What do you think?
Rate this book
Chinooks Hockey Team #6
Any Man of Mine
“Rachel does it again! A fun, steamy story.”
—Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author
—Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay there, as New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Gibson delightfully demonstrates in her smart and sexy romance, Any Man of Mine. The story of a successful wedding planner whose world is turned upside-down when the man she once impetuously married in a quickie Las Vegas ceremony bursts unexpectedly back into her life, Any Man of Mine is pure joy—a beautiful marriage of the wit, heart, and sensuality that is a hallmark of two-time RITA® Award winner Gibson, solidifying her equal standing among Jennifer Crusie, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Nora Roberts as the crème de la crème of contemporary romance fiction.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2011
213 people are currently reading
5240 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Gibson
68 books5,349 followersRachel Gibson is a New York times and USAToday bestselling author of 22 books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 796 reviews
August 3, 2020
HOT AS PUCK. NOT.
********** Spoiler (and Rant) Alert **********
It’s not hard to guess why I chose this book:
#1 Hockey hotties
#2 A Las Vegas drunken wedding (a cliché but I love it)
#3 A surpise post-hookup gift (a cliché again but I love it)
I got what I wanted. Except for #1.
Meet Sam.
An uninteresting and dumb jock who is a crappy father and a shallow, selfish, egotistical prick (and NO, he’s NOT that adorable jerk you love in your books, just good ol’ plain DOUCHE).
He doesn’t care for his son. At all. He hates Autumn’s brother, who is, by the way, a great substitute dad and a decent guy. He’s always pissed and violent during matches (and NOT in a hot way).
His internal thoughts grated on my nerves and made me gag.
Just for illustration purposes, some of the crap that comes out of his mouth, or rather stays locked within his tiny chauvinistic brain:
He doesn’t have one redeemable quality, well maybe one: he did start to care for his son (although 5 long years too late if you ask me).
Meet Autumn.
A beautiful but naïve and backboneless woman who is a great mother and a wonderful person but needs to have her head checked.
She patiently waits (although she just won’t admit it to herself) for Sam to whore his way through supermodels, puck bunnies and playboy playmates (but never his assistants, although they have to be beautiful to look at, of freaking course) until he’s too old to play (he’s thirty-five) and has to settle down with an ‘unattractive and boring mom’.
What on earth drew her to Sam?
Because I didn’t feel an an ounce of chemistry between them when they met. They didn't have anything in common (there was not even that 'opposites attract' vibe). Their interaction was lukewarm, boring, unexciting, just meh.
Their fling in Vegas?
He takes her to Cher’s concert in Vegas and falls asleep. They leave when he starts to snore.
He plays blackjack and roulette while she watches.
He can't understand why she doesn't want to visit strip bars.
Even his sudden decision to get married in a chapel (where they went to see an Elvis impersonator) felt lukewarm and unenthusiastic:
Excuse me for my language but this book really pissed me off. This is not a romance in my opinion. Redeemable jerks are my favorite type but this one was a lost case.
It's a shame, really, because I loved the writing. The writing shows talent and promise.
Please note that this is only my opinion and that a lot of readers loved this book. I hope it will be better for you.
QUICK REVIEW:
Enjoyment: 1.5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Storyline: 3/5
Hero: 1/5
Heroine: 3/5
Secondary characters: 4/5
Hotness/chemistry: 2/5
Romance: 1/5
Angst: 3/5
Darkness level: 1/5
Humor: 1/5
Depth of the book: 1/5
POV: dual, 3rd person
********** Spoiler (and Rant) Alert **********
It’s not hard to guess why I chose this book:
#1 Hockey hotties
#2 A Las Vegas drunken wedding (a cliché but I love it)
#3 A surpise post-hookup gift (a cliché again but I love it)
I got what I wanted. Except for #1.
Meet Sam.
An uninteresting and dumb jock who is a crappy father and a shallow, selfish, egotistical prick (and NO, he’s NOT that adorable jerk you love in your books, just good ol’ plain DOUCHE).
He doesn’t care for his son. At all. He hates Autumn’s brother, who is, by the way, a great substitute dad and a decent guy. He’s always pissed and violent during matches (and NOT in a hot way).
His internal thoughts grated on my nerves and made me gag.
Just for illustration purposes, some of the crap that comes out of his mouth, or rather stays locked within his tiny chauvinistic brain:
"He’d seen her naked, but her body really wasn’t anything special. Wasn’t his type. He liked tall, thin women with large breasts. Always had been drawn to the overblown."
"There wasn’t anything overtly sexy about Autumn. Not what she wore nor how she stood. Not even the way her shirt pulled across her breasts and distorted the wiener dog on front, kind of lifting his back end higher up her chest while his head was stuck under her right breast. In her dog shirt and slippers, she looked like a mom, and Sam had never been attracted to moms."
He doesn’t have one redeemable quality, well maybe one: he did start to care for his son (although 5 long years too late if you ask me).
Meet Autumn.
A beautiful but naïve and backboneless woman who is a great mother and a wonderful person but needs to have her head checked.
She patiently waits (although she just won’t admit it to herself) for Sam to whore his way through supermodels, puck bunnies and playboy playmates (but never his assistants, although they have to be beautiful to look at, of freaking course) until he’s too old to play (he’s thirty-five) and has to settle down with an ‘unattractive and boring mom’.
"He was only concerned with himself and, as far as he was concerned, why have an unattractive woman in the house if he could hire someone nice to look at? It just made perfect sense."
What on earth drew her to Sam?
Because I didn’t feel an an ounce of chemistry between them when they met. They didn't have anything in common (there was not even that 'opposites attract' vibe). Their interaction was lukewarm, boring, unexciting, just meh.
Their fling in Vegas?
He takes her to Cher’s concert in Vegas and falls asleep. They leave when he starts to snore.
He plays blackjack and roulette while she watches.
He can't understand why she doesn't want to visit strip bars.
Even his sudden decision to get married in a chapel (where they went to see an Elvis impersonator) felt lukewarm and unenthusiastic:
“We should get married.”
“Are you kidding?”
He shook his head. “No. It just feels right.”
“Say yes.”
“Yes.”
He smiled, and within an hour, they were Mr. and Mrs. Samuel LeClaire.
Excuse me for my language but this book really pissed me off. This is not a romance in my opinion. Redeemable jerks are my favorite type but this one was a lost case.
It's a shame, really, because I loved the writing. The writing shows talent and promise.
Please note that this is only my opinion and that a lot of readers loved this book. I hope it will be better for you.
QUICK REVIEW:
Enjoyment: 1.5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Storyline: 3/5
Hero: 1/5
Heroine: 3/5
Secondary characters: 4/5
Hotness/chemistry: 2/5
Romance: 1/5
Angst: 3/5
Darkness level: 1/5
Humor: 1/5
Depth of the book: 1/5
POV: dual, 3rd person
May 9, 2011
Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner
I should start this review by saying that I’m a huge fan of Rachel Gibson and I was anxiously anticipating this book. I should continue this review by saying how disappointed I was after reading it. This book didn’t work for me at all; I can honestly say that the only redeeming quality about it was the writing style.
Any Man of Mine is book six in the series about the fictional hockey team the Seattle Chinooks but stands alone quite well so you can read this one first.
The book's leads are Sam and Autumn. About six years ago they met in Vegas. 72 hours latter Autumn finds herself left alone in the hotel room after her wedding night (that’s right, they got married). It turns out that Sam, who apparently was drunk the whole time, has realized his mistake and has fled the crime scene. Days later Sam has files for divorce while Autumn finds out she is pregnant. After the birth of the boy, and after the paternity test results come back positive, Sam agrees to take care of him financially, but he is pretty much absent from the boy’s life. Flash forward five years later and Autumn and Sam meet again. This time they try to be more civilized to each other for their son’s sake. Here is where the book begins and you probably can guess what comes next.
This book had an interesting plot, a very crappy hero trying to clean up his act and be a good father. I like books where the characters have layers and are not particularly good or even likeable, but to be honest this book took it too far. Sam is so unlikeable and behaves like such a jerk, that the only thing I could think while reading the book was that he had a lot of hoops to jump in order to redeem himself. It became apparent that those hoops would never come, and why would they? The heroine was an idiot; she forgave him almost magically fast. Sam behaved like a douche the whole book and the only thing that was different by the end was that he now was somewhat present in his son’s life, and he wasn’t sleeping around. I can quote tons of examples for you to get an idea of what a piece of work this guy was, but I’ll just use this conversation they have after he arrives late to drop their son at Autumn’s:
Do I need to say more? Because the only reason I didn’t stop reading right there was because I still had hope that Rachel would manage to redeem Sam.
I think it was good for Sam to realize that he was hurting his son, and I get that he was immature when he had him. I can even believe that he loved the boy, I just think that he was a self-centered bastard who loved himself more. He had a crappy father, he knew how was like to have an absent parent and to be disappointed and brokenhearted. Then why was he doing the same exact thing to his own son?
Now, don’t get me wrong, the hero wasn’t the only one who ruined the book for me, the heroine was responsible for that too. Here we have a woman who goes to Vegas, gets married two days after meeting a guy, falls in love, or thinks she falls in love, then gets dumped, gets slapped with a divorce order, finds out she’s pregnant, gets slapped with a paternity test, the father only shows up after the baby is born, he then proceeds to broke promise after promise he made to the kid, and what does she do? Nothing. She doesn’t get on with her life; she says she hates him passionately, but can’t move on! Once the guy is back claiming to be a better person, she just takes him back? Like that? We are talking about the same guy whose own coworkers, the guys who are his family, his friends, don’t know he has a son! Come on, they deserve each other! This is the first time I read a romance novel where I’m absolutely positive that the leads won’t stay together happily ever after. I just hope their son will grow up to be a happy and well-adjusted man, but with parents like those I seriously doubt it.
Let me tell you how this book should have ended: Sam steps up to the plate and becomes a good dad, but he doesn’t get together with Autumn again. She finds someone different, and Sam matures more in time as a consequence of his newfound responsibility, and then he finds a woman he can love and respect and be happy with. The book ends with both leads finding their HEA away from each other. Sadly that ending is only in my head.
What really happens is that Sam becomes a good dad but keeps on being unlikeable, which is fair enough I guess, and Autumn remarries him. By the end of the book I was more annoyed at her than at him.
I’m really glad this is not the first time I read something by Rachel Gibson, because otherwise it would have been my last. I really don’t know what happened because I have enjoyed all of her books and she is on my auto-buy list. I am going to forget about this book and hope the next one is better.
I won’t recommend this book to you, I will recommend Rachel though. If you are a fan of sport player heroes she is the one for you, just skip this one, because there is not even any hockey on it.
Don't forget to visit my blog http://romance-around-the-corner.blogspot.com/t
I should start this review by saying that I’m a huge fan of Rachel Gibson and I was anxiously anticipating this book. I should continue this review by saying how disappointed I was after reading it. This book didn’t work for me at all; I can honestly say that the only redeeming quality about it was the writing style.
Any Man of Mine is book six in the series about the fictional hockey team the Seattle Chinooks but stands alone quite well so you can read this one first.
The book's leads are Sam and Autumn. About six years ago they met in Vegas. 72 hours latter Autumn finds herself left alone in the hotel room after her wedding night (that’s right, they got married). It turns out that Sam, who apparently was drunk the whole time, has realized his mistake and has fled the crime scene. Days later Sam has files for divorce while Autumn finds out she is pregnant. After the birth of the boy, and after the paternity test results come back positive, Sam agrees to take care of him financially, but he is pretty much absent from the boy’s life. Flash forward five years later and Autumn and Sam meet again. This time they try to be more civilized to each other for their son’s sake. Here is where the book begins and you probably can guess what comes next.
This book had an interesting plot, a very crappy hero trying to clean up his act and be a good father. I like books where the characters have layers and are not particularly good or even likeable, but to be honest this book took it too far. Sam is so unlikeable and behaves like such a jerk, that the only thing I could think while reading the book was that he had a lot of hoops to jump in order to redeem himself. It became apparent that those hoops would never come, and why would they? The heroine was an idiot; she forgave him almost magically fast. Sam behaved like a douche the whole book and the only thing that was different by the end was that he now was somewhat present in his son’s life, and he wasn’t sleeping around. I can quote tons of examples for you to get an idea of what a piece of work this guy was, but I’ll just use this conversation they have after he arrives late to drop their son at Autumn’s:
“You said you’d have him here at noon.”
“I said ish.”
“What?”
“I said noon-ish.”
The tick in her eye moved to the center of her forehead.
“What is that? Some sort of special Sam time? While the rest of the world lives and operates in time zones, you’re special and operate in ish?”
He smiled like he thought she was funny. “I wanted to spend a little more time with him, Autumn. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend a little time with my son.”
He made it sound so reasonable. “You’re an hour and a half late. I thought something might have happened.”
“Sorry you were worried.”
That wasn’t good enough. Besides, she didn’t believe him. He threw the word around, but he didn’t mean it. Sam was never sorry about anything. “When you didn’t show up, I called.”
He nodded. “I forgot my phone at home. When we got back, I saw that you’d phoned.”
“What? You didn’t think to return my call? To let me know Conner was okay?”
He folded his big arms over his equally big chest.
“It occurred to me, but by the way you blew up the phone with all your calls, I knew you’d chew my ass. Just like you’re dying to do right now. And to tell you the truth, I’m never going to purposely call anyone who’s dying to chew my ass.”
She took a deep breath and glanced up at the big window and Conner’s little face glued to the glass.
Holding on to her control by a thread, she calmly said,
“You’re immature and irresponsible.”
“Well, sweetheart, I’ve never said I wasn’t irresponsible. But you’re too controlling.”
“He’s my son.”
“He’s my son, too.”
“He’s your son when it’s convenient for you.”
“Well, it was convenient today. Get over it.”
Do I need to say more? Because the only reason I didn’t stop reading right there was because I still had hope that Rachel would manage to redeem Sam.
I think it was good for Sam to realize that he was hurting his son, and I get that he was immature when he had him. I can even believe that he loved the boy, I just think that he was a self-centered bastard who loved himself more. He had a crappy father, he knew how was like to have an absent parent and to be disappointed and brokenhearted. Then why was he doing the same exact thing to his own son?
Now, don’t get me wrong, the hero wasn’t the only one who ruined the book for me, the heroine was responsible for that too. Here we have a woman who goes to Vegas, gets married two days after meeting a guy, falls in love, or thinks she falls in love, then gets dumped, gets slapped with a divorce order, finds out she’s pregnant, gets slapped with a paternity test, the father only shows up after the baby is born, he then proceeds to broke promise after promise he made to the kid, and what does she do? Nothing. She doesn’t get on with her life; she says she hates him passionately, but can’t move on! Once the guy is back claiming to be a better person, she just takes him back? Like that? We are talking about the same guy whose own coworkers, the guys who are his family, his friends, don’t know he has a son! Come on, they deserve each other! This is the first time I read a romance novel where I’m absolutely positive that the leads won’t stay together happily ever after. I just hope their son will grow up to be a happy and well-adjusted man, but with parents like those I seriously doubt it.
Let me tell you how this book should have ended: Sam steps up to the plate and becomes a good dad, but he doesn’t get together with Autumn again. She finds someone different, and Sam matures more in time as a consequence of his newfound responsibility, and then he finds a woman he can love and respect and be happy with. The book ends with both leads finding their HEA away from each other. Sadly that ending is only in my head.
What really happens is that Sam becomes a good dad but keeps on being unlikeable, which is fair enough I guess, and Autumn remarries him. By the end of the book I was more annoyed at her than at him.
I’m really glad this is not the first time I read something by Rachel Gibson, because otherwise it would have been my last. I really don’t know what happened because I have enjoyed all of her books and she is on my auto-buy list. I am going to forget about this book and hope the next one is better.
I won’t recommend this book to you, I will recommend Rachel though. If you are a fan of sport player heroes she is the one for you, just skip this one, because there is not even any hockey on it.
Don't forget to visit my blog http://romance-around-the-corner.blogspot.com/t
July 31, 2020
3.5 stars
Not as bad as I thought it would be after reading some reviews. I mostly read this because I like finishing series and because Sam- the male lead was featured in previous books and I was slightly intrigued.
Now, the reviews were pretty spot on. The male MC was immature, selfish, reckless, superficial .. you get the picture but somehow the story worked. There wasn’t any massive grovelling involved and still as I said already, it worked.
After a quickie wedding in Vegas which happened 5 days after they met, Sam sobers up and leaves Autumn in the hotel alone and basically runs away. A week later, he sends her divorce papers. A month later she finds out she’s pregnant, contacts his lawyer and gets told that he wants her to prove paternity before he assumed the father role. She goes through her pregnancy alone without any help or contact until their baby is born and DNA test is done. A week after the baby is born is the first time she sees Sam again and he meets his kid. He sets her up financially and takes responsibility. - as much as I fault him for not contacting her personally and helping her through the pregnancy, I can’t fault him for the divorce or the “breaking her heart” part, I mean they knew each other for 5 days. Yes, he was insensitive but they weren’t exactly childhood sweethearts.
Now, he did entertain a relationship with his son during the next 5 years but his involvement was mostly allocated to his free time and he’d sometimes choose to party and have a good time instead, thinking that he can bond and have a real relationship with his kid when he grows older. During this time Autumn pretty much hates him and they can’t even have a conversation without insulting each other so they decide to co-parent through intermediaries. Sam continues a superficial lifestyle until he realises that he doesn’t wanna let his son down because while still young, he is starting to understand more and more.
And this is how the two of them start to be around each other more which leads to a rekindled relationship of sorts. Sam was not a responsible, nice guy that’s for sure, but he also wasn’t a bad guy. I think there’s no age where we reach the optimum maturity level or when we have it all figured out, especially if we avoid assessing our lives and follow the same pattern of behaviour that we feel comfortable with. I believe that was the case with Sam. And sometimes forgiving and letting go aren’t the same as being weak and exhibiting doormat behaviour. It takes courage to move on and let bygones be bygones so that you can take a chance on happiness. And that was what Autumn did.
Anyway, I can see why this book is disliked, I even agree with those arguments but those things just didn’t bother me as much.
Not as bad as I thought it would be after reading some reviews. I mostly read this because I like finishing series and because Sam- the male lead was featured in previous books and I was slightly intrigued.
Now, the reviews were pretty spot on. The male MC was immature, selfish, reckless, superficial .. you get the picture but somehow the story worked. There wasn’t any massive grovelling involved and still as I said already, it worked.
After a quickie wedding in Vegas which happened 5 days after they met, Sam sobers up and leaves Autumn in the hotel alone and basically runs away. A week later, he sends her divorce papers. A month later she finds out she’s pregnant, contacts his lawyer and gets told that he wants her to prove paternity before he assumed the father role. She goes through her pregnancy alone without any help or contact until their baby is born and DNA test is done. A week after the baby is born is the first time she sees Sam again and he meets his kid. He sets her up financially and takes responsibility. - as much as I fault him for not contacting her personally and helping her through the pregnancy, I can’t fault him for the divorce or the “breaking her heart” part, I mean they knew each other for 5 days. Yes, he was insensitive but they weren’t exactly childhood sweethearts.
Now, he did entertain a relationship with his son during the next 5 years but his involvement was mostly allocated to his free time and he’d sometimes choose to party and have a good time instead, thinking that he can bond and have a real relationship with his kid when he grows older. During this time Autumn pretty much hates him and they can’t even have a conversation without insulting each other so they decide to co-parent through intermediaries. Sam continues a superficial lifestyle until he realises that he doesn’t wanna let his son down because while still young, he is starting to understand more and more.
And this is how the two of them start to be around each other more which leads to a rekindled relationship of sorts. Sam was not a responsible, nice guy that’s for sure, but he also wasn’t a bad guy. I think there’s no age where we reach the optimum maturity level or when we have it all figured out, especially if we avoid assessing our lives and follow the same pattern of behaviour that we feel comfortable with. I believe that was the case with Sam. And sometimes forgiving and letting go aren’t the same as being weak and exhibiting doormat behaviour. It takes courage to move on and let bygones be bygones so that you can take a chance on happiness. And that was what Autumn did.
Anyway, I can see why this book is disliked, I even agree with those arguments but those things just didn’t bother me as much.
January 10, 2013
This book pisses me the hell off. I don't think that Autumn should of had taken him back. He's a a complete dick and I hate him. His flaws are just too many, too great, and he doesn't deserve a happily-ever-after. He is every woman's worst relationship nightmare. A wild fling that makes you feel something, impregnation, and then desertion.It's complete bullshit what Sam said about falling in love with her 5 years ago, and Autumn, as a smart, well written character really broke my heart when she decided to take back such a complete and utter tool. I think that Rachel Gibson should of had reconsidered the ending, hell, reconsidered writing his story at all.
Men like this exist in real life. And men like this get a free ride, just like Sam and his HEA in this book all too often in real life. If I wanted to read a tragedy I would of had just needed to call up my girlfriends in high school and asked how they were doing.
I read through over two hundred pages, waiting for Sam to redeem himself to me, all the way to the bullshit ending where Autumn goes wildly OOC and gives herself to him. What. An. Idiot.
The worst thing about this book is that it was pretty well written. It was written well enough that I was able to get sucked into Autumn's character and her feelings and made me wonder about how I would feel if I met someone who did that to me. And at the end, I was disgusted with Autumn's actions. I was disgusted with myself because I found myself relating so well with her up until that point.
I would NEVER forgive a man who did something to me like that. Never mind the humiliating, emotionally scarring desertion in the hotel room. Never mind the impregnation, the insulting paternity test.
A man who would treat his own son like that, as a convenient toy who could play with when ever he felt like it. A man like that?
I could forgive his actions towards me, because that's the past. But I would never put myself or a child in a close relationship with such an emotionly stunted ass wipe.
In the mindset of Autumn, I would forgive him, and I would take that five years late apology. I could even be civil with him for the sake of our child, but I would not marry him again.
I'd find myself a better man who loves and respects me.
Fuck you Sam.
Men like this exist in real life. And men like this get a free ride, just like Sam and his HEA in this book all too often in real life. If I wanted to read a tragedy I would of had just needed to call up my girlfriends in high school and asked how they were doing.
I read through over two hundred pages, waiting for Sam to redeem himself to me, all the way to the bullshit ending where Autumn goes wildly OOC and gives herself to him. What. An. Idiot.
The worst thing about this book is that it was pretty well written. It was written well enough that I was able to get sucked into Autumn's character and her feelings and made me wonder about how I would feel if I met someone who did that to me. And at the end, I was disgusted with Autumn's actions. I was disgusted with myself because I found myself relating so well with her up until that point.
I would NEVER forgive a man who did something to me like that. Never mind the humiliating, emotionally scarring desertion in the hotel room. Never mind the impregnation, the insulting paternity test.
A man who would treat his own son like that, as a convenient toy who could play with when ever he felt like it. A man like that?
I could forgive his actions towards me, because that's the past. But I would never put myself or a child in a close relationship with such an emotionly stunted ass wipe.
In the mindset of Autumn, I would forgive him, and I would take that five years late apology. I could even be civil with him for the sake of our child, but I would not marry him again.
I'd find myself a better man who loves and respects me.
Fuck you Sam.
November 23, 2011
Despite the horn dog, rather immature (for a 35(?) year old man) hero, Any Man of Mine is yet another winner in the Chinooks hockey series...
Responsible, pretty red-head 25-year-old Autumn Haven is taking a much needed weeklong vacation in Las Vegas with a list of attractions she'd like to see/do. Not on that list is hooking up with a sinfully handsome, powerfully built blond stud like hockey player Sam LeClaire. But with the way Sam looks at her, and with the sparks flying, Autumn indulges her wildest fantasies. After a steamy weekend where anything goes, including a spur-of-the-moment quickie wedding and matching tattoos, Autumn wakes up alone in her hotel room, with no Sam in sight. Weeks later, she's contacted by his lawyer, demanding a divorce. What a bum, he couldn't even face her to tell her himself! Despite losing her heart to Sam, Autumn considers herself well rid of him, except for one thing...she's pregnant.
Sam...
Fast forward six years. Autumn is now an event planner, organizing the wedding event of Seattle--the marriage of Chinooks owner Faith Duffy and her retired hockey star fiancee Ty Savage (True Love and Other Disasters). It's a star-studded event, and one that could do wonders for the hard working Autumn's business. Everything's going as planned, until Autumn runs into the man she hasn't seen for 2 years, irresponsible baby-daddy Sam LeClaire...The physical attraction to the man she now can't stand is still there, but the loathing for the man who cruelly dumped her and the inattention he pays their five-year-old son is something that Autumn can't forgive. But what if Sam has decided to man-up and be the father to little Connor that his father never was to him? What if Sam is tired of sleeping around with women who mean nothing to him, and wants a shot with the family he left behind? Could Autumn ever get over her hurt and disappointment and let Sam prove that he could be the man that she could count on?
Oh, this one started out with Sam being a real jerk. I wasn't sure how I was going to care for him at all. But Rachel Gibson worked her magic and started to show why Sam acted the way he did, let us in on his back story, and darn if I wasn't starting to think maybe Autumn should give him another chance! True, these two had no business getting married after their wild weekend in Sin City, and Sam should've been man enough to face Autumn and tell her in person. I really couldn't blame Autumn for being furious with him. And despite how he turned himself around and became the father his son deserved, I was still a little leery about him and Autumn as a couple--I didn't blame her one bit for her distrust. These two really needed to talk and learn things about each other, besides what they liked in bed. Once they started opening up to each other, I felt a lot better about them as a couple and their potential for a future.
Once again, RG provides plenty of steam, lots of humor (loved the scene where Sam tore the Sidney Crosby jersey off her back!), snappy dialogue, and somehow made me shed a tear or two. How does she do it? I don't know, but I think I've found another favorite contemporary romance series! 4 1/2 stars
P.S.: I hope RG is planning on writing a story about Autumn's former Navy SEAL brother Vince--seems like he's hiding something about his past...
Responsible, pretty red-head 25-year-old Autumn Haven is taking a much needed weeklong vacation in Las Vegas with a list of attractions she'd like to see/do. Not on that list is hooking up with a sinfully handsome, powerfully built blond stud like hockey player Sam LeClaire. But with the way Sam looks at her, and with the sparks flying, Autumn indulges her wildest fantasies. After a steamy weekend where anything goes, including a spur-of-the-moment quickie wedding and matching tattoos, Autumn wakes up alone in her hotel room, with no Sam in sight. Weeks later, she's contacted by his lawyer, demanding a divorce. What a bum, he couldn't even face her to tell her himself! Despite losing her heart to Sam, Autumn considers herself well rid of him, except for one thing...she's pregnant.
Sam...
Fast forward six years. Autumn is now an event planner, organizing the wedding event of Seattle--the marriage of Chinooks owner Faith Duffy and her retired hockey star fiancee Ty Savage (True Love and Other Disasters). It's a star-studded event, and one that could do wonders for the hard working Autumn's business. Everything's going as planned, until Autumn runs into the man she hasn't seen for 2 years, irresponsible baby-daddy Sam LeClaire...The physical attraction to the man she now can't stand is still there, but the loathing for the man who cruelly dumped her and the inattention he pays their five-year-old son is something that Autumn can't forgive. But what if Sam has decided to man-up and be the father to little Connor that his father never was to him? What if Sam is tired of sleeping around with women who mean nothing to him, and wants a shot with the family he left behind? Could Autumn ever get over her hurt and disappointment and let Sam prove that he could be the man that she could count on?
Oh, this one started out with Sam being a real jerk. I wasn't sure how I was going to care for him at all. But Rachel Gibson worked her magic and started to show why Sam acted the way he did, let us in on his back story, and darn if I wasn't starting to think maybe Autumn should give him another chance! True, these two had no business getting married after their wild weekend in Sin City, and Sam should've been man enough to face Autumn and tell her in person. I really couldn't blame Autumn for being furious with him. And despite how he turned himself around and became the father his son deserved, I was still a little leery about him and Autumn as a couple--I didn't blame her one bit for her distrust. These two really needed to talk and learn things about each other, besides what they liked in bed. Once they started opening up to each other, I felt a lot better about them as a couple and their potential for a future.
Once again, RG provides plenty of steam, lots of humor (loved the scene where Sam tore the Sidney Crosby jersey off her back!), snappy dialogue, and somehow made me shed a tear or two. How does she do it? I don't know, but I think I've found another favorite contemporary romance series! 4 1/2 stars
P.S.: I hope RG is planning on writing a story about Autumn's former Navy SEAL brother Vince--seems like he's hiding something about his past...
January 24, 2017
While this is part of a series, it's apparently the last one. Read the others if you will, but this one is eminently skippable.
ETA: This review goes into better detail about the problems I had and without my, er, idiomatic embellishments.
I'm sorry, but Sam is a great big giant douche of the East Hampton douches. He has a douche pedigree is what I'm saying and it's both rarefied and strongly represented. I wanted him to be sweet, but really, he's just a jerk. I'm over two-thirds in before quitting and I've been waiting for an apology or even just an acknowledgement that he selfishly screwed with Autumn's life and was a callous idiot when doing so. But no. He's all sly smiles and jerky manipulation and completely unexamined want. So the man can be kind to his son. That's the very barest minimum not to be a complete waste of skin. Beyond that he's no deeper than a Las Vegas summer puddle and twice as stupid.
I kind of liked Autumn. Which is why I had to stop reading. Gibson has her go all wobbly when Sam manipulates her into touching him and I could just see the trainwreck coming where her hormones were going to cause her to forget that Sam is a fantastically bad bet and having any intimate relations with the idiot made her an even bigger moron than she was five years ago. Sam is the very baddest of bad bets. There is exactly zero sign of him not being the same playboy he has been for the entire time she has known him—the same guy who left her without explanation or goodbye and then sent his lawyers to demand a divorce. He was a selfish jerkface then. He is just as jerkfacey now, whatever man-pain crisis he seems to be avoiding thinking about.
Frankly, I knew I was in trouble when Gibson showed us their past in an extended flashback. After that, I just can't see any reason Autumn would give him the time of day, let alone get hormoney about him. What he did was beyond mere garden-variety jerk. It was completely inexcusable and to be anything near a viable romantic partner we needed to see that he had changed. More. We need to believe he has changed in a way that is both lasting and complete. His maturity needed to start years before this book started so we could believe him capable of building something worthwhile. At two-thirds in, he hasn't even started his maturation. And that is way, way, completely way too late.
ETA: This review goes into better detail about the problems I had and without my, er, idiomatic embellishments.
I'm sorry, but Sam is a great big giant douche of the East Hampton douches. He has a douche pedigree is what I'm saying and it's both rarefied and strongly represented. I wanted him to be sweet, but really, he's just a jerk. I'm over two-thirds in before quitting and I've been waiting for an apology or even just an acknowledgement that he selfishly screwed with Autumn's life and was a callous idiot when doing so. But no. He's all sly smiles and jerky manipulation and completely unexamined want. So the man can be kind to his son. That's the very barest minimum not to be a complete waste of skin. Beyond that he's no deeper than a Las Vegas summer puddle and twice as stupid.
I kind of liked Autumn. Which is why I had to stop reading. Gibson has her go all wobbly when Sam manipulates her into touching him and I could just see the trainwreck coming where her hormones were going to cause her to forget that Sam is a fantastically bad bet and having any intimate relations with the idiot made her an even bigger moron than she was five years ago. Sam is the very baddest of bad bets. There is exactly zero sign of him not being the same playboy he has been for the entire time she has known him—the same guy who left her without explanation or goodbye and then sent his lawyers to demand a divorce. He was a selfish jerkface then. He is just as jerkfacey now, whatever man-pain crisis he seems to be avoiding thinking about.
Frankly, I knew I was in trouble when Gibson showed us their past in an extended flashback. After that, I just can't see any reason Autumn would give him the time of day, let alone get hormoney about him. What he did was beyond mere garden-variety jerk. It was completely inexcusable and to be anything near a viable romantic partner we needed to see that he had changed. More. We need to believe he has changed in a way that is both lasting and complete. His maturity needed to start years before this book started so we could believe him capable of building something worthwhile. At two-thirds in, he hasn't even started his maturation. And that is way, way, completely way too late.
September 18, 2022
Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I was done with the Chinooks??
… Well, I am, actually, but not before I rant about this book, ha!
I went into this completely blind, and it turned out that the tropes explored in this thing were a little tough for me to swallow. So let's get into it!
The book is about Sam LeClaire, a beloved player for the Chinooks who was a character in all of the previous books, I believe. He has a five-year-old son with his ex-wife, Autumn Haven, who he married in Vegas after knowing her for just a couple of days.
The thing is, Sam was an absolute asshole to Autumn and to their son, to an extent. He left her in Vegas the day after the wedding and had his lawyer contact her about the divorce days later, without growing the fuck up and talking to her himself. When it came to their son, Conner, who was conceived over the days they spent together, he was an absent father, not really making that big of an effort to be present in his life.
In the present, we find out that Autumn became a successful event planner and is a badass single mom. Sam pays a hefty child support and shows up sometimes to take Conner for the weekend, and then goes silent again for weeks.
After Sam and Autumn have a fight at the beginning of the book, where she tells him that Conner cries all the time because he misses his dad, Sam decides to man up and be a lot more present in his life, which creates a lot of forced proximity between him and Autumn. Over time, he starts to realize why he first fell in love with her, and what a jerk he was for missing out on important things with Conner.
Here's the thing: unless it's done really, really well (i.e., The Soulmate Equation, Seven Days in June, The Player Next Door) I do not like kids in my romance novels. I don't want it! Take it away from me!
The second thing was, seeing Sam as a deadbeat dad in the beginning, always painting Autumn as the overbearing bitch and deciding to go out to bars with his teammates when he knew his son would love to see him, just made it really hard for me to forgive him over the course of the book. I got that he was trying, and he couldn't change the past, but, man, did the author paint a shitty picture of him that I couldn't get over.
Anyway. This is a divorced couple who never really knew each other finding their way back together, so, if this is your jam, this is a good book for you! Just beware of the asshole main character who thinks he's all that but could definitely use a reality check.
… Well, I am, actually, but not before I rant about this book, ha!
I went into this completely blind, and it turned out that the tropes explored in this thing were a little tough for me to swallow. So let's get into it!
The book is about Sam LeClaire, a beloved player for the Chinooks who was a character in all of the previous books, I believe. He has a five-year-old son with his ex-wife, Autumn Haven, who he married in Vegas after knowing her for just a couple of days.
The thing is, Sam was an absolute asshole to Autumn and to their son, to an extent. He left her in Vegas the day after the wedding and had his lawyer contact her about the divorce days later, without growing the fuck up and talking to her himself. When it came to their son, Conner, who was conceived over the days they spent together, he was an absent father, not really making that big of an effort to be present in his life.
In the present, we find out that Autumn became a successful event planner and is a badass single mom. Sam pays a hefty child support and shows up sometimes to take Conner for the weekend, and then goes silent again for weeks.
After Sam and Autumn have a fight at the beginning of the book, where she tells him that Conner cries all the time because he misses his dad, Sam decides to man up and be a lot more present in his life, which creates a lot of forced proximity between him and Autumn. Over time, he starts to realize why he first fell in love with her, and what a jerk he was for missing out on important things with Conner.
Here's the thing: unless it's done really, really well (i.e., The Soulmate Equation, Seven Days in June, The Player Next Door) I do not like kids in my romance novels. I don't want it! Take it away from me!
The second thing was, seeing Sam as a deadbeat dad in the beginning, always painting Autumn as the overbearing bitch and deciding to go out to bars with his teammates when he knew his son would love to see him, just made it really hard for me to forgive him over the course of the book. I got that he was trying, and he couldn't change the past, but, man, did the author paint a shitty picture of him that I couldn't get over.
Anyway. This is a divorced couple who never really knew each other finding their way back together, so, if this is your jam, this is a good book for you! Just beware of the asshole main character who thinks he's all that but could definitely use a reality check.
March 13, 2015
This book had me confused about how should I rate it because there were some very nice scenes, it was well written, had a nice -even if he didn't seem so at first- hero and a 5 year old that actually acted like one. In the end however, I was left with the feeling of lost potential.
Autumn and Sam met in Vegas six years ago where they spend a hot, wild weekend that ended in a hasty marriage, a pregnancy and a quick-as-lightning divorce. Now, they are the parents of Conner, a five year old boy, but though Sam has partial custody of him, they haven't seen each other for 2 years. That is until they meet in a wedding that Autumn, whose job is an events' planner, is managing and when she is faced with the problem of Conner's sick babysitter, Sam comes to the rescue and their relationship picks up again.
Though there were a few scenes where I became trully invested in the main heroes (most of them about how they met), more often than not these two acted like two-dimensional characters. We really don't get to see much about Autumn besides her organizing and cofident nature. The author says that they had fun with Sam when they met in Vegas, but doesn't ever show us that. And Autumn was so austere that I couldn't see her appreciating an easy going man like Sam.
On the same note, I was never able to understand what attracted Sam to her. What little we see of Autumn's character, doesn't make her remarkable in any aspect; not in appearence, nor in wit or humor. Although I could see Sam coming to care for the mother of his child since she was warm, loving and competent, I couldn't see him falling in love with such a stiff board. In the end, there seemed something to be missing between those two. I could see them deciding to be together for the shake of their child and because they eventually managed to get along pretty well (and they were good in bed), but I did not feel any wild passion between them, which is what I look forward when reading a romance. On top of that, the child was there in 9 out of 10 scenes these two had, acting as a buffer in their conversations and actions, never letting them act or say exactly what they felt like because Conner would hear/see/get confused.
So, the story for the most part revolved around the child and Sam's and Autumn's dynamics as his parents rather than two lovers. The author never let us -or Autumn- forget that they were parents first and foremost, and while that is commendable in real life, it is not the basis for a hot romance. Too bad, because the plot and characters had so much potential and I really enjoyed Gibson's voice. I'll be checking out more of her books in the future, but I do not consider this one of her best efforts.
Autumn and Sam met in Vegas six years ago where they spend a hot, wild weekend that ended in a hasty marriage, a pregnancy and a quick-as-lightning divorce. Now, they are the parents of Conner, a five year old boy, but though Sam has partial custody of him, they haven't seen each other for 2 years. That is until they meet in a wedding that Autumn, whose job is an events' planner, is managing and when she is faced with the problem of Conner's sick babysitter, Sam comes to the rescue and their relationship picks up again.
Though there were a few scenes where I became trully invested in the main heroes (most of them about how they met), more often than not these two acted like two-dimensional characters. We really don't get to see much about Autumn besides her organizing and cofident nature. The author says that they had fun with Sam when they met in Vegas, but doesn't ever show us that. And Autumn was so austere that I couldn't see her appreciating an easy going man like Sam.
On the same note, I was never able to understand what attracted Sam to her. What little we see of Autumn's character, doesn't make her remarkable in any aspect; not in appearence, nor in wit or humor. Although I could see Sam coming to care for the mother of his child since she was warm, loving and competent, I couldn't see him falling in love with such a stiff board. In the end, there seemed something to be missing between those two. I could see them deciding to be together for the shake of their child and because they eventually managed to get along pretty well (and they were good in bed), but I did not feel any wild passion between them, which is what I look forward when reading a romance. On top of that, the child was there in 9 out of 10 scenes these two had, acting as a buffer in their conversations and actions, never letting them act or say exactly what they felt like because Conner would hear/see/get confused.
So, the story for the most part revolved around the child and Sam's and Autumn's dynamics as his parents rather than two lovers. The author never let us -or Autumn- forget that they were parents first and foremost, and while that is commendable in real life, it is not the basis for a hot romance. Too bad, because the plot and characters had so much potential and I really enjoyed Gibson's voice. I'll be checking out more of her books in the future, but I do not consider this one of her best efforts.
June 22, 2018
I said “any recommendation for books like those written by SEP?” This was one of the answers I got. Hahahahahaha. No.
Let’s recap - a nice lady falls for a dipshit. Gets knocked up. Gets left. Then he’s a terrible father on top of being disrespectful, shallow and mean. Randomly he decides 5 years later that he’s missing out. She’s no longer in love with him and finally in a good head space. He sets out to remedy that - not by treating her well, apologizing, talking it out. Nah. Simply by humping her while remaining distant and verbally demeaning. Good. Freaking. Times. I’d actually light this book on fire if I didn’t get it from the library.
Let’s recap - a nice lady falls for a dipshit. Gets knocked up. Gets left. Then he’s a terrible father on top of being disrespectful, shallow and mean. Randomly he decides 5 years later that he’s missing out. She’s no longer in love with him and finally in a good head space. He sets out to remedy that - not by treating her well, apologizing, talking it out. Nah. Simply by humping her while remaining distant and verbally demeaning. Good. Freaking. Times. I’d actually light this book on fire if I didn’t get it from the library.
August 7, 2018
I really didn't enjoy this story. Before I get into the details, I'll put this up front: My dislike is mostly because Gibson managed -very well- to make me relate to the heroine but then unfortunately didn't manage to make me feel any sort of good-will toward the hero in the latter half.
Five or six years ago, after her mother died, Autumn spends a week in Las Vegas where she meets Sam, has sex, falls in love and marries him. And he's.. a jerk in that he leaves instantly before she's awake and doesn't leave a number.
Fast forward to today: She's a wedding planner and single mom, taking care of their son pretty much alone and attempting to put on her nice face whenever Sam feels like playing Dad for a weekend. In case my bitterness hasn't come through enough already: Sam is a shitty dad and left her alone through her pregnancy as well as after.
For plot-reasons, Sam realizes he's being a bad dad and attempts to change; while he's doing that, he also wants to be with Autumn again, though he doesn't really know why or for how long. That obviously makes Autumn trust him very much and so they're happy forever. Nah, she doesn't trust him. He's hurt her, but most importantly, he hurt his son. (As said son, Connor, is only five years old and written by someone who wants to give us a HEA, he doesn't seem to hold a grudge.)
There's one scene where Sam tells himself that although he wants to change.. he can change a little later and does something fun (for him) instead. This is me illustrating that as a reader, my impression of him was that he's unrealiable, constantly putting other things over his son - only meeting him when he feels like it and the schedule (including summer parties) fits - and being unlikable in general.
I did try to like him, see his point, accept that he was trying to change, but his character development was a little too flat and I was a little too involved with Autumn and Connor to forgive and forget. Also, Autumn has had time to deal with the shit he put her through while the reader hasn't.
Maybe I might have liked this more had it not been a family at stake and a parent being an asshole. But I have strong feelings on that subject, and no matter how much I otherwise enjoy people being imperfect there are certain boundaries, and once you cross those, your redemption-arc better be fantastic. - As a reader, I didn't feel like Sam had gone through any sort of redemption-arc to deserve being part of that family.
Although I thought some of the romantic scenes were cute I'd much rather have seen another ending - one where Autumn ends up with a fantastic guy and Sam is a great dad. It was a believable story and the plot wasn't bad either. (as in, very character-driven) But this didn't work for me at all. I'm interested in the other couples and Autumn's brother, Vince. Maybe I'll give those books a chance in the future.
Five or six years ago, after her mother died, Autumn spends a week in Las Vegas where she meets Sam, has sex, falls in love and marries him. And he's.. a jerk in that he leaves instantly before she's awake and doesn't leave a number.
Fast forward to today: She's a wedding planner and single mom, taking care of their son pretty much alone and attempting to put on her nice face whenever Sam feels like playing Dad for a weekend. In case my bitterness hasn't come through enough already: Sam is a shitty dad and left her alone through her pregnancy as well as after.
For plot-reasons, Sam realizes he's being a bad dad and attempts to change; while he's doing that, he also wants to be with Autumn again, though he doesn't really know why or for how long. That obviously makes Autumn trust him very much and so they're happy forever. Nah, she doesn't trust him. He's hurt her, but most importantly, he hurt his son. (As said son, Connor, is only five years old and written by someone who wants to give us a HEA, he doesn't seem to hold a grudge.)
There's one scene where Sam tells himself that although he wants to change.. he can change a little later and does something fun (for him) instead. This is me illustrating that as a reader, my impression of him was that he's unrealiable, constantly putting other things over his son - only meeting him when he feels like it and the schedule (including summer parties) fits - and being unlikable in general.
I did try to like him, see his point, accept that he was trying to change, but his character development was a little too flat and I was a little too involved with Autumn and Connor to forgive and forget. Also, Autumn has had time to deal with the shit he put her through while the reader hasn't.
Maybe I might have liked this more had it not been a family at stake and a parent being an asshole. But I have strong feelings on that subject, and no matter how much I otherwise enjoy people being imperfect there are certain boundaries, and once you cross those, your redemption-arc better be fantastic. - As a reader, I didn't feel like Sam had gone through any sort of redemption-arc to deserve being part of that family.
Although I thought some of the romantic scenes were cute I'd much rather have seen another ending - one where Autumn ends up with a fantastic guy and Sam is a great dad. It was a believable story and the plot wasn't bad either. (as in, very character-driven) But this didn't work for me at all. I'm interested in the other couples and Autumn's brother, Vince. Maybe I'll give those books a chance in the future.
March 1, 2023
This was my reread....something light and fun..
Why did I gave this book five stars?Oh yeah probably because when I started reviewing I gave all the books five stars so...Mea Culpa....
Anyway I like this series but this book is no way five star read.
Hero is an asshole, well I don't mind that as a matter of fact I love the grumpy hero rough around edge, but this guy is no hero he is simply an idiot. Such immature with his action and I just can't-no words. He is supposed to be 35 yeah right I couldn't picture him like that. All the time while reading this I thought he was a teen somewhere around 20-25yo max.
Heroine was this great woman supposably... she is 30, mother of a great kid, owns her own house and business...pretty..capable and smart and yet she is still bitter and hung upon this guy she spend three days in Vegas. She doesn't date or anything, she is pining away while hero is going through Victoria secret models like candy. And he is a shit father.
Soooooooo........
I could rant more but won't.
I liked the idea of this story line. Actual book is lacking.
Read something else from this author this was bad.
2 stars just for amazing kid in this story
Why did I gave this book five stars?Oh yeah probably because when I started reviewing I gave all the books five stars so...Mea Culpa....
Anyway I like this series but this book is no way five star read.
Hero is an asshole, well I don't mind that as a matter of fact I love the grumpy hero rough around edge, but this guy is no hero he is simply an idiot. Such immature with his action and I just can't-no words. He is supposed to be 35 yeah right I couldn't picture him like that. All the time while reading this I thought he was a teen somewhere around 20-25yo max.
Heroine was this great woman supposably... she is 30, mother of a great kid, owns her own house and business...pretty..capable and smart and yet she is still bitter and hung upon this guy she spend three days in Vegas. She doesn't date or anything, she is pining away while hero is going through Victoria secret models like candy. And he is a shit father.
Soooooooo........
I could rant more but won't.
I liked the idea of this story line. Actual book is lacking.
Read something else from this author this was bad.
2 stars just for amazing kid in this story
February 21, 2018
3.5 stars
Another nice read.
Nothing much else to say about it really. LOL.
Another nice read.
Nothing much else to say about it really. LOL.
April 27, 2011
Review posted at: www.happilyeverafter-reads.blogspot.com
2.5/5 stars:
This series has a few things going for it that I really enjoy:
1. Hockey players – Yummy
2. Seattle – Maybe it’s just me, but when a story is set in my city, I love reading about a character walking down the street and thinking, hey! I was walking down that same street during lunch. Yeah, it’s probably just me.
3. Hockey IN Seattle – which we don’t have. Go Vancouver!
So all that said, this series setting is one for me. I’ve enjoyed the past books in the Chinook Hockey series, they’re fun, light, ‘finish the book in one sitting’ kind of reads. The H/h are enjoyable pairings and the angst level is super low. But, Any Man of Mine is a disappointment. It doesn’t fit in with other books in the series mainly because the characters, namely Sam, are so unlikable. Sam borders on total ass-iness through the first 60% of the book and by that point, the amount of story time left for him to truly redeem himself is just not enough.
The set-up is this: 5 years ago the H/h head to Vegas for a getaway, each with their own sad reasons for needing a break from life. They meet, Sam is drunk, Autumn is head over heels in love, 3 days later Elvis marries them, the next morning Sam finally sobers up, leaves her alone in the hotel room and disappears. Cue the messy divorce, Autumn finding out she’s pregnant, Sam basically being a Dad when it’s convenient for him and we’ve got 5 years of complete hatred between the two.
I normally enjoy the whole story arc for couples of: hate to dislike to witty banter turning finally into love - story. It’s fun to watch characters go at each other early on, because as readers we wait. We wait for THAT moment when they realize that all the dancing around each other and bantering back and forth is just their foreplay. We wait for that ONE moment that the whole book builds up to and the payoff is so sweet because of what we just went through with our H/h.
Any Man of Mine just fell flat. Sam was unlikeable for more than half the story, I mean really, truly unlikeable. To point where I think I would have been fine with an ending of him stepping up and being a good dad to Conner, and no reunion with Autumn. GASP. Yeah, that’s right, I said it, I would have been fine without the HEA. Rest assured that there is an HEA, but the story went from hate to love in a matter of a few pages. Maybe there needed to be more woo’ing on Sam’s part, or maybe the rebuilding of their relationship needed to start happening earlier in the book, as opposed to the last quarter of it.
As is usually the case for me, the side characters kept most of my attention. Their 5 year old son Conner is a cute kid, Autumn’s brother Vince has interesting potential and I hope at some point he possibly gets his own book in a spinoff. We get caught up with a few past friends, and it was nice to have a few scenes at Faith and Ty’s wedding.
I rounded up to 3 stars because Rachel Gibson’s Chinook Hockey series is filled with fun, enjoyable characters and their stories but this newest edition was a letdown.
2.5/5 stars:
This series has a few things going for it that I really enjoy:
1. Hockey players – Yummy
2. Seattle – Maybe it’s just me, but when a story is set in my city, I love reading about a character walking down the street and thinking, hey! I was walking down that same street during lunch. Yeah, it’s probably just me.
3. Hockey IN Seattle – which we don’t have. Go Vancouver!
So all that said, this series setting is one for me. I’ve enjoyed the past books in the Chinook Hockey series, they’re fun, light, ‘finish the book in one sitting’ kind of reads. The H/h are enjoyable pairings and the angst level is super low. But, Any Man of Mine is a disappointment. It doesn’t fit in with other books in the series mainly because the characters, namely Sam, are so unlikable. Sam borders on total ass-iness through the first 60% of the book and by that point, the amount of story time left for him to truly redeem himself is just not enough.
The set-up is this: 5 years ago the H/h head to Vegas for a getaway, each with their own sad reasons for needing a break from life. They meet, Sam is drunk, Autumn is head over heels in love, 3 days later Elvis marries them, the next morning Sam finally sobers up, leaves her alone in the hotel room and disappears. Cue the messy divorce, Autumn finding out she’s pregnant, Sam basically being a Dad when it’s convenient for him and we’ve got 5 years of complete hatred between the two.
I normally enjoy the whole story arc for couples of: hate to dislike to witty banter turning finally into love - story. It’s fun to watch characters go at each other early on, because as readers we wait. We wait for THAT moment when they realize that all the dancing around each other and bantering back and forth is just their foreplay. We wait for that ONE moment that the whole book builds up to and the payoff is so sweet because of what we just went through with our H/h.
Any Man of Mine just fell flat. Sam was unlikeable for more than half the story, I mean really, truly unlikeable. To point where I think I would have been fine with an ending of him stepping up and being a good dad to Conner, and no reunion with Autumn. GASP. Yeah, that’s right, I said it, I would have been fine without the HEA. Rest assured that there is an HEA, but the story went from hate to love in a matter of a few pages. Maybe there needed to be more woo’ing on Sam’s part, or maybe the rebuilding of their relationship needed to start happening earlier in the book, as opposed to the last quarter of it.
As is usually the case for me, the side characters kept most of my attention. Their 5 year old son Conner is a cute kid, Autumn’s brother Vince has interesting potential and I hope at some point he possibly gets his own book in a spinoff. We get caught up with a few past friends, and it was nice to have a few scenes at Faith and Ty’s wedding.
I rounded up to 3 stars because Rachel Gibson’s Chinook Hockey series is filled with fun, enjoyable characters and their stories but this newest edition was a letdown.
October 1, 2024
"Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain kept running through my head while reading this book and was the first song on the radio after I completed it which was a real blast from the past as both this book and that song are older. The book was great. The evolution of Sam from an asshat to a human was great to see. I could well understand how Autumn lost her heart to him and then developed a deep and abiding hatred and after finally getting to know the real man fell in love with him.
After the death of her mother, Autumn Haven takes a trip to Las Vegas just to see what it was all about. When she is approached by hockey player Sam LeClaire, she adds fling with a sexy guy to her Vegas "To Do" list. She never expected to wake up married to him or for him to disappear leaving her with a marriage certificate and pregnant. What a way for her Vegas fantasy to crash and burn.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .
DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY THERE.
Trying to support her son, run her event planning business and avoid any contact with the biggest jerk on the planet is a lot of work. But when she ends up at the same event with him, he wants to pick up where they left of six years ago. Autumn is just: been there, done that, got the broken heart (and a five-year-old) to prove it. Sam at thirty-six is finally realizing what he kicked to the curb all those years ago and he wants another chance.
After the death of her mother, Autumn Haven takes a trip to Las Vegas just to see what it was all about. When she is approached by hockey player Sam LeClaire, she adds fling with a sexy guy to her Vegas "To Do" list. She never expected to wake up married to him or for him to disappear leaving her with a marriage certificate and pregnant. What a way for her Vegas fantasy to crash and burn.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .
DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY THERE.
Trying to support her son, run her event planning business and avoid any contact with the biggest jerk on the planet is a lot of work. But when she ends up at the same event with him, he wants to pick up where they left of six years ago. Autumn is just: been there, done that, got the broken heart (and a five-year-old) to prove it. Sam at thirty-six is finally realizing what he kicked to the curb all those years ago and he wants another chance.
February 17, 2018
Besides the H being the biggest slut in three countries, (which is his prerogative.) My biggest complaint in this book is that he just never really comprehends that he is a HORRIBLE father.
He blows off his planned outings with his son to go bang a babe, not once, but over and over again.
Ironically, his biggest memory is his father abandoning him. But he really doesn't reform all that much.
The book is very unbalanced, we get over 340 pages of him with other women and disappointing his son and we get about 10 pages and ONE day at the very end of the book where he makes an effort to be a decent parent.
That is not a romance, that isn't a redemption and this is not an HEA in my worldview.
He blows off his planned outings with his son to go bang a babe, not once, but over and over again.
Ironically, his biggest memory is his father abandoning him. But he really doesn't reform all that much.
The book is very unbalanced, we get over 340 pages of him with other women and disappointing his son and we get about 10 pages and ONE day at the very end of the book where he makes an effort to be a decent parent.
That is not a romance, that isn't a redemption and this is not an HEA in my worldview.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2018
I do love reading about second chances and redemption. And boy did Sam have to redeem himself! When he finally got his head out of his ass, Sam was a lovable guy. Good thing Autumn thought so too. And Conner! Such a cute little guy. ❤
February 3, 2012
4 stars.
Any Man of Mine was a great little read and perfect to help me get over the trauma that Jet inflicted in Rock Chick Rescue.
It was quick and engaging and the H/h had great chemistry but if you're looking for something that will change your life, this isn't it. It was light and entertaining and gave me an all over happy feeling.
When I read the blurb I wondered if this would start from the beginning when Autumn and Sam first met and then zip to current day but it didn't - which I thought was really smart. Sam is attending a wedding and spots Autumn for the first time in almost 2 years. Then comes a nice, fast-paced, snappy "bring the readers up to speed" vibe with both protagonists giving us their side of the story. I really appreciated that.
Come to about 70-ish% though and it was almost as if Gibson got the "wrap it up" sign... a shame really. The ending felt a little too tidy - like she was dotting the i's and crossing the t's - which also felt OOC for the H/h. They had a little bit of angst to work through and it all just seemed to be solved in a page or two. Regardless, it was a great read and makes me wanna go back and give the other books in this series another look.
Any Man of Mine was a great little read and perfect to help me get over the trauma that Jet inflicted in Rock Chick Rescue.
It was quick and engaging and the H/h had great chemistry but if you're looking for something that will change your life, this isn't it. It was light and entertaining and gave me an all over happy feeling.
When I read the blurb I wondered if this would start from the beginning when Autumn and Sam first met and then zip to current day but it didn't - which I thought was really smart. Sam is attending a wedding and spots Autumn for the first time in almost 2 years. Then comes a nice, fast-paced, snappy "bring the readers up to speed" vibe with both protagonists giving us their side of the story. I really appreciated that.
Come to about 70-ish% though and it was almost as if Gibson got the "wrap it up" sign... a shame really. The ending felt a little too tidy - like she was dotting the i's and crossing the t's - which also felt OOC for the H/h. They had a little bit of angst to work through and it all just seemed to be solved in a page or two. Regardless, it was a great read and makes me wanna go back and give the other books in this series another look.
June 4, 2016
This is such a horrendous end to my most favourite contemporary book series ever.
Georgeanne and John had a similar story line, their story is my second favourite chinooks book (first being Mark and Chelsea ' story) but this? This s not Rachel Gibson at all. Even the writing style didn't charm me like it usually does.
Why 3 stars?
1 star for Sam's story and other 2 for Mark and Chelsea. The only thing I loved about this book was their scene. It was hilarious and amazing. Marsea is bae and I'll forever love them.
*goes to reread nothing but trouble. Again*
Georgeanne and John had a similar story line, their story is my second favourite chinooks book (first being Mark and Chelsea ' story) but this? This s not Rachel Gibson at all. Even the writing style didn't charm me like it usually does.
Why 3 stars?
1 star for Sam's story and other 2 for Mark and Chelsea. The only thing I loved about this book was their scene. It was hilarious and amazing. Marsea is bae and I'll forever love them.
*goes to reread nothing but trouble. Again*
June 3, 2015
I can't tell you why I have liked this series so much. There are so many reason that I shouldn't. All of the heroines are either in a dry spell or didn't really care for sex until the hero comes into their life. They all have a secondary character (friend/mother/sister/assistant) who has a sex life encouraging them to date. They all have a stereotypical gay friend. None of the heroines know anything about hockey or either don't like it because God forbid a woman should like hockey and be able to speak intelligently about it. The heroes all fit a stereotype of hockey players (alpha, man-whores, boys will be boys, violent on the ice). I know, I know. I'm really selling this to you.
Again, I don't know why I like this series so much. I am a hockey fan so maybe that's it. And maybe it's because I'm picturing the heroes like this.
And my two personal favorite players:
Whatever it is I personally enjoyed this series even though I can see a lot of flaws. This is my guilty pleasure and I don't apologize for it.
Again, I don't know why I like this series so much. I am a hockey fan so maybe that's it. And maybe it's because I'm picturing the heroes like this.
And my two personal favorite players:
Whatever it is I personally enjoyed this series even though I can see a lot of flaws. This is my guilty pleasure and I don't apologize for it.
December 16, 2014
First things first- I absolutely LOVED this book ! Not for the characters but rather the lessons learnt from the mistakes made by the characters.
PLOT – Sam Leclaire is a shallow and superficial hockey star. He drinks and dates a new model every week. On a trip to Vegas, he is enamored by a redhead named Autumn Haven, spends a few nights of passion with her and on the spur marries her. Only to leave her the next day all alone- pregnant divorced and confused.
Sam LeClaire was a good-looking son of a bitch. Everyone thought so. Everyone from sports writers to soccer moms.The girl wrapped up in his sheets thought so, too. Although she really wasn’t a girl. She was a woman.”
It has taken 5 years for Autumn to let go of the deep burning hatred she has for Sam. Being a single working mother is no easy task, but hard work is her best quality. Forgiveness is definitely not her thing.
And when Sam slowly realizes that fame and gorgeous girls are all momentary pleasure and suddenly family is his priority, will she be able to open her heart again?
“I want you to always be here when I get home. I want to hear about your day. I love you and I will love you for the rest of my life.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to choke up. He didn’t want the woman he loved to see him cry like a girl. “You and Conner, that’s all I’ll ever need.”
THOUGHTS-
Autumn’s mom had told her not to go to Vegas- for anything can happen there. But of course, human tendency is to rebel & find out things for themselves. Most of us young people feel, “Oh, we’re adults now, we know what we are doing, our parents are just getting intrusive.” But the things is that they have seen life better than us & sometimes they do get protective. I loved how Autumn realized her mistakes of the past and moved on.
“You never learn the first time. You always have to get hit twice before you see it coming.” He was seeing now what he’d seen that first night at Pure. A bright shiny light he wanted to catch in his hands and hold forever. If she let him.”
I don’t believe in sex before marriage, especially sex with stranger, no matter how much they are drenched in sex appeal. What if you get pregnant and the other guy runs off? Sure you’ve got protective measure,s but a single mistake can change the course of your life. And reading this story further supported my idea. Autumn just got lucky that Sam came come back. In real life, there are hardly any rosy endings.
He pointed at her white Jersey. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“A hockey jersey.” She looked down and pointed at the penguin on the front. “Hockey is our Halloween theme this year.”
His voice was quiet. Deadly. “It’s Pittsburgh.”
“I like it. The penguin has little skates on his feet.” She looked back up. “It’s cute.”
“It’s gay.”
“Jerseys aren’t supposed to be cute.” He frowned and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You’re wearing Crosby’s number.”
She looked at the 87 on her sleeve. “Who?”
“Jesus. The bastard just scored on me with a hinky puck. He should have been embarrassed instead of skating around like a prom queen.”
“I like this jersey.”…“He’s cute.”
“Are you serious?”
She actually didn’t really know what Crosby looked like, but Sam looked annoyed. Which, she admitted, amused her. “Yes. I don’t want my guy to be ugly.”
“Your guy? You pick a guy’s number because you think he’s cute?”
Autumn was all alone during her delivery. Her mother had just dies of cancer, her father had run off with his girlfriend a decade ago, and brother fighting a war in Afghanistan, And then her ‘husband’ dumps her – it was an extremely tough situation. She was so scared and lonely.
I could actually feel her emotions throughout the book.
Sam has 2 sides. While he sips beer and roll off women, he loves his son Conner very much. Except he just doesn’t know how to be a good father and realizes that he worse then his own dad. After his sister was killed, he became reckless. I loved his transition in the story.
“See the dragon?” Conner pointed to what looked like a snake with a big head slithering through the sand toward the castle. “He protects the boy in the castle.”
“From what?”
He looked up at his dad and squinted against the sun. “From what, Dad?”
“Girls.”
Sam wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her heels. He pressed his dirty sweatshirt against her and laughed. “You’re too clean. I like you better when you’re dirty, too.”
“Sam!” She pushed at his shoulders and tried to squirm out of his hold. But Sam was bigger and taller, and she didn’t stand a chance.
He tightened his grasp and lifted her until her toes dangled above the sand. His heated breath whispered across her chilled cheek, “Wanna get real dirty with me?”
I guess I loved the book so much cause I connected with them, their feelings and the flashbacks; well written.
“You seem to have lost your panties again.”
“Oops. I bet that happens around you a lot.”
“Not anymore.” He slid his hands up her smooth back. “You’re the only woman I want around. The only woman I want to see drop her panties. The only woman I’ve ever really wanted.”
She leaned back and looked up at him. Her green eyes smiling with laughter. “Up until a few months ago, I wasn’t even the kind of woman you dated.”
“No.” He pressed his forehead into hers and brushed his mouth across her lips. “But you’re the kind of woman I marry. If I’m really lucky, you’re the kind of woman who will marry me twice.”
This review is on my blog
PLOT – Sam Leclaire is a shallow and superficial hockey star. He drinks and dates a new model every week. On a trip to Vegas, he is enamored by a redhead named Autumn Haven, spends a few nights of passion with her and on the spur marries her. Only to leave her the next day all alone- pregnant divorced and confused.
Sam LeClaire was a good-looking son of a bitch. Everyone thought so. Everyone from sports writers to soccer moms.The girl wrapped up in his sheets thought so, too. Although she really wasn’t a girl. She was a woman.”
It has taken 5 years for Autumn to let go of the deep burning hatred she has for Sam. Being a single working mother is no easy task, but hard work is her best quality. Forgiveness is definitely not her thing.
And when Sam slowly realizes that fame and gorgeous girls are all momentary pleasure and suddenly family is his priority, will she be able to open her heart again?
“I want you to always be here when I get home. I want to hear about your day. I love you and I will love you for the rest of my life.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to choke up. He didn’t want the woman he loved to see him cry like a girl. “You and Conner, that’s all I’ll ever need.”
THOUGHTS-
Autumn’s mom had told her not to go to Vegas- for anything can happen there. But of course, human tendency is to rebel & find out things for themselves. Most of us young people feel, “Oh, we’re adults now, we know what we are doing, our parents are just getting intrusive.” But the things is that they have seen life better than us & sometimes they do get protective. I loved how Autumn realized her mistakes of the past and moved on.
“You never learn the first time. You always have to get hit twice before you see it coming.” He was seeing now what he’d seen that first night at Pure. A bright shiny light he wanted to catch in his hands and hold forever. If she let him.”
I don’t believe in sex before marriage, especially sex with stranger, no matter how much they are drenched in sex appeal. What if you get pregnant and the other guy runs off? Sure you’ve got protective measure,s but a single mistake can change the course of your life. And reading this story further supported my idea. Autumn just got lucky that Sam came come back. In real life, there are hardly any rosy endings.
He pointed at her white Jersey. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“A hockey jersey.” She looked down and pointed at the penguin on the front. “Hockey is our Halloween theme this year.”
His voice was quiet. Deadly. “It’s Pittsburgh.”
“I like it. The penguin has little skates on his feet.” She looked back up. “It’s cute.”
“It’s gay.”
“Jerseys aren’t supposed to be cute.” He frowned and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You’re wearing Crosby’s number.”
She looked at the 87 on her sleeve. “Who?”
“Jesus. The bastard just scored on me with a hinky puck. He should have been embarrassed instead of skating around like a prom queen.”
“I like this jersey.”…“He’s cute.”
“Are you serious?”
She actually didn’t really know what Crosby looked like, but Sam looked annoyed. Which, she admitted, amused her. “Yes. I don’t want my guy to be ugly.”
“Your guy? You pick a guy’s number because you think he’s cute?”
Autumn was all alone during her delivery. Her mother had just dies of cancer, her father had run off with his girlfriend a decade ago, and brother fighting a war in Afghanistan, And then her ‘husband’ dumps her – it was an extremely tough situation. She was so scared and lonely.
I could actually feel her emotions throughout the book.
Sam has 2 sides. While he sips beer and roll off women, he loves his son Conner very much. Except he just doesn’t know how to be a good father and realizes that he worse then his own dad. After his sister was killed, he became reckless. I loved his transition in the story.
“See the dragon?” Conner pointed to what looked like a snake with a big head slithering through the sand toward the castle. “He protects the boy in the castle.”
“From what?”
He looked up at his dad and squinted against the sun. “From what, Dad?”
“Girls.”
Sam wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her heels. He pressed his dirty sweatshirt against her and laughed. “You’re too clean. I like you better when you’re dirty, too.”
“Sam!” She pushed at his shoulders and tried to squirm out of his hold. But Sam was bigger and taller, and she didn’t stand a chance.
He tightened his grasp and lifted her until her toes dangled above the sand. His heated breath whispered across her chilled cheek, “Wanna get real dirty with me?”
I guess I loved the book so much cause I connected with them, their feelings and the flashbacks; well written.
“You seem to have lost your panties again.”
“Oops. I bet that happens around you a lot.”
“Not anymore.” He slid his hands up her smooth back. “You’re the only woman I want around. The only woman I want to see drop her panties. The only woman I’ve ever really wanted.”
She leaned back and looked up at him. Her green eyes smiling with laughter. “Up until a few months ago, I wasn’t even the kind of woman you dated.”
“No.” He pressed his forehead into hers and brushed his mouth across her lips. “But you’re the kind of woman I marry. If I’m really lucky, you’re the kind of woman who will marry me twice.”
This review is on my blog
March 14, 2011
Let me just start by saying I have loved all of the Chinooks Hockey Team series and this one is just as good!! I just couldn't give it the love of 5 stars, for a couple of reasons. One, I think it was a little short, under 200 pages. My second complaint was with Sam LeClaire, the supposed hero in our story. Now, let me just preface this by saying there is a lot of things I loved about this book, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around why Sam should be forgiven, now I understand 'forgive and forget' or even 'forgive and learn to move on', but IMHO I just didn't feel that Sam was repentant enough for the heartache he caused, which leads me back to maybe if the story was a little longer we could have delved in to the characters a little more and maybe I could have understood Sam better. I really liked Autumn too, but I think I could have loved her had I gotten to spend a little more time with her!
I was also very interested in Autumn's brother Vince, I hope he has a book coming!!
I really liked this book but it was not my favorite in the series and I sincerely hope there are more to come because I really do love these hockey players!!!
**This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley!
I was also very interested in Autumn's brother Vince, I hope he has a book coming!!
I really liked this book but it was not my favorite in the series and I sincerely hope there are more to come because I really do love these hockey players!!!
**This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley!
January 19, 2018
O kadar devrik cümleyi bir kitaba toplamak için özellikle çaba sarf etmişler galiba. O kadar kötüydü ki anlatamam. Sam’i sevmesem 1 yıldızı basmıştım sırf bu yüzden.
November 10, 2012
I wasn't a hockey fan. I am not always a fan of second chance story lines. I don't like it when children are affected by their parents acrimony. So how come when I find myself sitting here to write this review, a number of weeks after I finished reading this book, I want to dive back into it, the images strong and clear, the emotions compelling? I find I have to rate this book a five star DIK because I will read this again.
If you are amongst the group of people who do not read books which the couple doesn't stay together, and at least one of them plays the hound dog role, I don't know if you will enjoy this one. If however, you feel like giving it a shot, (hockey pun not intended *winks*) I think you will be deeply affected by the story of a couple who even though meant for one another, loose their way and despite a BIG detour, eventually find a way to heal and come together again.
This is a story of Autumn, a young woman who has had more than her share of struggles, caring for a dying parent, being on her own at a young age, but who finds herself in Vegas, the object of a very sexy, very hot male''s singularly charming attentions. She falls. They get tattoos, have a hound dog wedding and she wakes up with him gone. Woof. I'm thinking, oh boy this isn't something I would forgive. But wait, it gets worse! He divorces her sorry self without a backward glance. End of story? Well if it was it would be a four chapter novel.
Enter an unplanned and unexpected pregnancy. Connor ends up being the light of his mother's life, and indeed he captured my heart. I was so happy when Sam started to see that his son was old enough, at five now, to feel his absences. Being a hockey player, he had to be away, but Connor was missing his dad for more than the Disney land Dad visits. And Sam clues in. My god, when Connor announced he no longer liked his formerly beloved Barney, stating "Barney is for babies", I totally felt Autumn's pain. Regardless of her painful history with an asshat ex, her baby was growing up. And it was obvious to her, that he needed more from his dad. She bends for him. Poignant.
As a reader, I wondered right along with our heroine,how she would ever be able to get past the "patches she had had to sew into her life", to get past the damage Sam had caused her. Through the first part of the book, Sam compulsively womanizes. He thinks of his "ex" as a bitch he justifiably escaped from. Well, that warmed me up to him. Humph. This "hockey hero" has his own set of baggage from some serious family trauma and is not very good at opening up. It would do no good to tell you that I thought that this justified his behaviour. It. Did. Not. I ended up liking him anyway. The author very cleverly starts to herd us towards empathy for this damaged fellow when he comes to some powerful, if grossly LATE, insights. I loved their interchanges when they finally started to get past their history:
Angsty? Yes. Good hockey? You bet. (that has to be the Canadian in me!) A great second chance? Most assuredly. A shot at redemption? I think so.
If you are amongst the group of people who do not read books which the couple doesn't stay together, and at least one of them plays the hound dog role, I don't know if you will enjoy this one. If however, you feel like giving it a shot, (hockey pun not intended *winks*) I think you will be deeply affected by the story of a couple who even though meant for one another, loose their way and despite a BIG detour, eventually find a way to heal and come together again.
This is a story of Autumn, a young woman who has had more than her share of struggles, caring for a dying parent, being on her own at a young age, but who finds herself in Vegas, the object of a very sexy, very hot male''s singularly charming attentions. She falls. They get tattoos, have a hound dog wedding and she wakes up with him gone. Woof. I'm thinking, oh boy this isn't something I would forgive. But wait, it gets worse! He divorces her sorry self without a backward glance. End of story? Well if it was it would be a four chapter novel.
Enter an unplanned and unexpected pregnancy. Connor ends up being the light of his mother's life, and indeed he captured my heart. I was so happy when Sam started to see that his son was old enough, at five now, to feel his absences. Being a hockey player, he had to be away, but Connor was missing his dad for more than the Disney land Dad visits. And Sam clues in. My god, when Connor announced he no longer liked his formerly beloved Barney, stating "Barney is for babies", I totally felt Autumn's pain. Regardless of her painful history with an asshat ex, her baby was growing up. And it was obvious to her, that he needed more from his dad. She bends for him. Poignant.
As a reader, I wondered right along with our heroine,how she would ever be able to get past the "patches she had had to sew into her life", to get past the damage Sam had caused her. Through the first part of the book, Sam compulsively womanizes. He thinks of his "ex" as a bitch he justifiably escaped from. Well, that warmed me up to him. Humph. This "hockey hero" has his own set of baggage from some serious family trauma and is not very good at opening up. It would do no good to tell you that I thought that this justified his behaviour. It. Did. Not. I ended up liking him anyway. The author very cleverly starts to herd us towards empathy for this damaged fellow when he comes to some powerful, if grossly LATE, insights. I loved their interchanges when they finally started to get past their history:
"You covered my name with wings." He raised her hand and kissed her pulse. "Does that mean you think I'm an angel?"This signals a tipping point in which he starts to see himself as part of a family. His family. But Autumn does not fall in weakly,
She laughed, "A dark angel from hell."
"There you go again, trying to charm me into falling in love with you."
"What if I fall in love with you?" His hand slid up and cupped her breast.
Her gaze met his. "You won't."
He didn't like the way she said it. As if it wasn't possible. As if he wasn't capable of falling in love with a woman. As if he wasn't capable of loving her."
Angsty? Yes. Good hockey? You bet. (that has to be the Canadian in me!) A great second chance? Most assuredly. A shot at redemption? I think so.
"You are the pinch in my heart. The catch in my breath. The reason my stomach tumbles..."And I did tumble...
April 21, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ four stars -
* latest reread on 4/21/22 - am really thinking this should be a downgrade on the rating, as quite a few things didn’t sit with me on this last reread. Namely, the romance between our H and h - this is more a book about two people in each other’s lives as the result of a quick, short affair that resulted in a pregnancy.
However, I am going to stick with the four star rating as the story by Gibson is well told, and I do like her writing style. I can accept the romance here as it is; more a story of familial love - or the coming together for the sake of family. I believe that they fall in love again, but it’s not the all out consuming love I personally like to read in romance.
All that being said, I’m keeping this at its four star rating, even though what annoys me is the weak heroine here, but I now feel that it’s really a 3.75 rounded up to 4, cause I enjoy Gibson’s ability to spin a tale.
Original review follows:
I just loved this book. Rachel Gibson is one of my go to authors, and this story did not disappoint.
Second chance love? Yes, please! Enemies to lovers? Sign me up! Married, but not together - yet!? Bonus! Everything I love wrapped up in one neat package.
Rachel does old-school alpha Heroes, so you need to know what you’re getting when you download one of her books. This is what she writes, and she writes them well.
She crafts fully drawn characters you can see on the page. You won’t find any beta males here, so if you’re offended by og males, these stories probably won’t be for you, but for women of a certain age (ha), it’s what we were weaned on.
Bring me a RG story anytime I’m lost in a book slump, and bam! Happy little heart again!
Four solid stars for the strong, confident man - le sigh.
* latest reread on 4/21/22 - am really thinking this should be a downgrade on the rating, as quite a few things didn’t sit with me on this last reread. Namely, the romance between our H and h - this is more a book about two people in each other’s lives as the result of a quick, short affair that resulted in a pregnancy.
However, I am going to stick with the four star rating as the story by Gibson is well told, and I do like her writing style. I can accept the romance here as it is; more a story of familial love - or the coming together for the sake of family. I believe that they fall in love again, but it’s not the all out consuming love I personally like to read in romance.
All that being said, I’m keeping this at its four star rating, even though what annoys me is the weak heroine here, but I now feel that it’s really a 3.75 rounded up to 4, cause I enjoy Gibson’s ability to spin a tale.
Original review follows:
I just loved this book. Rachel Gibson is one of my go to authors, and this story did not disappoint.
Second chance love? Yes, please! Enemies to lovers? Sign me up! Married, but not together - yet!? Bonus! Everything I love wrapped up in one neat package.
Rachel does old-school alpha Heroes, so you need to know what you’re getting when you download one of her books. This is what she writes, and she writes them well.
She crafts fully drawn characters you can see on the page. You won’t find any beta males here, so if you’re offended by og males, these stories probably won’t be for you, but for women of a certain age (ha), it’s what we were weaned on.
Bring me a RG story anytime I’m lost in a book slump, and bam! Happy little heart again!
Four solid stars for the strong, confident man - le sigh.
September 26, 2014
I'm a huge fan of this series. I love how Rachel Gibson makes me fall in love with all of these hockey players. But, with every book, there has always been a scene stealer. Sam LeClaire. Like most of the hockey players, Sam was a womanizer and spent more time in the penalty box than anyone else. I've been hoping for his story for years and was so excited when it was finally announced a few years ago. They say 'Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,' but that isn't true when a wild and crazy weekend in Vegas ends up in a wedding, divorce and a pregnancy. Sam Leclaire tried his best to put that crazy weekend six years ago behind him, which is hard to do since he now has a son with Autumn and she pretty much hates him. But, you can't really blame her because Sam has handled everything all wrong. From leaving her in Vegas alone, to serving her with divorce papers a few weeks after to pretty much being a dad whenever he had a chance. Sam LeClaire has a lot of redeeming to do.
I'm convinced that Rachel Gibson is determined to make me like kids in books. In her case, it's working. I loved the fact that Autumn and Sam had all this history, some good parts but mostly bad parts and I loved seeing glimpses of the past with flashback scenes. I'm not the biggest fan of flashback scenes, but with this story it worked. After spending most of Connor's 5 years at each other's throats, Sam and Autumn have agreed on a 'no interaction' method of parenting. Autumn pretty much raises Connor by herself and Sam provides for them and spends time with Connor when he can, which isn't much time. When it's Sam's turn to have Connor, his nanny picks him up and drops him off. This arrangement has worked for two years. Until they meet again at Faith and Ty's wedding (from True Love and Other Disasters) that Autumn planned. After getting into another argument, in front of Connor, Sam realizes what a shitty dad he's been and he vows to be better. The more time he spends with Connor and Autumn, the more they start to feel like a family. Except for the tiny fact that Autumn is still hurt by how Sam left her and she still hates him most of the time.
I loved watching these two get closer again. Since their last encounter was more of a crazy spur of the moment kind of thing, I loved seeing these two fall in love. But Sam won't have it that easy this time. She's determined not to let Sam break her heart again. Sam has to earn her trust again, her friendship and her love. I loved their 'I hate you but I want you' chemistry. This is the latest book in the Chinooks series (so far) and it was great seeing glimpses of characters from other books. I can't get enough of this team and I hope that this isn't the last book. Sam's book was a long wait, but it was worth it. One of my favorite Rachel Gibson books!
5 out of 5 stars!
***
Read full review & more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed
Follow me at:
Bloglovin * Twitter * Tumblr * Pinterest * Polyvore
I'm convinced that Rachel Gibson is determined to make me like kids in books. In her case, it's working. I loved the fact that Autumn and Sam had all this history, some good parts but mostly bad parts and I loved seeing glimpses of the past with flashback scenes. I'm not the biggest fan of flashback scenes, but with this story it worked. After spending most of Connor's 5 years at each other's throats, Sam and Autumn have agreed on a 'no interaction' method of parenting. Autumn pretty much raises Connor by herself and Sam provides for them and spends time with Connor when he can, which isn't much time. When it's Sam's turn to have Connor, his nanny picks him up and drops him off. This arrangement has worked for two years. Until they meet again at Faith and Ty's wedding (from True Love and Other Disasters) that Autumn planned. After getting into another argument, in front of Connor, Sam realizes what a shitty dad he's been and he vows to be better. The more time he spends with Connor and Autumn, the more they start to feel like a family. Except for the tiny fact that Autumn is still hurt by how Sam left her and she still hates him most of the time.
I loved watching these two get closer again. Since their last encounter was more of a crazy spur of the moment kind of thing, I loved seeing these two fall in love. But Sam won't have it that easy this time. She's determined not to let Sam break her heart again. Sam has to earn her trust again, her friendship and her love. I loved their 'I hate you but I want you' chemistry. This is the latest book in the Chinooks series (so far) and it was great seeing glimpses of characters from other books. I can't get enough of this team and I hope that this isn't the last book. Sam's book was a long wait, but it was worth it. One of my favorite Rachel Gibson books!
5 out of 5 stars!
***
Read full review & more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed
Follow me at:
Bloglovin * Twitter * Tumblr * Pinterest * Polyvore
April 18, 2011
Any Man of Mine was a delight. Sam and Autumn are exes who were together over a weekend in Vegas, and ended up with a son to remember it by. I’m not traditionally into stories having a child or pregnancy in the storyline, but I think that this story could only have been told with a child forcing Sam to re-evaluate his life.
Sam and Autumn reconnect several years later at a wedding that Autumn has planned, with much acrimony between them over a bitter start to their joint custody. I loved the continuing storyline of the other hockey players, and it’s a surprise to everyone that the two of them have a past.
Sam’s a happy-go-lucky hockey player; the man that everybody loves; and a man who gives everyone his attention to the detriment of his relationship with his son. I didn’t like him through a good portion of the book because he was so happily oblivious. That said, Gibson skillfully moves the story forward and gives him that “moment” when he knows that it is time to make changes and be present, be responsible, and give of himself. Autumn is a strong woman who has her own business, is a great mom, and is respectful of her son’s relationship with Sam. She is fearful of trusting in this new and improved Sam. She isn’t one to sit and mope, or whine; she just gets things done. I liked her, and had a lot of respect.
Sam and Autumn make a great team, as parents and as a couple. But I couldn’t help but wonder as I read whether Sam had really changed, and whether Autumn could take a leap of faith. Sam finds Autumn just as attractive as he did on their wild weekend in Vegas, but Autumn has a wall a mile wide that he’ll need to tear down. I thought their chemistry was fantastic; the plot was a bit more serious than her usual, but it’s told with humor and great sensitivity. Great story, and a wonderful addition to the Chinook series. My only complaint: too short!
Sam and Autumn reconnect several years later at a wedding that Autumn has planned, with much acrimony between them over a bitter start to their joint custody. I loved the continuing storyline of the other hockey players, and it’s a surprise to everyone that the two of them have a past.
Sam’s a happy-go-lucky hockey player; the man that everybody loves; and a man who gives everyone his attention to the detriment of his relationship with his son. I didn’t like him through a good portion of the book because he was so happily oblivious. That said, Gibson skillfully moves the story forward and gives him that “moment” when he knows that it is time to make changes and be present, be responsible, and give of himself. Autumn is a strong woman who has her own business, is a great mom, and is respectful of her son’s relationship with Sam. She is fearful of trusting in this new and improved Sam. She isn’t one to sit and mope, or whine; she just gets things done. I liked her, and had a lot of respect.
Sam and Autumn make a great team, as parents and as a couple. But I couldn’t help but wonder as I read whether Sam had really changed, and whether Autumn could take a leap of faith. Sam finds Autumn just as attractive as he did on their wild weekend in Vegas, but Autumn has a wall a mile wide that he’ll need to tear down. I thought their chemistry was fantastic; the plot was a bit more serious than her usual, but it’s told with humor and great sensitivity. Great story, and a wonderful addition to the Chinook series. My only complaint: too short!
April 29, 2011
How come Jane and Luc never visit his former teammates? Just wondering.
Anyway, Going in I know exactly what I'm going to get when I read a Rachel Gibson. It's why she's an auto-buy for me. I know I'll get a great story, solid writing and fun chemistry. I got all that and more in this book. Autumn and Sam are both well-written yet flawed characters. I enjoyed them a lot. I really liked watching them circle and get to know each other. There's a lot of push and pull and it was great to be a part of.
Yes, Sam is a complete jerk. And while there's no huge grovel scene and he doesn't have any big epiphany about his behavior in the past, his regret is obvious. It's clear he wishes he didn't act the way he does and he tries to make up for it the only way he knows how.
There is an explanation for some of his behavior and while we, the reader, get a good amount of it, I felt like it wasn't explored enough between Sam and Autumn. He tells her something in passing and she puts two and two together, but they don't go any further. I felt like they needed to.
My only real complaint is the ending. It's very abrupt. I would compare it to a Deirdre Martin ending. She has a habit of kind of saying, "whoops, look at how many pages I've written--let me give them their HEA now" even though things haven't been entirely worked out. I firmly believe Sam and Autumn will get their HEA, but I felt like it was just suddenly there. I love you, you love me, the end.
All in all a good solid read. RG fans should enjoy it as it was better than Nothing But Trouble (which I know wasn't a fan favorite). Sam is pretty sexy.
Anyway, Going in I know exactly what I'm going to get when I read a Rachel Gibson. It's why she's an auto-buy for me. I know I'll get a great story, solid writing and fun chemistry. I got all that and more in this book. Autumn and Sam are both well-written yet flawed characters. I enjoyed them a lot. I really liked watching them circle and get to know each other. There's a lot of push and pull and it was great to be a part of.
Yes, Sam is a complete jerk. And while there's no huge grovel scene and he doesn't have any big epiphany about his behavior in the past, his regret is obvious. It's clear he wishes he didn't act the way he does and he tries to make up for it the only way he knows how.
There is an explanation for some of his behavior and while we, the reader, get a good amount of it, I felt like it wasn't explored enough between Sam and Autumn. He tells her something in passing and she puts two and two together, but they don't go any further. I felt like they needed to.
My only real complaint is the ending. It's very abrupt. I would compare it to a Deirdre Martin ending. She has a habit of kind of saying, "whoops, look at how many pages I've written--let me give them their HEA now" even though things haven't been entirely worked out. I firmly believe Sam and Autumn will get their HEA, but I felt like it was just suddenly there. I love you, you love me, the end.
All in all a good solid read. RG fans should enjoy it as it was better than Nothing But Trouble (which I know wasn't a fan favorite). Sam is pretty sexy.
December 24, 2012
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .
DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY THERE.
This book is on my favorites shelf for a reason. I know a lot of people think Rachel Gibson's writing lacks depth and sophistication and I don't disagree with them but that doesn't make her books any less enjoyable. This was the first book of hers I read and I actually found it really hard to put down despite the overload of stereotyping, ice hockey references and the cliche story line.
For most of the book, Sam acts like a complete jerk where women are concerned and we hardly see any signs of a caring or loving man lurking beneath his hard (and not mention, totally HOT) exterior. I liked the way Rachel Gibson portrayed him because it gave a large dose of reality to the story. You see, sometimes romance novels create unrealistic heroes for the sake of a good story.
I also loved Autumn. I really connected with her and I liked how she was a pretty redhead. I don't get to read that many contemporary romances with redheaded heroines. It makes things a bit different (and the sex scenes a lot hotter, I think). The fact that I liked her so much definitely contributed a lot to the 5-star rating.
As for the waking-up-in-Vegas story line... It was so cliche yet so damned good. I would definitely read this book again. It was an easy, fun read which was perfect for me.
DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY THERE.
This book is on my favorites shelf for a reason. I know a lot of people think Rachel Gibson's writing lacks depth and sophistication and I don't disagree with them but that doesn't make her books any less enjoyable. This was the first book of hers I read and I actually found it really hard to put down despite the overload of stereotyping, ice hockey references and the cliche story line.
For most of the book, Sam acts like a complete jerk where women are concerned and we hardly see any signs of a caring or loving man lurking beneath his hard (and not mention, totally HOT) exterior. I liked the way Rachel Gibson portrayed him because it gave a large dose of reality to the story. You see, sometimes romance novels create unrealistic heroes for the sake of a good story.
I also loved Autumn. I really connected with her and I liked how she was a pretty redhead. I don't get to read that many contemporary romances with redheaded heroines. It makes things a bit different (and the sex scenes a lot hotter, I think). The fact that I liked her so much definitely contributed a lot to the 5-star rating.
As for the waking-up-in-Vegas story line... It was so cliche yet so damned good. I would definitely read this book again. It was an easy, fun read which was perfect for me.
May 1, 2011
Like any other RG's book, a fast paced story. This one is better than
but isn't as fulfilling as
.
From the start, for the life of me I just couldn't make myself to like Sam. I only see him as a pretty face on a hot body, no in-depth feelings or thoughts.
And don't get me started on Autumn. I just hate a wavering heroine who can't take a stand for what she wanted. First she fell in love with Sam, then she got over him, then she was at peace with him for rejecting her, then she felt lonely and jumped him, then she didn't want him to get the wrong idea and sent him packing, then she felt neglected by him when he backed off and want him to jump her. Jeez woman, you made my head pound and not in a good way too.
All in all, not a dull read just having a few issues regarding the H/h.
but isn't as fulfilling as
. From the start, for the life of me I just couldn't make myself to like Sam. I only see him as a pretty face on a hot body, no in-depth feelings or thoughts.
And don't get me started on Autumn. I just hate a wavering heroine who can't take a stand for what she wanted. First she fell in love with Sam, then she got over him, then she was at peace with him for rejecting her, then she felt lonely and jumped him, then she didn't want him to get the wrong idea and sent him packing, then she felt neglected by him when he backed off and want him to jump her. Jeez woman, you made my head pound and not in a good way too.
All in all, not a dull read just having a few issues regarding the H/h.
May 3, 2011
Oh. So good. So so so good. This hit the spot like a bowl of delicious soup on a cold and rainy day. Yeah. That good.
There is something I have to say about Rachel Gibson: I do not like her heroes. Ohhhh Sam would flirt and I would cringe. Me and Sam, we wouldn't have worked out. No sir-ee. I wouldn't have been able to stay through a conversation. But I liked Sam with our heroine, Autumn and I liked their predicament. I liked how the characters change during the book (and there are big changes), I liked the flash backs to their time in Vegas.
So no, I might not have liked Sam if he was a real person who I had to deal with on a daily basis, but I really liked this story. I'd say this is one of my favourite Gibson romances.
I think that's enough said.
There is something I have to say about Rachel Gibson: I do not like her heroes. Ohhhh Sam would flirt and I would cringe. Me and Sam, we wouldn't have worked out. No sir-ee. I wouldn't have been able to stay through a conversation. But I liked Sam with our heroine, Autumn and I liked their predicament. I liked how the characters change during the book (and there are big changes), I liked the flash backs to their time in Vegas.
So no, I might not have liked Sam if he was a real person who I had to deal with on a daily basis, but I really liked this story. I'd say this is one of my favourite Gibson romances.
I think that's enough said.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 796 reviews