The Call Up — V.L. Locey

Can Liam and Tarcy's relationship survive one career taking off while another is winding down? The life of a hockey player centers on dedication to the sport. Years and years of honing your skills, road trips, summers spent training instead of vacationing, and winters away from loved ones for long, lonely stretches. Not many make it to the pros, so when the Watkins Glen Gladiators' newest goalie is called up to Pittsburgh, Liam's world is tossed into joyous chaos. Thrilled to be getting a chance to play in his hometown for the team his uncle led to several championships is everything he ever dreamed of. But leaving the small village of Watkins Glen means leaving his boyfriend, stock car driver, Tarcy Hayward, as well. The summer they recently spent together touring the country and winning races seems to be a distant memory as the flying snows signal the start of new seasons of hockey and racing. Racing has been a part of Tarcy Hayward's life since he was a young man. It's in his blood, in his soul. Sitting behind the wheel of his famed 66 stock car, pushing himself and his car to their extremes, is like breathing. And yet, of late, all those high-speed laps don't seem to be packing the same punch as they used to. Ever since he broke a wrist in a crash and had to see the suffering and worry in his boyfriend's soft green eyes, he's felt a bit detached from the sport. His winter off has been filled with simpler things, like long nights curled around Liam, cold days sledding with his grandson over the holidays, and planning his son's wedding. As the start of another race season nears, Tarcy is unsure, for the very first time, if he even wants to run laps. Maybe the quiet life is what his spirit is yearning for but, then again, maybe not. Maybe it's time to set some new goals, but he'll be darned if he has any idea what they would be. The Call-Up is a low angst, age gap, queer hockey romance with a young goalie about to get his big break, an older race car driver contemplating everything, loving friends and family, a city eager for a return to the glory days, and one big, happy icy ending.