Boyfriend Material

Hawthorne University, Book 2

De: Ilsa Madden-Mills

Narrado por: Lee Samuels, Alyssa Avery

Duración: 9 h y 31 m

Resumen del Editor

Number-one Amazon best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers an all-new, enemies-to-lovers sports romance, a breathtaking tale of passion, heartbreak, and love….

Skyscraper cheekbones, lush lips, and magnetic topaz eyes.

I’m talking about Eric Hansen.

Rich prick.

Glorified hockey star.

Thinks he’s amazing.

Yeah. The Golden Boy and I are well acquainted. In prep school he trampled on my heart and kept right on going.

Three years later, he’s living the high life with frat parties and puck bunnies at Hawthorne University. On the other hand, people barely notice me. I’m the nobody, surviving in the seedy part of town as I struggle to keep my head above treacherous waters.

The avoidance game we’ve been playing was working—until he rescues me from a bad guy and claims he wants to help me more. Hello. I don’t need a knight in shining armor. This girl saves herself.

Yet...I'm not sure how long I can ignore the undeniable spark between us.

(It’s not even a spark; it’s a full-fledged, blazing fire.)

Can this hockey player prove he’s boyfriend material, or will this be a game we both lose?

Boyfriend Material is a steamy new adult college romance perfect for fans of enemies to lovers or second chances. Please check the trigger warnings.

The eBook version Boyfriend Bargain contains the epilogue. This audio version does not include the epilogue for Boyfriend Material. The full epilogue is available for free at Ilsamaddenmills.com.

©2022 Ilsa Madden-Mills (P)2022 Ilsa Madden-Mills

BOYFRIEND MATERIAL ❤

Ilsa Madden-mills is an absolute amazing story teller....I love how her stories give me all the feels!!

Boyfriend material

4.5 stars! This second chance romance is another great read from Ilsa. Eric broke Julia’s heart in high school and never looked back. Now 3 years later, he’s not the same person. Eric has closed himself off and lived his life knowing he was only going to do what his dad wanted after college, to become a lawyer not a hockey player. Julia, she’s lived a hard life and now is working any job it takes to pay off her mother’s debts and make sure she’s taken care of. She is one strong heroine! Despite avoiding each other for years, Eric & Julia are unable to fight the pull between them anymore but becoming boyfriend material is not as easy as they both want!

Wow! Eric & Julia’s Story Is Deep & Devastating...

Eric & Julia’s Second-Chance Hockey Romance Is Complex. They Reenter One Another’s Lives At A Difficult Time For Both. They Are Numb, Stretched Too Thin, But Love Finds Them Anyway. Notably, This Story Is About The Ugly Side Of Fraternities, Where Abuse & Hazing Often Go Unchecked, Ruining Lives.


TRIGGER WARNING: contains some content that may be triggering.

ABOUT THE HAWTHORNE UNIVERSITY SERIES:

This is book two in the Hawthorne University series. It is Eric Hansen and Julia Lauren’s story. The books are standalones, but reading them in sequence adds depth to each story.

So far the series includes:
1. Boyfriend Bargain (Zack & Sugar’s story)
2. Boyfriend Material (Eric & Julia’s story)

Hawthorne University is located in Sparrow Lake, Minnesota. Although housed in a small town, it sits just outside of the Twin Cities. It is an elite school with a steep price tag and is one of the most esteemed universities in the Midwest. Accordingly, many of the students hail from wealthy families and attended prep school.

The series follows Hawthorne’s hockey players. The Lions are national championship contenders, so they have a strong fanbase. In book one, team captain Zack Morgan’s story with Sugar is told. His best friend Eric Hansen takes over the role of captain in book two, and his story is with Sugar’s old roommate, Julia.

Reece Morgan and Boone O’Brien are interesting players who are likely to get stories as well. Other players are introduced in book two, including Bowers, Donaldson, and Falcon. Sugar and Julia’s close friend Poppy looks poised for a story of her own with one of the players – she and Reece would be a great match, though it might end up being Boone.

FROM BOYFRIEND BARGAIN, BOOK 1:

As the story opens, it is January. Students have recently returned from the holidays and begun the spring semester.

Sugar Ryan, twenty-one, loves poetry and junk food. She has a particular weakness for donuts after working at a donut shop while in high school. She now works part-time at a strip joint – but not as a stripper – to help pay her way through college. She is midway through her senior year at Hawthorne University. Even as she approaches graduation, she still feels like an outsider. She has never felt like she fits in. An introvert, she shies from attention. The statuesque blonde doesn’t consider herself beautiful. Most clothes that other coeds wear don’t’ fit well on her tall frame and curves, but she is comfortable in casual wear. She doesn’t usually dress to impress, and yet she has still won the attention of handsome men.

Bennett Walsh pursued Sugar relentlessly during their sophomore year until Sugar finally caved to his charms. He was her first, and after two years together, they had planned on moving in together off campus this semester. A month has passed since she caught him cheating and Bennett still wants her back, but after watching her mother and father together, Sugar won’t consider a second chance. As Sugar begins her last semester at Hawthorne, she has something more important on her mind. She has her sights set on a singular goal: admission to Vanderbilt Law.

Zack Morgan, twenty-one, has a bright future ahead of him. As the number one NHL draft pick last year, he could be playing professionally for the Nashville Predators now. He had been drafted at the end of his junior year at Hawthorne University, but he chose to finish his senior year before making the leap. Hawthorne hadn’t won the national championship last year, and he wants to gift his alma mater with that title before leaving. He is a superstar on campus and has a following wherever he goes. His six-foot-six Viking-like physique commands attention, and his natural magnetism leaves people in awe when he enters a room. Rumor has it that he chooses a girl of the month, going from one to another. He treats women well and never cheats or lies, but his interests are short-term. His heart is frozen, so living in the moment is more his style.

Zack has always tried to be the best at what he does, but being number one comes along with the pressure to stay at the top. With everyone watching his every move, there is no room for mistakes, and the pressure is finally taking its toll. His fierce competitiveness has always contributed to his anxiety, but with the Hawthorne championship and his NHL contract on the line, it is becoming a real problem. Combined with the anniversary of Willow’s death, he begins to spiral into a dark place.

When Sugar decides that becoming Zack’s fake flavor of the month is her ticket to Vanderbilt, the shy student works on getting the courage to approach him. Being on the arm of last year’s number one NHL pick, who happens to be signed with a team located near Vanderbilt, can only boost her chances of getting off the waitlist.

Wow! Z and Sugar’s story really pulls you in from the start. Steamy and emotional, it is a satisfying read. It has both depth and emotion. There are laughs as well as tears. Full of colorful characters, it is always interesting. This book sets the foundation for a great series with its fabulous characters. Reece and Eric are intriguing, and Taylor is a hoot. It does occasionally feel overly dramatic, which serves to unnecessarily prolong the HEA.

Zack and Sugar’s story highlights anxiety and the pressure to perform under the spotlight. It is also a story of perseverance and self-reliance. It is about letting go of guilt and not assigning blame where it doesn’t belong. It is about taking risks, about learning to open up and become vulnerable after heartbreak. The story is well-written. The plot is somewhat complex. There are several storylines that keep the story moving. The characters are carefully crafted and realistic. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Zack and Sugar. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

IN THIS BOOK:

As the story opens, it is late August. Hawthorne students are in the process of returning to campus for the fall semester.

Julia Lauren, roughly twenty-one, is in her senior year at HU. Both creative and intelligent, she is working on a Fine Arts degree. She was once an innocent girl full of naïve hopes and dreams. She loved poetry and believed in happy endings. Her mother’s story might have given her pause and a dose of reality, but unfortunately, it took real-life heartbreak to set Julia straight. Her father died before she was born, leaving Julia’s mother a single mom. Her mother rose above the hardship and did her best for Julia, however, even arranging for her to attend a private school her senior year of high school. Julia fell hard for a boy in poetry class; she was convinced that the rumors about him were wildly wrong. Giving him her innocence was a hard lesson, tarnishing her once-cherished memories from Bellemeade Prep, but Julia’s inner strength carried her through it.

Julia was awarded a scholarship to prestigious Hawthorne University, only an hour away from her home in Bellemeade, and she began her freshman year determined to put the past behind. Though an introvert, she was active and enjoyed herself. All was great until sophomore year when her mother’s accident and lack of insurance led to an addiction. As her mother’s health and finances took a beating, Julia found herself working after class to keep her mother above water. The bleak reality and responsibility began to weigh on Julia, who began a downward spiral. Losing her scholarship only compounded her problems. It was her roommate Sugar in her junior year that inadvertently gave Julia the idea to begin stripping. Even though she doesn’t like it, the money she makes is necessary. Her mother turned to a loan shark to feed her addiction last year, and Connor is not a man to be messed with. Julia is in serious trouble and she knows it.

Eric Hansen, twenty-one or so, has always felt at home on the ice. He loves the game of hockey and is proud to play right wing for the Hawthorne Lions. Tall and talented, they call him Eric the Everest and The Miracle. His long red hair and easy-going personality make him easy to spot and approach. The fans adore him, stopping him wherever he goes. He hoped to play professionally one day like his best friend Z, but unfortunately, the scouts have never shown interest in him. Now beginning his final season, he knows it isn’t in the cards for him. Being raised in a perfect family is not always easy; fulfilling his father’s wishes after graduation now feels like an unavoidable reality. As the inevitability settles in, the normally carefree Eric begins to struggle.

There is something else that has weighed Eric down for three years now, further complicating his messed-up state of mind. He and Julia had mostly managed to avoid one another during their first three years at Hawthorne, but it became more of a challenge when their friends began dating last semester. Seeing her in her reduced circumstances makes him start to wonder if he somehow played a role. The uncertainty worries him and guilt tugs his conscience. At the time he had been young and dealing with his own pain, having lost his brother Kurt when he was just fifteen. Eric couldn’t afford the vulnerability of a relationship. Even today, Eric continues to move through a procession of women and has never had a proper girlfriend. The whirlwind of guilt, loss, and pressure collide as he begins his senior year. And when he finds himself stepping up to be Julia’s savior, vulnerability can no longer be avoided. The couple eventually finds a well-deserved happy ending.

Watch for Eric’s story with Julia in book two, Boyfriend Material.

Wow! Eric and Julia’s story is a deep and devastating second-chance hockey romance. Their story is complex. They reenter one another’s lives at a difficult time for both. They are numb, stretched too thin, but love finds them anyway. Notably, this story is about the ugly side of fraternities, where abuse and hazing often go unchecked, ruining lives. It is timely given the real-life problems that continue to make the headlines from time to time. There are triggering scenes, but it is somewhat mild. This is also a story about family expectations and the pressures college students face to please their parents. Deciding what is reasonable input and what is controlling can sometimes be complicated, but here it is clear that the line is crossed. Eric must finally come to terms with the pressures in his life and find his own voice. For Julia, this is a story that is all too common. It is about addiction to pain killers and the struggle that family members face as a result.

Although I really did enjoy Eric and Julia’s story, it was not what I expected so I was accordingly a little disappointed. I loved Eric in Boyfriend Bargain. He so often brought a smile to my face, but he is not the same jovial man here. The tone is a little darker than Boyfriend Bargain, but I was expecting something much lighter. I hope that any future books in the series stay true to the characters. This story had so many parallels to Z and Sugar’s story that it distracted me. I loved their story, but I wanted something authentically Eric.

The parallels between Boyfriend Bargain and Boyfriend Material make the second book feel familiar. Both couples enjoy poetry. The girls are introverts with a problematic ex-boyfriend. They were both raised by a single mother. Both are dirt poor and work in a strip club in one capacity or another. The men are both team captains and the star of the team. They have a steady stream of flavors of the month and avoid relationships. Both men have a death that has saddled them with guilt and robbed them of their freedom to make decisions. They were each raised in a privileged two-parent household, and both men have a brother. In both stories, someone needs a timeout to process. This is a little frustrating as it unnecessarily draws out the ending without a great reason. It feels a little dramatic.

In addition to Eric’s character being altered from easy-going to tense and serious, there are some timeline issues that fans of Boyfriend Bargain might notice. First Boyfriend Bargain’s epilogue takes place at the wedding five years later. There is no sign of children. Eric is present and there is no indication that he is in a relationship. In fact, he is his normal, adorable self. After reading his own epilogue, it seems unlikely Eric could have been so involved in the wedding and doting on Sugar. I had accordingly anticipated that the bulk of his story would take place after Z’s epilogue – a second-chance romance well into the future. Additionally, this epilogue takes place six years after Eric and Julia graduate, which would be seven years after Z and Sugar graduate. There are children in Eric’s epilogue, and the ages do not mesh with Z’s epilogue. I really enjoyed this story, but the missed expectations are an issue. I would have been able to enjoy it more thoroughly had Eric’s character been assigned a different name.

Eric and Julia’s steamy second-chance romance is an emotional read. There is violence and heartbreak as well as hope and deception. Eric admires Julia’s strength and resiliency; Julia fell for the sensitive boy that wrote such beautiful and emotional poetry. It does have some potentially triggering scenes, but the emotional read is worthwhile. There are a few teary passages, but the epilogue had me in stitches. The epilogue was a hint at the quintessential Eric that I was looking for in the story. The story is nicely written. The plot is somewhat complex. There are many storylines, so there is a lot happening. The characters are carefully crafted and three-dimensional. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Eric and Julia. I rate this book four stars (4.5 if not for my expectations).

As for the Audio: it was nicely performed. It is mostly consistent with the book, but there are occasional differences.

Note that the epilogue (from the book) is not included in the audiobook.

Awesome!

This book was very good 👍. She's a very good writer and author! .I enjoyed listening to part 2 of the series! I am hoping for more ...

It's been a long time waiting, but it was worth it

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Blue Butterfly Stars!

Hockey romance is my guilt pleasure, and Ilsa Madden-Mills can definitely do good fulfilling my addiction to them!

I've been waiting since forever to have Eric and Julia's love story, and I'm not disappointed with them!

Since Boyfriend Bargain, Eric was always the life of the party... The carefree hockey player, living his best college days.
Julia on the other hand, was secretive of her personal life and struggling to keep her head above water.

What i didn't expected was for Eric's carefree lifestyle to be just a facade that was hiding his own demons.
But the way he was protective of Julia and his friends, the way he fought for them but not for himself, just broke my heart.

I loved their connection, their chemistry, their friendship and the way that they were there for each other at every turn.
It was good to see Eric finally overcoming his survivor's guilt and taking the wheels of his own future!

That epilogue with Sugar and Z just warmed my heart to no end!
Is it too much to ask for a book for each one of Eric's roommates?

🎧 About the Audiobook Narration 🎧

Narrated by Lee Samuels and Alyssa Avery and it was chef's kiss!
Not a single complaining about the narration!
It was perfect and i love it!
I'll definitely be searching for more of their work!

Loved loved loved it!

Ilsa Madden Mills always delivers such an amazing story and the most wonderful narrators!!! I loved every moment of Boyfriend Material!

Meh

Male narration got a bit better further in…he didn’t sound like he was growling every word and every sentence…

Relationship was pretty anticlimactic for me.

Didn’t hold my interest

The sample intrigued me, but after a few hours listening I lost interest. I skipped many chapters to get to the end.

The narration was okay. The narrators didn’t sound anything like a 21 year old should.

If you really want to give it a try go for the book, the audio missed the mark.