Offside

Dartmouth Cobras Series #4

By: Bianca Sommerland

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A pace ahead of the play can send you back to the start. And put everything you've worked for at risk. Single mother and submissive Rebecca Bower abandoned her career as a sports reporter to become a media consultant with her brother's hockey team. A failed marriage to a selfish man makes her wary of getting involved with another. Unfortunately, chemistry is hard to deny, and all her hormones are dancing when she gets close to the Cobras' sniper, Scott Demyan.

Zachary Pearce "came out" to the world last season to shift attention away from a teammate. And his one night with Scott Demyan had been unsettling. There could be more there, if only Scott was a different person. Instead, a night of sensual BDSM play with Becky leaves him wanting more, but she thinks he's gay and questions his interest. It's been a long time since a woman has attracted him both as a man and a dom, and he'll do everything in his power to prove she's the only one he needs. Or wants.

His one time with Scott was a mistake. Scott might have forgotten what happened in his childhood, but the effects linger, and he specializes in drunken one-night stands...until he meets Zach and Becky and sees what he's missing. But neither one believes Scott can be faithful. Although he's trying hard to clean up his act to avoid getting kicked off the team, they want more from him. He's willing to make changes, but the most important one - putting their happiness before his own - means he'll probably end up alone.

©2013 Bianca Sommerland (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Another good book in the series, but...

This book should have a different title like, "The Insecurity Olympics: Battle for the Most MCs that Have Zero Confidence in one Book"

I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series. I don't always like all of the MCs, but once the story comes around to focus on each MC, you get a deeper understanding of their behavior. But like I mentioned above, it became a burden to have to carry the weight of nearly everyone being deeply, even dangerously, insecure.

Kinky with great stories and characters

This author is fantastic at writing BDSM kink and provides the reader with glimpses of an ideal BDSM lifestyle where everyone in the life is respectful of their partners and tolerant of others in their group. There is so much sensitivity by the whole group of friends to helping people grow and finding ways to meet their needs / slay their demons.

I love the characters. Love the character development. It's nice to have different generations as part of the "normal" life - kids and mothers-in-law and uncles and friends interacting in each other's lives, caring for each other, doing kind things, giving and taking advice, etc.

The hockey stories are realistic and interesting.

The conflict/angst is more believable than in many books of this genre.

The narration is good.

My only negative comments are:
(1) There are so many POV it is like several books cut together. All the previous books are continued in this one. It takes the momentum away from this book's main story.
(2) With each of the players being called by their last name by some people, and by their first name by other people, and by a nickname sometimes - on top of their being a huge list of characters - it's a challenge to understand who is who sometimes.
(3) The book is 19 hours long, with most of it being build-up to a threesome. We get five minutes of a first go and then skip the rest of the weekend? WTF! No DP? Talk about leaving someone on the edge and then leave them hanging. Not cool.