Clara’s Verdict
Sports romance has become one of the most reliably enjoyable corners of contemporary fiction, and Shots on Net – the first book in J.J. Mulder’s SCU Hockey series – earns its place at the better end of the genre. What distinguishes it from the crowd is the thoughtfulness of its characterisation: Carter Morgan III is not merely a brooding, wealthy jock, and Zeke Cassidy is not a simple ray-of-sunshine foil constructed to humanise him. The demisexual representation is handled with unusual care and specificity, and the emotional intelligence Mulder brings to the slowest of slow-burn roommate romances makes the eventual payoff feel genuinely earned rather than inevitable from page one. This is a book that trusts its readers to sit with uncertainty for a while, and that trust is not misplaced.
I came to this as a first-time reader of Mulder’s work and found a writer who takes her characters seriously. The hockey backdrop is convincing without dominating; the relationship is the story.
About the Audiobook
Book one of the SCU Hockey series introduces Carter, the team’s starting goalkeeper at South Carolina University, who is counting down the days until his college career ends and trying not to think too hard about what comes after. His aspirations towards an NHL career feel remote; his tendency to hold people at a distance means his circle is smaller than his talent warrants. When his new flatmate Zeke – warm, sociable, apparently straightforwardly at ease with the world – arrives in response to a roommate advertisement, Carter is determined to keep things uncomplicated. Zeke is friendly but clearly unavailable, and Carter has long since stopped hoping for things that seem impossible.
The novel is attentive to the texture of male friendship, the specific difficulty of communicating romantic feelings within a friendship you genuinely value, and the way demisexuality – Carter’s own experience of attraction – shapes what he needs and how long he needs to feel safe before he can want it. Mulder does not use this as a plot device or a point of difference to be explained and then set aside; it is a genuine aspect of character that inflects the entire arc. The conversations between Carter and Zeke about sexuality are refreshingly direct. The hockey scenes are convincing without requiring specialist knowledge of the sport.
The Narration
Iggy Toma narrates, and the performance is well-suited to the material. Carter’s voice – guarded, dry, capable of unexpected warmth when he lets his guard down – is rendered with enough restraint to make the emotional moments genuinely land. Toma handles the distinction between Carter’s internal monologue and his spoken dialogue cleanly, which matters considerably in a novel where the gap between what a character thinks and what he actually says is often the entire dramatic engine. At just under nine hours, the pacing feels right for a romance that is deliberately, strategically unhurried.
What Readers Say
Rated 4.2 out of 5 stars across 4 reviews. One reader described the pairing as “the perfect example of grumpy x sunshine,” praising both the demisexual representation and the quality of the side characters – Max in particular, who appears to be setting up the next book nicely. Another found the super-wealthy protagonist and demisexual dynamic slightly difficult to identify with personally, which is a reasonable note for anyone who reads romance primarily through the lens of direct wish-fulfilment. A reader who came to this book after Between the Pipes – the preceding book in the series – called it “sweet, funny and low-angst” and praised the friend-date scenes as particular highlights. The consensus is warm: a book that achieves what it sets out to do with skill and emotional honesty.
Who Should Listen?
Perfect for romance listeners who have warmed to the sports romance subgenre and want something that takes its emotional beats seriously without manufacturing artificial crisis or relying on misunderstandings that a single honest conversation would dissolve. The LGBTQ+ representation – particularly the demisexual characterisation, which is specific, thoughtful, and integrated into the character rather than tacked on – makes it especially valuable for readers who rarely see their experience reflected in mainstream romance. The hockey setting will appeal to sports fans without alienating those who have never watched a game; Mulder provides enough context for the sport to feel real without turning the book into a primer.
Low-angst, warm, and genuinely funny in places: an excellent choice for evenings when you want to be entertained and genuinely moved without being put through the emotional wringer. New to the series? This is book one of SCU Hockey and a fully self-contained story; no prior reading is required, and the ending leaves you pleasantly well-placed for the next instalment.
Listen to Shots on Net on Audible UK – book one of the SCU Hockey series.
