Rec: Blood On The Ice

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Title: Blood On The Ice

Author: Katriena Knights

Published/Free: Published

Length: Novel

Status: Complete

Rating: Mature

Link: Kobo

Summary:

The neutral zone is no place for a vampire.

A right wing for the Chicago Blackhawks, all Travis Payne wants is to see his name on the Stanley Cup. He certainly doesn’t expect to be attacked by a vampire on the eve of the Finals. But when he wakes up in the Warm Room of the Cook County Morgue, he knows his life will never be the same.

Review:

Yeah, I know. I know. I. Know. In my defence, I read this on a dare, but it turned out to be so much better than I expected. First of all, abandon logic all ye who enter. Don’t ask why vampires would be playing hockey. Don’t ask what they get out of it. Don’t think about the physics. Just, don’t son. Instead, sit back and enjoy the hell out of the weird.

In saying all that, the book spends a (pleasantly) surprising amount of time on Travis’ attempts to adjust to his new vampirism and the difficulties he faces. I found myself feel bad for the guy, especially when he tries to reconnect with his human friends and team. Another surprise, the romance is pretty slow build. I mean, you know who the LI is going to be, but there’s none of that rushed “love at first sight” thing, and protracted miscommunications are nowhere to be found here.

Given this is a slash novel, there are only a handful of female characters but they’re all well written and treated with respect, which is just the cherry on top really. You don’t need to be a hockey fan to read this. Just know the very basics (three forwards, two defence, a goalie and they try to put a black plastic cylider in a goal) and that should be enough.

I can’t recall anything that was egregiously awful. Maybe a bit of bloodplay, it’s not all that fluffy (although it does have a HFN ending), and there’s some POV switching? Basically, I enjoyed it and it’s perfect for when you’re in the mood for some crack about vampires on ice.