De la autora del bestseller Navidad en Snow Falls llega una conmovedora lectura perfecta para los fans de Jenny Hale, Sheila Roberts, Debbie Macomber y Jill Shalvis.
¿Qué ocurre cuando suena el silbato en la delgada línea que separa el amor del odio? En un juego en el que la comprobación forma parte del juego, Samantha y Mike están a punto de aprender que el corazón no siempre sigue las reglas.
En el mundo del hockey profesional, Samantha Merritt está a punto de romper el techo del hielo. Como primera mujer árbitro de la NHL, va armada con un silbato, una férrea determinación y el peso de la historia sobre sus hombros. Pero no todo el mundo está dispuesto a darle la bienvenida a la pista.
Entra Mike «Iron Mike» Donovan, un veterano defensa que respira hockey de la vieja escuela. Para él, el nombramiento de Samantha no es más que un truco publicitario, una amenaza para el deporte que ama. Su primer encuentro sobre el hielo es explosivo, un momento viral que desata una tormenta de controversia.
A medida que avanza la temporada, Samantha y Mike se encuentran constantemente en desacuerdo y sus acalorados intercambios ocultan una atracción inesperada y peligrosa. Con sus carreras en juego y los ojos del mundo del hockey sobre ellos, se ven obligados a navegar por un campo minado de integridad profesional y deseo personal.
Prepárate para un cara a cara que te dejará sin aliento. Es hora de soltar los guantes y luchar por el amor.
This is an interesting and cute sweet romance book! I really enjoyed the whole story! Samantha is a trailblazer! Mike is kind of a jerk, but he mellows out. The romance is unexpected and is full of secrets. The ending is perfect!! I won this book via LibraryThing!
This was such a fun book but also had great depth to the characters and a really good storyline! Loved how changes can be made with honesty and heart! Really great book!
Overall it was a good read. I definitely would have preferred dual POV instead of the style that was used. As a female who happens to be a die hard hockey fan, I loved the idea of a female ref at the NHL level. Not because of the inclusivity, but because there are plenty of women who love the game and have the skills required to do the job. I loved that while Samantha and Mike got off to a rocky start, they both found themselves admiring the other for their skills and their passion of the game. Their animosity turned to respect, then friendship, and then something undeniably more. I loved the slow burn of their developing feelings. And if you like a clean read, this is it. I also liked that it brought about questions of ethics; both between the growing feelings between Sam and Mike, and Zoe’s dilemma in having to choose her friendship with Sam over a boost in her career. Again, there really was a lot to like here. But…my biggest issue was that by the end of the story, the reader doesn’t know if Mike and Sam get a HEA or just a happy for now ending. How did their final actions in the story impact their professional lives? This book would have definitely benefited from an epilogue, perhaps one sever months later letting us know what happened. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest opinion.
I started reading this novel with excitement that quickly fizzled out. There’s nothing to connect us to these characters or their situation and I quickly found myself losing interest. There’s no character development whatsoever and the quick POV switches threw me off the entire time I was reading. Don’t even get me started on the almost constant use of full names. Why must we be reintroduced to these characters that have been introduced already over and over?
There isn’t a natural flow and instead felt choppy, switching from scene to scene with “Meanwhile…” It feels very juvenile. It’s almost like we’re a fly on the wall and not actually there with the characters, which is unfortunate. I was hoping the writing would improve the further I got into the story, but it continued to feel disjointed.
As far as content there is some adult language sprinkled throughout which I didn’t feel like was needed, but other than that it’s a pretty clean read.
I did not enjoy the present tense at all and finishing the book was a struggle, which is sad because this story has true potential. It just should’ve been better executed.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
This book needs a bit more editing and character development before it progresses to print. It read a bit like fan-fiction and not very well written fanfic, at that. Removing my personal bias against books written in present tense, I found that I was highly uninvested in the characters. It seemed that instead of taking time to develop who everyone was, the author jumped straight into conflict and then a quickly developing romance without explaining who everyone was or why they cared. Additionally, the author seemed to be trying to reintroduce the characters or clarify scenes which didn't need clarification. It's a bit unfortunate as I think the premise of the story had great potential but it was just rather poorly executed here. NB: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my review.
The story was an intriguing idea even if it wasn’t my favorite writing style.
It did a great job of reminding people that friendship is more important than promotions. Also you get reminded that nobody likes the “armchair” judges.
Content: Style - Multi POV, Hockey Romance (Enemies to More, Forced Proximity, Kept apart Love) Intimacy - Moderate (kisses, longing, brushes against each other) Language - High (25 times) Violence - Mild (threats and on ice hits) Potential Triggers - High pressure work environments and threats
This was an enjoyable sports romance. My first time reading a hockey romance. I really did like it. I loved that she was a referee and stood her ground, paving the way for women in hockey. She was a strong character. And I loved that she fell for the gruff, grumpy hockey player. Definitely check it out if you enjoy sport romances!
This is the story of Mike and Samantha. Entertaining to watch these two meet and play on and off the ice. They had a rocky relationship and their interactions were fun. A bit of trouble as a slow burn heats things up.
This was a really cute fun book. Enemies to lovers. I loved how she was a female referee and paved her way for women in hockey. Easy read. I would definitely recommend for a sport romance.
"Sam", dice, con la voce roca e piena di emozioni, "ho smesso di giocare secondo le regole che ci tengono separati. Qualunque cosa accada, la affronteremo insieme. Che ne dici?"
Storia carina,però nn mi ha preso particolarmente.
La verdad que tampoco me esperaba gran cosa pero es que se me ha hecho muy aburrido. No pasa, literalmente, nada. Además, que a veces hace saltos en el tiempo sin sentido que no aportan nada a la historia sino más confusión. No me ha enganchado y la pluma tampoco es nada del otro mundo. No lo recomiendo.
La lecture des points de vue des personnages est étrange et peut-être mal amener pour pouvoir apprécier pleinement les personnages principaux. Le livre est assez rapide a lire mais bon ça m'a quand même gêner de plus la traduction est vraiment horrible ça m'a sortie plusieurs fois de l'histoire.