Retro Review: Changing On The Fly Anthology

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Blurb

Changing on the Fly is a celebration of romance, featuring four M/M stories about hockey players falling in love on – and off – the ice. All proceeds from the anthology will be donated to a charity that supports inclusiveness in athletics.

The anthology will be available starting in October 4, 2017, for a limited time only.

It includes the following stories:

Head in the Game by Jeff Adams
Second Chance at Love by Heather Lire
Rookie Moves by V.L. Locey
Secrets by Rj Scott

Jeff Adams’ – Head in the Game

After a disastrous breakup, pro hockey defenseman Roger Jacobson’s game is slipping. With his contract up for renewal he has to do something quick because his fourteen-year career is on the line. Roger returns to his hometown to work with his old coach, while helping run the summer hockey camp. But Dylan Baker, a handsome graduate student and the coach’s son, proves to be a romantic distraction that Roger couldn’t have anticipated.

Can Roger’s trip home fix his game and mend his broken heart?

Heather Lire’s Second Chance at Love

Growing up in Holiday, Vermont Zach and Tony were best friends. After high school, they drifted apart as their lives and careers took them in different directions. When they run into each other on vacation they fall back into the easy friendship they’d had as kids.

The one thing they didn’t expect was the sexual tension between them. As they explore these new feelings for each other they discover that sometimes the last person they expected fall for is their Second Chance at Love.


V.L. Locey’s Rookie Moves

It’s been three months since New York Nightwings superstar center and captain, Riley Zeally, came out. The glare of the media has been incredibly bright but Riley’s used to dealing with the spotlight. His boyfriend, Keiffer, isn’t. The intense scrutiny of being at the side of such a huge sports star is proving to be incredibly stressful for the one-time hustler.

Details about his former life on the streets is now common knowledge, his life with Riley is under a magnifying glass, and his past is about to step out of the shadows in an even bigger way. Can a rookie in the ways of the press and professional athletics survive the pressure of sharing his life with the league’s most famous gay player? Will the tentative new love Riley and Keiffer share fold under the weight of fans and fame?

RJ Scott’s Secrets

Benji is the skater in the league who brings down the height average. Coming in at five eight, he's used to players chirping at him all night about his height.

Including the sexy defenseman for the Carlisle Rush, Avery Lester, with his stunning eyes and his cute smile.

When Benji makes a single inappropriate comment about Avery's ass, everything goes to hell. Add in Avery’s heroics during a hate crime, and things just go from bad to worse.

Abruptly it's not his height Benji has to worry about, but the chance that his closely guarded secret is shared all over the Internet.

Can love find a way, or will keeping secrets tear Benji and Avery apart?

Head in the Game by Jeff Adams
3 STARS

Roger Jacobson is a 14-year pro hockey veteran. After a bad breakup, he can't keep his head in the game. With his contract up for renewal, he decides to head back to his hometown. His old coach and mentor will help clear his head and whip him into shape. 

While helping coach the summer hockey, Roger meets Dylan Barker. Dylan is a young graduate student and he has a thing for older men. Oh and Dylan is also the coach's son! As they grow closer, Roger isn't sure if a relationship with someone so young and with a bright future should be saddled with his baggage. Taking his ex's words to heart Roger is unsure if he is worth it, even if he can risk his heart again. 

I enjoyed Roger and Dylan. The chemistry between them and the issues they face make this story better. I really felt bad for Roger with the way his ex treated him, but I felt like we could have learned more about Dylan. The ending comes very abruptly and I felt like Roger and Dylan have more to their story.


Second Chance at Love (A Holiday Vermont Novella) by Heather Lire
3 STARS

Zach and Tony are best friends in high school, but after Zach leaves to play professional hockey, Tony never hears another word from him. Twelve years later and Zach's hockey career is unexpectedly cut short and they meet up again while on vacation. Upon learning the reason behind Zach not contacting him, Tony decides to make his move, but with his conservative family, Zach will never come out. But Tony is making it easier to be open and maybe one day have a permanent relationship. 

I really wanted more from this story. While I liked both Zach and Tony, I felt like there just wasn't enough about who they really are. And some aspects are just very unrealistic. I mean, who is elected mayor of a town they don't live in and have barely visited in twelve years!! You get just a bit of Zach's history right at the end, but nothing on Tony. Even the epilogue set 5 years later left me with more questions than answers.


Rookie Moves (New York Nightwings #2) by V.L. Locey
5 STARS

**On Broadway is the first part of Riley and Kieffer's story and is available from instafreebie. Link is included before the start of this story.**

3 months after On Broadway, life finds Riley Zeally living out of the closet and in the spotlight. Use to dealing with the media's scrutiny as captain of the Nightwings, life is good. Keiffer isn't used to being front and center, but that is what comes with being at the side of a well-loved sports star. Having his former life as a homeless hustler be common knowledge, makes living life with Riley hard. Trying to live up to the future Riley has mapped out for him, Keiffer finds that his past and his future may collide in an unexpected path. But one thing that won't change is the love Riley and Keiffer have for each other.

I absolutely loved On Broadway, so I was thrilled to have more Riley and Keiffer!! 

Riley is so devoted and in love with Keiffer. He is willing to do anything to make his dreams come true. Keiffer hates his past and what it could do to his future with Riley. But while visiting his old haunts, Riley realizes his past could shape his future and the future of many homeless LGBTQ youth. He finds his worth in himself, not in a path that leads to hockey, but in a much more fulfilling way. With their love stronger than ever, they use the spotlight that shines on them to give hope to many others. I certainly hope to have more appearances from these two in future New York Nightwings stories.


Secrets by RJ Scott
5 STARS

Left winger for the Colchester Colts, Benji Harding is used to the jokes about his height, especially from Avery Lester, the sexy D-man with the stunning eyes from the Carlisle Rush. But when Benji chirps back at him with an inappropriate comment about Avery's ass, it all goes wrong. Both wanting to protect their potential NHL careers, they decide on a no-strings hookup, but once is not enough! After a series of hookups, their feeling started to grow. Stopping a hate crime brings Avery out in a big way, by choice. Now Benji has to decide if he will call it quits, try and stay together on the down low or if he is ready to love Avery in the open and damn the consequences.

I love Benji, he may be small in stature, but he has a big personality. Avery is a gentle giant off the ice and a worthy opponent on it. While he may be quiet and a bit unsure of himself, he doesn't hesitate to admit his desire and eventually love for Benji. Still fighting his feelings, once Benji talks it out he doesn't stop until goes straight to Avery and shows him his love. With a sweet and heartfelt ending, you know that Avery and Benji will face all the controversial aspects of being a gay sports star together and come out stronger for it. With the mentioning of the Harrisburg Railers, I'm hoping Benji and Avery with have a part in RJ Scott and V.L. Locey's other hockey series.

Overall, I give this anthology 4 STARS. I really enjoyed it. I am a huge hockey fan (#LetsGoHawks) and love all the new m/m hockey books that are coming out. The fact that all proceeds for this anthology will be donated to a charity that supports inclusiveness in athletics is the icing on the cake. And while Lord Stanley's Cup has visited many PRIDE Parades, within the hockey community we have yet to have an out player. Inclusiveness in all sports is something that needs all the support it can get. A great big thank you to all the authors that participated in helping this wonderful cause.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement.***

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Jeff Adams has written stories since he was in middle school and became a gay romance writer in 2009 when his first short stories were published. Since then he’s written several more shorts and novels, including some in the young adult genre, and he plans to keep writing as long as wonderful readers keeping picking up his books.

Jeff lives in rural Northern California with his husband of twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musicals Rent and title of show, the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition So You Think You Can Dance. If forced to pick his favorite book it would be a tie between Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and David Levithan’s Every Day.

He also co-hosts the weekly show Jeff & Will’s Big Gay Fiction Podcast with his husband. You can learn more at BigGayFictionPodcast.com

If you’d like to drop him an email to say hello, or if you have questions/comments about his books, you can use the contact form.

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Heather Lire has traveled all over the world, speaks several languages, collects romance books like they’re going out of style, and has multiple book boyfriends. Ok, she hasn’t been all over the world, except in her mind. She does however speak multiple languages and collect romance books. Her long-suffering husband and sons roll their eyes at all her book boyfriends. When she’s not busy on her next novel she can be found in her classroom where teaches one of those many languages, at one of her sons many sporting events or on twitter talking about what else, romance books.

Heather is also one half of the paranormal writing duo Kenzie MacLir.

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V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.

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RJ Scott is the bestselling romance author of over 100 romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men and women who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn't with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn't like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

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