"Trade Deadline," by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

Contemporary MM Sports Romance

Book Blurb

It’s a reunion to remember…

Don’t miss this friends-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn.

Daniel “Bellzie” Bellamy should be on top of the world—a Stanley Cup is the perfect topper to his fourteen-year NHL career. But despite the post-win high, something’s missing. When the chance to play for his hometown team, the Miami Thunder, comes along, he’s open to it. And when he runs into an old friend from his past soon after he makes the move, he wonders if it might be kismet.

Micah Kelly never thought he’d see his childhood crush—and first kiss—again. Danny Bellamy moved on to bigger and better things when they were teenagers, and the idea that Micah’s relationship with the professional hockey player could be anything more than one-sided Instagram thirst seems too good to be true.

Maybe too good to be true is the new reality, though. As the season goes on, Micah teaches Daniel to surf, and Daniel introduces Micah to his lovable pack of rescue dogs and the world of being a hockey boyfriend. Life is good. But when things on the ice don’t go as planned, they’ll have to decide if their rediscovered romance is built to last.

My Review

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. I am providing a voluntary review. All thoughts and views are my own.

Shamefully, I’ve never read a book by Avon Gale or Piper Vaughn. I’ve heard of both of these lovely writers, but had never found an opportunity to crack a book either of them had written. So, of course, when the opportunity arose to read a book they tag-teamed… well, to say I pounced on it would be an understatement. Considering all the positive hype I’ve heard about both of these authors, I’d say Trade Deadline followed through quite nicely.

However, I’ll say this… I really wish I’d read the first two books in the series. (How many times am I going to make the declaration about not reviewing/reading books in a series unless I’ve read the ones leading up to the one in my greedy little hands?!) Anyway, I think the few areas where I struggled on this one likely would’ve been resolved had I read the prior books and already had a connection with the characters in this one.

But, c’est la vie. There’s no going back, so instead, let’s push forward, shall we??

Overall, aside from struggling a bit with connecting to the story and characters (again, likely my own fault there!) I adored the voices of both Gale and Vaughn. I think they play off one another beautifully and had delightfully distinct voices that made this story all the stronger for it. I’ve found I quite enjoy buddy written stories because one of my biggest pet peeves as a reader is being unable to distinguish between the characters when I’m in the various POVs of a story. That wasn’t the case here. I knew exactly when Daniel/Danny “Bellzie” Bellamy was talking vs. when Micah Kelly had the stage.

In addition to the lovely and distinct voices, I was also in awe of the strong handle they each had on the craft. As a writer, I sometimes struggle to get out of my editing head space in order to sit back and enjoy a pleasure read. These two authors made it easy on me, which resulted in a big, huge readerly sigh on my end.

I would definitely recommend any lovers of MM romance (and contemporary sports romances!) pick up this book and give it a go! However, don’t make the same mistake I did. Read the series in order and don’t dive head first into book three. 🙈😅

Avon Gale
She/Her

Avon Gale lives in a liberal Midwestern college town, where she spends her days getting heavily invested in everything from craft projects to video games. She likes road trips by car, rock concerts, thunderstorms, IPAs, Kentucky bourbon and tattoos. As a queer author, Avon is committed to providing happy endings for all and loves to tell stories that focus on found families, strong and open communication, and friendship. She loves writing about quirky people who might not be perfect, but always find a place where they belong.

In her former life, Avon wrote fanfiction at her desk while ostensibly doing work in non-profit fundraising for public radio and women's liberal arts education, and worked on her books in between haircuts and highlights as a stylist. Now she's a full-time writer, delighted to be able to tell stories for a living.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Avon below!

PIper Vaughn
They/Them

Piper Vaughn is a Latinx author and longtime romance reader. Since writing their first love story at age eleven, they've known writing in some form was exactly what they wanted to do. A reader to the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book.

Piper grew up in a diverse neighborhood in Chicago and loves putting faces and characters of every ethnicity in their stories, making their fictional worlds as colorful as the real one. Above all, Piper believes there's no one way to have an HEA, and every person deserves to see themselves reflected on the page.

Connect With Piper Below!

So, what are you waiting for? Trade Deadline is available for your reading pleasure on or after its release date, August 17th, 2020! Get your copy today!! 📖