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peristome 's review for:

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid
3.0
emotional hopeful reflective

I'm sad that this installment didn't grip me the way that Heated Rivalry or even Game Changer did. It wasn't bad, but it was just kinda boring? I did like the premise - a hockey player who struggles with anxiety and a musician who hates hockey - but, unfortunately, I didn't really feel the love between Ryan and Fabian the way that I did with the other couples in the series. 

My favorite parts of the book were when Ryan was with Wyatt, and not necessarily with Fabian. I don't hate Fabian, in fact I really like that he is so flamboyant and femme, but I just found myself... wanting to get the story over with so I can read the next books in this series. I honestly don't think I would have completed this book had it not been for that. I also really liked the glimpses we got of Shane and Ilya, which helped bump it up to 3 stars.

However, it is possible that my ambivalence towards these characters is just a "me" thing. If you are looking for a book that tackles heavier subject matter (like mental health), it honestly might be worth it to give this book a shot.