“His kisses didn’t just curl my toes. They curled parts of me that I didn’t know were curlable.”
“The way you look at me is illegal in seven states."
Characters
Jason (professional hockey player):
The following words/phrases were used to describe Jason: quick reflexes, the sexiest, most eligible bachelor of hockey, amazing athlete, handsome, witty, kind, gentle, fierce, still grieving.
Jason is a right winger on the Brooklyn Bruisers NHL team. He’s struggling to adjust to his new position on the team (he was a former left winger) and trying to come to terms with his missed goal in the championship game last year. He is surrounded by good teammates and a supportive family. He lost his girlfriend 5 years ago in an accident and he’s still somewhat struggling with that event, so he is not looking for love.
Some quotes about Jason:
“I just spent the summer reading books in a hammock and trying to forget that it was my missed shot on goal that sent us into overtime in game seven of the championship. If I’d rotated my stick two more degrees before I shot, we would have hoisted the cup over our heads at the end of the period. There would have been a parade through Brooklyn and all the other bullshit that comes with being top dog.”
“I only hook up with randoms. Hockey is my life, and there’s no room for emotional entanglements.”
“So I’m a whiner when I’m tired. Sue me.”
Heidi (aka Hot Pepper) (intern at the Brooklyn Bruisers organization):
The following words/phrases were used to describe heroine: full of personality, polite, nice, perky, fearless, sassy, lacks self confidence
Heidi Jo is the daughter of the NHL commissioner and was raised to be a polite, southern girl (she even went to charm school). She’s been the good girl following the rules, but is trying to find herself. This has led to a rift between Heidi and her father and Heidi spreading her wings and trying a few new things (like swearing 🤬 and tequila shots 🥃). 😁
Some quotes about Heidi:
“I spent the first twenty years of my life trying to be Daddy’s good little girl. But it’s impossible to please that man, and I am done trying.”
“Heidi Jo?”
“That’s what my family calls me. But I call myself Heidi so I don’t sound so…”
“Gone with the Wind?”
“Heidi is like a category-four hurricane when she wants something. Who wouldn’t want that kind of gale force on his side?”
The Story:
Jason and Heidi have been dancing around their attraction for awhile but things are about to change. While they navigate what they mean to each other or even what they want to mean to each other, they individually have their own struggles that add to the confusion.
Jason is having a rough start to his season now that they switched his position. He was the “Overnight Sensation” last year and this year he is struggling to get comfortable in his new position. Heidi is having a rough start to her intern role now that her dad has interfered. Also, Heidi has decided it’s time to take risks and break out of the “polite” role that has been ingrained in her.
Heidi makes it clear she wants some really good sex (for a change) and she’s confident Jason can deliver. Meanwhile, Jason hasn’t fully recovered from the loss of his girlfriend so he has some internal battles he is trying to deal with.
So, these two have a lot going on and some clear obstacles that impact their HEA.
“I feel about Heidi the way I feel about the last cookie in the cookie jar—I should resist, but I don’t really want to.”
“Jason Castro is still attracted to me. No matter that I puked when we were supposed to be hooking up, and no matter that my daddy wants to kill him.”
“I swear to God, this girl is like my personal Kryptonite. Even in a dumpy polyester uniform she makes my blood quicken.”
“She’s like a beam of sunshine. And my cloudy ass could really use some of that.”
My Thoughts:
The following are my thoughts about this book:
- Drunk Heidi was funny.
“I might as well wear a sign that says, I’m the fuckup you accuse me of being.” Then she claps a hand over her mouth. “I don’t usually drop f-bombs. That was pretty fun, though.” She giggles. “Fuck. Fuckity fuckity fuck fuck…” Hiccup.”
- Heidi and the Tesla 🏎 💨
“I glance at Heidi in the front seat. Her eyes are locked onto the road, her sleek arms gripping the wheel like she’s a NASCAR driver in formal wear. She’s completely focused. “A hundred,” I gasp as the speedometer shows triple digits. “You did it. Feel free to slow down.”
- Heidi’s dad was an ass and I loved how she didn’t let him intimidate her. She had a backbone. 👍
- 🤣🤣 Welcome to real life....
“ I give the panties a tug, but they don’t give way. Maybe that only works in porn.”
- Jason singing Heidi’s praises to her dad was awesome 👏👏
“She works really hard. I just want you to know that. She tackles the jobs you assigned to her, and she has a side hustle to earn more money.” I shake my head, thinking of all the hours Heidi works. “And she’s a good friend. She’s looking after my teammate who just had knee surgery. And she planned a birthday surprise for my roommate. She’s a good worker, and a good person. She’s impressive. If I were you, I’d be proud, not angry.”
- Jason and Heidi had great chemistry 🔥
- The mascot brawl 🐟 🥊 🐻😂
“I’m deeply embarrassed about the whole thing—about losing a fight to a stuffed fish and about letting him get me so riled up. I didn’t even know I was capable of that kind of blood lust. All the battle scenes in Outlander make more sense to me now.”
- Omg.....so true😁👍
“A snow storm is like a man. You never know how long it will go or how many inches you’re getting.”
- Towards the end I got a little irritated at Jason. His actions made it feel like there would be no one that would measure up to his first love and I thought Heidi deserved better than that.
- The little twist with the dad at the end didn’t ring true. If he couldn’t give Heidi her trust fund because of what he did, why was he pushing her to go to an expensive college? It was more believable when he was just being a jerk.
- Heidi was full of surprises and I loved that.
- No epilogue 👎👎😏
Overall:
Overall, this was a good story. I liked the dynamics of the hockey teammates and their camaraderie. There wasn’t a typical asshole teammate and it was nice to see how they supported each other.
Jason was a good guy and had good values. He’s sexy and charming and his habit of quoting Shakespeare and Dickens was endearing. Heidi was awesome and I really admired her. She was a hard worker and didn’t complain about the jobs her father forced her to do. She was smart, funny and had a positive outlook, no matter the situation. When the book started, it kind of felt like she was a pampered princess. By the end of the book it was clear she had a different idea of who she wanted to be and I felt she had a lot of growth in this book. I was definitely a fan of hers! I liked Jason and Heidi together, I just wish Jason’s dead girlfriend wasn’t hanging over their heads.
This is not the first Brooklyn Bruisers book, but you don’t need to read the others to understand this one. There is some humor, low angst, character growth and chemistry. I usually have good luck with a Sarina Bowen book, and this was no exception.
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- POV: dual POV
- Tropes: love after loss, boss’ daughter
- H likable? Yes
- h likable? Yes
- h virgin? No
- h steamy? Yes
- OW/OM drama? the dead ex. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s mentioned enough to matter
- H/h cheat? no
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? no
- Cliffhanger? no
- Recommend? yes
Quotes
“Somebody pinch me, and please let it be him.”
“She lifts a hand and shows me her…pinky finger.
“What does that mean?” I ask as I finally catch up to her.
“It means I want to give you the finger but I’m too polite.”
“I thought you had no marketable skills? Getting out of tickets is nothing to sneeze at.”
“I swear, Heidi’s next words could be, “I’m a cult member and I have an addiction to methamphetamines,” and my mom would smile and offer to help score her next hit. She’s that far gone”
“Don’t make your horny face. It’s time to go.” She slips past me.
“I have a horny face?”
“Of course! All men do. Yours is sort of cross-eyed, and your tongue hangs out of the corner of your mouth.”
“You look about as happy as a mushroom cloud.”