Review: Trade Deadline (Hat Trick #3) by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

Daniel “Bellzie” Bellamy should be on top of the world—a Stanley Cup is the perfect topper to his fourteen-year NHL career. But despite the post-win high, something’s missing. When the chance to play for his hometown team, the Miami Thunder, comes along, he’s open to it. And when he runs into an old friend from his past soon after he makes the move, he wonders if it might be kismet.

Micah Kelly never thought he’d see his childhood crush—and first kiss—again. Danny Bellamy moved on to bigger and better things when they were teenagers, and the idea that Micah’s relationship with the professional hockey player could be anything more than one-sided Instagram thirst seems too good to be true.

Maybe too good to be true is the new reality, though. As the season goes on, Micah teaches Daniel to surf, and Daniel introduces Micah to his lovable pack of rescue dogs and the world of being a hockey boyfriend. Life is good. But when things on the ice don’t go as planned, they’ll have to decide if their rediscovered romance is built to last.

Daniel Bellamy and Micah Kelly were inseparable as kids. They were even each other’s first kiss. And while time and different paths in life resulted in them losing touch, neither quite forgot about the other.

Reunited twenty years later, the friendship rekindles instantly. And not long after, that friendship begins to build into something more.

I liked how easy things were between Micah and Daniel from the get-go. They re-connect almost seamlessly, with the years apart not really changing how they interacted.

The two men just clicked. It wasn’t hard at all to see how that immediate connection could easily go from friendship to romance.

Their hangouts and dates were very cute! It was also refreshing that Daniel’s bisexuality was never an issue, seeing as sexual attraction is so often a conflict point in MM hockey romances.

I also really liked how Daniel and Micah put in the work to become a part of each other’s lives. Though they’re two very different men, they learn about each other’s interests and make an effort to understand each other’s social circles.

And kudos to Daniel’s great family for welcoming Micah with open arms, especially the kids!

This is a fairly low-conflict romance. The major stumbling block is Micah’s need for stability, and the inherent instability of Daniel’s professional athlete career.

But it never becomes a huge issue. Though I generally prefer a fair bit of tension and angst, it was easy to just enjoy the simpler pace.

And even better, Daniel and Micah actually talk through all of their feelings and concerns. Major bonus points for open communication!

The only slight annoyance - Daniel often seemed to make a big deal about his age. Mid-thirties is pretty young!

Overall, I enjoyed Daniel and Micah’s friends-to-lovers romance, and the epilogue was a perfect HEA. If you’re looking for an easy family-centered MM romance, give ‘Trade Deadline’ a try.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.