Portland Evergreens Series by Beth Bolden

Brody’s got enough on his plate. Recovering from a knee injury he hopes won’t keep him off the ice. His team, the Portland University Evergreens, have a brand new coach, and he’s hoping to impress the legendary leader. Plus, he's got to make a decision once and for all about playing professional hockey or using his love of science to go a totally different direction. The last thing he needs is a sexual awakening at the large, calloused hands of his football player roommate... moreBrody’s got enough on his plate. Recovering from a knee injury he hopes won’t keep him off the ice. His team, the Portland University Evergreens, have a brand new coach, and he’s hoping to impress the legendary leader. Plus, he's got to make a decision once and for all about playing professional hockey or using his love of science to go a totally different direction. The last thing he needs is a sexual awakening at the large, calloused hands of his football player roommate. Dean is big and brawny and taciturn, but he doesn’t need words to woo Brody. He wants Dean, even if he thought he was straight. And Dean? Doesn’t matter that he’s never hooked up with a guy before, either. They’re discovering new pleasures every night, while pretending during the day that they’re just roommates. Except the heat burns so hot between them, it doesn’t just melt all the ice on Brody’s rink, it melts all his beliefs about who he is and what he wants. But even more, it destroys the lie that he can’t fall hard for a guy. Because Brody is falling hard for Dean, and he discovers he’s not alone. less

Malcolm’s all about checking off items in his Life Plan. He’s made it to the first line on his hockey team, the Portland Evergreens. He’s made the Dean’s List the last four semesters. He’s right in line to graduate on time, and head to the pros. All steps on the ultimate goal of becoming the best front office guy in the NHL. Elliott is the only fly in his ointment. The younger, wilder forward parties every night, sleeping with everything with a pulse, and barely attending classes or practices... moreMalcolm’s all about checking off items in his Life Plan. He’s made it to the first line on his hockey team, the Portland Evergreens. He’s made the Dean’s List the last four semesters. He’s right in line to graduate on time, and head to the pros. All steps on the ultimate goal of becoming the best front office guy in the NHL. Elliott is the only fly in his ointment. The younger, wilder forward parties every night, sleeping with everything with a pulse, and barely attending classes or practices. It’s annoying, but Mal’s dealing with it, until their new coach insists Mal tutor Elliott to help him pass a class. And until Elliott discovers Mal’s biggest secret: he’s been too busy checking off points on his life plan to get laid. They’re fire and ice. Bad boy and virgin. They shouldn’t work at all. But the more time they spend together, on and off the ice, the more irresistible their chemistry becomes. The more desperate Mal becomes for some of Elliott’s one-on-one tutoring—this time in bed. But Elliott wants more than just sex. He wants to melt Mal’s icy cold shoulder and convince him there’s more to life—and love—than a plan. less

Finn has lived with the pressure of hockey’s expectations since he was old enough to understand his father was one of the greatest the sport had ever known. He’s changed positions. Changed plans. Changed colleges. But he’s never managed to outrun the pressure. When it starts ruining his performance on the ice, he knows he needs to find a way to conquer it once and for all. Desperation sends him running to the one man he thinks can help him. Jacob Braun, a goalie who played against his father... moreFinn has lived with the pressure of hockey’s expectations since he was old enough to understand his father was one of the greatest the sport had ever known. He’s changed positions. Changed plans. Changed colleges. But he’s never managed to outrun the pressure. When it starts ruining his performance on the ice, he knows he needs to find a way to conquer it once and for all. Desperation sends him running to the one man he thinks can help him. Jacob Braun, a goalie who played against his father. It doesn’t matter that they hated each other, Finn will use him—use everything—to figure out how to beat this mental block. Even seduce his father’s greatest enemy. What Finn wasn’t expecting was that they don’t just burn hot in bed, but on the ice, too. And that, ultimately, it isn’t Jacob’s brain he wants to pick apart, it’s his heart he wants to own. less

Coach Gavin Blackburn has been through hell. Three years ago, he was on top of the world, courted by the best teams in the NHL to coach their players. His wife’s unexpected death destroyed him, and sent him running from hockey. He thought he’d left the sport behind forever, but when his ex-player shows up at his remote cabin, begging him to return to Portland University to coach the Evergreens again, he agrees... moreCoach Gavin Blackburn has been through hell. Three years ago, he was on top of the world, courted by the best teams in the NHL to coach their players. His wife’s unexpected death destroyed him, and sent him running from hockey. He thought he’d left the sport behind forever, but when his ex-player shows up at his remote cabin, begging him to return to Portland University to coach the Evergreens again, he agrees. The last thing Gavin expected was their mentor-student relationship to turn into something entirely different now that Zach is grown up. He certainly never expected to feel attraction again, or to feel it for a man. For Zach. Or for Zach to want him back, with a passion Gavin couldn’t deny even if he wanted to. He’s too old, too washed up, too destroyed by grief, and has no intention of dating ever again, but maybe it’s own assumptions that need to be broken and re-made. Maybe it’s Zach who needs to be the one who break him down and make him into something new. Give him something new: a wild, unexpected and unprecedented love affair. less