Excerpt & Review: From A to Us (Vermont Trailblazers #3) by Amy Aislin
Book Details:
Book Title: From A to Us
Author and Publisher: Amy Aislin
Series: Vermont Trailblazers 3
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Release Date: October 6, 2026
Tense/POV: third person past tense
Genres: Contemporary MM hockey romance
Tropes: Friends to lovers, coach’s son, sister’s ex, age gap, forced proximity
Heat Rating: 3 flames:
Length: 66 125 words / 220 pages
It is the final book in a trilogy but stands on its own.
It does not end on a cliffhanger.
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Eli worked his butt off to earn a spot with the Vermont Trailblazers, and he has absolutely no intention of losing it. Unfortunately, his second NHL season has brought a sophomore slump, an endless parade of team obligations, and the possibility that enthusiasm might not be enough to keep his plates spinning—or keep him from being sent to the minors. So naturally, this is the perfect time for Nolan Madolora—his coach’s son, his sister’s ex, and the man Eli had an impossible crush on a decade ago—to walk back into his life.
Nolan knows a thing or two about not fitting in, which makes getting paid to figure out why the Trailblazers work so well together almost funny—he’s in Vermont to conduct a team culture audit and deliver an objective assessment. What he shouldn’t do is get involved with one of the players, especially when that man is Eli Parker: his ex’s little brother, ten years his junior, and all grown up in ways Nolan is trying very hard not to notice.
When Nolan and Eli stumble across an old set of unsent letters at the arena, amateur sleuthing gives them an excuse to spend more time together—and makes their growing attraction increasingly impossible to resist. Eli’s old crush has a chance of becoming something very real, while Nolan’s carefully maintained objectivity doesn’t stand a chance against the one person he never thought to look at twice. The closer they get—to the truth and to each other—the harder it becomes to remember all the reasons getting involved is a terrible idea.
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99c/99p SALE
Book one in the series, The Best Parts of Him (Vermont Trailblazers 1),
is on sale for $0.99/£0.99 until October 13.
“Okay, wait. Wait-wait-wait-wait.” An hour and a half later, Nolan sat back in his seat and waved his hands, cutting Eli off. “You’re saying that if you had the option to know how you die, you wouldn’t take it?”
Eli’s grin was a little tipsy. Nolan had lost track of the number of beers Eli had consumed to Nolan’s one, but as Eli went to rest an elbow on the table and missed it entirely, Nolan mentally revised tipsy to most of the way drunk.
“Noooooo way,” Eli said, red-cheeked from too much booze but not slurring his words. So there was that. “If I knew how I died, I’d be constantly thinking about the future, just waiting for that day to come instead of living in the moment, and that would suck the joy right out of life. Would you want to know?”
“Yeah. I think so. That way I could avoid the thing that eventually kills me and maybe prolong my life a little longer. Do the things I want to do, accomplish what I want to accomplish, say the things I need to say.”
“But what if the thing that kills you is cancer or some other disease? Can’t avoid that.”
“Maybe not, but I can get screened earlier than I might’ve otherwise and try to catch it early. You really wouldn’t want to know?”
“Absolutely not,” Eli said. “Because what if I die, like, choking on a bagel or something? Then breakfast becomes a high-stakes event for the rest of my life.”
“You could cut the bagel into small pieces,” Nolan offered.
“And engineer my carbs around fate?”
“You could just not eat bagels.”
Eli gasped so hard that Nolan thought he’d choke on his own spit. “Rude, Nolan. Don’t get between a hockey player and his carbs.”
Nolan laughed. “Duly noted.”
“Hey, guys.” Their server appeared between them and placed the bill on the table. “We’re closing in a few minutes, so you can settle up at the bar.”
Nolan checked his watch. Almost midnight. Damn, they’d shut the place down. He hadn’t done that since his university days.
“You can pay.” Eli slid the bill Nolan’s way. “Since you invited me.”
“Sure,” Nolan said, laughing as he stood. “Be right back.”
He’d invited Eli out tonight because Eli was the only person he knew in Burlington aside from his dad. He was friendly with a few of the Trailblazers—had even attended a Trailblazers event or two in the four seasons Dad had been head coach—but he didn’t know them enough to call them up to hang out.
Eli, though? Nolan didn’t know him well enough either, but he had been a familiar face from his past. Nolan hadn’t expected to enjoy getting to know him as someone other than Michelle’s little brother as much as he had. Hadn’t expected to have this much fun or to wish the night would last longer. Hadn’t expected an Eli who was both funny and smart and wiser than Nolan would’ve given him credit for.
5 out of 5 (Exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian
Ok, so!
I might lose control of this review, so please bear with me, cos I freaking loved this one!
Eli is super cheerful, but puts on a front, and Nolan sees Eli-really sees him. And I loved that he saw Eli right from the start.
I loved that the relationship between Nolan and Eli's sister wasn't given too much page space. It's mentioned a couple of times when the guys are soul-searching, but since it's ten long years ago, it's not dragged out. Even Eli's sister wasn't bothered!
The letters had me gripped! I loved them and how Nolan and Eli use inspiration from them. I did have a clue as to who that might be, really early on, and I loved how that all played out.
Steamy, yes, these guys have powerful chemistry right from the start, and they do not let up!
I'm loving that these are hockey-light. Just enough to keep you engaged, but not too much so you lose focus. And when I say you, I mean me!
Please, please tell me there will be more. I'm loving these books, and I need more of them in my life!
I'm reigning this in, and shutting it down now!
5 full and shiny stars!!
** The same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
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Amy’s lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she’s read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she’s been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn’t at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada’s largest environmental non-profit.
An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter.
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