Tag: Sports

Review: A Favor for a Favor (Helena Hunting)

A Favor for a Favor
Series: All In, #2
Author: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Pucked and A Lie for a Lie, a new stand-alone romance about trading favors, battling wills, and winning love.

When I joined Seattle’s NHL expansion team, I thought it was the start of something great. But nothing ever goes the way you expect. Take my introduction to my new neighbor. She came rolling in on the hot mess express at midnight, making a racket while she tried to get into my team captain’s apartment. Did I mention that he’s married to a woman who definitely was not her?

Imagine my surprise when I end up with an injury that has me out of the game for weeks, and she’s the one to offer to help me. I should probably add that she’s not the captain’s mistress. She’s his sexy, pastel-haired younger sister.

So we come up with an arrangement: she rehabs me so that I can get back on the ice sooner, and she can add a professional athlete that isn’t her brother to her client list. Seems simple enough. As long as I can keep my hands to myself and my hormones in check.

A Favor for a Favor was exactly what I was hoping it was going to be when I picked it up. It was an upbeat romantic comedy filled with some great banter. I liked pretty much everything about it. To be be more specific…

My favorite things about this book were:

  • Helena Hunting’s writing was at it’s best. A Favor for a Favor was the perfect mix of funny and sweet. It had it’s over the top moments, but they weren’t too crazy. They were fun. The entire plot was well done and entertaining.
  • Stevie was a cool chick. I loved that she wanted to live outside her brother’s famous hockey player status and make it on her own.
  • The descriptions of Stevie’s ex Joey were perfectly gross.
  • Bishop was a grumpy a-hole that was somehow lovable. His attitude didn’t make him that much of a jerk, though. The reason he was how he was made sense. I appreciated his self-awareness. Plus, he was a big old softy under all that grump.
  • The cameos!

There were only 2 things that rubbed me a little wrong while reading this book:

  • A Lie for a Lie made me fall in love with Rook. The majority of this book made me see him in a different light, and it wasn’t good. It was hard to merge those two perceptions of him. Although, it did get easier once everything went down and I had more understanding of his attitude. I guess that made up for it.
  • There was one point where I just wanted to tell Stevie to get over her insecurities. What happened was pretty predictable, but it all made sense so I guess I can’t complain too much about it.

Overall, A Favor for a Favor was a fantastic sports romantic comedy. It is definitely one of my favorite books by Hunting. I hope this series just gets better and better. I’m really wanting a book about Kingston next!

Series Review: Smart Jocks (Rebecca Jenshak)

I’ve been seeing Rebecca Jenshak’s Smart Jocks new adult college sports romance series around a lot lately, and I kept thinking I read it. After talking to a reader friend who told me she hadn’t been addicted to a series like this in a long time, I decided to jump in. I’m so glad I did! The Smart Jocks series is truly addicting! Here is a short review for each book in the series.


The Assist, Book 1: ★ ★ ★ ★

The Assist had me from the start. Pretty much everything about it was adorable. It combined the right about of sports, college, humor, and just a tiny bit of angst. Blair and Wes had great banter, which is probably what made this book shine. I knew from the minute I met the supporting characters that I would have to keep reading the Smart Jocks series.

The Fadeaway, Book 2: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I’m going to be honest. I didn’t really have much of an opinion about Joel Moreno after reading The Assist. He was just sort of background that didn’t stand out. I was more interested in knowing Zeke’s story. Maybe that’s why I was so surprised by how much I loved Joel Moreno. He might have been a manwhore prior to this book, but he really stepped things up for Katrina. He was a much sweeter, more devoted guy than I expected. I loved him and Katrina together.

The Tip-Off, Book 3: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Tip-Off is the book I have been waiting for since I started this series: Zeke and Gabby’s story. Zeke is a hard working young man with a singular focus to make it to the NBA. Gabby is a young woman recovering from a major accident years ago that left her with physical and emotional scars. On their own, each is one of my favorite types of characters, so you can only imagine how I feel about them falling in love. Their story is a sweet slow burn that hit me right in the heart. The Tip-Off is my favorite in this series for sure.

The Fake, Book 4: ★ ★ ★ ★

Honesty again… I don’t know that I really cared about Nathan before this book. I loved that he was a good friend to Gabby and I felt some distress for him in The Tip-Off, but there wasn’t anything that made me want to know him better. The Fake changed that. Nathan meets this new transfer student, Chloe, in this book. What starts out as a one night stand turns to fake dating turns to real dating in an incredibly fun way. I couldn’t give it 5 stars because it stressed me out a little too much in one part, but I was happy I found myself liking Nathan and loving his relationship with Chloe. The way this book wrapped up the series at the end was great.

Overall feeling about Smart Jocks:

If I had to give a rating to the series overall, it would be 5 stars. It’s such an addicting read that I didn’t want to end. I fell in love with each and every character. There’s so much heart and humor involved. It’s definitely a series worth reading and binging — especially if you have Kindle Unlimited.

Review: The Guy on the Left (Kate Stewart)

The Guy on the Left
Series: The Underdogs, #2
Author: Kate Stewart
Publication Date: December 8, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

It started with a lie. A night of blurred lines between a teacher and a student.

I wasn’t her student, yet it was the single most defining night of my life.

I’ve never been the man she thinks I am.

Most people have no idea about the life I’ve lived or the words that ring true when it comes to me—still waters run deep.

But you’d be hard-pressed to find a coed on the TGU campus who knows otherwise…because I’ve never corrected them.

The clock is ticking down, it’s Fourth and Inches with the ball inside the one-yard line and the focus is on me, The Guy on the Left. I’ve never felt like a football god, inside I’m…just Troy.

It’s time to set the record straight.

For my son, I‘ll find the strength.

In her eyes, I’m determined to gain redemption.

I will have them both, even if I have to take my eye off the ball.

Before I get into my thoughts on The Guy on the Left, I want to clarify something in the blurb. The blurb makes this sound like a student-teacher romance. It’s really not. Troy was 18, Clarissa was 25, and they did not meet in a school setting. I won’t go deeper into things, but I’m not into student-teacher relationships and this book did not push my boundaries with that. Okay. Now that I have said that. Here’s what I thought about this book.

When I read The Guy on the Right (The Underdogs, #1), I had all these questions about Troy and the family that lived next door. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Troy. He didn’t seem like the best person. The Guy on the Left put everything from that book into perspective. I ended up really loving and respecting his character in ways I didn’t think could happen. Most importantly, he was a good dad.

What surprised me even more than loving Troy was that I didn’t love Clarissa. I liked her, but her decisions and grudge holding made me lose some respect for her. I get why she did what she did in the beginning, but she played the martyr too when it came to their past too much. That being said, Troy’s evolution probably wouldn’t have been so fantastic without Clarissa’s constant need to paint him as the bad guy.

Troy and Clarissa’s relationship was fascinating, but what really got to me in this book was Troy’s relationship with his son, Dante. Dante was pure delight. The way Troy cared for him wasn’t special — it was the way a father should care for his son. What made it made it so fun to read was how it showed who Troy truly was behind all the rumors and frat boy actions. And, like I said, Dante was a delight. He made me smile so much.

Overall, The Guy on the Left was a great new adult romance. It wasn’t as sweet in a funny way like The Guy on the Right was, but it was sweet in an emotional way. I loved how it kept in line with what The Guy on the Right set up, but was it’s own book with a completely different type of relationship. I’m really excited to continue this series with The Guy in the Middle.

Review: The Lineup (Meghan Quinn)

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The Lineup
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: December 5, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Want to know a secret?

It’s about that girl over there.
Don’t look, but she’s the one in the power suit—with the long, black hair and the serious expression, the one I’m about to go on a date with . . .

Yeah, according to her, she “accidentally” donated an obscene amount of money to my charity — The Lineup — to win said date but I found out the truth. Miss. Button Up Blouse has a secret, passionate crush on me.

I didn’t know her name until two days ago, despite the friends we have in common.
Was I oblivious? Probably.
Was I blind to it? Definitely.

But I’m no fool, I see it now. The High Heel Harlot wants more than just a date with Jason Orson, she wants to be able to claim the best butt in baseball as hers.

Here’s another secret . . . she has no idea I know.

I have to give the award “Favorite Baseball Player in a Meghan Quinn Book” to Jason Orson. Yeah, that’s an award I just made up, but he’s my new favorite. Jason had a great personality. He was tough but sensitive and hilarious. I love how he antagonized Dottie to get her to admit she liked him. It was all so elementary school, but there was something so adorable about it.

Dottie was just as great of a character. She had a hard shell and refused to admit she was attracted to Jason. Dottie was downright mean to him at times, and instead of coming off harsh it came off as funny all because of that sparkling personality Jason had. They had some of the most entertaining banter I’ve read in a while.

Not only was The Lineup funny, but it was packed with other emotions as well. I was surprised to find myself tearing up at a couple of parts. I loved how Meghan Quinn threw in some moments that eye opening and touching. The Lineup was a great mix of contemporary romance and romantic comedy.

The only issues I had with The Lineup was that dang prologue. It had me on edge waiting for what was to come. I just wanted to enjoy the dance going on between Jason and Dottie, but that dang prologue was always in the back of my mind. I have to give it credit, though. I wasn’t expecting it to go down the way it did when I actually got to that part.

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About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

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Review: Enemies (Tijan)

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Enemies, an all-new emotional, enemies to lovers romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan, is available now!

Enemies
Author: Tijan
Publication Date: December 2, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Stone Reeves was my neighbor, and I’ve hated him since sixth grade.

Gorgeous and charismatic, he became the town’s football god, while I became the town’s invisible girl.
He went to a Division 1 school for football, while my father was fired by his father.
His team won the National Championship, while my mother died the same day.

He was a first round pick for the NFL …
… while I made the worst decision in my life.

Now I’m in Texas trying to pick up the pieces of my life.
But, Stone is here.
Stone is everywhere.

It doesn’t matter that disaster has struck my life again.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the one trying to console me.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the nation’s newest football obsession.

Because for me, he always has been and always will be my enemy.

** Enemies is a 100k enemies-to-lovers football romance standalone!

At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of Enemies. I was honestly worried it wasn’t going to be my cup of tea during the first 20%. Dusty was weird and awkward. I couldn’t make sense of her thoughts and how she was living in Texas. There was all this build up about Stone, but basically no interaction between them. What I came to understand at that 20% mark was that Tijan was setting the scene for the reader. Once Dusty and Stone were in the same place at the same time, it was like an explosion and everything was full steam ahead. Thank goodness. I also found myself appreciating all that build up that was going on when I wasn’t so sure about this book.

If you’re a fan of Tijan’s books, you will love Dusty and Stone’s romance. They reminded me slightly of Sam and Mason or maybe even Alex and Jesse. There’s this whole I hate you, but I’m going to love you vibe. There’s a strong, broken young woman and a dominate, successful athlete. Tijan excels at writing these types of characters. That makes it sound like it’s the same story all over again, but it’s not. Dusty and Stone have their own unique love story. It’s filled with just the right amount of angst, sweetness, frustration, love, anger, hope, tenderness and a pinch of suspense. Tijan packed so many emotions and actions into Enemies and still I could have read more.

I fell in love with Enemies slowly but completely. I ended up loving Dusty and Stone together. I loved their friends. I didn’t want to leave them when this book was over. I know at this point Enemies is a standalone and it was wrapped up well, but I am still hoping it turns into a series. I wouldn’t complain about a book for any of the supporting characters. Colby and Cammie would be my first pick. I’m just saying…

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Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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About Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

Connect with Tijan

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Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

YA Mini Reviews: Girl at Heart & One of the Girls

Today, I’m sharing with you two YA contemporary sports romances I read recently. I put them in this mini review together because while they’re written by two different authors, they are part of the same Roosevelt High School world/series.

Girl at Heart
Author: Kelly Oram
Publication Date: November 4, 2019
Publisher: Bluefields
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

As the daughter of a successful Major League pitcher, Charlie Hastings has baseball in her blood. Unfortunately, being the only girl on her high school baseball team, Charlie has always been just one of the guys.

When her best friend, and secret love of her life, asks another girl to the prom, Charlie is devastated. She’s tired of being overlooked by boys because she’s not like other girls. Suffering a massive identity crisis, she decides to hang up her cleats and finally learn how to be a girl.

But with only two weeks until the state championships, the Roosevelt High Ravens can’t afford to lose their star catcher. Team captain Jace King makes her a deal: Don’t quit the team, and he’ll help her become the girl she’s so desperate to be. After all, he’s got four sisters, one of whom happens to be a cheerleader. He knows a thing or two about girls. (And if he can win her heart in the process, all the better.)

From the bestselling young adult author of Cinder & Ella, V is for Virgin, and the Avery Shaw Experiment comes a new sweet romance that’s sure to leave you with all the feels! Girl at Heart is a clean and wholesome sports romance that will leave you with warm fuzzies and an itch to watch a baseball game.

My thoughts:

First, can I just love on this cover? The colors are all so pretty together and it’s just so adorable. It fits the book so well. As for what’s inside the book… I loved every minute of Girl at Heart. It’s the story of a girl who is on the high school boys’ baseball team. She’s always been “just one of the guys”, but Charlie wants to be seen as a girl. Girl at Heart is a really sweet story about Charlie finding herself and falling in love. I was surprised by the emotions I felt while reading it (I teared up and had to stop myself from sobbing, guys.) and the way things played out. It was more than I expected it to be. That shouldn’t have been a shock since I’ve read and loved Oram’s books before, but it was. I loved it so much that when I saw there was another book set in this world with characters I recognized, I knew I needed to read that book, too.

One of the Girls
Author: Robin Daniels
Publication Date: June 20, 2019
Publisher: Bluefields
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

FROM ENDZONE TO FRIENDZONE…

Senior Nick Moody is the second string quarterback on Roosevelt High School’s championship football team. He’s crushed on Mia for years, but she doesn’t know he exists. It’s time to come off the bench and into the game. Nick refuses to graduate without getting the girl or the glory.

Mia Ashlock is the remarkably kind cheer captain. She’s a yes girl, and her penchant for people pleasing always leads to bad relationships. After being humiliated in a very public dumping, her teammates decide to break her bad habit with a ban on boyfriends.

When Nick sees a poster, advertising cheer tryouts, he has a crazy idea: quit football and become a cheerleader. It’s perfect! He can get close to Mia and steal the spotlight, using his true and hidden talent—gymnastics. Nick and Mia have instant chemistry, but it does him little good. If Mia’s zero dating rule weren’t bad enough, the team treats him less like boyfriend material and more like one of the girls. Breaching the friendzone will be much harder than he thought.

Content: This book contains kissing along with limited/mild swearing and minimal inuendo/crude humor. No explicit language or references to sex.

My thoughts:

Like I said above, this book is connected to Oram’s by the setting and some characters. It actually came out first, but it doesn’t matter which order you read them in. I had never read a book by Robin Daniels before, but I want to read more of them now. I loved One of the Girls just as much as Girl at Heart. This book was opposite that one as it was a boy joining the cheerleading squad. Nick was joined to use his gymnastics skills and to win cheerleading captain Mia’s heart. It was so sweet and definitely a feel good story.

I really, really hope there are more books to come set at Roosevelt High. Whether they’re from Daniels, Oram, or another author, I would happily read them.

Review: Moonlighter (Sarina Bowen)

Moonlighter
Series: The Company, #1
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: October 22, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Only in my family could a professional hockey player earning seven million dollars a year be considered a slacker.

I’m at the height of my athletic career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don’t even know its name.

Pass, thanks. I don’t need a summer job.

But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.

So guess who’s on a flight to Hawaii?

It’s going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we’re torturing each other. It’s all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector.

Sigh. I loved Moonlighter. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Eric Bayer and Alex’s romance was sweet in a way I wasn’t expecting — only because I didn’t immediately connect the dots as to who Alex was. I don’t know how I didn’t recognize her character immediately. (She’s from Brooklynaire if you need a reminder like I did.) The story was also funny in the way I’ve come to expect from Sarina Bowen. It even had a romantic suspense vibe that I enjoyed because it wasn’t overdone. I couldn’t get enough of Eric and Alex. I wanted their story to go on forever. Sarina Bowen was smart to start this new The Company series with a couple of Brooklyn Bruisers characters. I’m so excited to see what comes next in the series. I would love a Duff or Max book!

Review: Win Big (Kelly Jamieson)

Win Big
Series: Wynn Hockey, #3
Author: Kelly Jamieson
Publication Date: November 19, 2019
Publisher: Loveswept
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

When your name is Wynn, victory’s the only option…

Everly Wynn: As the only daughter in the Wynn family of hockey heroes, I never shared the ice with my brothers—or the approval they got from my father.
And that was before the scandal that ruined my life at sixteen.
Now that I’ve put all that behind me and built a successful career, the last thing I need is another hockey player in my life.
Especially one like Wyatt Bell.
He’s an arrogant, fast-living party boy. I hate how he gets by on his good looks and charm.
So why can’t I get him out of my mind?

Wyatt Bell: Life is short, and you’ve got to live it to the fullest. I learned that the hard way.
So on the ice, I always play to win, and on the town, fun and flirting are my game.
Because it’s better to laugh your way through the pain than to let them see you’re hurting—but I’ll never stop wishing I could find someone to share the real me with.
Something about Everly Wynn makes me think she could be the one.
But all she sees is a hockey jock hooked on good times.
If she didn’t take herself so seriously, maybe she would take a chance on being happy.

Kelly Jamieson is back with a third book in the Wynn Hockey series, Win Big. Here are things I liked and disliked about it.

What I liked:

  • How Everly and Wyatt’s relationship started off. It had this enemies to lovers vibe.
  • The fake relationship aspect.
  • Everly and Wyatt as a couple.
  • Who Wyatt was on the inside compared to who portrayed himself to be at times.
  • The friendships between the gals.
  • Everly’s backstory.

What I disliked:

  • Everly felt like she had two distinct parts of her personality that didn’t always mesh well.
  • The lawsuit story. It took away from the love story.
  • I wanted it to be a little longer with more time with Everly and Watt as a couple.

Overall, it was a quick and fun to read sports romance.

Review: Blitzed (Alexa Martin)

Blitzed
Series: Playbook, #3
Author: Alexa Martin
Publication Date: December 3, 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Maxwell has finally met an opponent that he can’t best in this new football romance from the author of Fumbled.

According to Brynn Larson, Maxwell Lewis is more trouble than he’s worth. She doesn’t care if he’s a football god with a rock-hard body that brings most women to their knees. After an encounter that ends poorly, she’s not interested in giving him a second chance. The last thing Brynn expects is for him to turn up at her bar months later, hat in hand. It doesn’t matter if he brings more customers to her business–she’s still not going on a date with him.

Maxwell knows he made a mistake. He’d been waiting to make his move on Brynn since the day he laid eyes on her and he was finally ready to go for it until he screwed up. He wishes he could tell her the truth about what happened that night, but he just can’t. He can’t tell anyone, so he’ll make amends and hope she’ll forgive him.

Brynn’s not like other women, though. Playing for the Mustangs doesn’t impress her and gifts make her scoff. Max will have to bring his A game if he hopes to win her over.

I liked Blitzed, but I didn’t love it. I just didn’t connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. I had some preconceived notions about Brynn from the previous two books and they didn’t quite stack up.

Brynn was fierce, but not as fierce as I expected. When it came to Maxwell, she crumbled. The reasons why didn’t stand out enough to me until close to the end. It could totally be me and I missed the cues.

Maxwell seemed like a big sweetheart. I loved how he treated Brynn and how he didn’t let her attitude push him away. I didn’t feel like I got to know him quite as well as I wanted to, though. The lack of his perspective brought some great mystery to the plot, but it hampered my getting to know Maxwell and his motivations.

As for that mysterious plot…I didn’t love it. It created a rift between Brynn and Maxell for the sake of the having a problem to solve between them, but it just kind of felt thrown in here and there. Maybe there were just too many things going on that overshadowed it. I don’t know.

What I really loved about Blitzed was the Lady Mustangs and their friendships. Those friendships made the book. Well, that and Alexa Martin’s writing style. Even if I didn’t love everything that was going on, I still enjoyed reading it. I’m hoping if there’s a next book in this series that there’s a little less going on and more focus on the relationships.

Review: A Lie for a Lie (Helena Hunting)

A Lie for a Lie
Series: All In, #1
Author: Helena Hunting
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies.

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.

Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.

A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

A new hockey romance from Helena Hunting? Yes, please! I didn’t even need to read the blurb to know I wanted to give it a read.

I loved how A Lie for a Lie started out in the present day. It brought me right back into the hockey world that Pucked started off. (Yes, you read that right. All In is a spin-off of the Pucked series.) There were cameos and a bunch of fun stuff.

With the next chapter, I was taken back in time to the start of Lainey and RJ’s romance. This was actually my favorite part of the whole book. It was set in Alaska and had some really great funny stuff. I loved all of Lainey and RJ’s interactions. Lainey was so awkward and RJ’s steadiness balanced that out. It was just so cute and fun.

That fun had to end and the characters had to return to their day-to-day realities. Things switch back to the present and this is where things got interesting for me. I could see where the story was headed and I couldn’t decide whether I liked that or not. There were some great things about it. RJ showed what he was made of and I ended up liking his character even more than I did before — which I loved him so that says a lot. Lainey, though… I’m not sure I liked the slight change in her character. What was once almost humorous about her awkwardness almost became just plain weird. I felt like she lost some of her cuteness.

That being said, I still loved the dynamics between Lainey and RJ. I liked how their relationship evolved. There were some great surprises and laughs in store. I also loved her parents. They couldn’t have been better written. Same with RJ’s sister. Plus, all the regulars from the Pucked series had some fun cameos.

A Lie for a Lie was a cute read and a fun way to start this new hockey series. I’m really interested in finding out what’s next in the series. I think it’s going to be a crazy ride like the Pucked series.

Author Biography
 
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
 
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