Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Breakaway by Avon Gale Breakaway by Avon Gale. A Scoring Chances Novel. Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He’s put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship. Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most. For my dad, who taught me the joy and heartache of overinvesting in sports—and why it was perfectly okay to shout at the television. And for Jen, who taught me to love hockey—despite being horrified at my taste in teams—and who patiently explained Canadian junior hockey to me on the best of all possible road trips. And, as always, for Eric, for the constant support and for taking me to my first-ever hockey game—and not laughing too hard when I asked about the swimming pool. I would like to thank Liz Fitzgerald, for being such an awesome editor, and Aaron Anderson for the lovely cover art. The structure of minor-league professional hockey in the States is a bit confusing and is constantly changing as teams open, fold, and relocate. I thought it might be a good idea to provide a quick-and-dirty rundown, at least as it pertains to the Scoring Chances series and the characters you’ll meet along the way. The National Hockey League (NHL) has thirty teams, and each team has an affiliate American Hockey League (AHL) team. The primary purpose of the AHL is to serve as a development league for the NHL, allowing promising players and recent acquisitions/draft picks to improve their hockey skills and physical conditioning. Teams can also “call up” players from their AHL affiliate when necessary, to replace injured players or to give valuable playing experience to potential prospects. Players on the NHL team can also be sent down to the AHL, if it is deemed a good idea for the player’s individual development. The ECHL, which is the league in which the Scoring Chances series takes place, is a double-minor league, or the league directly below the AHL. There are currently twenty-eight teams in the ECHL, and most are affiliated with an AHL team—with an eventual goal of adding two more teams so it is even in number with the NHL/AHL. There have been cases when one ECHL team is a shared affiliate between two NHL teams. Confusing? All you really need to know is that the ECHL is a feeder league for the AHL, which is a feeder league for the NHL. In the Scoring Chances series, all the NHL/AHL affiliates are correct as of time of publication, but it should be noted that these can change quite often in between seasons. All ECHL teams, their locations and their affiliates in the Scoring Chances series are fictional (with the exception of the Cincinnati Cyclones). Like the AHL, players can be “called up” and “sent down” as necessary. It’s important to note two main differences between the ECHL and the other two leagues. The ECHL is not dependent on a draft, so coaches are free to choose their own roster. Anyone can try out for a spot. The other difference is money. And this is a big one—ECHL players generally make about $12,000 per year (plus housing expenses), compared to about $40,000 a year for your average player in the AHL. Of course, the amount is much higher for an NHL player—but not quite, say, the level of your average NFL player. In the first book in this series, Breakaway, Jared refers to the ECHL as Easy Come, Hard to Leave, which is a moniker I learned from reading Sean Pronger’s excellent book, Journeyman: The Many Triumphs (and Even More Defeats) Of A Guy Who’s Seen Just About Everything In the Game of Hockey. I cannot recommend this book enough, and reading the hilarious and informative anecdotes of Sean Pronger’s career—played primarily in the ECHL—is what made me want to write about minor-league hockey players in the first place. The book also provided a lot of insight and ideas for the character that would become Jared Shore. Like Sean Pronger, Shore is a veteran “journeyman” who’s spent his long career playing for a multitude of teams and wearing a lot of terrible jerseys along the way. Breakaway by Avon Gale. There were a few moments of silence, and Lane thought he’d actually made things worse—which didn’t seem possible, but maybe it was. Then Reeder and Sparky started clapping, and the rest of the team followed suit. Lane flushed hot at their applause and the “It’s about time” and “We almost gave up on you, Courts” that were thrown his way. LANE WENT with his teammates to Cruisers after the game and had two cheeseburgers and fries with cheese on them, and basked in the warm glow of having a team that didn’t hate him. Ryan Sloan, a third-line winger, sat by Lane at the table. He was a nice guy, chatty. Before they’d finished eating, Lane knew everything about him. He was from Toronto, a Leafs fan like Lane, and came to Florida because he knew he’d never get drafted, but he loved playing, he really did. “It’s fun. Hockey is supposed to be fun, you know? I mean, sure, we don’t get a lot of money and fame or anything, but we get to play.” “Well, I haven’t been having very much fun, but I’ll take your word for it,” Lane said dryly. “Hey. Well, my first team? I asked if there was an age restriction because the guys all looked old enough to coach.” Ryan winced. “It wasn’t as bad as the stuff you said, but it still sucked. Sorry, dude. Want to be roommates?” And just like that, Lane had an out of the Econo Lodge, a dinner invitation… and a hockey team. He also had a buzz, because they kept buying him beer he wasn’t old enough to drink. But Lane didn’t think you turned down team bonding, no matter what form it took. Or foam it took, which was a thought that Lane kept giggling about even if he couldn’t explain it to anyone. Someone took him home to the Econo Lodge so he could sleep it off. He had two more nights there, and then he could move into the apartment with Sloan. Lane got a package of donuts from the vending machine, ate two, threw up everything in his stomach, and fell asleep on the bathroom floor. That was a lot more like what he expected playing professional hockey would be like. What he did not expect was waking up at eleven thirty at night, dry-mouthed, starving, and vaguely sickened by the thought of packaged donuts. He took a shower and brushed his teeth, which took a long time because he was dizzy. Drinking was dumb when you played a contact sport for a living. Lane eventually hauled his sorry ass down to the front desk, where he asked if there was a restaurant anywhere within walking distance. The man at the desk sucked his teeth for a few seconds—which Lane was starting to think might be secret code or some kind of weird Florida dialect—and then he shrugged. “Not really. Can go over to Bomber’s, though. It’s a bar, but sometimes they got pizza.” He pointed vaguely toward the front door. “S’across the street.” “Thanks,” Lane said, smiling weakly. He crossed “the street”—which was the interstate—and went into a dive bar with a plane painted on the side of it and a blinking red Budweiser sign in the window. He realized at the last second that he wasn’t old enough to be drinking in a bar, and he didn’t have his entire team there to vouch for him. It didn’t seem like anyone cared, though. No one said a word to him as he walked in and stupidly sat at a table for ten minutes before getting up and going to the bar. The bartender was a guy about his dad’s age, with white hair tied in a ponytail and a beard that made him look like a pirate. “Get you somethin’?” he asked, cleaning a glass. “Pizza?” Lane asked, hopefully. Damn. He was starving. “Nah. Oven’s broke. Got some peanuts. Oh, and a fry daddy. We still got some chicken things in the freezer, if you want those.” “That sounds great, thanks,” Lane said, his stomach growling. “You want something to drink with that?” “Sure… do you have Dr Pepper?” The bartender stared at him for a good two minutes, silently drying the glass until it was squeaking. Then he reached into a cooler, pulled out a bottle of Bud Light, popped the cap off, and placed it in front of Lane. “Thanks.” The last thing Lane wanted was beer, but he also didn’t want to get kicked out before his dinner of “chicken things from the fry daddy” showed up. Or maybe he did. Florida was so weird. He was messing with the coaster when he caught the guy a few seats down looking at him. Lane’s stomach did a little flop when he met a pair of familiar, pale-blue eyes. Jared Shore, of all people, was in that stupid bar and giving him an unfriendly look. “You even old enough to be in here?” susebook9. A Scoring Chances Novel Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He's put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship. Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different poin. Editorial : Let me summarize you the content of each chapter (until chapter 9): Chapter 1. The author is Canadian and a lot of the information has to do with Canadian laws. Many years ago after directly being involved with what may have been a rather sacred benediction, i handed K a little note that mentioned a physical change with my body, when "it" occurred, that is not mentioned (as far as i know) in any of K's books not even in K's Notebook; although (while it happened) i did have trouble moving too. Then, pass it along to another eager reader. ---Dr. I am an art licensing agent, and I use this book, along with a few other references, on a regular basis. For the most part, ham operators operate from their personal stations. I recomend. I love the progression of his character and how candid he becomes not only with others, but with himself. Those familiar with kinematics will be fine in this chapter. Chapter 6. The book doesn't provide an overview of the many ways art. #TBT Book Reviews: Breakaway by Avon Gale. First up is Breakaway by Avon Gale, in honour of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Technically, Avon doesn’t like me right now because my Ottawa Senators knocked her Boston Bruins out of the playoffs in Round One. (Kidding, kidding. I think.) Anyway, I absolutely adore Avon Gale’s Scoring Chances series, and here’s what I thought of Breakaway! Do you like hockey with your m/m? If you haven’t read this series by Avon Gale yet, you need to! I absolutely fell in love with the characters in the first book, particularly Lane, and I ended up devouring the rest of the series over the next few days. In Breakaway, Lane Courtnall is a rookie on the ECHL’s Jacksonville Sea Storm. He’s 20, gay, from Chatham, Ontario, and does not communicate well—he’s a shade too blunt and really doesn’t grasp the point of a brain-mouth filter. His teammates don’t like him very much because of said lack of brain-mouth filter, so he decides to throw his gloves down during a game against Jacksonville’s rivals, against their bruiser, Jared Shore. As it turns out, Jared’s bisexual, and that fight leads to Lane and Jared connecting off the ice in a much more pleasant manner. But Jared’s at the end of his career (he’s in his early 30s) while Lane is at the start of his very promising one, so can they figure out how to work out a future together? The best thing about Avon’s Scoring Chances series is how strongly the love of hockey shines through the narration and the characters. There’s not a lot of angst in these books (the third is about the angstiest to date, but I think the upcoming number four might top it). Most of the players have no problem accepting their bisexual and gay teammates, which is refreshing. These books are about the love of the game first and foremost, which makes them a joy to read. Even if you’re not a hockey fan, I think you’d still like these books. They make hockey very accessible—the games and practices are big parts of the story, but the books don’t linger on the play-by-play on the ice. I seriously loved them. Audio Review: Breakaway by Avon Gale. Title: Breakaway Author: Avon Gale Narrator: Scott R. Smith Series: Scoring Chances #1 Heroes: Lane Courtnall/Jared Shore Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 7 Hours, 33 Minutes Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Release Date: August 9, 2016 Available at: Amazon, Audible and iTunes Add it to your shelf: Goodreads. Blurb: Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He’s put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship. Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most. Review: This is my first book by Avon Gale and my first audio by Scott R. Smith, but, it won’t be my last. This was a really well done, humorous, and low angst sports romance. Hockey is not one of my favorite sports to watch but it is one of my favorite romance to read about, go figure. Lane is just so flipping adorable but such a complete goofball…and Scott R. Smith pulled off his character performance brilliantly. I loved the way he took the innocent dork and made him into a lovable friend and lover. He had no filter, didn’t understand why people thought he was nuts, but didn’t really care most of the time, either. He was Lane, and what you see is what you get. He was brilliant. Jared was a saint…which is saying something since his reputation as a hockey player was based on his fighting. But these two, though competitors on the ice, were so very complimentary as a couple. I am not normally a fan of age differences, but this one worked for me. Jared needed Lane as much as Lane needed Jared. They just fit. Scott R. Smith pulls off an amazing performance in Breakaway , and even though it took a moment to realize that the goofiness that was Lane Courtnall was intentional, I totally loved this story and the way it was enacted. He has a great voice, and I look forward to hearing more from him and more from Avon Gale in the next few books from this series. Highly recommended for the sports buffs who want to spend an enjoyable performance with two awesome hockey players who create a ton of heat on and off the ice. Wish I had listened to this audio sooner, but I am so happy to see the other books in the series are already in audio with the same narrator….I know what I am listening to next. Overall Impression: I loved it! *I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*