**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
Beautiful. Romantic. Emotional.
Those are the three words to sum up sophisticated, openly gay NHL general manager Dante and good-ole boy, star hockey defenseman Cade’s romance. In my opinion, Kate Meader is one of the most underrated contemporary romance authors currently. Her mad romance chops were apparent in this novella. Honestly, in a few hundred pages Meader addresses multiple large relationship hurdles Dante and Cade have to overcome before they can live their HEA including: a large age gap, disproportionate experience levels, boss and employee, and most importantly, out and closeted. Meader artfully navigates these tough issues while crafting a beautiful and concise love story. I stand in awe of her mastery. All of these hurdles aren’t cleared cleanly by our intrepid heroes, but the attraction and respect Dante and Cade have for each other is always apparent.
Side Note: Every time Dante traced Cade’s cheekbone I melted more than a little bit. I don’t get to say this about many books but this novel is the perfect mix of sexy-times steamy and heart-aching romance.
Many people were excited to get Dante’s story because of his role in previous books and he didn’t disappoint… but Cade stole the show for me. He was an endearing mix of earnest determination and cocky sports god. His devotion and appreciation for everything Dante (including his flaws) made him irresistible.
This book fits into a few categories that might detract readers (m/m and hockey romance). If you have never dipped your toe in the m/m romance pool, Meader is a great place to start. Her first m/m novella Melting Point was one of the first I read and it was a wonderful introduction. Hockey is a backdrop that adds to the complications of coming out as a professional athlete but is by no means the primary focus on the story. Don’t those points keep you from this sigh-worthy romance.
I call books like this hug-your-Kindle reads because I am so delighted at the end of the story I just need to stare into space and hug my Kindle for a while. Highly recommend.
*Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kyQ4kv
* Nook: http://bit.ly/2y53fNk
* iBooks: http://apple.co/2xqr7hg
* Kobo: http://bit.ly/2y5zwE8
Undone By You debuts March 5, 2018.
Romance Reader 