All Hail the Underdogs

When seventeen-year-old Patrick Roman is offered a scholarship to a top hockey preparatory school, he thinks maybe his notorious bad luck has finally ended. With a hearing for his legal emancipation on the horizon, he dreams of getting scouted and securing a place on a D1 college team. There's only one problem: Roman has serious beef with his new winger on the team, Damien Bordeaux. Roman, with his buzzcut and tattoos, has nothing in common with trust-fund-kid Damien.



When eighteen-year-old Damien Bordeaux starts his senior year, he tells himself he's going to focus on hockey and school. He needs to decide what his future will look like. Does he pursue his dream of becoming an author? Or stay in his lane and do what he's good at: hockey. Regardless, he's not going to let any pretty boys distract him. Except his new center, Roman, is possibly the most beautiful boy Damien has ever seen.



But their antagonistic beginning turns into an unlikely friendship and then turns into something much scarier for them both. Navigating relationships is hard enough for normal teenagers. It's a lot harder when contending with lawyers, NHL scouts, and past trauma. Roman and Damien have to decide: What do they really want? Are they willing to fight for each other—including fighting against their own pasts and prejudices—so they can have a happy ending?©2023 E.L. Massey

heartwarming and perfect

This is one of my all time favorite books and Lance West made it even better! Absolutely perfectly narrated, this is a heartwarming story of two guys from very different worlds and backgrounds learning to play, live, grow and finally love together.

EL Massey has a gift at making deep, hard topics feel easy and light with humor and grace. Her dialogue always sounds like actual conversations, no monologues or forced lines, and her characters are incredibly relatable, with flaws that charm you more than annoy, and end with so much beautiful growth.

This book is a breath of fresh air, a warm hug that tells you it's going to be better than ok.

Do yourself a favor and give it a listen.