Empty Net

Reviewed by Erin for Diverse Reader


There are very few authors that continue to get better with each and every book they release ... especially when their debut book was a home run. For me, Avon Gale is among my very favorite authors and her newest book, Empty Net is the reason why. Sexy, funny, and emotional is a hard combination to perfect, but Avon Gale has it mastered. Her books are ALWAYS the perfect balance of swoon and humor, of emotions and strong, well-rounded characters full of flaws and personalities. What I love most is that even though this is the fourth book in her highly entertaining Scoring Chances series, this one is completely different from the previous books, while keeping true to what her numerous and growing fans have come to expect and love.

I have to get a major flail out of the way first before I can get to Isaac and Laurent, the focus of Empty Net. To me, a book that stays on my re-read list has a bit of everything. That feeling of comfort, the ability to allow me to escape for hours, and when I'm done, I'm left with this all out body sigh that just makes me feel so so good. One of the reasons this book in particular is at the very top of my go to books is because of the incredible and so very beautifully portrayed bromance between Misha and Isaac. We first met Isaac Drake in all his blue haired, bad boy glory in Power Play, book 3. I loved him so hard then and Misha immediately found a place in my heart among my favorite characters ever. But in Empty Net, their friendship moves to whole other stratosphere. I'm not lying when I say I would be first in line to read an entire book of nothing but Isaac and Misha talking in the kitchen or seeing them during their one on one skates. It's probably my most favorite relationship out of all them so far. There is just something so sweet and so moving to me about the connection these two men share. How Misha lets Isaac see a part of himself he doesn't even share with his boyfriend, Max (who is pretty damn awesome) and how Isaac feels so safe and so accepted by Misha he's able to let down his guard and be vulnerable. There's absolutely nothing sexual between these two, though when Isaac ogles Misha it always makes me laugh, but their absolute devotion to one another is essential to who they are as people. I'm in awe of how Avon Gale has written these two together.

Now, onto Isaac and Laurent. It takes tremendous talent on the part of an author to make a character as reviled as Laurent St. Savoy into one who's sympathetic and likable but damn if Avon Gale didn't do this ... and then some. I was anxious that I wouldn't be able to like Laurent, and especially not with Isaac whom everyone, me included, loved so much, but I should have known that I had nothing to worry about. From Laurent's first appearance there was just something so sad and so vulnerable about him that begged for us to root for him to get his shit together. Of course, it would be Isaac who steps up to the plate and willingly takes him on. Empty Net is a bit darker than the previous books. From Laurent's abuse by his father to his eating disorder to Isaac's struggle to get over his own past, you'll find yourself crying more than a few times. I know I did. Isaac's constant comfort and support of Saint was tender and sweet. His willingness to be there, his earnestness to try to help Saint, as Isaac and the team start to call him, stand up to his abusive father was touching and emotional.

This book, y'all. I can't really even with how fantastic it is. It has everything. Lots of the hockey action that Avon Gale writes like no other. Funny moments, sweet and tender moments, sexy and hot moments, emotional moments, and a few times where you'll be angry and upset. It's my favorite book of the series. My love for all things Lane Courtland is still strong, Misha will forever be a favorite, but Isaac and Saint are their own level of perfection.

Laurent was standing in a group of their teammates, who all skated off—making kissy noises, the assholes—when Isaac finally made his way to him.



“Hey, Saint.” Isaac pulled him into a hug. Fuck it. “Thanks for setting a standard I’ll never be able to meet.”



Laurent didn’t laugh, but he did hug Isaac back. “It was your standard I was playing to, Isaac.”



Oh, Jesus Christ. Was everyone trying to make him cry? Sure. It was a well-known Rule that you were allowed to cry when winning or losing sporting events, be you a player or a fan. But sheesh.



“You were amazing,” Isaac said. He smiled and reached up—because Laurent was even taller on skates—to push Laurent’s sweaty hair out of his face. “I’m so proud of you. I wanted to blow you, like, eighteen times.”



“I made thirty-four saves. Weren’t you paying attention?”



Isaac threw his head back and laughed. “Oh my God. You made a joke.”



“Who said I was joking?” Laurent did have a small, contained smile on his face, though.

All. The. Feels.

As always, the book is tightly written, the plot thoroughly engaging, the one liner's will make you snort out loud, and the sexy times will have you fanning yourself. I thought Gale's handling of Laurent's abuse and his eating disorder were handled deftly and with extreme sensitivity. It's not too heavy, this isn't that kind of book, but it's an important part of WHO Saint is and it's not brushed aside or magically made better. I LOVED that. I also really loved how Laurent's demisexuality is portrayed. It's not preachy or too trite or in your face, but as natural and genuine. As always, all the characters are so well developed from Huxley to Ms. Bowen and even to smarmy but somehow likeable GM Jack Belsey and they all add so much to the story.

This book is spectacular and Avon Gale just keeps getting and better. So much so, it only makes waiting for book 5 even harder!

Like the rest in the Scoring Chances series, Empty Net is a winner. We met Isaac Drake in Power Play, who was then the goalie with the blue hair, lip ring, and bad attitude. We discovered the reason for the attitude, and his change from just the goalie to the goalie-captain of the team and getting rid of trouble from his past really changed him. That's who we come to find in Empty Net. He's still himself, though, and when he finds out Laurent St. Savoy, one of the "villains" from Power Play is going to be back-up goalie, and thanks to Laurent's hateful words, Isaac hits him in their first meet-up in the owner's office.

Laurent St. Savoy knows he deserves the hit, but he can't stop himself from spilling out venom. It's easier to keep people away because he knows they won't like who they find. After all, his mother went away and left him with a father who's only given him a scrap of praise or care in decades. He struggles not only with self-loathing but an undiagnosed eating disorder. When Isaac finds him at a weak moment and decides they're going to get past things for the sake of team unity, Laurent's whole view of himself and the world changes.

I love Avon Gale's writing. Every story is not only interesting, she does it with humor, romance, and emotion. I absolutely adored Isaac here, and as much as his character was fleshed out wonderfully in Power Play, it was great to see him be the focus in Empty Net. In Power Play, one of the things that endeared me was his relationship with his coach, Misha, and that only deepened in this one. Isaac doesn't have his parents anymore (disgustingly, by their choice), but he finds a surrogate parent with his coach. It's beautiful and caused me a few tears. That's one of the things I love about Gale's stories. Sure, it's a romance, but other relationships are always developed and highlighted. Friendships and family always feel meaningful.

Watching Isaac deal with his attraction to the stoic and standoffish Laurent and then to see him fall in love for the first time was a joy. He showed such patience, tenderness, and understanding. There were definitely a few tears because of these two guys together, but there were lots of smiles and laughs because if there's anything this author knows how to do, it's combine those things beautifully.

As for Laurent, his upbringing (if you can call it that) not only tugged at my heartstrings, it tore some out. It doesn't overwhelm, but there's enough there for your imagination to fill in the blanks and know he has a solid core of strength to endure. Just the fact of how he changes over the course of the story shows you how he would have thrived if he'd been shown any kindness. Gale handles the abusive aspect so perfectly. It's not just "hateful father, cowed son," it's nuanced and insightful.

When Laurent starts to have feelings for Isaac, he can't even explain to himself what they are. All he knows is Isaac is the first person to give him kindness. He knows he likes it, even if he feels undeserving. He's never been a sexual person, hasn't felt attraction for men or women, so when Isaac shows he might want more than friendship, he tries to figure out if he does too. Gale handled Laurent's sexuality beautifully. His actions and reactions feel honest, both in the context of how he grew up and what we ultimately find out is his demisexuality, meaning he can only feel attracted to someone he has an emotional connection to.

There's so much more to be highlighted in this book, but it's best to stop reading this and just go read Empty Net. If you haven't read the first three in the series, you won't be lost, but I can say they add depth to this one, especially Power Play.

I do have to make note of one thing that may detract for some readers. I can't speak authoritatively to the eating disorder aspect, but I have thoughts. His road to recovery was relatively quick and maybe a bit too easy, where I can see it could edge close to "the love of a good man cures all." It was definitely hopeful and I really liked that she showed his therapist and a bit of his therapy, but I fear anyone who has real knowledge of the pain of the disorder may have trouble with that aspect. For me, it's romance, so I was definitely swept up in the power of love and the growth that happens because of it that it didn't feel false while reading. It's only on reflection that it might be a problem for some.