Deke by Eden Finley

Deke by Eden Finley

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Buy Link: Amazon

Blurb:

Ollie 

Word of advice: don’t come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they’re charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help. 

My family believes I can’t be happy if I’m not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name. 

I really should’ve asked for his name. 

Lennon 

Word of advice: learn how to introduce yourself properly. 

In my defense, I don’t recognize Ollie Strömberg right away. I cover football, not hockey. 

I’m not supposed to see him again, and he’s never supposed to find out I’m a reporter. 

That all changes when my editor reassigns me. 

It’s a lesson I should’ve learned by now. Nothing’s changed since high school. Jocks still hate nerds. But even worse, athletes hate journalists. Especially ones who know their secret. 

Review:

I mentioned previously how I’ve been on a hockey-or-murder kick, right?  Deke hit every spot I needed. Well, except the murder part. Not only was there hockey, but there was Boston Hockey. The team wasn’t the Bruins, but whatever. (Mmmm… trademark issues…)  The hockey player involved came from a family who lives in Milton, which is maybe a five minute drive from here. (Unless there’s traffic, in which case it can be a two hour drive.)  There’s even bad blood between my kid’s hockey team and the Milton team, the same team Ollie would have played on at her age.

God, it’s going to be a very long off season, isn’t it?

Anyway, one of the things I love about this book is that there is a very accepting and loving family and not all of the guy’s problems are solved. Accepting and loving families are fantastic. They’re wonderful to have and they do make navigating the world as an LGBTQ+ person easier and better. There are still a ton of issues we face, and family can’t always help.

Watching the family run around trying to manage Ollie’s love life had me laughing out loud throughout this book. It reminded me of my youth. The big dramatic moment toward the end (which is a spoiler) hit me like a punch to the gut.

But – but! – they get their happily ever after. Deke is a fantastic book in which two guys I loved got their happily ever after, a lot of hockey got played, and I didn’t stop grinning from cover to cover. Even people who aren’t into hockey will enjoy this book.