Common Goal: A Gay Sports Romance

4.2 | 1,426 ratings

Price: 6.99

Last update: 09-06-2024

About this item

New York Admirals goalie Eric never thought his friends-with-benefits arrangement with much-younger Kyle would leave them both wanting more…

Veteran goaltender Eric Bennett has faced down some of the toughest shooters on the ice, but nothing prepared him for his latest challenge—life after hockey. It's time to make some big changes, starting with finally dating men for the first time.

Graduate student Kyle Swift moved to New York nursing a broken heart. He'd sworn to find someone his own age to crush on (for once). Until he meets a gorgeous, distinguished silver fox hockey player. Despite their intense physical attraction, Kyle has no intention of getting emotionally involved. He'll teach Eric a few tricks, have some mutually consensual fun, then walk away.

Eric is more than happy to learn anything Kyle brings to the table. And Kyle never expected their friends-with-benefits arrangement to leave him wanting more. Happily-ever-after might be staring them in the face, but it won't happen if they're too stubborn to come clean about their feelings.

Everything they both want is within reach…they just have to be brave enough to grab it.

cabc

Hockey romance with lots of emotional depth and character growth!

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022

I’ve owned this series for a while and have never gotten around to reading it. I was looking up audiobooks by one of my favorite narrators, Cooper North, and saw that he narrated books 4-6, so I had to give them a listen. And I’m so glad that I did! I freaking loved this book!

Kyle is still trying to decide exactly what direction he wants to go career-wise, so he’s working at a bar while getting his master’s degree in a field that he enjoys but maybe not as a full-time career. Eric is a veteran goalie for the local pro hockey team and on the other side of things where he may be ready to retire but afraid of being lonely without a partner to enjoy it with.

Eric and Kyle meet at a bar, have an immediate connection, and things eventually lead to a casual arrangement with the initial intention of Eric experiencing what it’s like to be with a man. This book includes a 16 year age gap, a flipped power dynamic (the younger guy is much more experienced with relationships and s*x), demi/ace representation, super spicy scenes, an athlete who comes out, and more. I loved loved loved this book. Because Eric is probably demi, much of this book was Eric and Kyle getting to know each other and building a really lovely friendship. Despite Eric’s worries over the age gap, these two connect right away and just love being together. Kyle is SO patient and understanding, and honestly Eric had to know what a gem he had found. Seriously, I adored Kyle! Ultimately I really, really loved how well these two worked together; they appear to have a lot of differences, but they actually have a lot in common and fit each other so well. Oh! And if you’re already a fan of the series and read previous books, some of the previous characters make cameos.

This book definitely stands out from other hockey romances - the writing was so good and there is a lot of growth from the characters and with the romantic relationship. And of you’re like me and want lots of romance and little sports, then this book is a good fit. The story is light on hockey scenes, but there are scenes with the hockey team, so you get the camaraderie and found family elements.

The books in this series can definitely be read as stand-alones and out of order. I had no trouble understanding and keeping up with everything. So far I’ve read books 1 and 4-6 and loved them all. I had no idea this author could write such romantic and powerful love stories. I’ll have to check out more of their books! This might be a new one-click author for me and now I want everyone to give this series a try!

Cori / RomancingtheReader

Swoonfest!

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2022

???? ????????????????????: MM romance, sports romance, age-gap

???? ????????????????????????????????: Eric Bennett, fresh off of a divorce and exploring his sexuality, is about ready to retire as goaltender for the New York Admirals. Kyle is a bartender, attracted to older men who are all wrong for him. They make an unlikely pair, but can't help but fall for each other.

???? ????????????????????????: This is my final book of the series - I read them out of order - and I think the Goodreads ratings are pretty accurate.

I loved Eric and Kyle. They were fun to read, and each had a distinct personality. They're interactions were so fun and sexy.

But the ending is where the book fell short for me. No spoilers, but it all wrapped up way too quickly in my opinion, and the epilogue didn't make up for it. I needed more, and I'm frustrated I didn't get it.

???????????????????? ????????????????????????: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

???????????????????? ????????????????????????: 3.5/5 ????????????

MM Reader

Spicy but missed the mark for me

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021

In the series this was my least favorite and not sure why. I think I just didn't like the characters that much and they seemed link of shallow. I didn't feel I knew them much and what I did was just okay. I knew it was going to be a HEA but didn't care that much. Eric is a NHL hockey player who is nearing the end of his career. He is recently divorced and now open to exploring his bisexuality. Kyle is a friend of a fellow hockey player's boyfriend and into older men. He is 25 and Eric 41. Kyle kind of becomes his teacher and willing to introduce him to being with men. Could have been so much more. I think it's worth the read and I did finish it. I do love series in which I get little glimpses of other MC from different books.

Maureen

Common Goal

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2020

Eric has been the goalie for the New York Admirals for his entire professional hockey career. Now that he’s turning 41, he knows that this is his last season, but he’s not ready to tell his teammates. He’s also finally acknowledging his bisexuality, and now that he’s been divorced for a year, he’s ready to explore this new facet of himself.

Enter Kyle, a grad student who he knows through mutual friends. Kyle offers to help Eric learn how to date guys, which includes low-pressure introduction to the physical aspect of dating. Yes, that’s right, lovemaking lessons. It’s supposed to be a casual no-strings-attached friendly offer, but of course, they both catch feelings almost immediately. But there’s an age gap to consider, and Kyle doesn’t do relationships, so that’s a bit of a problem.

The first thing readers should know is that although this is the fourth book in a series, it does function well enough as a standalone. However, and I cannot stress this enough, readers ought to read the first three books before reading this one. To begin with, the New York Admirals are also featured in Game Changer, the first book in the series, and both Eric and Kyle play secondary roles in that book.

But wait, there’s more! Heated Rivalry, the second book features Ilya Rozanov, who appears in every book in the series like a trickster god, imparting wisdom along with a hearty dose of snark and derision. Ilya always manages to steal the show in every book, even when it’s not even his book. He’s doing it right now because here I am, in Eric and Kyle’s book, talking about ILYA instead of the actual stars.

Anyway, I digress. The TLDR of all that is that readers will gain a more thorough appreciation of the characters if they have the additional background info. But like I said, this book functions perfectly well as a standalone. Eric and Kyle have this intense chemistry from the very beginning, and their edging scene is one of the hottest sex scenes I’ve ever read.

Good sex is good, but it can’t sustain a relationship—or rather, a NSA casual situation—but Eric and Kyle have amazing banter, and this book had me laughing the entire time. I also loved the way that Kyle made creative mocktails for Eric, who doesn’t drink. I mean, I loved everything about this book, but I’m trying to summarize the highlights in less than 600 words.

Oh, yeah, there are some great hockey scenes as well. Silly me, how could I have forgotten to talk about hockey in the queer hockey romance? Eric might be a goalie, so the action scenes are more about focusing and getting the save rather than thrilling breakaways, but they’re just as exciting to read… and it’s extra cute to see Kyle, who has never cared about hockey, becoming a rabid fan almost immediately.

I would absolutely recommend Common Goal. Rachel Reid is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, judging by the way I inhaled this book over the course of a weekend. All of her books have earned their place in my re-read pile. As of right now, there are two more books planned for this series, so I’ll be over here, eagerly waiting for them, and maybe one day, I’ll get around to writing my review of Heated Rivalry.

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