3.5 ⭐
Lawson (26) and Rory (29) met in the first book, but they didn't really hit it off because Rory doesn't like Lawson for being a jock and a playboy, and his cocky personality was annoying her.
One night, Lawson saw a puppy in a dark alley and brought it to the nearest vet clinic, which happens to be owned by Rory. She helped him because it's her job and she really cares for animals. I guess that's when they kind of got along since Lawson kept flirting and annoying Rory. She even stays in his apartment to look after Daisy, the puppy, while he is away playing games. This arrangement happens on multiple occasions, and they eventually become friends. Now that they were on good terms, Lawson wanted to help Rory get some rest because she was so exhausted from her work, so they ended up spending a weekend in his cabin. Of course, things happened as a result of their forced proximity, and that is when their real relationship began.
This was okay, and I did enjoy most of it. Though I have to say I struggled in the beginning because of the constant reminders that Lawson was a player, he doesn't do commitment, and he's the love 'em and leave 'em type. He was unapologetic about his behavior, which kind of pissed me off a little bit. But then, after the 65% mark, I slowly warmed up to him because he was really thoughtful and caring when it came to the people he cared about. I appreciated it as well that he's the first one to confess his feelings to Rory and didn't hesitate to do so. He was an okay guy, imo; he did good things here, but I didn't fully love his character. I can't get past his reputation, but that's on me.
As for Rory, I liked her in the beginning. She's grumpy, straightforward, and never one to hold back her thoughts. However, I'd hoped that she would stand her ground when it came to Lawson and not cave in immediately to his flirtation. But she eventually did around 35%, I think, only for her to backtrack and then give in again. She gave me whiplash, honestly. She's a good sister, and I love her relationship with Auden. I also loved her dedication to her job. Some readers would probably be annoyed and consider it cowardice when she pulled that avoidance act with Lawson. But I appreciated her character even more when she took the time to really think things through and work on her own feelings. She just didn't jump into the love bombing but rather had a reflection about how she sees relationships and emotions.
They were good together, sure, but there's just something missing in them. I'm not sure what it was, but I didn't sense any spark between them, and it seemed like their relationship progressed quickly. Yes, the actual deed didn't happen until the last 60%ish mark, but a lot had already progressed between them before that event. The timeline wasn't clear as well; I'm not sure how long they were doing this sort of friendship that turned into benefits. Had it been weeks, months, or longer?
Anyway, I love the writing style, and the flow was easy to follow. I was never bored reading the story, and I flipped through the pages so quickly. It was engaging, and like I said, I did enjoy most of it. It was still a decent read, and I appreciated that there wasn't a breakup. Overall, this was a good story; the plot wasn't particularly original but was still enjoyable one.
Book info:
- Sports romance (Hockey)
- Forced proximity
- Cute animals
- Reverse grumpy-sunshine
- No cheating, opd, breakup
- Non-virgin MCs (h - celibate 1 yr, H - 3 mos)
- No protection 😐 (h's on bc)
- HFN (in a relationship 🤷♀️)