As his team's enforcer on the ice, Sebastian Deveau is America's favorite fighting Frenchman. But he's just as likely to get into trouble off the ice--especially when it comes to women.
Shayne Beckford is so over hockey. It ruined her parents' marriage. It spoiled her brother's dreams. And let's not even talk about her college boyfriend . . . So when Sebastian Deveau walks into her brother's gym, she has no idea who he is. All she knows is that he's one gorgeous man with the sexiest accent she's ever heard. And since she never has to see him again, she lets him give her the best orgasm of her life right on top of the gym's dryer.
But Sebastian isn't going to let this one-night stand get away so easily. He fights for what he wants, even if it takes fighting a little dirty . . .
More in the Hometown Players series: One More Shot Making a Play The Final Move
Victoria Denault loves ocean air, seventies music, strong heroines and flawed heroes. She is a former journalist, stand-up comic and corporate marketing minion. Victoria is a Canadian and former Californian who currently lives in a 225 year-old house with her husband, their Chihuahua Maximus and more spiders than she cares to think about.
Squeeze! This book was so cute, fun and sexy. Perfect for a relaxing Sunday read. Standalone sport romance.
Shayne knows all about hockey players and she is not impressed. Her father was a great hockey player and a better womanizer. Her brother was a good hockey player too, a man-whore and a recovering prescription drugs addict. Her ex-boyfriend – another hockey player turned cheating bastard. So to say Shayne’s opinion of hockey players and romance is jaded would be an understatement… she swears that she will never date a hockey player again in her life. Until she meets Sebastian and has a hot one-night stand with a French “white-collar professional look alike” thinking she would never have to see him again. Well, WRONG! Not only did they “see” each other again and again, Shayne and Sebastian were attracted to each other like magnets. They could not keep their hands off of each other if they tried – maybe it’s sex, maybe it’s more. So not only was she seeing a lot of Sebastian, she could not resist his charms and started developing feelings for him. What happens though when she finds out who Sebastian really is? Catastrophe! Shay feels betrayed that he kept his identity secret. Sebastian is doing all he can to woo her and prove her theory wrong while Shayne is a stubborn woman and fights him every step of the way. Will it be too late by the time she realizes that she has been looking for a way out of their relationship before it even starts?
“But there are two kinds of players. The ones who use it as an excuse to mistreat and ignore the people who love them, and the ones who find balance.”
I’ve got to say Sebastian is one swoony, sexy, sweet, total package of a boyfriend. Despite his reputation in the past, once he makes a decision to be with one woman he is loyal, caring and giving. It does not hurt that he oozes sex appeal and speaks French. Shayne and Sebastian’s relationship is turbulent but he is patient and persistent in helping Shayne see the real him. There is no denying that their chemistry is explosive but in order to have a real relationship, Shay has to move on from her past and have faith in the man she loves.
First time I read this author and this sport romance is fabulous. The first few chapters were a bit slow for me but once I got into it I was hooked. At times I was frustrated with Shay and her stubbornness but she redeemed herself at end (the airport scene was brave, sweet, heartfelt and ALL is FORGIVEN). Overall, I say 4.5 Stars all around for characters, beautiful narrative, witty banters, steamy sex scenes, and a heartfelt fun love story. I am definitely looking forward to more of this series.
“My brain is an evil pessimist but my heart is a hopeful romantic. And my heart says you’re the one for me. And I’m the one for you.”
3.5 - "You're the exception... not the rule." Stars!
The fourth book in Victoria Denaults’ Hometown Players series, gives us Sebastian Deveau’s story. He figured a little in the previous book in the series and I liked his happy-go-lucky charm, so I was interested to see who the author was going to pair him up with.
One thing Victoria manages to do in spades is deliver up a swoon-worthy hero. All three previous books have offered up a sexy hockey player, that although may be a little messed up for various reasons, have big hearts and their actions always come from well-intentioned motivations, they may not always get it right first time, but they always make sure they make amends and usually in sexy-hot ways, Sebastian Deveau definitely sits in this definition for me.
"who are you..?"
"I’m many things, but the one thing that should matter to you is that I’m the man who is crazy about you."
But as with the previous book The Final Move, it was the author’s characterisation of her female lead that lowered my enjoyment level a little. Thankfully Shayne Beckford wasn’t quite as frustrating as Callie Caplan was, it was more of a first half meh, second half maybe in relation to personality for me.
In that her actions seemed to completely contradict her head, in the beginnings of the book, whereas when she finally engaged brain in the second half, she still allowed her pre-conceived, and for me, weak assumptions and notions for all hockey players to inevitably, make life unnecessarily hard between her and Sebastian, and the relationship that they were forging.
"You’ve been looking for a way to talk yourself out of this since I talked you into it. And you know what? I’m going to let you this time…"
This is a woman with a whole boat load of daddy issues, and rightly so, the author portrayed him as a sexist, adulterous tool for the whole of the book, but my problem with Shay’s behaviour in relation to it, seemed extremely disproportionate if you take in to account the lack of reasons Seb gave her to judge him badly by, and her critical attitude of a few of the other women she becomes friendly with as the book progresses, just because they are in some way involved with Ice Hockey.
"There’s just something about you that makes me… happy every time I see you."
She does eventually pull herself together and I wasn’t massively frustrated in the scheme of things as with the previous book so all-in-all it was a book I enjoyed more than I disliked.
"I’m not just in your head… I’m deeper than that. I’m in your veins. I’m in your blood. You can fight against it all you want, but I know you know it’s a losing battle."
Winning It All was still a relatively easy read, it was great to immerse myself back into the guys of the Seattle Winterhawks Ice Hockey team, catch up with Jordan and Jessie and the rest of the team dynamic and banter through the telling of the story. The next book in the series On The Line, is due for release in December, I am hoping that this one is a little lighter on the erroneous drama, and more focused on the characters and the building of their relationships, as this is still a series that I really enjoy and I hope to see more books from it into 2017.
"You’ve got one smart mouth… I like smart mouths."
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my pleasure to provide the above honest review.
“Everything about this man makes my girl parts want to fornicate.”
And I can understand that, I really, really can. Sebastian Deveau is a defenseman, an NHL hockey player! That is god-like in my part of the world, and this series just reinforces every thought and inappropriate dream we may have of the ice skating hotties. And this time around there is a sexy man with a French accent, who plays hockey and dances and sings to his love the lyrics of a Bon Jovi song. Be still my fluttering heart and fan these red cheeks, but when he says he has mad skills, I believe him!
This is another story in a series about the NHL Seattle Winterhawks. There is always action and drama on the ice, and the men—brothers on and off the ice—have just as much to deal with off the ice. They are a tight-knight crew and everyone is up for giving advice when Sebastian tries to take a one night stand with Shayne Beckford to the next level. Tries to.
“I had four hockey-related orgasms…” “Evil, evil orgasms.”
I felt for Shayne a lot as she struggled with her explosive attraction to Seb. She had strong opinions about hockey players and love, and they didn’t bode well for their relationship. It seemed for every step forward, something would happen that would send Shayne running again.
Seb was determined and if hot, “can’t keep their hands off each other” sex wasn’t enough, then he was going to use everything in his arsenal to win her over. While the running may have gotten a bit repetitive, this soapy drama was full of everything I love—laugh out loud humor, heart-felt emotion and heat to melt any icy surface.
I know Seb’s sister’s story is next and I can’t wait to see what she and Avery get up to! Bring on more Winterhawks!
*snickers* “My dick is not going to cost us the Cup… But thanks for giving it so much power.” ~ Diane, 4.5 stars
I’ve been a fan of Victoria Denault’s Hometown Players series since the first one. Winning it All can definitely be read as a standalone as the author does a great job providing the backdrop of the series without adding too many details.
You may remember Sebastian from the other books as he plays a minor character but now we are treated to a whole book for this sexy French-speaking hockey player.
I really liked the beginning of this one, it had all the makings of a read that I typically devour. One-night stand with sexy hockey player. Chance encounter were their friends secretly try to get them together. The push and pull of, I don’t want him and I do want him even though I shouldn’t. The sexiness that goes hand in hand with Victoria Denault’s other books. The alpha-swoonworthy male hero that has you eating out of his hand. But sadly this one didn't quite hit the mark all the way for me.
Along the way, Shayne made me want to scream. A lot. She was so wishy-washy and at one point I literally thought that Sebastian could do better than her. She had a truck-load of father issues and other trust issues that kept her from wanting to be in a relationship with not just Sebastian but any hockey player in general. Fine, I get it to a point. But it became too much and a bit repetitive. Thankfully Sebastian was such a great character that I fell in love with him and so desperately wanted him to have his HEA. He showed her at every turn, obstacle, freak-out that he is not her father or anyone else that she has lumped him with. Seriously he was so sexy, yummy, *insert every other wonderful word here*.
This may all be my musings and other people may not feel the same way. This was still a very well-written novel and I think any hockey player-loving gal will eat up Sebastian in a heartbeat.
10/15 - It's not the deepest and most eventful story and there is a lot of sex to make up for this fact, but it's an entertaining book with very nice and interesting heroes anyway. I really like this series.
I'm a little in love and a whole lot in lust for this sport romance series, there's humor, chemistry and emotions run high. I've had such a good time binging on it I even let slide the very bad French going on throughout the whole series. Despite Sebastian being emblazoned THE FRENCHMAN, I'll let you in a little secret... He speaks horribly bad French. Maybe French-Canadian who skipped French grammar and spelling lessons? When you indeed speak French fluently and have to read about a character using his "Frenchness" to seduce, let me tell you, it has the complete opposite effect! Sebastian talking French was ridicule.
#IspeakFrenchFries
Anyway, I enjoyed the romance a great deal, and can't wait to read more from this author!
{ARC Honest Review Given by Author} The new installment to the Hometown Players Series, Winning It All by Victoria Denault is making its way to the stand of romance this fall, on September 6th.
Not going to lie here and say the obvious... But I didn't read the first three books in this series, but the author somehow asked for an honest review... Oh well! Hahahaha! This definitely states, that this book can be read as a standalone and not as a whole series.
In general, this book is like the same cliché, hockey player, millionaire type of story. The twist to this is that the hockey player, Sebastian has an instant attraction and chemistry connection with Shayne, a.k.a Shay- the female protagonist. They hook up a couple of times, and in her mind she only thinks that he is a one-night-stand. This book changes the definition of a one-night-stand, because they have multiple of those. Her little theory of not having a hockey player as a boyfriend, slowly begins to deteriorate and she opens her heart to him.
Overall, this is a well written story, with minor grammatic errors which I suggest is something the author goes over again.
Goodreads Rating: 3.5 hockey puck/ice skating and yoga instructors STARS
another fabulous hockey hunk that helps make this series on of my all time favourite hockey hunk series. Really loved the banter and chemistry happening between Sebastian and Shayne. Loved the all the sports action in the one and loved all the Hockey Hunks, ones from the past and hopefully ones we may see in the near future. This author truly knows how to write an enjoyable hockey romance and is definitely an author I will be stalking regularly for her very next hockey hunk. Overall a great fun and flirty, hot and sexy, hockey romance that is an absolute must read, that can be read as a stand alone, but not recommended, you can't miss out on all those great hockey hunks and their fabulous stories.
2 "judgmental bitchy heroines are not likeable and are really hard to root for and make you wish this book was actually about Sebastian meeting his awesome soulmate, who is NOT Shay, because she continually makes assumptions her ass can't cash and just isn't worth it but also yay ice hockey!" stars
I went into this book with no idea of what to expect, I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series nor any of this authors other work yet but I was in the mood for a sports book and this one sounded like it would tick all my boxes so I threw caution to the wind and now I have a new series I want to read obsessively.
Shayne is anti-hockey. She has spent her whole life living in the dirty shadow it has cast over her family. She wants nothing to do with the sport or the players and once you get to know her you can not only understand but jump on her bandwagon. However, since she isn’t exactly quiet in her hatred when she bumps into this amazing sexy man and sparks fly he decides not to mention it right away.
Sebastian is a god to all women looking for the love he has seen his team mates find when he meets Shayne and feels an instant connection. The only catch is she can’t get passed the fact he is a hockey player. But oh my god was he everything you could want in a man and then some.
This book was chockful of emotion and I loved all the different relationships and connections between the secondary characters. But the real sell of this book was the amazing chemistry and perfectly written sex scenes and I absolutely can’t wait to see what I get from the other books in the series.
Sebastian and Shayne have great chemistry and the time they spend together is a lot of fun. You can feel the attraction between them, the appeal and the interest. They were well developed, with passions and interests outside of one another, which is always nice. They felt like complete people, with actual personalities, which allows you to engage with them as couple.
The characters are consistent and well written, overall. But there were some issues that I had with the character development and the story ARC. These issues, I think, created difficulty for me with the pacing.
I had issue with the continual issues that she presents throughout the book, her determination not to date a hockey player. I thought this got old, and it got to the point where it started to mess up the pacing of the story. I was never able to fully invest in their relationship as I was constantly waiting for her to bring up this issue. I could understand the reluctance, but at the same time, I was never convinced he would be willing to trust in her getting over the issue and actually being able to commit to Sebastian. In fact, her determination to not have anything to do with hockey has led her to having distance with her family and to make some fairly harsh life choices.
For me, as I was not able to really believe she was past the issues, the story sort of stalled for me in the middle, and I was not as full engaged at the end. I think, for me, I needed a little more time with her being ok with him playing professional hockey, or I needed her to be a little less vehement in her unwillingness to have anything to do with a hockey player. The 2 together lessened the believability for me.
Overall, I do recommend this, but with the caveat that the 2nd act is little less compelling than the first.
I loved how the reader can feel the instant chemistry between these two when they first meet! I have to say that Seb turned out to be a much better character than I thought he would be. He definitely has a questionable past, but he never strays from his pursuit of Shayne. And Shayne, wow, talk about childhood trauma that messed you up. I kind of wanted to smack her at times, but I also understood her all the same. This was a rollercoaster ride, and I kind of just wanted to get to the HEA. both characters deserved to be happy, but man were they their own obstacles most of the time.
I love me a good hockey sports romance. Sebastian has won me over, glimpses of him before showed him serial dater and laid back charm. This time around he caught the commitment bug. While I definitely enjoyed some books more than the others in the Hometown Players series (heroines cough), the heroes are swoon-worthty for sure. They are very hockey centric and felt real in that sense aside from the other stories it revolves around. This one is more of a standalone than the others the others had an interconnected feel going on.
Sebastian is a pretty great hockey player, an all around player it's not often you see enforcers as leading scores. That and enforcers aren't as common in the NHL nowadays. So getting the girl who you had a one night stand with shouldn't be too hard. Push her boundaries, get under her skin what enforcers do best right? Well not if the girl is pretty anti hockey player boyfriend for a while now. Shayne and Sebastian have wonderful banter and chemistry, I enjoyed that a lot. From one stand to many nights will that help things move along for these two or will past prejudices hold back a relationship?
I liked Sebastian a lot actually, I found him charming, fun, sweet, sexy and the right amount of snark. One of the best things I liked is his caring nature. He certainly makes up for the heroine who can be off putting at times and stubborn. I felt frustrated with her, yeah I understand her has past experiences she felt contradictory in actions though. She was way better than the last heroine though for sure. Still a fabulous hockey hero made up for that and the ending well played. Winning it all has all the elements I would look for in a sports romance, laughter, tears, wit, steamy sex, and hockey.
*** ARC provided kindly by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review ***
Shayne is a good girl. She is independent, stubborn, and happy on her own. And she hates hockey players. Sebastian is a good guy. He is strong, stubborn, and looking for love. And he is one of the leagues top hockey players. A chance meeting through friends of friends, a one-night stand. Soon the two strangers find they are together more and more. Just as Shayne is willing to forgive Sebastian for being a hockey player, issues from her past bring up issues of trust. Sebastian is used to fighting on the ice, but ghosts from Shayne's past are opponents unlike any he has faced before. Are the feelings they have for each other enough to make it?
Winning It All is book #4 in the Hometown Players books. It is a standalone, so no need to read the others before reading this one. However, I can see readers wanting to read the first three after reading this book. I really liked Sebastian, aka Frenchie. I could definitely see why Shayne made exceptions to her "rules" for being with him. I can't say that there was much to Shayne that I liked other than her sass. I do enjoy sassy women to the damsels in distress. Overall it was a good read.
First, let me say that I like this series. The first 2 are the best as far as I am concerned. The 3rd was OK but I had a hard time liking Callie for the same reason I doing really like Shayne in this story. She is mean and b#tchy. Sebastian puts up with a lot of back and forth with her and I can't figure out what he likes about her. She's secretive, judgemental and mean. Her father cheated on her mother all her life and her mother put up with it so get over it. But she doesn't instead Shayne is a character that let's it dictate her life and it was not believable at all. Cheating spouses happen but you don't act like every man you meet is going to cheat because he is a hockey player like your dad. Sebastian spends most of the book chasing her around trying to convince her to date him...again not believable. Shayne judges Jessie thinking she ius a gold digger from a small town looking for a way out because her mom is, she didn't know Jessie's story but this is her assumption. Don't like Shayne at all. She ruins this book. Hoping Avery is better!
Victoria Denault gives us another great hockey player to fall in love with, Sebastian Deveau. Readers won't be able to stop themselves from being ensnared by his charms. His character really wins the book and makes up for some of the bumpy character traits that the heroine, Shayne Beckford, has. Shayne has had some bad experiences in her life with men who have played hockey and has sworn off having anyone in her life that has ANYTHING to do with hockey. She takes her aversion to the game and players to a new level. Readers might get frustrated with Shayne's attitude but luckily Sebastian is there to save the day. His character such a great blend of sexy, snarky, heartfelt, and fun. Everyone will be wanting a boyfriend like him. Great mix of laughter, tears, wit, steamy sex, and hockey action will draw readers in and leave them wanting more. Definitely recommend!
*ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for a honest review
This was my first book by this author. I enjoyed jumping into the hockey team and all it's intricacies. This is part of a series but could be a stand alone easily. I liked the strong heroine and the banter between her and her best friend. I liked the cuddly soft side of Sebastian as well.
Overall a good read. Looking forward to more by this author.
Shayne had a good reason for her resistance to a romance with a hockey player, but I was glad she was able to unpack some of her baggage and give Seb a chance. I enjoyed their interactions, and agree, that they were good for each other. It's been a long time since I read the first three books, and I was thrilled to get a bit of an update on the couples from the previous books. Overall, I had a lot of fun being back in this world, and am looking forward to the next book.
Shayne wants nothing to do with hockey players. Her father being a famous player on the ice, but a cheat off. Her brother a star in college then when he got hurt and addicted to pain pills his so called team mates along with his best friend the captain all turn their back on him. Then her boyfriend her college a hockey player and a cheat as well. Now her brother has turned his life around off the meds, married, and expecting a child. With the opening of his new gym Shayne is a yoga instructor, and though she notices men that are in real good shape she only recognizes one guy and that is the one guy you used to be the captain of her brothers college team. When Sebastian comes into view she does not know he is a star for the local pro hockey team. She decides to have a fling right there in the building and after having her best sex she is grateful that she won’t have to see him again. Only to find out that he is their first thing in the morning for her yoga class. Surprised she now works at deflecting his attempts of dating. She is dealing with a lot from work, her apartment, her car not working, she does not have time for a boyfriend. She is also deflecting information from her father because the team now wants to retire his jersey. Her mom and dad want her there and when she does decide to show up that is when she finds out about Sebastian, and she feels devastated, and if her life could not get any worse she ends up getting mugged at her apartment. Now Sabastian is out to prove that he is different than all of the other hockey players she has known before. Can he make the winning goal with Shayne, she is the toughest goalie he has faced she is protecting her heart. A good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
Money, fame and women are Sebastian's Achilles Heel. They bring out the wild man in him and cause nothing but issues for his image. Hockey and heartache have followed Shayne around like a dark cloud for years. Hockey destroyed her family, crushed her brother's dreams and has left her on the receiving end of pain many times over. An instant attraction, a heated encounter and surprising discovery will land her right where she hoped to never be again. On the verge of a broken heart. The title says everything for this tumultuous love story. Winning It All, means taking a chance when the cons far outweigh the pros. Ms. Denault supplies the sentiment of romance, wrapped in the glamour of fame and seasons it with the charm of small town. What's not to love?
I really liked the hero of this book because he was compassionate and he cared about those around him.. throw in there a little hockey and you have a good combination, but the heroine gave me a lot of issues.. while I understand that she had trust issues and had seen stuff that hurt her in the past.. you cannot assume that everyone is going to be cut from the same cloth.. some of her actions made me question the story, but in the end everything worked out and it had the happy ending I was aiming for
I really do love being in Seb's mind, it is so unfiltered, "I move a hand from her face to her waist and pull her against me as I move my hips, pressing my hard-on into her stomach. She responds by reaching down and grabbing my ***. Oh eff, this girl is perfect." I loved this book, Seb knew how to push Shay, and I mean that in a good way, the boy tested all her boundaries.
Sports romance is definitely my favourite trope in the romance genre, and Winning It All is a fantastic example of why. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others.
The insta-lust is a problem because it cannot hold up the angst of the rest of the story. When the whole story is fluff, then sure. But when Shayne and Sebastian have to work hard to save their relationship, they do not know each other well enough to bother. The only real reason is (a) good sex, and (b) Sebastian wants a relationship.
I kept reading because several of the characters for the next books are in this one, and I wanted to know their backstory. Things started to get interesting at 60% with some other backstory drama, but then that flitted away. Too bad. (Side note: I feel like Ainsley is getting a totally raw deal. I want to know her story.)
These books are getting too misogynist for me. None of the female characters are very well-developed in terms of hopes, dreams, career. I liked that Sebastian was more than hockey, and he made that point several times. He had depth. Shayne was supposedly more than a yoga instructor, but also a nutritionist and an assistant manager of her brother's start-up gym, but we never hear about any of those things really. We hear about Sebastian's interest in interior design and architecture, and even his furnishings, but not a thing about nutrition.
Also, the comments about bad copy-editing is real. San Francisco Comets or SF Thunder? "Use to" instead of "used to." The worst was "abstinent" instead of "obstinate," which caused the whole sentence's meaning to fall apart (in the prologue!).
My initial thought on reading this book was that the author had clearly never met an adult male. Seb sounds no different mentally than Shayne does. At points the inner dialogue is painful to read.
"She looks confused by that and blinks her big blue eyes. 'But it was horrible to see you hurt. You don't need a scar to look good.' I nod and realize that she's so not my type."
Seb is written like someone who has read about men lots in books, but never actually spoken to one. His dream is to fall in love, and he just wants to be in love - and we know this because he tells us frequently. He's also kind of a huge dick to Shayne more than once, from telling her he doesn't like her name (so he immediately comes up with a nickname for her), to complaining about where she lives, and not taking 5 minutes to actually speak with her.
Shayne isn't much better. She hates hockey, so she can't date Seb - but she wants to be with Seb - but she hates hockey so they can't date - and so on. This goes on and off at least 4 times in the book. Shayne also immediately and constantly refers to Seb as "Frenchie" and talks about how French he is. Problem is, bro is French Canadian.
There are also several copy editing issues - the most glaring being a character name change half way through the book. Seb is dating Andie and breaks up with her, but half way through the book all the sudden he was dating Dawn and they broke up.
The secondary characters were a little more interesting, Seb's sister seemed to be promising and the book got a little better towards the end.
Overall I wasn't impressed by my first foray to Victoria Denault.
The heroine, Shayne, has daddy issues. I get it. Her dad was a shithead. Her ex-boyfriend in college was also a piece of crap. Her brother reacted badly after his budding hockey career abruptly ended, which, to her eyes/mind, made him another craptastic sample of a man (the brother turned his life 180-degrees around, though). So, I to-ta-lly get it. She's got trust issues. Unfortunately, she can't seem to make up her mind, pussy, lips, and other erogenous zones whenever she's around book hero, Sebastian. If she were a real person, I'd tell her to just shut up and make up her damned mind.
Her bestie, Audrey, was the worst. I dunno why Shayne puts up with her. She's a bully who just "wants what's best for her friend." Jayzus.
Sebastian's also not very likable. He shoulda just taken a damned hint after the multiple times Shayne blew him off or left him or displayed bratty trust issues (i.e., notching him in the same shithead category as all the past men in her life). He should've gotten a better love interest, TBH.
Anyhoo....... after digging myself deep into the hockey-filled trenches of fictional town Silver Bay, Maine (I read books 1-4 in consecutive order, within the past 5 days), I think I'm taking a break and re-read a book with better & more likable characters.
Sebastian was very charismatic and hopes to find his forever, then in comes shayne, whom he was attracted to after a one night stand. They both had chemistry, and obviously sexual chemistry.
But I did have two issues.
Firstly, it was how shayne often prefers to run away or not talk to sebastian about her traumas, and making him chase her because of that. It was a huge turn off for me because I hate lack of communication trope and the fact that she didn’t want to even make their relationship work from the start, while Sebastian was willing to make effort.
Secondly, it was the sex, or the abundance of it. I felt there were too many sex scenes, and that the relationship was based more on the sex they love to have, rather than the important part which was actually falling in love with one another, the bonding, sharing of hearts. This book lacked the romantic development I had hoped to see.
I was disappointed to say the least, because I usually love sports romances but the author’s writing just isn’t for me. If only she had focused more on developing the love between the two instead of writing so many sex scenes. I am gonna try another of this author’s books and pray I like it more than this one.
Really enjoyed this book. The storyline was great, from the beginning I didn’t want to put this book down. Sebastian was such a strong, charismatic, sexy guy. Shayne was a gutsy, sarcastic, strong woman who had good reasons for all her feelings. I enjoyed the banter, quick wit & seriously sexy dialogue between Sebastian & Shayne, they could both give as good as they got. The battle of not living her mother’s life by getting together with a professional hockey player was difficult when Shayne met Sebastian. Their relationship started backwards & it was hard for them moving forward with Shayne’s family background. I totally disliked her father the cheating old hockey star & I was disappointed in the mother until everything was explained further on in the story, but still not happy with her decisions. I really love this series, it’s done so professionally with the hockey knowledge & author Victoria Denault has become another of my go to hockey authors. Definitely recommend.
I don't even know what to say about this book. It ended happily but I was really weirded out by Sebastian refusing to take no for an answer. (I mean, he finally did, but as nothing more than a convenient plot point.) And even though Audrey was being sarcastic about actually knowing something about the person with which you're in a relationship, it really struck me vital and something this book ignored. The main characters went through a third of the book at least and had sex twice without even knowing each other's last names, which is fine for a hook-up, but doesn't strike me as a particularly strong foundation for an actual relationship.
And I know Avery is supposed to be some sort of likable character, but all I wanted to do was punch him, to be honest.
(Also, the playoff series was variously against the Thunder and the Comets, which annoyed me a lot.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I actually liked it, because it was surprisingly realistic.
Despite what hockey romance tries to sell, “the hockey lifestyle” is more prevalent than not in the pros.
Shay’s daddy issues are absolutely justified and her opinion of WAGS is pretty much spot on, too.
Sure, there are exceptions to the rule and Seb is supposed to be one, too, but the rule remains.
I’m still not a greatest fan of the series, because it feels incredibly one-dimensional. There’s no banter, no strong found family vibes and the side characters, in general, are pretty much redundant.
That being said, it is getting better and I’m curious about Avery and Steph in the next book, since they both seem to be carrying a shit ton of baggage and I have a feeling it’s about to get messy.