Perfect Storm

Toronto Thunder, Book 1

By: Beth Bolden

Narrated by: Darcy Stark

When the sexy little brother of Aidan’s best friend suggests a hookup pact, it's the perfect storm for a bi-awakening . . .

Toronto Thunder quarterback Aidan Flynn always believed he was straight, until his close friend and favorite wide receiver signs with a team across the country. Distance opens his eyes and unlocks a desire he can’t deny. Even if his feelings aren’t returned, Aidan still wants to learn more about this part of himself.

Frustrated and a little heartbroken, the last thing he expects is for his crappy mood to get called out by his best friend’s little brother. Or for Levi to offer, on one drunken night, a pact: if Aidan never gets together with his guy, Levi will show him everything he’s been missing—and wanting—in bed.

It’s a stupid promise, fueled by booze and heartbreak, and Aidan expects that Levi will never call him on it.

Except Levi does. He shows up at Aidan’s house in Toronto less than two months later, not only willing to fulfill his side of the pact, but now signed to the Thunder as Aidan’s new right tackle. Aidan assumes it’ll be easy to get rid of him, but Levi is charming and persistent, and he not only ends up living in Aidan’s house, but sleeping in Aidan’s bed.

It’s easy and fun and the best hookup Aidan’s ever had in his whole life. It’s so good, in fact, Aidan starts to experience feelings he believed were long gone, traded away with his friend. Maybe with Levi in his life, love isn’t such a lost cause, after all.

They’re great on the field and between the sheets. But when Aidan’s past returns, he must decide whether Levi also has a place in his heart.

©2025 Earl Gray Publishing LLC (P)2025 Earl Gray Publishing LLC

BFF's little brother (but her's bigger, haha)

Love the turnabout here from the situation/characters from The Star! This is a BFF's little brother romance, except in this case, Levi isn't all that little! This was a good forced proximity + teammates to lovers book.. I enjoyed this start to the series! It was fun to get some cameos and especially a glimpse of RAMSEY and maybe his future! And who wouldn't love the combo of a crush + pining + a s*x pact??? Thoroughly enjoyed. Can't wait to read more in this series!

Audiobook update: Darcy Stark came back to narrate this book and did his usual good job with handling all the different characters and giving them distinct voices and bringing out their personalities.

How Many Football Player On a Team?

Thanks to Beth for this ARC!
The story line was entertaining.
The characters were confused, and driven, at the same time.
The narrator did a good job but Levi’s accent was a little ‘over the top.’

loved the accent

This is the first book in this series. I've been waiting for Riley's story. I was well pleased
This is the audio Review and I'll say I loved the narration especially Levi's accent. The narration really lifted the story for me. I love the voice distions and inflicting. You can feel the emotions. I highly recommend this version.

Another Touchdown by Beth Bolden!

I was excited to hear Beth Bolden was writing another football book. It's the first type of book I read from her along with her cooking series. This book did not disappoint. I liked the characters, storyline, and pacing of the book. I enjoyed Darcy Stark's performance. The southern accent wasn't my favorite, but it's interestingly enough hard to pull off. Most tend to over exaggerate it or make it a caricature of a true southern accent and depending on where you are, it's different. I don't think he did bad, it just wasn't my favorite in his repertoire. Other than that small gripe, it was very engaging. I can't wait to read the next book. I hope Darcy narrates the whole series.

Pacts

A little bit heartbroken and a bit jaded, Aidan is left wanting as he feels he has lost an opportunity to explore facets of himself.
When drunken confessions lead to secret pacts with his best friends brother, he didn’t expect Levi to honour the pact they had made.
When Levi lands on his door, Aidan gains a roommate, teammate and a bedmate who opens his eyes and life to new experiences.

An age gap, best friends brother romance, forced proximity, low angst story with football and family in the plot.
Darcy Stark does a good job with the narration. It takes a while to warm up to the timber of voice but overall it’s an enjoyable listen.