Before We Came

Lakes Hockey, Book 1

De: Sloane St. James

Narrado por: Edward Black, Chloe Ryan

Birdie

Her funeral unraveled decades of secrets hidden from me—horrible secrets. This rabbit hole I've fallen down has revealed my past is much more sinister than I could have imagined. Everything I thought I knew has been a lie, and now there's only one place for me to turn: back to the people who have been searching for me all these years.

One of those people is my newfound brother's best friend: Lonan Burke, star defenseman for the Minnesota Lakes. His dirty talk and praise offer an easy escape as I shift into my new life. I'm ready to start anew with the ones who love me, but I'm not so sure I can settle down when I've just been set free.

Lonan

She's back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it's not so innocent anymore. She's a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I've only got one shot with her, and I'm not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she's been craving, but she's the intimacy I've waited for my whole life.

When her story hits the media, she needs a place to hide. I offer her sanctuary in my penthouse. For the first time, this frigid condo feels like a home, and she's made me believe the future I've always wanted is within reach. For now, I'm willing to hold her hands during the day and pin them down at night. But I want more.

This spicy hockey romance features dirty talk, praise, suspense, kidnapping, angst, a fatal car accident, second-chance love, forced proximity, and of course, a happily ever after. Intended for mature listeners.

©2023 Sloane St. James (P)2024 Podium Audio

Book Boyfriend 🏒

The MMC, Lonan, is why book boyfriends exist. His love was undeniable for the strong FMC, Birdie. His controlling behavior wouldn't work in the real world and this is why I love fiction! This book has a good plot that was overshadowed by the number of spicy chapters but still a good read!

Familiar tropes but with a twist

Story: 8/10
Spice: 3/5
Spice Hierarchy: Spicy
Narration: 3/5

Birdie finds decades worth of lies that uncover years of trauma. This leads her on a journey to bring events of her past into her present. Lonan is done with one night stands and open to finding something more. He didn’t plan to find it with his best friend’s long lost sister, his childhood crush.

This is second chance, brother’s best friend, forced proximity done in a brand new way. I honestly really enjoyed this story. For some reason I had it in my head that it was going to be dark. While there are some darker plot points and trauma triggers, I would not classify this as a dark romance. I loved Lonan and Birdie apart and together. Their characters were so good.

The ending went kinda fast for me once Birdie and Lonan reconciled. But I still really enjoyed this story and want I read the rest of the series.

The smut was perfection.

The plot was different, with a touch of suspense and seriousness, which I enjoyed. The romance was electric, with plenty of spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ to keep things interesting. The spice was really spicing in this one!🔥 The narrators were great - they kept me hooked. If you’re into dominant MMCs and the praise trope, you’ll really enjoy it. This was my first Sloane St. James book, and I’m a fan! She can dirty talk the panties off anyone! 😮‍💨😮‍💨

This book was 🔥🔥

Not only was the story phenomenal but also the narrators did an amazing job bringing the story to life. Words cannot describe how amazing this book was! Everything about it was great: the plot, the intrigue, the suspense, the spicy scenes and all I wanted to do was route this couple alone from the sidelines!♥️ 100% would recommend.

So good

Dual narration - Edward Black and Chloe Ryan

This was my first Sloane St James book and I absolutely loved it.
The storyline has an interesting beginning and twist.
I am an instant and forever fan. Can’t wait to read more of her work