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Glove Save and a Beauty

(Sophie Fournier #3.5)

K.R. Collins

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 29 ratings · 17 reviews

Gabrielle grew up in the shadow of Five-Hole Billy. When she becomes a goaltender, she carries two important lessons with her. Don’t rely on the fans for support and always protect the five-hole.

Isolated by the nature of her position and her personality, she struggles to fit in with her team. On the ice, she guards the net, the last line of defense when their efforts fail. ...more

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Published November 23rd 2020 by NineStar Press

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Nov 27, 2020 Lex Kent rated it really liked it

Shelves: asexual, f-f-ninestar-press, novella-or-short, sports

This was a great little novella. I actually enjoyed this even more than I expected. I like this series very much but it can get a little repetitive at times. This novella stars one of the secondary characters, another woman that has made it into the formally all male hockey league. Having this book be about Gabrielle, instead of Sophie, was a great idea. It really freshened up the series and if anything made me even more excited for book 4.

While this book is 3.5 in the series, you could actuall This was a great little novella. I actually enjoyed this even more than I expected. I like this series very much but it can get a little repetitive at times. This novella stars one of the secondary characters, another woman that has made it into the formally all male hockey league. Having this book be about Gabrielle, instead of Sophie, was a great idea. It really freshened up the series and if anything made me even more excited for book 4.

While this book is 3.5 in the series, you could actually read this first, to get a feel for if the series might be for you. If you like this novella, chances are extremely high you will enjoy the other books. This series has some of the better sports books I have ever read. But to be clear, these are sports books. If you are a fan of hockey, or at least know the basics of the game, these books hopefully will work for you. If you don’t know any hockey and don’t really care to, you might struggle at times with this series.

While the major focus of these books is hockey, these are very character driven reads. It’s one of the reason I enjoy this series so much. You connect with the characters, these women breaking the glass ceiling and you hang on their every move and at times every word. Can they take the pressure, can they prove everyone wrong? Their journeys just suck you in and you want to know more. I really liked that Gabrielle was such a strong ice queen. She said things in this novella that I wished Sophie would have said in the other books. Gabrielle pays for it though, by not being as close with her teammates, but I loved that she was such a badass.

I hate to do it but I just have to complain about the cover. NineStar Press normally has some of the best covers in LGBTQ+ fiction so I’m really surprised here. Plus, Collins herself knows so much about hockey and even talks about the importance of a goalie’s mask in the book. I don’t get how this big mistake got by. The helmet on the cover is NOT a goalie helmet. It is the kind that every player wears but the goalie. Even an old-school, Friday the 13th Jason Voorhees, mask would have looked better on the cover than that one. Hopefully it will get fixed in the near future. Collins has written an excellent series here and I think she deserves a correct cover.

I would easily recommend this novella to fans of the series and I would also recommend it to people who were on the fence about trying the series. This well written and quick read, is the perfect way to get a taste for what the series will be like. Since I mostly read LGBTQ+ books, I want to mention that I believe Gabrielle is asexual. I really liked her character and I wouldn’t mind reading more about Gabrielle in future books.

A copy was given to me for an honest review.
...more

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Nov 23, 2020 Jude in the Stars rated it really liked it

I love K.R. Collins’ Sophie Fournier series as much as it sometimes frustrates me. I don’t care at all about ice hockey IRL yet the way Collins writes it, I’m captivated every time. There’s a lot about Sophie I don’t understand, which is what I both love and get frustrated with. So when I saw this novella, set in the same universe but focused on another player, Gabrielle Gagnon, I didn’t hesitate. And I have a feeling getting to know Gabrielle will help me understand Sophie somewhat better.

Befor I love K.R. Collins’ Sophie Fournier series as much as it sometimes frustrates me. I don’t care at all about ice hockey IRL yet the way Collins writes it, I’m captivated every time. There’s a lot about Sophie I don’t understand, which is what I both love and get frustrated with. So when I saw this novella, set in the same universe but focused on another player, Gabrielle Gagnon, I didn’t hesitate. And I have a feeling getting to know Gabrielle will help me understand Sophie somewhat better.

Before she chose hockey, Gabrielle was a figure skater and a ballerina. She has goals but, unlike Sophie Fournier, she also has other interests, outside of hockey. Also unlike Sophie, who cultivates her neutral looks, Gabrielle is a girl girl. A girl who likes wearing dresses and makeup and heels, not for others but for herself. Who likes things to be a certain way. Who likes order and rules in all things, from baking to dating. Who, from the youngest age, doesn’t like hugs.

As the narrative progresses, the parallels with ballet and figure skating go deeper than the healthy lifestyle they taught her. The pain, the determination, the will to try and try and try again until a move is perfected, they all fit Gabrielle entirely, in every area of her life.

Each chapter of this novella centres on the fall of a different year. In non-chronological order, the reader gets to share firsts with Gabrielle: her first Thanksgiving with a team instead of her family, when she first learns to bake with her dad, her debut as the Québec goalie, the first time she realises she’d be good at hockey, the first time she has a real friend.

Concurrently, we also get to see Sophie’s journey as the first woman in the NAHL through Gabrielle’s eyes, first as a girl a year younger than Sophie, then as a player following in her steps, albeit in a completely different way, as goaltenders have their own challenges.

K.R. Collins writes fascinating characters. The hockey prism allows her to spend time in their head, giving her the opportunity to really outline their personality, even in a shorter book like this one. I’ve wondered, over the books, whether Sophie is asexual or if her disinterest in others beyond friendship stems from her young age or her unerring focus on her sports. Now that I’ve spent time with Gabrielle, who is very comfortable with her own asexuality, the differences between them shine again. And make me even more impatient for a fourth Sophie book. Let me tell you, that gal is a mystery, and I’m really enjoying getting to know her, even when it means I was wrong about her.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review. ...more

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Nov 25, 2020 Skip rated it really liked it

I caught up with the previous books in this series recently in anticipation of this one’s release day and I have to say I thought this was a worthy addition to the series, despite it being about Gabrielle instead of Sophie. In fact, I think adding this shorter book before we read the next chapter in Sophie’s journey will keep the series fresher.

When I was little I was a huge hockey fan. Despite growing up in the UK I was lucky enough to grow up in a town with a team in the top league in the coun ...more

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Dec 16, 2020 Agirlcandream rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, hockey, net-galley, series, sports, asexual, canadian

K.R. Collins can keep feeding us hockey books and I will keep reading and enjoying them. This novella is a spinoff from her Sophie Fournier series (the first woman to play in the NAHL) and features the first female goalie to join the NAHL, Gabrielle Gagnon. Sophie and Gabrielle may share some attributes like athletic prowess, knowledge of the game and highly refined technical skills but the comparisons end there.

Gabrielle is a girly girl. She feels good in dresses and heels and is not afraid to ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Lexxi Kitty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-sports, lgbt, reviewed, lgbt-asexual, subject-sports-hockey, length-100-259-short-novel, publisher-ninestar-press, age-020s, setting-country-canada, setting-city-quebec

The first three works in this series involved Sophie Fournier playing in a top hockey league as the first woman in the league. This fourth work is a short side story that follows Gabrielle Gagnon, the goalie meet in prior Fournier works.

This specific book follows Gabrielle in short little sections set from something like 2000 to 2014. From being a youngster who was into ballet and figure-skating, to an adult professional hockey player, a goalie, in the major leagues.

I rather liked the Gabriell ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Sam rated it liked it

I have a sort of hate-love relationship with the Sophie Fournier series, but I figured why not give this a go.
And it the hate-love continues for me. It's enjoyable to read these books, but with a lack of ice hockey knowledge, I do feel like I am missing something.

This novella tells the story of Gabriella, the goaltender. She has made some appearances in the Sophie Fournier series before, and now she has her own novella. Gabriella lives an isolated life, by choice, it fits her personality and her ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Althea rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2020-releases, ace-and-aro, adult, arcs, contemporary, dnf, ebooks, lgbt, lgbt-authors, novellas

Sadly, this was a big no for me! I didn't realise that this was a novella that comes in part way through a series when I requested it on Netgalley, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on any information or prior plotlines in the series. This follows Gabrielle, a female ice-hockey player on an all male team, over a series of 6 (non-linear) Thanksgiving holidays. Despite not knowing much about ice hockey (I played field hockey for a few years but even my memory of that is a bit fuzzy!), I nev Sadly, this was a big no for me! I didn't realise that this was a novella that comes in part way through a series when I requested it on Netgalley, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on any information or prior plotlines in the series. This follows Gabrielle, a female ice-hockey player on an all male team, over a series of 6 (non-linear) Thanksgiving holidays. Despite not knowing much about ice hockey (I played field hockey for a few years but even my memory of that is a bit fuzzy!), I never felt lost with regards to the sport and any jargon used. I also liked the fact that it is perfect for this time of year (I didn't realised it was set around Thanksgiving either, so I was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up on a whim!).

However, I did have two main issues with this novella. The first being that the portrayal of asexuality felt very stereotypical to me. However, as I am not asexual I can't really speak on the rep, but it went from not being interested in sex (or dating, so I'm not sure if she was also meant to be aromantic), but from not liking touch in general, including, for example, her hair being ruffled. Now, I'm sure there are ace/aroace people out there for whom this is great representation, but the way that it was described felt a bit too close to mocking for my liking.

Secondly, and this is one that is more of a relevant point to me specifically, is the trope of 'oh she plays a traditionally "masculine" sport but off the pitch (rink) she dresses and acts hyperfeminine'. As someone who has played women's rugby for ten years, this is something that really irks me. Not only is this 'stereotype' for lack of a better word so often perpetuated in literature and tv, but the cishet girls on these teams also perpetuate it. It almost seems (to me) like trying to be progressive by saying, yes women can play these contact sports that were traditionally only open to men, but we still like being in the kitchen and playing with makeup. Which, again, is completely fine, but it was extremely over the top in this book - at one point the main character is talking to wives/girlfriends of the male players and is invited to girls' night, and the first thing she says is something along the lines of I get a lot of free makeup samples, do you want to try it like ???? Have you been to a girls' night ??????? Also, this stereotype often plays to the almost demonisation of masculine women, particularly lesbians, and is why, for me personally, I hate this trope.

(Not sure if this review is even coherent I'm just disappointed and can't be bothered proofreading it lmao)

Thanks to Netgalley and NineStar Press for an arc copy in return for a review ...more

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Dec 15, 2020 Valentine Wheeler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Goalie!!

I think I love Gabrielle more than Sophie? It feels rude to say it but she’s got an edge that I just love. This was great, and a fantastic teaser to remind me how much I love this series!!

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Dec 11, 2020 Dani(elle) rated it really liked it

Gabrielle's unflinching confidence is what makes this. I love that she is an ace neurodivergent goalie, but I love how she has zero fucks to give about anyone else's opinion even more.

I do totally ship her with LG but if they are just friends, I'll be happy. It isn't a burning need like my Elsa/Sophie/Dima polycule ship. ...more

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Dec 16, 2020 aspeccharactersoftheday marked it as featured · review of another edition

Shelves: demisexual

https://aspeccharactersoftheday.tumbl... ...more

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Dec 17, 2020 AMHH rated it it was amazing

I’ve never read a book set in this universe I didn’t love, and this is no exception. K.R. Collins writes hockey in such a way that even a reader like me, who doesn’t understand the basic rules of any sport no matter how many times they’re explained and has used the term “sports ball” with only marginal irony, gets drawn into the intricacies of the game. Gabrielle is a fascinating character: strong, determined, intelligent, calculating, and incredibly brave. I love how sure of not just herself bu ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Phoebe rated it really liked it

Shelves: asexuality, lgbt-fiction, lgbt-series, new-adult, thanksgiving

Glove Save And A Beauty is a hockey lover’s dream book. K.R. Collins takes us through time and various memories of how Gabrielle formed herself. Yes, I said “formed herself” because that is exactly what she did. She starts life early on skates with figure skating and the ballet that goes alongside it. She spots a coach and a hockey team practicing on the other side of the ice and from that point forward she is fascinated. Watching the goalie and all of their traits and needed abilities seals the ...more

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Nov 30, 2020 Caitlin rated it really liked it

✨Glove Save and a Beauty✨

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the earc.
✨
Summary: Gabrielle is a hockey player with the dream of playing in the NAHL, she is isolated by both her position on the ice and her personality off it. She faces a heap of sexism as her team view her as just a girl and not a hockey player. One day she gets a new teammate and in gaining a teammate she gains her first real friend.
✨
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: this was my first insight in this K.R. Collins’ wor ...more

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Nov 25, 2020 Sarita Chapdelaine rated it liked it

Shelves: arc

This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book and I love that we get another perspective on women playing hockey from a different player as well as from a goalie who has a unique take on the game. Gabrielle is dealing with a lot of the same issues that Sophie has in the previous books but as a goalie she has a very intriguing and interesting point of view that I really enjoyed. Even though she is an ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Tessa rated it it was amazing

I loved this!
The first three parts in the series focus on Sophie, and seeing the world through Gabrielle's view in this novella was really nice and different. While they face some (/many) of the same challenges, they have quite a different approach and background in regards to dealing with them, which is nice to see.
I liked the non-linear storytelling and the fact that we saw Gabrielle during multiple stages of her life. Even though the book is quite short, this gave a broad and indepth view of ...more

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Dec 02, 2020 Cariadne rated it liked it

Fan of the Sophie Fournier series and appreciated the author expanding that world. Understanding hockey from Gabrielle's perspective, from a goalie's perspective, as someone who likes more feminine habits and still be a formidable athlete in a man's world, the author gave us some interesting elements. Still, the theme of loneliness and having to be beyond reproach resonated like in the Fournier books -- again, just with a different spin. It was a clever idea for a novella. ...more

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Nov 23, 2020 Christian M. rated it really liked it

This is my first time reading a book by K. R. Collins. At first I thought it was an f/f story but it’s not. The main character is asexual so I guess that’s why it fell under the LGBTQIA+ criteria.
The book focuses on the hardship of being a woman in a man dominating sports. It showed all the cliché BS that the MC have to endure in order to be treated seriously and equally, even though it’s plain as night and day that she’s much better than the men in her team. The ending was such a cliffhanger s ...more

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About K.R. Collins

K.R. Collins

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K.R. Collins went to college in Pennsylvania where she learned to write and fell in love with hockey. When she isn’t working or writing, she watches hockey games and claims it’s for research.