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New York Blades #4
The Penalty Box
Can a jock and a nerd find true love together?
Everyone from Didsbury High remembers Katie Fisher as the dumpy brainiac from the poor side of town.
Everyone from Didsbury High remembers Paul van Dorn as the school hockey star and heartthrob.
But now they're facing off -- and matching up in more ways than one. Katie's lost the pounds, added some self-confidence, and become a drop-dead gorgeous sociology professor.
And since a series of concussions put an end to Paul's pro hockey career, his star has dimmed. Now he hits the ice as a coach. But he's still got the hometown crowd behind him as the owner of a bar called The Penalty Box.
Paul is reliving his glory days. Katie wishes she could put those years behind her. And the battle of wills that ensues just might knock love right out of the game.
Everyone from Didsbury High remembers Katie Fisher as the dumpy brainiac from the poor side of town.
Everyone from Didsbury High remembers Paul van Dorn as the school hockey star and heartthrob.
But now they're facing off -- and matching up in more ways than one. Katie's lost the pounds, added some self-confidence, and become a drop-dead gorgeous sociology professor.
And since a series of concussions put an end to Paul's pro hockey career, his star has dimmed. Now he hits the ice as a coach. But he's still got the hometown crowd behind him as the owner of a bar called The Penalty Box.
Paul is reliving his glory days. Katie wishes she could put those years behind her. And the battle of wills that ensues just might knock love right out of the game.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 7, 2006
23 people are currently reading
1137 people want to read
About the author
Deirdre Martin
29 books582 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
New York Times Bestselling Author Deirdre Martin was six when she wrote her first "book,”a Peanuts parody. In addition to penning bad, maudlin poetry in junior high school and serving as the Arts Editor on her high school newspaper, she was also the Arts Editor at her college newspaper at the University of New York at Buffalo, where she earned her BA in English in 1985. While writing for the student newspaper there, she sold her first freelance magazine article and won a city wide play writing contest. Her play, Spin Cycle, about two lonely people at a laundromat, was subsequently performed in a theater space in downtown Buffalo.
Ater graduating college, Deirdre worked at a series of trade magazines before landing a job at Soap Opera Digest. While she says it was fun working in a place where she got to watch TV all afternoon, she longed to branch out, and after two years, left to begin freelancing full time. Over the course of her twelve year freelance career, her work appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Seventeen, YM, McCall's, Fitness, New Woman, Bride's, Bridal Guide, Inside Sports, Woman's World, Modern Maturity, Islands, Newsday, and the New York Times. In 1998, her first non fiction book was published: Investing for Retirement (Avon). She also contributed to Lifescripts for Managers, Lifescripts for Employees, and Lifescripts for the Self Employed. (MacMillan, 1999).
A fan of the romance genre and of soap opera ("If Dickens were alive today, he'd be writing for a soap," Deirdre maintains), she decided to try her own hand at writing a romance novel. The result, BODY CHECK, was published in March, 2003, followed by USA Today Bestseller FAIR PLAY in 2004, TOTAL RUSH in 2005, THE PENALTY BOX in 2006, and USA Today Bestseller CHASING STANLEY in 2008.
2008 also saw the publication of JUST A TASTE, which made The New York Times Bestseller List. Deirdre returned to the world of the Blades in 2009 with POWERPLAY. 2009 was also when she launched a new series, The Wild Hart Saga, centering around a large Irish American family who own a pub in Manhattan. The first book in the series, WITH A TWIST, was quickly followed by STRAIGHT UP in 2010, and there are plans for at least two more. But the New York Blades keep calling her back: her next book, ICEBREAKER, will be published in 2011.
A resident of Ithaca, NY, Deirdre enjoys hiking and biking with her husband, Mark Levine, co author of the financial bestsellers, Die Broke and Live Rich. When not busy lavishing affection on her beloved Newfie, Rocky, she also enjoys reading, baking, listening to music, yoga, photography, and hanging out with her friends from acting class. She's had the same best friend since she was ten and adores the color purple.
New York Times Bestselling Author Deirdre Martin was six when she wrote her first "book,”a Peanuts parody. In addition to penning bad, maudlin poetry in junior high school and serving as the Arts Editor on her high school newspaper, she was also the Arts Editor at her college newspaper at the University of New York at Buffalo, where she earned her BA in English in 1985. While writing for the student newspaper there, she sold her first freelance magazine article and won a city wide play writing contest. Her play, Spin Cycle, about two lonely people at a laundromat, was subsequently performed in a theater space in downtown Buffalo.
Ater graduating college, Deirdre worked at a series of trade magazines before landing a job at Soap Opera Digest. While she says it was fun working in a place where she got to watch TV all afternoon, she longed to branch out, and after two years, left to begin freelancing full time. Over the course of her twelve year freelance career, her work appeared in a wide variety of publications, including Seventeen, YM, McCall's, Fitness, New Woman, Bride's, Bridal Guide, Inside Sports, Woman's World, Modern Maturity, Islands, Newsday, and the New York Times. In 1998, her first non fiction book was published: Investing for Retirement (Avon). She also contributed to Lifescripts for Managers, Lifescripts for Employees, and Lifescripts for the Self Employed. (MacMillan, 1999).
A fan of the romance genre and of soap opera ("If Dickens were alive today, he'd be writing for a soap," Deirdre maintains), she decided to try her own hand at writing a romance novel. The result, BODY CHECK, was published in March, 2003, followed by USA Today Bestseller FAIR PLAY in 2004, TOTAL RUSH in 2005, THE PENALTY BOX in 2006, and USA Today Bestseller CHASING STANLEY in 2008.
2008 also saw the publication of JUST A TASTE, which made The New York Times Bestseller List. Deirdre returned to the world of the Blades in 2009 with POWERPLAY. 2009 was also when she launched a new series, The Wild Hart Saga, centering around a large Irish American family who own a pub in Manhattan. The first book in the series, WITH A TWIST, was quickly followed by STRAIGHT UP in 2010, and there are plans for at least two more. But the New York Blades keep calling her back: her next book, ICEBREAKER, will be published in 2011.
A resident of Ithaca, NY, Deirdre enjoys hiking and biking with her husband, Mark Levine, co author of the financial bestsellers, Die Broke and Live Rich. When not busy lavishing affection on her beloved Newfie, Rocky, she also enjoys reading, baking, listening to music, yoga, photography, and hanging out with her friends from acting class. She's had the same best friend since she was ten and adores the color purple.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
March 18, 2010
3 stars – Contemporary Romance
This contemporary romance about an ex nerd/fat girl turned knockout and esteemed Sociology professor/writer who goes back to her small hometown for a year to look after her nephew and has a fling with her high school crush, an ex hockey star turned local bar owner, has some humorous parts, but the characters are all rather annoying. The H/H both have self-esteem and identity issues masked with big egos, and the sexual banter and constant bickering is exhausting and dull instead of entertaining. And although there are some steamy moments, the romance just falls a bit flat. Overall, it’s an okay/average read with a few funny lines (like the scene below).
Katie pondering her screw-up sister Mina’s naming of her nephew Tuck.
“There was no way she was going to tell him he got his name because of Mina’s adolescent fixation with the Marshall Tucker Band. Good thing I didn’t have a kid when I was in my teens, Katie thought. His name would have been Ring Ding.”
This contemporary romance about an ex nerd/fat girl turned knockout and esteemed Sociology professor/writer who goes back to her small hometown for a year to look after her nephew and has a fling with her high school crush, an ex hockey star turned local bar owner, has some humorous parts, but the characters are all rather annoying. The H/H both have self-esteem and identity issues masked with big egos, and the sexual banter and constant bickering is exhausting and dull instead of entertaining. And although there are some steamy moments, the romance just falls a bit flat. Overall, it’s an okay/average read with a few funny lines (like the scene below).
Katie pondering her screw-up sister Mina’s naming of her nephew Tuck.
“There was no way she was going to tell him he got his name because of Mina’s adolescent fixation with the Marshall Tucker Band. Good thing I didn’t have a kid when I was in my teens, Katie thought. His name would have been Ring Ding.”
January 24, 2014
I have absolutely been obsessed with hockey romance lately, the latest being the New York Blades series by Deirdre Martin. Unfortunately? This book nearly ended that streak. I’ve written a lot of “Gushing” reviews lately. Talking about how I love the big bad hockey players, and the conflict both on and off the ice. But this one? This review is one of those I hate to write.
This book? Didn’t do it for me. And I’m going to tell you why. (All the painful stuff, even talking sock puppets. I wish I was joking.)
I wanted to love Paul van Dorn. I hated him when he started talking smack to Michael Dante in Fair Play, but I just assumed by the time his book rolled around, we’d love him. Unfortunately? Even after spending 352 pages with him? I don’t know him. (This seems to be a weakness with Deirdre Martin’s writing – there’s always one character who is incredibly underdeveloped.) Apparently, he’s best friends with Michael Dante (although we only get a few small mentions of him, so we don’t know that story at all.) He’s retired, lives in his hometown and is generally miserable. But that’s all we know. We don’t know who he is, where he comes from, etc. We know he likes to have sex, with Katie. We know he dated a bitch in high school. But that’s it. Seriously.
This book was more about Katie’s relationship with her nephew Tuck than anything. (And it was a sort of touching story, poor kid.) But there was no chemistry between Paul and Katie – they just sort of fell into bed together, then broke up (after a really bizarre scene where Katie used Paul’s socks as sock puppets to rip him to shreds – yes, I wish I was joking. It was painful and awkward.)
And Katie? Wow… trainwreck? She was whiny. She complained about her hometown (don’t we all?) and not having a Starbucks. (Seriously – WAY too much complaining!) She complained about the mean girls from high school (UGH!) and she complained about having to go to Fat Fighters (I’m guessing weight watchers) meetings. Seriously – not even her corny humor could come close to saving this one.
I wanted to love this book. I want to love Deirdre Martin. But I’ll be honest, it was hard to read this one. It was hard to not DNF it and walk away from my 18 day reading streak, from this series, from all of it. I just didn’t feel it. At all. It was weird, lacked chemistry (or any real relationship) and the only real hockey was the kids – which I’m fine with, I’m a hockey mom, if coach Paul wasn’t such a dick on the ice.
Unfortunately, this book fell WAY short of the mark, and I just can’t even pretend to recommend it! (Although the previous two books in this series? I can recommend, so check them out instead!)
This book? Didn’t do it for me. And I’m going to tell you why. (All the painful stuff, even talking sock puppets. I wish I was joking.)
I wanted to love Paul van Dorn. I hated him when he started talking smack to Michael Dante in Fair Play, but I just assumed by the time his book rolled around, we’d love him. Unfortunately? Even after spending 352 pages with him? I don’t know him. (This seems to be a weakness with Deirdre Martin’s writing – there’s always one character who is incredibly underdeveloped.) Apparently, he’s best friends with Michael Dante (although we only get a few small mentions of him, so we don’t know that story at all.) He’s retired, lives in his hometown and is generally miserable. But that’s all we know. We don’t know who he is, where he comes from, etc. We know he likes to have sex, with Katie. We know he dated a bitch in high school. But that’s it. Seriously.
This book was more about Katie’s relationship with her nephew Tuck than anything. (And it was a sort of touching story, poor kid.) But there was no chemistry between Paul and Katie – they just sort of fell into bed together, then broke up (after a really bizarre scene where Katie used Paul’s socks as sock puppets to rip him to shreds – yes, I wish I was joking. It was painful and awkward.)
And Katie? Wow… trainwreck? She was whiny. She complained about her hometown (don’t we all?) and not having a Starbucks. (Seriously – WAY too much complaining!) She complained about the mean girls from high school (UGH!) and she complained about having to go to Fat Fighters (I’m guessing weight watchers) meetings. Seriously – not even her corny humor could come close to saving this one.
I wanted to love this book. I want to love Deirdre Martin. But I’ll be honest, it was hard to read this one. It was hard to not DNF it and walk away from my 18 day reading streak, from this series, from all of it. I just didn’t feel it. At all. It was weird, lacked chemistry (or any real relationship) and the only real hockey was the kids – which I’m fine with, I’m a hockey mom, if coach Paul wasn’t such a dick on the ice.
Unfortunately, this book fell WAY short of the mark, and I just can’t even pretend to recommend it! (Although the previous two books in this series? I can recommend, so check them out instead!)
October 13, 2008
Isis already wrote a great review on this one, and I agree whole-heartedly with what she had to say, so I won't bother with a full-fledged opinion. Paul, a former hockey player, was sort of a jerk (at first). The heroine (can't even recall her name at the moment!) was annoying and had deep issues. It started grating on my nerves every single time she whined about the lack of a Starbucks in her small town. Even her visit(s) to "Fat Fighters" and the way she obsessed with her weight became obnoxious. Be forewarned this is one of those romances that had a kid as part of the focus. There was no real depth to the characters or the romance - it was fun and they had cute moments, but it was also fluff. Not a lot to be said as far as the hotness level between Paul and what's-her-name either.
In essence The Penalty Box was just another bad cliche' and I put the book down feeling like I needed something more.
Does anyone have a good sports romance recommendation? I've read the SEP Chicago Stars series and golf series - loved them. I tried a few of Rachel Gibson's - they were okay IMO. I would love to read a sports romance where the hero isn't an injured (former) professional sports jock and the heroine doesn't fit the TSTL profile. =)
In essence The Penalty Box was just another bad cliche' and I put the book down feeling like I needed something more.
Does anyone have a good sports romance recommendation? I've read the SEP Chicago Stars series and golf series - loved them. I tried a few of Rachel Gibson's - they were okay IMO. I would love to read a sports romance where the hero isn't an injured (former) professional sports jock and the heroine doesn't fit the TSTL profile. =)
March 25, 2008
Like the other books of Martin's I've read, this one makes good light reading. The book is amusing and cute, but lacking in the depth that would make it a truly good book. It's all just very superficial. She skimps past the real issues, never digging down to the true emotions and problems. Martin doesn't do justice to the characters, their pasts, and their situations.
Paul was introduced in at least one of her other books that I've read. In that book, he was a total prick until near the end. This was addressed with about two sentences in the current book. It should have been talked about and dissected a bit. Because she didn't, there was a lack of realism with Paul's character. As for Katie...she pissed me off a lot. She was very self-focused to the point that it was annoying. And there was the whole issue with her weight that is mentioned a lot, but never really dealt with.
Overall, like I said, it's a cute story and good if you want some light reading, but if you want something deeper, I wouldn't recommend Martin's books. I tend to read them only because they involve hockey players.
Paul was introduced in at least one of her other books that I've read. In that book, he was a total prick until near the end. This was addressed with about two sentences in the current book. It should have been talked about and dissected a bit. Because she didn't, there was a lack of realism with Paul's character. As for Katie...she pissed me off a lot. She was very self-focused to the point that it was annoying. And there was the whole issue with her weight that is mentioned a lot, but never really dealt with.
Overall, like I said, it's a cute story and good if you want some light reading, but if you want something deeper, I wouldn't recommend Martin's books. I tend to read them only because they involve hockey players.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2020
Katie Fisher hated high school because she was bullied horribly and she associates the town of Didsbury with all of that pain. So the only thing that would draw her back would be to help her mother take care of her nephew while her sister, Mina, is in rehab. Her mother tricks her into going to her high school reunion, which Katie doesn't want to do, but she's pleased because she meets Paul van Dorn, ex-hockeyplayer, current pee-wee hockey coach and owner of the local bar, The Penalty Box. They spark up a romance, but some other woman drama with the town biotch and trying to protect her nephew Tuck (since he plays on Paul's hockey team), as well as some insecurities and snobbery on their parts, becomes a serious obstacle. Then, after breaking up, Katie turns her attention to Mina, who has since returned from rehab becomes the central focus as Katie tries to help her and Tuck. It's not like she and Paul had a future anyway...not when she was leaving town again soon anyway, right?
To the author's credit, you get a serious sense of who these characters are within the first chapter for sure. Katie, who has lost all the weight from high school and is super successful, is tricked into going to the high school reunion and the entire time, she's focused on what everyone else thinks of her. She's seeking acceptance from all the people who'd bullied her years before. Paul, in the meantime, is so caught up in his hockey glory days...so he regales everyone with tales of his time in the NHL, gets drunk and has a one-night stand with the town biotch (who he used to date in high school). Reliving the glory days and bitterness that they're over sums him up. I didn't love these characters. Paul does at least eventually come to terms with his not playing hockey again and realizes that he's not happy with his life and determines to find what will make him happy.
All of this, the insecurities and Paul sleeping with his ex, cause issues for the romance. And so, by the 60% mark, the two of them have broken up. And the focus switches to Katie trying to help Mina and her nephew, Tuck. But in all of that, the relationship between Katie and Paul just fizzles. It practically disappears. Neither of them are really all that upset at being apart from each other and I began to wonder if they were just, not gonna get back together, because they seemed just fine without each other. They spend 40% of the book being broken up (about 8 months). Katie even moves out of town permanently and leaves Paul behind in Didsbury for months without talking to each other. And then suddenly Paul shows up on her doorstep and is all, I love you and I'm ready to have a relationship. I was over them by that point. Their chemistry and romance had gone and I didn't care.
This story ended up being more about Tuck and Mina - which was pretty tragic really. But my big question, without an epilogue, is what happens when Mina finishes rehab this time? Tuck is beyond pissed with his mother and has no interest in living with her and Mina is going to get out of rehab in a year and come get her son who has adapted and normalized his life and the shit is gonna hit the fan again. Interesting nobody thought that far ahead. So the HEA was a bit uncertain for me.
To the author's credit, you get a serious sense of who these characters are within the first chapter for sure. Katie, who has lost all the weight from high school and is super successful, is tricked into going to the high school reunion and the entire time, she's focused on what everyone else thinks of her. She's seeking acceptance from all the people who'd bullied her years before. Paul, in the meantime, is so caught up in his hockey glory days...so he regales everyone with tales of his time in the NHL, gets drunk and has a one-night stand with the town biotch (who he used to date in high school). Reliving the glory days and bitterness that they're over sums him up. I didn't love these characters. Paul does at least eventually come to terms with his not playing hockey again and realizes that he's not happy with his life and determines to find what will make him happy.
All of this, the insecurities and Paul sleeping with his ex, cause issues for the romance. And so, by the 60% mark, the two of them have broken up. And the focus switches to Katie trying to help Mina and her nephew, Tuck. But in all of that, the relationship between Katie and Paul just fizzles. It practically disappears. Neither of them are really all that upset at being apart from each other and I began to wonder if they were just, not gonna get back together, because they seemed just fine without each other. They spend 40% of the book being broken up (about 8 months). Katie even moves out of town permanently and leaves Paul behind in Didsbury for months without talking to each other. And then suddenly Paul shows up on her doorstep and is all, I love you and I'm ready to have a relationship. I was over them by that point. Their chemistry and romance had gone and I didn't care.
This story ended up being more about Tuck and Mina - which was pretty tragic really. But my big question, without an epilogue, is what happens when Mina finishes rehab this time? Tuck is beyond pissed with his mother and has no interest in living with her and Mina is going to get out of rehab in a year and come get her son who has adapted and normalized his life and the shit is gonna hit the fan again. Interesting nobody thought that far ahead. So the HEA was a bit uncertain for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2026
Una novela tierna de las que te deja buen sabor de boca. Leerla es entretenido.
October 22, 2022
DNF'd after four chapters. The fatphobia was unreal. And other reviewers confirmed that it would only get worse. I'd try another book from this author though, based on reviews this one was a dud.
March 12, 2017
Un 3.5/5 le doy. Podía haber sido un 4 pero el final no me termina de gustar demasiado, no es que termine mal pero me falta algo más en la relación de Paul y Katie.
Pero en general está bastante bien y a ratos te echas unas risas. Y Paul con la manía que le tenía cuando le conocí y puteaba tanto a Dante ahora es ñam ñam. A Katie le daba con la mano abierta unas cuantas veces.
Pero en general está bastante bien y a ratos te echas unas risas. Y Paul con la manía que le tenía cuando le conocí y puteaba tanto a Dante ahora es ñam ñam. A Katie le daba con la mano abierta unas cuantas veces.
January 10, 2016
I'll go out on a limb here and assert that romance does not mix well with professional sports. I know, I know, there's this manly thing associated with beating up people in the rink, but that's more about sex appeal than love. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I like a romance that has more personality than lust in it. That's not to say it's impossible to do a good romance-on-the-ice (I thought
The Cutting Edge
was great), but the main characters have to have something in common.
Anyway. The Penalty Box follows the adventures of Katie and Paul, who knew each other slightly during high school. Katie has returned to her hometown after ten years away to help look after her poor nephew, while Paul has ended up running the titular bar after injuries ended his hockey career. Both of them have a lot of baggage to overcome, and neither seems able to move on from the past, which is frankly sad. The plot drags a bit, as we wait for our heroes to have a grand epiphany that never comes.
The real problem with the book is that it's impossible to imagine these two people ever passing the time of day, let alone leaping into a loving relationship. They share absolutely no common characteristics. Their scenes together are mostly about business--looking out for Tuck, especially. I honestly found the subplot involvng Tuck and Mina to be the most interesting part of the novel. (Okay, and Snake was cool, mostly because he was so unexpected.)
Blah. Two stars for writing that was just good enough to get me to finish.
Anyway. The Penalty Box follows the adventures of Katie and Paul, who knew each other slightly during high school. Katie has returned to her hometown after ten years away to help look after her poor nephew, while Paul has ended up running the titular bar after injuries ended his hockey career. Both of them have a lot of baggage to overcome, and neither seems able to move on from the past, which is frankly sad. The plot drags a bit, as we wait for our heroes to have a grand epiphany that never comes.
The real problem with the book is that it's impossible to imagine these two people ever passing the time of day, let alone leaping into a loving relationship. They share absolutely no common characteristics. Their scenes together are mostly about business--looking out for Tuck, especially. I honestly found the subplot involvng Tuck and Mina to be the most interesting part of the novel. (Okay, and Snake was cool, mostly because he was so unexpected.)
Blah. Two stars for writing that was just good enough to get me to finish.
December 10, 2017
This was my least favourite book in the series so far. It really didn't do it for me. Book 1 and 2 were good, Book 3 wasn't nearly as good but this book... ugh, it was so hard to force myself to keep reading. I had many debated about deleting it from my eReader without finishing.
Paul is a character from previous books and one I did not like. Honestly, he had virtually no character development within the series. What did we learn about him?
1. He was a hockey superstar that had to retire after having too many concussions in a short period of time.
2. He used to be an enemy of Michael Dante but now they are best friends. Michael doesn't make an appearance although there is a short clip with his brother Anthony.
3. He grew up wealthy and hates his parents. We have no idea why though because it was never really explained. The only thing said was that his dad was always pushing him too hard with hockey as he grew up. I have no clue about his mom. He can't stand her but I didn't see anything that said why.
4. He spends the entire book trying to hold onto whatever fame he has left now that his hockey career is over.
5. He bought a house but never unpacked. He partially unboxes stuff about 75% into the book but nothing really comes of that. He never finished.
There was so much more that could have been done to build up this character. I was unable to connect at all with him. Half the time he was an ass and the other half he was a nice guy.
As for Katie, omg she needs therapy! She has the most coveted man in her bed and she wants to keep it a dirty secret. When the secret came out she couldn't stop being embarrassed. There was absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. She was completely neurotic.
They broke up about halfway through the book and literally did not get back together until the last page. A lot of the second half of the book was them living their lives separately. They cross paths now and then but not as much as you would expect.
There was some interesting drama with a crazy girl in town but very little came of it. Again, there could have been more. This book just didn't mesh well, for me but that's just my opinion.
Paul is a character from previous books and one I did not like. Honestly, he had virtually no character development within the series. What did we learn about him?
1. He was a hockey superstar that had to retire after having too many concussions in a short period of time.
2. He used to be an enemy of Michael Dante but now they are best friends. Michael doesn't make an appearance although there is a short clip with his brother Anthony.
3. He grew up wealthy and hates his parents. We have no idea why though because it was never really explained. The only thing said was that his dad was always pushing him too hard with hockey as he grew up. I have no clue about his mom. He can't stand her but I didn't see anything that said why.
4. He spends the entire book trying to hold onto whatever fame he has left now that his hockey career is over.
5. He bought a house but never unpacked. He partially unboxes stuff about 75% into the book but nothing really comes of that. He never finished.
There was so much more that could have been done to build up this character. I was unable to connect at all with him. Half the time he was an ass and the other half he was a nice guy.
As for Katie, omg she needs therapy! She has the most coveted man in her bed and she wants to keep it a dirty secret. When the secret came out she couldn't stop being embarrassed. There was absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. She was completely neurotic.
They broke up about halfway through the book and literally did not get back together until the last page. A lot of the second half of the book was them living their lives separately. They cross paths now and then but not as much as you would expect.
There was some interesting drama with a crazy girl in town but very little came of it. Again, there could have been more. This book just didn't mesh well, for me but that's just my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2023
Una historia de una mujer que sigue en el camino de recuperación de su adolescencia por lo que le dijeron en la escuela. Y un jugador de hockey retirado que aún está aceptando este proceso. Vuelven a su cuidad natal por diversas situaciones y ambos se topan en esta pequeña ciudad, ella como socióloga analizándolo y él aceptando lo que están viviendo en su presente.
El desarrollo de la historia en un punto es obvio y las situaciones por las que se enfrentan se ven venir, sentí que faltó un algo más.
Pero en general la.construcción de la trama y personajes es buena, pero si quería sentir un desarrollo más profundo de los mismos.
El desarrollo de la historia en un punto es obvio y las situaciones por las que se enfrentan se ven venir, sentí que faltó un algo más.
Pero en general la.construcción de la trama y personajes es buena, pero si quería sentir un desarrollo más profundo de los mismos.
March 18, 2012
Well, this book didn't get great reviews on GR either, but I actually liked it....better than the last one. It's about Paul, who you got to know a bit in a previous book, and honestly, he seemed like a real prick. It was interesting to see his personality after his hot-shot career as a hockey players ended....really not such an ass. I actually liked him pretty quickly, even though he acted like a man-whore by sleeping with that bitch Liz at the beginning, which made me want to throw up!
Our heroine in this book, Katie, is a sociologist that seriously needs to have her own head examined. While she's so busy psycho-analyzing and criticizing Paul, she should take a look at herself! Although she made me crazy, I also felt for her....the burden of always feeling like the 'fat girl', the girl that always had to be 'good' and the girl that felt that she had to prove to the 'townies' that she was better than them really plays a toll on her, which in the end effects her ability to tell Paul how she really feels about him. Thankfully she DOES finally get her head out of her ass, but MAN, Deirdre Martin makes you wait until the VERY LAST MINUTE to give you the HEA (and even then....she left us hanging just a bit...)!
There were tons of laugh out loud moments in this book, and honestly, there was more emotional burden in this one, which kept me reading because I really wanted these to two to get rid of their demons and be together!
Here are a few good moments:
"Katie?" He looked up at her woozily. "What are you doing here?"
"That was my bumper you tried to kiss."
Paul chuckled, then grimaced. clearly, laughing hurt. "Getting revenge for high school, huh?"
"Actually, I thought you were trying to end it all."
"Believe me, if that was the case there are a lot more pleasant ways to go about it."
"Such as-"
"A hotel room, two hookers, some downers and a bottle of Jack Daniels."
"Nice to see you've put some thought into it," Katie said dryly.
Lying beside her, Paul propped himself up on one elbow while the fingers of his free hand brushed easily over her right hip. He slid down her body, kissing the spot he'd just caressed. "What are these?" he asked innocently.
Katie lifted her head, peering down the length of her body as Paul continued to gaze curiously at the intricate netting of pearly white lines crisscrossing her hips.
"Those are stretchmarks," she said quietly, moving to turn away from him. "From when I was fat."
Paul pulled her back toward him, pressing his mouth to the marks and letting his lips linger. "I think they're beautiful."
Katie snorted. "My God, you can sling the bull."
Paul lifted his eyes to hers. "I'm not bullshitting you, Katie. They're hieroglyphics. I read them and I can see where you've been and how hard you've worked to get to where you are now. They're part of you, so they're beautiful." He kissed her right hip again before spreading the afghan over the two of them and settling back down with Katie nestled in his arms.
"Care to tell me what's really going on here?"
"That IS what's really going on."
"Fine, whatever you say. But I'm not hiding this relationship forever. It's ridiculous. And insulting. If you don't want me, I know plenty of women who do."
"Like Liz Flaherty?" Katie snapped.
Paul chuckled. "Jealous?"
"Of the she wolf of the SS? Hardly. No, I just happend to know from Bitsy, who heard from Frank"- she glared at Paul-"that Liz was here angling for a ride on your joystick."
Paul looked amused. "And that bothers you."
"Of course it bothers me! You - you're -" she was painting herself into a corner.
"I'm what Katie?" Paul raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm yours?"
"Yes," Katie muttered.
"Ah. So let me make sure I'm getting this straight: I'm yours, but no one can know I'm yours. Or, no one can know I'm your until YOU want them to know I'm yours."
"It sounds awful when you put it that way!"
"That's because it IS awful, Professor." He put his arm back around her, kissing her hair. "It's awful and mean and cruel."
It felt strange, inviting Paul over to her mother's house, when she wasn't around. Traditionally, Mina was the one who brought guys home in the middle of the day. Until now, the only man Katie had eve rendezvoused with covertly at this house was the Lucky Charms leprechaun.
"Katie?"
Katie sprang up, clutching the bed sheet to her chest. What the hell was her mother doing home? She was supposed to be away all day with the church ladies! Why was it that Mina could do half the high school football team on her lunch hour and no one was event he wiser? So much for the good girl being bad....
"Oh, Katie," her mother sounded upset. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Katie sniffed. "Actually, I do. I fucked up."
"Language, dear," her mother tut-tutted.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Katie chanted defiantly. "If I want to say it, I'll say it!"
"You're right honey. You 'fuck' away all you want."
Katie lifted her head, catching her mother's eye. They both began laughing before Katie dissolved back into tears.
Paul sighed heavily. "I suppose you want me to kiss you."
"I suppose you want me to beg you."
"That usually comes later."
Katie nipped his lower lip. "Snot."
"Witch."
His lips brushed over hers slowly. Once...twice...three times, each time lingering a little more than the time before.
"I bet you think you're torturing me," Katie murmured as her body stirred to life.
"I bet you like it."
"I bet you're right."
Our heroine in this book, Katie, is a sociologist that seriously needs to have her own head examined. While she's so busy psycho-analyzing and criticizing Paul, she should take a look at herself! Although she made me crazy, I also felt for her....the burden of always feeling like the 'fat girl', the girl that always had to be 'good' and the girl that felt that she had to prove to the 'townies' that she was better than them really plays a toll on her, which in the end effects her ability to tell Paul how she really feels about him. Thankfully she DOES finally get her head out of her ass, but MAN, Deirdre Martin makes you wait until the VERY LAST MINUTE to give you the HEA (and even then....she left us hanging just a bit...)!
There were tons of laugh out loud moments in this book, and honestly, there was more emotional burden in this one, which kept me reading because I really wanted these to two to get rid of their demons and be together!
Here are a few good moments:
"Katie?" He looked up at her woozily. "What are you doing here?"
"That was my bumper you tried to kiss."
Paul chuckled, then grimaced. clearly, laughing hurt. "Getting revenge for high school, huh?"
"Actually, I thought you were trying to end it all."
"Believe me, if that was the case there are a lot more pleasant ways to go about it."
"Such as-"
"A hotel room, two hookers, some downers and a bottle of Jack Daniels."
"Nice to see you've put some thought into it," Katie said dryly.
Lying beside her, Paul propped himself up on one elbow while the fingers of his free hand brushed easily over her right hip. He slid down her body, kissing the spot he'd just caressed. "What are these?" he asked innocently.
Katie lifted her head, peering down the length of her body as Paul continued to gaze curiously at the intricate netting of pearly white lines crisscrossing her hips.
"Those are stretchmarks," she said quietly, moving to turn away from him. "From when I was fat."
Paul pulled her back toward him, pressing his mouth to the marks and letting his lips linger. "I think they're beautiful."
Katie snorted. "My God, you can sling the bull."
Paul lifted his eyes to hers. "I'm not bullshitting you, Katie. They're hieroglyphics. I read them and I can see where you've been and how hard you've worked to get to where you are now. They're part of you, so they're beautiful." He kissed her right hip again before spreading the afghan over the two of them and settling back down with Katie nestled in his arms.
"Care to tell me what's really going on here?"
"That IS what's really going on."
"Fine, whatever you say. But I'm not hiding this relationship forever. It's ridiculous. And insulting. If you don't want me, I know plenty of women who do."
"Like Liz Flaherty?" Katie snapped.
Paul chuckled. "Jealous?"
"Of the she wolf of the SS? Hardly. No, I just happend to know from Bitsy, who heard from Frank"- she glared at Paul-"that Liz was here angling for a ride on your joystick."
Paul looked amused. "And that bothers you."
"Of course it bothers me! You - you're -" she was painting herself into a corner.
"I'm what Katie?" Paul raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm yours?"
"Yes," Katie muttered.
"Ah. So let me make sure I'm getting this straight: I'm yours, but no one can know I'm yours. Or, no one can know I'm your until YOU want them to know I'm yours."
"It sounds awful when you put it that way!"
"That's because it IS awful, Professor." He put his arm back around her, kissing her hair. "It's awful and mean and cruel."
It felt strange, inviting Paul over to her mother's house, when she wasn't around. Traditionally, Mina was the one who brought guys home in the middle of the day. Until now, the only man Katie had eve rendezvoused with covertly at this house was the Lucky Charms leprechaun.
"Katie?"
Katie sprang up, clutching the bed sheet to her chest. What the hell was her mother doing home? She was supposed to be away all day with the church ladies! Why was it that Mina could do half the high school football team on her lunch hour and no one was event he wiser? So much for the good girl being bad....
"Oh, Katie," her mother sounded upset. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Katie sniffed. "Actually, I do. I fucked up."
"Language, dear," her mother tut-tutted.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Katie chanted defiantly. "If I want to say it, I'll say it!"
"You're right honey. You 'fuck' away all you want."
Katie lifted her head, catching her mother's eye. They both began laughing before Katie dissolved back into tears.
Paul sighed heavily. "I suppose you want me to kiss you."
"I suppose you want me to beg you."
"That usually comes later."
Katie nipped his lower lip. "Snot."
"Witch."
His lips brushed over hers slowly. Once...twice...three times, each time lingering a little more than the time before.
"I bet you think you're torturing me," Katie murmured as her body stirred to life.
"I bet you like it."
"I bet you're right."
March 18, 2012
Well, this book didn't get great reviews on GR either, but I actually liked it....better than the last one. It's about Paul, who you got to know a bit in a previous book, and honestly, he seemed like a real prick. It was interesting to see his personality after his hot-shot career as a hockey players ended....really not such an ass. I actually liked him pretty quickly, even though he acted like a man-whore by sleeping with that bitch Liz at the beginning, which made me want to throw up!
Our heroine in this book, Katie, is a sociologist that seriously needs to have her own head examined. While she's so busy psycho-analyzing and criticizing Paul, she should take a look at herself! Although she made me crazy, I also felt for her....the burden of always feeling like the 'fat girl', the girl that always had to be 'good' and the girl that felt that she had to prove to the 'townies' that she was better than them really plays a toll on her, which in the end effects her ability to tell Paul how she really feels about him. Thankfully she DOES finally get her head out of her ass, but MAN, Deirdre Martin makes you wait until the VERY LAST MINUTE to give you the HEA (and even then....she left us hanging just a bit...)!
There were tons of laugh out loud moments in this book, and honestly, there was more emotional burden in this one, which kept me reading because I really wanted these to two to get rid of their demons and be together!
Here are a few good moments:
"Katie?" He looked up at her woozily. "What are you doing here?"
"That was my bumper you tried to kiss."
Paul chuckled, then grimaced. clearly, laughing hurt. "Getting revenge for high school, huh?"
"Actually, I thought you were trying to end it all."
"Believe me, if that was the case there are a lot more pleasant ways to go about it."
"Such as-"
"A hotel room, two hookers, some downers and a bottle of Jack Daniels."
"Nice to see you've put some thought into it," Katie said dryly.
Lying beside her, Paul propped himself up on one elbow while the fingers of his free hand brushed easily over her right hip. He slid down her body, kissing the spot he'd just caressed. "What are these?" he asked innocently.
Katie lifted her head, peering down the length of her body as Paul continued to gaze curiously at the intricate netting of pearly white lines crisscrossing her hips.
"Those are stretchmarks," she said quietly, moving to turn away from him. "From when I was fat."
Paul pulled her back toward him, pressing his mouth to the marks and letting his lips linger. "I think they're beautiful."
Katie snorted. "My God, you can sling the bull."
Paul lifted his eyes to hers. "I'm not bullshitting you, Katie. They're hieroglyphics. I read them and I can see where you've been and how hard you've worked to get to where you are now. They're part of you, so they're beautiful." He kissed her right hip again before spreading the afghan over the two of them and settling back down with Katie nestled in his arms.
"Care to tell me what's really going on here?"
"That IS what's really going on."
"Fine, whatever you say. But I'm not hiding this relationship forever. It's ridiculous. And insulting. If you don't want me, I know plenty of women who do."
"Like Liz Flaherty?" Katie snapped.
Paul chuckled. "Jealous?"
"Of the she wolf of the SS? Hardly. No, I just happend to know from Bitsy, who heard from Frank"- she glared at Paul-"that Liz was here angling for a ride on your joystick."
Paul looked amused. "And that bothers you."
"Of course it bothers me! You - you're -" she was painting herself into a corner.
"I'm what Katie?" Paul raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm yours?"
"Yes," Katie muttered.
"Ah. So let me make sure I'm getting this straight: I'm yours, but no one can know I'm yours. Or, no one can know I'm your until YOU want them to know I'm yours."
"It sounds awful when you put it that way!"
"That's because it IS awful, Professor." He put his arm back around her, kissing her hair. "It's awful and mean and cruel."
It felt strange, inviting Paul over to her mother's house, when she wasn't around. Traditionally, Mina was the one who brought guys home in the middle of the day. Until now, the only man Katie had eve rendezvoused with covertly at this house was the Lucky Charms leprechaun.
"Katie?"
Katie sprang up, clutching the bed sheet to her chest. What the hell was her mother doing home? She was supposed to be away all day with the church ladies! Why was it that Mina could do half the high school football team on her lunch hour and no one was event he wiser? So much for the good girl being bad....
"Oh, Katie," her mother sounded upset. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Katie sniffed. "Actually, I do. I fucked up."
"Language, dear," her mother tut-tutted.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Katie chanted defiantly. "If I want to say it, I'll say it!"
"You're right honey. You 'fuck' away all you want."
Katie lifted her head, catching her mother's eye. They both began laughing before Katie dissolved back into tears.
Paul sighed heavily. "I suppose you want me to kiss you."
"I suppose you want me to beg you."
"That usually comes later."
Katie nipped his lower lip. "Snot."
"Witch."
His lips brushed over hers slowly. Once...twice...three times, each time lingering a little more than the time before.
"I bet you think you're torturing me," Katie murmured as her body stirred to life.
"I bet you like it."
"I bet you're right."
Our heroine in this book, Katie, is a sociologist that seriously needs to have her own head examined. While she's so busy psycho-analyzing and criticizing Paul, she should take a look at herself! Although she made me crazy, I also felt for her....the burden of always feeling like the 'fat girl', the girl that always had to be 'good' and the girl that felt that she had to prove to the 'townies' that she was better than them really plays a toll on her, which in the end effects her ability to tell Paul how she really feels about him. Thankfully she DOES finally get her head out of her ass, but MAN, Deirdre Martin makes you wait until the VERY LAST MINUTE to give you the HEA (and even then....she left us hanging just a bit...)!
There were tons of laugh out loud moments in this book, and honestly, there was more emotional burden in this one, which kept me reading because I really wanted these to two to get rid of their demons and be together!
Here are a few good moments:
"Katie?" He looked up at her woozily. "What are you doing here?"
"That was my bumper you tried to kiss."
Paul chuckled, then grimaced. clearly, laughing hurt. "Getting revenge for high school, huh?"
"Actually, I thought you were trying to end it all."
"Believe me, if that was the case there are a lot more pleasant ways to go about it."
"Such as-"
"A hotel room, two hookers, some downers and a bottle of Jack Daniels."
"Nice to see you've put some thought into it," Katie said dryly.
Lying beside her, Paul propped himself up on one elbow while the fingers of his free hand brushed easily over her right hip. He slid down her body, kissing the spot he'd just caressed. "What are these?" he asked innocently.
Katie lifted her head, peering down the length of her body as Paul continued to gaze curiously at the intricate netting of pearly white lines crisscrossing her hips.
"Those are stretchmarks," she said quietly, moving to turn away from him. "From when I was fat."
Paul pulled her back toward him, pressing his mouth to the marks and letting his lips linger. "I think they're beautiful."
Katie snorted. "My God, you can sling the bull."
Paul lifted his eyes to hers. "I'm not bullshitting you, Katie. They're hieroglyphics. I read them and I can see where you've been and how hard you've worked to get to where you are now. They're part of you, so they're beautiful." He kissed her right hip again before spreading the afghan over the two of them and settling back down with Katie nestled in his arms.
"Care to tell me what's really going on here?"
"That IS what's really going on."
"Fine, whatever you say. But I'm not hiding this relationship forever. It's ridiculous. And insulting. If you don't want me, I know plenty of women who do."
"Like Liz Flaherty?" Katie snapped.
Paul chuckled. "Jealous?"
"Of the she wolf of the SS? Hardly. No, I just happend to know from Bitsy, who heard from Frank"- she glared at Paul-"that Liz was here angling for a ride on your joystick."
Paul looked amused. "And that bothers you."
"Of course it bothers me! You - you're -" she was painting herself into a corner.
"I'm what Katie?" Paul raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm yours?"
"Yes," Katie muttered.
"Ah. So let me make sure I'm getting this straight: I'm yours, but no one can know I'm yours. Or, no one can know I'm your until YOU want them to know I'm yours."
"It sounds awful when you put it that way!"
"That's because it IS awful, Professor." He put his arm back around her, kissing her hair. "It's awful and mean and cruel."
It felt strange, inviting Paul over to her mother's house, when she wasn't around. Traditionally, Mina was the one who brought guys home in the middle of the day. Until now, the only man Katie had eve rendezvoused with covertly at this house was the Lucky Charms leprechaun.
"Katie?"
Katie sprang up, clutching the bed sheet to her chest. What the hell was her mother doing home? She was supposed to be away all day with the church ladies! Why was it that Mina could do half the high school football team on her lunch hour and no one was event he wiser? So much for the good girl being bad....
"Oh, Katie," her mother sounded upset. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Katie sniffed. "Actually, I do. I fucked up."
"Language, dear," her mother tut-tutted.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Katie chanted defiantly. "If I want to say it, I'll say it!"
"You're right honey. You 'fuck' away all you want."
Katie lifted her head, catching her mother's eye. They both began laughing before Katie dissolved back into tears.
Paul sighed heavily. "I suppose you want me to kiss you."
"I suppose you want me to beg you."
"That usually comes later."
Katie nipped his lower lip. "Snot."
"Witch."
His lips brushed over hers slowly. Once...twice...three times, each time lingering a little more than the time before.
"I bet you think you're torturing me," Katie murmured as her body stirred to life.
"I bet you like it."
"I bet you're right."
January 12, 2018
I found The Penalty Box abandoned in a unused hospital room and decided to take a chance on it.
Everything about this book is predictable and Mary Sue, but the writing's good and there is some genuinely funny moments and dialogue that made me like this book more than I probably would otherwise.
I love a book that brings on the funny, and this one definitely delivers, so I can't complain.
Everything about this book is predictable and Mary Sue, but the writing's good and there is some genuinely funny moments and dialogue that made me like this book more than I probably would otherwise.
I love a book that brings on the funny, and this one definitely delivers, so I can't complain.
January 19, 2019
Unfortunately, I'm going to have to DNF this one on page 145 (42%). I don't like the characters and don't like the story. Rating it 2 stars because I enjoyed the book in the beginning and I'm basing off my ratings for the other books in the series. I don't think I'll continue with the series though as it's just not my thing anymore.
December 5, 2022
The Penalty Box by Deirdre Martin is a romance plus a touch of contemporary Women’s Fiction. We have the romantic struggle of the lead characters, Katie and Paul, but we also have Katie’s sister Mina struggling to keep clean with drugs and alcohol to keep her son Tuck. Most of Martin’s characters are dealing with their pasts in order to figure out their futures.
Martin creates fully fleshed out characters the readers care about. I’d say the reader cares as much for Tuck as they do the romantic couple. The author packs some surprises in the story as well as humor. The themes are real. The story believable. How do we deal with bullying? How do we decide to make changes in our lives for the better? How do we stop living in the past to be able to see a future? And then there is the bite of addiction. It is not easy to break addiction. The author successfully shows how it can affect the ones we love.
The Penalty Box by Deirdre Martin is a deep book. The story moves along crisply. If you’re looking for an interesting read, then this is the book for you.
Martin creates fully fleshed out characters the readers care about. I’d say the reader cares as much for Tuck as they do the romantic couple. The author packs some surprises in the story as well as humor. The themes are real. The story believable. How do we deal with bullying? How do we decide to make changes in our lives for the better? How do we stop living in the past to be able to see a future? And then there is the bite of addiction. It is not easy to break addiction. The author successfully shows how it can affect the ones we love.
The Penalty Box by Deirdre Martin is a deep book. The story moves along crisply. If you’re looking for an interesting read, then this is the book for you.
Read
February 6, 2026☀️☀️☀️🌤️
honestly, for a hockey romance that came out in 06/07…this was so good! i read it in 5 days which i think is a new personal best and like. the plot was always moving, it had good depth. i would suggest it to people looking to get into hockey romance.
honestly, for a hockey romance that came out in 06/07…this was so good! i read it in 5 days which i think is a new personal best and like. the plot was always moving, it had good depth. i would suggest it to people looking to get into hockey romance.
November 9, 2016
La prota esta obsesionada con sus antiguos problemas de peso y me ha sacado de quicio. No se salva casi nada del libro Me costo horrores acabaarlo
1/10
1/10
August 30, 2020
I love Deirdre Martin’s New York Blades series. I own the entire series. I bought them when they came out and got them out and decided to read them again.
November 6, 2023
I strongly disliked the heroine. She was a total snob, and not one every brought her down to earth. The main characters had no chemistry.
February 2, 2024
A bit shallow and focussed on appearance
August 13, 2025
liked the story. enjoyed the progression in their relationship.
May 16, 2011
Hmmm, I wish I could say I loved this book, but it just isn't the case. It wasn't as good as the first two books in the series, but it was marginally better than the third.
In 'The Penalty Box' we meet two new characters in the series - Katie Fisher and Paul van Dorn. The story starts off with the high school reunion for Dibsbury High. Katie reluctantly attends. She's a successful professor now and a knock-out stunner to boot but back in her high school days she was over weight and the butt of countless jokes and taunts. One of her harassers being the high school hockey star and hottie Paul van Dorn.
Just like the school days, Paul is the centre of attention at the reunion, and he's even more handsome than he was at school. He was at the top of his NHL career when he took one too many hits to the head and was forced to retire. Now he runs The Penalty Box, a bar in downtown Didsbury that is a temple for his glory days and brings in crowds of adoring fans.
Katie is a sociologist writing a book on male sporting stars and Paul makes a perfect case study. Unfortunately she is also incredibly attracted to him. Soon they fall head over heels for each other but predictably, there are problems. Katie thinks Paul is stuck in the past - reliving his glory days with no goals for his future. Paul thinks Katie is stuck on the future, refusing to acknowledge her painful past. This proves to be the basis of their discontent.
To add to the story, Katie's sister is struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and is in and out of rehab. Consequently, Katie has taken over the raising of her beloved nephew - who becomes the star player of the squirts hockey team - coached by Paul. There is a nice relationship between Paul and Tuck (the nephew) and the story of Katie's sister Mina and her boyfriend Snake is interesting but frankly, Katie is a snob and she stuffs nice guy Paul around one too many times for my liking. If I was him I would have headed for the hills long ago. It became a little too much for me. As the story progressed I felt that he was such a nice guy and loved her so much and she thought she was so much better than him. When they eventually got back together for the (very speedy) happy ending, I felt sorry for him. Not a good outcome for a romance novel! Deidre Martin can do better. Hopefully the next book in the series proves me right.
In 'The Penalty Box' we meet two new characters in the series - Katie Fisher and Paul van Dorn. The story starts off with the high school reunion for Dibsbury High. Katie reluctantly attends. She's a successful professor now and a knock-out stunner to boot but back in her high school days she was over weight and the butt of countless jokes and taunts. One of her harassers being the high school hockey star and hottie Paul van Dorn.
Just like the school days, Paul is the centre of attention at the reunion, and he's even more handsome than he was at school. He was at the top of his NHL career when he took one too many hits to the head and was forced to retire. Now he runs The Penalty Box, a bar in downtown Didsbury that is a temple for his glory days and brings in crowds of adoring fans.
Katie is a sociologist writing a book on male sporting stars and Paul makes a perfect case study. Unfortunately she is also incredibly attracted to him. Soon they fall head over heels for each other but predictably, there are problems. Katie thinks Paul is stuck in the past - reliving his glory days with no goals for his future. Paul thinks Katie is stuck on the future, refusing to acknowledge her painful past. This proves to be the basis of their discontent.
To add to the story, Katie's sister is struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and is in and out of rehab. Consequently, Katie has taken over the raising of her beloved nephew - who becomes the star player of the squirts hockey team - coached by Paul. There is a nice relationship between Paul and Tuck (the nephew) and the story of Katie's sister Mina and her boyfriend Snake is interesting but frankly, Katie is a snob and she stuffs nice guy Paul around one too many times for my liking. If I was him I would have headed for the hills long ago. It became a little too much for me. As the story progressed I felt that he was such a nice guy and loved her so much and she thought she was so much better than him. When they eventually got back together for the (very speedy) happy ending, I felt sorry for him. Not a good outcome for a romance novel! Deidre Martin can do better. Hopefully the next book in the series proves me right.
July 25, 2012
What is it about a Deirdre Martin book that I get giddy excited just reading the first sentence of the book? The character of Katie and Paul are classic Deirdre Martin, real- with all their flaws and insecurities.
I was a little astonished at how soon Katie gets over her embarrassment and nervousness around Paul; they end up sleeping together on their second date, the first date she ended up throwing up.
Have I mentioned I love the humor Deirdre Martin writes in her books, because I do, I really do. I laughed myself silly when Katie and Paul are busted having an afternoon sleepover by Katie's mom, really great comedic scenes. The situations she puts her characters into could be taken right out of everyday life and the way they react is so normal and real. Well real if every lady had an ex-NHLer drooling after them as is the case in this book.
Oh God, a big thank-you to the character "Snake" for giving one of the best lines I have read in 2009: "Sports ain’t macho unless something dies.” Anyway I like how Martin always pairs hilarious situations with a side storyline which involves a deep emotional real-life problem. In this case Katie's sister is a recovering druggie who is in rehab while her son is staying with their mom and Katie is helping to take care of him. Emotional stuff which somewhat steals the spotlight from the romance storyline of the book, but done so well I didn't really mind.
This book is all about if you can go home again, family dynamics, coming to terms with your past and future, and what you really want out of life. Sometimes the romance aspect of the story takes a backseat, but I didn't mind, well ok I started to mind when the last 30 pages or so had basically no interaction between Katie and Paul. The ending was a bit abrupt and a tad unsatisfactory, give me a little more here Martin! However, I love books which make you feel, think, and question what is important in your own life; this book certainly does all that. The first 90% of the book was really great and even though the last 10% of the book started to drag with its lack of romance, I am still going to make this book a personal keeper. (My love for the NHL absolutely didn't influence this decision at all, really....ok maybe a little)
A-
I was a little astonished at how soon Katie gets over her embarrassment and nervousness around Paul; they end up sleeping together on their second date, the first date she ended up throwing up.
Have I mentioned I love the humor Deirdre Martin writes in her books, because I do, I really do. I laughed myself silly when Katie and Paul are busted having an afternoon sleepover by Katie's mom, really great comedic scenes. The situations she puts her characters into could be taken right out of everyday life and the way they react is so normal and real. Well real if every lady had an ex-NHLer drooling after them as is the case in this book.
Oh God, a big thank-you to the character "Snake" for giving one of the best lines I have read in 2009: "Sports ain’t macho unless something dies.” Anyway I like how Martin always pairs hilarious situations with a side storyline which involves a deep emotional real-life problem. In this case Katie's sister is a recovering druggie who is in rehab while her son is staying with their mom and Katie is helping to take care of him. Emotional stuff which somewhat steals the spotlight from the romance storyline of the book, but done so well I didn't really mind.
This book is all about if you can go home again, family dynamics, coming to terms with your past and future, and what you really want out of life. Sometimes the romance aspect of the story takes a backseat, but I didn't mind, well ok I started to mind when the last 30 pages or so had basically no interaction between Katie and Paul. The ending was a bit abrupt and a tad unsatisfactory, give me a little more here Martin! However, I love books which make you feel, think, and question what is important in your own life; this book certainly does all that. The first 90% of the book was really great and even though the last 10% of the book started to drag with its lack of romance, I am still going to make this book a personal keeper. (My love for the NHL absolutely didn't influence this decision at all, really....ok maybe a little)
A-
April 24, 2015
***Minor Spoilers***
Although I enjoyed other books in this series, it was very hard to finish this book.
The characters lack depth and connection, their bickering is exhausting instead of being witty and amusing.
Ultimately, what bothered me about this book was that the characters aren't likable. The female lead is a woman who used to be overweight and bullied in high school, but has since become a hot university professor. When she returns to her home town to take care of her nephew she sparks a romance with a former jock turned retired NHL player who used to bully her in high school but likes her now because she's hot.
She somehow doesn't seem to mind that he bullied her because of her weight, as he likes her now that she's skinny so she forgives him instantaneously for being shallow and mean to people who are overweight. Their new problem then is that she is now ashamed of him because he's a 'townie' stuck in their tiny pond of a home town, which doesn't have a starbucks, a fact we can't forget as she bemoans it the entire novel. To conclude, this is a romance between a shallow former jock hanging onto his glory days and a snobby vain woman who is obsessive about her weight due to her prior ostracization, and still longs for the approval of the cruel and shallow people who made her adolescence difficult, instead of befriending people who find merit in attributes apart from beauty.
Basically, this book is what would happen if the girl from the Princess Diaries dated the jock and not the guy who really liked her, after her make-over. Apart from the shallowness of the main characters, the other characters are flat, and somehow none of the main character's friends or relatives think that it's weird that she's dating the man that used to torment her.
*Apologies for the rant-y nature of the review, I have issues with weak female leads, as I believe them to have strong negative influences on how women think they should behave, and how they think they can be treated.*
Although I enjoyed other books in this series, it was very hard to finish this book.
The characters lack depth and connection, their bickering is exhausting instead of being witty and amusing.
Ultimately, what bothered me about this book was that the characters aren't likable. The female lead is a woman who used to be overweight and bullied in high school, but has since become a hot university professor. When she returns to her home town to take care of her nephew she sparks a romance with a former jock turned retired NHL player who used to bully her in high school but likes her now because she's hot.
She somehow doesn't seem to mind that he bullied her because of her weight, as he likes her now that she's skinny so she forgives him instantaneously for being shallow and mean to people who are overweight. Their new problem then is that she is now ashamed of him because he's a 'townie' stuck in their tiny pond of a home town, which doesn't have a starbucks, a fact we can't forget as she bemoans it the entire novel. To conclude, this is a romance between a shallow former jock hanging onto his glory days and a snobby vain woman who is obsessive about her weight due to her prior ostracization, and still longs for the approval of the cruel and shallow people who made her adolescence difficult, instead of befriending people who find merit in attributes apart from beauty.
Basically, this book is what would happen if the girl from the Princess Diaries dated the jock and not the guy who really liked her, after her make-over. Apart from the shallowness of the main characters, the other characters are flat, and somehow none of the main character's friends or relatives think that it's weird that she's dating the man that used to torment her.
*Apologies for the rant-y nature of the review, I have issues with weak female leads, as I believe them to have strong negative influences on how women think they should behave, and how they think they can be treated.*
January 10, 2017
Paul is retired from the New York Blades; he goes home where he opens a sports bar. He is the hero of the town and bored out of his mind, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He gets drunk and sleeps with an old girlfriend, sneaking out of her house after her son finds him the next morning. Katie used to be the fat smart girl, she moves out of town goes to college loses the weight and becomes a hot professor. Katie comes back to help her mom with her nephew and maybe go to her schools class reunion. When Paul and Katie see each other again, they find out that they are very different people than they used to be. The two start dating while Katie tries to help take care of her nephew. An ex of Pauls tries to get between them; now that she is divorced she wants Paul. Katie doesn’t want to move back to her hometown and Paul wants to stay so he can continue being a hometown hero. While they both like each other, they have a hard time figuring out what they really want. I liked Katie she worked really hard to become the woman that she wanted to be. Even though it is not her responsibility, she changes her whole life to take care of her nephew. Paul was a annoying in the beginning, but he became less so towards the end. I did like how the author had a story of a retired player, but I had a hard time dealing with Pauls selfishness. Katie was selfish in her own way, but she has things up easier than the rest of the characters. The Penalty Box was ok, but I had a hard time reading about the drug addicted mom. While the main characters did have chemistry I think they had to try to hard to be together.
December 30, 2010
This was the third book in the NY Blades series. As I mentioned in a previous post, Martin is fast becoming one of my go-to authors. The book before this one, Fair Play, was my top choice for 2010. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I think this one was one of my bottom choices for the month. I finished the book because I really wanted to find out what happened in the end. But if I’m being honest, the romance didn’t seem realistic, nor did the ending. I didn’t care about the characters because they all annoyed me so much!
I think what kept me reading this book was the side story with Tuck. He was a nine year-old nephew of the heroine and the recipient of much neglect from his drug-abusive mother. The whole story I was hoping that things would be better for him (I won’t spill how that storyline ends), but the direction the book took with his story just didn’t do it for me. I have a special place in my heart for kids who suffer from neglect because I grew up with quite of few Tucks in my hometown.
I’m sorry Deirdre, but I couldn’t get into this book. I really, really wanted to, especially following Fair Play. I think that book was almost too good–I got spoiled. That book also set up Paul van Dorn as a real jerk, so I had a hard time feeling any sort of sympathy for him. We had never met his love interest, Katie Fisher, before, but again, I didn’t feel sympathetic to her because she annoyed me with the constant weight issues. Argh! I’ll stop now…
I think what kept me reading this book was the side story with Tuck. He was a nine year-old nephew of the heroine and the recipient of much neglect from his drug-abusive mother. The whole story I was hoping that things would be better for him (I won’t spill how that storyline ends), but the direction the book took with his story just didn’t do it for me. I have a special place in my heart for kids who suffer from neglect because I grew up with quite of few Tucks in my hometown.
I’m sorry Deirdre, but I couldn’t get into this book. I really, really wanted to, especially following Fair Play. I think that book was almost too good–I got spoiled. That book also set up Paul van Dorn as a real jerk, so I had a hard time feeling any sort of sympathy for him. We had never met his love interest, Katie Fisher, before, but again, I didn’t feel sympathetic to her because she annoyed me with the constant weight issues. Argh! I’ll stop now…
March 16, 2014
I love nerd/jock stories. I'm a sucker for them. Although I had decided last year to skip any more of this series, when I ran across this one, i had to read it. And I am glad that I did, it was enjoyable.
Although Katie also lived in a world of Denial (I've only read two books this year and both have Katherine's that live in a world of denial), I enjoyed her much more because she admits to her mistakes and accepts the consequences without doing a complete 180. I loved the nerd and the sociology angle. To be honest, that would be a sociology book I would be interested in reading. I loved that there was hockey in the novel-as it should (one of my issues with a prior-read book) but I liked that it wasn't necessarily the Blades hockey team. I enjoyed that there are flawed characters-something that Martin does well and not all of them find tidy closure.
I liked Paul although I didn't like that his real interest in Katie didn't occur until she was 'hot' and only that brief 'he'd always liked Katie...' bit. But I liked that he made bad decisions (one night stand with Liz) as well as good ones (SPOILER; breaking up with Katie to save himself the pain but not being a dick to her about it or after END SPOILER).
I also liked that the relationship kept growing even when they were not actually together and that the "love" wasn't instant. I liked that it was allowed to grow in normal time like a normal relationship.
Although Katie also lived in a world of Denial (I've only read two books this year and both have Katherine's that live in a world of denial), I enjoyed her much more because she admits to her mistakes and accepts the consequences without doing a complete 180. I loved the nerd and the sociology angle. To be honest, that would be a sociology book I would be interested in reading. I loved that there was hockey in the novel-as it should (one of my issues with a prior-read book) but I liked that it wasn't necessarily the Blades hockey team. I enjoyed that there are flawed characters-something that Martin does well and not all of them find tidy closure.
I liked Paul although I didn't like that his real interest in Katie didn't occur until she was 'hot' and only that brief 'he'd always liked Katie...' bit. But I liked that he made bad decisions (one night stand with Liz) as well as good ones (SPOILER; breaking up with Katie to save himself the pain but not being a dick to her about it or after END SPOILER).
I also liked that the relationship kept growing even when they were not actually together and that the "love" wasn't instant. I liked that it was allowed to grow in normal time like a normal relationship.
May 4, 2015
I don't like to abandon any book, but I couldn't finish this one. I didn't like the characters and the plot wasn't working for me either. The main character comes back to her hometown where she used to be an outcast because she was poor, fat, and nerdy. She's still poor (she's a professor, not much money in that, although the author seems to think there is) and she's still very much a nerd. But, miracle of miracles, she's not fat anymore and that makes everything all right. The boy who used to pick on her in high school now thinks she's hot and can't wait to be with her even though they have nothing in common and have a horrible first date - after she hits him with her car. And she's ready to forgive all because who could blame him for torturing a fat chick, after all?
I would have liked the story better if she had come back fat and confident. Why is it that characters can find love in romance novels no matter what's wrong with them, as long as they aren't fat? She doesn't need redemption, she needs self esteem. Enough self esteem that she doesn't hook up with the jerk jock just because she can now and couldn't before. Where will that guy be if she gains a few pounds?
I don't know how the book ends, nor do I care. Give me characters I can care about. The only one in the book I liked was the main character's mom who gets no respect despite doing her best. The psychology in this book was all wrong, and that is why I'm abandoning it.
I would have liked the story better if she had come back fat and confident. Why is it that characters can find love in romance novels no matter what's wrong with them, as long as they aren't fat? She doesn't need redemption, she needs self esteem. Enough self esteem that she doesn't hook up with the jerk jock just because she can now and couldn't before. Where will that guy be if she gains a few pounds?
I don't know how the book ends, nor do I care. Give me characters I can care about. The only one in the book I liked was the main character's mom who gets no respect despite doing her best. The psychology in this book was all wrong, and that is why I'm abandoning it.
February 22, 2012
The Penalty Box has a very promising premise: The nerdy overweight girl from high school has returned to town for the 10 year reunion and she's now this super hot chick with a fabulous job. After running into the most popular guy/jock who used to torment her in school hijinks ensue. A predictable outline, but not bad.
Unfortunately for The Penalty Box the characters start to wear on the reader after about a third of the book. There's only so much of listening to Katie discuss how much she wants to not repeat her past and how much Paul wishes he were still living his before you get bored. Then there is Mina, Katie's sister, who is just a complete bitch the entire book. Regardless of the fact that she is going through rehab and then trying to sort her life out, she had absolutely no redeeming qualities. I found myself thinking that if she died everybody in the story would be better off without her. The flow of the book was felt very jilted at times too. I felt like sometimes the story went from A to D without every explaining B and C.
Overall, I doubt that I would ever read this again and I'd be very hesitant to read anything else from Deirdre Martin if this is how she normally writes.
Unfortunately for The Penalty Box the characters start to wear on the reader after about a third of the book. There's only so much of listening to Katie discuss how much she wants to not repeat her past and how much Paul wishes he were still living his before you get bored. Then there is Mina, Katie's sister, who is just a complete bitch the entire book. Regardless of the fact that she is going through rehab and then trying to sort her life out, she had absolutely no redeeming qualities. I found myself thinking that if she died everybody in the story would be better off without her. The flow of the book was felt very jilted at times too. I felt like sometimes the story went from A to D without every explaining B and C.
Overall, I doubt that I would ever read this again and I'd be very hesitant to read anything else from Deirdre Martin if this is how she normally writes.
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