Title: Off Season
Series: Chicago Thunder Hockey Book 2
Author: Jodi Oliver
Pages: 322
Formats: Reviewed on eBook
Rating: 5 stars
Acknowledgment: Thanks to Gay Romance Reviews for providing an ARC
What can I say other then wowser, wowser, wowser!
Off Season, is the second series in the Chicago Thunder Hockey series by Jodi Oliver and while there are references to characters first introduced in the first novel, this can be read as a stand alone. Having said that, if you do read it as a standalone, you may be severely tempted to go back to book 1!
This is Ethan’s and Jacobs story- first introduced in Trade Deadline as the captain of Chicago Thunder (Ethan) and the brother of the main character (Jacob). Though initially side characters in it, you just knew there was a story awaiting them and boy howdy, is it a doozy!
It would be a gross simplification to describe this book as a “simple friends to lovers” story; for there is nothing simple in it and while the trope is nothing new in this genre, the writing to such a high standard is.
I’m sure I mentioned it in my review of Trade Deadline, but Jodi Oliver is a superb author, her writing is up there with some of my favourites and her character developments are on point- there is nothing that makes you go “What the beep just happened??!?!?!”
Speaking of which, I should address the cliched “third act break-up” that you normally see in most every book or movie in some shape way or form. Both in Tread Deadline and Off Season you don’t really get this and this is a great thing- the angst is little to no, and what little angst you do is, you can see from a mile off (which is a great thing), so the premise of the angst doesn’t need to be questioned; you have had the angst simmering away nice and slowly, so when you do get it you go “ah i see” and then want to promptly shake Ethan for his demons getting the better of him- again this is a plus as you want to feel for the characters and Oliver makes you fall in love with them over and OVER and OVER again!
Jodi Oliver is simply amazing and I can’t wait to read her next novel!