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New York Blades #1
Body Check
This game's going into overtime.
Janna MacNeil is a publicist on a mission to change the image of the bad boys of hockey: the Stanley Cup Champion New York Blades.
Ty Gallagher is a captain on a mission— to get his team to win the Cup again... at any cost. His determination is legendary, as well as his unwillingness to toe the corporate line.
When the persistent publicist and the stubborn captain butt heads, it's hard enough to crack the ice. But they may end up melting it instead...
Janna MacNeil is a publicist on a mission to change the image of the bad boys of hockey: the Stanley Cup Champion New York Blades.
Ty Gallagher is a captain on a mission— to get his team to win the Cup again... at any cost. His determination is legendary, as well as his unwillingness to toe the corporate line.
When the persistent publicist and the stubborn captain butt heads, it's hard enough to crack the ice. But they may end up melting it instead...
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 25, 2003
103 people are currently reading
6279 people want to read
About the author
Deirdre Martin
29 books580 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 254 reviews
March 9, 2012
I went into reading this book because I had just finished The Chinooks hockey series and was craving for more. However I must say I'm pretty disappointed.
The plot is pretty much as simple as the summary says: Janna is hired as a PR Assistant for the New York Blades Hockey team to revamp their team's image after a series of bad PR after winning the Stanley Cup. However, she constantly finds herself butting heads with team captain, Ty Gallagher, who refuses to play the corporate game of PR and living for the press.
Usually I get pretty into stories but I must say I couldn't really for this one. The characters were beyond underdeveloped, to the point where I didn't even think they should end up together because they felt so wrong for one another. Maybe it's because Deirdre's book spanned the entire hockey season, but a ton of parts felt skipped over and the only parts that were emphasized only seemed to emphasize how not into one another Janna and Ty were, how much they didn't care about one another, and thus how they should not end up together.
Ty was a complete jerk, both in and out of the relationship, both before, during, and after. Actually he was okay before it, but during and afterwards... Janna would come to him to vent and have a real relationship and he just wouldn't really care and would think of ways to get rid of her. In describing this later on, Janna says "Ty really listened to her," which seems to me at leas the complete opposite of what happened. In the end, Ty comes back and gets everything handed to him so easily, just the way he wanted it. It all just rubbed me the wrong way, and the way he treated her feels like the way he would have treated any other girl he didn't really care about and didn't love or want anything from beyond a physical, casual, fun relationship.
Janna, on the other hand... I am all for insecurities. I like emo things that clench my insides because I understand how they're feeling. So that part didn't bother me. What did bother me was her unrealistic expectations of Ty. She enters into a casual relationship saying that's all she wants, and then she runs to Ty with her life problems, vents them all out, and expects him to help her deal with them. And then she tells him she loves him and expects him to respond. Really? There needs to be at least some kind of buildup other than just that. It doesn't make sense and it is not reasonable for her to expect more than just a casual relationship from Ty when that is what she JUST agreed to.
All in all, this was a pretty bad story. I would not recommend buying this, especially for $8. And I'm undecided whether I even want to continue with this series, despite how much I love reading the hockey series type stories.
The plot is pretty much as simple as the summary says: Janna is hired as a PR Assistant for the New York Blades Hockey team to revamp their team's image after a series of bad PR after winning the Stanley Cup. However, she constantly finds herself butting heads with team captain, Ty Gallagher, who refuses to play the corporate game of PR and living for the press.
Usually I get pretty into stories but I must say I couldn't really for this one. The characters were beyond underdeveloped, to the point where I didn't even think they should end up together because they felt so wrong for one another. Maybe it's because Deirdre's book spanned the entire hockey season, but a ton of parts felt skipped over and the only parts that were emphasized only seemed to emphasize how not into one another Janna and Ty were, how much they didn't care about one another, and thus how they should not end up together.
Ty was a complete jerk, both in and out of the relationship, both before, during, and after. Actually he was okay before it, but during and afterwards... Janna would come to him to vent and have a real relationship and he just wouldn't really care and would think of ways to get rid of her. In describing this later on, Janna says "Ty really listened to her," which seems to me at leas the complete opposite of what happened. In the end, Ty comes back and gets everything handed to him so easily, just the way he wanted it. It all just rubbed me the wrong way, and the way he treated her feels like the way he would have treated any other girl he didn't really care about and didn't love or want anything from beyond a physical, casual, fun relationship.
Janna, on the other hand... I am all for insecurities. I like emo things that clench my insides because I understand how they're feeling. So that part didn't bother me. What did bother me was her unrealistic expectations of Ty. She enters into a casual relationship saying that's all she wants, and then she runs to Ty with her life problems, vents them all out, and expects him to help her deal with them. And then she tells him she loves him and expects him to respond. Really? There needs to be at least some kind of buildup other than just that. It doesn't make sense and it is not reasonable for her to expect more than just a casual relationship from Ty when that is what she JUST agreed to.
All in all, this was a pretty bad story. I would not recommend buying this, especially for $8. And I'm undecided whether I even want to continue with this series, despite how much I love reading the hockey series type stories.
October 30, 2014
This is how I feel about this book:
Any idea where to get a basilisk tooth?
As I was starting to read this shit (further on I will refer to this "book" as shit, because that's what it is), I made a status update saying how I'm a sucker for these kind of stories, meaning sports stars falling for smart, confident heroines and their journey together. I've read a couple so far, by Rachel Gibson and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and I loved every one. So when GR recommended this shit, I thought why not, I liked the ones before, they're not that different, surely I'll like this, right? Wrong.
There were so many things bothering me with this shit, these 19 234 characters I have left to write my review will not suffice. Hell, a million characters wouldn't be enough. So I have to keep it simple by writing a list.
1. How Deidre Martin portrayed foreigners. There is this bad guy from Russia (I felt I was in a bad action movie from mid 90s), which is according to Martin still stuck somewhere in the Cold War. Anyway, he speaks and behaves like a Neanderthal and we're supposed to feel sorry for him, because as Janna nicely puts it:
Yes, because in Mother Russia while courting a woman, a man roars, bangs his chest three times and pulls her by her hair to his cave.
Or take Ty's housekeeper, Mrs. Inez. A nice old lady, working for a long time for Ty, yet she still speaks English like she just got her Green Card.
You know how this makes me feel, as a foreign reader? Pissed.
2. Ty something (I couldn't care less about their names; I called them by my nicknames anyway), a.k.a. juvenile hot shot douche. Ty has to be the worst hero I have ever encountered. There was no reasoning with him, he did what he wanted, made Janna's life miserable. He also behaved like a Neanderthal and a douche bag. I could understand his behavior if he had a troubled life, but no, he was a jerk just because he can. I was supposed to believe he is a grown man, thirty-three years old, yet all I can say is maybe he looked thirty-three, but he was sixteen in his mind.
3. Janna something-else, a.k.a. tough doormat. Why this, oh, so clever oxymoron? Well, in every other aspect of her life you could say Janna was tough, unrelenting. Maybe insecure, but hey, who isn't? And then she falls in love with Ty and lets him walk all over her. I mean in all directions. Up and down, left and right, put a good stomp in the middle. It was always Janna seeking Ty out, apologizing, waiting on him, caring about him. It was like she had zero self-esteem around Ty.
This is kind of a spoiler, but I don't recommend this shit to anyone, so you decide if you should read on.
4. The almost rape issue. The Neanderthal from Russia almost rapes Janna's shallow friend/roommate/business partner Theresa. Theresa ends with a bruise on her cheek and scared shitless. Theresa wants to sue the shit out of TNfR. Everyone in his team and club doubts Theresa and takes TNfR's side. This issue drags on for a couple of chapters until the ultimate douche, Ty, talks Theresa into dropping the lawsuit and going for a settlement. Why? Because, according to Ty, she will never win in court. But no worries Theresa, Ty The Chief Justice, will make him pay by disgracing him with his team. Because that's just the kind of punishment for a rapist/abuser. Yes, TNfR is so frightened now, he will never, ever do the same thing again to another woman. After the confrontation in the locker room, we never hear of it again.
5. Cliches, cliches everywhere. Lou, the PR chief or whatever. Italian, big, loud, eats lots of unhealthy food. Jack, Janna's arch-nemesis, jealous, mean. Skyler and something else, Janna's mean big sisters, gorgeous, tall, beautiful, while Janna's just plain, small, awkward. Theresa, the crazy best friend & roommate, also gorgeous and beautiful. Robert, Janna's friend with benefits, a poet, misunderstood, wannabe French.
It keeps going on, and on, and on, until your brain explodes.
Body Check inspired me to create a new shelf, dedicated to crappy books, so I guess it's got that going for it. I wouldn't recommend this shit to anyone; no one deserves this kind of suffering.
Any idea where to get a basilisk tooth?
As I was starting to read this shit (further on I will refer to this "book" as shit, because that's what it is), I made a status update saying how I'm a sucker for these kind of stories, meaning sports stars falling for smart, confident heroines and their journey together. I've read a couple so far, by Rachel Gibson and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and I loved every one. So when GR recommended this shit, I thought why not, I liked the ones before, they're not that different, surely I'll like this, right? Wrong.
There were so many things bothering me with this shit, these 19 234 characters I have left to write my review will not suffice. Hell, a million characters wouldn't be enough. So I have to keep it simple by writing a list.
1. How Deidre Martin portrayed foreigners. There is this bad guy from Russia (I felt I was in a bad action movie from mid 90s), which is according to Martin still stuck somewhere in the Cold War. Anyway, he speaks and behaves like a Neanderthal and we're supposed to feel sorry for him, because as Janna nicely puts it:
Half his problem is he doesn't understand how things work in this country, least of all interactions between men and women.
Yes, because in Mother Russia while courting a woman, a man roars, bangs his chest three times and pulls her by her hair to his cave.
Or take Ty's housekeeper, Mrs. Inez. A nice old lady, working for a long time for Ty, yet she still speaks English like she just got her Green Card.
You know how this makes me feel, as a foreign reader? Pissed.
2. Ty something (I couldn't care less about their names; I called them by my nicknames anyway), a.k.a. juvenile hot shot douche. Ty has to be the worst hero I have ever encountered. There was no reasoning with him, he did what he wanted, made Janna's life miserable. He also behaved like a Neanderthal and a douche bag. I could understand his behavior if he had a troubled life, but no, he was a jerk just because he can. I was supposed to believe he is a grown man, thirty-three years old, yet all I can say is maybe he looked thirty-three, but he was sixteen in his mind.
3. Janna something-else, a.k.a. tough doormat. Why this, oh, so clever oxymoron? Well, in every other aspect of her life you could say Janna was tough, unrelenting. Maybe insecure, but hey, who isn't? And then she falls in love with Ty and lets him walk all over her. I mean in all directions. Up and down, left and right, put a good stomp in the middle. It was always Janna seeking Ty out, apologizing, waiting on him, caring about him. It was like she had zero self-esteem around Ty.
This is kind of a spoiler, but I don't recommend this shit to anyone, so you decide if you should read on.
4. The almost rape issue. The Neanderthal from Russia almost rapes Janna's shallow friend/roommate/business partner Theresa. Theresa ends with a bruise on her cheek and scared shitless. Theresa wants to sue the shit out of TNfR. Everyone in his team and club doubts Theresa and takes TNfR's side. This issue drags on for a couple of chapters until the ultimate douche, Ty, talks Theresa into dropping the lawsuit and going for a settlement. Why? Because, according to Ty, she will never win in court. But no worries Theresa, Ty The Chief Justice, will make him pay by disgracing him with his team. Because that's just the kind of punishment for a rapist/abuser. Yes, TNfR is so frightened now, he will never, ever do the same thing again to another woman. After the confrontation in the locker room, we never hear of it again.
5. Cliches, cliches everywhere. Lou, the PR chief or whatever. Italian, big, loud, eats lots of unhealthy food. Jack, Janna's arch-nemesis, jealous, mean. Skyler and something else, Janna's mean big sisters, gorgeous, tall, beautiful, while Janna's just plain, small, awkward. Theresa, the crazy best friend & roommate, also gorgeous and beautiful. Robert, Janna's friend with benefits, a poet, misunderstood, wannabe French.
It keeps going on, and on, and on, until your brain explodes.
Body Check inspired me to create a new shelf, dedicated to crappy books, so I guess it's got that going for it. I wouldn't recommend this shit to anyone; no one deserves this kind of suffering.
July 8, 2008
If you like sports, hockey in this case, as a backdrop to your romance this is a good one to pick up. The story isn’t typical cookie cutter fare and the hero is a real jerk on more than one occasion. Our eye candy on skates, Ty Gallagher, has a few scenes that make you want to smack him around a little and say “wake up dammit!”. Janna, the team's PR person, could have let him suffer a bit more I thought but she still held her own. You really feel the hockey atmosphere too without being bogged down in the lingo and it doesn’t take away from the romance.
The only thing keeping it from a five star is that there are virtually no steamy scenes which I think could have only added to the story. It missed a bit of spice but if you’re looking for a relatively “clean” story that keeps you turning the pages this could be for you.
The only thing keeping it from a five star is that there are virtually no steamy scenes which I think could have only added to the story. It missed a bit of spice but if you’re looking for a relatively “clean” story that keeps you turning the pages this could be for you.
March 22, 2020
I wanted something similar to Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Rachel Gibson...this isn't it!
September 13, 2018
I had great time while I was reading the book. Based on how much I enjoyed it, my rating is 5 stars for the book.
Imo, it is one of the best books about sports including romance. There was a very charming plot and story development. Main characters were realistic and their life issues seemed plausible.
Author made me curious about herself.
I hope that whe wrote more than one good stuff like this.
Imo, it is one of the best books about sports including romance. There was a very charming plot and story development. Main characters were realistic and their life issues seemed plausible.
Author made me curious about herself.
I hope that whe wrote more than one good stuff like this.
June 1, 2018
Body Check is my first book by Deirdre Martin and I'm definitely going to be checking out her other books. I started it as the plane took off and finished it right before the plane landed - was an absolutely wonderful read, though I did have some problems with one issue in the book (**SPOILER** having to do with sexual assault) and how the characters surrounding reacted/dealt with it.
February 3, 2012
Warning: The following review contains spoilers, language that may not be suitable for all audiences, and several laborious climbs onto a fairly large soapbox. I try to keep the thing locked in my storage shed, but it marched itself out and plopped down right in front of me, refusing to budge until I purged my spleen. Quite a persistent bugger, that soapbox.
Needed a Bit More Spin Doctoring
The New York Blades have been very, very bad boys.
Turns out that's good news for publicist Janna MacNeil, at least in terms of job security. It's less fortuitous for her peace of mind and stress level, as she's been tasked by the family-friendly corporation that recently purchased the Stanley Cup Champion Blades to clean up their less-than-lily-white reputation. It's a big job, but somebody's gotta do it.
She's just one tiny PR person, and no amount of preparation could have helped her effectively manage team captain and uncharitable lout, Ty Gallagher. No matter how she begs, pleads, cajoles, and blackmails, Ty remains uncooperative and resolute. He kisses no corporate rings. Ever.
Regardless of how well Janna has done with the rest of the team, Ty is the unbendable, unbeatable challenge. He's also unbelievably appealing. As the heat rises between these two contentious warriors the question remains. Will they score big with love or will their broken hearts see them end up in the penalty box?
~*~
I love sports romances. They're towards the more archetypal of the contemporary romances and tend to follow predictable formulas on the whole, but they're comforting for all that. They also tend to be light, fun, and sexy as hell, especially those authored by some of the masters of the sub-genre. I've been a huge football fan most of my life, but I like hockey and, though I'd rather watch grass grow that sit through a baseball game and I can't watch basketball because of the squeaky shoes, I still enjoy series that feature sports I don't necessarily favor.
In that regard, Martin's series debut was exactly what I was expecting. It was well written, quickly paced, and chock full of lusty good times. It began well. Janna was a feisty PR tornado and despite some inner insecurities, she went toe-to-toe with the big burly hockey players, especially team captain Ty. It also had a handful of ancillary plot threads that added some nice depth to the plot, though not all of them were as well developed as I would have liked.
Things were less successful for me in other areas. The first was that the bad boys of hockey were more than just bad boys. Womanizing sports stars are just as common in the genre as they are in reality, so are the alcohol abuse and legal issues. Can't read a sports sheet lately without some high paid ball boy having done something either remarkably stupid or utterly reprehensible. In the sports romances I favor, though, the redemption of those wickedly/criminally sinful ways are part and parcel of the plot. In this one, it was not.
And I thought Ty was an overpaid, inflexible, arrogant, selfish, unconscionable asshole.
I had my problems with Janna, too, but I'll get to those in a minute. Ty's unwavering determination to thumb his nose at any sort of corporate compliance was fine...in theory. And if he'd been funding a bunch of charitable causes anonymously or donating his time and promotional material privately, I would've thought he was the bees knees. Problem is, he wasn't.
He gave Janna's little brother a good day and his phone number, and he brought an old lady some tickets. That's it (I refuse to count the debacle dinner). Anything else was unequivocally refused so he wouldn't be seen as kowtowing to management. Well excuse the fuck outta me, there, puck face, but I don't care how adverse you are to kissing a little corporate ass, if you can't deign to offer your precious time to some dying kids or any of a sundry disadvantaged masses, none of whom would even think about the PR angle and most of whom would revere you as a god if you gave them a single smile and an autograph, then you're just a soulless dick. Fictional or not.
Ty never learned that being right and being decent aren't mutually exclusive.
Speaking of decent, Janna fell a little short as well.
I'm going to apologize up front for this one, because I'm feeling a little ranty about it all. If my best friend and roommate comes home from a date with a member of the team with whom I am employed, sporting a few bruises and telling me that her date almost raped her when she wouldn't have sex with him - the same guy who had once tried to pull something similar on me - the last thing I would ever do is docilely stand by while my co-workers blast her reputation in the media and brand her as a money-grubbing cock jockey. I was incensed by Janna's inaction and bemused that Theresa had no problem with her for it. It's not like Janna hadn't already established that her skills were in demand. She could have quit, she could have launched a counter-campaign. She could have stood up for Theresa to her boss. Something.
That Janna did nothing made her more than a shitty friend, it made her complicit in a repugnant example of corporate CYA tactics and furthered vicious rape stereotypes. And I'm sorry, but Ty's team meeting to "handle" the issue (when he finally deigned to have one) seemed completely bizarre to me.
But those weren't even my only issues with the book. I also thought their was a large gap in relationship evolution between the final conflict and the resolution. I saw no epiphany in Ty, no growing change or increased awareness of emotion, just a change of mind and some abrupt decisions that force fed an HEA. And instead of having anything resembling a lovely Jerry Maguire moment when Ty realizes that he's wildly in love with Janna and nothing matters if she can't share it with her, he publicly announces a life-altering decision, then parties all night with his team and doesn't even show up to see Janna until the next day. I wasn't swept away by the romance of it, I was gobsmacked by the whole of it.
There just weren't enough good points in this book to enjoy it, and the bad points offended me too much to ignore them. I was really hoping for a new-to-me sports romance series I could really dig into and relish. If this series debut is any indication, I haven't found that here.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
Needed a Bit More Spin Doctoring
The New York Blades have been very, very bad boys.
Turns out that's good news for publicist Janna MacNeil, at least in terms of job security. It's less fortuitous for her peace of mind and stress level, as she's been tasked by the family-friendly corporation that recently purchased the Stanley Cup Champion Blades to clean up their less-than-lily-white reputation. It's a big job, but somebody's gotta do it.
She's just one tiny PR person, and no amount of preparation could have helped her effectively manage team captain and uncharitable lout, Ty Gallagher. No matter how she begs, pleads, cajoles, and blackmails, Ty remains uncooperative and resolute. He kisses no corporate rings. Ever.
Regardless of how well Janna has done with the rest of the team, Ty is the unbendable, unbeatable challenge. He's also unbelievably appealing. As the heat rises between these two contentious warriors the question remains. Will they score big with love or will their broken hearts see them end up in the penalty box?
~*~
I love sports romances. They're towards the more archetypal of the contemporary romances and tend to follow predictable formulas on the whole, but they're comforting for all that. They also tend to be light, fun, and sexy as hell, especially those authored by some of the masters of the sub-genre. I've been a huge football fan most of my life, but I like hockey and, though I'd rather watch grass grow that sit through a baseball game and I can't watch basketball because of the squeaky shoes, I still enjoy series that feature sports I don't necessarily favor.
In that regard, Martin's series debut was exactly what I was expecting. It was well written, quickly paced, and chock full of lusty good times. It began well. Janna was a feisty PR tornado and despite some inner insecurities, she went toe-to-toe with the big burly hockey players, especially team captain Ty. It also had a handful of ancillary plot threads that added some nice depth to the plot, though not all of them were as well developed as I would have liked.
Things were less successful for me in other areas. The first was that the bad boys of hockey were more than just bad boys. Womanizing sports stars are just as common in the genre as they are in reality, so are the alcohol abuse and legal issues. Can't read a sports sheet lately without some high paid ball boy having done something either remarkably stupid or utterly reprehensible. In the sports romances I favor, though, the redemption of those wickedly/criminally sinful ways are part and parcel of the plot. In this one, it was not.
And I thought Ty was an overpaid, inflexible, arrogant, selfish, unconscionable asshole.
I had my problems with Janna, too, but I'll get to those in a minute. Ty's unwavering determination to thumb his nose at any sort of corporate compliance was fine...in theory. And if he'd been funding a bunch of charitable causes anonymously or donating his time and promotional material privately, I would've thought he was the bees knees. Problem is, he wasn't.
He gave Janna's little brother a good day and his phone number, and he brought an old lady some tickets. That's it (I refuse to count the debacle dinner). Anything else was unequivocally refused so he wouldn't be seen as kowtowing to management. Well excuse the fuck outta me, there, puck face, but I don't care how adverse you are to kissing a little corporate ass, if you can't deign to offer your precious time to some dying kids or any of a sundry disadvantaged masses, none of whom would even think about the PR angle and most of whom would revere you as a god if you gave them a single smile and an autograph, then you're just a soulless dick. Fictional or not.
Ty never learned that being right and being decent aren't mutually exclusive.
Speaking of decent, Janna fell a little short as well.
I'm going to apologize up front for this one, because I'm feeling a little ranty about it all. If my best friend and roommate comes home from a date with a member of the team with whom I am employed, sporting a few bruises and telling me that her date almost raped her when she wouldn't have sex with him - the same guy who had once tried to pull something similar on me - the last thing I would ever do is docilely stand by while my co-workers blast her reputation in the media and brand her as a money-grubbing cock jockey. I was incensed by Janna's inaction and bemused that Theresa had no problem with her for it. It's not like Janna hadn't already established that her skills were in demand. She could have quit, she could have launched a counter-campaign. She could have stood up for Theresa to her boss. Something.
That Janna did nothing made her more than a shitty friend, it made her complicit in a repugnant example of corporate CYA tactics and furthered vicious rape stereotypes. And I'm sorry, but Ty's team meeting to "handle" the issue (when he finally deigned to have one) seemed completely bizarre to me.
But those weren't even my only issues with the book. I also thought their was a large gap in relationship evolution between the final conflict and the resolution. I saw no epiphany in Ty, no growing change or increased awareness of emotion, just a change of mind and some abrupt decisions that force fed an HEA. And instead of having anything resembling a lovely Jerry Maguire moment when Ty realizes that he's wildly in love with Janna and nothing matters if she can't share it with her, he publicly announces a life-altering decision, then parties all night with his team and doesn't even show up to see Janna until the next day. I wasn't swept away by the romance of it, I was gobsmacked by the whole of it.
There just weren't enough good points in this book to enjoy it, and the bad points offended me too much to ignore them. I was really hoping for a new-to-me sports romance series I could really dig into and relish. If this series debut is any indication, I haven't found that here.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
March 6, 2017
Se lleva un 4/5. Leer a Deirdre Martin para mi es leer sobre seguro, como SEP o Rachel Gibson. Se que en más o menos medida siempre me van a gustar aunque sea la típica historia de amor del deportista buenorro.....
May 19, 2019
Janna ha sido contratada por los NY Blades para mejorar su imagen después de que pasearán la Stanley Cup por un club de striptease. Pero aunque Janna es terriblemente buena en lo suyo hay alguien que se le atasca: Ty Gallagher. Es testarudo, cabezón, presumido y...y... El hombre del que se ha enamorado.
Esta reseña puede contener pequeños spoilers así que por favor, cuidado al leer.
Vamos a ver, quiero hablar un poco por partes porque aunque la historia me ha gustado hay cosas que me han tenido tremendamente rabiosa.
La historia de Ty y Janna me ha gustado pero ha tenido sus más y su menos. Al principio me gustó, el tira y afloja entre ellos, ese odio me encanta que se peleen. Pero cuando llegó el punto del problema con Lubov y Theresa... Hay tantas cosas mal con el asunto que no sé ni qué decir.
1. Janna, siendo amiga cómo era de Theresa, a la mierda el trabajo!!!!! Cómo puedes sentarte ahí y con toda la puta cara intentar salvar la reputación de ese pedazo de mierda, después de ver la cara de tu amiga? Es que no lo entiendo!!!! Me da igual el puñetero suicidio profesional, le hizo algo muy grave a tu mejor amiga que le den por culo al puto trabajo!!!!!! No sé cómo podía dormir por la noche.
2. Ty no creyendo lo que sucedió con Theresa. Vamos a ver... Es que esto de verdad me puso de los nervios. Esas contestaciones vagas de: voy a darle el beneficio de la duda. SI DE LA MISMA FORMA QUE EL LE DIO EL BENEFICIO A LA CARA DE THERESA NO TE JODE!!!!! Me tocó las narices de tal manera que Ty no creyese a Janna y que al final solo fuese consciente de que era verdad cuando el hijo de puta lo volvió a intentar. Esta es la mierda de cosas que no soporto. De verdad que me tiene super cabreada.
Y punto número 3. Ambos. Osea, tanto Ty como Janna son personas con doble moral por lo anteriormente dicho. Se echaban en cara el no creerse el uno al otro pero ambos son de doble cara. Janna por seguir trabajando con un tipo que sabe lo que le hizo a su amiga y Ty por hacer la vista gorda con estas cosas.
ANDA Y QUE OS JODAN A LOS DOS.
El asunto fue grave y por desgracia algo que han dicho en el libro todavía sucede en la vida real: él tenía dinero ilimitado y era la palabra de él contra la suya. Aún así se merecía que le apalearan como un perro asqueroso... 😠😠😠😠😠 Que enferma me ponen. Y lo peor es que seguía en el equipo!!!!! Todavía no lo creo.
En fin, dejando este tema (sumamente importante) a parte, la historia ha estado bien. Rápida pero bien. Aunque me hubiera gustado ver cómo prosperaba el nuevo negocio de Janna. Y si el pobre Wills conseguía salir de esa casa de locos...
Esta reseña puede contener pequeños spoilers así que por favor, cuidado al leer.
Vamos a ver, quiero hablar un poco por partes porque aunque la historia me ha gustado hay cosas que me han tenido tremendamente rabiosa.
La historia de Ty y Janna me ha gustado pero ha tenido sus más y su menos. Al principio me gustó, el tira y afloja entre ellos, ese odio me encanta que se peleen. Pero cuando llegó el punto del problema con Lubov y Theresa... Hay tantas cosas mal con el asunto que no sé ni qué decir.
1. Janna, siendo amiga cómo era de Theresa, a la mierda el trabajo!!!!! Cómo puedes sentarte ahí y con toda la puta cara intentar salvar la reputación de ese pedazo de mierda, después de ver la cara de tu amiga? Es que no lo entiendo!!!! Me da igual el puñetero suicidio profesional, le hizo algo muy grave a tu mejor amiga que le den por culo al puto trabajo!!!!!! No sé cómo podía dormir por la noche.
2. Ty no creyendo lo que sucedió con Theresa. Vamos a ver... Es que esto de verdad me puso de los nervios. Esas contestaciones vagas de: voy a darle el beneficio de la duda. SI DE LA MISMA FORMA QUE EL LE DIO EL BENEFICIO A LA CARA DE THERESA NO TE JODE!!!!! Me tocó las narices de tal manera que Ty no creyese a Janna y que al final solo fuese consciente de que era verdad cuando el hijo de puta lo volvió a intentar. Esta es la mierda de cosas que no soporto. De verdad que me tiene super cabreada.
Y punto número 3. Ambos. Osea, tanto Ty como Janna son personas con doble moral por lo anteriormente dicho. Se echaban en cara el no creerse el uno al otro pero ambos son de doble cara. Janna por seguir trabajando con un tipo que sabe lo que le hizo a su amiga y Ty por hacer la vista gorda con estas cosas.
ANDA Y QUE OS JODAN A LOS DOS.
El asunto fue grave y por desgracia algo que han dicho en el libro todavía sucede en la vida real: él tenía dinero ilimitado y era la palabra de él contra la suya. Aún así se merecía que le apalearan como un perro asqueroso... 😠😠😠😠😠 Que enferma me ponen. Y lo peor es que seguía en el equipo!!!!! Todavía no lo creo.
En fin, dejando este tema (sumamente importante) a parte, la historia ha estado bien. Rápida pero bien. Aunque me hubiera gustado ver cómo prosperaba el nuevo negocio de Janna. Y si el pobre Wills conseguía salir de esa casa de locos...
July 8, 2020
This is a really well written sports romance. There is lots of sub plots and PR detail but I thought it strengthened the story. I loved how Ty and Janna got together and how she affected him to begin with but the way TY behaved near the end
he was also a huge hard ass over doing PR stuff which annoyed me and when he did make one grand gesture, which was before they had gotten together or slept with each other
I never got the feeling that Ty
below is just before he waits to see Janna at her office at 95% of the book. Eh where was his urgency....his fear that he was too late....oh no it was just one more thing he had to do...
It is still a really good story and excellently fleshed out and I was completely hooked from the minute I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I just felt unsatisfied with Ty at the end.
he was also a huge hard ass over doing PR stuff which annoyed me and when he did make one grand gesture, which was before they had gotten together or slept with each other
I never got the feeling that Ty
below is just before he waits to see Janna at her office at 95% of the book. Eh where was his urgency....his fear that he was too late....oh no it was just one more thing he had to do...
...There was one more thing he needed to take care of before bringing the Cup home and falling into the deepest, most satisfying sleep of his life. Patient as ever, he waited for the rest of the world’s working day to begin.
It is still a really good story and excellently fleshed out and I was completely hooked from the minute I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I just felt unsatisfied with Ty at the end.
January 16, 2008
This book was okay, not great. I recommend Martin's Fair Play instead.
The main problem with Body Check (what a stupid title!) is that there just isn't a lot of character development so I didn't care too much about the characters. Janna, the girl, didn't seem strong and independent to me (even though we were told she was) and I found Ty (the macho hockey player) to be emotionally challenged and classically jerky, not adorable. I was also really irritated with the way that rape was handled in the book even though it was really just a background storyline.
Unless you're a huge Dierdre Martin fan, I suggest skipping this one.
The main problem with Body Check (what a stupid title!) is that there just isn't a lot of character development so I didn't care too much about the characters. Janna, the girl, didn't seem strong and independent to me (even though we were told she was) and I found Ty (the macho hockey player) to be emotionally challenged and classically jerky, not adorable. I was also really irritated with the way that rape was handled in the book even though it was really just a background storyline.
Unless you're a huge Dierdre Martin fan, I suggest skipping this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
Overall rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Plot: 8/10
Ending: 4/10
Writing: 7/10
Hero: 7/10
Heroine: 8/10
Humour: 7/10
Steaminess: 6/10
HEA:
Recommend: Yes
Re-read: Maybe
Read more from author: Yes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Plot: 8/10
Ending: 4/10
Writing: 7/10
Hero: 7/10
Heroine: 8/10
Humour: 7/10
Steaminess: 6/10
HEA:
Recommend: Yes
Re-read: Maybe
Read more from author: Yes
January 7, 2016
Not nearly as satisfying as Susan Elizabeth Phillips Chicago series but it will do. ;)
October 29, 2022
I really liked the detailed scenes, but I didn’t like how there weren’t a lot of them.
I liked how in the scenes you could clearly see the characters interacting, but after those scenes, there would usually be a time jump. Sometimes it felt like a lot happened during the time jumps, but it wasn’t shown, and it wasn’t really talked about so when another detailed scene happened, I felt like I was missing something.
I liked Janna and Ty, but I thought that there weren’t enough scenes with them doing things together to really show their relationship development.
There were some side characters but most of them weren’t developed. I liked Lou, but I wanted to see more of Kevin, Wells and Janna’s father (who she supposedly had a close relationship with).
The conflicts in this book were annoying and definitely made me enjoy this book less.
There was no epilogue, so it’s not shown what Janna and Ty do after the big changes they make in their lives at the end. I think those changes might be shown more in the next book, but I’m not going to continue this series.
The writing style in this book was something that I liked while at the same time I didn’t like it. I might try other books by this author in the future, to see if the writing style changes.
I liked how in the scenes you could clearly see the characters interacting, but after those scenes, there would usually be a time jump. Sometimes it felt like a lot happened during the time jumps, but it wasn’t shown, and it wasn’t really talked about so when another detailed scene happened, I felt like I was missing something.
I liked Janna and Ty, but I thought that there weren’t enough scenes with them doing things together to really show their relationship development.
There were some side characters but most of them weren’t developed. I liked Lou, but I wanted to see more of Kevin, Wells and Janna’s father (who she supposedly had a close relationship with).
The conflicts in this book were annoying and definitely made me enjoy this book less.
There was no epilogue, so it’s not shown what Janna and Ty do after the big changes they make in their lives at the end. I think those changes might be shown more in the next book, but I’m not going to continue this series.
The writing style in this book was something that I liked while at the same time I didn’t like it. I might try other books by this author in the future, to see if the writing style changes.
December 14, 2021
La historia de Ty y Janna me gusto mucho Ella era su relacionista pública y el capitan del equipo de Hockey 🏒 del momento una historia bonita e interesante tuvo de todo hasta villanos 🥺me gusto mucho, espero leer las historias de los demás
Libro que compré solo por la portada de la colección que ya tenia y me encanto ✅
Libro que compré solo por la portada de la colección que ya tenia y me encanto ✅
April 3, 2020
No Spoilers
Enjoyable sports romance. There were a few loose ends/subplots that went nowhere but the main characters worked well.
Enjoyable sports romance. There were a few loose ends/subplots that went nowhere but the main characters worked well.
September 15, 2011
5 stars.
God this was so much fun! Witty, well-written, perfect H/h. It was so much better than what I thought it would be and I consumed it all in one sitting.
Even though I'm Australian and ice hockey isn't a huge sport here, I've always fancied myself a bit of a fan. I'd love to one day go to the US or Canada and see a game in real life. So I was pretty excited to start this series in my new (and random) sports romance glom.
Body Check brings together the new publicist for New York's hockey team - the Blades - and the captain of the team as h/H respectively. Janna MacNeil is simply trying to do her job but finds herself constantly up against the icy (ooh, a pun!) wall that is Ty Gallagher, who wants nothing to do with the PR side of hockey. They're both passionate and stubborn and it's only a matter of time before they get it on - sooner rather than later which was pretty awesome!!
Of course it's not all smooth sailing and I found their journey to be pretty enthralling what with the hockey action and the sparring and making up. I also really loved them both as characters.
Janna is someone who is brilliant at her job and will do whatever she has to do to get shit done. Her internal monologue shows the reader that a lot of the time she has to swallow down her fear of failure and literally "fake it till she makes it". I really identified with that. She soon starts winning the team over with her sass and humour and ever-growing love of the game (which I also really liked).
Ty doesn't take crap from anyone and certainly not from the new girl on the block. I loved how he just didn't care what anyone thought of him and that he led by example, always. I really liked his scenes in the book even when he was being a tosser at times.
I loved this book; the hockey didn't overshadow the romance in any way so you don't necessarily have to be a sports nut to enjoy this.
God this was so much fun! Witty, well-written, perfect H/h. It was so much better than what I thought it would be and I consumed it all in one sitting.
Even though I'm Australian and ice hockey isn't a huge sport here, I've always fancied myself a bit of a fan. I'd love to one day go to the US or Canada and see a game in real life. So I was pretty excited to start this series in my new (and random) sports romance glom.
Body Check brings together the new publicist for New York's hockey team - the Blades - and the captain of the team as h/H respectively. Janna MacNeil is simply trying to do her job but finds herself constantly up against the icy (ooh, a pun!) wall that is Ty Gallagher, who wants nothing to do with the PR side of hockey. They're both passionate and stubborn and it's only a matter of time before they get it on - sooner rather than later which was pretty awesome!!
Of course it's not all smooth sailing and I found their journey to be pretty enthralling what with the hockey action and the sparring and making up. I also really loved them both as characters.
Janna is someone who is brilliant at her job and will do whatever she has to do to get shit done. Her internal monologue shows the reader that a lot of the time she has to swallow down her fear of failure and literally "fake it till she makes it". I really identified with that. She soon starts winning the team over with her sass and humour and ever-growing love of the game (which I also really liked).
Ty doesn't take crap from anyone and certainly not from the new girl on the block. I loved how he just didn't care what anyone thought of him and that he led by example, always. I really liked his scenes in the book even when he was being a tosser at times.
I loved this book; the hockey didn't overshadow the romance in any way so you don't necessarily have to be a sports nut to enjoy this.
August 4, 2010
I really enjoyed my first read by Deirdre Martin. I really wish I would have been able to give this book a 5 star rating because at times I cried, my stomach fluttered when the H/H finally had their time together and I laughed with the dialogue. However, there was that "something" lacking in the book that just didn't do a 5 star for me.
Ty Gallagher is the captain of the Blades Hockey team, one of the oldest memebers of the team he is a no-non-sense guy who is stubborn and set in his ways. However, when he meets the new publicist, Janna MacNeil he is captivated by the fiery, petite, beautiful woman who will not take no for an answer. Janna is the thorn in every hockey player's side, including Ty, he cannot stand that Janna is out to promote all of the hockey players to do publicity gigs where all he wants to do is play hockey. But Janna is dertermined to change the perception of these players and get them to do more than just play hockey.
When Janna and Ty encounter several situations where they must conversate and be in each otehrs company there is a strong physcial attraction that the two cannot deny. But Ty is totally absorbed in hockey and he decides to tell Janna they cannot have a reltaionship because his first true love will always be hockey. Devestated, Janna tries to figure out what to do with her life and how to continue working with the Blades and keep her heart at bay when she sees Ty. Eventually the couple get their HEA and while I am a happpy camper with a HEA I just didn't buy it. (it made me roll my eyes.)
A good read that reminded me alot of Carly Phillips Hot Zone.
Ty Gallagher is the captain of the Blades Hockey team, one of the oldest memebers of the team he is a no-non-sense guy who is stubborn and set in his ways. However, when he meets the new publicist, Janna MacNeil he is captivated by the fiery, petite, beautiful woman who will not take no for an answer. Janna is the thorn in every hockey player's side, including Ty, he cannot stand that Janna is out to promote all of the hockey players to do publicity gigs where all he wants to do is play hockey. But Janna is dertermined to change the perception of these players and get them to do more than just play hockey.
When Janna and Ty encounter several situations where they must conversate and be in each otehrs company there is a strong physcial attraction that the two cannot deny. But Ty is totally absorbed in hockey and he decides to tell Janna they cannot have a reltaionship because his first true love will always be hockey. Devestated, Janna tries to figure out what to do with her life and how to continue working with the Blades and keep her heart at bay when she sees Ty. Eventually the couple get their HEA and while I am a happpy camper with a HEA I just didn't buy it. (it made me roll my eyes.)
A good read that reminded me alot of Carly Phillips Hot Zone.
January 21, 2011
My thoughts:
I seem to be reading a lot of contemporary romance lately, and I do like that. Just normal people falling love and so on. Sweet.
I did like the main characters. Janna was very driven, but at the same time she was very insecure and did not think she could accomplish what she wanted. Ty was stubborn, a leader, and I liked him. He was also afraid. He had been burned, and felt that women stole the determination he needed to win. But there was passion between these two, even if one person was a stubborn ass sometimes ;)
One thing though, there was a certain situation, and I did not think it was dealt with like it should have been. I wanted more. It was a side-story, and now I am really cryptic as always.
Hockey (oh yes I do not watch it, but I like it, we are a hockey-nation), romance, a certain side-story, and some drama at the office. Some just do not play nice.
Recommendation and final thoughts:
If you want a nice romance with sports in it then this might be for you. I enjoyed it, and did read it fast.
I seem to be reading a lot of contemporary romance lately, and I do like that. Just normal people falling love and so on. Sweet.
I did like the main characters. Janna was very driven, but at the same time she was very insecure and did not think she could accomplish what she wanted. Ty was stubborn, a leader, and I liked him. He was also afraid. He had been burned, and felt that women stole the determination he needed to win. But there was passion between these two, even if one person was a stubborn ass sometimes ;)
One thing though, there was a certain situation, and I did not think it was dealt with like it should have been. I wanted more. It was a side-story, and now I am really cryptic as always.
Hockey (oh yes I do not watch it, but I like it, we are a hockey-nation), romance, a certain side-story, and some drama at the office. Some just do not play nice.
Recommendation and final thoughts:
If you want a nice romance with sports in it then this might be for you. I enjoyed it, and did read it fast.
October 6, 2015
I started off at around 2 stars but the more I talked and the more I thought about it...1 star - i may have gotten a little rage-y
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February 3, 2012
4.5 Stars
Review to come... Really liked this one. She did an excellent job incorporating Hockey into the story. A great many details and I loved it!
Review to come... Really liked this one. She did an excellent job incorporating Hockey into the story. A great many details and I loved it!
April 24, 2017
The first and best book by Deirdre Martin. I love sports romances and this one is a keeper.
February 6, 2023
Again..this book was cute and the guy in the book was the STUBBORNEST guy I've ever read my worddd. But this book is clearly underrated because this was actually a good wholesome hockey romance🤗
July 26, 2022
I was soooooo disappointed in this book that I didn’t even finish it. I stopped halfway because i really could not get through it. There are so Many problems I really don’t know where to begin. I went into this book thinking it was gonna be a cute sports romance, enemies to lovers and I was sorrelly mistaken. The main characters Ty and Janna’s relationship was way toooo rushed and I didn’t even feel that much chemistry. Not to mention the fact that Ty is a complete a-hole and not that likeable. And the storyline of Janna’s roommate made me sooooo mad because everyone around Janna was talking bad about Theresa, saying she was lying about almost being raped by one of the players on the team and Janna did nothing! She listened to her boss about basically bashing Theresa to the press because of the team’s image instead of quitting like a good friend! Plus Ty being more of an a-hole and only caring about winning made me even more out off by him. Overall a terrible experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 20, 2018DNF @ 47%
March 10, 2020
It could have been better..the Hero was big jerk..i expected more groveling after the way he treated the h.also the author portrayed Jenna (h) is strong and sassy, but ultimately i felt doormat...
May 28, 2025
I’m impressed. I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of hockey romances recently and this book came on my radar as being one of the earlier works in the genre. Definitely has good plot depth and the thought process of the characters was pretty well fleshed out. Tempted to keep reading the series 👀
[vacation read]
[vacation read]
September 28, 2010
Good and interesting. More toward the realistic rather than entertaining escapism. Too much telling not enough showing.
STORY BRIEF:
The new owners of the New York Blades hockey team hire Janna to change the image of the players – the bad boys of hockey. Her first challenge is to get each player to sign up for three charity events during the coming year. When she addresses the group asking for volunteers, no one comes forward. Then she asks Ty (team captain) hoping he will be first; he defiantly says no in front of the rest of the team. The story continues with other aspects of Janna’s PR job as well as getting the players to do charitable work. A coworker is jealous of Janna, making things difficult. A couple of the players continue to misbehave causing more work for Janna. Although Janna and Ty are attracted to each other Ty doesn’t want a relationship. Past experience has shown that he doesn’t play as well when there is a woman in his life. Hockey comes first. The most he wants is a short-term casual affair.
REVIEWER’S OPINION (WITH MILD SPOILERS):
There were a few scenes where the author told rather than showed, which bothered me. Examples follow.
1. Page 52: For a month “Janna the Human Terrier had been on him (Ty), relentlessly cajoling and wheedling and pleading and begging and bargaining, trying to get him to show his face at an event, any event. Which, of course, he wouldn’t.”
2. Page 67: Ty speaking to Janna: “You march into the locker room day after day and tell the team what’s what.” “You should feel proud about how many of the guys have been willing to see things your way and cooperate on the PR stuff. It’s a testament to your feistiness and powers of persuasion.”
Regarding both of the above, I wanted to see some actual conversations. I wanted to see examples of her saying and doing different things to Ty. I wanted to see examples of what she said to individual players that persuaded them to do charitable events. I wanted to see examples that would cause me to say “Wow. She is good.” Instead the author merely tells me that she was feisty with powers of persuasion.
3. There was a sex scene on page 125 and an attempted rape scene on page 130, both of which were told about after the fact rather than shown. Again, I was disappointed. The reader was deprived of experiencing the story. Sometimes telling can be good, but in these cases showing would have been better.
The story was not as lighthearted as I expected, being a sports romance. For example it touches on some of life’s frustrations and unfortunate events: the fighting of parents which indirectly hurts their children, a jealous and conniving coworker sabotaging another, a wealthy man abusing a woman who will lose because she doesn’t have enough finances to fight him fairly, a good man who nearly dies because he overeats and doesn’t take care of his health. These elements take the reader more toward the thought provoking as opposed to entertaining escape. This is worthwhile. It’s just different than I expected.
The ending with Ty and Janna was too sudden – his actions and her “too easily accepting” needed more development.
DATA:
Story length: 323 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 8. Setting: current day New York and Connecticut. Copyright: 2003. Genre: contemporary sports romance.
STORY BRIEF:
The new owners of the New York Blades hockey team hire Janna to change the image of the players – the bad boys of hockey. Her first challenge is to get each player to sign up for three charity events during the coming year. When she addresses the group asking for volunteers, no one comes forward. Then she asks Ty (team captain) hoping he will be first; he defiantly says no in front of the rest of the team. The story continues with other aspects of Janna’s PR job as well as getting the players to do charitable work. A coworker is jealous of Janna, making things difficult. A couple of the players continue to misbehave causing more work for Janna. Although Janna and Ty are attracted to each other Ty doesn’t want a relationship. Past experience has shown that he doesn’t play as well when there is a woman in his life. Hockey comes first. The most he wants is a short-term casual affair.
REVIEWER’S OPINION (WITH MILD SPOILERS):
There were a few scenes where the author told rather than showed, which bothered me. Examples follow.
1. Page 52: For a month “Janna the Human Terrier had been on him (Ty), relentlessly cajoling and wheedling and pleading and begging and bargaining, trying to get him to show his face at an event, any event. Which, of course, he wouldn’t.”
2. Page 67: Ty speaking to Janna: “You march into the locker room day after day and tell the team what’s what.” “You should feel proud about how many of the guys have been willing to see things your way and cooperate on the PR stuff. It’s a testament to your feistiness and powers of persuasion.”
Regarding both of the above, I wanted to see some actual conversations. I wanted to see examples of her saying and doing different things to Ty. I wanted to see examples of what she said to individual players that persuaded them to do charitable events. I wanted to see examples that would cause me to say “Wow. She is good.” Instead the author merely tells me that she was feisty with powers of persuasion.
3. There was a sex scene on page 125 and an attempted rape scene on page 130, both of which were told about after the fact rather than shown. Again, I was disappointed. The reader was deprived of experiencing the story. Sometimes telling can be good, but in these cases showing would have been better.
The story was not as lighthearted as I expected, being a sports romance. For example it touches on some of life’s frustrations and unfortunate events: the fighting of parents which indirectly hurts their children, a jealous and conniving coworker sabotaging another, a wealthy man abusing a woman who will lose because she doesn’t have enough finances to fight him fairly, a good man who nearly dies because he overeats and doesn’t take care of his health. These elements take the reader more toward the thought provoking as opposed to entertaining escape. This is worthwhile. It’s just different than I expected.
The ending with Ty and Janna was too sudden – his actions and her “too easily accepting” needed more development.
DATA:
Story length: 323 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 8. Setting: current day New York and Connecticut. Copyright: 2003. Genre: contemporary sports romance.
November 2, 2012
Over the summer I had a giveaway of sports related romance books. I asked the question, what are your favorite sports romance books? Body Check and the New York Blades series was suggested several times. Right away I put a ton of books on my wishlist. So when I was looking for a good alpha athlete and his spunky heroine, I picked this one up as my first try.
Janna MacNeil is a successful publicist, working to turn around even the worst images. When a winning hockey team needs a new image, she jumps at the job only to be stone walled by one player in particular, Ty Gallagher the captain of the New York Blades. Ty’s only goal is to win the Stanley Cup again and doesn’t give a fig about what the owners want.
The two clash over everything and it gets old fast. I don’t think Janna asks to much for the players to volunteer for good causes, but Ty stands firm on not doing anything that the owners want. He’s not really a bad guy, just jaded. He feels he got the owners the Stanely Cup and plans to get it again. What more do they want from him.
Then there is Janna who puts on a good tough front, but inside she doubts herself over and over. Coming from a family with really no love. Her parents don’t get along, her sisters are beautiful bitches and a younger brother she adores, but is so messed up by his parents arguing. Secretly she wants to own her own publicist company, but to scare to go out on her own.
Then there is an incident that didn’t sit well with me over all. One of the other players abuses Janna’s best friend on a date. She escapes, but when she presses charges, it is Janna’s department looking for dirt on the friend and trying to discredit her. While Janna wasn’t involved with the dirt finding, she was pressured to work on the friend to get her to drop the charges. Ty didn’t totally believe everything at first, but then he steps in with a solution that I thought was a piece of crap. In the end, the friend probably would never have won, but this just didn’t seem to give the other player much of a punishment for his actions.
So the story was just ok. I didn’t grow to love either character nor any of the side characters. They all just left me feeling the world is filled with useless people who don’t give a crap about anyone but themselves. Oh, wait I did like two characters. I liked Kevin and his wife. Kevin was an assistant captain and Ty’s only friend. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t about Kevin.
In the end, there is a twist that made me really want to throw Ty into outer space and leave him there. He just wasn’t a stand up guy and no way would I ever trust him with my heart. Janna just wasn’t the confident female she needed to be to put Ty in his place. She was his doormat I felt and bent to what he wanted. While there was the element of sports, I think I am done with this series unfortunately.
Janna MacNeil is a successful publicist, working to turn around even the worst images. When a winning hockey team needs a new image, she jumps at the job only to be stone walled by one player in particular, Ty Gallagher the captain of the New York Blades. Ty’s only goal is to win the Stanley Cup again and doesn’t give a fig about what the owners want.
The two clash over everything and it gets old fast. I don’t think Janna asks to much for the players to volunteer for good causes, but Ty stands firm on not doing anything that the owners want. He’s not really a bad guy, just jaded. He feels he got the owners the Stanely Cup and plans to get it again. What more do they want from him.
Then there is Janna who puts on a good tough front, but inside she doubts herself over and over. Coming from a family with really no love. Her parents don’t get along, her sisters are beautiful bitches and a younger brother she adores, but is so messed up by his parents arguing. Secretly she wants to own her own publicist company, but to scare to go out on her own.
Then there is an incident that didn’t sit well with me over all. One of the other players abuses Janna’s best friend on a date. She escapes, but when she presses charges, it is Janna’s department looking for dirt on the friend and trying to discredit her. While Janna wasn’t involved with the dirt finding, she was pressured to work on the friend to get her to drop the charges. Ty didn’t totally believe everything at first, but then he steps in with a solution that I thought was a piece of crap. In the end, the friend probably would never have won, but this just didn’t seem to give the other player much of a punishment for his actions.
So the story was just ok. I didn’t grow to love either character nor any of the side characters. They all just left me feeling the world is filled with useless people who don’t give a crap about anyone but themselves. Oh, wait I did like two characters. I liked Kevin and his wife. Kevin was an assistant captain and Ty’s only friend. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t about Kevin.
In the end, there is a twist that made me really want to throw Ty into outer space and leave him there. He just wasn’t a stand up guy and no way would I ever trust him with my heart. Janna just wasn’t the confident female she needed to be to put Ty in his place. She was his doormat I felt and bent to what he wanted. While there was the element of sports, I think I am done with this series unfortunately.
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