A scentless Omega. A grumpy hockey legend. An anonymous hookup app that turns everything upside down.
Chase Spalding finally has his shot at the NHL—and a place on the New Orleans Spirits, the team his longtime idol, Auston Mazdaki, plays for. As a scentless Omega, Chase is used to hiding in plain sight, wearing a synthetic profile and keeping his head down. But under the confidence is a boy who aches to be seen, touched, and claimed.
Auston is a veteran in every sense: older, jaded, and done pretending he wants more from the game—or anyone. He’s not interested in rookies, least of all one with a blank scent and too many secrets.
But when two lonely men connect on an anonymous hookup app, they find what they didn’t know they were missing. In the safety of digital walls, Aunix and Charlie explore kink, power, and Daddy/boy dynamics, praise, obedience, and the kind of care neither thought they deserved.
Anonymous identities. Age gap. Grumpy/Daddy Alpha x rookie Omega. Praise, power exchange, and all the tenderness kink can hold.
When the truth comes out, love is the hardest—and most rewarding—game they’ll ever play.
When Marina was a child she couldn’t sleep. Night after dissolving night she just couldn’t sleep. Nothing much worked – until she started making up stories in her head. Suddenly, the transition into unconsciousness was a smooth dive into calm waters.
Marina is currently in a period of sleepless upheaval, and she hopes writing down the stories in her head will cast the same spell it did years ago.
Safety info, content warnings and tropes down below.
I loved every second of reading this book. All I want to do is to start book 2 immediately but I know if I don't review this first I'll forget what happened when.
The premise for the romance is both very interesting and impressive to pull off. While the romance is evolving, the tension also builds and builds because of what's happening in their real lives, and it's super effective. I am so looking forward to and dreading everything coming to a head.
Their dynamic is probably the best dynamic ever. Age gap and daddy/boy, with a boy who is starved for love and attention and desperate for praise, and a daddy who wants nothing more than to spoil him, praise him and take care of him. I can't wait to watch it all implode lol.
As per usual with MV books it took about two minutes for me to start tearing up, and I'm sure there's plenty more tears to come.
Also. Always nice when an author clearly knows hockey.
Thank you to the author for the ARC.
Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️ Bratty MC Daddy/boy Hockey romance Omegaverse Teammates Anonymous hookups Childhood crush + idol Alpha x Omega Age gap Size difference Disability rep Secret identity Online love story Mutual pining
⚠️ Spice menu ⚠️ Begging Praise kink Sexting Phone sex Orgasm control Lingerie and stockings Overstimulation Sex toys Hung like a horse
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️ Details of past medica child abuse (parent abusing MC) Details of MC being emotionally abused by ex Child neglect (past, MC) Mentions of parent death (past) Explicit sexual content Power exchange Slick & stretching MCs injured off page
⚠️Book safety ⚠️ Cheating: No Other person drama: No Breakup: No POV: 3rd person, dual Genre: Sports romance Pairing: M/M Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles Main characters’ age: 20 and 37 Series: Interconnected duet Kindle Unlimited: Yes Pages: 315 Happy ending: No
He wondered what it was like to have an Alpha tell him he was good enough, even though there was something wrong with him. To show him that despite all the pieces that were missing, the ones that were misshapen and ugly, he was worth keeping. Perhaps his Alpha would even give him big, crushing hugs every once in a while. Not all the time, obviously; he wasn’t a child, but maybe after he did something really well, like playing a great game. They’d wrap him up in strong arms, squeezing tight. Would tell him that he’d done good. That he was good.
Stupid Auston, with his stupid face and eyebrows and broad shoulders.
“You could learn a thing or two from tending roses, you know. Patience, for one.” Ariana butted in, “Dad, come on. Auston is a hall-of-fame NHLer.” Auston narrowed his eyes. That had sounded like a compliment, but… “He doesn’t have time for us little people and our mortal hobbies like gardening. What is he, a peasant?” There it was.
The chemistry between these two is FIRE!! The praise kink is killing me in the best way and oh man, the way I want to give Chase the biggest hug - that guy needs it!
And the cliffhanger? I'm so glad book 2 is out so I can run to read it asap!
I WAS FERAL for the release of this duet and the first book was great! I loved the tenderness and care, I loved the hidden-identity trope, secret kept by both MCs and it was honestly hilarious how online they were ranting TO each other ABOUT each other, the people they knew in real life.
The more the reveal was inevitable the more I was kicking my feet.
< That same strange thing from the night before rumbled in his belly at seeing Chase so small and tucked in on the couch, buried like a shell in the sand. Auston wanted to dig him out, brush off the grains and keep him in the palm of his hand instead, where he’d be safe. >
Marina Vivancos does it again, people. I cannot, CANNOT, tell you how freaking gorgeous this book is. "Full Body Hit" is going straight on my top ten reads of the year, alongside the second part, which I'll be diving into immediately, because I just KNOW it's going to be just as good, just as glorious, as part one. I've been in a huge, horrible reading slump for months now, so I really can't remember the last time I managed to devour a book in less than 12 hours. I should have known that if someone was going to revive my love for binge-reading, it was going to be Marina.
"Full Body Hit" is everything I look for in a book, and more. All the delicious, glorious omegaverse tropes you can think of, amazing, heart-wrenching angst that made me want to find a quiet corner to sob in, so much STEAM you'll spend the whole novel either squealing and/or blushing, DADDY KINK and a cast of fabulous characters, both main and side. I knew Marina Vivancos was going to NAIL daddy kink dynamic here, but it still made me so happy that she wrote it in such a wonderful, delicious way. I'm very, very picky with my daddy kink romances, but I never doubted for one single second that Marina was going to write it in a way that would make me SOAR. So, so, so, so good. So well done. I cannot wait to see the daddy kink and power dynamic evolve in the second part, especially after that ending.
This book is built on two tropes I'm usually not keen on: secret identity and online dating. Once again, I never doubted Marina's ability to write them in a way that would make me go absolutely batshit feral. The whole premise this duology is set on is DELICIOUS. DELICIOUS, and genius, actually. Without going into detail, it was like seeing a car crash happen in slow motion. Chase and Auston disliking each other in real life for a misunderstanding, but meeting on an app not knowing who the other is and falling in love while their real selves still dislike each other??????? Oh my god. I was on the EDGE of my seat the whole time. Gnawing at my finger nails, kicking my feet and screaming into a pillow, and also wanting to jump into the book and hit Auston with a brick because, I love you, but YOU IDIOT *shakes him affectionately*
Their romance arc was the thing of dreams. I loved "Aunix" and "Charlie"'s online interactions: their kinky phone sex, the videos they kept sending each other, alllllllll the presents Aunix would send Charlie, the praising and the care-taking, and just in general, how both of them managed to be vulnerable with the other and also rely on the other more and more as the time went by. BUT I loved Chase and Auston's real life interactions even more. PLUS the added deliciousness and angst of them not knowing?????? Auston being a dick to Chase not knowing he's being a dick to his baby? Ugh. SO GOOD. SO GOOD.
I loved them individually so much too. Auston was, admittedly, a dick at times, but he was a grump and a dick in a way that was also very much relatable and understandable. He's a complex man about to go through a life-changing, gut-wrenching decision, and his sadness, his feelings of worthlessness, were so realistic and vivid. He finds a purpose again, thanks to Charlie/Chase, and seeing him blossom and thrive after so much pain and sadness was glorious.
< If he were to go somewhere quiet with someone, he wanted it to feel real. Wanted to sink his teeth into it until he tasted blood. Until the person underneath him stopped moving and began to beg. >
AND CHASE. God, I don't where to start there, but god. He's also extremely, extremely relatable, and also so freaking lovely and just, like, the literal best ever????????????? Another complex amalgamation of confidence and silliness mixed in with horrific, gut-wrenching self-loathing. Marina Vivancos is always EXCELLENT at depicting realistic portrayals of the long-lasting effects of abuse of any kind, and the way she wrote Chase and Chase & his mother's dynamic was seriously shattering. My heart bled for poor Chase. God. His mother needs to be hit with a bus, immediately.
He was always asking too much of the world, expecting to get things right away instead of earning them. He hadn’t earned safety. He hadn’t earned a home. He had to keep working until he was worth something more.
I adored the side characters so much. A few very special cameos from our previous MCs made my heart soar, but Sammy and Noah and also Sammy and Chase's friendship stole the show for me. I need Marina to write Sammy and Noah's book IMMEDIATELY (WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM, WHY DO THEY KEEP PINING BUT STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER *cries in frustration*), I will perish otherwise. I also desperately need to know what the hell Sammy is hiding. I KNOW there's something behind his glorious confidence. Sammy was the best, though. His friendship with Chase was everything to me. How Sammy showed him that being an omega and wanting soft things was okay <33333 UGH. How protective he was of Chase! AHHH I'm obsessed.
I cannot wait to dive into book two. I'm very, very excited but also already mourning the loss, because I might have gotten over my reading slump only to tumble into a horrific book hangover? Oh well. Bring it no Marina. Do your worst <3
TWs/CWs: child abuse, emotional abuse and manipulation, toxic parent, past drug use from a minor, chronic illness + shaming, past, abusive relationship, past death of a parent.
Many thanks to the author for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.
I enjoyed this so much!! This is how you do hidden identity. The build up was so, so good and the realisation as a cliffhanger... I cannot wait for Auston to try and figure out how to fix what he broke!!
The ABO element was also much more enjoyable for me. Usually these kind of books are just a sexfest from start to end, and as someone who is Ace that just doesn't appeal to me even though I'm sex positive. I need emotional connection and actual plot and we got so much of that in this book.
Chase made me want to hug him so badly and I'm so glad he has Sammy in his life. His mother is so evil for what she's done to him...
oooo this was juicyyy 😝 I basically planned my day around this book’s release and have zero regrets.
And that cliffhanger!!! I can see why it needed to be broken up into two parts 👀
I can’t write a coherent review rn, but I loved loved both main characters and their unique romance together. Also, age-gap romances are seriously superior- idgaf what booktok says.
This was the kind of good that had me staying up until 2am.
Even though I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why it took these two THAT long to figure out who the other was. And even then, only one of them figured it out by the end of this.
How common is a name like Auston that 'Aunix', an online persona of a guy who has the exact same body as your teammate, would have you saying...huh,that's such a funny coincidence.
And the way they kept talking about each other but from the exact opposite perspective?
Loved how Auston called himself a dick and an asshole so many times without figuring out that he was the insufferable coworker making his online boyfriend unhappy.
Also loved how there was a valid reason for him to be triggered by Chase's lack of scent. Not just being a dick to be a dick.
Was amused by how they both got online to build a connection that's deeper than just sex, only to be whimpering and sexing it up a very short while in.
Most of all, I loved how until the end, the obvious was so implausible to both of them that when one figured it out, it was a very big 'oh shit' moment.
Good hook. Perfect execution.
-1 for the horniness. They're not even physically together in this and I STILL feel like they had too much sex.
(4.5/5) This book was pretty much exactly what I imagined it would be. Luckily, there's a second part! I definitely haven't had enough of these two yet.
no for real though, Marina Vivancos never misses - I would wait a decade for a new release of hers because you just knows she delivers every single time 👌🥺 also Marina if you're reading this thank you for releasing part two on the same day as part one ⭐️🤝
How does this series keep getting better. Marina Vivancos’s characters are always complex but honestly Auston has layers that demand attention. A flawed man, athlete, Hockey veteran on the verge of loosing his identity, heartbroken and unhealed from the past. Chase, god what was done to him is just horrific and appalling- for a mom to do that to her child is unforgivable- and yet he is a man bursting with effervescence and sunshine.
I think the way they meet and develop a bond is perfect for them. I am awed by the intimacy and growth that the author is able to imbue in this dynamic despite the obvious limitations. But that cliffhanger is killing me and luckily the second part is out on the same day and I can dive right in.
If you love the heightened emotions and the chemistry of omega verse, a layered sports romance, characters you root for, stellar found family, a whole bucket of hurt comfort, beautiful lyrical prose, a bit of humour and all around gripping writing, read this!
4.5 stars When I say I sat and inhaled this in basically one sitting - this had my heart pinching, breath in my throat and I just wanted the best for Chase, my poor baby. So worth the wait and the cliffhanger?? You bet my ass I sped off to the next one.
I can’t rate this because I just started it and it didn’t seem bad, so this is going to sound crazy but I am one of those people who doesn’t like to go in blind, who generally likes spoilers and who pays attention to reviews. So this book sounded kind of interesting though it sounds like they don’t hook up physically in it, but part I sounds like it utterly shits the bed and one is the MCs sounds awful. I have low tolerance for asshole MCs and the idea of maybe liking an MC in one book and then realizing you don’t in the next gives The Long Game flashbacks and while it wasn’t so extreme in that book, I am not one for a bait and switch for my MCs. So I am giving up on this one.
*I am reviewing part 1 & 2 together since this was a really long story and I don’t remember where one ends and the other begins *
This was a really great book. Totally worth the wait. Let’s agree that we all HATE Chase’s mom. At the beginning I did also really dislike Auston. He could have been more understanding and actually talked to Chase instead of just assuming what he did. He did make up for it later in the story. I really felt for chase and loved his character he was adorable and deserved all the love and spoiling he received from Auston (even when he didn’t know it was him). I honestly don’t think I would have forgave the lieing but I am very happy Chase did. I liked seeing the series past characters in the book it makes me want to revisit them. I cannot air for whatever else comes in this series
i literally don't even know what to say. i stayed up to binge read this in 4 hours and then had to wake up for work the next day??? i'll write a real review for part 2.
This is the first time I’ve read a book entirely on a week-by-week, as-is-being-released schedule, which did take a lot of getting used to because I have very little self-control when it comes to books and wanted the whole thing in one go. The plus side though is that I’ve spent a lot of time with these characters now and that last chapter had me cackling like a maniac at 7am because the other shoe is finally dropping and it’s sooooo juicy!!!!!
Can’t wait to gobble up Part 2 tomorrow!!
~
PSA: Marina is releasing a chapter per week on her Patreon!! We have 6 chapters so far and it’s amazing😭😭😭 I am simply salivating for the rest of this book
Rating: 5 Steam: 4 PoV: dual, 3rd person Genre: paranormal romance, omegaverse, MM Tropes / tags: age gap, secret identities, teammates
I couldn't put this down once I started, it was such an addictive story with a tender, anonymous online relationship slowly forming between Auston and Chase!
Chase craved security and validation, and his longing and vulnerability made my heart ache. He was a total sweetheart, and I just wanted to see him happy and cared for. I really enjoyed seeing the conversations between him and his online Daddy, Chase deserved to be spoiled and cherished, and his Daddy made sure that he was well taken care of.
I loved that Auston helped Chase to allow himself to be vulnerable and embrace his needs as an omega instead of feeling ashamed of them. There were a lot of tenderness in their interactions, and even without having met each other they really had the best dynamic. Chase was the perfect combination of bratty and needy, and Auston was such a tender and caring Daddy. Seeing them create their own nests together over the phone was incredibly sweet, and I just loved every second with them!
It was a slow building romance, with both of them protecting their identities as much as they could, but they were very open and honest about their emotions and feelings with each other. Marina Vivancos did a great job tying it all together, with the reader getting to know Chase and Auston both in their real lives, with their careers and things going on, but also seeing plenty of their dynamic together online.
Full Body Hit was one of my most anticipated releases for this year, and it turned out to be everything I could have hoped for and more! It was a fantastic read, and the Daddy / boy dynamic between Chase and Auston was absolute perfection. I can't wait to see what will happen when their identities are revealed!
- I received an advanced copy of this book, and these are my honest thoughts and opinions.
Marina does it again! This book, oh my goodness. I cried my way through, laughed at the banter, and gained a new favourite character.
My Chase. My sweet, sad baby. My boy has been so beaten down by life (and his awful mother), his self esteem is so low and he is so doubtful that he will ever find love or even deserve it all because he has a condition which means he has to take medication to neutralise his scent.
I need to wrap Chase in a thousand blankets immediately. He is just the sweetest cinnamon roll and he deserves so many good things!
Of course, Marina is mean and instead he gets Auston, a team mate who hates him right from the get go and who is our other MC!
Auston is so mean to our sweet Chase, criticising him when he isn't ignoring him. Auston has things going on in his personal life that are making him bitter at the start of the book, and he ends up taking them out on Chase.
But wouldn't you know? Our MCs connect anonymously on a dating app and it's a whole different story there. Auston is so kind and gentle and loving towards "Charlie" (Chase), ready to give him all the praise and encouragement he needs. And, of course, the orgasms!
The two of them enter into an online Daddy/boy relationship which is the sweetest thing and so healing for both of them. We get to watch Chase grow in confidence and flourish under his Daddy's care. And Auston starts to heal from his depression and the bitterness he has been struggling with and realise that there is more to life than hockey. But will they ever figure out who each other is?
I loved watching their relationship develop so much! Auston is so gone for his baby boy. Their relationship is full of gentleness and it really is so special to watch this online romance blossom. Most of the book is really about their online interactions with the harsher real life stuff just sprinkled throughout.
Auston is a complex character but despite how he treats Chase irl I don't hate him. We get to see his pain and struggles alongside how absolutely wonderful he is to "Charlie" that you can't help but cheer him on in getting his head out of his ass, being a decent human being to Chase, AND move from thinking he never wants a relationship again to going all in with his feelings for "Charlie".
I'm so excited to get to book two and find out how things develop! Hop over to that page to check out my review! (to be posted)
I received a free advanced review copy and these are my honest opinions. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
3.5 stars. This review is for both book 1 and book 2, since it's just one story (it's not like there's a storyline that's finished after book 1. In fact, it ends on a major cliffhanger). In total it's 600 pages, so it could easily have been released as one book.
Part 1 was actually quite nice. It maybe took a tad too long before things shifted from online to in person, but otherwise the pacing was fine. It went off the rails in part 2 though. Sometimes the story was lagging and then right at the end there was suddenly something happening that should have gotten way more page time than it did. It also felt out of character to me. I also don't know if Auston redeemed himself enough. As Aunix he was really great, but let's be honest: in real life he was just a huge dick those first months. I wanted him to grovel. And while he reserved a special kind of negative attention for Chase, with the rest of the team he was completely checked out. It's not like I didn't get where he was coming from, but come on, the guy was 37. Show some maturity and don't take your issues out on your teammates. Also, he knew he probably only had one year left, so why not enjoy it to the fullest, instead of acting like you're already out of the game?
Chase was a sweetheart though and he deserved to have an Aunix. Pity Auston didn't completely live up to his online persona, but at least he got Chase to be kinder to himself, to embrace his omega side more and gently push him away from his horrible mother.
Other smaller things that annoyed me: * There were too many unnecessary mistakes, like the author being unable to decide if Sammy was from Sweden or Switzerland, if their teammate's name was Koa or Kao, and at some point Chase had Auston's jacket at home after vehemently refusing to take it. Etc. All things that should have been spotted by an editor or even proofreaders.
* I know people text without using interpunction and things like that in real life, but in a book, especially when it's heavy on texts and they're getting longer and longer, it is annoying to have to decipher for every sentence where it begins and ends.
Overall, it certainly could have been better and it's not my favorite story by this author, but parts of it were really enjoyable and Chase was an easy main character to root for.
I loved this widely written duet. Thank goodness both books will be released at the same time, so you don’t have to wait for part two!
The stories run around the NHL, and two players; Chase and Auston. Chase, a vulnerable, young omega player of 20 years old, with a cold, distant mother, who made his self-esteem level go below zero, and his self-criticism on a high level. A mother who wanted her son to present as an alpha and did everything to reach that goal.
Chase has a medical condition that made his real scent locked away and he can’t smell anyone else either. He has had a crush on Auston, the older hockey player, since Chase started playing hockey himself. But the alpha is rude, mean, and unfair to him. Bye crush!
Auston Mazdaki is 37 and had been traded to the Spirits during the summer. The youngest player on the team is a strange guy, with no scent. Auston has a bad experience with omegas who can control their scent. The only reason why omegas would do this, is to manipulate alphas. Chase has to be such a person.
Chaxe doesn’t need a mate, he’s okay with just hookups. There’s a date app where he just found a Daddy. No meet-ups just anonymous contact through the app. He can be his needy self, where no one knows about his condition. The guy is just perfect. Daddy knows what he needs! Do you think he’s the only hockey player on this app? And do you think it’s simple when true identities are revealed?
Ghosh what a journey! Is it all smooth and easy? Nope, absolutely not! Both characters are well-developed, and their journey is well executed. Prepare yourself for an age gap, grumpy Alpha, vulnerable Omega, hurt comfort, power-exchange story! I can’t spoil but both books of this duet are super entertaining!
4.5 stars, because I was sucked in and couldn’t put it down. I stayed up late to read, which I almost never do. The hurt/comfort theme was so well done. I ached for Chase almost the entire time reading this book.
The you’ve got mail trope strikes again!!! It never fails!! And the dynamic in this one was so 🥵 And the story! The plot! The tension! The cliffhanger! I had so much fun with this one! 😫
Absolutely love this book and I flew through it pretty fast. From the jump I ended up liking Chase,he's such a baby boy and wanted to protect him. I also liked seeing the team/hockey aspect of this book especially with the Aplha's and Omegas's. Would be interested in reading more about the other teammates. Auston's character definitely grew on me, especially toward the end. Overall I really did enjoy this book.