Liam Saint Patrick Mcintyre is the luckiest bastard alive, and he’s over it. After a lifetime of getting everything he wants with little effort, he’s grumpy, bored, and sick of winning. But when the first ever All-Saints Games comes around, an epic competition for all the Holiday Saints, Liam thinks it might be the key to his problem.
Maggie Devlin has a heart of gold and the worst luck imaginable. She trips over air, attracts nothing but weirdos, and somehow always ends up in the most compromising positions.
When fate partners them in the Games, sparks fly—and so do their clothes. Opposites attract when the fiery partnership quickly turns into tangled sheets and breathless nights—because the competition isn’t the only thing that’s heating up.
But Maggie’s misfortune might not be random, and someone in the Games is playing dirty. If they want to win—and survive—they’ll have to outwit their rivals, outrun bad luck, and take the biggest gamble of each other
I was provided an advance copy of this book to review, and I'm pleased I was able to take a look at it before its official release!
Stroke of Luck is a quick read, it's straight to the point and actions happen in quick succession. I haven't read anything else from this series, so I'm likely missing out on some key world building, but the concept of a world where our favourite holiday characters live amongst us was a cute twist!
The "Saints," as these characters are known, are paired off with humans for a series of challenges, and naturally, we're following St. Patrick (notoriously lucky) and Maggie (notoriously unlucky). It's a predictable pairing, but it plays well through the games as the two of them sort out how to manage their imbalance of luck alongside their blossoming feelings for each other.
The All Saints Games are described as a means of bringing together Saints and humans, and though we don't see much of that with the secondary characters, we see it in a big way with our leads. Their chemistry is immediately explosive (IYKYK) and increases as they spend more time together. There's an aspect of forced proximity, given they're rooming together for the duration of the Games, and they face a number of obstacles as a team both inside and outside the competition.
If you're looking for a quick, sexy, St. Patrick's Day read, this is definitely one to add to your list!
I received an ARC copy of this and I honestly didn’t expect to love this as much as I did, which is a lot.
At the beginning I could not stand Liam. The dude is an Ahole and I wanted to punch him every time he treated Maggie like an incompetent toddler.
His bitterness surrounded by his incessant good luck gave him unrealistic expectations for the average person which then left him constantly disappointed. Which made him a giant jerk to Maggie and her terrible luck.
That being said, I wouldn’t change anything about how the author wrote the characters. Liam goes through a lot of growth and very quickly gets his head out of his tush.
And Maggie reminds herself of her value and finds her confidence,l!
One of the best things about this is the laugh out loud moments, and there were quite a few.
The only complaint I have is that it was a novella. I want more Liam and Maggie! But I will settle for more books in the series, which I hope there will be many!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is such an entertaining story. I enjoyed the tension between the characters and was giggling at the way they tortured each other!! Definitely recommend!!
After reading and absolutely loving the first two in this series, book 3 was a no brainer. I love steel’s character and the world of the saints, this novella was short, fun, with a few touching moments and plenty of spice.
Steels Twist on these saints are unique and a pleasure to read and enjoy. If you haven’t checked out the series yet, Definitely do!
I had the pleasure of ARC reading this story & I LOVED every minute of it! It made me laugh, tear up & had me on the edge of my seat not only during the games but also during the spicy scenes 🥵 def a 5 star read for me!!
Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
What I Liked: ☘️Any time there is a game or challenge in a book, it’s insta love for me!
☘️ The way their first spicy moment happens is kinda 🤣😏🥵
☘️Love love love when characters reluctantly fall in love. It makes me giggle and say I told you so every dang time!
What I Didn’t Like: ☘️ I think my biggest complaint with this book was that it was a novella. I loved the concept of the “saint” and humans playing a game but I wanted more development of the plot. I wanted to see Liam and Maggie’s love story play out a bit more. There were a few references to specific things that the couple did, but you don’t see and I wanted to see those things. It would have made the story even better for me.
Final Thoughts: ☘️ I’m hoping to read more from Serenity Steel in the future. She was a new to me author so I looked forward to what comes next!
I absolutely adored Liam! I thought he was so fun and hot lol but I’m biased cause I got a thing for the Irish lol. I thought Maggie was quirky as heck. Though her bad luck was not, felt bad for the girl but her optimism surprised me. It’s spicy enough but more funny than that. I didn’t mind and dare I say it’s my second favorite of the series! 9/10 ☘️
Maggie and Liam are complete opposites in more ways than one, but somehow, they work. The banter back in forth is hilarious and the fact that his is so lucky and she is completely unlucky makes it even better. I will definitely be reading more from the series!
DNF at 22%. Didn't vibe with the writing style. Not my cup of tea. Wasn't going to torture myself finishing a book just to finish it, even if this is an extremely short novella, it felt never ending, and dragged on and on that when I saw how much I still had to go, I knew it wasn't worth it.
Story was cute. I was looking for something quick to read and this fit the bill.
My only complaint is the "gamemaker" had too many name changes. I'm not sure the author was aware of it though. Game Master, gamemaster, gamermaker, gamemaker, gamemaeker, and a few more.