I cried. Twice. It was heartbreaking but also very sweet. I liked that Jack stopped playing hockey before they started anything and without correlation to their relationship. I find it sad that he stopped playing mainly because I hoped he would find a way to deal with his anxiety but obviously if he doesn't enjoy playing he shouldn't force himself. My only issue was money. Hockey is an expensive sport. How did he start without money? His foster parents? He said he started loving hockey at 17 so how did he became good enough to play for college a year later? How can he afford it now? Other than that, I loved it. To be fair, I read a few of Mulder's books months ago and I think they are all fairly similar in characters. A whole lot of asexuality. No complaints from me, I like the representation and considering it rarely happens in hockey books I appreciate it even more when a few month have passed between reading Mulder's books.

Here we have another fantastic example of asexual representation ... which I of course truly love. Jack was clear from the start that he only wanted dating and a romantic relationship, which perfectly suited Des, who is Asexual. I love that they started dating without the expectation that it would ever become sexual - that really should be the standard! The drama surrounding Desmond's nephew Parker and the death of his sister was well integrated, showing how his life was suddenly derailed. Jack's strong self-esteem issues stem from his awful family. I liked that Jack quit playing high-stress hockey, though I wished he hadn't quit entirely but perhaps continued as a backup goalie, as he enjoyed the sport, just not the pressure. I also believed Desmond had no hidden motives while coaching Jack. And surprisingly, I found Parker very pleasant! He behaved like a real kid with occasional tantrums, which was great. The lack of sexual expectations at the start, contrasting with assumptions in other books, truly highlighted how healthy this relationship was.