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Moo U #6
Overtime
Hotshot hockey star Patrick Graham has been groomed for the pros since before he could walk. Fast forward to his junior year of college, and he’s having the time of his life. What could be better than pucks, partying, and having his pick of campus women? But if Patrick doesn’t buckle down and get his grades up, he could find himself benched for the championships. Could a beautiful brainiac be the solution to his problems?
Nineteen-year-old Master’s student Ellie McGinn could do so many things with her biology degree, but her mother is pushing her toward a future she doesn't want. Tutoring a hockey hottie seems like the perfect opportunity to start making her own choices and living life on her own terms.
When learning turns to yearning, will they be ready to face the heat and heartache that love can bring?
Nineteen-year-old Master’s student Ellie McGinn could do so many things with her biology degree, but her mother is pushing her toward a future she doesn't want. Tutoring a hockey hottie seems like the perfect opportunity to start making her own choices and living life on her own terms.
When learning turns to yearning, will they be ready to face the heat and heartache that love can bring?
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2021
257 people are currently reading
1782 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 202 reviews
April 26, 2021
Book #5 in the Moo U series.
Ellie + Patrick
We already heard Patrick's twin Paxton's story in the last book.
And now it's his turn.
He's the hockey team captain. But his grades need to get better asap - or else!
Enter Ellie. A nerdy friend of his brother.
Ellie is only 19, but has been at Moo U since she was 15. She's a genius.
And it's insta attraction between those two - even though she's so not his typical puck bunny type.
LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN! ☺
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Adorable!
Definitely better than the first book.
Even though it was again so super insta!
I'm all for insta, but you just know that there will be fights, arguments, misunderstandings, break-ups et cetera until we'll get that happy end. Ugh!
Why can't we get all the drama out of the way before we get serious.
But anyway. It was cute and funny and sparky and sexy and nerdy and emotional and collegy and hockey-y. I liked it!
The most drama comes from not having a clear plan for their future - both of them.
Ellie's mom wants her to be a doctor. But Ellie does not want that.
Patrick's dad wants him to go Pro asap - but he wants to get his degree first.
It'll be a while until that happy end - but the reader enjoys the journey! ☺
I really liked it in the end.
I could read these kinds of books every day for the rest of eternity!
I also wouldn't mind seeing this whole world on Netflix one day!
Can't wait to get more Vermont soon!
OVERTIME was an adorable + sexy hockey-y + college-y romance! I loved reading it! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Patrick - he'll be sold out in no time!
💜
💜
April 11, 2021
ARC received for an honest review
Overtime is definitely better than the twin's book Gametime, however it was still a meh book for me.
Things are better between the twins, but now the star Patrick is the one in trouble with his grades, and when his eyes meet the sexy girl across the room, he has no way to know his life is going to change for the better.
I love that Ellie is not the shy, stuck in her dorm room type of genius girl - she gets out there, and isn't always all "why are you with me?" - though with Patrick's reputation it would have been expected. Inexperienced? Sure but not completely clueless.
I love their insta-connection and they are just adorably cute. I love seeing a man-whore come to his knees when he finds the right woman, and that is the deal with Patrick.
I still had some issues coming over from the first book, Gametime, and they still frustrated and made me want to DNF this book, but I kept going and am glad I finished this one.
I still hate hate hate Patrick's dad with the passion of a million fiery suns, but I am glad the twins dealt with that.
And what is with allll the parents being a-holes to their kids and pushing their agenda on them? Ellie's mum was the same and I wanted to throw her in with Patrick's dad - though she did eventually get better. Eventually.
So while it was better, it still was not one of my favourites in the Moo U series.
April 27, 2021
Loved it!!
Patrick Graham is an amazing hockey player, he has to choose if he wants to go pro at the end of the year, as his father wants, or to stay, finish college and take his business degree. Ellie McGinn at nineteen years old has already spent few years at the college, studying and getting three degrees, but now she wants to live a bit more, to know the world outside her books, making her own choices and maybe some mistakes too, without her mother overbearing presence.
They meet at a party, they feel a weird connection as soon as their eyes meet, but will they have time to start a relationship? Or do they have already too much on their plates they couldn’t afford it?
I liked Patrick and Ellie, their connection and deep chemistry is instantly clear but they are so different and they have so much pressure on them that is really hard to just enjoy themselves.
They are a very sweet couple and I cheered and supported them from beginning to end.
I was so surprised to see a significant shift in Patrick’s behavior, he liked the parties and the girls but fortunately he also understood that is the right moment to change your path when something so much better than that arrives in your life.
Overtime is a standalone book but I suggest you to also get Paxton’s story in Gametime.
Copy kindly provided by the Publisher/Author.
April 27, 2021
I have almost nothing but pure giddy love for this story. The only reason it is almost is not even because of this story LOL but because I still don’t really like Patrick’s twin and I think I might have a mild case of trauma lingering … but everything about Ellie and Patrick made me all kinds of happy. Although I’m not so sure about an insta plot point when it comes to this age group, Kat made me less skeptic with her wizardry.
Without giving away the plot, I’m going to try and tell you a few of my favorite things about all this happiness! For one, Ellie was the best of the best! The choices Kat made for a chic of her age were wondrously wonderful!!! Honestly, I love Ellie and want to be her friend. Two, even tho this is really and insta attraction, there’s a friendship that is built with every page you read and it is just *happy sigh* Three, who doesn’t looooooooooove reading the guy who gets all the girls all the time get spanked in the heart by the chic most unlike any other chic he’s ever been with? Just me? LIES! Four, everything else LOL (I tell no lies) :)
The book looses a half star (but clearly that’s just in my head because half stars aren’t a real thing) because no one thought it was a good idea to burn down all parental units involved. *shrug* what can I say? I’m not always the nice girl bwaahahahahaha *cackles*
Now go do the thing. DO IT NOW!
Purchase here: https://geni.us/AmazonOvertime
Audiobook: https://geni.us/AudibleOvertime
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April 26, 2021After struggling with the way Gametime played out, I had a really hard time switching gears to this one. The character of Patrick seems to have gone through many incarnations and the one that showed up in this book was so different than the one I had in my head. This is likely another case of expectation vs. reality and unfortunately I wasn't able to reprogram my brain to buy into the storyline here.
The romance was a little insta which didn't seem to fit the Patrick character at all. It felt too simple/sweet - particularly for an opposites attract story and given Patrick's reputation and history. The change was very jarring and it just kept my mind and my heart from really settling into the storyline. In the end, I wound up putting this one down for good at at 20%.
The romance was a little insta which didn't seem to fit the Patrick character at all. It felt too simple/sweet - particularly for an opposites attract story and given Patrick's reputation and history. The change was very jarring and it just kept my mind and my heart from really settling into the storyline. In the end, I wound up putting this one down for good at at 20%.
May 23, 2021
Let me start this review by saying that I like romances between an outgoing guy and a shy nerdy girl. So I assumed that I would enjoy this book. But it wasn't exactly like that.
It wasn't that I didn't like both main characters. But I just couldn't feel their chemistry, this intense connection they are supposed to have. The story was kind of plain and slow.
Maybe I would have rated it with 3 stars instead of 2, but I felt that Blindsided was much better.
It wasn't that I didn't like both main characters. But I just couldn't feel their chemistry, this intense connection they are supposed to have. The story was kind of plain and slow.
Maybe I would have rated it with 3 stars instead of 2, but I felt that Blindsided was much better.
September 21, 2024
Dnf 14% The writing was off somehow, it felt cliché and it lacked depth! The characters didn’t have any substance to them and the author tried to portray them as having this deep connection, but instead it all came off as instalove/lust! 😒
Here is an excerpt of the book:
“I’ve always felt alone,” she whispered.
“Not anymore,” I said, putting one of my hands on top of hers. “Now you have me.”
“That’s so nice.”
BRUH wtf!? 😂 You know each other for literally 1 DAY!!!! Soo unrealistic! Ugh I just can’t with some of these authors nowadays…🙈
Why is it so hard to find a college sports romance with characters who share a genuine connection?!😩
Here is an excerpt of the book:
“I’ve always felt alone,” she whispered.
“Not anymore,” I said, putting one of my hands on top of hers. “Now you have me.”
“That’s so nice.”
BRUH wtf!? 😂 You know each other for literally 1 DAY!!!! Soo unrealistic! Ugh I just can’t with some of these authors nowadays…🙈
Why is it so hard to find a college sports romance with characters who share a genuine connection?!😩
April 27, 2021
I finished Paxton and Naomi's book and I had to jump straight into Patrick's. Because I seriously love watching a college sports hero who's incredibly promiscuous fall. And man did he fall hard.
I really didn't know how this book was going to play out. Especially since at the end of the last book Patrick was sleeping with anything that was breathing. And there wasn't even a hint of a romantic relationship anywhere in his future.
When Ellie was first mentioned I thought I knew how the story was going to play out and I was so glad to be proven wrong. The first meeting between Patrick and Ellie was great. And again, I thought I knew what was going to happen next and was wrong and I just got even more invested. I love that the things I automatically expect in a college romance were teased and not delivered.
The sparks between these two were flying off the page and I loved that despite their differences they didn't go with the obvious relationship dramas. Everything that happened between them felt natural and realistic and I couldn't put it down. I was dying to see how they were going to merge their very different directions into a life together.
This series is just awesome, and I love seeing the earlier couples together and seeing their relationships from outside perspectives. Along with seeing the secondary characters from different points of view. And I am thrilled I have the next two locked and loaded.
I really didn't know how this book was going to play out. Especially since at the end of the last book Patrick was sleeping with anything that was breathing. And there wasn't even a hint of a romantic relationship anywhere in his future.
When Ellie was first mentioned I thought I knew how the story was going to play out and I was so glad to be proven wrong. The first meeting between Patrick and Ellie was great. And again, I thought I knew what was going to happen next and was wrong and I just got even more invested. I love that the things I automatically expect in a college romance were teased and not delivered.
The sparks between these two were flying off the page and I loved that despite their differences they didn't go with the obvious relationship dramas. Everything that happened between them felt natural and realistic and I couldn't put it down. I was dying to see how they were going to merge their very different directions into a life together.
This series is just awesome, and I love seeing the earlier couples together and seeing their relationships from outside perspectives. Along with seeing the secondary characters from different points of view. And I am thrilled I have the next two locked and loaded.
April 30, 2021
Overtime was a great read for me. Patrick and Elli are perfect for each other and it was wonderful reading about them falling in love. I liked Ellis Character in heartland and I loved what the author did with her.
May 1, 2021
Overtime is the fifth book in the Moo U series, but it does work as a standalone. There’s no need to read any other book before this one to enjoy it. Having said that, I loved reading Ellie’s story. She initially showed up in Heartland, so it’s really cool to see her again a bit older and ready to break out of her shell. And see a bit of Dylan Shipley and Chastity too.
I love the need-tutoring trope and it worked pretty well for this story at the beginning, but it was not developed enough in my opinion. Patrick is a party boy and the captain of the hockey team, and his grades are getting him in trouble. He’s been drafted and has to decide if he wants to go pro or finish his degree, but to continue playing he needs to improve his grades. Ellie is a “genius” and at 19, she already has two degrees and is working on her Master’s, so she becomes his statistics tutor. Their study sessions are soon forgotten though.
I liked Patrick so much more than I thought I would after Gametime, but it’s not really surprising considering two different authors wrote them. He’s starting to grow up emotionally and he’s really sweet and charming, especially with Ellie. They have a special connection since they first met, and it’s really interesting to see that connection and their relationship grow.
I really loved Ellie. She’s 19 years old and has spent all her life trying to please her parents by living up to their expectations and her own intellectual prowess. But she’s never been allowed to just be a kid and later a college student and have fun and friends. Her only attempted rebellion did not work out for her and now she’s struggling with what to do with her future.
Patrick and Ellie are completely different but they do have a major thing in common, and that’s their relationship with their parents. Patrick’s dad is an abusive douche who treats him like a commodity and puts too much pressure on him to go pro because of money and his own interests. Ellie’s mother is not abusive but she is overbearing and controlling, and is putting too much pressure on her “to libe up to her potential” and become an MD, the dream she had to give up when she was young. So they both have toxic relationships with their parents, and that is something that allows them to understand each other on a deeper level. And that connection allows them to support each other in being true to themselves.
I really loved reading Overtime. It’s a great hockey romance with a lot of emotional turmoil and feeling, where hockey plays an important role, and will give you all the feels. It’s sweet, romantic and there’s a lot of steam. I highly recommend it.
I love the need-tutoring trope and it worked pretty well for this story at the beginning, but it was not developed enough in my opinion. Patrick is a party boy and the captain of the hockey team, and his grades are getting him in trouble. He’s been drafted and has to decide if he wants to go pro or finish his degree, but to continue playing he needs to improve his grades. Ellie is a “genius” and at 19, she already has two degrees and is working on her Master’s, so she becomes his statistics tutor. Their study sessions are soon forgotten though.
I liked Patrick so much more than I thought I would after Gametime, but it’s not really surprising considering two different authors wrote them. He’s starting to grow up emotionally and he’s really sweet and charming, especially with Ellie. They have a special connection since they first met, and it’s really interesting to see that connection and their relationship grow.
I really loved Ellie. She’s 19 years old and has spent all her life trying to please her parents by living up to their expectations and her own intellectual prowess. But she’s never been allowed to just be a kid and later a college student and have fun and friends. Her only attempted rebellion did not work out for her and now she’s struggling with what to do with her future.
Patrick and Ellie are completely different but they do have a major thing in common, and that’s their relationship with their parents. Patrick’s dad is an abusive douche who treats him like a commodity and puts too much pressure on him to go pro because of money and his own interests. Ellie’s mother is not abusive but she is overbearing and controlling, and is putting too much pressure on her “to libe up to her potential” and become an MD, the dream she had to give up when she was young. So they both have toxic relationships with their parents, and that is something that allows them to understand each other on a deeper level. And that connection allows them to support each other in being true to themselves.
I really loved reading Overtime. It’s a great hockey romance with a lot of emotional turmoil and feeling, where hockey plays an important role, and will give you all the feels. It’s sweet, romantic and there’s a lot of steam. I highly recommend it.
May 24, 2021
3.5 Stars 🌟
did-not-finish
November 23, 2023DNF 61%
May 5, 2021
This is a really enjoyable, steamy college sports story. The sweet romance between Ellie and Patrick totally captured my heart.
As I haven’t read all of the books in this series I was pleased that it is a complete standalone and I didn’t feel I was missing anything from previous stories.
I always enjoy a brainiac tutor/ jock romance and this one hit the mark.
As I haven’t read all of the books in this series I was pleased that it is a complete standalone and I didn’t feel I was missing anything from previous stories.
I always enjoy a brainiac tutor/ jock romance and this one hit the mark.
April 23, 2021
4 Star Review Overtime (Moo U #5) by Kat Mizera
Patrick Graham is flying high as a member of the hockey team, but with all his partying, his grades have fallen and he is in danger of losing his spot. When he is pushed to get help Ellie McGinn becomes his tutor.
I didn’t particularly like Patrick when he appeared in his brother’s book Overtime, but this book redeemed him for me. It was heartwarming to watch their friendship develop and I found myself smiling at numerous times whilst reading. The connection between them is real and endearing and it was entertaining to watch the playboy brought to his knees by the brilliant Ellie.
I have to say I have an intense dislike of Patrick’s father, he is such a jerk and Ellie’s mother was way too pushy with what she expects from her, although Ms.Mizera did redeem her eventually.
Patrick Graham is flying high as a member of the hockey team, but with all his partying, his grades have fallen and he is in danger of losing his spot. When he is pushed to get help Ellie McGinn becomes his tutor.
I didn’t particularly like Patrick when he appeared in his brother’s book Overtime, but this book redeemed him for me. It was heartwarming to watch their friendship develop and I found myself smiling at numerous times whilst reading. The connection between them is real and endearing and it was entertaining to watch the playboy brought to his knees by the brilliant Ellie.
I have to say I have an intense dislike of Patrick’s father, he is such a jerk and Ellie’s mother was way too pushy with what she expects from her, although Ms.Mizera did redeem her eventually.
October 13, 2022
I skimmed 75% of the text that wasn’t dialogue. I had high hopes for this series, but I’ve gotten increasingly disappointed the further into the series. I get the FMC is only 19 and that because she’s a genius everyone treats her like she’s older and more mature, but her immaturity really jumps out at times. It’s hard to suspend disbelief for even romance reasons as to why a very sexually active, junior hot shot hockey player would all of the sudden be banging the brains out of a virgin who comes from penetrative sex with no other stimulation during her second time having sex. She went from virgin to porn star level within a few rounds. And then the whole ectopic thing and her overbearing mother. Just…too much.
June 7, 2021
Overtime by Kat Mizera is the fifth book in the Moo U Series. Patrick was introduced in the previous book in the seris, Gametime. He is the twin brother to Paxton. Patrick is an excellent hockey player but his coach has mandated that he bring his grades up in order to stay on the hockey team. This is where Patrick meets Ellie as she begins to tutor him. Ellie is smart, quirky and sweet. The two have instant chemistry and I loved the progression of their relationship. I loved this couple together but individually they each had some family drama that was holding them back. I would have enjoyed it more if the characters stood up to their families sooner but overall it is a sweet addition to this series.
April 29, 2021
"4
I loved that Patrick and Ellie are completely wrapped up in each other, yet are so sure of their chemistry and feelings brewing from the start. Their insecurities are so real and I felt in the moment with them. I definitely recommend this HEA.
Hockey Romance, College, First Boyfriend, Virgin, Smart Girl, Tutor, True North, Moo U, Captain "
I loved that Patrick and Ellie are completely wrapped up in each other, yet are so sure of their chemistry and feelings brewing from the start. Their insecurities are so real and I felt in the moment with them. I definitely recommend this HEA.
Hockey Romance, College, First Boyfriend, Virgin, Smart Girl, Tutor, True North, Moo U, Captain "
September 5, 2023
loved this simply because i adore the whole reformed player-shes his academic tutor-he's her sexy times tutor and all that
with their trope, i actually found it really refreshing that the main issue wasnt his past and yk all his exes.
that being said there was a lot going on in this book idk it felt a little overwhelming but i did still enjoy the read
with their trope, i actually found it really refreshing that the main issue wasnt his past and yk all his exes.
that being said there was a lot going on in this book idk it felt a little overwhelming but i did still enjoy the read
November 15, 2021
Arrrrggggaaa more parents meddling in their grown ass adults lives. It’s like every book!
Why man why. This is what book 5 please for the love that is holey let the next few books not have meddling parents I mean pretty please.
I love that we get the second twin Patrick and that he isn’t this womanizing man-slut that he was portrayed in the book before.
Ellie is kinda awesome I love that she is smart I just wish she would stand UP for herself my word. The women and do and be anything she wants all she has to do is fight.
The narration was perfect for this book.
Why man why. This is what book 5 please for the love that is holey let the next few books not have meddling parents I mean pretty please.
I love that we get the second twin Patrick and that he isn’t this womanizing man-slut that he was portrayed in the book before.
Ellie is kinda awesome I love that she is smart I just wish she would stand UP for herself my word. The women and do and be anything she wants all she has to do is fight.
The narration was perfect for this book.
May 30, 2021
This book will be frustrating if you know a bit about academia and science programs. The main character keeps mentioning her “computer science major” as a doctoral student, and wanting to study biotechnology, which is an industry, not an academic field. It really took me out of the narrative. One wouldn’t be in a doctoral program as undecided as she was.
October 11, 2021
**Actually a 3.5-rating**
I went back and re-read my review of Pax's book...and god damn here is me pitching a hissy fit because I was right. Pat got the better book. In ALL aspects of what Paxton deserved, too.
Even more, Pat got a super-great Heroine, in Ellie [Elizabeth], even if she is a mere 19yrs old. Somewhat of a child prodigy who has been in college getting 2... TWO DOCTORATES since she was 15!?!?!
Uhm, wow...Pax apparently had this gem of a young lady under his wing, as a good friend at Moo U, when Pat needs a tutor to help him study for his overall grade average in his classes.
This story is a similar situation as Pax had been in. Going PRO NHL sooner, right out of college. Pax is graduating his Junior year, but it seems like Pat has to catch up even if he maintains a B average. He will still have 3 classes he will need his Senior year. And the PROS kind of want him NOW.
Ellie has her own issues. Being 19... yet not having lived much of a life for herself. Pretty much having a toxic helicopter-Mom who has been hovering, and STILL hovers, but now suddenly Ellie wants to grow wings and fly...do her own thing, for once. But, man, she does not know what to do.
She does, but then, she doesn't. It is a constantly rotating thing with her that gets redundant.
This is when you turn your major into Undecided and kind of try to complete some type of class load and make sure you acquire the right studies so when you DO know...then the school year or further graduate degrees will be less strenuous.
Patrick was not what I was expecting, especially when he was in the presence of Ellie. Alone, in his own head, prior to becoming serious and intimate with her, Pat has a fairly huge ego... when it comes to Hockey and Girls. It was always clear he had TWO... always TWO puck bunnies hanging off him at every party...
...and when we get in his book? Somehow, in some magical way, at this juncture in Pat's new school year [after Pax and Naomi are a couple from their book...]...he feels like now ALL OF THE WOMEN are the same. No one stands out nor do they react to him differently than usual. He keeps talking about how he has a standard rotation of ???w/benefits...and the party we happen to see him at ONE of those ???w/benefits tries to climb him like a monkey. He sends her off to a bedroom, never to follow.
Trouble is... he had already spotted this strange NEW girl...who is not really new, in truth. It's Ellie and, man, how sad that she has disappeared in Pat's eyeline for this long as she is such good friends with Pax. How did that happen, especially when Pat and Pax live in the same house?
And yet Pat has no idea who this young woman is? He is instantly attracted and also finds her astonishingly mesmerizing.
A quick word that the Campus Cops are on their way, almost breaking up the party, causes Pat and Ellie to have a rough meet-cute...after having danced, briefly.
Uhm...while I did not mind these two [Hell, it was so much better for Pat to have Ellie, and versa vice] as a couple, nor their fast-paced insta-lust into like and then eventually love...there were a couple of times each of them seemed TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
Ellie could never be compared to ANY of Pat's past conquests. He, literally, never strayed from the second he saw Ellie. And for Ellie? Well since she has never truly been allowed to venture off of studying for school... Boys and boyfriends were never in her sights. Of course, until Pat.
Ellie was charmed by Pat but what I liked about her was how...somehow, someway she had some bit of "I am becoming fully awake to my life" when she was around Pat. And Pat--oddly, had this innate ability to always "dote" on Ellie as if she was already his "person" for life. Like he was dunzo chasing puck bunnies.
Of course, we recall from Pax's book... he is going PRO right after his early graduation, then Pat was going to be left alone at Moo U for a solid school year or maybe a mere semester. That is if Pat busted his ass to take the last 3 classes he needs to graduate early, too, and then make it PRO as well.
Now, Ellie...did something dumb. She caved in to her Mom for so long that when she finally chose to break free and revolt...she fouled it up by taking classes for a graduate degree she did not fully care for. So, when she starts dating and becoming serious with Pat...there is a big ole struggle bus between them.
Pat - GO PRO and not get a degree? Or stay to finish those classes, get the degree, then GO PRO? Either way, the Vegas NHL team wanted him, any way they could get him.
Ellie - Even when she finally admits the dumb choice she made, she is still unsure what she wants to do. She knows she wants to be in Biotech, but GO WHERE? AND WHEN? And will Pat be here or in Vegas playing Pro Hockey?
So, yeah, there is a lot of revolving and repetitive discussions between these two the closer and more intimate they became. But, once again... Moo U sticks to their guns and their instance that there be shitty toxic parents at every turn.
Ellie's got a warped helicopter Mom who wants Ellie to FIX all the mistakes Mommie Dearest didn't get to fix...which means MEDICAL SCHOOL... AT HARVARD... but Ellie's inept socialness is more introverted as she enjoys being locked in a lab, doing research, and being by herself...
Pax & Pat's toxic Dad from before makes another stellar appearance several times until Pat finally has to give his own parent a beat-down that could've seriously injured him and put Pat in jail...but SOMEONE finally needed to show the asshole he was not welcome around anymore.
Now, let me not make you think this all was Good Times because it wasn't. This book went on...loooooooong, and for a good enough reason. We get more than enough of a good meaty-chunk of a story...long enough for these two crazy dunderheads kids to get it right...less toxic and traumatic.
The thing is there is a surprise OOPS!! baby...and then a very triggering miscarriage...which NO READER will be prepared for since NO REVIEW mentions it. Nor are there many complaints about it, which frankly shocks me to no end. I guess this ending to a Oops baby trope is kind of... standard?? for New Adult/College Romances.
I don't know, and this is why I try to avoid these kinds of triggering situations. It's simply a "me" thing and a personal preference in that...I am an empath-type of reader...so whatever an MC goes through emotionally...I will sometimes feel along with them. Life experiences do that to you so I would assume NOT to make myself feel awful about a pregnancy loss. This is my fault; I went into this book blindly and I am unfamiliar with this author, too.
I think what lowers the book's rating for me is...a portion of Pat's inner dialogue once he finally learns then realizes what exactly happened to Ellie. Uhm, he makes a quick statement and then kind of hurriedly admonishes himself once he said it or rhetorically asked it to "whoever"...but it had everything to do with how clueless they were about all the [they thought] protective sex they were having. And, kind of, how unfettered they can be about the life [a baby] that briefly existed which was then quickly extinguished.
Ellie feels it more because this is her body...and her life that had to be saved...but Pat's instant reaction to an idea of a baby was...kind of cold, distant, and disappointing. He even knows that what he says was kind of... harsh, but yeah... he said the quiet parts out loud...
Ellie had an IUD. But it seemed like every so often Pat's condom would break INSIDE Ellie. It happened ONCE--they thought it was a fluke [...cheap condom]. But then when it kept happening, Pat was curious if maybe Ellie's IUD was slipping or something was going on that she should get it checked.
Here is where I feel kind of disjointed about this portion of this couple's story... Both of the MCs take on a certain responsibility for being a little too focused [on one another] and then unfocused on so much else about their lives...like Ellie needing to go to her doctor to have this check-up with her IUD. They both self-flagellate about so-called SAFE SEX... with all their crazed sex they were having... because they trusted in a condom and then an IUD...and both of those items failed. But ultimately they failed themselves and one another...
Okay, granted, Ellie DID have a lot going on... several plates spinning around her to even bother worrying about this kind of medical check-up. But in truth... she was inexperienced to such a degree...she was like a racehorse busting out of its gate. She simply had no idea of the consequences some Adult choices and decisions bring on.
When the time came, and the moment finally hit Pat...he felt guilty about how experienced he was over Ellie and how he should've been more observant. Which is fine and dandy, but... I still feel like these two are so young still, and highly immature...
HE wants to play NHL hockey and make millions and be on some BIG WIDESCREEN in some glorified hero worship...and Ellie? has been structured to be so advanced for her age...when she finally wants to Adult, she will seriously stumble and fall flat, facedown...
But yeah...even when the Player was tamed...the shy, nerdy girl became the wild one who wanted sex on tap...and who was Pat to deny his Dream Girl? Had Ellie been on top of her IUD situation...they could have found what was malfunctioning with the IUD and fixed it, taken it out and started Ellie on a new birth control.
Instead, we have this messy, triggering moment...that happens around a breakup done by Ellie because she learns how Pat had made a quick decision for himself...and was not graduating but GOING PRO right away. She felt he was not even factoring her in his Life Equation.
Look, maybe Pat was saying this fact to placate this Vegas NHL team...tell them what they wanted to hear FOR NOW, and then when he and Ellie were alone he had planned to have a discussion with her about what decisions they could make as a couple. But yeah, he didn't do that. He didn't even tell Ellie he felt anything toward her so what was she to do? what was she to think?
She breaks up with him, and OF COURSE, he has an AWAY game the next weekend...so she spends a week nearly dying from bleeding internally. A trip to the ER alerts her she has an ectopic pregnancy and they have to perform surgery. The baby is not viable... she will lose a fallopian tube... but at least she will have HER life.
I suppose with New Adult books there is this manner they deal with triggering stories like this... where the girl loses her baby right at the moment she learns she has been carrying a baby. So she has NO TIME to process grief or loss. Basically, she is thrown into pain, hurt, and shame... embarrassment and guilt...and suddenly she goes numb and...she ends up being not good for anybody much less her own self.
What it boils down to is...after all the talk of safe sex and having such an active sex life and feeling those attractions and feeding into the chemistry and "seeing" something viable between them...never once did either consider... A BABY... They want to BE ADULTS...seems like they want to be a couple...one who moves toward permanence, living together, maybe fall in love, and get married...have their Adult careers, make their Adult paychecks with fast money...and yet, they forget the real consequences they might suffer when Adults make those choices...
It's one of those moments in a story that you wished wouldn't be glossed over. And trust me it is not, but there are just some minor flurries sometimes of Pat and Ellie being still such "kids"...Ellie is 19, Pat is 21/22...and they have this idea they can skip all the hardships of being together and jump into ADULTHOOD...without consequences...
And the loss of this non-existent baby...is woven throughout, but yet I still feel...Ellie has a bit of remorse...but Pat? Pat became more concerned about Ellie...and I feel kind of at a weird sense of sadness...what a waste of a dramatic storyline. As a writer myself, it haunts me [like it haunts Ellie's Mom with her own pregnancy loss...] that Ellie will feel this passing moment once again... maybe even with her first child with Pat, whenever that is. But I kind of hurt for Pat who never got a proper grieving process...Ellie was able to process, slightly, and feel sadness...but Pat? oh, lordy...
Because here is the thing. All those chapters we are given mean we have a meaty storyline. We do, but in a completely different direction. It appears like we are on a mission to slowly weave our MCs back together, but it will take time and patience.
When I hit page 200...I knew I still had 60+pgs to go...and I think Ellie and Pat were into healing themselves and would eventually come back together...but it is all so nice...and quaint and perfect...almost too perfect.
Especially when they end up doing exactly as planned--exactly to a tee, but even better because Pat actually graduated a semester earlier than thought. So, they are actually in their new place, in Vegas 6-months early. And when Pat plays for the Vegas NHL team...not only is he making 1-million in a first-year contract, so many people are coming up behind them and nearly giving them everything they could ever want or need... handing them ways and means to make their Adulting life so damn perfect and shiny and wonderful...
...and I find myself flummoxed a bit, maybe flabbergasted...because life is "polished" for them...into TOO MUCH PERFECTION...once again...this now a 20yr old and 22yr old have Easy Street effortlessly handed to them...and it feels disingenuous to some degree, I guess. Maybe because I wish it could be harder... a bit rougher... a little tougher... more grassroots grounded where Pat and Ellie have to work a little bit more to want to be together.
I said this with Pax's book...Uhm, so many of the players in his new Pro team were retiring...so the team would almost be full of new players, new recruits...new blood... except... THIS IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN COLLEGE...Pax would no longer be Big Fish in the little pond...
Same with Pat...he is coming onto a team full of Vets...guys who have played for decades...in their 30s and 40s...and he is a mere 22yr old guy. Pat was a BIG MAN on campus at Moo U. He is now a little guppie in BIG POND playing in Vegas. What worked for him in college won't quite be...cannot possibly be perfect in The Pros...sorry, if there is one thing I will hold true in this theory, it will be this possibility.
Especially since the Twins are no longer playing together...Pax and Pat are playing on rival teams...
If it comes out to be Roads Paved in Gold for them both... I call bullshit. Sorry, Pat...and Pax. I see their first few years playing Pro...being rather rough, even with their girlfriends by their side. Anyone who turns Pro this quick, despite how amazingly they played in college and how often these teams salivated for these two boys... you are filling some BIG HUGE SHOES in the PROS.
I always turn to the NFL for these kinds of... Going Pro is the answer [...because when you Aim that high, the only room left to go... is down...] I think of Colin Kaepernick drafted in 2011 to the 49ers and Robert Griffin III [RG3] who was drafted to Washington in 2012...these were STAR quarterbacks right out of college who burst out of the gate, nearly right away, but also burned out just as fast...neither of them have ever been able to recover their glory...
I went back and re-read my review of Pax's book...and god damn here is me pitching a hissy fit because I was right. Pat got the better book. In ALL aspects of what Paxton deserved, too.
Even more, Pat got a super-great Heroine, in Ellie [Elizabeth], even if she is a mere 19yrs old. Somewhat of a child prodigy who has been in college getting 2... TWO DOCTORATES since she was 15!?!?!
Uhm, wow...Pax apparently had this gem of a young lady under his wing, as a good friend at Moo U, when Pat needs a tutor to help him study for his overall grade average in his classes.
This story is a similar situation as Pax had been in. Going PRO NHL sooner, right out of college. Pax is graduating his Junior year, but it seems like Pat has to catch up even if he maintains a B average. He will still have 3 classes he will need his Senior year. And the PROS kind of want him NOW.
Ellie has her own issues. Being 19... yet not having lived much of a life for herself. Pretty much having a toxic helicopter-Mom who has been hovering, and STILL hovers, but now suddenly Ellie wants to grow wings and fly...do her own thing, for once. But, man, she does not know what to do.
She does, but then, she doesn't. It is a constantly rotating thing with her that gets redundant.
This is when you turn your major into Undecided and kind of try to complete some type of class load and make sure you acquire the right studies so when you DO know...then the school year or further graduate degrees will be less strenuous.
Patrick was not what I was expecting, especially when he was in the presence of Ellie. Alone, in his own head, prior to becoming serious and intimate with her, Pat has a fairly huge ego... when it comes to Hockey and Girls. It was always clear he had TWO... always TWO puck bunnies hanging off him at every party...
...and when we get in his book? Somehow, in some magical way, at this juncture in Pat's new school year [after Pax and Naomi are a couple from their book...]...he feels like now ALL OF THE WOMEN are the same. No one stands out nor do they react to him differently than usual. He keeps talking about how he has a standard rotation of ???w/benefits...and the party we happen to see him at ONE of those ???w/benefits tries to climb him like a monkey. He sends her off to a bedroom, never to follow.
Trouble is... he had already spotted this strange NEW girl...who is not really new, in truth. It's Ellie and, man, how sad that she has disappeared in Pat's eyeline for this long as she is such good friends with Pax. How did that happen, especially when Pat and Pax live in the same house?
And yet Pat has no idea who this young woman is? He is instantly attracted and also finds her astonishingly mesmerizing.
A quick word that the Campus Cops are on their way, almost breaking up the party, causes Pat and Ellie to have a rough meet-cute...after having danced, briefly.
Uhm...while I did not mind these two [Hell, it was so much better for Pat to have Ellie, and versa vice] as a couple, nor their fast-paced insta-lust into like and then eventually love...there were a couple of times each of them seemed TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
Ellie could never be compared to ANY of Pat's past conquests. He, literally, never strayed from the second he saw Ellie. And for Ellie? Well since she has never truly been allowed to venture off of studying for school... Boys and boyfriends were never in her sights. Of course, until Pat.
Ellie was charmed by Pat but what I liked about her was how...somehow, someway she had some bit of "I am becoming fully awake to my life" when she was around Pat. And Pat--oddly, had this innate ability to always "dote" on Ellie as if she was already his "person" for life. Like he was dunzo chasing puck bunnies.
Of course, we recall from Pax's book... he is going PRO right after his early graduation, then Pat was going to be left alone at Moo U for a solid school year or maybe a mere semester. That is if Pat busted his ass to take the last 3 classes he needs to graduate early, too, and then make it PRO as well.
Now, Ellie...did something dumb. She caved in to her Mom for so long that when she finally chose to break free and revolt...she fouled it up by taking classes for a graduate degree she did not fully care for. So, when she starts dating and becoming serious with Pat...there is a big ole struggle bus between them.
Pat - GO PRO and not get a degree? Or stay to finish those classes, get the degree, then GO PRO? Either way, the Vegas NHL team wanted him, any way they could get him.
Ellie - Even when she finally admits the dumb choice she made, she is still unsure what she wants to do. She knows she wants to be in Biotech, but GO WHERE? AND WHEN? And will Pat be here or in Vegas playing Pro Hockey?
So, yeah, there is a lot of revolving and repetitive discussions between these two the closer and more intimate they became. But, once again... Moo U sticks to their guns and their instance that there be shitty toxic parents at every turn.
Ellie's got a warped helicopter Mom who wants Ellie to FIX all the mistakes Mommie Dearest didn't get to fix...which means MEDICAL SCHOOL... AT HARVARD... but Ellie's inept socialness is more introverted as she enjoys being locked in a lab, doing research, and being by herself...
Pax & Pat's toxic Dad from before makes another stellar appearance several times until Pat finally has to give his own parent a beat-down that could've seriously injured him and put Pat in jail...but SOMEONE finally needed to show the asshole he was not welcome around anymore.
Now, let me not make you think this all was Good Times because it wasn't. This book went on...loooooooong, and for a good enough reason. We get more than enough of a good meaty-chunk of a story...long enough for these two crazy dunderheads kids to get it right...less toxic and traumatic.
The thing is there is a surprise OOPS!! baby...and then a very triggering miscarriage...which NO READER will be prepared for since NO REVIEW mentions it. Nor are there many complaints about it, which frankly shocks me to no end. I guess this ending to a Oops baby trope is kind of... standard?? for New Adult/College Romances.
I don't know, and this is why I try to avoid these kinds of triggering situations. It's simply a "me" thing and a personal preference in that...I am an empath-type of reader...so whatever an MC goes through emotionally...I will sometimes feel along with them. Life experiences do that to you so I would assume NOT to make myself feel awful about a pregnancy loss. This is my fault; I went into this book blindly and I am unfamiliar with this author, too.
I think what lowers the book's rating for me is...a portion of Pat's inner dialogue once he finally learns then realizes what exactly happened to Ellie. Uhm, he makes a quick statement and then kind of hurriedly admonishes himself once he said it or rhetorically asked it to "whoever"...but it had everything to do with how clueless they were about all the [they thought] protective sex they were having. And, kind of, how unfettered they can be about the life [a baby] that briefly existed which was then quickly extinguished.
Ellie feels it more because this is her body...and her life that had to be saved...but Pat's instant reaction to an idea of a baby was...kind of cold, distant, and disappointing. He even knows that what he says was kind of... harsh, but yeah... he said the quiet parts out loud...
Ellie had an IUD. But it seemed like every so often Pat's condom would break INSIDE Ellie. It happened ONCE--they thought it was a fluke [...cheap condom]. But then when it kept happening, Pat was curious if maybe Ellie's IUD was slipping or something was going on that she should get it checked.
Here is where I feel kind of disjointed about this portion of this couple's story... Both of the MCs take on a certain responsibility for being a little too focused [on one another] and then unfocused on so much else about their lives...like Ellie needing to go to her doctor to have this check-up with her IUD. They both self-flagellate about so-called SAFE SEX... with all their crazed sex they were having... because they trusted in a condom and then an IUD...and both of those items failed. But ultimately they failed themselves and one another...
Okay, granted, Ellie DID have a lot going on... several plates spinning around her to even bother worrying about this kind of medical check-up. But in truth... she was inexperienced to such a degree...she was like a racehorse busting out of its gate. She simply had no idea of the consequences some Adult choices and decisions bring on.
When the time came, and the moment finally hit Pat...he felt guilty about how experienced he was over Ellie and how he should've been more observant. Which is fine and dandy, but... I still feel like these two are so young still, and highly immature...
HE wants to play NHL hockey and make millions and be on some BIG WIDESCREEN in some glorified hero worship...and Ellie? has been structured to be so advanced for her age...when she finally wants to Adult, she will seriously stumble and fall flat, facedown...
But yeah...even when the Player was tamed...the shy, nerdy girl became the wild one who wanted sex on tap...and who was Pat to deny his Dream Girl? Had Ellie been on top of her IUD situation...they could have found what was malfunctioning with the IUD and fixed it, taken it out and started Ellie on a new birth control.
Instead, we have this messy, triggering moment...that happens around a breakup done by Ellie because she learns how Pat had made a quick decision for himself...and was not graduating but GOING PRO right away. She felt he was not even factoring her in his Life Equation.
Look, maybe Pat was saying this fact to placate this Vegas NHL team...tell them what they wanted to hear FOR NOW, and then when he and Ellie were alone he had planned to have a discussion with her about what decisions they could make as a couple. But yeah, he didn't do that. He didn't even tell Ellie he felt anything toward her so what was she to do? what was she to think?
She breaks up with him, and OF COURSE, he has an AWAY game the next weekend...so she spends a week nearly dying from bleeding internally. A trip to the ER alerts her she has an ectopic pregnancy and they have to perform surgery. The baby is not viable... she will lose a fallopian tube... but at least she will have HER life.
I suppose with New Adult books there is this manner they deal with triggering stories like this... where the girl loses her baby right at the moment she learns she has been carrying a baby. So she has NO TIME to process grief or loss. Basically, she is thrown into pain, hurt, and shame... embarrassment and guilt...and suddenly she goes numb and...she ends up being not good for anybody much less her own self.
What it boils down to is...after all the talk of safe sex and having such an active sex life and feeling those attractions and feeding into the chemistry and "seeing" something viable between them...never once did either consider... A BABY... They want to BE ADULTS...seems like they want to be a couple...one who moves toward permanence, living together, maybe fall in love, and get married...have their Adult careers, make their Adult paychecks with fast money...and yet, they forget the real consequences they might suffer when Adults make those choices...
It's one of those moments in a story that you wished wouldn't be glossed over. And trust me it is not, but there are just some minor flurries sometimes of Pat and Ellie being still such "kids"...Ellie is 19, Pat is 21/22...and they have this idea they can skip all the hardships of being together and jump into ADULTHOOD...without consequences...
And the loss of this non-existent baby...is woven throughout, but yet I still feel...Ellie has a bit of remorse...but Pat? Pat became more concerned about Ellie...and I feel kind of at a weird sense of sadness...what a waste of a dramatic storyline. As a writer myself, it haunts me [like it haunts Ellie's Mom with her own pregnancy loss...] that Ellie will feel this passing moment once again... maybe even with her first child with Pat, whenever that is. But I kind of hurt for Pat who never got a proper grieving process...Ellie was able to process, slightly, and feel sadness...but Pat? oh, lordy...
Because here is the thing. All those chapters we are given mean we have a meaty storyline. We do, but in a completely different direction. It appears like we are on a mission to slowly weave our MCs back together, but it will take time and patience.
When I hit page 200...I knew I still had 60+pgs to go...and I think Ellie and Pat were into healing themselves and would eventually come back together...but it is all so nice...and quaint and perfect...almost too perfect.
Especially when they end up doing exactly as planned--exactly to a tee, but even better because Pat actually graduated a semester earlier than thought. So, they are actually in their new place, in Vegas 6-months early. And when Pat plays for the Vegas NHL team...not only is he making 1-million in a first-year contract, so many people are coming up behind them and nearly giving them everything they could ever want or need... handing them ways and means to make their Adulting life so damn perfect and shiny and wonderful...
...and I find myself flummoxed a bit, maybe flabbergasted...because life is "polished" for them...into TOO MUCH PERFECTION...once again...this now a 20yr old and 22yr old have Easy Street effortlessly handed to them...and it feels disingenuous to some degree, I guess. Maybe because I wish it could be harder... a bit rougher... a little tougher... more grassroots grounded where Pat and Ellie have to work a little bit more to want to be together.
I said this with Pax's book...Uhm, so many of the players in his new Pro team were retiring...so the team would almost be full of new players, new recruits...new blood... except... THIS IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN COLLEGE...Pax would no longer be Big Fish in the little pond...
Same with Pat...he is coming onto a team full of Vets...guys who have played for decades...in their 30s and 40s...and he is a mere 22yr old guy. Pat was a BIG MAN on campus at Moo U. He is now a little guppie in BIG POND playing in Vegas. What worked for him in college won't quite be...cannot possibly be perfect in The Pros...sorry, if there is one thing I will hold true in this theory, it will be this possibility.
Especially since the Twins are no longer playing together...Pax and Pat are playing on rival teams...
If it comes out to be Roads Paved in Gold for them both... I call bullshit. Sorry, Pat...and Pax. I see their first few years playing Pro...being rather rough, even with their girlfriends by their side. Anyone who turns Pro this quick, despite how amazingly they played in college and how often these teams salivated for these two boys... you are filling some BIG HUGE SHOES in the PROS.
I always turn to the NFL for these kinds of... Going Pro is the answer [...because when you Aim that high, the only room left to go... is down...] I think of Colin Kaepernick drafted in 2011 to the 49ers and Robert Griffin III [RG3] who was drafted to Washington in 2012...these were STAR quarterbacks right out of college who burst out of the gate, nearly right away, but also burned out just as fast...neither of them have ever been able to recover their glory...
April 27, 2021
Books, Coffee & Passion
Even though Patrick annoyed me in Gametime, the previous book in the Moo U series, I was curious about his story and I’m happy that it didn’t disappoint. The set up to this book reminded me so much of One Tree Hill (Haley and Nathan)! Anyway, I love a good tutor-sports star romance, so I was very excited about this one.
Patrick was a great surprise to me. I wasn’t expecting to like him from the get-go but I did. I think it helped it wasn’t shown on page Patrick partying and sleeping around, I liked that the story started when Patrick had to start getting his grades up otherwise he could lose his spot in the team. That end up leading him to Ellie.
At first, I thought Ellie was too sweet and innocent for Patrick. But she also surprised me! She was a very interesting character. The fact they were so different but also so alike was gold! I wasn’t a fan of the way they met and their instant connection but I enjoyed how their relationship progressed. I absolutely loved how Patrick embraced the his feelings for Ellie and how they supported each other. Their chemistry was amazing and there were a lot of funny, sweet and steamy moments.
This was a very emotional story. Patrick and Ellie went through a lot. Their relationships with their parents, their expectations and dreams, Ellie’s struggle with her PHD program choice, Patrick’s indecision about going pro or finishing his degree, the uncertainty of their professional futures, the fact they could be forced to go on separate ways after college, their deep feelings for each other and a very sad and dramatic event… my heart broke for them.
Overall, Overtime was a beautiful, sweet, steamy, entertaining, emotional read with great characters and remarkable character growth. A great addition to the Moo U series.
TW:
Even though Patrick annoyed me in Gametime, the previous book in the Moo U series, I was curious about his story and I’m happy that it didn’t disappoint. The set up to this book reminded me so much of One Tree Hill (Haley and Nathan)! Anyway, I love a good tutor-sports star romance, so I was very excited about this one.
Patrick was a great surprise to me. I wasn’t expecting to like him from the get-go but I did. I think it helped it wasn’t shown on page Patrick partying and sleeping around, I liked that the story started when Patrick had to start getting his grades up otherwise he could lose his spot in the team. That end up leading him to Ellie.
At first, I thought Ellie was too sweet and innocent for Patrick. But she also surprised me! She was a very interesting character. The fact they were so different but also so alike was gold! I wasn’t a fan of the way they met and their instant connection but I enjoyed how their relationship progressed. I absolutely loved how Patrick embraced the his feelings for Ellie and how they supported each other. Their chemistry was amazing and there were a lot of funny, sweet and steamy moments.
This was a very emotional story. Patrick and Ellie went through a lot. Their relationships with their parents, their expectations and dreams, Ellie’s struggle with her PHD program choice, Patrick’s indecision about going pro or finishing his degree, the uncertainty of their professional futures, the fact they could be forced to go on separate ways after college, their deep feelings for each other and a very sad and dramatic event… my heart broke for them.
Overall, Overtime was a beautiful, sweet, steamy, entertaining, emotional read with great characters and remarkable character growth. A great addition to the Moo U series.
TW:
April 18, 2021
**4.5**
Patrick and Ellie meet at a party one night. They both felt a connection immediately but when the cops break up the party they get separated. Only to be reunited a couple days later when Patrick shows up for his tutoring session to see that Ellie is his tutor. Ellie is 19, has two degrees, is working to finish her masters degree all while her parents are pressuring her to go to medical school - the last thing she wants to do is go to medical school but her parent won't relent so the pressure is mounting. Patrick's whole life has been hockey and he wants nothing more than to join the NHL but he is three classes away from getting his degree and to him that seems like a priority - but his dad doesn't keep quiet about how dumb staying in college is.
Just like with Gametime, I wasn't expecting this book to be as deep and as emotional as it was for me. The journey that Patrick and Ellie went on broke me. I felt so much for them and my heart was so heavy for what they went through and endured. Their parents sucked hairy donkey . . . and deserved no forgiveness. As I said this was a bit more emotional than I suspected but I loved every second of it and truly respected how the author recognized Ellie's age and said maybe I am too young for all this. I already felt that she was so strong and mature for her age but for her to say that . . . my heart hurt for her but it resonated as such a truth - felt so real in that moment. I also adored Patrick's growth and development. I loved watching him grow and realize what he wanted/needed in his life and to rid the toxicity from his life. I think this is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.
Patrick and Ellie meet at a party one night. They both felt a connection immediately but when the cops break up the party they get separated. Only to be reunited a couple days later when Patrick shows up for his tutoring session to see that Ellie is his tutor. Ellie is 19, has two degrees, is working to finish her masters degree all while her parents are pressuring her to go to medical school - the last thing she wants to do is go to medical school but her parent won't relent so the pressure is mounting. Patrick's whole life has been hockey and he wants nothing more than to join the NHL but he is three classes away from getting his degree and to him that seems like a priority - but his dad doesn't keep quiet about how dumb staying in college is.
Just like with Gametime, I wasn't expecting this book to be as deep and as emotional as it was for me. The journey that Patrick and Ellie went on broke me. I felt so much for them and my heart was so heavy for what they went through and endured. Their parents sucked hairy donkey . . . and deserved no forgiveness. As I said this was a bit more emotional than I suspected but I loved every second of it and truly respected how the author recognized Ellie's age and said maybe I am too young for all this. I already felt that she was so strong and mature for her age but for her to say that . . . my heart hurt for her but it resonated as such a truth - felt so real in that moment. I also adored Patrick's growth and development. I loved watching him grow and realize what he wanted/needed in his life and to rid the toxicity from his life. I think this is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.
April 22, 2021
Patrick Graham, twin brother of Paxton, wasn't always painted in the best light in previous books - he was a player, somewhat selfish, and jealous of his brother's successes. But, it turns out that Patrick learns from everything he experiences and he grows into someone I really enjoyed reading about. Add to this mix, a smart, strong girl named Ellie and you've got the perfect recipe for a fun read filled with emotions and romance.
Both of these characters face challenges in their lives, most specifically because of their families, and of course this impacts their relationship. However, in what turns out to be a refreshing twist (at least when it comes to comparing this to other romance books), these two had pretty good communication for the most part and were able to work through most of their issues together. Of course, there's a bit of drama to add excitement to the storyline but it wasn't overdone in any way. I really enjoyed watching them tackle the obstacles put before them and make decisions about their own futures. Oh...and their chemistry was awesome!
Overall, this was a really good read and a great addition to this series!
Both of these characters face challenges in their lives, most specifically because of their families, and of course this impacts their relationship. However, in what turns out to be a refreshing twist (at least when it comes to comparing this to other romance books), these two had pretty good communication for the most part and were able to work through most of their issues together. Of course, there's a bit of drama to add excitement to the storyline but it wasn't overdone in any way. I really enjoyed watching them tackle the obstacles put before them and make decisions about their own futures. Oh...and their chemistry was awesome!
Overall, this was a really good read and a great addition to this series!
March 7, 2023
No lie, Patrick was not my favorite character in Pax's book. I mean, I get that the twins had stuff to work through and Patrick wasn't at his best because it was Pax's story, but maaaaannnn. Let's just say the guy had to prove himself to me before I would get rid of my sour lemon face.
The good news? I did end up liking Patrick. He might have been foot loose and fancy free during Pax's story, but he cleaned up nicely. Having a genius tutor helped get him on the right track. Well, that and the possibility of being benched if his grades got to bad. Regardless, he buckled down and did what he needed to do and I can respect that.
As for Ellie, that lady's on fire. She's smart and sweet and, yeah, maybe she hasn't had the most typical college experience, but Patrick helps her unwind in that regard. Her biggest hurdle? Figuring out what she wants to do with her life. She really is smart enough to do anything, but her parents are pushing her in a direction she doesn't want to go and that makes things tough.
Adulting choices, steamy kisses, hockey family, and two people who work well together. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
The good news? I did end up liking Patrick. He might have been foot loose and fancy free during Pax's story, but he cleaned up nicely. Having a genius tutor helped get him on the right track. Well, that and the possibility of being benched if his grades got to bad. Regardless, he buckled down and did what he needed to do and I can respect that.
As for Ellie, that lady's on fire. She's smart and sweet and, yeah, maybe she hasn't had the most typical college experience, but Patrick helps her unwind in that regard. Her biggest hurdle? Figuring out what she wants to do with her life. She really is smart enough to do anything, but her parents are pushing her in a direction she doesn't want to go and that makes things tough.
Adulting choices, steamy kisses, hockey family, and two people who work well together. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
April 25, 2021
4.5☆
I was fresh off reading Patrick's twins's book so I wasn't sure what I was going to get from Patrick after seeing him a bit before, I was a little worried I wouldn't like him actually. Turns out I didn't have a thing to worry about! I really loved being in Patrick's head and getting to learn about him and what makes him tick. I just adored Ellie and I love how similar yet total opposites her and Patrick are. They both have pretty terrible parental support and I love how they both worked on themselves to be stronger. They have such cute chemistry right away and I love how they are a very well rounded couple and they really help each other grow and become stronger together. I really appreciate that they didn't solve each other's problems, but they offer the support to each other to overcome them. Their story packs more emotions than I was expecting and I just adored their journey even when it hurt. I devoured their story in less than a day and just couldn't get enough!! Another great addition to Moo U!!!
*I chose to review an early copy*
I was fresh off reading Patrick's twins's book so I wasn't sure what I was going to get from Patrick after seeing him a bit before, I was a little worried I wouldn't like him actually. Turns out I didn't have a thing to worry about! I really loved being in Patrick's head and getting to learn about him and what makes him tick. I just adored Ellie and I love how similar yet total opposites her and Patrick are. They both have pretty terrible parental support and I love how they both worked on themselves to be stronger. They have such cute chemistry right away and I love how they are a very well rounded couple and they really help each other grow and become stronger together. I really appreciate that they didn't solve each other's problems, but they offer the support to each other to overcome them. Their story packs more emotions than I was expecting and I just adored their journey even when it hurt. I devoured their story in less than a day and just couldn't get enough!! Another great addition to Moo U!!!
*I chose to review an early copy*
October 31, 2021
Extra time for love!
When Patrick needs a tutor to help him get his grades up, he never imagined that the tutor he's meeting is a girl he met at a party and had an instant attraction for. When Ellie realises the student she's meant to tutor is Patrick, captain of the hockey team and the guy who rescued her at a party. When they get to know each other more, they find an attraction that undeniable. When their world collides with the real world, can they survive the fallout or will they go their separate ways? This was an addictive read and I couldn't get enough of Patrick and Ellie.
When Patrick needs a tutor to help him get his grades up, he never imagined that the tutor he's meeting is a girl he met at a party and had an instant attraction for. When Ellie realises the student she's meant to tutor is Patrick, captain of the hockey team and the guy who rescued her at a party. When they get to know each other more, they find an attraction that undeniable. When their world collides with the real world, can they survive the fallout or will they go their separate ways? This was an addictive read and I couldn't get enough of Patrick and Ellie.
April 11, 2021
3.5 Stars
This book and Gametime go hand in hand with each other since they follow the twin brothers and their HEA.
I enjoyed this one more than the previous one. The pacing felt a little off for me, and getting into the story was slow. Once I got to 50%, everything picked up and I enjoyed the book much more.
TW: miscarriage, emotionally/physically abusive parent
This book and Gametime go hand in hand with each other since they follow the twin brothers and their HEA.
I enjoyed this one more than the previous one. The pacing felt a little off for me, and getting into the story was slow. Once I got to 50%, everything picked up and I enjoyed the book much more.
TW: miscarriage, emotionally/physically abusive parent
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