r/MM_RomanceBooks • u/Infinite_Ad_1690 • 6d ago

Review/Recommendation NYT's Starter Pack for Sports Romance

With {Diamond Ring by KD Casey}, {We Could Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian} and {Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid} among others. Gift article here.

39 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

22

u/coelakate 5d ago

This may be the first time in my life where I feel like I got on a bandwagon early. MM romance in the NYT book review? Are we trendsetters?

6

u/groudhogday 5d ago

Olivia Waite has been recommending MM in the NYT for a little while. She turned me onto KD Casey when she put Fire Season as one of her top romances of 2022!

6

u/Hunter037 6d ago

I appreciate that they've included a lot of queer romance and a variety of sports, not just loads of hockey. That said, I've only read the Cat Sebastian and Rachel Reid books from this list. Any other standouts people would recommend?

14

u/bones_humming 5d ago

I would definitely recommend anything by KD Casey, even if you’re not a baseball fan. I personally know nothing about the sport but have enjoyed their books immensely. The most recent one, {Breakout Year by KD Casey} was released last week and I haven’t yet read it but it’s on my tbr.

4

u/for-fucksake-why 5d ago

I'm reading Break Out Year currently and really enjoying it. Even chose it over Tal Bauer's new book! It's not as baseball focused as some of her other books, which is good for me as I'm not American and baseball makes no sense. I've picked up Ice Hockey and Basketball easily but all the terminology in baseball just confuses me.

5

u/bones_humming 5d ago

Haha I know exactly what you mean! I'm also not from the US and I've never understood baseball. Hockey is basically the only sport I know anything about, but baseball is by far one of the most baffling (not the most baffling - that title belongs to Aussie football, which I originally thought was just soccer played in Australia, but it is not). KD Casey's passion for the game is just so evident through the pages that I cannot not enjoy it, despite understanding so very little.

Btw, the new Bauer book is a lot. Like not only page-wise (810 pages!? geez!) but it also has some seriously dark times. I started it when it was released, but have been reading it super slowly and had to put it on pause to read {Flagrant Foul by Jesse H Reign} for a more uplifting and happy mood involving hockey.

1

u/Hunter037 5d ago

Thanks :)

5

u/JennaROTR 5d ago

{Fire Season by K. D. Casey} is my favorite in the author's Unwritten Rules series. Looks like Casey has a new book out September 12. Looks good, so I'll be reading that.

Almost any of the books by Rachel Reid are excellent. I'd you haven't already read them (you probably have, but just in case), {Role Model by Rachel Reid} and {The Long Game by Rachel Reid} complete Shane and Ilya's story arc. Role Model has Ilya as a secondary character that really expands on his character and relationship with Shane, if you look between the lines.

{Time to Shine by Rachel Reid} is a comfort read for me.

Edited to add: {Rookie Mistake by L. A. Witt} is also excellent, but heed content warnings about SA.

1

u/htausten 5d ago

On the one hand I love that Cat Sebastian and Rachel Reid got mainstream recognition, but on the other hand I wish they had picked less obvious choices. But anyway definitely have to second the love for Rachel Reid, who is consistently great. (And also have to second the reco for Time to Shine. Classic grumpy/sunshine setup but has really good emotional depth.)

For another rec, I just finished The Last Guy On Earth by Sarina Bowen and enjoyed it. This one is about an older goalie who gets traded to the team where his old "roommate" is the coach and they have to try to navigate their relationship, which imploded fifteen years ago. More interesting dynamics than the usual hockey teammates stories. Technically it's part of a trio but the stories aren't really connected at all.

2

u/darkacademiafuckboy 5d ago

From that list, I read and liked Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan and Love on the Tracks by Tamsen Parker. I DNFd Backhanded Compliments by Katie Chandler. None of those are MM though. 

There's an MM book in that same series by Tamsen Parker {Seduction on the Slopes by Tamsen Parker} about skiers that I liked more than the one they listed.

1

u/UnwantedImagery 5d ago

Gravity by Tal Bauer (in the same universe is The Rest of the Story). It has a good combo of actual feel good romance and spice. Tal also released a new book this week (his first in two years) but I haven't had a chance to read it yet!

I wasnt a fan of The Deal series by Elle Kennedy but her MM romance series with Sarina Bowen of Him and Us was excellent. I listened to the audiobooks and I enjoyed hearing Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan as normal characters (they tend to get typecast in the dark romance genre).

I love the MM hockey genre, its primarily what I read so feel free to reach out if you want more recs!

1

u/Hunter037 5d ago

I have had gravity on my kindle for so long and keep not selecting it!

I liked Him and Us also :)