Short Take Reviews: Hockey Romance Edition

 

I love a good sports romance and hockey is my favorite. Thankfully, there is no short supply of hockey romances to enjoy. Here are my quick thoughts on the last few that I've read.

MY LUCKY #13

Piper Rayne
Format: Audio
Trope(s): Slow burn, friends to lovers

When it comes to his hockey career, Aiden has always been lucky. Until suddenly he's not. When a beautiful woman throws a drink in his face at a party, and his game improves, he's convinced she's his good luck charm. Now he needs Saige to give a repeat performance before every game so he can keep scoring goals. The more time they spend together, the more it's obvious that there's something real there. But Saige has been burned before and has sworn off professional athletes. Silly premise? Maybe, but hockey players are notorious for their game day rituals and superstitions. And it made for some truly fun circumstances as Saige showed up in whatever city Aiden was in to perform their drink-in-the-face ritual. Aiden was such a good guy - a real sweetheart - and when he realized his relationship with Saige was the real deal he was willing to do whatever it took to win her over. This one gave me all the good feels and I loved getting to know the other players on the team.               4.25 STARS

THE TROUBLE WITH #9

Piper Rayne

Format: Audio

Trope(s): Forbidden/workplace romance

Maksim has no desire to open up about his past and bare his soul to anyone, so when the team owner requires all players to meet with a therapist he plans to feed her some fake stories and move on. But the therapist is the same woman he kissed on New Years Eve and he hasn't stopped thinking about her. Dating a patient goes against Paisley's moral and professional code but she can't resist Maksim's relentless pursuit. I loved Maksim and his fierce protectiveness of his teammates, even though it came from a place of pain and guilt. Things came to a head when Maksim's family arrived from Russia and he was forced to deal with his past. The camaraderie among the players was a real highlight and Maksim's unique dates with Paisley put a smile on my face. Speaking of Paisley, I appreciated how she pushed Maksim to talk to another therapist, knowing that he needed to sort out his issues. She called him out when needed and was no pushover. I'm excited for more of this series. 4 STARS

DIRTY SECRET

Mira Lyn Kelly

Format: Audio

Trope(s): Forbidden/secret romance

Allie had always lived in the shadow of her superstar brother Greg, a professional hockey player. Too many friends and boyfriends had used her just to get close to her brother. So when she had a one night fling with hockey player Vaughn, she kept her identity secret. A year later, when Vaughn is traded to Greg's team, he sees Allie and the sparks are still there. Since Vaughn and Greg despise one another, they agree to keep their relationship secret. It was obvious from early on that these two were developing feelings for one another but it was fun to watch them fight it every step of the way. Vaughn, in particular, had never had a relationship and struggled with his feelings for Allie and what it meant for his career and his future. The downside for me was Allie's brother Greg, who took the protective older brother role to an extreme. He consistently interfered in her private life (setting her up on dates without her knowledge, lying to Vaughn about her dating someone else) and felt completely justified in doing so. I disliked him so much and unfortunately he played a pretty big role. I would have felt better had he shown any remorse but even by the end he still seemed overbearing and smug. His involvement was way too heavy-handed for my liking, but beyond that this one was a good time. 3.5 STARS

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?