by Sawyer Bennett
Series: Pittsburg Titans #7
Pub: 6/6/2023
4 stars
Hendrix Bateman was considered one of The Lucky Three,
among the trio of players that were not with the team when the plane crashed.
Hendrix was possibly the most well-adjusted of the three and was grateful for
his good fortune and second chance. After ending a bad relationship that had
run its course, an encounter with a feisty bartender had Hendrix ready to take
a chance again.
Bar-owner Stevie was tough as nails and could handle her
own with her sometimes raucous clientele, but being abandoned by her mother as
a child had left its mark. Desperate for a connection with her mother, Stevie
allowed herself to be manipulated by her time and time again.
Hendrix was an absolute sweetheart and so supportive of
Stevie. Unfortunately, Stevie’s continued need to forge a relationship with her
mother created a lot of drama and came close to ruining her relationship with
Hendrix. As usual with this series, the camaraderie among the teammates is
always a highlight for me, and it was great to see Stevie pulled into the fold
of the Titans family.
Bain was recently traded to the Titans and was excited to
be a part of the team that had overcome such adversity. Meeting the goalie’s
sister at a team event set off instant sparks and, since neither was interested
in a relationship, they embarked on a no-strings-attached fling. Naturally,
both refused to admit they were catching real feelings so when faced with a
serious situation they pulled apart instead of pulling together.
This entry in the series packed an emotional punch and it
was hard to see both characters suffer. Despite all their protests it was
obvious that they had something real and their mutual denial that it was
anything other than physical was pretty funny. I especially appreciated the way
Bain’s teammates rallied around him when he was struggling.
Retired from his hockey career, Van had settled in
Vermont for a quiet life with his wife Simone, hoping to start a family. When a
book was published based on the diaries of his serial-killer father, filled
with salacious lies meant to hurt Van, he reacted by pushing Simone away.
Convinced that the stigma would damage not only Simone but their future
children, Van quickly signed a new contract with the Titans and left Simone.
Unwilling to let Van’s emotional reaction to the book derail their future,
Simone followed Van to Pittsburgh, determined to save their marriage.
As much as I love this series, I’m sad to say that I
struggled with this one. I understood Van's fears and his (misguided) reasoning,
but the way he was intentionally cruel to Simone was hard to get past. I
admired Simone’s tenacity and her desire to make Van see reason, but his
cutting remarks, meant to hurt her and drive her away were hard to take. There
is no good reason to inflict such pain on someone you love. My disappointment in Van’s actions meant
this was a low point in the series for me.
Do you read hockey/sports romance?
I liked the idea of Van coming to the Titans, but this book was stressful. I had to skim a bit as the kink turned my off (no my thing), but I thought it was interesting that Bennett returned to give him closure.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I would have been a bit more forgiving of Van had I read his earlier book in the Cold Fury series, but it was hard to get past how awful he treated Simone.
DeleteThat last one sounds brutal! It seems like it would be hard to forgive Van.
ReplyDeleteDeanna - For me it really was. I can understand pushing someone away, but Van's words were so intentionally cruel. Delivered to cut deep. I felt so badly for Simone.
DeleteHendrix is the one that sounds the best to me. :D
ReplyDeleteLark - Hendrix (the character) was such a great guy. I loved reading about him.
DeleteI've been wanting to try out this series. I love sports romance and these sound great. I'm sorry the last one wasn't as good as you'd hoped though.
ReplyDeleteMaureen - I think you would enjoy the series! There are a couple that I didn't connect with as much as others (it happens), but overall it's such a solid series with characters that I love.
DeleteI do read hockey and sports romance, but I had no idea about this series. The covers are so great. Thanks for putting it on my radar. Sorry you struggled with that last one. :(
ReplyDeleteAngie - The Pittsburgh Titans series is so worth picking up! The first book is Baden (if I remember correctly) and there have been some real gems throughout the series.
DeleteI used to read them a lot back int he day but I haven't in awhile. I also used to read more Bennett but haven't lately. But, I'm not really reading at all so lol
ReplyDeleteKaren - You may not be reading but you're killing it with your baking. :)
DeleteNot sure if these would be my style but thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank for visiting, Hena! :)
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