One-Time Shot cover art

One-Time Shot

Smithton Bears, Book 1

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About this listen

The jock, the geek, and the hockey project…

Jett

My pro hockey dreams are hanging by a thread. I need to have a great season and that means no partying, no distractions, no fun. The grad student pestering me for science-y help on his thesis is the definition of no fun, so… okay.

Pros and cons of agreeing to this deal:

Pros: Positive use of free time. (At least that’s what my agent says.)

Cons: Malcolm likes big words and his first language is math. He’s also bossy, clumsy, and he doesn’t know the first thing about hockey.

But he’s also cute and he’s got a great sense of humor and—oh no. I cannot have a crush on the geek. No way. Not now.

Malcolm

Yes, I’m a serious student, but a hockey project is not serious. Who cares about big hunky hockey players zipping around a sheet of ice at warp speed? Not I.

According to my professor, however, the only way to attain the required data is to study the specimen in his natural habitat, a.k.a. the ice rink.

Pros: My thesis should lead to a bevy of job offers.

Cons: Jett. He’s impossible—too big, too handsome, too gruff and yet disarmingly charming and—

Okay, fine. I like the jock… a lot. Lately, I find myself wondering if there’s such a thing as a one-time shot at forever.

One-Time Shot is a low-angst, geek-jock MM college hockey romance featuring a charismatic hockey star and an adorkable scientist.

©2025 Lane Hayes (P)2025 Lane Hayes Romance Sports Hockey Heartfelt Feel-Good Witty
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Listener received this title free

Another great Lane Hayes listen. The story was good, with likeable characters and mostly realistic happenings (for a live story). Low angst and feel good. The narrator did well. Overall, I’d recommend.

One-Time Shot

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Listener received this title free

I love a story where everyone wins! This is a sweet and engaging opposites-attract, nerd vs jock story. I am so glad it didn't devolve into some kind of homophobic, angsty story when the photo of Malcolm and Jett came out, and I liked how both men were willing to sacrifice for their "one-time shot" at love. Malcolm is an adorable, clumsy science geek, but he felt realistic and not OTT. Jett wasn't the stereotypical jock, and he was open to new things, even if it did start as a way to clear his mind so he could improve his hockey game. Once he he'd committed to help Malcolm with his thesis, he was all in. I liked how cool and accepting Jett's teammates were, too. Is it realistic? I don't know, as I've been out of school for a looong time, but it sure made for a happy, heartfelt story that made me glad. It's definitely the way the world should be, and - yeah - I love that Jett and Malcolm were both willing to make the sacrifice for the other's future. The way it turned out was perfect.

Kurt Graves narration was perfect. He managed to capture both the jock and nerd personas perfectly. Job well done.

I received a free copy of the audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Great opposites-attract story

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Listener received this title free

This was an adorkable opposites attract romance. The quintessential nerd/jock pairing. Malcolm needs a hockey player to help him with his thesis, but not just any player, the best player on the team. Who turns him down over and over again.

Sweet and spicy, with low angst and a conflict that resolved itself quickly.
At face value these two were polar opposites but they actually had more in common than they initially realised. And the opposites part complemented each other perfectly.

Maybe there wasn't enough time spent with Jett's team mates, especially Ty, but that is a small complaint.

The narrator did an excellent job.

Nerd/jock romance

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Listener received this title free

Excellent narration, there was never any doubt about POV.
Story - While this seemed to start as a very typical nerd/jock story, it became something more. There was a bigger focus on the science, and Malcolm, the nerd, was confident and positive. Jett was particularly sweet and supportive, and it wasn't all about homophobia and coming out, which was refreshing.

unexpected

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Listener received this title free

One Time Shot, the first book in Lane Hayes’ new Smithson Bears college-set hockey series, is a cute, jock/nerd romance that kicks off when Physics grad student Malcolm Maloney nervously approaches Smithson hockey star Jett Erickson to ask if he will agree to take part in an experiment Malcolm is conducting as part of his research for his thesis. Initally, Jett isn’t minded to help – he has enough on his plate and needs to keep his focus on playing his best game in order to land a professional contract. But Mal is surprisingly persistent, and after a few days of seeing him around everywhere, Jett gives in and says he’ll do the experiment – provided Mal lets Jett teach him about hockey. Mal needs to know what he’s watching in order for it to make sense, right? Besides, maybe Jett needs something else to think about while he’s waiting to hear from his agent – and it certainly doesn’t hurt that Mal is all kinds of cute.

The experiment commences, and as Jett and Mal spend time together, they start to bond over a mutual love of sci-fi movies and TV shows, Star Trek in particular – and a genuine friendship develops between them, which soon turns into something more when the mutual attraction and longing that’s been sparking between them finally boils over.

One Time Shot is entertaining and well-written, but it’s pretty predictable. Mal has never been interested in hockey (or any sport, really); Jett lives for the game and, in his final year in college, is hoping to make it his career in one way or another. He knows he’s unlikely to play in the NHL, but hopes that maybe a contract with the ECHL might one day lead to an AHL spot. I liked him and Mal together and enjoyed their gentle teasing and banter, and it’s clear they’re completely gone for each other – but they have to keep things on the downlow because while Mal is out and proud, Jett is in the closet because he doesn’t want to ruin his chances of getting picked up by a pro hockey team. Mal is mostly okay with this short-term; they’ll both be leaving Smithson at the end of the academic year to go their separate ways anyway, so it’s not as though they can be anything other than ‘casual’. Or can they?

Kirt Graves is one of those narrators I always enjoy listening to, so I was pleased to see he’d signed on to narrate this new series. His voice has a pleasantly husky note to it and is easy on the ear; his pacing is good, he differentiates very effectively between all the characters and his portrayals of Mal and Jett fit them perfectly, with Mal’s higher pitch and slightly faster delivery contrasting nicely with Jett’s deeper, more considered manner. The humour in the story comes across really well, as does the growing connection between the two leads; it’s an excellent performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One Time Shot is a short listen, coming in at five hours and twenty minutes. Mal and Jett are likeable and endearing if somewhat stereotypical; Mal is geeky and a bit clumsy, and Jett is the hockey-focused hot jock, albeit a bit more intelligent than he initially appears. I liked them individually and together, and even though they’re opposites, they compliment each other well and are good for each other. On the downside, the story sometimes feels a bit… bare bones, there’s some telling-not-showing, the reasons for the (short-lived) third-act break-up could have been a bit more original, and the reconcilition is of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it variety.

For all its predictability One Time Shot is a well-crafted and steamy opposites-attract romance – and if that’s your jam, you could do a lot worse than choose to listen to this one.

Predictable, cute jock/nerd romance

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