This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an intriguing book. I received a complimentary Kindle copy in an Amazon promotion. That did not change my opinion for this review.

I gave it four stars.

"This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920, and taking its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth."

Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/This-Side-Paradise-Scott-Fitzgerald/dp/1514650363

'The Harrisburg Railers' came to an end...but all that changed with 'Coast to Coast' the first book in the 'Arizona Raptors', RJ Scott and V.L. Locey's latest series and the much awaited  spin off to 'The Harrisburg Railers'.

Before Mark Westman-Reid's father died, he did two things that at first notice most would consider to be more than a little foolish...first... he signed Rowan Carmichael to leave his job coaching university level hockey and move to Arizona to try and save what most would consider one of, if not the worst team in professional hockey...The Arizona Raptors. It would take less time to explain what was good about this team than what isn't. The Raptors are a disaster of epic proportions and the second thing that father Westman-Reid did was in his will because if his brothers can't convince Mark to come home for one year and help them try to save the Raptors...the family will loose everything...well, everyone except Mark that is because when his father rejected him for being gay, Mark made his own way in the world and has managed to create a very successful modelling agency that doesn't depend on the wealth of the Westman-Reid family or the success of a failing hockey team.

I've been anxiously awaiting this newest venture into the world of hockey by this writing duo and I can happily say that I have not been disappointed. 'Coast to Coast' has laid the groundwork for a series that promises to deliver stories and characters that are every bit as enjoyable as we were treated to with 'The Harrisburg Railers' stories. 

In 'Coast to Coast' as well as meeting Mark and Rowan we are introduced to the rest of the Westman-Reid family and several members of the Raptors including some that we have met before in both 'The Harrisburg Railers' and 'Owatonna U Hockey' series. 

I really liked Mark and Rowan...their personalities, the banter and interaction between them, the way they challenged each other...this pairing worked for me and I'm really hoping that the trend of having characters recur in subsequent stories continues and we get to see more of these two. 

Mark may not know hockey, but when it comes to running a successful business he's no slouch and if the Raptors want to have a hope in hades of getting back on their feet they're going to need all the help they can get. It's going to take Mark, his brothers and the sister that is not only determined to see the Raptors turn around as a team but to see her family reunited as well.

The Raptors are a mess and as well as proving to the upper management (code talk for the Westman-Reid family) that he is the man they need to get their team back on track but it's going to take a lot of changes the least of which is getting some fresh blood among the players, losing some of the more toxic veterans on the team...members that those who have read the Railers series will be more than happy to see go the way of the dodo bird and then there's the coaching staff that needs to be sorted out as well...it's going to be a challenging job and then some.

It's not always a given that enjoying a series will mean you like anything that spins off from it, so I'm definitely calling it a win that for me 'Coast to Coast' has gotten this series off to as good of a start as I had with 'The Harrisburg Railers' and I'm already anticipating reading whatever comes next for this team.

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An ARC of 'Coast to Coast' was graciously provided by the authors in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love it as a lot of people said I would, but I did really like it.

I've not been around much lately (eh, life), but I'm hoping to change that in the coming days. Is anyone even still playing snakes and ladders anymore!? I've been going ridiculously slowly (as is my norm), but I'll keep playing for another while just to see more puffins on my board!

I finished The Great Gatsby and Spide: The Lost Tribes, which I loved, for very different reasons. I could only roll 1 die and got a 3, which takes me to square 12. I now have to read a book where the authors last name begins with T, U, V, W, X, Y or Z and I'll either pick a classic or a non-fiction, as I'm really getting into them.

right? Well no one told this to Stan and he's about to score the 'Hat Trick' to end all 'Hat Tricks' but honestly it's not on the ice.

I adore Stan and Erik, along with Erik's son Noah and Stan's mom and sister the family they're creating is so much fun to spend time with but now with the ringing of a phone things are about to change in ways that neither Stan or Erik had anticipated...wanted but hadn't quite anticipated yet.

Stan's heading back to Russia to collect his cousin's orphaned children and bring them back to America to become a part of the 'someday' family that he and Erik want to have...only, someday maybe wasn't suppose to be quite so soon.

I loved how Stan and Erik just did this...there was no should we? shouldn't we? this is family and they need a home so yes, there were logistics to deal with but doing it, giving these two children a home was never a decision to be made but that's not to say that there weren't concerns...Stan's gay and he's in a relationship with a man...it's not a secret and Stan's heading back to Russia...not a great place to go if you're gay...but he knows people.

So while it's stressful for Stan having to go back to Russia and for Erik having the man he loves travel to a place that's maybe not the safest place for him to be on his own no matter how big of a bear he is. What there isn't is a lot of unnecessary drama...me likey! 

The focus of this story was Stan and Erik and while each man had their own pressure to deal with to make this happen they did it and they did it as a couple...no added drama or 'miscommunications' just a couple working together to make something that needed to happen...happen. Actually it wasn't even just a couple because Stan's mom was right there to do her part and Stan's sister totally stepped in to help as well because hey, this is what family does.

I adore this series it's just so easy to get into and as much as I love Stan and Erik or Ten and Mads, I'd love more about the other characters we've met as well...like...Layton and Adler, Trent and Dieter, Max and Ben or one of my other personal favorites Bryan and his tattoo artist Gatlin...more about any or all of these men would not be amiss in my world.

Sometimes it comes down to screw the angst and conflict and extra drama I just want something with characters who make me smile and stories that keep making me smile and leave me feeling like my world's a little bit of a better place and the 'Harrisburg Railers' do that for me.

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An ARC of 'Hat Trick' was graciously provided by the authors in exchange for an honest review.