilarious and had me laughing so hard even when I probably shouldn't have, how you're pretty complicated yet not so complicated at all. I adore you. Even when it was difficult to keep up with you I still adored you. Because if you're going to do awkward, that's how you freaking do it. You go all out in your awkwardness and own it.I loved Jared so much too. He was a little older and had much more experience with the game and even though at the start Lane got under his skin he had patience with Lane when it got to getting to know him and when it came to hockey.One of the things I loved was that even though Jared was older and while his age was a thing that was mentioned quite a bit and there was some 'kid' and 'pipsqueak' comments, he wasn't condescending in the relationship about the age difference. Loved that. But if I'm going to be completely honest here, my favorite thing was how he loved Lane. Not that he loved Lane but how he did. He was just so perfect for him.“I can’t ever be worth that.”“Lane, you idiot,” Jared pulled him in and kissed him. “You already are. And don’t ever say that you’re not.”I loved this book. A lot. Lane's character was a huge part of that but I'm not going to lie and say at times it wasn't hard to keep up with him, it was at times. I also loved his friendship with Zoe, I loved Zoe, not his obsession with her chest so much, honestly that's the only thing that really bothered me about this story - his obsession with her beyond friendship. But I loved their friendship and happy we got to see Zoe happy and in a relationship. I'm really glad I finally read this one! The hockey, the friendships and the romance all went together perfectly, flaws and all.Will definitely be checking out the other books in the series!

I nearly didn't buy this book because I wasn't overly impressed by Ms Gale's last one. Boy, I'm really glad I did. What a great read! The MCs are both hockey players in the lower leagues. Lane is only 20, and on his way up. Jared is 31 and coming to the end of his career.I absolutely loved Lane, some of the things he said had me laughing out loud. He's quirky, has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth and so naive, especially when it comes to sex. Jared is a seasoned pro who is really taken with Lane, although at first he's not sure why, and finds himself falling in love. They meet playing for different teams, Lane and Jared get into a fight during a game, afterwards they meet in a bar and wham, they're in a relationship.This isn't an insta love story, it's told from both their points of view and I enjoyed reading how their relationship developed. They both have problems, Jared dealing with his past, and Lane with being gay and how to tell his parents and team. There's the usual problem of a lack of communication, but overall it's a sweet love story. There are also some well written secondary characters, who really add to the story.Both characters stick with each other and deal with what life throws at them. Jared is great when dealing with Lane's quirks. There's also no major angst which I loved. There is another book in this series, I only hope we get to catch up with Lane and Jared again. I don't want to go into much detail and include spoilers, I definitely recommend it, especially if you need a bit of a lift. Great book.

This was such a beautiful story. There was so much to love here: fun, quirky characters, found family elements, the positive representation of bisexuality and self discovery. Also, I never thought I'd be interested in hockey, but after reading this, I think I could stand to watch a game someday!

This was a fun book to read. I loved the way the characters developed. Lane was annoying to begin with but slowly evolved into someone that was oh so sweet and endearing. There is a real skill in writing characters like this so hats off to Ms Gale for pulling off one of best books I have read this year. I look forward to reading the next in the series.