HEA for Easton and Aubree
I am a big fan of one and done and move on books. There have been a few situations where I have found myself beginning of series and not being able to stop but generally I check books out before I get involved to make sure that it is a standalone, or that I have the time to invest in a series. This is a standalone.
Easton is a popular NHL player for the Boston Havocs. Popular in the sense that he is very active on the ice and is not beyond getting involved in altercations, which given ice reputation, is what a lot of people go to the games for. He also is not opposed to getting involved in altercations outside the ice rink if the situation arises.
One night, he finds Aubree ed bar and following an altercation. She does not want to leave him because, being a nurse practitioner, she is aware that he has possibly suffered a head injury. He refuses to go to the hospital, but she takes him to her “Podunk“ town, and into, her medical practice where they unknowingly find the doctor working in the practice, “going at it” with her receptionist on her desk. Needless to say, both are fired and before she knows it, she has been pulled in as part of the medical team for the Havocs.
Aubree, having lost her father a year ago has still not grieved the loss and finds herself running from situations that she would ordinarily have run to. Easton makes no bones about the fact that he is interested in her and not simply for one night stand. He sees in her something that he never thought he would find or be interested in and for him she is the only one. Easton and Aubree finally have a one night that opens her eyes to the possibilities of a future but fear keeps her from latching on completely. Easton tries not to push for more but throughout the book, he is generally trying to get her to label their relationship. He wants to “lock her down.“
Although he tells Aubree that he has never slept with his manager, Bianca, a situation in his hotel room leads her to believe otherwise. She confronts Easton, who is oblivious to what she is talking about and at that moment, in his mind, he decides that he is done. He’s accused of something he didn’t do and talking seems to be getting them nowhere. since she has never signed a contract with the team, he suggest that she go ahead and leave, since going home has always been on her mind. Although it’s evident that neither one of them want this to end, she does leave, and they have no contact for quite some time.
As stated, in the title, there is a happily ever after, and overall, it was an enjoyable read. Truly, I think my only complaint is the lack of proof reading. There were many situations where verbal passages that should have had quotation marks did not have them and yet the (“) marks were placed in as the paragraph continued. This wasn’t a one time occurrence and happened quite frequently throughout the book. Therefore, I think a proofreader would have been very beneficial. If one were used, they need to be more careful.