Hidden Scars

Darby U Hockey Boys, Book 1

By: Andi Jaxon

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Iggy Toma

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Charles Preston Carmichael is the most infuriating man I've ever met.

I want to sock the golden boy of college hockey right in the mouth. He enjoys telling me everything I'm messing up—publicly. And since he's my roommate for the next year, I can't avoid him.

Yet there's something about him that makes me watch him. Something dark. A secret I want to uncover.

When he returns from a weekend away, broken and haunted, I can't keep my distance anymore. He needs someone, and I'll be damned if it's not me.

Soon my life no longer revolves around hockey but the nightmares he's living with. Desperately, I want to save him, but I can't. Only he can save himself.

Can I watch him destroy himself as he tries to hold tight to the things that matter, or will I be the final hit in the destruction of his life?

Hidden Scars is an MM enemies-to-lovers hockey romance with a jealous f*ck buddy and plenty of heat.

©2022 Andi Jaxon (P)2023 Podium Audio

Ouch but so good

The voice actors did a great job.

I absolutely adored this book. But as a warning you are probably going to hate Preston… for a while. Preston is a complete jerk at the start of the book. You find out at the start of the book that he had significant trauma. He is experiencing significant abuse. He ends up taking that trauma out on others particularly Jeremy. But as the book progresses despite the seemingly terrible personality, you start to become invested in his story. Largely due to Jeremy.
Jeremy is amazing. He definitely has poor boundaries and should have not allowed the awful behavior towards him. But he is written in such a way that you love him early on.

LOVED IT!!!

All I'm going to say is that this audiobook was fantastic. From the writing to the plot, the spice to the narration. Freaking amazing!
Great job to the author 👏

I love Jeremy's family

I loved this book on Kindle, but even more so now that it has been recorded by 2 awesome narrators. They absolutely chose the right ones to voice Jeremy and Preston.

There is a lot of sadness in this book, and I agree with one of the reviewers who said that if child abuse is a trigger, then maybe this book should be skipped.

However, Jeremy's family lends some well-needed humour to this story. I laughed so hard I had teers rolling down my cheeks during the Christmas cookie scene. I'm sure most of you will know the one I mean.

My favourite books are ones that deal with hard and serious issues and generally have a lot of angxt, but I do love an author who can also balance it out with a bit of levity in a way that doesn't take away from the seriousness of what is going on with the MC or MCs.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who loves grumpy/sunshine and enemies to lovers tropes along with some pretty hot and steamy scenes that are a bit on the aggressive side. The aggression though never becomes too much, though it does skate the line in a few scenes, but nothing too over the top.

5 stars.

Incredible story!

I couldn't stop listening to this book! This is a very shocking abusing story, one of those you hope is someone else's imagination. If you have an abusive parent relationship as a trigger, I would skip this book.
As for the narration, 100% on point! I could feel everything that was read. I just love it.

Can't wait till we have the second book of this series....

The readers are great

This is a must hear, could not put it down and came back for a second read. Hard on book !! Love story!

I loved it

This book gave me all the feels. I laughed and I cried. Best book of the year so far. Oh and the narration was amazing. I love Jeremy and Preston

Way too powerful!

This book was the most intense book that I have ever listened to. It's hot, romantic, and filled with hot passionate sex! And the narration is beyond excellent! And it's a loving story!

the angst!

I loved everything about this story! I loved the darkness and the way it was worked through. I love Jeremy's family ♡ My only complaint is that that dad should have gotten way more than he got

I love the story plot.

The story is exciting and I enjoy how everything turns around in the end. Great plot!

Angsty, Healing, Beautiful Story

First, the narration was amazing. Teddy and Iggy are two of my favorite narrators, and they both do each of the main characters beautifully, bringing out the pain, love, sarcasm, and humor in each of the scenes.
This was one of my favorite books to read when it was first published because I absolutely adore heavy angst, but like others have said I love the love which heals Preston. I love Jeremy's family, especially his grandmother. I love the quilt scenes and what that represents to Preston. I love how even his teammates rally around him in the end.
I don't want to say more without spoiling too much of it, but I seriously loved everything about this book. I wish the author would write more heavy angst! The MM community needs more heavy angst like this!
If you love heavy angst, enemies to lovers, sports romance, strong family love on one side of the relationship, and a beautiful HEA then I highly recommend this story.