Review: Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Him by Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy
Series: Him #1
Published by Rennie Road Books on July 28th 2015
Pages: 360


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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.

Warning: contains sexual situations, hotties on hockey skates, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

This was my first dip in the LGBT pool if you will, and I think I made good choice. It’s sweet, funny, sexy as hell, and has zero drama—basically everything I look for in a light romance—only with dudes.

Wes and Jamie became best friends while spending their summers together at an elite hockey camp. Wes begins wrestling with a growing attraction to Jamie, who he is fairly certain is straight. The summer before college, a bet goes too far and Wes abruptly ends their friendship without explanation.

Jamie and Wes meet again four years later when their respective college teams make it to the Frozen Four Hockey Tournament. Memories of that summer come rushing back: all the happy times, as well as Jamie’s pain and confusion and hurt, and Wes’s guilt. Wes is finally ready to come out to Jamie and give him the apology he feels he deserves. But when Jamie and Wes return to summer camp as hockey coaches, the boundaries of their renewed friendship are tested.

This book is nothing like I expected from a NA m/m story. I figured Jamie would be denying his attraction to Wes for half the book, but instead he quickly comes to terms with his sexuality. I kept looking for major drama, mind games, and miscommunication. Guess what? Never happened. The friends-to-lovers progression feels natural. The obstacles they face are real and handled with maturity, but also a healthy dose of humor.

The book blurb says it contains sexual situations but what it doesn’t prepare you for is just how steamy it is. Don’t let the fact that it’s NA fool you. This is some really hawt, top-of-the-line erotica that, for this m/m virgin, is a little educational too. Just keepin’ it real. Anyway…

I loved tattooed bad-boy Wes.

I’ll give him every fucking part of myself, serve it to him like a feast at a banquet. Jamie Canning has no idea the kind of power he has over me.

But I truly adored laidback California boy Jamie.

It’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve always felt a little more alive when he’s around. Life is just a little brighter, a little louder wherever Wes is.

The chemistry is phenomenal, the humor is fantastic, and I got a huge kick out of Jamie’s wacky family. The epilogue is just delicious icing on an already tasty cake. Major kudos to the two authors who seamlessly blended their writing styles. A solid 5 stars.

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