A Game of COURAGE

by Lena Hart

Newly appointed head coach Mason Courage is in for the fight of his life. What should have been the biggest night of his career turns into the worst moment in his life when his wife files for divorce—and the media has a field day.

Tired of her husband’s neglect, Jules believes the best course of action for their strained marriage is to end things now before things get worst. But her former bad boy isn’t about to let anyone—or anything—break up his family.

For his career, his children, his wife, Mason is prepared to fight for them all… But can he manage to win back her heart?

Genres: Contemporary

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2017

About the author

Lena Hart is an author of sensual romances with alpha heroes and smart, sexy heroines. She's a proud member of Romance Writers of America, busy writing more happily ever afters. A Florida-native, Lena currently lives in New York City with her two calico kitties, Duchess and Daisy. When she is not writing, she's reading, researching, or conferring with her muse.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella about a married couple named Mason and Jules Courage. Mason is an assistant coach of a New Orleans hockey team who finds out through the press his wife has filed for a divorce. What embarks is a married couple trying to find their way back to one another among balancing work, kids, and careers, or rather Mason's career.

I liked that this book was about marriage which gave me a bit of a break from reading the standard romance novel of boy-meets-girl and the dumb decisions they make before getting their HEA. Plus, most books end with the engagement/wedding/bun in the oven not giving a peek into what married life entails for the characters, so this was a nice change of pace. The wedges that formed between Mason and Jules were not overdramatized and were real. Jules was feeling lonely and neglected and Mason was kind of obtuse about it since he was extremely focused on his job. Finding out his wife wanted to leave him was his wake up call to re-prioritize his priorities. They did have chemistry that was palpable and believable that made you root for them to fix what was broken and become that impenetrable unit once more. Would I recommend this? Absolutely. It's worth a try. The story is fluid without being wordy.

I just have one nitpick...the family eating cereal out of the championship trophy Mason's team won. I just kept internally screaming 'that's unsanitary!!!' Other than that, this was a good read.

[Carolina Pedreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice novella about a married couple which is a little change from the usual romances I read. Mason is an assistant coach who just won the cup and was offered the head coach job making his professional life accomplished at the same time that he finds out his wife, Jules, just filled for divorce.
The novella goes through the struggles of Mason, who is a intense guy, to find balance between professional and personal life and also shows Jules’ reflexions about her marriage and how far she is willing to go to save her life as she knows. It’s a very real, very reliable plot with some heartbreaking and angst that got me hooked.
Just a little negative side for me was the novella didn’t feel finished,or I could say heading to a clear happy ending, because after everything they went through to save their marriage they didn’t move forward completely leaving the insecurities behind tho in real life we never have 100% sure of anything, right?

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story. Every married couples knows that there are always ups and downs and this story shows how sometimes those downs can take us to a place we never thought we would go.
Mason and Jules are two strong characters who love each other but sometimes forget that you need to show the other person rather than just say it. Jules is sure that Mason is all at fault. he is never there for her. She doesn't realize that some of the things she has been doing are alienating him as well.
We always seem to hurt the one we love and we really don't mean to hurt them.
Lena Hart does a wonderful job at portraying how marriage really is and how much work it takes to make it work.
I recommend this read.
I was given this book and am leaving an honest voluntary review.

[Karen's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules and Mason had a great marriage with two wonderful kids. They couldn't have asked for more. Then the rumblings of everyday life got in the way. Little misunderstanding turned into mistrust and disappointment, and now these two have to figure out if they can rekindle magic that brought them together so long ago.
This was a great story about how couples sometimes grow apart when they stop communicating with each other. I loved these two as a couple and was rooting for them both to get their acts together before it was to late. I really enjoyed this story about forgiveness and second chances. I give it 4 stars ✨.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason Courage has the perfect life : the coaching job he's always wanted, a beautiful former beauty queen wife, two great kids ... and then suddenly it's all on the line and he'll have to fight to save it in this well told story about what it takes to make a marriage. Hart's characters are sympathetic and engaging, at least partly because none of them are perfect.
Part of the Hot on Ice Cajun Rage a Day with the Stanley Cup series, this is a story worth reading even if you don't know a blue line pass from a bar room pass.

[Tina Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over past four to five years, I've become a semi hockey fan, with the Pittsburgh Penguins being my number one team. So when Lena Hart revealed that she was writing a story about hockey, I was anxious to read her collaboration. I really enjoyed Juliette and Mason's story. Having the kids have active dialogue was a bonus. The story flowed effortlessly from beginning to end and the character chemistry was on point, even with the secondary characters. Amazing a Read...

[Mspraise50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read. It was straight to the heart of the issues no messing around. I liked the story dealt with a married couple whose relationship had gotten into trouble and explored how they overcame their issues. I also loved the whole therapy sessions scenes. I wish more stories would deal with relationship issues and not just girl meets boy and ex tries to derail the relationship. I love stories that use real issues to create a romantic story.

[LaTanya Galloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting

Reading the synopsis, there was not mention of two stories. The foremetioned A Game Of Courage,is a nice quick read. The second story was nice but was either a cliffhanger or just and excerpt from a standalone,which I either misses that it stated that or it wasn't mentioned. I normally don't read stories that aren't a main story and when I finally do, I get bit in the butt.

[Sher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story.

I loved the story of redemption for the Courages. They had both made mistakes because of mistakes and misunderstandings. It was good to see through proper communication, problems can be fixed.
Now the bonus excerpt is what has me upset. You are so wrong for presenting a good pepperoni pizza to someone only to take it back after a couple of slices. Just wrong...(joking of course).

[Sharon Keyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good

This is good . Seemed too short there should have been more. The heroine was not as developed as a character as the hero, however his story was brief. Even though the 'Because' stories seem short you know the characters,I didn't feel that here. Read for yourself just my opinion.

[Linda D. Christiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Christiani

I'm a fan of this author and a fan of second chance stories so yeah I love all of her books and this is just a continuation of her great romance stories

[MARQUETTA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice love story about a married couple who find themselves on the brink of divorce. There's not enough romances out there about what happens after the declarations of love and HFN.

[HI5O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't take love for granted

Realistic and heartfelt journey to a second chance to get it right. It took both Jules and Mason almost losing everything to realize what they had.

[Sada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Excellent read. Jules and Mason did the right thing in seeking counseling. I enjoyed reading this story about the Courage family and you will too.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a refreshing change to read about an already-together couple. Quality writing and dimensional characters.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick short read (ends at the 50% mark on Kindle). Low drama, kind of boring.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. All relationships have ups & downs, it's how we handle them that makes us great. What a great way to remind us readers to work through issues before they become too big. I enjoyed this story a lot. Thanks, Lena.