The Comebacks are back with KING OF THE CREASE. This is secret royalty teammates to lovers holiday romance. A really sweet read with two men willing to risk everything to be together.
From the blurb:
The team's new goalie is a secret prince. Red, white, and royal WTF?!
As the Prince of Ardenia, I don’t want for anything – except freedom.
Freedom from bodyguards and media scrutiny. Freedom to love who I want without bringing shame to the throne.
So when I get a chance to live incognito while on a trip to America, I take it. It’ll be my royal rumspringa. I can be Nick, not Prince Nicholas.
Then I meet a plumber named Hank.
I’m instantly attracted – my kink for big-gutted American guys who drink beer fully activated. I join his local hockey team as their backup goalie…and secretly hope Hank and I can get freaky off the ice, too.
Yet in between one-on-one practices, wild bar crawls, and lazy afternoons texting about Christmas movies, our easy camaraderie deepens into crackling chemistry. The only thing standing in our way is the tiny matter of my true identity.
I’m due back in Ardenia on Christmas Eve, but the thought of getting on the palace jet without Hank makes me royally blue.
I’m not sure if the king — or the entire world — will get on board with the prince and the plumber. Can I get the crown and the guy?
I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle here.
King of the Crease is a funny, spicy MM romance featuring secret royalty, a lovable single dad, teammates-to-lovers magic, 90s references galore, and lots of Christmas charm. It’s book 3 in the Comebacks series but can be read as a standalone.
Molly Otto's review:
All I got to say is this has to be in top AJ reads of all time for me! The heart of the story Hank who we've all loved since his introduction to the world gets his happily ever after with a Prince to boot. Nick comes here to take his shot at true happiness what he doesn't expect is Hank and the Comebacks to enter and change his life forever. Normally hidden Prince stories are not my jam, but AJ does it in such a way that you cannot help but fall in love with these men and hope they find a way to make it work for them. Then mix in cameos from past characters we all have fallen in love and get to revisit, and this is a recipe for a book you soon won't forget. Top it all off set during Christmas and you cannot lose with me such feel-good story that leaves you smiling.
SNik's review:
Third in series (The Comebacks), but can be read as a standalone. Secret royalty. Single dad. Teammates. Found family. Slow burn. Dual POV.
Trying to experience a quick moment of freedom from his stifling life and royal duties, Nick is literally knocked over by the local small town’s super friendly plumber. Inviting the visiting Nick to join his rec hockey team seems like a nice thing to do, and Hank can’t deny his building attraction to the man who says he’s an accountant from Baltimore.
What a fun and sweet story! Hank is the ultimate golden retriever character and Nick blossoms from his friendship and then romantic attention. Both these characters were likable, one not feeling worthy and the other forced by duty to live an unauthentic life. Hank may not feel like a main character but he was so fun to root for and he’s everything Nick could ever want. I really appreciated that Nick finds strength and sticks to his convictions risking everything and that Hank is willing to do anything to stay by his side. If this is the finale to the series it was a really entertaining read, the found family of characters were loyal and supportive and what better way than to have one of the character’s have their HEA by being whisked away to live in a castle.
Heather's review:
I loved this book! It's my first holiday read of 2026 and it didn't disappoint! All the Hallmark quality holiday shenanigans spiced up way beyond the Hallmark realm! Armed with a fake identity, Nick is trying to live the life he actually wants... and Hank is the man that he truly desires! I love the family, found family and slow burn nature of this story, that lets us explore what each character really wants and how they can both get their HEA!
King of the Crease is currently available as an audiobook, e-book, and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
King of the Crease is currently available as an audiobook, e-book, and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Comments
Post a Comment