Headstrong (Vino & Veritas #3) by Eden Finley

Release Date: March 22

After more than a few reads that – on paper (ha!) – would be right up my alley but were “just” okay, my book-slump is finally over! Because I pretty much inhaled Headstrong and loved every minute of it! It was exactly what I’ve come to expect from Eden Finley. Humour, awesome characters and sizzling sexytimes.

That scene with Whit going down on Rainn for the first time… oh mama. *fanning myself*

Synopsis: So there’s Whit, hockey player at Moo U but a farm boy at heart, who’s just come out and decides to visit a gay bar to get rid of his v-card. Then there’s Rainn Richardson, former up and coming hockey star whose dreams were shattered by an injury and now works at an inclusive wine bar in Burlington. And after witnessing Whit’s atrocious pick-up game, he ends up offering to give Whit flirting advice. A straight guy acting as a wing-man to a gay virgin, what could possibly go wrong?

Who would think of such an awesome story premise if not Eden Finley!

“I’ll help you in your quest to lose your virginity.” Whit blinks at me. Then I replay my words in my head. “By finding you a guy. Not personally. Geez.” “Damn. Still straight, then?” He smirks, “Last time I checked.” “Need a hand checking again? Because I volunteer as tribute.”

I absolutely adored this story. Whit is of course instantly infatuated with Rainn who, in turn, is clueless and just enjoys Whit’s company. But as these two spend more time together, Whit’s flirting gets even worse. Almost like he sucks at it on purpose. Rainn on the other hand gets all jealous when someone hits on Whit. Not that he understands why, because, he’s straight. Right?

I can’t see Whit or his date anywhere, and a voice in my head tells me I’m too late. Too late for what, I’m not sure. It’s not like I’d be volunteering to take Whit’s date’s place for obvious penis reasons.

This is just too adorable for words.

But in that fun, snarky way that Finley does so very well.

There were of course plenty of things that weren’t so sweet. Whit’s insecure about Rainn’s sincerity. And Rainn’s struggling with the loss of his dream and hasn’t really found his footing since. And he’s terrified of making plans and doesn’t trust the happiness that is just within his grasp. So it wasn’t all sunshine. But it was absolutely low-angst.

There’s also plenty of great supporting characters. Whit’s family is the best! And in the end, there was even a merge with Finley and Saxon James’ CU hockey world. *squeels*

I’m a huge fan of Finley’s writing. Apart from her creating the most lovable and hilarious characters, she’s the queen of snark and dirty jokes. So I can’t honestly say exactly what aspect of Headstrong that made it such a terrific read. I guess it was everything. After struggling with finishing a few books, Headstrong simply pulled me in and I could just go along with the ride. No struggle necessary. Which is probably the best rating a book can get.

So yeah. I loved this read. A definite 5-star.

* A free copy of this book was kindly provided by Heart Eyes Press *