Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Release date: 3/8/2016
Blurb
Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated?
Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He's living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves–Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There's just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.
Jamie loves Wes. He really, truly does. But hiding sucks. It's not the life Jamie envisioned for himself, and the strain of keeping their secret is taking its toll. It doesn't help that his new job isn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped, but he knows he can power through it as long as he has Wes. At least apartment 10B is their retreat, where they can always be themselves.
Or can they? When Wes's nosiest teammate moves in upstairs, the threads of their carefully woven lie begin to unravel. With the outside world determined to take its best shot at them, can Wes and Jamie develop major-league relationship skills on the fly?
Warning: contains sexual situations, a vibrating chair, long-distance sexytimes, and proof that hockey players look hot in any shade of green.
Excerpt
At long last, I’m twenty paces away, then ten. Then I’m opening our door. “Hey babe!” I call out like I always do. “I made it.” I drag my duffel over the threshold, then toss my suit coat on top, abandoning these things beside the door, because all I need now is a kiss.
Only then do I notice that our apartment smells amazing. Jamie has cooked dinner for me. Again. He is the perfect man, I swear to God.
“Hey!” he calls, emerging from the hallway leading to our bedroom. He’s wearing jeans and nothing else except—and this is unusual—a beard. “Do I know you?” He gives me a sexy smile.
“I was going to ask the same thing.” I’m staring at the sandy-blond beard. Jamie has always been clean-shaven. I mean—we’ve known each other since before facial hair. He looks different. Older, maybe.
And hot as blazes. Seriously, I can’t wait to feel that beard against my face, and maybe my balls… Jesus. The blood is already rushing south, and I’ve been home fifteen seconds.
And yet I’m just stuck there in the middle of the room for a moment, because even though it’s been eight months since Jamie and I started up together, I’m still a little stunned at my own good fortune. “Hi,” I say again, stupidly.
He walks forward, his easy gait so familiar that my heart breaks a little bit. He puts his hands on my traps and squeezes the muscle there. “Don’t go away for so long. If you do that again, I’m going to have to sneak into your hotel room on the road.”
“Promise?” I ask, and it comes out like gravel. He’s close enough now that I can smell the ocean scent of his shampoo and the beer he drank while he waited for me.
“If I ever get a winning lottery ticket and a day off, I’ll do it,” he says. “Hotel sex after a game? Sounds hot.”
Now I’m measuring the distance to our sofa and counting the layers of clothes I’ll need to remove in the next ninety seconds.
Bella's 5 Star Review
I just spent the entire day with Jamie and Wes.
I didn't think I could love them any more than I did when I read Him. Jamie's road of self discovery was so fun to read about in that book.
Us brings us on their journey of being a couple during Wes's rookie season in the NHL. Wes wants to prove that he is a good hockey player before he becomes the poster child for gay hockey players. He asks Jamie for just 1 season before they come out. So they are in the closet. Living together.
This is so much harder than they thought it would be.
My heart. Oh my heart had a work out during this book. While Him was a light, fun, sexy read, this book (while also funny and sexy) definitely pulled on my heart strings more. I wanted to dive in and protect my boys from all the stupid people in the world.
Things I loved about this book:
~ The writing. It always amazes me when two authors write a book. It seems like it might be choppy or that you could tell where one author left off and the other began. But Elle and Sarina have it down. I love each author's writing and together it's just magic. I will read any book they write. Individual. Separate. Whatever.
~ Unpredictable plot. I thought I knew what was going to happen but they threw a couple of curve balls at me. I really appreciate it when authors do that. I read so much that sometimes books tend to blur in my mind. But I won't confuse Wes and Jamie's story with any one else!!
~Wes and Jamie. These two main characters are so easy to fall in love with.
~ The banter. The texting. The skyping. The chemistry. GAH!
~ Secondary characters. I LOVE Blake. At first I was so totally annoyed by him popping in and ruining the ONE place that Wes and Jamie can show each other affection. But, you just can't help but love him. And his mother, for that matter. She was hilarious at the games with her choice of words. LOL.
~ Jamie's family. I love his mom. Just love her. I just want to hug her. I'm so glad Wes and Jamie have Jamie's family to support them.
~ The ending!!!!! I love the ending. I'm so proud of these boys. I love watching them grow throughout the book and become better people.
Things I did not love about this book:
nothing. I can't think of one thing I would change about it!!!
#MDISH
#Howhardisit?
Bottom line: READ THIS BOOK!!! But start with Him!!!
Reanell's Review
5+++++ STARS!
O.M.G. This shot up to the top ranks with books I LOVE! The absolute amazing journey we are taken on with Us is beyond BEAUTIFUL. Jamie and Wes are a couple that you automatically root for. They DESERVE to be together and they deserve to be happy. I don't think Sarina and Elle couldn't have written a more beautiful story than they did with Us.
And they introduced a new character who I fell madly for. BLAKE RILEY!! Even with this book being about Jamie and Wes' journey....Blake MADE this book. He stole the show for me!! I NEED more Blake in my life. Seriously he needs his own book.
My favorite parts of the book were Wes and Jamie's texts. #HowHardIsIt. Gah!! I loved every single time they sent pictures back and forth.
If you haven't read the first book Him yet, go grab it now and follow this amazing couple who wormed their way into my heart.
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