Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

The New Guy by Sarina Bowen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Straight onto the Favourites list with this one!

Sarina writes conflicted young men so well and here she’s excelled with Hudson Newgate aka New Guy.

He’s the son of a double Stanley Cup winner who’s now his agent, he’s bisexual and in the closet, having been burned when he tried to come out to his team aged just 20 and getting traded a few hours later.

So he’s understandably wary when the guy he has an aborted hook-up with not only turns out to live next door but is also the new trainer for the ice hockey team he’s just arrived at following another trade.

His fourth in five years.

Gavin, on the other hand, is a young man who’s been through more than he should have at his relatively young age. He’s a single dad and a widower, having lost his husband in a car accident a few years earlier.

The tension between them is delicious though, as Sarina carefully piles on the attraction, but also the friendship that slowly grows as they work together to help Hudson recover from a hip injury.

With a secondary plot involving snooty, rich grandparents trying to invalidate all Gavin’s plans to bring up his adopted daughter Jordayn, who is an absolute delight, there’s plenty of tension to keep the narrative flowing.

Tension also comes from Hudson’s fears over coming out and there’s a fair bit of justified angst as he and Gavin struggle once they accept they’re not just having sex but both have caught feelings.

I have to say, I was waiting for the blow to come but even so, it still surprised me when it did and with the sharp quickness with which everything changed.

I’ll leave it to you to discover how the obstacles are overcome, but I did love where and how this book finishes.

As it’s connected to Sarina’s existing Brooklyn series’, I’m not sure if this will be another spin-off, but I hope so, as there are a couple of potential side characters I would love to know more about!

With a perfect blend of feels, the right kind of drama, romance, and excellent ice hockey references, this book ticked all my boxes.

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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