#tough guy

[thisishappeningiguess]

Tough Guy and yes exactly the same except fabian has a big orange cat and everyone makes a joke about how fabian apparently prefers his companions Large and Ginger

[brightbeautifulthings]

"'But being good enough does not obligate us to take those jobs. It's okay to use your talent to create happiness rather than wealth. It's okay to not use your talent at all! Fuck anyone who says otherwise.'"

— Rachel Reid, Tough Guy

[suchsitestoshow]

#myfabian was in a punk band in college (not fully his thing, but his friends asked him and it was a way to explore his musical tastes outside of the orchestra). He played rhythm guitar and sang. His only relics from this time are a cropped studded vest with "queer as in fuck you" on the back and one blurry polaroid of him crowd surfing.

[2muchfang1rl]

I really need more thinkpieces about Ryan/Fabian because they’re true freak4freak (in the best way possible)

[vio-litomens]

Book Reviev: Tough Guy (Rachel Reid)

Premise: Pro hockey enforcer Ryan Price has recently been traded to the Toronto Guardians, while struggling with his anxiety. But determined to make a fresh start in the dynamic LGBTQ Village led him to rekindle an old flame with musician Fabian Salah. Fabian detests hockey, swearing himself to pursue or engage with any hockey players, but that doesn't stop him from growing closer to Ryan, his total opposite. Tied between two decisions, Ryan has to choose what matters more: his future with Fabian, or preserving his heavy duty on the ice. 🏒🎻📚

Treading onwards, I was scared of getting into book three given its reputation as the weakest in the series, bias or not. And while I can say the topics aren't as deep and uncomfortable as the later books, there were still some things I enjoyed. It also holds a place in my heart because I watched my brother pay for it as my birthday present, while I smiled at the check-out.

What I liked: Compared to the rest (HR and RM), this felt more like your typical 'guy meets polar opposite childhood crush and they form a relationship' romcom, M/M edition. I also liked how Fabian wasn't completely reduced to default twink & femboy stereotypes, like sprinkle in some stubble and a clean face and I'm here for it.

Ryan's relationship with Wyatt was also incredibly wholesome, it reminded me of a big brother - little brother bond. I love friendships like these.

When it came to the romance, it felt believable. Two people with a past that have nothing in common, and are willing to work on their problems to make the other happy. You can't get more romcom than that, and it had me giggling and kicking my feet at most of their interactions. And maybe the fight and conflict were rushed to ensure a happy ending, but again, it's realistic and also an example of two sides making valid points in their argument: Fabian's concern for Ryan's health in a sport he clearly doesn't enjoy, and Ryan's belief to suffer through the pain because why should he complain when he's where every wannabe hockey player dreams to be ("millions of girls would kill for this job").

What I didn't like: being exactly 300 pages, while not stretching the plot out too much, it does feel a little rushed in some areas; I would've preferred if they maybe explored more of what the Village had to offer, or maybe expand on Fabian's family instead of the brief "oh my family isn't accepting of me rejecting traditionally masculine roles, and they're dicks to my boyfriend".

But what really set me off (more than it should have) was the "oops" line. I kid you not, I had war flashbacks of 'here-it-comes-Shane-Hollander' and I almost threw the book off my bed. Like...I get it, you're on the tip of the iceberg and don't pay attention to what comes out of your mouth, but fucking oops?! Also Fabian's design on the cover still pisses me off.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 / 5

Overall, compared to Shane & Ilya, they're more normal?'? (I guess??) Their plot isn't as high-stakes, and while it does touch on accepting their sexualities in a strictly masculine sport, it's treated as a side plot rather than the main one. I'd say it's a palette cleanser after the emotional rollercoaster of HR; sometimes you need some fluffy romance when you've consumed back-to-back smut for 400 pages. I wouldn't say it's awful, but it's tied with HR in terms of ranking (given they're both 3.5's).

[wolfbird81]

ryan price do you know about dialectical behavioral therapy......not saying it'll fix everything but it's worth a try......

[kitdkat]

I have read all 6 books of the Game Changer series. Here are my thoughts:

Game Changer: Solid introduction to the universe and what its themes are. It's cute and a good romcom.

Heated Rivalry: It's a great rivals and enemies trope book. The characters do a great job in being realistically believable to have a 10 year situationship.

Tough Guy: I love the backstory and the very different characters becoming a couple. I do wish they had more plot. I totally see them having a sequel where Ryan figures out himself more in his relationship with hockey and Fabian becomes super famous.

Common Goal: I love the start and the chemistry these two had. I also think they had the best bedroom scenes. The conflict could have been solved with one conversation but I guess sometimes the gays are allowed to be stupid. I do wish Eric kinda made a bigger gesture in the end and confessed in front of everyone in the Kingfisher to just push the theme of being brave. ( I love a cheesy romcom trope sue me) Ilya was also super fucking hilarious.

Role Model: Chefs kiss in the slow burn cute romance book. I love the character arc of Troy. The romance was well paced Troy just got there and has so many internal conflicts. He was able to go through them. They had great plot devices to move the story along and had some great conflicts. Harris is also my favorite little guy, I think he is the best character. Plus Kent getting consequences was peak.

The Long Game: It was really realistic in the way it showed how a long term couple will have conflicts. Sometimes it gets hard and you need time away to see what you want from the relationship. Ilya is a slavic character who forgot to be more expressive in his needs because he was being protective of Shane. Shane can be overwhelmed with expectations and sometimes people around him tend to always try to protect him. I have noticed in a lot autistic coded characters the other characters notice they struggle a lot more and go out of their way to remove too many of the obstacles. Then Shane was so focussed in keeping up with his expectations because he doesn't feel like he is loved when he isn't purposeful to other people. I guess they really just needed a breather from all that to realize how important coming out was and how their relationship couldn't be hidden anymore. Then murphy law happens and they gotta adapt. To be fair I guess those two were probably the strongest couple and were probably the only ones who could have handled the outing the best anyways.

[bitchass97]

Alright this is an appreciation post for Carter Vaughn and Wyatt Hayes. Truly the allies ever. They are so excited to be surrounded by gay people. They love when people come out to them. No one’s doing it like them (THOUGH THEY SHOULD BE)