This Queer IceHockey Romance reads more like a contemporary country music romance to be honest.

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Quick Info
Contract Season

• Title: Contract Season
• Series: Trade Season book 2
• Author: Cait Nary
• Release Date: 6th September 2022
• Genre: Contemporary, Romance
• Content Warnings: Alcohol addiction, Drug use
• Diversity: none
• Rating: 3/5 stars

Blurb
Contract Season

A heartbroken hockey player and an up-and-coming country music star fake it for the cameras (or do they?) in Cait Nary’s delightfully sexy new novel.

Brody Kellerman has a plan. First, become the best defenseman in professional hockey. Second, get over his ex-boyfriend so he can focus on his game. Hooking up with the singer at his buddy’s wedding was the perfect solution, but it was never meant to be more than a one-night stand.

Seamus Murry has never planned a thing in his life, including hooking up with a smoking-hot hockey player. Being ghosted sucks, but at least one good thing came from it—the breakout hit song of the summer. Now he’s one of country music’s brightest stars, but one slipup—or in this case, video—might cost him his career.

When their video goes viral, Brody and Seamus agree to fake a relationship. But soon it’s impossible to remember what is real and what’s pretend, and although Brody has no intention of falling for freewheeling Seamus’s charm…life doesn’t always go according to plan.

The Queer’s Review

So, I really wanted to love Contract Season. But a few things made it impossible – weird, considering I enjoyed Season’s Change.

First, it really reads like a Queer Country Music Romance – which isn’t bad, but confusing why it’s marked as a Hockey romance. So I got into it expecting way more… IceHockey? Cait Nary’s Acknowledgements mirror that to be honest because inspiration struck when Carrie Underwood married a member of the Nashville Predators hockey team. See how the focus is on the country music star?

Anyway, that was weird and a little bit disappointing because I expected a different vibe. I’d still would have enjoyed this book if I could have connected to the characters or got caught up in their romance. Both didn’t happen.

I usually love my fake relationship trope and can’t wait for the characters to recognize and then acknowledge they are in love for real. Seamus and Brody couldn’t convince me of their relationship. A huge part of this is probably due to the being told instead of shown and I was somewhat bothered by Seamus’s weird obsession with his virginity.

I also felt uncomfortable with how heavily they relied on alcohol and drugs. At least Seamus got called out on his problem with alcohol and I actually liked that part. As well as the shout-out to Aromance and Asexuality.

Weirdly enough I still read Contract Season instead of DNF-ing it and that is 100% due to Cait Nary’s Writing style itself. Somehow I got caught up in that while being bothered by said telling not showing. Don’t ask me how she accomplished that but she did.

Bookish Thoughts

“How do you know my passcode? Do you know my bank PIN and my Social Insurance Number, too?”

“And your dick size.”

Kindle Pos. 1496

Disclaimer

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Similiar Books to Contract Season

Since I love my Hockey Romances there are a few I could name but I’m trying to give you some variety.

• A Queer Country Music memoir I recently reviewed is Hear’s the Thing by Cody Alan.
• Are you in the mood for another Queer Music Romance? There’s a great series by Anna Zabo called Twisted Wishes. I loved every book but so far I have only reviewed Reverb. Oh well, guess I have to re-read the others.
• I could talk about other authors’ IceHockey Romances, but how about telling you all about Cait Nary’s book Season’s Change, which I prefer over Contract Season.