Book Review-Him by Elle Kennedy + Sarina Bowen

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend…and a big one to learn about himself.

Warning: contains sexual situations, hotties on hockey skates, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

Our mouths fit together so perfectly. Every time we kiss, I fall even more in love with him, and it has nothing to do with sex or lust. It’s him. His closeness and his scent and the way he soothes me.

My Review

First Impressions

Him is the first book in the “Him” series and this is a series that focuses on Jamie and Wes and their epic love story. Him is their first book and does deliver a HFN ending which will lead you to wanting to read “Us” which is book 2. I have been wanting to read Him for the longest time, its been on all of the top romance book lists for the longest time, almost ten years now and I am finally getting to this one. I have to say that this book was so special and it will stay with me for quite some time. I was lucky enough to listen to this one in audio and it was so worth it. I absolutely adored it in every way. Him was a story that I can see why it has been so hyped. Its hyped in a very different way than your typical romance, and I fell so hard for these boys in Him. There was such charm to this story while being combined with such heart on each page. I fell so hard for Jamie and Wes and I can’t wait to see what is ahead for them.

Summary

Jamie Canning never got the answers to his questions on why his best friend, Ryan Wesley, abandoned their friendship and cut their friendship off shortly after something more happened between them on a night of being drunk. His focus is his game on the ice but when during a competition, they are in the same city and they end up in the same hotel and run into each other and Jamie wants to rekindle that friendship. Ryan Wesley has never forgotten Jamie, but he is gay and Jamie is straight and he has always regretted pushing his friend into something more that he obviously isn’t and has had to keep his heart closed off from the hurt of having to let go of Jamie who holds his heart. But when they are back together, being trainers at a hockey camp for potential athletes in the sport, they reconnect in a way neither of them imagined, but can love last between them despite the odds against them?

Jamie laughs at me. And then he kisses me. I lock my hands at the nape of his neck and tug him closer. Warm skin slides against mine, and I know I’m home. Because home is with him.

What I Loved

Him is such a beautiful read and I absolutely had a blast with these two. I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this one, and I am not sure if its the book itself or if its the audio narration or even a combination of both, but I fell so hard for this one. There was something so captivating about the relationship between Jamie and Wes. Seeing all the pining and longing was so heartfelt and my heart broke for these two. On one hand we have Jamie, who didn’t understand them not speaking, only was ignored and neglected. And then we have Wes, who has known the pain of coming out of the closet and not being supported in who he is or the man he has become. He has felt the brunt of the worst human behavior and not see that much good until he met Jamie.

Wes and Jamie come from very different worlds, but their friendship has never weakened despite the separation that they have had. The way that they are able to just click after being apart for so long, you can see that they have the type of bond that never dies. I love the sense of heart that you feel every time that they are together and how they are able to balance each other out just right. I love the way that they are when they are together. There is definitely some great spice levels in this book but I really enjoyed the level of playfulness that they have especially when they are competing. They understand their sport, each other and the way they give and take is such beautifully focused on. You never know what a couple of authors will do when they get together but Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy are such a powerhouse together and delivered such an impactful story. And that ending just stole my heart, especially Jamie’s family, the way they accept Wes so readily just broke my heart that he has never had such support from his loved ones but glad he has Jamie’s family now.

Here’s the thing about family, Ryan…blood doesn’t mean shit. You just need to surround yourself with people who do love you, and they become your family

What I Struggled With

There wasn’t anything I struggled with persay, was it a complete five star read, no but it got close to one. There could have been a bit more heart over sex. There is a lot of sex in this book haha

The Narration

Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan are a dream together! Having them both narrate together is perfection, they really made these characters come alive in such a way that you feel every emotion and motivation behind every action these main characters do. I could listen to these two all day and you can bet I will be doing the companion novel in audio too.

Overall View

Him is a precious installment that delivered a poignant sexy romance that delivers in seeing the heartbreak as well as the joys that can come in a relationship of intimacy and spice.

Jamie doesn’t leave my side, though. He and I are the calm eye of a friendly, familial hurricane. And I hope the storm will never pass.

Book Details

Title: Him

Author: Sarina Bowen/Elle Kennedy

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: Audiobook

Source: Self Purchased

Length: 8 Hours and 4 Minutes

About the Narrators

A soldier, an athlete, a comedian, and a softer kind of soul, Teddy Hamilton is the guy to fill any need. Known best for his work in the Him series by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, and the Mister series by JA Huss, Teddy has lent his voice to over eighty titles, some sweet and some salty, always with a lot of passion and heart.

Zachary Webber also narrates as Jacob Morgan. Zachary Webber is an actor from Fort Worth, Texas. He has narrated over twenty audiobook titles and has appeared in numerous feature-length and short films, including In a Relationship, a short film starring Dakota Johnson, Shut Up and Drive, which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, and Ithaca, a film directed by Meg Ryan. He is a member of Sasquatch Comedy, a sketch comedy group based in Los Angeles

Book Links

Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| Storygraph| Literal Club| Audible

About The Author

Sarina Bowen is the twenty-four-time USA Today bestselling and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of three dozen books, including: the True North series, and Brooklyn Hockey. She’s the co-author of Him/Us and the WAGs series with Elle Kennedy. She’s the author of The Ivy Years series, and more!
Are you looking for a friends-to-lovers story or maybe even a secret baby book? You can read a list of Sarina’s books broken out by trope and style.
Need to know what’s coming next ? Get all the latest news on Sarina’s website, and sign up for her newsletter so you don’t miss a book or a deal.

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!