Hat Trick by Eden Finley

Narrated by Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma

Hat Trick is the fifth (and final) novel in Eden Finley’s Fake Boyfriend series, and it’s one I’ve been looking forward to ever since I found out who the central couple would be. As has been the case with the other books in the set, Hat Trick is a light-hearted, low-angst, sexy story with plenty of humour and sharp banter, a couple of likeable principals and engaging secondary cast (in this case, formed mostly of the couples from the previous books). Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma return to narrate, and deliver their customary strong performances; they’re what drew me to this series in the first place, and although I might have had the odd niggle here and there, they haven’t disappointed.

Hockey player Caleb Sorenson – Soren to his friends – can’t think of anything worse than being stuck on a luxury vacation with your closest friends when those friends are ALL (sickeningly), happily coupled up, especially after breaking up with the long-term boyfriend he risked coming out for. But oh, wait – things could be worse, and rapidly become so when another guest arrives, Jet Jackson, younger brother of Matt (book two, Trick Play) who is now, at twenty-three, famous as the lead singer of up-and-coming band Radioactive… and the guy Soren hooked up with three years earlier without knowing he was his best friends’ little brother. So, um, yeah. Awkward.

Jet has come to Fiji for some R&R, telling everyone he needs to rest his voice, but in reality he’s exhausted both from the rigours of touring and heartsore from the end of his secret relationship with the (closeted) guy he’s been seeing on and off for the last few years. The fact that his lover is a member of the world famous boy band Eleven, and Radioactive is supporting them on tour, made it impossible for Jet to avoid him or make a clean break; when they broke up in the past, Jet wasn’t able to resist getting back together with him, but this time it’s really the end.

Jet and Soren have seen each other only once in the years since their hook-up (and things didn’t go well), but neither has forgotten their one night together, or how they made each other feel. They’ve both thought about what might have happened if they hadn’t gone their separate ways the morning after, and there’s a definite sense that they’re each other’s “one that got away”, but now they’re within touching distance again, and it’s hard to deny that the attraction between them is anything other than as strong as it ever was. Soren – who, at thirty-three, is nearing the end of his playing career and trying to work out what comes next – doesn’t think that the vibrant, smart-mouthed, Jet is for him, but it doesn’t take long for their chemistry to ignite and for them to agree to a friends-with-benefits fling while they’re on holiday. It also doesn’t take long for it to become apparent that an FWB arrangement isn’t going to be enough for either of them.

Things get serious when the holiday is interrupted by Jet’s manager, telling him that Harley Valentine, Jet’s ex, is insisting – more than insisting – he return to the tour, and that to refuse would open him up to lawsuits for breach of contract, and could cost him a huge amount of money and possibly his career. Jet doesn’t want to go – he’s just found Soren again and although he’s sure it’s over between him and Harley, he’s a little nervous about seeing him again. To Jet’s surprise and relief, Soren offers to go with him for the final leg of the tour. I loved that Soren is completely, 100% there for Jet in every way he can be; and most of all, he gives Jet something he’s always wanted –

“Someone who’s mine waiting for me offstage. He’d give me a kiss as soon as I’d finish my set, even if I’m sweaty and gross and he’d be there for me. Not for the fame. Not for the public exposure of being with Jay from Radioactive… he’d be there just for me.”

Once the guys leave Fiji, the story follows them as they spend eight gruelling weeks on tour before Soren has to leave to start pre-season training. They become closer and closer during those weeks, despite some pettiness on Harley’s part (he’s a dick, but does manage to do the decent thing in the end), although Soren can’t quite help wondering if Jet is really over him. Their separation due to their careers is difficult for them both and a stupid misunderstanding causes a bit of a bump along the way, but fortunately, Jet isn’t one to let the grass grow under his feet and gets that sorted in his straightforward, no-nonsense way.

As this is the last book in the series, we get all the “gay brigade” – as they term themselves – from the previous books showing up for more than just cameos, but I have to admit that while I do like them all, I did sometimes think they overbalanced things a little and I’d have forgone some of their appearances for more of Jet and Soren together, especially as their reconciliation on Fiji is a bit rushed.

Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma have done some great work on this series and I really like them as a narrating pair. I’ve said before that Mr. Cendese has a nice line in cynical, snarky jocks, so he’s well cast as Soren, while Mr. Toma’s softer tones and the slight southern accent he adopts are perfect for Jet. Pacing and comic timing are excellent, the performances are appropriately expressive in the more emotional moments, and they both differentiate effectively between a large cast of characters. But the problem with having such a large cast is that it’s very difficult to achieve consistency in all the character portrayals from one narrator to the other. For instance, Mr. Cendese gives Lennon (Deke) an accent (Jersey?) but Mr. Toma doesn’t; Benji, one of Jet’s bandmates is Australian – Mr. Toma has a stab at the accent, Mr. Cendese doesn’t. Those are the two examples that stand out most, but I often needed dialogue tags to keep up with the secondary characters, mostly because there were so many of them. That said, I wasn’t too bothered by it; Jet and Soren are easy to identify regardless of which narrator is speaking, and most of the time the focus is on them, so those inconsistencies didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the audiobook as a whole.

Hat Trick is a fitting send off for the Fake Boyfriend series and a fun listen all round. Recommended for when you’re in the mood for an undemanding listen with plenty of snark and steam.

Caz