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Connecticut Comets Hockey #2
Surprise for the Sniper
I loved a boy once. I let him go to chase his dreams.
But he doesn’t know I kept a piece of him with me.
Benji Mills took the opportunity and ran as far as he could from our small town. Now he’s one of the star members of the Connecticut Comets hockey team. His speed and skill rule the ice, and his sharp-shooting skills have earned him a reputation as a sniper.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t forget about him.
His silver-gray eyes haunt my dreams every night, but when the morning comes, I still find myself staring directly into them.
I can’t escape the impression he’s left on my life.
I never thought I’d see him again, but he’s back. And he just found out I’ve been keeping the secret of a lifetime.
Sometimes the best surprises come in small packages.
But he doesn’t know I kept a piece of him with me.
Benji Mills took the opportunity and ran as far as he could from our small town. Now he’s one of the star members of the Connecticut Comets hockey team. His speed and skill rule the ice, and his sharp-shooting skills have earned him a reputation as a sniper.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t forget about him.
His silver-gray eyes haunt my dreams every night, but when the morning comes, I still find myself staring directly into them.
I can’t escape the impression he’s left on my life.
I never thought I’d see him again, but he’s back. And he just found out I’ve been keeping the secret of a lifetime.
Sometimes the best surprises come in small packages.
421 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2024
1319 people are currently reading
3683 people want to read
About the author
Siena Trap
18 books549 followersSiena is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where a love of sports is bred into a girl's DNA. Her love of romance novels came early as well. She would often accompany her romance reviewer mom to book lovers' and romance writers' conventions, where she sat in on workshops and met numerous best-selling authors. It wasn't long before she was filling notebooks with her own stories, which often starred herself and a certain real-life prince.
As luck would have it, she met and married a handsome athlete instead. After several temporary residencies in multiple states and Germany, they finally settled in Michigan, the land where youth hockey reigns supreme.
Her stories no longer feature herself but draw from her past experiences as an educator, businesswoman, fashion consultant, and world traveler when creating her strong heroines. “Oh yes,” she says with a wink and a smile, “There are bits of me in all of them.” Now, she spends her days writing happily ever afters for fictional characters and her evenings at the local hockey arenas cheering for her three children.
As luck would have it, she met and married a handsome athlete instead. After several temporary residencies in multiple states and Germany, they finally settled in Michigan, the land where youth hockey reigns supreme.
Her stories no longer feature herself but draw from her past experiences as an educator, businesswoman, fashion consultant, and world traveler when creating her strong heroines. “Oh yes,” she says with a wink and a smile, “There are bits of me in all of them.” Now, she spends her days writing happily ever afters for fictional characters and her evenings at the local hockey arenas cheering for her three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 543 reviews
May 1, 2024
This was a pretty quick dnf for me. It has everything I loathe and despise in a romance novel. A teenage virgin who gets pregnant the literal first time she ever has sex. Dad/mmc goes off to become a big time pro athlete leaving fmc/mom behind in their small town not knowing she’s pregnant. Fmc spends 9 years pining for him remaining celibate while he’s off banging everyone everywhere. Then he’s back and it’s all about how he’s going to help her discover her sexuality. Gross. I hate when authors do this shit in a 2nd chance romance. I hate when they keep the fmc celibate and pining over the mmc while he’s out banging every skirt he comes across not giving a second thought to her. Then all of a sudden she’s the only one for him and he’s going to bring her into herself. Give me a break. It makes my skin crawl. Normalize female characters with healthy sex lives and stop with this stereotypical misogynistic bs. I enjoyed the first book in this series and thought I had found a new author but I was serious disappointed to see her use such tired, played out cliches in this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2024
Let's start with the good! I was pleasantly surprised by Liv. She was mature, thoughtful, reasonable, dedicated to her son, and hardworking. She had created a lovely career as a labor and delivery nurse, and had the benefit of an involved family. Despite finances being tight, Liv has maintained a solid, good job and has loving help from her parents and brother. They're not in danger of having the power turned off or not being able to buy food! When Benji shows up, she doesn't try to play games with him, but welcomes him into their lives and assures him she is not going to try to withhold his son from him, as long as he can behave in a way appropriate for a father figure. Which, I mean, seems fair to me.
Readers of the Remington Royals or Book 1 of the Connecticut Comet series, "Bagging the Blueliner" will be happy to see many familiar faces including Preston and Lucy, and Cal and Hannah! I feel this author writes supportive female friendships in a beautiful way, and loved reading how easily and smoothly Liv is welcomed into that group! I've also spent a lot of time in the UP of Michigan and enjoyed reading a story set in that location!
OK, now for the parts I didn't love. I had significant issues with Benji as a MMC. I found his behavior to be abusive and worry about young women reading this story and thinking his actions are romantic.
In addition to his uncontrolled anger issues which stem from childhood abandonment that was never addressed beyond using hockey as an outlet, he repeatedly love bombs Liv and their son with expensive gifts and trips. This includes things like This is done with arrogance and disdain for the rural community that fostered him, and a repeated possessive need to "save" or "rescue" Liv, or a desire to "return her to herself" since she isn't the same fun loving, easy girl he knew as a teenager. These actions don't come off as him identifying a true need that she has (ie: lack of food in the pantry or some essential need being unmet) or a gift giving love language (in which case simpler, less overwhelming gifts would do). Instead it comes off as him trying to "fix" things he perceives to be wrong with her life or judgmental of the life she provides for their son.
He also mentions that once he left their hometown for a hockey career, he never looked back, and never thought about her again except one time, when he was with a girl who looked like her. By the end, he's making statements about how it's "always been her" and he's "always loved her", though he never thought about her? It felt really disingenuous to me and I didn't trust his emotional stability or maturity.
The final straw for me occurs in the epilogue. The whole scene gave me a major ick, and I couldn't help feel she was being coerced into giving a "yes" in that situation.
TW:
Sometimes romances help open my eyes to things that I want or better ways to communicate or give me butterflies over how cute falling in love can be. And sometimes they're a cautionary tale of what NOT to do.
I read this book via an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Readers of the Remington Royals or Book 1 of the Connecticut Comet series, "Bagging the Blueliner" will be happy to see many familiar faces including Preston and Lucy, and Cal and Hannah! I feel this author writes supportive female friendships in a beautiful way, and loved reading how easily and smoothly Liv is welcomed into that group! I've also spent a lot of time in the UP of Michigan and enjoyed reading a story set in that location!
OK, now for the parts I didn't love. I had significant issues with Benji as a MMC. I found his behavior to be abusive and worry about young women reading this story and thinking his actions are romantic.
In addition to his uncontrolled anger issues which stem from childhood abandonment that was never addressed beyond using hockey as an outlet, he repeatedly love bombs Liv and their son with expensive gifts and trips. This includes things like This is done with arrogance and disdain for the rural community that fostered him, and a repeated possessive need to "save" or "rescue" Liv, or a desire to "return her to herself" since she isn't the same fun loving, easy girl he knew as a teenager. These actions don't come off as him identifying a true need that she has (ie: lack of food in the pantry or some essential need being unmet) or a gift giving love language (in which case simpler, less overwhelming gifts would do). Instead it comes off as him trying to "fix" things he perceives to be wrong with her life or judgmental of the life she provides for their son.
He also mentions that once he left their hometown for a hockey career, he never looked back, and never thought about her again except one time, when he was with a girl who looked like her. By the end, he's making statements about how it's "always been her" and he's "always loved her", though he never thought about her? It felt really disingenuous to me and I didn't trust his emotional stability or maturity.
The final straw for me occurs in the epilogue. The whole scene gave me a major ick, and I couldn't help feel she was being coerced into giving a "yes" in that situation.
TW:
Sometimes romances help open my eyes to things that I want or better ways to communicate or give me butterflies over how cute falling in love can be. And sometimes they're a cautionary tale of what NOT to do.
I read this book via an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
January 29, 2025
why are authors always making the FMC celibate while the MMC was having the time of his life all those years!!! 8 fucking years!!! you can't write a second chance romance where the FMC is the only one who kept thinking about the MMC, while he probably forgot about her!!! I don't understand what kinda fetish have authors who write this same bullshit plot?! I don't mind the MMC having other women because 8 yrs is a long time but why does the FMC has to be celibate and only has been with the MMC in her entire life?!!
January 30, 2025
2⭐️ ew this man was such a ick and red flag. I can’t stand male leads like him. He needs to go touch some grass and humble himself.
July 5, 2024
The book is well-written. It portrays a realistic relationship of ups and downs. I'd consider this more of a slow burn and low/medium spicy🌶🌶. The story of Benji and Liv just tugged at my heart strings. I felt for both characters as they struggled to come to terms with time lost. The motivation behind the secret was realistic and understandable. Benji's anger was also understandable. It highlights how life has tough choices, and we are all just doing the best we can.
I received an advanced copy in order to provide an honest review.
I received an advanced copy in order to provide an honest review.
June 22, 2024
homie was a walking red flag… not in a cute way. had me wishing left and right that she would leave him.
Read
February 14, 2025DNF at 37%
May 8, 2024
Meh.
He definitely would not have remembered to go back for her had he not come across his kid.
There was no lingering love lost on his end. Meanwhile, she held out hope one day, he might come back and only had him as a notch in her bedpost. He was working on only God knows what number notch 😂
He definitely would not have remembered to go back for her had he not come across his kid.
There was no lingering love lost on his end. Meanwhile, she held out hope one day, he might come back and only had him as a notch in her bedpost. He was working on only God knows what number notch 😂
April 17, 2024
✨ARC Review✨
Overall I quite enjoyed this book. It has elements of second chance, surprise pregnancy, and teen mother & single mother✨
This story follows Benji and Liv who were childhood sweethearts. Benji has been accepted to play with a hockey team and of course Liv supports him because it’s his dream to play professional hockey. Of course Liv does leave a minor detail out, the fact that she’s pregnant, because she knows in her own heart and soul that Benji would not follow his dream because he would not want to abandon his kid the way he was abandoned.
Now fast forward 9 years later Benji is back in his local town of the off season person and a little boy that strikingly looks like him catches his eye, his questions are only confirmed when Liv’s mother picks up her grandson. I mean that’s the first thing I loved about this book Benji put 2 and 2 together and got to 4 fairly quickly. It always annoys me when the MMC is “blind” to an obvious fact.
Of course Benji is quite upset that Liv never tried to contact him about his son. But in this scenario I understand and agree with both sides of the story, Liv was right to keep Knox a secret as he knew Benji wouldn’t of become the successful person he was today but Benji also had a right to know and I can understand his frustration.
I adore how quickly Benji jumps on the father train, honestly swoon😫 Benji and Liv also learn to co-parent during this time and honestly it made both realise that they never fell out of love with each other- even though it did take Liv longer to get there and I mean who could blame her, the man she fell for all those years ago became the playboy of the hockey league. I do love how Benji does step up and puts those fears to bed and that she is the only one for him.
I will say that the romance between the couple isn’t as smooth sailing, they had a lot of growing pains to adjust to and this is what I also adored about the book as it gave a very realistic element, rather than Benji just showing up splashing his money and them being one happy family, its not realistic and I am glad that is what the author did not do. Liv fought back against Benji and vice versa.🫶🏼
Even while adjusting to Benji’s return you cannot deny the love and chemistry between this couple. I mean he took her to NYC for their first date😭😭
A final note I wanted to add, I loved how supportive Liv’s family was from the fact she had a baby at only 17. He parents were considered quite religious in this book but they accepted Liv and Knox and loved them immensely and helped Liv whenever she needed a hand.
Thank you so much to the author for providing this e-arc for my honest thoughts 💭
Overall I quite enjoyed this book. It has elements of second chance, surprise pregnancy, and teen mother & single mother✨
This story follows Benji and Liv who were childhood sweethearts. Benji has been accepted to play with a hockey team and of course Liv supports him because it’s his dream to play professional hockey. Of course Liv does leave a minor detail out, the fact that she’s pregnant, because she knows in her own heart and soul that Benji would not follow his dream because he would not want to abandon his kid the way he was abandoned.
Now fast forward 9 years later Benji is back in his local town of the off season person and a little boy that strikingly looks like him catches his eye, his questions are only confirmed when Liv’s mother picks up her grandson. I mean that’s the first thing I loved about this book Benji put 2 and 2 together and got to 4 fairly quickly. It always annoys me when the MMC is “blind” to an obvious fact.
Of course Benji is quite upset that Liv never tried to contact him about his son. But in this scenario I understand and agree with both sides of the story, Liv was right to keep Knox a secret as he knew Benji wouldn’t of become the successful person he was today but Benji also had a right to know and I can understand his frustration.
I adore how quickly Benji jumps on the father train, honestly swoon😫 Benji and Liv also learn to co-parent during this time and honestly it made both realise that they never fell out of love with each other- even though it did take Liv longer to get there and I mean who could blame her, the man she fell for all those years ago became the playboy of the hockey league. I do love how Benji does step up and puts those fears to bed and that she is the only one for him.
I will say that the romance between the couple isn’t as smooth sailing, they had a lot of growing pains to adjust to and this is what I also adored about the book as it gave a very realistic element, rather than Benji just showing up splashing his money and them being one happy family, its not realistic and I am glad that is what the author did not do. Liv fought back against Benji and vice versa.🫶🏼
Even while adjusting to Benji’s return you cannot deny the love and chemistry between this couple. I mean he took her to NYC for their first date😭😭
A final note I wanted to add, I loved how supportive Liv’s family was from the fact she had a baby at only 17. He parents were considered quite religious in this book but they accepted Liv and Knox and loved them immensely and helped Liv whenever she needed a hand.
Thank you so much to the author for providing this e-arc for my honest thoughts 💭
January 31, 2025
Soy una hater, y me da igual. 2'5🌟
Teniendo en cuenta que empecé leyendo el primero y tuve que dejarlo porque la forma de actuar de los protagonistas era de 16 años teniendo 35, WELL. Así que como el que me había llamado la atención al principio era este, pase a leerlo.
Al principio pintaba bien, había algunas actitudes del chorbo que eran digno de psicólogo pero bueno, a quién no le gusta leer sobre un traumado. Luego hubo movida con el nene y no sé resolvió en ningún momentito, de repente en el capítulo siguiente todos felices. Desde la mudanza los capítulos eran de relleno, quería dar resolución a mi colega pero no tenía sentido, se podía haber solucionado antes y finalizar con la mudanza. A todo esto cómo se comporta mi chorbo antes de ir al psicólogo con la protagonista me deja TIESA, la otra tendría que haber impuesto más respeto, home no.
Anyways, regular, pero bueno, ahora vamos a lo que vamos, onyx storm, un beso.
Teniendo en cuenta que empecé leyendo el primero y tuve que dejarlo porque la forma de actuar de los protagonistas era de 16 años teniendo 35, WELL. Así que como el que me había llamado la atención al principio era este, pase a leerlo.
Al principio pintaba bien, había algunas actitudes del chorbo que eran digno de psicólogo pero bueno, a quién no le gusta leer sobre un traumado. Luego hubo movida con el nene y no sé resolvió en ningún momentito, de repente en el capítulo siguiente todos felices. Desde la mudanza los capítulos eran de relleno, quería dar resolución a mi colega pero no tenía sentido, se podía haber solucionado antes y finalizar con la mudanza. A todo esto cómo se comporta mi chorbo antes de ir al psicólogo con la protagonista me deja TIESA, la otra tendría que haber impuesto más respeto, home no.
Anyways, regular, pero bueno, ahora vamos a lo que vamos, onyx storm, un beso.
April 16, 2024
E-ARC Review: "Surprise for the Sniper" by Siena Trap
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of "Surprise for the Sniper" by Siena Trap! First off, thanks to Siena and book funnel for the opportunity
As someone who like the first book, I was excited for Benji’s story. I think I preferred "Surprise for the Sniper" despite usually disliking certain tropes that are in this book.
I liked Benji's backstory and his emotional character development.
I was surprised by the amount of twists and turns too! This book didn't follow the usual breakup in the third act which I liked. It felt real and raw not ending in the usual romance fashion.
Siena Trap knocked it out of the park, and I can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve next!
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of "Surprise for the Sniper" by Siena Trap! First off, thanks to Siena and book funnel for the opportunity
As someone who like the first book, I was excited for Benji’s story. I think I preferred "Surprise for the Sniper" despite usually disliking certain tropes that are in this book.
I liked Benji's backstory and his emotional character development.
I was surprised by the amount of twists and turns too! This book didn't follow the usual breakup in the third act which I liked. It felt real and raw not ending in the usual romance fashion.
Siena Trap knocked it out of the park, and I can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve next!
November 30, 2024
Liv’s sanctimonious behavior really got on my nerves.
Spoiler alert: 🚨
She hid her child’s existence from his father with no plans to tell him until he was 18. She rubs in his face that he’s missed out on their lives because she never gave him an opportunity to. The name jersey thing was cruel imho, also her refusal to ever get married. All of it was from her selfish decisions. Benji was far from perfect with his anger issues, love bombing, and controlling behavior. I’m honestly not sure what was in it for him to pursue a relationship with this dense woman, though, because I never forgave her!
Spoiler alert: 🚨
She hid her child’s existence from his father with no plans to tell him until he was 18. She rubs in his face that he’s missed out on their lives because she never gave him an opportunity to. The name jersey thing was cruel imho, also her refusal to ever get married. All of it was from her selfish decisions. Benji was far from perfect with his anger issues, love bombing, and controlling behavior. I’m honestly not sure what was in it for him to pursue a relationship with this dense woman, though, because I never forgave her!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2025
Tik tok likes to recommend me romance books by showing one or two specific quotes, and even though I kinda already know that the book is going to be bad, I sometimes get suckered in anyways. So that’s why I read this book, and guess what? it was bad! Not the worst thing I’ve ever read but not good man, not good.
April 21, 2024
Thank you Siena for this ARC! You’ve done it again with another amazing book.
🩷second chance romance
🩷small town
🩷secret baby
🩷curvy fmc
🩷playboy turned family man
Surprise For The Sniper was a book I didn’t want to put down! It had be hooked right from the beginning and Benji and Liv’s story was one to remember. This was a second chance romance and found family.
I loved how early Benji found out about Knox and how quickly he took to being a father. He was a broody, cocky, hockey player but always came through the with the love he had for Liv and Knox.
My favourite part? Liv. She was a curvy fmc that stayed humble through the whole book. She always put others before herself and Knox was her whole world.
I can’t wait to read the next book of the series with Braxton. I just know it’s going to be great!
🩷second chance romance
🩷small town
🩷secret baby
🩷curvy fmc
🩷playboy turned family man
Surprise For The Sniper was a book I didn’t want to put down! It had be hooked right from the beginning and Benji and Liv’s story was one to remember. This was a second chance romance and found family.
I loved how early Benji found out about Knox and how quickly he took to being a father. He was a broody, cocky, hockey player but always came through the with the love he had for Liv and Knox.
My favourite part? Liv. She was a curvy fmc that stayed humble through the whole book. She always put others before herself and Knox was her whole world.
I can’t wait to read the next book of the series with Braxton. I just know it’s going to be great!
May 28, 2025
dnf 41%
I am a chill reader and i’m usually not so put off by a character but boy was this mmc so bad.
i know the circumstances suck but he gave fmc such a horrible time, the level of audacity and attitude he had was not even justified. she had her reasons to hide the truth just like he has his reasons to be upset and angry about it, but instead of communicating his big feelings like a grown up, he literally undermined, disrespected and lowkey blackmailed her multiple times. just a horrible individual. No amount of groveling could convince me he is redeemable honestly :/. truly so horrid i can’t even put it into words. the fmc deserves better !
( shocked i got as far as i did. really tried to see the light but he truly didn’t get any better by the time i gave up. )
I am a chill reader and i’m usually not so put off by a character but boy was this mmc so bad.
i know the circumstances suck but he gave fmc such a horrible time, the level of audacity and attitude he had was not even justified. she had her reasons to hide the truth just like he has his reasons to be upset and angry about it, but instead of communicating his big feelings like a grown up, he literally undermined, disrespected and lowkey blackmailed her multiple times. just a horrible individual. No amount of groveling could convince me he is redeemable honestly :/. truly so horrid i can’t even put it into words. the fmc deserves better !
( shocked i got as far as i did. really tried to see the light but he truly didn’t get any better by the time i gave up. )
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2025
Not bad, j’ai préféré le début à la fin. Thanks to mon insomnie ce fut une lecture rapide.
September 18, 2024
A few minor issues with the main characters’ behavior/choices but all in all a good read. It helps the story that this author knows hockey. I’m continuing with this new to me author—she tells a good story.
4 1/2 stars
4 1/2 stars
April 14, 2024
This is a second chance romance, the story of Benji & Liv.
I liked how quickly Benji figured out about Knox and how he decided to devote himself to him without second thoughts. I also liked how the author addressed the FMC’s body insecurities and the fact that she was sexually inexperienced. I wasn’t very convinced about their get-together though. I couldn’t exactly feel the chemistry and the fact that he didn’t think about her all those years didn’t help.
The pacing was nice until 65%. After that, it kinda felt like dragging and there wasn’t much angst or agony about their future. Overall, I enjoyed it but I strongly believe it could be better.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me.
I liked how quickly Benji figured out about Knox and how he decided to devote himself to him without second thoughts. I also liked how the author addressed the FMC’s body insecurities and the fact that she was sexually inexperienced. I wasn’t very convinced about their get-together though. I couldn’t exactly feel the chemistry and the fact that he didn’t think about her all those years didn’t help.
The pacing was nice until 65%. After that, it kinda felt like dragging and there wasn’t much angst or agony about their future. Overall, I enjoyed it but I strongly believe it could be better.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
-Dual 1st person POV
-Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️ for me.
May 1, 2024
I like the sense of humor through her books, and her writing style
I found this one was more about a being a parent/ pregnancy than about hockey, i liked the appearances of characters from the first book! Seeing Cal after his break up with summer getting a bit more behind the scenes!
Definitely check the triggers before reading, i wish they were posted in the front of the book not just on her website
I found this one was more about a being a parent/ pregnancy than about hockey, i liked the appearances of characters from the first book! Seeing Cal after his break up with summer getting a bit more behind the scenes!
Definitely check the triggers before reading, i wish they were posted in the front of the book not just on her website
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
Let’s start off with the good points. I love the FMC name Olivia AKA Liv as I am also called both. I also have a son and I’m a single parent so I could relate a lot to what she was saying and feeling. Liv was a great character to follow and I really enjoyed her personality, charm and spice.
She doesn’t take no sh*t either from our MMC Benji. He is a hockey player that is a playboy. They went to school together and started dating and sleeping together (on the down low) and Olivia ends up pregnant but decides not to tell Benji as he had a great ice hockey opportunity and she didn’t want to get in the way of that and for Benji to resent her.
The issues I had with this book is that our MMC once he gets back with Liv he says that “it’s always been her and no one else” but at the start of the book he says that he doesn’t ever think about his life back when he is living in the small town and only thought about her when he was sleeping with a girl with the same “pear like shape”. This comment really rubbed me the wrong way. For me there also wasn’t a lot of build up from when he found out about Knox, his son, to when he starts dating Olivia again. The pacing is all off. It started off slow and as soon as Olivia and Benji start dating again it goes fast and a lot of things were just glossed over. Benjis abandonment issues AND anger issues, Knox finding out about Benji being his dad and being angry at Olivia and then the next chapter he’s fine and that whole situation was never spoken about and then they decide to move away. Olivias insecurities weren’t delved into and I would of liked to see how she would of reacted to him being on the road as that was something that was brought up a lot in their arguments. More throwbacks to Olivias pregnancy and the bullying that she went through and all of the hurdles she went through after Benji would of been interesting to delve into instead we got told about some of it and then we have to fill in the blank ourselves. There was no huge moments between Olivias family before she moved except for the mum and the brother which was one moment and that was it. They are also never heard about after they leave town, there isn’t a video call or anything they are just briefly spoken about coming for Thanksgiving but nothing else. Benji taking Olivia’s pills so she could get pregnant (this is something that I like in darker themed books), but it was just brushed over. It was spoken about but never shown and it just came out of nowhere. I also didn’t believe Olivia and Benji relationship with all of the shouting and arguments there were getting into in front of their son as well and Olivia’s spark and spunk that I liked at the beginning just sort of went away…?
I did inhale this book and couldn’t put it down which is why it’s a 3 stars instead of a 2. This author knows how to keep a reader reading and is a great writer, but I just wish that some things were explained more as it just felt rushed and incomplete.
She doesn’t take no sh*t either from our MMC Benji. He is a hockey player that is a playboy. They went to school together and started dating and sleeping together (on the down low) and Olivia ends up pregnant but decides not to tell Benji as he had a great ice hockey opportunity and she didn’t want to get in the way of that and for Benji to resent her.
The issues I had with this book is that our MMC once he gets back with Liv he says that “it’s always been her and no one else” but at the start of the book he says that he doesn’t ever think about his life back when he is living in the small town and only thought about her when he was sleeping with a girl with the same “pear like shape”. This comment really rubbed me the wrong way. For me there also wasn’t a lot of build up from when he found out about Knox, his son, to when he starts dating Olivia again. The pacing is all off. It started off slow and as soon as Olivia and Benji start dating again it goes fast and a lot of things were just glossed over. Benjis abandonment issues AND anger issues, Knox finding out about Benji being his dad and being angry at Olivia and then the next chapter he’s fine and that whole situation was never spoken about and then they decide to move away. Olivias insecurities weren’t delved into and I would of liked to see how she would of reacted to him being on the road as that was something that was brought up a lot in their arguments. More throwbacks to Olivias pregnancy and the bullying that she went through and all of the hurdles she went through after Benji would of been interesting to delve into instead we got told about some of it and then we have to fill in the blank ourselves. There was no huge moments between Olivias family before she moved except for the mum and the brother which was one moment and that was it. They are also never heard about after they leave town, there isn’t a video call or anything they are just briefly spoken about coming for Thanksgiving but nothing else. Benji taking Olivia’s pills so she could get pregnant (this is something that I like in darker themed books), but it was just brushed over. It was spoken about but never shown and it just came out of nowhere. I also didn’t believe Olivia and Benji relationship with all of the shouting and arguments there were getting into in front of their son as well and Olivia’s spark and spunk that I liked at the beginning just sort of went away…?
I did inhale this book and couldn’t put it down which is why it’s a 3 stars instead of a 2. This author knows how to keep a reader reading and is a great writer, but I just wish that some things were explained more as it just felt rushed and incomplete.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2024
Another day, another book keeping me up until 2 am reading. But, I had to stay up and see what happened because I was so invested in Benji and Liv’s story!
Benji and Liv met in high school in their small town in Michigan, and it was the usual young love story. The only difference was that Benji was destined to be a star hockey player, and he had to leave town during his relationship with Liv to go make his way in the hockey world. As much as it hurt Liv to say goodbye, she knew she couldn’t hold Benji back from his dreams, so she made sure to encourage him to go…even if she had a big secret she was keeping from him. 🤫 She kept her secret, though, because she knew that Benji would never achieve his dreams if he stayed in their small town, so she couldn’t give him any reason to hold himself back. So, Benji goes off to live his dreams and Liv stays in her small town but never forgets her first love. Eventually, Benji has to go back home to teach a hockey clinic for the kids around town and is surprised to find a kid who’s a natural on the ice just like he was at that age. When he goes to meet the kid after the clinic, he finds out that Knox is his ex-flame Liv Mason’s son. And when he looks into Knox’s eyes, he suddenly realizes the secret that Liv has been keeping all these years: Knox is his son, too. Benji, who was abandoned as a kid himself, is upset at Liv for keeping his son from him. Liv explains that she kept Knox a secret because she knew Benji would never leave their small town if he’d known, and she couldn’t hold him back like that. Benji asks to spend the summer getting to know his son, and while Liv agrees, she doesn’t want Knox to know right away because she doesn’t want to hurt him. So, Benji, Liv, and Knox spend the summer together, and Benji gets to know his son while he and Liv get to know each other again as adults.
I have to be honest, I was mad at Benji at first for the way he acted toward Liv when he found out about Knox, but I also understood his anger because of his childhood trauma. But, I also understood why Liv kept the secret; she knew that their small town was filled with a lot of judgment and she wanted to protect Benji from that while also making sure that he chased his dreams. It took Benji a while to understand that, but he was able to work through it so that he could be there for Knox.
Once Benji and Liv gave in to their attraction again, things got explosive! Benji had a lot more experience than Liv (she is a preacher's daughter, after all) but he was happy to help Liv discover herself both in and out of the bedroom. Benji was definitely dominant in the bedroom and had a filthy mouth and I was absolutely here for both! 🥵 It took Liv a little time to get used to it, but eventually, she was into it, too. Benji was also always telling Liv how beautiful she was and wouldn't hear of her degrading herself. Liv was made fun of a lot in high school so it was hard for her to accept herself, but Benji was always there to make sure she knew he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and that was all that mattered.
One thing I loved a lot about this story was how quickly and easily the girl gang accepted Liv into the fold. Liv was not used to having girl friends since girls had only ever been mean to her, so she was a little hesitant at first. But, the girls didn't back down and made sure that Liv felt loved and accepted in their group. They made sure that Knox felt accepted into their lives as well! The found family vibes were there hard in this story and it was one of my favorite things about the story for sure!
Benji showed a lot of character growth during this story. He starts as a sweet small-town boy who just wants to make it big in hockey, then he turns into a cocky playboy by the time he returns home, but as soon as he finds out about Knox he turns into a man dedicated to the happiness of his son. He also loses his playboy ways when he realizes that he never stopped caring about Liv and that he wants to try and get her back and make things work as a true family, something he’s never had before. It was so amazing watching Benji go from a man who never wanted kids to a kickass dad! He was the biggest simp for Knox and it was so adorable! Benji also learned that his childhood trauma had affected him significantly more than he was willing to admit and that he needed to help himself be a better man for his son and the woman he loves. Liv was always mature during this story and always understanding of Benji and his anger; she understood that his anger was coming from his trauma and she was able to be calm and communicate with him like an adult. She was also an amazing mom and loved her son more than anything in the world! As for Knox, he was the sweetest kid ever and I loved watching him get to know Benji throughout the story. This story was unexpectedly amazing because you just wouldn’t expect this out of the Benji we’ve met before, so seeing him grow during his story made it all the more amazing. I loved this book so freaking much and I can’t wait to see what Braxton gets up to in his story next!
Quotes I Loved:
"We weren't exactly what you'd call a perfect pair, but somehow, we fit." -Liv
"I'm going to destroy this perfect body and enjoy every moment of putting it back together." -Benji
"...the difference was that none of those women had been her. They hadn't been my first love, my only love. They'd merely been placeholders, keeping me company until I found my way back to her. I just hadn't realized it at the time." -Benji
"I was fully prepared to fight for my family." -Benji
"My heart began to hope for more. More of Benji, more of us becoming a family." -Liv
"Liv had supported me silently all these years, and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I was that she believed in me. She was the only person to ever love me when I wasn't sure I was worthy of such an emotion." -Benji
"That's exactly what Liv was--an angel sent to save my soul. I wasn't worthy, but she'd still chosen me. I would never take that for granted again." -Benji
"Life with Benji was shaping up to be unpredictable and wild. I guess it was time to buckle up for the ride." -Liv
"No one makes me feel the way you do, pretty girl. You're not just under my skin. You're a part of my very soul." -Benji
Thank you, Siena, for providing me with an ARC!
Benji and Liv met in high school in their small town in Michigan, and it was the usual young love story. The only difference was that Benji was destined to be a star hockey player, and he had to leave town during his relationship with Liv to go make his way in the hockey world. As much as it hurt Liv to say goodbye, she knew she couldn’t hold Benji back from his dreams, so she made sure to encourage him to go…even if she had a big secret she was keeping from him. 🤫 She kept her secret, though, because she knew that Benji would never achieve his dreams if he stayed in their small town, so she couldn’t give him any reason to hold himself back. So, Benji goes off to live his dreams and Liv stays in her small town but never forgets her first love. Eventually, Benji has to go back home to teach a hockey clinic for the kids around town and is surprised to find a kid who’s a natural on the ice just like he was at that age. When he goes to meet the kid after the clinic, he finds out that Knox is his ex-flame Liv Mason’s son. And when he looks into Knox’s eyes, he suddenly realizes the secret that Liv has been keeping all these years: Knox is his son, too. Benji, who was abandoned as a kid himself, is upset at Liv for keeping his son from him. Liv explains that she kept Knox a secret because she knew Benji would never leave their small town if he’d known, and she couldn’t hold him back like that. Benji asks to spend the summer getting to know his son, and while Liv agrees, she doesn’t want Knox to know right away because she doesn’t want to hurt him. So, Benji, Liv, and Knox spend the summer together, and Benji gets to know his son while he and Liv get to know each other again as adults.
I have to be honest, I was mad at Benji at first for the way he acted toward Liv when he found out about Knox, but I also understood his anger because of his childhood trauma. But, I also understood why Liv kept the secret; she knew that their small town was filled with a lot of judgment and she wanted to protect Benji from that while also making sure that he chased his dreams. It took Benji a while to understand that, but he was able to work through it so that he could be there for Knox.
Once Benji and Liv gave in to their attraction again, things got explosive! Benji had a lot more experience than Liv (she is a preacher's daughter, after all) but he was happy to help Liv discover herself both in and out of the bedroom. Benji was definitely dominant in the bedroom and had a filthy mouth and I was absolutely here for both! 🥵 It took Liv a little time to get used to it, but eventually, she was into it, too. Benji was also always telling Liv how beautiful she was and wouldn't hear of her degrading herself. Liv was made fun of a lot in high school so it was hard for her to accept herself, but Benji was always there to make sure she knew he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and that was all that mattered.
One thing I loved a lot about this story was how quickly and easily the girl gang accepted Liv into the fold. Liv was not used to having girl friends since girls had only ever been mean to her, so she was a little hesitant at first. But, the girls didn't back down and made sure that Liv felt loved and accepted in their group. They made sure that Knox felt accepted into their lives as well! The found family vibes were there hard in this story and it was one of my favorite things about the story for sure!
Benji showed a lot of character growth during this story. He starts as a sweet small-town boy who just wants to make it big in hockey, then he turns into a cocky playboy by the time he returns home, but as soon as he finds out about Knox he turns into a man dedicated to the happiness of his son. He also loses his playboy ways when he realizes that he never stopped caring about Liv and that he wants to try and get her back and make things work as a true family, something he’s never had before. It was so amazing watching Benji go from a man who never wanted kids to a kickass dad! He was the biggest simp for Knox and it was so adorable! Benji also learned that his childhood trauma had affected him significantly more than he was willing to admit and that he needed to help himself be a better man for his son and the woman he loves. Liv was always mature during this story and always understanding of Benji and his anger; she understood that his anger was coming from his trauma and she was able to be calm and communicate with him like an adult. She was also an amazing mom and loved her son more than anything in the world! As for Knox, he was the sweetest kid ever and I loved watching him get to know Benji throughout the story. This story was unexpectedly amazing because you just wouldn’t expect this out of the Benji we’ve met before, so seeing him grow during his story made it all the more amazing. I loved this book so freaking much and I can’t wait to see what Braxton gets up to in his story next!
Quotes I Loved:
"We weren't exactly what you'd call a perfect pair, but somehow, we fit." -Liv
"I'm going to destroy this perfect body and enjoy every moment of putting it back together." -Benji
"...the difference was that none of those women had been her. They hadn't been my first love, my only love. They'd merely been placeholders, keeping me company until I found my way back to her. I just hadn't realized it at the time." -Benji
"I was fully prepared to fight for my family." -Benji
"My heart began to hope for more. More of Benji, more of us becoming a family." -Liv
"Liv had supported me silently all these years, and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how grateful I was that she believed in me. She was the only person to ever love me when I wasn't sure I was worthy of such an emotion." -Benji
"That's exactly what Liv was--an angel sent to save my soul. I wasn't worthy, but she'd still chosen me. I would never take that for granted again." -Benji
"Life with Benji was shaping up to be unpredictable and wild. I guess it was time to buckle up for the ride." -Liv
"No one makes me feel the way you do, pretty girl. You're not just under my skin. You're a part of my very soul." -Benji
Thank you, Siena, for providing me with an ARC!
September 6, 2025
1.5 ⭐️
I honestly don’t even know where to start with this book. I should’ve DNF’d it early on, but for some reason I pushed through—and now I feel like I just tortured myself.
Benji is the definition of a manchild. Yes, he’s been hurt and abandoned, but that doesn’t excuse the way he acts. Every single time there’s a fight (and he’s usually in the wrong), he either storms off or explodes like a toddler denied his favorite toy.
And then there’s the hypocrisy. He spent years being a playboy, sleeping with anyone he wanted, while she remained celibate. Double standards much? Sure, he didn’t know about the kid, but let’s be real—until the very moment he set foot in Wardale, he never once mentioned her. He went on and on about hockey, his family, his abandonment issues… but Olivia? Not a word. Then suddenly, a few chapters later, we’re expected to believe it’s “always been her,” that he’s loved her since he was seventeen? Give me a break.
He constantly assumes the worst about Olivia. Was she right to hide the pregnancy? No. But once the truth was out, she handled it with grace and patience. Meanwhile, Benji was out here tossing her birth control without her consent, kicking her out of the car because he was mad, and sulking in a way that poisoned the entire mood whenever he didn’t get his way.
And then there’s the bedroom dynamic—being dominant can be attractive, sure, but the way he handled it? Absolutely not. It wasn’t sexy, it was controlling in all the wrong ways.
I can honestly say I’ve never despised a character as much as I despised him.
I honestly don’t even know where to start with this book. I should’ve DNF’d it early on, but for some reason I pushed through—and now I feel like I just tortured myself.
Benji is the definition of a manchild. Yes, he’s been hurt and abandoned, but that doesn’t excuse the way he acts. Every single time there’s a fight (and he’s usually in the wrong), he either storms off or explodes like a toddler denied his favorite toy.
And then there’s the hypocrisy. He spent years being a playboy, sleeping with anyone he wanted, while she remained celibate. Double standards much? Sure, he didn’t know about the kid, but let’s be real—until the very moment he set foot in Wardale, he never once mentioned her. He went on and on about hockey, his family, his abandonment issues… but Olivia? Not a word. Then suddenly, a few chapters later, we’re expected to believe it’s “always been her,” that he’s loved her since he was seventeen? Give me a break.
He constantly assumes the worst about Olivia. Was she right to hide the pregnancy? No. But once the truth was out, she handled it with grace and patience. Meanwhile, Benji was out here tossing her birth control without her consent, kicking her out of the car because he was mad, and sulking in a way that poisoned the entire mood whenever he didn’t get his way.
And then there’s the bedroom dynamic—being dominant can be attractive, sure, but the way he handled it? Absolutely not. It wasn’t sexy, it was controlling in all the wrong ways.
I can honestly say I’ve never despised a character as much as I despised him.
May 2, 2024
"𝒩𝑜 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜, 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁. 𝒴𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓃. 𝒴𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝓎 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓁."
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:★★★★★
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞:🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 401
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Kindle
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬....𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 with this book!
𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚 (𝐋𝐢𝐯) in the prologue where she's 16 and we find out a little about her family. She's a minister's daughter, they live in a really small town where everyone knows everyone's business, and majority of people are on the poorer side. She's in a gas station bathroom and finds out that she's pregnant. She's not sure what to do, she's used to doing everything by the rules. She's a good girl but when it comes to the broken boy that she's in love with all the rules flew out the window.
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 is as broken as they come, but can you blame him? His mother died in a house fire when he was young. He found out that she was cooking meth and part of the house exploded. He went into the system until his dad showed up and you would think that would be a happy thing but Benji's dad? Horrible human being. He treated Benji like garbage, he was verbally abusive and things changed when one day they were in the truck and his dad took him to the fire station and left him. What kind of father does that? Benji was lucky that a nice older couple took him in and since Benji had all this built up anger he was introduced to Hockey and Hockey changed his life. All through school he worked his butt off and it finally paid off.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐯 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 to tell him she was pregnant, he had news to share. He told her that he got accept to the Junior Hockey League which was HUGE news. It meant that he had talent and if he kept working hard he could get drafted. He could get out of this small town that never really excepted him. Liv made the ultimate decision and decided NOT to tell Benji about the baby. She wanted him to live his dream and become something. She knew that if she told him about the baby he would stay and she feared he would grow to resent her. She loved him so much at 16 that she prayed one day he would forgive her and she hoped that he would come back for her one day.
𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.....
𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 that the Connecticut Comets won the Champion and Benji is celebrating the best way he knows how....sleeping between not one but two women. Yeah Benji is a little bit of a player, well a big player but I think that's how he copes with abandonment. His PR people and Jaxon (captain of the team) thought it would be good for him to go back to his home town and celebrate the trophy with them. Benji never wants to go back there again but he finally decides to agree. They came up with this hockey scholarship program that they would give out to a kid who has talent and stands out on the ice. Benji sees this amazing kid that has natural talent and when he goes to offer him the scholarship he's met with the boys grandma who happens to be the mother of his first love. He slowly puts two and two together and takes a good look at this 8 year old boy who just happens to have the same eyes as him and realizes this was Liv's son.....his son. 𝐎𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐲!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐯 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 go on is long and definitely not easy. They had to re learn to be around each other and learn how to co-parent. Benji had A LOT of anger to process. He was angry at Liv for not telling him he had a son and she knew how much having a father around meant to him since his father just left him. He had a lot of guilt for not being there for the eight years of Knox's life even though he didn't know about him. Liv had to face her consequences of not telling him. She also has the fear that Benji only wants to be with her because they have a son together. She has a lot of insecurities about her body (high school girls were terrible) she doesn't look like these thin model girls that Benji has been with so why would he want to be with her?
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐯 just how much he's always loved her body. The spice in this book was unreal. Liv has only been with Benji, after she had Knox at 17 she didn't have time for other guys and plus she still held on to her love for the broken boy she's always loved. The now older Benji loved that he's been the only one to touch her. He becomes possessive (in the best way), he marks her (in the best way) and he can't keep his hands off her. He teaches her things (cue the blushing) and calls her a "good girl" (swoon). These moments between them were not only just hot but just so special to read because of their relationship.
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐝 to Knox and I LOVED reading their moments together. Benji is so protective of Knox and they have this instant bond over Hockey. Benji may not be perfect when it comes to parenting but he learns really quick. He knows exactly how to love his son and put him first because his dad never did that. I was literally teary during these scenes because they just hit me right in the heart. You could FEEL how much he just loved Knox and Knox is the best kid. He's super funny and is so easy to love.
𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 and talk about the amazing found family that Siena put in her books. This group is EVERYTHING. The way they always look out for each other and are just there to help pick up the pieces was so great to read. The girls instantly took Liv into the group, there was no judgment, no nasty remarks. I mean Liv couldn't believe it, she's used to other girls being horrible to her and this was all new to her. I really want to go back and read Siena's first series The Remington Royal's. You get the back stories of some of the characters that you grow to love in this series.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 and I can't wait to see what Siena writes next. I fell in love with her writing in Bagging the Blueliner and she did such an amazing job with Benji's story. I'm very grateful I was able to be an ARC reader for both of these books in this series. She wrote a bonus scene of Liv and Benji and it was perfect. What a great way to end it.
"𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃'𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉. 𝑀𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓀𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝒦𝓃𝑜𝓍. 𝐻𝑒'𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝒾𝒻𝓉. 𝐼 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊."
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤!
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:★★★★★
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞:🌶️🌶️🌶️
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 401
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Kindle
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬....𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 with this book!
𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚 (𝐋𝐢𝐯) in the prologue where she's 16 and we find out a little about her family. She's a minister's daughter, they live in a really small town where everyone knows everyone's business, and majority of people are on the poorer side. She's in a gas station bathroom and finds out that she's pregnant. She's not sure what to do, she's used to doing everything by the rules. She's a good girl but when it comes to the broken boy that she's in love with all the rules flew out the window.
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 is as broken as they come, but can you blame him? His mother died in a house fire when he was young. He found out that she was cooking meth and part of the house exploded. He went into the system until his dad showed up and you would think that would be a happy thing but Benji's dad? Horrible human being. He treated Benji like garbage, he was verbally abusive and things changed when one day they were in the truck and his dad took him to the fire station and left him. What kind of father does that? Benji was lucky that a nice older couple took him in and since Benji had all this built up anger he was introduced to Hockey and Hockey changed his life. All through school he worked his butt off and it finally paid off.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐯 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 to tell him she was pregnant, he had news to share. He told her that he got accept to the Junior Hockey League which was HUGE news. It meant that he had talent and if he kept working hard he could get drafted. He could get out of this small town that never really excepted him. Liv made the ultimate decision and decided NOT to tell Benji about the baby. She wanted him to live his dream and become something. She knew that if she told him about the baby he would stay and she feared he would grow to resent her. She loved him so much at 16 that she prayed one day he would forgive her and she hoped that he would come back for her one day.
𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.....
𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 that the Connecticut Comets won the Champion and Benji is celebrating the best way he knows how....sleeping between not one but two women. Yeah Benji is a little bit of a player, well a big player but I think that's how he copes with abandonment. His PR people and Jaxon (captain of the team) thought it would be good for him to go back to his home town and celebrate the trophy with them. Benji never wants to go back there again but he finally decides to agree. They came up with this hockey scholarship program that they would give out to a kid who has talent and stands out on the ice. Benji sees this amazing kid that has natural talent and when he goes to offer him the scholarship he's met with the boys grandma who happens to be the mother of his first love. He slowly puts two and two together and takes a good look at this 8 year old boy who just happens to have the same eyes as him and realizes this was Liv's son.....his son. 𝐎𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐲!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐯 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 go on is long and definitely not easy. They had to re learn to be around each other and learn how to co-parent. Benji had A LOT of anger to process. He was angry at Liv for not telling him he had a son and she knew how much having a father around meant to him since his father just left him. He had a lot of guilt for not being there for the eight years of Knox's life even though he didn't know about him. Liv had to face her consequences of not telling him. She also has the fear that Benji only wants to be with her because they have a son together. She has a lot of insecurities about her body (high school girls were terrible) she doesn't look like these thin model girls that Benji has been with so why would he want to be with her?
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐯 just how much he's always loved her body. The spice in this book was unreal. Liv has only been with Benji, after she had Knox at 17 she didn't have time for other guys and plus she still held on to her love for the broken boy she's always loved. The now older Benji loved that he's been the only one to touch her. He becomes possessive (in the best way), he marks her (in the best way) and he can't keep his hands off her. He teaches her things (cue the blushing) and calls her a "good girl" (swoon). These moments between them were not only just hot but just so special to read because of their relationship.
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐝 to Knox and I LOVED reading their moments together. Benji is so protective of Knox and they have this instant bond over Hockey. Benji may not be perfect when it comes to parenting but he learns really quick. He knows exactly how to love his son and put him first because his dad never did that. I was literally teary during these scenes because they just hit me right in the heart. You could FEEL how much he just loved Knox and Knox is the best kid. He's super funny and is so easy to love.
𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 and talk about the amazing found family that Siena put in her books. This group is EVERYTHING. The way they always look out for each other and are just there to help pick up the pieces was so great to read. The girls instantly took Liv into the group, there was no judgment, no nasty remarks. I mean Liv couldn't believe it, she's used to other girls being horrible to her and this was all new to her. I really want to go back and read Siena's first series The Remington Royal's. You get the back stories of some of the characters that you grow to love in this series.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 and I can't wait to see what Siena writes next. I fell in love with her writing in Bagging the Blueliner and she did such an amazing job with Benji's story. I'm very grateful I was able to be an ARC reader for both of these books in this series. She wrote a bonus scene of Liv and Benji and it was perfect. What a great way to end it.
"𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃'𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉. 𝑀𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓀𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝒦𝓃𝑜𝓍. 𝐻𝑒'𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝒾𝒻𝓉. 𝐼 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊."
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤!
April 19, 2024
“She had this uncanny ability to make me believe in myself when all I could do was foster doubt.”
✨Secret Baby
✨Small Town
✨Found Family
✨Reformed Playboy
✨Plus Size FMC
“Liv gave me two gifts that night—my son and my career—and I’d been blind to it all. I owed this woman my life.”
Liv Mason is a single mom, doing everything she can to give her little boy the life he deserves. She’s used to people talking behind her back because no one knows who the father is and why he isn’t in the picture. But Liv knows who the father is—she let him go to chase his dream without even letting him know that he would soon become a father. Benji Mills was excited to get out of that small town, and is now part of the Connecticut Comets NHL team. After winning the championship, he must go back to his hometown to celebrate. Wardale is the last place Benji wants to go as it’s a place filled with dark memories; however, when he arrives, he finds out real quick that his high school sweetheart has been keeping a secret for the last 8 years.
“Something inside me snapped at her admission that I was the only man she’d ever been with. A sense of primal possession had taken over my body, and I knew in an instant that I didn’t want there to be another in her future. She was mine. Only mine.”
Oh my goodness, I fell in love with this story, starting right from the prologue. I couldn’t imagine ever being in Liv’s shoes, but wow. The strength this woman had from such a young age is truly amazing, and her continued dedication to give Knox a good life is so beautiful. I loved their mother-son relationship.
I knew I was going to enjoy Benji’s story—you just knew from the beginning he was going to be a playboy turned family man. And honestly, that’s become one of my favorite tropes, and I think it’s because of this book. Benji has such a wild and fun personality, so to see him fall apart completely for Liv and Knox was so freaking cute. I loved the way Benji stepped up immediately and knew he wasn’t going to let Knox out of his sight.
“If it took the rest of my life, I was determined to try to be the man worthy of her innate goodness. She was the light to my dark, the only thing keeping me from being pulled under by the demons of my past.”
I loved, and I mean LOVED Liv and Benji’s relationship and story. They were so much fun together, they’re opposites but work great together, they’re also a REAL couple with REAL problems. Benji and Liv each have their own demons that they must tackle and concur, but to watch them come and fight together made my heart feel so full. I loved the way Liv understood Benji for who he was, and I loved the communication between them.
Siena did a wonderful job creating this beautiful story with these incredible characters, and truly made them feel real and loved. Definitely a top read of 2024, and I will never forget this book. Thank you so much Siena Trap for the ARC of this book, I will cherish this one forever.
✨Secret Baby
✨Small Town
✨Found Family
✨Reformed Playboy
✨Plus Size FMC
“Liv gave me two gifts that night—my son and my career—and I’d been blind to it all. I owed this woman my life.”
Liv Mason is a single mom, doing everything she can to give her little boy the life he deserves. She’s used to people talking behind her back because no one knows who the father is and why he isn’t in the picture. But Liv knows who the father is—she let him go to chase his dream without even letting him know that he would soon become a father. Benji Mills was excited to get out of that small town, and is now part of the Connecticut Comets NHL team. After winning the championship, he must go back to his hometown to celebrate. Wardale is the last place Benji wants to go as it’s a place filled with dark memories; however, when he arrives, he finds out real quick that his high school sweetheart has been keeping a secret for the last 8 years.
“Something inside me snapped at her admission that I was the only man she’d ever been with. A sense of primal possession had taken over my body, and I knew in an instant that I didn’t want there to be another in her future. She was mine. Only mine.”
Oh my goodness, I fell in love with this story, starting right from the prologue. I couldn’t imagine ever being in Liv’s shoes, but wow. The strength this woman had from such a young age is truly amazing, and her continued dedication to give Knox a good life is so beautiful. I loved their mother-son relationship.
I knew I was going to enjoy Benji’s story—you just knew from the beginning he was going to be a playboy turned family man. And honestly, that’s become one of my favorite tropes, and I think it’s because of this book. Benji has such a wild and fun personality, so to see him fall apart completely for Liv and Knox was so freaking cute. I loved the way Benji stepped up immediately and knew he wasn’t going to let Knox out of his sight.
“If it took the rest of my life, I was determined to try to be the man worthy of her innate goodness. She was the light to my dark, the only thing keeping me from being pulled under by the demons of my past.”
I loved, and I mean LOVED Liv and Benji’s relationship and story. They were so much fun together, they’re opposites but work great together, they’re also a REAL couple with REAL problems. Benji and Liv each have their own demons that they must tackle and concur, but to watch them come and fight together made my heart feel so full. I loved the way Liv understood Benji for who he was, and I loved the communication between them.
Siena did a wonderful job creating this beautiful story with these incredible characters, and truly made them feel real and loved. Definitely a top read of 2024, and I will never forget this book. Thank you so much Siena Trap for the ARC of this book, I will cherish this one forever.
April 26, 2024
What a roller coaster. Liv and Benji had so many ups and downs & so many obstacles to overcome & my heart hurt for them in this book. Their story was so raw and real and their happy ending was everything they deserved!
Anyone else SWOONING over how Benji was as a dad 🫠🫠🫠🫠 Totally melted in a puddle reading Benji and Knox together. Benji is such a cinnamon roll for those he loves 😍 AND he was obsessed with his girl 🥵
I loved getting glimpses of the hockey team & characters from previous books. Glad to see Hannah is still the spitfire she was in book one 🤣 I love all of these characters so much and I can’t wait for the next book release!
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
“Because thoughts of you are keeping me awake, pretty girl. And I’ll be kicking myself for the rest of my life for not coming back to get you sooner.”
“Oh, pretty girl. Nothing about you has ever been convenient. But you’re worth it.”
“Knox brought us back together, sure, but my stumbling upon him allowed me a second chance with you. I’m with you because I can’t help loving you.”
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
• Hockey Romance
• Secret Baby
• Second Chance Romance
• Slow Burn
🌶️🌶️
Thank you Siena Trap for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Anyone else SWOONING over how Benji was as a dad 🫠🫠🫠🫠 Totally melted in a puddle reading Benji and Knox together. Benji is such a cinnamon roll for those he loves 😍 AND he was obsessed with his girl 🥵
I loved getting glimpses of the hockey team & characters from previous books. Glad to see Hannah is still the spitfire she was in book one 🤣 I love all of these characters so much and I can’t wait for the next book release!
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
“Because thoughts of you are keeping me awake, pretty girl. And I’ll be kicking myself for the rest of my life for not coming back to get you sooner.”
“Oh, pretty girl. Nothing about you has ever been convenient. But you’re worth it.”
“Knox brought us back together, sure, but my stumbling upon him allowed me a second chance with you. I’m with you because I can’t help loving you.”
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
• Hockey Romance
• Secret Baby
• Second Chance Romance
• Slow Burn
🌶️🌶️
Thank you Siena Trap for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 28, 2024
4⭐️ 3🌶️
Some Tropes:
🏒 Second Chance
🏥 Surprise Baby
🏒 Found Family
🏥 Mental Health Rep
The Characters:
Liv is the daughter of the town reverend. She grew up sheltered and following the rules. She is a curvy woman who was always judged for her body growing up. She is a wonderful mother and loves deeply.
Benji was a ward of the state, not once, but twice, with parents who preferred drugs over him. He wound up with a wonderful family who found him an outlet in hockey and he never would’ve thought that outlet would turn into his career.
My Opinion:
I thought I loved Bagging the Blueliner, but man.. this book tops the first one. It was so well written, there were so many emotions, and so much character growth from both Liv and Benji.
The way Benji reacted when he found out about Knox to how he was at the end of the book deserves a round of 👏🏼
I will say that around 60%, the book fell a little flat for a bit, but picked back up. I thought for sure this was going to lead to a third act breakup and was so happy when it didn’t!
I can’t wait to see what’s next for Braxton’s book!
Some Tropes:
🏒 Second Chance
🏥 Surprise Baby
🏒 Found Family
🏥 Mental Health Rep
The Characters:
Liv is the daughter of the town reverend. She grew up sheltered and following the rules. She is a curvy woman who was always judged for her body growing up. She is a wonderful mother and loves deeply.
Benji was a ward of the state, not once, but twice, with parents who preferred drugs over him. He wound up with a wonderful family who found him an outlet in hockey and he never would’ve thought that outlet would turn into his career.
My Opinion:
I thought I loved Bagging the Blueliner, but man.. this book tops the first one. It was so well written, there were so many emotions, and so much character growth from both Liv and Benji.
The way Benji reacted when he found out about Knox to how he was at the end of the book deserves a round of 👏🏼
I will say that around 60%, the book fell a little flat for a bit, but picked back up. I thought for sure this was going to lead to a third act breakup and was so happy when it didn’t!
I can’t wait to see what’s next for Braxton’s book!
April 30, 2024
- [ ] Books like these make hockey my favorite sport and I’ve never been to a game. BUT I guarantee, I’m going to one now! I usually am not a second chance romance girly but it’s growing on me. Benji and Liv have a love complication that starts in high school but ends quickly with a scholarship move. That moment shaped the both of them with what Liv had to deal with and Benji’s untethered anger issues. He’s a playboy turn family man and she was a humble curvy girl. Curvy girls always level up a good book lol. This was one of the more realistic relationships I’ve seen in books and I loved it. I cried. I laughed. I fell in love with the thought of love. The reunion of their family was everything. Both characters showed so more development in the book all the way to the end. This book was definitely a slow burn and medium spice. But when it got spicy, it was caliente! All in all, Siena is an amazing author that gives me warm and fuzzy all the time. Her books are a perfect palate cleanser from my dark taste.
May 7, 2024
Received as an ARC in return for my honest review.
🏒 Second chance
🏒 Ice hockey romance
🏒 Surprise baby
🏒 Mental health representation
And we’re back with Siena’s next book in the Connecticut Comets series, this time with Benji and Liv who we did meet in book one.
In true Siena style the writing is brilliant with fantastic character development and a great story arch that you can’t help but while the hours away getting lost in.
Benji had a mini redemption story throughout this book for me and it was nice to his growth into a fully fledged top notch human being.
Liv was great from the get go, the emotional rollercoaster she took us on with her life with Knox and getting back in touch with Benji was very well written.
Knox was the best character in this book by a country mile, I absolutely adored him!! Be still my heart, that kid needs his own book when he’s grown up.
🏒 Second chance
🏒 Ice hockey romance
🏒 Surprise baby
🏒 Mental health representation
And we’re back with Siena’s next book in the Connecticut Comets series, this time with Benji and Liv who we did meet in book one.
In true Siena style the writing is brilliant with fantastic character development and a great story arch that you can’t help but while the hours away getting lost in.
Benji had a mini redemption story throughout this book for me and it was nice to his growth into a fully fledged top notch human being.
Liv was great from the get go, the emotional rollercoaster she took us on with her life with Knox and getting back in touch with Benji was very well written.
Knox was the best character in this book by a country mile, I absolutely adored him!! Be still my heart, that kid needs his own book when he’s grown up.
May 15, 2024
I was lucky enough to be an arc reader for this book and I loved Bagging the Blueliner which is the first book.
This book was definitely a slow burn, teen pregnancy, single motherhood, second chance romance.
Benji and Liv being high school sweethearts finding their way back to eachother was so touching. I love that he stepped up as a father as soon as he found out he had a son. There’s a lot of emotions as Liv learns to let go as a single mother and let Benji in to help raise him.
I appreciated the realization of their feelings throughout the book and working through them such as their insecurities, which are completely relatable.
However, the back and forth between Benji and Liv (arguing) started getting repetitive towards the second half of the book and it was becoming predictable.
It was still a great book, easy read and I appreciated the nudge toward mental health and seeking help when needed.
3.5/5 🌶️
This book was definitely a slow burn, teen pregnancy, single motherhood, second chance romance.
Benji and Liv being high school sweethearts finding their way back to eachother was so touching. I love that he stepped up as a father as soon as he found out he had a son. There’s a lot of emotions as Liv learns to let go as a single mother and let Benji in to help raise him.
I appreciated the realization of their feelings throughout the book and working through them such as their insecurities, which are completely relatable.
However, the back and forth between Benji and Liv (arguing) started getting repetitive towards the second half of the book and it was becoming predictable.
It was still a great book, easy read and I appreciated the nudge toward mental health and seeking help when needed.
3.5/5 🌶️
April 19, 2024
*this arc was sent in exchange for an honest review*
“You stole my heart at seventeen, and I don’t think you ever gave it back. You kept my heart safe, patiently waiting for me to return and retrieve it. To remember where I belong, by your side”
I’ve been fortunate enough to read both of the comets books as arcs and they just keep getting better.
Is surprise pregnancy my favourite trope? No. But Siena smashes this book out of the park and I just could not put it down!
I loved benji and liv together!
Thank you Siena, for letting me read this book early!
“You stole my heart at seventeen, and I don’t think you ever gave it back. You kept my heart safe, patiently waiting for me to return and retrieve it. To remember where I belong, by your side”
I’ve been fortunate enough to read both of the comets books as arcs and they just keep getting better.
Is surprise pregnancy my favourite trope? No. But Siena smashes this book out of the park and I just could not put it down!
I loved benji and liv together!
Thank you Siena, for letting me read this book early!
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