Waiting Game: New York Stars

By: G.A. Mazurke, Serena Akeroyd

Narrated by: CJ Bloom, Aaron Shedlock

Mia's a curvy, nerdy cam girl.

I’m a professional hockey player who just got traded to the New York Stars.

She's also the best one-night stand I’ve ever had and I sure wouldn’t mind making her a permanent fixture in my life.

But we have a problem—she betrayed a mutual friend and I just can’t get past that. Yet, every single J/P gene in my body roars to life when I find my baby brother paying to watch her on a cam-girl site.

This woman is mine.

Can a one-night stand ever be anything more?

Damn straight—watch me make it happen.

Secret relationship ~ Golden retriever hero ~ Figure-skating coach heroine ~ Pierced for her pleasure ~ Band of brothers ~ Heroine in distress

©2024 Serena Akeroyd Publishing Ltd. (P)2024 Serena Akeroyd Publishing Ltd.

Sweet and Spicy

I loved this book! Cole is everything! I love his sense of fashion. Haha. Mia is a fighter! She’s been put in a tough situation, and she does the best she can. If you like humor mixed in with a lot of spice, this book is for you! I listened to the audiobook. CJ Bloom and Aaron Shedlock were fantastic! They’re always a one-click for me.

So so good!

I love love this author’s writing, and this was such a great second addition to the series. If you’ve read her other pen name (Serena Akeroyd- she has a prolific series involving an MC and Irish mob), you’ll see lots of little nods and connection to those. I love how it’s woven so seamlessly into this new hockey world! I cackled every time I read these connections!

Cole Korhonen is a part of Bukowski billet boys, and I love how Gracie is working hard to bring them all back together. He comes from a family of money, though he’s making his own legacy as a hockey star. He meets a girl on the dating app Hooked Up, but it turns out that she’s also his figure skating coach! Mia Charles is working hard to keep her on family legacy alive, but she’s bogged down by grief and debt. Cole provides a listening ear, a distraction and attraction that takes her away from her every day worries. There’s A LOT of obstacles in their way (her past connection with Gracie, their family issues, their own hesitation about romance), but I love that they really work hard together to overcome these issues together.

I love Cole’s positivity, his level headedness, his confidence, (his fashion!). He basically is the perfect book boyfriend! He loves to communicate, he uplifts his partner, and he is always looking to problem solve so they can find a way to be together. You can’t help but feel for Mia, who’s had so few people she can depend on in her life. She rallies herself together to take care of others, but who’s there to take care of her? I love how she doesn’t give up, how she really grows through this book into a more confident woman. I love her big heart for animals, her determination to do anything to save her family business, her angst and regret over Gracie, her loneliness at growing older with family and friends. She is such a dynamic character. You see how loyal she is, but as she is also human, there are instances of weaknesses that she uses to better herself.

I loved everything about this book: the real family (I am dying for more of the Korhonen men!!!), the found family (more of the billet boys!!), the communication (yasss for grown adults and having the courage to address things head on), the no third act break up (honestly not needed, this author’s writing and story telling is so great it didn’t have to rely on this plot device to keep the romance going), and of course, the best steam only this author can write. The world is so much better with this author’s writing in it. Highly recommend this awesome series, and I can’t wait for more!

Aaron Sherlock and CJ Bloom did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life! It was exciting to see their romance blossom through these narrators’ voices and it really added engagement and excitement. You won’t regret these hours of entertainment!

Worth the wait

Cole’s personality is one of my favorites that I’ve ever read in a book! He is just so sweet with his love of romance books and love for his family, horses, now cats and of course Mia.

Mia has had it rough. My heart just hurts for her going through so much loss. She is incredibly strong though and I have so much respect for her!

Oh, cole daddy you are so so flipping hot

OK, I thought that nothing could happen the love that I had for Gracie and Liam, but Cole and Mia may have taken the cake. Of course the spice was super spicy. This book is super sexual. I love that she is essentially a sex worker and he doesn’t have a big problem with it. He just wants all of her attention on him which I totally get. I love that. There is some really good back-and-forth between Mia and Cole. It’s not all just wham Bam thank you ma’am. And I love that. Mia starts making strides to mending her relationship with Gracie from book one. All in all this is a great story and I’m hoping that there are others to come that I can dive into because I want to read everybody’s story from this family

The Perfect Golden Retriever Boyfriend

I love it when the truth comes out early in a book instead of it being the thing that causes a 3rd act breakup! I'll admit, I was worried when Cole kept his online identity a secret from Mia and when Mia didn't tell Cole her connection to Gracie. But, I should know better than to think G.A. would make that the focus of the book. Instead, we get a story about two people with so much respect for those around them that they want to make sure their relationship is real before revealing it to the world.

Cole is such a golden retriever boyfriend - happy, willing and eager to please. You can't help but to want all the best things for him. Mia has had it hard, but she's strong and willing to put in the work to improve her situation. I love the amount of respect between the characters right from the start, it's what made me root so hard for them.

As in New York Stars Book #1 (End Game), the world building here was fantastic. We got our first glimpse of Pigeon Creek and got to revisit the Five Points and Satan's Sinners. Also, like in Book #1, the text banter between everyone was one of my favorite parts of the book.

Aaron Shedlock had the perfect voice for Colt, I can absolutely imagine him as a Golden Retriever. CJ Bloom was outstanding as Mia, I love how dynamic her voice can be.

Fabulous Story and Narration!

Waiting Game is the second book and audiobook in the New York Stars Series. It is a M/F, Contemporary, Secret Relationship, Sports Romance with emotion provoking moments, witty banter, a curvy, cam girl heroine in distress, and a golden retriever hero who is pierced for her pleasure.

Cole and Mia are amazing characters. I absolutely adore them both. Their story is seriously addictive and impossible to put down. The furry friends, drama, chemistry, and witty banter kept me entertained and wanting more!

The writing, pace, and flow of the story are fabulous, as are the plot, storyline, storytelling, characters, character development, relationship development, and world building.

The Narrators, C.J. Bloom and Aaron Shedlock also do an incredible job voicing Cole and Mia and putting sound to their hurdle filled journey to love and a HEA.

I would 100% recommend this book, audiobook, and series. I will be excitedly awaiting more from this fantastic author.

Easy, funny and entertaining listening ❤️

Give me an MMC who reads Omegaverse why-choose books, dislikes the miscommunication trope, loves cats, and is a true romantic. He also tends to overshare and has an eccentric wardrobe. I am definitely a goner.
Cole is the ultimate book boyfriend—literally.

The best part of Mia and Cole’s story is how effortlessly you can just go with the flow. It’s both refreshing and hilarious.

Note: Animal deaths are discussed and partially described.

Tropes:
One night stand
He falls hard and first
Hockey player / secret cam girl
Pierced
The banter ❤️
“There’s beauty in chaos, gorgeous”.

The audiobook is narrated in duet by Aaron Shedlock and C J Bloom.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent

So good!

You will love this unique, emotional and complicated story. The narrators did such a great job. Mia and Cole have so many obstacles to over come and the journey keeps you invested the entire time. This was a well written, emotional story. I highly recommend.

GA Is Rocking Her Hockey Era

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 5 🎧

I absolutely loved Cole and Mia's story. The cam girl and online relationship tropes did not start the way I expected, but it was so perfect for these two and their meet cute was so great too. The third act about broke my heart, but thankfully doesn't involve any break-ups and I loved that the end of the story was full of epilogue-esque chapters with nothing but laughs and smiles.

The trials that Cole goes through while working through the fact that Mia really hurt someone he loved were really interesting. I thought Gemma did such a wonderful job writing him during that time, his guilt was there, but the love he felt for Mia outshined everything.

Aaron Shedlock and CJ Bloom were soooo good as Cole and Mia. This DUET narration was freaking fantastic and will definitely be one I listen to time and time again.

I can't wait for more from this series. Gemma's hockey era has been so good to us so far and Matt's story sounds like it's going to be full of fire if his FMC is any indication.

This is a spicy hockey romance with great narrators

Aaron Sherlock and CJ Bloom are fantastic narrators that made this audiobook characters Cole and Mia come to life. They sparred with each other before they became lovers. I highly recommend this audiobook for lovers of sports romances.