Shots On Net by J.J. Mulder

Shots On Net

Author: J.J. Mulder

Rating: C+

Vibe: : Cozy college roommates-to-lovers with hockey gear, demisexual rep, and maximum comfort

Carter Morgan III is a wealthy, brooding hockey goalie at South Carolina University who lives for the ice and not much else. Zeke Cassidy is a tiny, nerdy demisexual student desperately searching for affordable housing. When Zeke answers Carter's roommate ad, the two couldn't be more different—and yet, they click immediately. What follows is a slow-burn, low-angst romance built on friendship, witty banter, and the kind of domestic comfort that makes you want to curl up with soup on a rainy day. Shots On Net is pure vibes—and for some readers, that's exactly what they need.

I'll say this upfront: Mulder handles Zeke's demisexuality well. It's not a label slapped on for representation points and then conveniently forgotten when the romance needs to heat up. Zeke's experience of attraction—or lack thereof—feels consistent, thoughtful, and true to the identity. For a genre that often treats demisexuality as "person who needs an emotional connection" and then speeds past it, this book actually respects the identity and lets it shape the story. That's worth acknowledging.

But here's where I struggled: Carter and Zeke never quite felt like people to me. They hit every single trope—grumpy/sunshine, jock/nerd, rich/poor, aloof guy meets bubbly optimist—and while there's backstory and context for both of them, they still read more like archetypes than fully realized characters. Carter's the emotionally guarded rich kid with neglectful parents. Zeke's the sunshine boy who sees the good in everyone. It all works on paper, but I kept waiting for them to surprise me, to do something that felt specific to them rather than to the role they were playing in a romance novel. That moment never came.

And maybe that's the point—maybe this is comfort food, not character study. But for me, if I don't believe in the people, I can't fully invest in the relationship. I wanted Carter to feel like more than "grumpy goalie who's secretly soft." I wanted Zeke to have edges, contradictions, something that made him feel three-dimensional instead of like a collection of sweet qualities. The banter was fun, the chemistry was there on the page, but it felt... convenient. Like the pieces fit together because that's what the genre required, not because these two specific people couldn't help but fall for each other.

The hockey doesn't matter. You could swap it out for any other sport—or any other extracurricular—and the story would be identical. Carter plays hockey, but it never feels essential to who he is or how the relationship develops.

Shots on Net is a perfectly pleasant, low-angst romance with solid demisexual representation and a warm, cozy vibe. If you're looking for comfort and sweetness without a lot of drama, this will absolutely hit the spot. But if you need characters who feel like real, messy, contradictory people—the kind you'd recognize at a party or remember years later—this one might leave you wanting more. For me, it's a C+: nice enough, but never quite extraordinary.