Whistle is the 8th and the last book in the Westbrook Elite series by Cambria Hebert. One thing I can say about this author, is Cambria brings the feels and you are definitely going to feel them reading about Westbrook's prestigious swim coach and his boy get their HEA.
From the blurb:
my life has been nothing but an epic downward spiral.
Once a swimmer for the most prestigious West Coast college,
I never in a million years thought I’d end up here.
Abandoned. Locked up. Alone.
In a moment of weakness, I call the guy who was more of a brother to me than anything, the guy I betrayed.
Shockingly, he flies cross country to bail me out. But he isn’t alone.
In tow is his new swim coach—a whistle-blowing tyrant who makes me crave pushing every button he’s ever had and tossing his list of rules into the bottom of his coveted pool.
But I can’t because now he’s my coach too.
It’s Coach Resch and the team who hates me or a four-by-four cell.
So off to Westbrook I go to serve my sentence like the good boy I’ll never be.
Coach thinks he can handle me, but he’s never met my particular brand of wild.
Please note Whistle contains discussions of suicide (off page), death, and murder of a sibling, present danger, and water trauma. This an age-gap romance. The ages of the main characters are twenty-one and forty.
Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's review:
"๐๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฎ. ๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐๐จ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ. ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐จ๐ค ๐๐๐ข๐ฃ ๐๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ฃ๐."
Whistle was a moderately angsty story which deals with the heavy topic of grief. When we meet Bodhi he is deep in the abyss of mourning the terrible murder of his twin sister. He's lost and angry and hurt which leads to him making some very bad choices, bad choices which end him up in jail. When coach Emmett comes to the rescue after Bodhi calls Rush, he recognizes Bodhi's actions for what they are: A cry for help.
"๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ . ๐ ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ข๐. ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ, ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ช๐จ. ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐ค๐๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐."
A lot of the angst in this book is due to the fact that Emmett is a faculty member, not to mention the swim coach, of the college and team Bodhi is now a part of. Emmett eats and breathes his job. The team is his family. I mean, if you've read the series you know, coach is always there when he's needed. He's like the grouchy Dad who complains all the time, but secretly loves it. His being in a relationship with one of his swimmers is strictly forbidden. It weighs on him terribly and leads to some major issues between him and Bodhi.
Fortunately for him, Bodhi is relentless and he proves too much of a temptation for Emmett to ignore. These two are drawn to one another like nothing else. Bodhi craves a firm hand to help him navigate his new life and Emmett craves to be the one to give it to him. Neither have been in a Daddy/boy relationship dynamic before, but it becomes clear really early that it is exactly the right fit for them.
Their journey was not all hearts and rainbows. There are a lot of moving pieces on the chess board and things that had to happen in order to clear their path. One thing that stays strong throughout this entire series is how Elite is a family and family protects their own. I have adored this series and all the people who make up this team. I'm sad this is the end of the Westbrook Elite, but seeing their coach get his very own HEA was definitely the perfect ending for them all.
Whistle is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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