Common Goal - Rachel Reid

Common Goal by Rachel Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Game Changers series. Although there are some links between the various books, with previous (and future) characters popping up, these are really standalone stories. This time there was quite a bit about the couple from the first book, but having not read it, I didn't really know much about them.
Kyle and Eric have quite a sweet relationship. They are doing their best to not get involved. Kyle knows that he hasn't got the best track record when it comes to relationships with older me and is doing his best to avoid men like Eric. Eric can't help but feel that fifteen years is too big an age gap and that he shouldn't be interested in Kyle. It doesn't help that he's also coming to terms with the fact that he plans to retire from hockey and this will be his last season.
The more time that Kyle and Eric spend together, the clearer it becomes that they really are perfect together. I don't really want to give the wrong idea here. When I say that they are sweet together, this still has plenty of heat and sex. It's just that the two characters are quite sweet with one another as they fall in love, even though they are trying their hardest not to fall for each other, it's clear that it's a lost cause and that they cannot resist. I enjoyed this latest instalment in the Game Changers series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Game Changer - Kelly Jamieson

Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Game Changer is the fifth book in the Wynn Hockey series, but the first that I've read. I believe that previous characters do appear in this book, but it's not in a way that it would affect your enjoyment of the book if you haven't read previous ones. It certainly didn't reduce my enjoyment not to have read them. The story starts with the wedding of Molly and Steve, or at least it should be their wedding. But, after Molly discovered that he'd been cheating on her the previous evening, she decides to read out the texts that he shared with the other woman and leaves him at the altar. Jax, Steve's teammate comes to her aid and helps her to escape from the wedding and go into hiding for a bit to get over what has happened. The more time that they spend together, the more obvious it becomes that really they belong together.
I'm never sure about romances where one of the characters moves on from another serious relationship so quickly, but in this case, the chemistry just worked. Jax and Molly were friends before all of this happened and he wasn't particularly close to Steve, Molly's ex. I really liked Jax and Molly and they worked really well together. Although this isn't really a friends to lovers story in the usual sense, it has elements of that, which is something that I always enjoy. It was also interesting to read about Jax's grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. It was both very sad and dealt with well.
This was a very enjoyable romance. If you're heavily into sports romances, then this might not completely hit the mark, as there was little of that side of things, despite Jax being a professional player. This book is set almost entirely on the offseason. It's not something that I particularly look for in a book though, so didn't matter to me.
I really enjoyed Game Changer and I'd be keen to read more in the Wynn Hockey series if I get the chance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Tough Guy - Rachel Reid

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this might possibly be the sweetest hockey romance that I have ever read. Not that I've read many, but I've come across a few. Ryan is a gentle giant, despite his reputation on the ice. He loves men who are the complete opposite of him; confident, delicate and beautiful. He fell for Fabrian as a teenager although he never acted on it. Fabian doesn't have a particular type, but e also fell for Ryan when they were teenagers. It's only when they meet again now that their feelings for one another are revealed.
In many ways, Ryan and Fabian seem like an odd couple. But it soon becomes clear that they work really well together. I don't know a great deal (anything) about ice hockey, having seen a grand total of two games in my life. Ryan's job on the team is as an enforcer. He fights in order to protect other members of his team. Unfortunately, it's not a position that is easy to deal with and Ryan struggles in this story. I did a quick google and found an article about three young enforcers who had all died due to their struggles with mental health and the toll that the game took on them. I thought that this aspect was dealt with quite well in the story. Fabian struggles to reconcile the sweet and caring man that he has fallen for, with the aggressive side he shows on the ice.
Of course, this is a romance story and we know that we all read those for the happily ever after, the ability of the characters to work through their differences and be together. Tough Guy delivers on that front and I'm sure that you'll be left with a happy smile by the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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In Skates Trouble - Kate Meader

In Skates Trouble by Kate Meader
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the intro to a series that was released a few years ago now. I believe that it originally appeared as part of an anthology, but is now available as this novella. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, but I have recently read the first book in a spin-off series, Good Guy. I was interested to come back to this first series, after reading that.
This is a fairly quick read. Actually, I read it in one day, it would have been one sitting but some of us do have work to do, sadly. The story centres around divorcee Addison, who is in the process of setting up a lingerie business and hockey player Ford. What I did particularly like about these two is that unlike the pairings you often get in romance books, Addison was older than Ford and had been married before. It's such a refreshing change to not have the young virgin or fairly inexperienced girl who gets taught the ways of love by an older, more experienced man.
We get straight into the action, so to speak, when Ford overhears Addison and her friends discussing disappointing sexual partners. Before they even meet properly, the couple is enjoying one another's company, in more ways than one. I quite liked the way that that was done, it was unusual and entertaining. With this being a novella, getting to the action quickly was always going to be important.
Addison and Ford worked for me as a couple and there was certainly chemistry there. It's always difficult with a shorter story, as some things can be a bit rushed, but this wasn't too much of an issue here. It also set the series up well, which is what I assume the whole point was.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Good Guy - Kate Meader

Good Guy by Kate Meader
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I believe that this book links to two other series by Kate Meader while at the same time being the start of a new series. I haven't read anything by Meader before, but this one certainly made me interested to go back and try the other books.
This book follows the 'in love with my best friend's woman and now he's dead' theme. I have come across this theme before a couple of times, but this was a fresh take on it. That combined with the good writing, likeable characters and the additional slant of Women working in a male-dominated world, made this a great read.
I liked both Levi and Jordan and their romance and relationship was believable and had plenty of chemistry. Levi really is the good guy, almost too good to be true at times, but he doesn't believe it himself.
Although Jordan's husband, who also happens to have been Levi's best friend, does cast a shadow between them, it isn't all that is important in this story. In many ways, I enjoyed the woman reporter storyline even more. Jordan is a little bit unwilling to push too hard and is accepting at times, but as we all know, that often is the reality of being a woman in that kind of environment. Even the most confident and forceful of us are conditioned to accept far too much.
This was a good read with a satisfying romance element and a thought-provoking look at women and equality.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Playmaker - Cathryn Fox

The Playmaker by Cathryn Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I'm really in the mood for a good romance story and this one certainly delivers on that. This book has two of my favourite romance tropes; big brother's best friend and enemies to lovers. This was definitely just what I was in the mood for.
Cole or the Cockey Cannon as he's known when he's playing Ice Hockey hides behind the brash, full of himself exterior that his fans love. He has long had a love-hate relationship with his best friends younger sister Nina. It's pretty clear though, that he has always had a soft spot for her and has hidden it well beneath teasing and joking around. She has had similar feelings but is sure that they hate one another. When she needs his help to learn more about hockey, in order to write a romance series, she is reluctant to turn to him but feels she has no choice.
Although both Cole and Nina claim to hate one another, it soon becomes clear that this is far from the truth. I enjoyed the chemistry between them as they came to terms with their attraction and feelings.
In many ways, this book is far from original. It has many of the themes and conflicts that often appear in romance books. Sometimes though, that's just what you are looking for. The characters were well written and the chemistry worked well. The ending was a little cheesy, but really, what else are you expecting or looking for with this type of book?
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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