Kaje Harper’s Against the Odds is one of the entries in season two of The Games We Play, a multi-author series of hockey romances. The books in each series run concurrently throughout the same hockey season and each one is designed to be read as a standalone, so readers can jump in anywhere. Against the Odds is a skilful blend of hockey and romance with an added element of suspense and a pinch of family drama that add tension and depth to the story, and the romance and the found-family dynamic are nicely developed.

Callum Fitzpatrick is the talented goalie for the minor league Vancouver Cardinals, and has his sights very much set on making it to the majors this year. He’s dedicated, he works hard and he’s the main reason the Cardinals are doing as well as they are this season; their offense and goal-scoring abilities aren’t great, so it’s thanks to Callum’s goaltending that they’re currently second in the league with a relatively low scoring rate.

Whenever he’s able, Callum heads out east of the city to spend time with his grandfather, Roy, who raised him after his parents died and who got him playing hockey as a way of working out some of his grief-fuelled anger and hostility. Callum loves the old man dearly and recognises the sacrifices he made to raise Callum; he helps out around the house and at his grandfather’s store whenever he can, but he really wants to be able to help him out more financially, which he can’t do on a minor league salary that barely covers his own living expenses.

Zeke Evans lived next-door to the Fitzpatricks until he left home to go to college and then joined the police force. But now, he’s moving back into the house to take care of his twelve-year-old half-brother, Josiah, whose mother – Zeke’s stepmother – has recently died. Zeke is currently on extended leave after completing a dangerous assignment that had him deep undercover for several months, so he has some time to arrange to move and to spend with Josiah before he has to go back into uniform, but going back to his real life after his stint undercover has been tough to adjust to – and suddenly finding out he’s the legal guardian of a rebellious, grieving (almost) teen just adds another layer of pressure. But no matter what, he’s determined to do the best he can for Josiah – he just needs to work out exactly what that is.

Although they lived next-door to one another, Callum and Zeke didn’t really know each other back then; Zeke was Callum’s high-school crush, but he was three years older and they had nothing in common. Now, Zeke is one of the few openly queer cops on the local force and Callum feels that old crush come roaring back to life – but he’s firmly in the closet because he can’t afford to risk making any waves that could upset his chances of making it to a major league team, so any non-platonic thoughts about the hot cop on the other side of the fence have to be firmly squashed.

But fate has other ideas. When his apartment building is flooded, Callum has no alternative but to move in with his grandfather – which isn’t ideal as it means a forty minute drive to the rink, but at least he’ll be able to help out a bit more. It also means he can help Zeke with Josiah now and then; he suggests Josiah can go over after school and sleep over when Zeke is working nights, just until Zeke sorts out something more permanent. The arrangement works well – Zeke is working hard to be what Jos needs, the boy is slowly settling down, and Roy clearly enjoys having him around – and the chemistry zinging between Zeke and Callum is becoming impossible for them to ignore. When their mutual attraction explodes into searing kisses and more late one night, they agree to a secret fling – although it’s not long before they realise that whatever is happening between them has gone way past the ‘fling’ stage.

Zeke and Callum are well-rounded, engaging characters who exhibit growth as the story progresses, and their romance – which develops amid personal pressures, grief and family issues but is never overwhelmed by them – is heartfelt and satisfying and I enjoyed watching them step up to support one another through difficult circumstances. There’s a lot going on here, but the story is well-paced and isn’t overstuffed; the author injects some suspense into the second half of the book, which raises the stakes considerably and adds tension to the story. Callum finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place through no fault of his own, and although I was a bit frustrated by his initial refusal to ask for help it was understandable, and I appreciated the somewhat uncomfortable realism of the way things are resolved.

The secondary cast is superbly drawn, too. Roy is a wonderful man, loving and generous and loyal, even when perhaps it’s not in his best interest to be, and Josiah reads like a real twelve-year-old boy whose life has been upended – he’s angry and hurting and scared – and I appreciated the way Callum is able to draw on his own experience to help Zeke to help him. Callum’s uncle Wayne – who is a total slimeball – is easy to love to hate; he’s manipulative and nasty but comes across as a person rather than a cartoon.

Against the Odds is an enjoyable and entertaining read featuring likeable characters, a sexy slow-burn romance, a well-deserved HEA and more than a dash of drama to keep things moving. I enjoyed it and am happy to recommend it.